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Episode - 31 Jungle Beats
Expedition
31
31
Escaping from The Dig Site, Udart Gunt, Kayvan Whidowes and Rev Cly D'Tirle find themselves stranded in the heart of the jungle of Tartarus II. They work together to recover and stabilise their wounded friends before enduring the harsh elements of their environment. Eventually they stumble upon the remains of a battle ground on the The Phoo-Cong River. There they heal up a friendly Reevo which tranports them back to the proximity of Berchtesgaden where they are recovered by a Republic Patrol.
It is a time of Endurance in the Rhao system, as the factions all wrestle for information, and control. The duality of light and dark is played out across it’s many battlegrounds, both physically, and in the minds of all involved. The forward operating base of the new republic forces comes under greater strain after repeated incursions, as Major Winters, struggles with his limited resources. The Imperials and other Darker forces at play appear to grow in both number and strength daily, and our heroes find themselves in a corner, on the run once again. Having discovered an excavation site, and only just barely escaped with their lives, Kawfee, Udart Gunt, Rev Cly D’Tirle, Lul Ba’ri and Kayvan Whidows try to now make their way back to Berchtesgaden to report their discoveries and heal their wounds. Having managed to make enemies in every corner of the system, from the dregs of the underworld to the high seat of Imperial command, and the dark lords of the Sith. Now more than ever our heroes must find a way to Survive.
Prologue
Kayven stands alone in the training chamber, determined to master the latest light sabre kata shown to him by Lul Bari. As he weaves and spins the walls are illuminated by the crimson glow of his blade. He is calmed by the distinctive buzzing the sabre makes around him, as it cuts through the air itself.
Instantly his calmness is broken by a subtle sound coming from the ceiling. Guided by his senses he attacks upwards just in time, slicing in half a small spider like droid. As he bends down to examine the remains he hears footsteps in the darkness before a figure is lit by another deep red glow of their brandished light sabre.
Kayven adopts a defensive stance, trying to recall all he has been taught so far, his focus narrows as his determination to defeat this unknown assailant and to protect his friends grows. All too late he senses the second intruder, and can do nothing to prevent them reaching from behind and clamping another of the arachnid droids to his face. “All too easy” one of them remarks as they begin to drag the struggling Whidows away. As the toxins enter his body and the paralysis sets in he manages to stow his light sabre into his robes before his conscious fades.
Force Vision
Udart and Kayvan stare out into a void of total blackness. It is not darkness which obscures their sight as they can see each other plainly, there is simply nothing.
After a period of time, which could be nanoseconds yet could have been eternity they begin to hear a voice echoing around their minds.
“You will train with others in ways of the force”
In a flash the void is replaced with the familiar feeling of the Lul Bari's training ground on Bertchesgarden. Bari is in the centre of the ground holding two training remotes. As Udart and Kayven look down they see they are brandishing their light sabres. ‘Come Padawans’ says the Dug, ‘Its time to see what we have learnt today’
With that the training remotes float towards the students, charging their stingbeams.
Udart and Kayven attempt to defend themselves from the remotes but Udart stumbles, avoiding getting hit only with help from the quick thinking of Kayven. They then strike to destroy the remotes but again Udart is outstaged by Kayven's light sabre skills. The voice of Bari mixes with that of Luke's as Kayven is congratulated for his efforts but Udart is told that he still has much to learn. Despite this Udart manages to resist the temptations of jealousy and frustration and remain calm.
“You will return from a special mission”
The training ground warps and cracks, roots grow from the floor, expanding into huge trees stretching far into the sky. The students find themselves deep in the dark canopy of the jungle, surrounded by the gnashing and snarling jaws of Vonskrs. As the vision becomes more clear they see each Vonskr is leashed and restrained by the unhinged scientist Von Braun. With his familiar yet manic laughter he drops the leash and the circle of demon hounds rushes to close in on the students.
Udart and Kayven battle with the Vornskr not giving into their fear. As the final Vonskr is dispatched, Kayven rapidly fades away. Leaving Udart alone in the jungle. The corpses of the Vonskr shimmer and morph into a floating Khyber crystal, which Udart recognises as his own. Again his surroundings disappear into the blackness.
