Star Wars: Prologue

Ray didn’t follow the rest of the group to the guest quarters at first. He was so interested in the design of the cockpit he needed a second look. “Excuse me Yiisha” said Ray as he followed her towards the cockpit, “I was wondering how long of a mission this will be? I have my own ship…she’s not much to look at but she’s mine. I know that if I’m not back in a few days the local docking authorities might impound her.” Ray didn’t care if his ship was impounded as long as this little adventure was as profitable as it sounded. He loved to pilot ships and this new and strange ship was to compelling to not try and take a look.

Lirc stood in the entryway to the ship, watching and listening to everything going on around him. Apparently he was one of the only ones with no current ties to the outside. Looking at his choice of rooms, he decided to avoid becoming the babysitter and went into the room with the Mandalorian. Also, since he deemed the Mandalorian the biggest current threat other than these Chiss people, this would give him an opportunity to either get on his good side or keep an eye on him. Either way was a positive. Going into the room, he took off the hood of his robe, showing his grey-streaked brown hair, and nodded to the Mandalorian. "Name's Lirc."

After trying to get a glance at the cockpit of the strange vessel and failing, Ray returned to the crew quarters that Yiisha had provided. As he headed to the door of the starboard cabin he had already surmised that he was probably getting stuck with the kid. It made sense…the two bruisers would room together. Ray knew they didn’t see him as a threat and the boy certainly not…”how little they knew” Ray thought. As the starboard cabin door opened he saw that in fact the two bruisers were in the same room. Somewhat of an awkward situation Ray was always quickly composed and ready for a quick reply if either of the men inside the cabin started to talk…otherwise he would just slip back out of the room and head for the other cabin.

After Lirc introducing himself, Ka'den tipped two fingers to his forehead in a salutary gesture. "Ka'den," he said. "If we're supposed to be the brawn of this outfit, I wonder who the brains are," he says with a smirk. It occurs to Ka'den that making friends with this companion from the start might be advantageous. After all, he seems the most like-minded individual of the group. Reassembling the blaster with practiced speed, Ka'den remembers the strips of smoked nerf jerky in his food pouch. "I wonder if Tuskens like smoked nerf? It will be interesting to see if he'll take it from me, after refusing the liquor from our new employer..." He ponders, producing one of the small strips and offering it to his companion. Suddenly the drifter appears in the doorway. "Sorry, shabiir, you're the babysitter," Ka'den says, and grins.

“The name is Se’Ethor Ray not shabiir” said Ray. “And you do appear to be right that I will be babysitting…….I guess you two aren’t as tough as you appear if you can’t handle the presence of one small child.” Before either of the two in the cabin could reply Ray added “But that’s ok I can handle the child that way we can leave the muscle in here and the brains with me” smirking as he said it. Ray might not look it but he had survived for years around tough guys like this…he could handle it if either of the bruisers came at him…he was just trying to get a response and see what kind of men these guys were.

Lirc accepted the smoked nerf that Ka'den offered him; however, he did smell it to decide whether or not to actually eat it. Taking in the aroma, he detected no off-color scents which normally alerted him to poison or generally questionable food items. It was a finely cooked piece of nerf, so he ate it. He had been wary of the drink the woman had given him because he found it harder to detect potential hazards in liquid format than in solid format. He thanked the Mandalorian and sat down on his bed.

When the smuggler came to the room and began taunting Lirc and Ka'den because they didn't want to room with the kid, Lirc couldn't help but chuckle. This smuggler was gutsy, and that kind of attitude would help Lirc, since that was what he was used to at home, back on Tatooine. They would get along just fine as long as he wasn't like his former clan in other ways...

Finally starting to feel fatigue, Lirc laid down on his bunk and passed out...

Grinning, Ka'den takes the smuggler's bravado in stride. Probably trying to establish himself as a tough guy, in order to keep an edge on the rest of the group, Ka'den figures. The 'brains' of the team, huh? Ka'den wonders if anyone can claim that position, what with how little the woman has told them about the job. Still, it takes guts to mouth off to a Mando in full armor, not to mention a Tusken, so he lets Se'Ethor have his moment. "Alright, verd'ika. Just don't forget to call us if you need help changing his diaper." Or if you wake up with one of those blades lodged in your chest, Ka'den thinks. He trusts the kid least of all his new companions. After all, he was pretty quick to drink whatever the Chiss woman handed him. Perhaps an informant? Whatever the case, a quick doze won't hurt, assuming his Tusken companion harbors no desire to take Ka'den's share of the payment. Still in full armor, he rolls over onto the bed. Folding the thin, flimsy pillow into a tight ball to prop his head on, he is quickly asleep.

