|
Post by Swirling Force on Jan 27, 2009 3:50:24 GMT -5
The open desert of the Dune Sea is located just to the east of Anchorhead and is so expansive that there is seemingly no end in sight beyond the hills of sand. Extreme temperatures and lack of water made the area inhospitable to most lifeforms. Though Desert Wraids are known to migrate through the area. And Sand People are often sighted by caravans. A Human can dehydrate after about thirty minutes from overexposure. Image: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic © Lucasarts
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Feb 28, 2011 1:07:53 GMT -5
* The Storm Clound descends from orbit carrying Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo, Belaya and the Sullustan pilot and captain of the ship, Bob* *As the Dynamic-class freighter comes out of the upper atmosphere the ship starts shaking violently. Ze is thrown forward but manages to grasp a hold of Belaya's seat before being thrown further. Alarms begin to blare throughout the cockpit and red warning lights flash above and below them* "While I admit that I am relatively unfamiliar with planetary entry, is it not customary for turbulence to decrease in intensity after exiting the upper chromasphere of an M-class planetoid with a Type-One atmosphere?"=Bob= *He wasn't quite sure what the Verpine had said exactly, but it was clear enough that he was asking a question. Probably the same question Bob was asking himself: what the hell was happening? He frantically looks over several screens and instruments* <Sensors are down, some sort of interference. I have no idea what's going on!> *Ze looks curiously at the Sullustan and then glances out the window ahead of him. The view was completely obscured by a yellowish brown haze that seemed to be moving rapidly around them* "I believe we have entered a sandstorm."=Bob= <What? Why would you think....> *Bob looks up at his instruments and finally sees that the Verpine was actually quite right. He mentally slaps himself for being too obsessed with instruments and scans* "Shouldn't sensors have detected such a storm prior to our approach?"=Bob= <Normally they would, yes. But the storm has a high concentration of ionization - its throwing off all our equipment.> "Would it be possible to maneuver out and around the storm?"=Bob= <Possibly. But without sensors I'm effectively flying blind. Plus this cargo ship isn't designed to handle the kinds of maneuvers we're talking about.> "Then might I suggest boosting power to the shields and structural integrity to compensate."=Bob= *Bob nods and points behind him and to the left* <That console. See what you can do. I'm going to try to level us off as best I can. I'll have to shut down some of the inertial dampers so I can feel if we're flying straight or not.> *Ze does pulls himself over to the console that Bob had indicated and begins rerouting secondary power to the shields and to structural integrity. He also is able to draw some power from currently unnecessary primary systems such as lighting and hyperdrive capacitors. Ze can feel the lack of inertial dampers on his footing, it was more difficult to stand as he was being jostled around more now* "I believe I have made the necessary adjustments."=Bob= <Alright. Here we go. Hold onto your butts.> *Ze finds the order strange but grabs a hold of his rear none-the-less. It was an odd sensation and why Bob would have him do this now was most peculiar. Shouldn't he be holding onto a support rail or something?* *Bob twists the ship upward and Ze is thrown to the floor and then tossed to the side against a bulkhead as the Storm Cloud tries to break free of the sand storm's grasp. Fortunately Ze's hard exo-skeleton protects him from the impacts and he ends up bouncing around the cockpit like a holo-puck in a game of childrens table-top hover-hockey* =Bob= <The port stabilizer has broken loose! I can't keep us level! We're going down!> "I told you that that stabilizer needed to be repaired."*The Storm Cloud spins out of control in the middle of the sand storm and eventually crashes hard into the sandy dunes of Tatooine. The ship is ripped apart and sand is thrown high up into the air as it eventually comes to a complete stop while the sand storm swirls overhead* *Ze, having not been in a seat or strapped down, is thrown through the transparisteel viewport window and into a large sand bank. Ze's final thoughts before being knocked unconscious is that holding one's "butt" is probably the single worst suggestion to someone who is about to crash land in a space ship*
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Feb 28, 2011 1:26:48 GMT -5
*As soon as the ship starts rocking, Belaya secures herself in her seat. She was about to suggest the same to Ze after she had finished, but Bob wanted him elsewhere. She would have said something against it so that her padawan would be safe, but Ze would be more useful in this situation for Bob if they had any hope of not crash landing.
However, when they lose stabalizers and start spiraling towards the surface of Tatooine, Belaya realizes that hope is gone. When the ship hits the surface and is ripped apart, Belaya is jostled forward enough so that her forehead hits the panels infront of her and knocks her out cold with blood trickling down her forehead. Health to 4/10.