“On Haxlon Prime”
Our hero finds himself in a large crimson red building, strewn with rusty walkways and gantries. The dead and unconscious bodies of storm troopers lie around him already dispatched. An Imperial Officer hangs from a pipe, lynched.
The imposing form of Darth Ardoite stands, opposite beckoning him.
Udart stands fast and refuses to approach
Darth Adroit but suddenly finds himself in front of the familiar face of Tzchen. Udart stands confused, beginning not to trust his own senses as Tzchen morphs into Moff Chetzenn and then Major General Winters all the time beckoning Udart to trust him. The visage cycles through other familiar forms such as Gurathus Ordelon and Cactus as Udart grows more conflicted. Suddenly the scene vanishes.
“Go there and follow your destiny”
With a rush The defeated padawan find himself in the subterranean tomb on Tartarus 2. Shouts, screams and sabres echo all around them. But despite the sounds the tomb appears to be empty apart from his master LulBari’ lying motionless and injured, arm lopped off. His whole body glowing with a bright yellow light.
“Go there and follow your destiny”
With a rush The defeated padawan find himself in the subterranean tomb on Tartarus 2. Shouts, screams and sabres echo all around them. But despite the sounds the tomb appears to be empty apart from his master LulBari’ lying motionless and injured, arm lopped off. His whole body glowing with a bright yellow light.
Not giving into panic, Udart leaps across the room to his masters aid. As he approaches the glow seems to localise into a point at Baris chest, under his robes. Upon investigation the glow is emanating from the recovered holocron, which calls itself to Udart. As he takes it into his hands the sentence "follow your destiny" crashes all around him in many different voices; Luke, Bari and Killowar included. Before more blackness.
“Report back to me after you have completed your task”
The triumphant adventurer find himself outside a huge stone monument. Although never having seen it, he recognises it instantly as Luke Skywalker's Jedi temple. Lightening flashes all around and thick heavy rain rushes down in an endless downpour.
Luke stands at entrance hooded and robed, a disciple stands either side of him
They pull back their hoods, one is a handsome young man, his long dark hair clings to his face as the rain quickly dampens it. The others face is concealed by a silver and black mechanical mask, even over the storm his raspy breath can be heard echoing through the device.
Both apprentices approach Udart each with a hand out, awaiting the holocron, but Udart deftly evades both of thier grasps and hands the holocron directly to Luke. Udart confesses to Luke he is conflicted and confused and Luke beckons him into the temple. Udart follows into the main chamber, they sit in the centre of the empty chamber, legs crossed facing each other. Once seated Luke explains that the path to truth is never smooth, there will be those he can trust and those that he cannot. He must follow his feelings, follow the force and always do what he thinks to be right. Rather than feeling the scene fade around him, Udart feels himself pulled away. Back into the world of the living.
Meanwhile...
The sun blinds the aged Rev and encumbered Kawfee as they stumble out of the darkness of the temple tunnel. The panicked shouts of Imperial technicians calling for reinforcements quickly snaps them back to their senses and they make a dash for a nearby empty transport.
With a final desperate act of heroism an exhausted Kawfee throws the incapaciatetd Udart and the maimed Lul Ba’ri into the back of the transport along with the still unconscious Kayvan Whidows. A bemused and frightened Rev Cly D’Tirle scrabbles at the controls, desperately trying to get the transport moving as blaster bolts begin to thump against the hull. As Kawfee joins the Reverend in the cockpit the transport gets up and running and they speed away, both feeling for a fleeting moment that they have escaped with their lives.
However, not a few minutes or more away from the site, they cross paths with an Imperial patrol of speeder bikes, who begin to pursue.
The Rev and
Kawfee desperately crash through through the jungle as they are are chased by the Imperial patrol. Just as it looks like they may escape..
Suddenly a great chasm masked by the thick Jungle opens up in front of the vehicles, it is too late to turn, too far to jump, and with limited time to even panic, the transport dips and begins its fall into the chasm, smashing into some heavy vines as it lurches into the ravine. As the transport falls the vines become entangled with the vehicle and hold it in midair. The sound of their pursuers exploding below is the last thing they hear before silence.
As you clear your head dazed from and in shock a little from the crash you realise you are suspended in midair, the low light suggests that it is early evening and you have been unconscious here for some time. Kawfee is gone, thrown from the vehicle upon impact, and nowhere to be seen.