He dreams he is back on Mandalore, fighting in the Mai Tayhu tournaments. Just as he lands a blow against his opponent, the scene becomes the battlefield at Dnieper, and Ka'den is thrusting a short bladed weapon through the throat of a Nikto soldier. Blood sprays across his visor, as he looks up in time to see a salvo of artillery fire streaking by over his head. It shakes the ground so much that Ka'den stumbles and falls onto the recently killed Nikto, who stares back at him with glazed eyes and an open, bloody mouth. Reacting without thinking, Ka'den picks up the weapon the Nikto had been carrying, a Westar-M5, and fires it back at the oncoming enemy hordes swarming their position. Time accelerates, and Ka'den suddenly finds himself in utter silence, staring at a field of charred and broken bodies, human, Nikto, and Nohgri alike. In front of him is a dark blue Mando helmet with black markings and a very familiar pattern of horns sticking out through the forehead and sides. Between two of the horns, a scorched blaster mark surrounds a fresh hole in the metal. "Buir?" Ka'den whispers, and then opens his eyes to see the Tusken staring at him from across the room, back on the strange ship. "Bad dream," he explains.

(OOC: sorry, I was getting bored. :-P )

After the cabin door closed, Ray started for the other cabin. As he did so he thought, “ I kind of like those two guys…they’re defiantly tough guys but they can take a little goading without getting riled up…and the mando made a joke right back at me…this should be a fun adventure.” When he reached the other cabin he went in, introduced himself, and took the free bed. He was hoping for some shut eye not really concerned with the young one killing him in his sleep. Besides Ray was a very light sleeper…if the kid even came at him he’d be ready.

Sade decided to disregard Yiisha's advice.

"Just so we get this straight up front," he says brazenly to his Cerean companion, "I don't need a babysitter. I've took care of myself the last ten years of my life, and I don't need some conehead telling me what to do now. Still, if you treat me right, I could be useful friend to have. I wouldn't trust our other two companions within ten meters of a computer; they'd fry what little brains they have trying to figure out how to turn it on." Sade gave a wry smile.

Lirc walked into the new accommodations and nodded approvingly, noting the bigger room size. He wasn't used to getting this kind of treatment, maybe he could get used to this kind of lifestyle. Although, sometimes when a gig seemed to good to be true... alas, there was no opportunity to turn back at this point, as they were a shuttle ride away from Mandalore at this point. Oh well, as long as he was already started on this mission, he may as go into it, blasters blazing.

Lirc stepped out of his room and overheard what the kid said to the Cerean. He couldn't help but smirk. People never expected much of Tusken Raiders; however, he had given up the life of a Tusken many years ago... Perhaps his new comrades would learn not to stereotype and underestimate him as time went on. Walking back into the room, Lirc laid down on his bed, closed his eyes, and tightly gripped his gaffi... just in case.

Ray listened to what the kid had to say, knowing that there was more to this little one than could be seen from the surface. “A Wookie…that’s what this kid reminds me of” Ray thought after being called a conehead, “He’s so brash to come right up and tell me what he’s thinking about me and the others…just like a Wookie”. After his talk with Sade, Ray went to the cabin to get some real shut eye before this adventure got too crazy as he assumed and kind of hoped it would be….”I mean what’s an adventure without a little thrill” Ray thought as he tried to drift off to sleep.

Ka'den notices a grin on his companion's face as he walks back into their new quarters. Lirc is not the first Tusken to have crossed Ka'den's path, but he's certainly the most stoic. He's a hard read. Unable to sleep or rest after his unsettling dream, Ka'den draws the short saber from his belt and begins sharpening one edge, then the other, against his gauntlet.

Sade sits down presumptuously near the "head" of the table (as much of a head as there is on a hexagonal table) and sniffs at the food, then cautiously tastes it. Not liking the first item, he moves on to another with better success. Not being particularly a morning person, he takes his breakfast quietly. After breakfast, he walks over to the viewport to observe the mottled blue hyperspace field which he'd often heard of but never yet seen.