Belaya is knocked out for quite some time. Eventually the noise of the sandstorm swirling around them wakes her up. She opens her eyes groggily and slowly sits upright in her seat. She had still been headfirst resting on the panel she bashed her head on. When she unhooks herself from her seat, she notices blood trickling everywhere. She looks confused at first, but then suddenly realizes there is a sharp pain. She pats her head gently and grunts a bit when she taps the right spot. She looks at her hand and sees blood on it. Well, that explained the pain.
Wanting a quick fix to stop the bleeding, she rips part of her cloak on her right sleeve and wraps it around her head. She then looks around. She couldn't see much. Her vision was blurred and there was still that sandstorm. Where was Ze? That was her first thought. She reached out in the Force to feel his presence. It took her a minute but she eventually found it. She crawled out of the wrecked ship and starts making her way towards Ze in the sandstorm. Not the best idea, but she wanted her padawan safe. She wouldn't lose him on their first mission together. She wouldn't lose him like this.
She finally is able to make out where he is and goes over towards him. She stumbles onto her knees when she gets there. She immediately checks on him. He was unconscious, but still alive.*
Have to...get you...to...the ship.
*She uses Force Heal on herself to bring her health back up to 1/2. That helped a little anyway. She picks Ze up as best she can, throwing an arm over her shoulders and wrapping one of her arms around his back and dragging him back to the wrecked ship. It was the best shelter they'd have until this sandstorm subsided.
She gets him back in the ship and drags him into the main hold. She rests him against a wall and slouches near him. She was weak, hurt, and tired but she had to stay conscious. She'd have to ride out this storm.*
|
|
|
Post by Grk'kkrs'ar on Feb 28, 2011 2:12:25 GMT -5
*A group of four sand people who had taken refuge in a valley between sand dunes when the sand storm hit, look up and see a freighter spin aft over end and into a nearby dune. The ship breaks apart and rocks backwards slightly as it settles into the sand.*
"Graarrrkkk karrrrr raakkkggrr graakkkrrraaarraa!" « Invaders! Wrong-doers! Must avenge the sands! Death to the metal dragon! »
*The sand people rush forward, braving the fierce wind and sand and climb aboard the broken ship, wielding their gaffi sticks*
"Raaaarrggrr gaarrraawwrkk!" « As the sands sweep away the past, so too do we sweep away the present! »
*Two of the Sand People climb in through the cockpit, the other two climb in through a hole in the port dormitory and make their way to the main hold where they find Belaya and S'ss'nixztoo*
"Graaawwrrrkk Aaraaraaraar!" « Translation unknown »
*The two Sand People attack the Jedi with their gaffi sticks*
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Feb 28, 2011 2:49:01 GMT -5
*Just when Belaya thinks she is about to pass out, she senses something. Their situation had gotten worse. She could feel it through the Force. Right as she goes to grab her saber, her and Ze are attacked by two tuskans. She grabs Ze as she rolls towards him and the two of them narrowly dodge the attacks. She rolls through and ignites her viridian colored blade, in a kneeling stance as one hand is on Ze and the other holding the blade pointing at the sand people.
Belaya gets up quickly and uses Force Push on the two tuskans then leaps at them coming down on one of them with an Improved Power Attack, she then takes a quick jump back after the attack to maintain her position between the tuskans and the unconscious Ze.*
Kark me for skipping the healing arts class all the time.
*She mutters under her breath and drops into a Shii-Cho stance. She'd need the first form against multiple opponents with no drawbacks. The wide sweeping motions the first form used would help block off the tuskans from getting around her and to Ze.*
|
|
|
Post by Grk'kkrs'ar on Feb 28, 2011 19:07:09 GMT -5
*The two Sand People in the main hold are pushed back by the Jedi's sudden Force Power, but with the distance now gained they are able to see their enemy leap at them and take appropriate action. They scatter to either side, and one tries to block the glowing blade with his gaffi stick but it is severed in half. Regardless, he tosses the shorter half of the gaffi stick to the side and then they both simultaneously charge and attack Belaya. One swinging high, and the other low. It was apparent to them that the being with the glowing sword was attempting to defend the green one on the floor, and that she was the only real threat in this place*
"Raaarrrgaarraaa arr arrr arr!" « The invaders shall become one with the sand! »
*In the cockpit the two other Sand People find the unconscious body of a Sullustan slumped over the ship's controls. They grab a hold of his flight suit and yank him out of his seat. They then proceed to drag his body out of broken transparisteel window and back into the desert*
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Mar 10, 2011 21:21:03 GMT -5
*Distracted by the two sandpeople attacking her, Belaya is unable to know that another group of sandpeople are dragging away their pilot from the cockpit. Belaya had been so worried about her padawan Ze and was so dazed by the crash that she had forgotten about him for the moment.