The Reverand wakes a confused Kayven using his smelling salts and together they fashion a series of vines as supports and pulleys to lift the bodies of Udart and Bari from the precariously hanging speeder. Remembering Bari's injury the Rev saves the Dug's severed limb and puts it on ice. Once everyone is safely away from the wreckage and the edge of the chasm the Rev turns his medical attention to the still unconscious Udart.
Lost
With a sharp intake of breath Udart’s eyes open and the blurry figures standing over him slowly form into the Reverend Cly’dtal and Kayvan Whidowes. With no knowledge of how he got there his senses begin to tell him that he is deep in the jungle of Tartarus 2. He turns to his friends in the hope of an explanation.
While the group explains the situation to Udart the Rev focus's on the now delirious and fevered Bari. Luckily the Reverend remembered to grab some medical supplies when leaving the base and now determines he has enough medication to stem the fever for a couple of days. The group search for the missing Kawfee to no avail. With flames of the wreckage below becoming more intense and the worry of inevitable Imperial reinforcements the group decide to move on further into the jungle in what they hope is the direction of
Berchtesgaden. Hastily constructing a gurney for the incapacitated patient, they begin to cut through the foliage.
Not far from the crash site they notice tracks which seem to be dragging something large. Using both their force senses and their survival skills they follow the tracks into a clearing. Here they find Kawfee, unconscious and tangled in a large web. Kayven weaves his way through the web careful not to disturb it, but slips when freeing Kawfee disturbing a strand. A large rumble signals the arrival of a huge spider like beast, come to investigate the disturbance. In terror, Kayvan addles the beast's mind, making him both and Kawfee imperceptible to it. The creature crawls across them both, it's foul breath mixes with Kayvens as Kayven stares in horror into its many bulging eyes. Eventually the creature is distracted by another of its captives and scuttles further up the web to devour it's prey. Still Kayven remains frozen in terror, unable to react. Udart senses the fear in his friend and weaves through the web himself, embracing him and pulling him to his senses. Together they drag the unknowing Kawfee out of the clearing.
In a brief respite before pushing on, Udart takes the Holcron from Bari, revealing the message:
‘My name is Atraxion Toidra and I record this message now as I fear I may not remember myself before long. The blood of my brothers is on my hands, and I know not how to redeem myself from this.’ The face changes and shapes briefly to the familiar posture of Darth Adroit ‘The arrogant fools brought it upon themselves, they would not look to see the secrets we swore to protect, and what use are guardians ignorant of their purpose’ He stops and breathes, looking fearful and softening once more, surprised by his own words ‘I..I am lost, it is too late for me now. So I shall leave this here in the temple of balance where the light and dark of the force have collided both within and without. The fear and anger claws up within me, consuming me.’ Tears streak his pained face, you can see it is taking all he can to squeeze his word out and maintain control of himself. He breathes heavy as he pushes out his last effort ‘We found the truth, that Rhao was an ancient seat of power for the Sith, the Jedi took control and left the Jatu Rhar to guard its secrets. Olberion, Tartarus 2, Haxlon Prime, Takron-5 and Spearpoint 1 all hide temples dedicated to the confluence of the force that gathers in this system. There is something that can be wrought, by the powers in these locations and once….UGH..if they are…'
Fashioning another gurney for the wookie they continue their journey.
In a brief respite before pushing on, Udart takes the Holcron from Bari, revealing the message:
‘My name is Atraxion Toidra and I record this message now as I fear I may not remember myself before long. The blood of my brothers is on my hands, and I know not how to redeem myself from this.’ The face changes and shapes briefly to the familiar posture of Darth Adroit ‘The arrogant fools brought it upon themselves, they would not look to see the secrets we swore to protect, and what use are guardians ignorant of their purpose’ He stops and breathes, looking fearful and softening once more, surprised by his own words ‘I..I am lost, it is too late for me now. So I shall leave this here in the temple of balance where the light and dark of the force have collided both within and without. The fear and anger claws up within me, consuming me.’ Tears streak his pained face, you can see it is taking all he can to squeeze his word out and maintain control of himself. He breathes heavy as he pushes out his last effort ‘We found the truth, that Rhao was an ancient seat of power for the Sith, the Jedi took control and left the Jatu Rhar to guard its secrets. Olberion, Tartarus 2, Haxlon Prime, Takron-5 and Spearpoint 1 all hide temples dedicated to the confluence of the force that gathers in this system. There is something that can be wrought, by the powers in these locations and once….UGH..if they are…'
Fashioning another gurney for the wookie they continue their journey.