Lirc hadn't eaten anything since the smoked nerf in his room, so by now he was fairly hungry. He watched the kid plow into the alien dishes and finally realized a way that he could be useful. Walking toward the table, he passed by Ka'den and Ray, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to note "I think we found our official food taster." While they were heading to an undisclosed location with an as yet mysterious employer, it would be handy to have someone willing to dive into potentially poisonous food without question. Taking his seat, Lirc looked for the foods that Sade had already eaten and began picking from among those. One of the easier substances to poison individually was the drink, which Lirc wouldn't have to worry about since his body suit recycled all the fluids he needed.

When he was finished with his meal, Lirc pulled a small, weathered notepad and writing utensil out of one of his sleeve pockets. He began journaling about the events of the previous few days, noting every detail he could remember, hoping that if there was something mischievous about their employer, there would be hints in his memory that would help him realize it before it was too late. Aside from that, Lirc just enjoyed the time to his own thoughts; it gave him a chance to clear his head. Finished recounting everything that had happened, Lirc found his hand daydreaming onto the paper... visions of what appeared to be an icy wasteland... beings began appearing in his head -- just as he was beginning to draw them, Lirc was distracted from his thoughts by Ray bumping against his chair. In a hurry to hide his thoughts, he stuffed the notepad and utensil back into his pocket and stood up. "You feeling alright about this mission so far?"

The food looked and smelled very good to Ka'den. By this time in the journey, he had become quite certain that if their new employer wanted them dead, she would have had ample opportunity before now, and there was no reason to suspect the food. He grinned as he watched Lirc carefully eying what dishes the young one ate from. "I shouldn't eat too much of this, or I'll feel slow and sluggish," Ka'den thought as he plunged into a dish of what looked similar to strips of nerf or roba, but smelled quite different than either of them, and was smothered in strangely colored peppers and a hot sauce. "But shab, it does remind me of home."

After Ray had sat down and started to eat, Lirc asked Ray about his feelings on the mission thus far. Ray replied, "I feel terrible just plain sick to my stomach" Ray paused for a moment then went on, "If i had known that we were going to get food like this I wouldn't have eaten at that rusty old bucket of a cantina and i would've brought my co-pilot along......boy can that Ithorian eat." saying that last part more to himself than to Lirc.

By 1700 hours, the foursome find themselves reassembled on the observation deck with Yiisha. Through the viewport can be seen a large terrestrial planet. The world itself looks about 1.5 standard masses. Viewports around the room are lit up with closeups of the planet, revealing mountainous terrain steeped in jungles of tall deciduous evergreens and giant mushrooms. Lakes dot the valleys. Surrounding the planet is a ring system and at least four large moons. At the north pole is a small icecap, but none at the south pole. Intense aurorae extend nearly to the equator on both hemispheres, with auroral streamers connecting to the nearest and largest of the four moons. Electric arcs can be scene tracing through this streamer, and at times cryovolcanic streamers can be seen ejecting from said moon.

"This is Telmexta¹," Yiisha says. "Its atmosphere is thick and oxygen-rich, and it fortunately contains no toxic chemicals--at ground level. The mountaintops, however, pierce the cyanogen-containing stratosphere. If we venture into the mountains, we will need breath masks and goggles, which I will provide. If your weapons produce heat as ours do, then we must also be careful using them in the mountains. I do not know if there is a native population here; our preliminary scouts have not yet encountered them if there are. Animal life is minimal, but there are carnivorous plants in the jungle. You must now accompany me to the shuttle. The transit will be short but rough. The system has many meteors and the thick atmosphere causes great friction."

You all board a Chiss shuttle and begin transit planetward. You can frequently feel the physical impact of a meteor colliding with the craft.

Suddenly, however, the craft is filled with a strange alarm. A glance into the cockpit shows that the entire nose and part of the starboard wing has been clipped off by a large meteor. An eruption of the control boards has killed the pilot.

In the sudden panic, Yiisha cries out in Cheunh, but you get the message without translation: get to the escape pods!

You all bolt for the two five-passenger escape pods, but in the midst of the confusion you all board the same one except Yiisha.

The escape pod ejects and you see the other escape pod following a slightly different trajectory, but both are planet-bound. The thick atmosphere ignites around you and the escape pod heats up, but the heat shield is holding. The impact is rough, right into a valley. In the jolt that follows you are all knocked unconscious.

[...]

When you wake up, some time has evidently passed, for there is no smoke rising. The white sun is just rising amidst the thick trees. Out the viewport you can see tall trees all around you, taller mountains in the far distance. The first aid kit has been shattered and is useless, but the twenty ration packs and the three canteen filters are unharmed. What do you do?