When one of the sandpeople swings low, she jumps over it, but is caught by the one swinging high in the collar bone and is knocked back. Health to 3/10. She gets back up and rushes at them. She uses Force Whirlwind on one and then swings her blade around hard in the Djem So form and uses a strong strike to hit the sandperson that was not hit by the Force Whirlwind, who's gaffi stick had broken earlier. She then proceeds to press the attack with two Improved Power Attacks.*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Mar 11, 2011 18:04:42 GMT -5
*Instead of seeing a big dark blur, Ze begins to see a big bright blur as he comes to. The sound of a lightsaber humming and crackling against blunt objects perks Ze awake, and he is able to faintly distinguish that there is indeed a combat taking place only a few short meters from where he is now slumped. He was back in the main hold of the ship - yellow sand was piled in a corner and a the deck plating was no longer a solid flat space, but rather was warped and torn in several places. Power conduits, wires, and an assortment of multi-colored tubes hung from the walls and ceilings - the ship was damaged beyond any hope of repair. But Ze's focus and attention was not on the walls, it was on the tan-robed, mask-wearing, stick-wielding, loud-screaming man-beast before him. And his master was doing everything in her power to fend him and his companion off*
"Well this is certainly a most unwelcome encounter."
*Ze pushes himself up off the ground and is relieved to find that his lightsaber is still clipped securely onto his Jedi belt. He draws it and ignites the yellow blade with a snap-hiss. With his Master having engaged the sand person with a broken stick, Ze takes on the other which has begun spinning around as if caught in a miniature whirlwind. Fascinating. He throws up a defensive Makashi stance - ready should the sand person attack after breaking free of the whirlwind. Ze decides to put his new knowledge of the Sand People language to use*
"Durka durka!" (Translation: I do not wish to make you one with the sand my sand brother of sand, let us go sand dance in the sand where the sand is.)
|
|
|
Post by Grk'kkrs'ar on Mar 11, 2011 19:33:31 GMT -5
*The first sand person is caught in the Whirlwind and is spun around the main hold of the ship, while the other one attempts to fend off the Jedi's aggressive assault. He manages to deflect and sidestep a few of the more desperate strikes, but eventually, his gaffi stick too is cleaved in half and a moment later the lightsaber blade slashes across his chest, ending his life*
*The first sand person, having been caught in the Whirlwind finally is released and is brought face to face with the strange green invader... whom can speak portions of his language. That catches the sand person off guard, and while his words didn't make any sense, they were reminiscent to a traditional peace offering. He takes a step back and returns words*
"Iiiikaaa raaakkraaakk shraaaakakaka Norrriiisshhhna! Rassharrrgga garrrarrgg!" ? You speak the tongue of the sands yet I know not of what you speak. You have invaded our lands and spilled the blood of those that would bring you to justice. You shall perish by my gaderffii, defiler of the desert! ?
*With that the Sand person lunges at the Verpine swinging his gaffi stick down with all his force*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Mar 11, 2011 19:42:35 GMT -5
*Ze can barely make out what the Sand Person is saying. Something about the sand... obviously, and blood. He didn't sound happy about it. And something more about the sand, and possibly spiced rum? Ze is 76% confident that the Sand Person is asking him back to his tent to share a bottle of rum with him. Ze didn't often drink alcohol as he normally had an adverse reaction to it involving dizziness, diminished fine-motor control, and a loss of peripheral vision - but then again... oh wait... the Sand Person was attacking!*
*Ze flicks his curved lightsaber hilt upward and sidesteps the furious charge, allowing the sand person to run through the place he just had been standing, he then quickly transitions into a stab/strike as he had done with his Master earlier in the same compartment, stabbing toward the now-unprotected flank of the charging sand person*
|
|
|
Post by Grk'kkrs'ar on Mar 11, 2011 19:45:32 GMT -5
*The sand person charges through and cannot compensate quickly enough as the Verpine nimbly sidesteps and parries his attack with his glowing sword. Similarly, the sand person is incapable of redirecting his attack back around and is quickly impaled as the yellow blade plunges through his black*
*Both sand people in the main hold are now dead. The other two are now far into the Dune Sea under the cover of the sand storm with their Sullustan captive*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Mar 11, 2011 19:54:46 GMT -5
*Ze is legitimately shocked as the sand person falls to his blade. He had anticipated that he would turn and deflect the attack and the sparring match would continue as it had with his Master. But Ze then realizes that this being, this sand person, had no connection with the Force and therefore could not possibly anticipate Ze's strike as his Master could. Ze watches in near-horror as the lifeless body of the sand person falls off of his blade and collapses to the warped and uneven deck plating. Ze looks worriedly over to his Master*
"I... I did not intend to terminate him.... It was just... I did what I had practiced with you, and he... he did not parry my strike."