During the trek, a storm breaks out over the canopy, drenching and discomforting the travellers. Before long night descends and the darkness becomes impenetrable for all but the Reverend. Still the group recklessly push on, until, pushing through the foliage, Kayven is bitten by an unknown venomous creature, once again incapacitating him and forcing the group to rest for the night.
Camp
The group craft a makeshift shelter from the trees and rocks around them. Kayven is awakened but is exhausted and cannot move. They quickly bed down for the night, cycling guard duties between them.
In the dead of night a sound alerts the appointed guard, who quickly wakes up the rest of the party. They are being ambushed by Nexu!
The two Nexu rush the camp, grabbing hold of both Kawfee and Bari. Kayven attempts to scare one away, but in his weakened state fails and the Nexu are unfazed. Udart and the Rev both open fire wounding one as it continues to drag away the body of Bari. Udart then approaches the Nexu as Kayven and the Rev lay down blaster fire. Caught by a stray shot, Udart is knocked down. However the Nexu sustains harsh injuries, enough to convince them the party is not easy pray and with a roar of anger signals to its mate to drop thier burden and to escape back into the darkness.
The Reverend tends to the injured Udart before they settle down to rest once again. The night is otherwise uneventful.
Hunger
The dawn breaks on the horizon and you are glad you have survived the night, the Orange and Yellow hues of the sunlight penetrating the canopy and warming the air. For a moment you could feel joy, until it soon turns into an empty pit in your stomach. Tired and weary from the night's adventures, you are all beginning to realise that it has been a good 48 hours since you had any food. The group’s digestive systems all grumble and moan in a unified chorus. There is a long day's journey ahead.
Udart and Kayven set out to forage food as the Reverend makes up a campfire. Udart finds a few plants, some of which the Rev identifies as edible while Kayven, following some tracks hunts further afield. Eventually he stumbles on a nesting area of small birdlike creatures. He snipes a few of them with his blaster rifle, scaring the rest of the flock away. He then enters the area collecting as many eggs as he can find.
Back at the camp the birds and their eggs are cooked and devoured, sating the groups hunger. After attending to the wounded and administering further serum to Bari, the group make for what they have determined to be a large water source spotted earlier.
River
As you emerge from the thick jungle canopy, into a clearing, you notice the sounds of rushing water, and see the river flowing past. As your senses sharpen the scene ahead becomes clearer. Wrecked skimmers, and the metal debris of what you think could have been AT-STs are strewn around the river banks, scorched earth and blaster marks pattern the stones black, alongside the now dark brown of dried blood. The corpses of hulking Reevos contort in round shapes that contrast with the machinery of the skimmers. There are a number of unrecognisable bodies around, some you could guess at being Wookies from the remaining fur amidst the bloodied mess, others show some last remnant of imperial armour. The Crokodeels are enjoying a feast, and can be seen scattered around the former battle site. They hungrily pick at the flesh without noticing your presence...for now
Leaving the cover of the jungle they realise they have stumbled across
The Phoo-Cong River which will lead them close to Berchtesgaden. Avoiding the CrokoDeel the group search through the wreckage and disturb a slumbering and heavily wounded Reevo. The Rev manages to patch the Reevo up as the others produce a makeshift raft to be attached to the beast. Again avoiding the Crocodeels the group push off from the shore atop the Reevo, following the river.
Rescue
After a few hours the group guide the Reevo, affectionately nicknamed Tallulah out of the river and through the jungle, towards the republic base. Before long, they hear footsteps and the breaking of foliage up ahead and Kayven scouts ahead to investigate. Through the thicket he see's it is a Republic patrol party and reveals himself to them. The patrol acts with caution shouting for Kayven and the rest of the group to lower their weapons as they keep their own trained on the adventurers. As a group of Republic Commandos step forward to restrain the group, a communications officer reports back "It's them. We've found them".