¹[,tɛl'mɛxta]

Sade looks down on the strange planet below with wonder, so unlike the dark manmade spires of Nar Shaddaa or the endless wastes of Mandalore.

During the passage he takes a seat out the window and watches the meteors and aurorae.

When the alarm blares, he jumps up. He more or less stumbles into the escape pod after hearing Yiisha's shout.

[...]

Sade slowly opens his eyes. He winces, feeling an intense pain in his right ankle. He glances out the viewport and catches his breath; he's never seen large vegetation before, and these trees and mushrooms are very large. For that matter, he's never seen mountains before, or clear skies.

But soon the pain reclaims his attention.

"Agh!" Sade cries, tears streaming down his face. "I think I broke my ankle!"

Ka'den watches the auroras and takes in the scenery of the planet. It is beautiful--but wild and untamed as well. He can see why the woman needed bodyguards, or guides--or stooges, whichever they would all prove to be--in order to survive on this planet. When she mentions the atmospheric problems atop the planet's mountains, he pats the Verpine pistol at his hip. "Heat won't be a problem for this gun," he says aloud. "Projectile rounds come in very handy sometimes."

******

The alarm triggers an instant reflex in Ka'den, and his Verp is out of it's holster before the second blare of the siren. Once he discovers what has happened to the pilot, he holsters the weapon and makes for the nearest escape pod. He pulls Sade in at the last second before the doors close, and only just then realizes that their mysterious employer is not with them. "Osik!" he shouts.

******

Ka'den wakes up to the sound of Sade groaning. Ka'den has been in shuttle crashes before, and he knew how to brace properly for impact. Still, he frantically checks his body for injuries. Nothing serious; mostly bruises and sore joints, but his chest plate has a new dent in it from one of the support beams of the craft. Ka'den finds Sade, but cannot locate his other two companions immediately. "First things first," he thinks, dragging Sade away from the wreckage. He begins applying what first aid he can when he discovers that the kit was destroyed during the crash. Using some broken pieces from one of the shuttle seats, and a few straps he found among the wreckage, Ka'den makes a splint for the boy's ankle. "Udesii, ad'ika. K'atini," he says as calmly as he can, "Take it easy, son. It's only pain." He knows that he only has a few small vials of bacta in one of the pouches on his belt, and he needs to save them in case they need them later. He'll wait to see how bad the kid's ankle really is before he administers one. After locating his other companions and searching the ship for food and supplies, Ka'den tries to use the comm broadcaster in his helmet to search for a signal, but discovers that his antenna was damaged in the crash, and can no longer transmit. "Fierfek. Now what?"

Lirc looked down on the planet below and thought to himself "Ah, a non-civilized environment... this is what I live for." It wasn't Tatooine, to be sure, but he could live and blend in in any natural environment far easier than he could fit in in civilization. Even starships made him uncomfortable at times... such confined spaces that he was unaccustomed to. As the ship moved down to the planet surface, the jostling of the ship made him uneasy. When the sirens began going off, he found it difficult to maintain his composure due to his confusion at the situation. As the confusion wore off, he noticed the others heading into the escape pods. Lirc followed suit, and upon entering the pod he worked to calm himself. As constrained as he had felt in the starship, an escape pod was worse. In all that happened, he never noticed that Yiisha was not with them.

***

When he awakened, Lirc was nearly blinded by the sunlight beaming through the busted viewport in front of him. As his consciousness came back, the pain began moving in as well. From what he could tell right off the bat, nothing was broken... but he was very bruised, and he had received many cuts from the metal of the pod. However, as soon as he was sure he wasn't dying, he made a break for the pod door and landed on the hard ground. Open air! The air here was far better the stale air of Mandalore, and even fresher than the dry air of Tatooine. Lirc could definitely get used to this. As he looked up, he saw that the Mandalorian and the child had already come into the open. Only the smuggler remained in the pod. Knowing he wasn't at 100% after that crash, Lirc stood up, gripped his bryar pistol which he kept hidden under his cloak, and looked into the forest of giant plants. "Bring it on."

He called to Ka'den, and together they helped Ray out of the ship, still unconscious. After tending to any wounds Ray had sustained, Lirc turned to Ka'den. "I'd say we need to work on a feasible short-term shelter. The remains of the escape pod look like as good a material as any."