*Ze's voice is filled with noticeable emotion - a rare occurrence for him. For while he frequently would display interest, fascination, and curiosity; concern, sadness, and fear were emotions that he had hardly ever felt in his life - and they were also emotions that he did not know how to process. His breathing is rapid and his antennas were twitching; not only from the adrenaline but also due to the state of panic that he was now in*
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Mar 11, 2011 20:06:37 GMT -5
*Belaya watches as the sand person falls to her blade. She quickly turns around, anticipating the other one to either have attacked her or go after Ze. She hadn't even noticed Ze was conscious again. She was fatigued from the crash and focused on quickly getting rid of the sand person before her. So when she turned around, she was shocked to see the sand person's limp body fall to the ground and Ze standing over it with his lightsaber activated.*
*She then heard his distressed words as he spoke to her. It was a problem many Jedi had when they stepped out into big missions like these. It was even a problem that Belaya herself had once. Your first kill was always hardest. She takes a deep breath and exhales sharply as she deactivates her saber, exhausted from the crash and the battle. She honestly didn't know how she was standing right now. She walks over to Ze and clips the saber to her belt. She places a hand on his shoulder.*
I know Ze. You were only doing what was natural to you with the form. You were only using self defense to protect us...us...Bob!
*Belaya finally remembered their pilot friend. She rushes to the cockpit where they both had been. She sees the pilot seat empty. She looks around, but doesn't see him. She looks at the desert before them. The sandstorm was hitting hard, so any tracks would be covered up. No chance of knowing if he was dragged off...but, as she was looking out, something flapping in the desert wind caught her eye. She removed a piece of cloth from the broken glass of the ship. It was the same colored cloth as what Bob had been wearing. The way the cloth was ripped seemed to suggest it would be ripped off going out, not coming in. There was even a tiny splotch of blood on the cloth. Maybe his arm or leg had gotten caught by the glass while he was being hurridly drug out...because it wouldn't make sense for him to actively leave the ship in a sandstorm.*
*She makes her way back to where she had left Ze, holding the piece of blood stained cloth up.*
Bob's gone. I think they took him. There must have been more than just the two of them.
*Belaya slumped on the ground, tired. This was just too much to take in a moment. A crash landing, a fight, and now a kidnapped friend.*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Mar 18, 2011 23:59:30 GMT -5
*Ze watches curiously as Belaya rushes to the cockpit after shouting Bob's name. Had she heard something he had not? But when she returns shortly thereafter her reasoning becomes clear as she holds up the cloth and explains*
"Gone? Well then an endeavor of heroic magnitude is required!"
*Ze begins rushing to the rear hatch with his yellow lightsaber still ignited. But instead of rushing out the door to Bob's rescue, Belaya slumps down onto the uneven deckplating. Ze turns around and deactivates his lightsaber in an almost defeatist-like gesture.*
"Master... I do not understand. Should we not leaving immediately and attempt to rescue our flap-jowled pilot friend?"
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Mar 21, 2011 1:38:43 GMT -5
*Belaya looked up at Ze, ready to charge to the rescue. She smiled a bit. That had certainly reminded her of herself back in the day. But right now, at this particular time, she was so wiped out. She may have had the Force, but it didn't mean she was invincible.*
Sorry Ze...just give me a moment. I don't have the...stamina you seem to at the moment.
*Stamina? Probably adreniline was the better word. No matter, Belaya wasn't concerned with specifics and details as usual. Still, she was convinced that verpines were sturdier sentients than humans. Ze took a harder hit than she did, yet he was ready to charge off into battle.*
*She took a moment to calm herself and get her breathing under control. She used Force Heal on herself, now sorry she hadn't brought a healer with them or atleast studied more of the healing arts. The bit of healing she did helped, but it was just a quick fix and didn't do for her nearly what she needed. After a few moments, she stood up again.*
I don't even know where to begin, to be honest. The best I could say is find the nearest area that could be considered shelter and start there. This sandstorm would have wiped away any tracks. However, we should start in the direction they dragged him from.
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Mar 27, 2011 0:07:31 GMT -5
"I suppose that a period of recuperation before our endeavor would be in the greater interest of all those involved, including Bob."
*Ze sits down beside his new Master, as sand drifts into the compartment through the broken parts of the hull. The storm was still raging on, with no end in sight. After a while, Belaya stands up and express her concerns*
"True, with a sandstorm being as ferocious as this one there is point zero, zero, three percent likelihood that any tracks from Bob's captors would still be in existence. However, should I be able to analyze the horizon upon twilight, I should be able to determine our relative position and therefore lead us to the Ghorfa's nearest encampment based on the Jedi Archive's most recent cataloged Gorfa activity."
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Mar 27, 2011 16:59:56 GMT -5
Make it so.
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Apr 3, 2011 1:25:03 GMT -5
*Ze is confused by his Master's shortness of words. Perhaps she was more fatigued than he realized. It would not be the first time he had unintentionally overestimated a human's fortitude. They truly were a fragile species with very shallow ranges for temperature tolerance. Ze was certainly glad all of his squishy bits were internal rather than external like humans. Humans were so fragile, it was a wonder they lived as long as they did*
"Unfortunately, we will have to wait for both the storm to cease and for twilight to approach. I could potentially deduce the proper direction of flight at mid-day, however the margin of error would be considerably larger."
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Apr 3, 2011 1:33:26 GMT -5
Oh really? And what is your definition of "considerable"? Do tell.
*It would take awhile for twilight to approach. They'd be stuck here for hours and who knows what could happen to Bob in the meantime? This was not a good situation. Belaya hears the words of Master Zhar echoing in her head about her constant lack of in depth preparation. She was so guardian sometimes that it hurt. She was the get up and go kind of gal. It was really borderline impatience, if not outrightly so.*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Apr 3, 2011 1:43:07 GMT -5
"Between two point four and two point seven percent."
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Apr 3, 2011 1:55:37 GMT -5
*Belaya raises her eyebrow in curiousity. Ze with that short a response when asked a question to explain something? Never thought she'd see something like that so quickly.*
We'll wait out the storm, then go. In the meantime, I will meditate.
*The events had been so chaotic and Belaya was more exhausted than she cared to admit. Drawing on the Force in meditation could be helpful. She sits back down and crosses her legs, preparing to meditate.*
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Apr 8, 2011 20:01:03 GMT -5
*Ze is less than ecstatic with his Master's choice to ignore his warning about the margin of error. Perhaps she did not view a 2.4%-2.7% margin of error to be significant enough? Granted Bob's life was in jeopardy - however the fact that the Gorfa had captured him rather than killed him on sight worked in their favor. They captured him for a reason, so his life was not in immediate danger. Or at least that was Ze's logical deduction of the situation.*
*Regardless, they would be waiting for some time until the Storm passed. Ze sits down across from his Master, mimicking her crossed legged position as best he could with his lengthy recurved verpine appendages. He then leans forward at the waist, staring at her intently with his giant black compound bug eyes, trying to determine what exactly she was doing. His gaze is unwavering, the only thing moving is his antennas which give an occasional twitch*
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Apr 12, 2011 22:22:31 GMT -5
*After a few moments, Belaya opens one of her eyes and notices Ze is staring at her rather awkwardly. After a moment, she decides to respond to his awkward staring.*
Can I help you?
|
|
|
Post by Ar'kikze S'ss'nixztoo on Apr 15, 2011 1:35:58 GMT -5
*Ze's antenna's twitch as his Master opens one of her eyes and responds to his awkward staring. At first he is confused by her words. Help him? Help him with what? Sitting and watching hardly required assistance. But upon reflection he is able to determine that it was what Ze has now come to reference as a 'humanism.' A non-literal or historically inaccurate figure of speech used to pose a query or make a ironic statement*
"I am attempting to deduce exactly what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how you are accomplishing what it is that you are attempting to do, so that I may too do what you do."
|
|
|
Post by Belaya on Apr 21, 2011 16:03:35 GMT -5
Ah, I see.
*Belaya totally had the wrong idea. Usually awkward staring meant other things, but she still had to get use to the concept of training and teaching and what not.*
I am attempting to meditate and open myself up to the Force. It calms the mind and loosens the tension as well as giving one clarity of mind.
*She notices Ze is sitting just like her, albeit looking more awkwardly than such a sitting position usually would.*
Here, let me teach you. Lean back and close your eyes. Then cleanse your mind of other thoughts and focus only on my voice and what I intruct you to do.
*Belaya would teach Ze how to meditate and draw upon the Force. Perhaps by learning this, Ze would gain a stronger connection to the Force as well, being more open and allowing the Force to flow more freely.*
|
|