Dagobah

[Gavin Ryaro]

The Ace Sabre burst out of hyperspace once again above Dagobah. It had returned, only this time without an apprentice. It was time for the master to become the apprentice and for Gavin to go back and learn some special skills that he had neglected in his time as a padawan. He piloted the ship down through the thick gray clouds, using the Force to guide him and not relying on his instruments as he knew that in the thick coverage they wouldn't be trustworthy. He set down on a parch of dried land avoiding the swampy undergrowth.

 

He lowered the ramp and collected the things he would need, moving out into the disgusting looking planet. The air was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife and he immediately started sweating in the thick Jedi robe. He set up his tent in a clearing not far from his ship and made several trips back and forth to make sure everything he needed was preapared, then locked his ship and slowly made his way back to the clearing. He plugged into his droid and was glad to find that he had light for his small camp. It was time to start his training.

 

He placed the glowing holocron on the ground in front of him and waited, centering himself and preparing himself to learn what the gatekeeper had to teach him. After a few minutes the holocron buzzed to life and a small three inch man appeared in front of him, who he knew as the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper would relay the information that he sought to him, but not allow him to go past his level of power in order to protect him from himself.

 

"Good day young Jedi, what is it that you seek?"

 

Gavin turned silent, thinking about what he needed to say. He had made a list of things from his studies in the temple about what he wanted to learn, he just needed to know where to start. He guessed that he was just going to go down the list. It would make it simpler and more organized for himself. "Good day to you as well gatekeeper. I think that I'd like to learn more about the Jedi mind trick. I have learned a small amount at the Jedi Temple but I want to know more.

 

The gatekeeper nodded and began to speak. The Jedi mind trick is a trifle thing to a Jedi Knight. It is basic training to be able to persuade someone into releasing a bit of information or to let you pass through a checkpoint, at least on the weak minded, but in order invade their mind and blind them, numb their senses, and to unbalance their equilibrium you have to be able to dig through the outer layers of their target's mind and get to their inner core. You must know what they are thinking in order to know how to manipulate it to achieve your goals.

 

Projecting something as simple as a blinding flash of color through your mind into their's can blind a simple minded being. It will keep them momentarily distracted and disoriented and when they regain their awareness they wont even remember you, and if they do they wont care.

 

In order to numb a beings body you must reach deep into their mind and find their nervous system then trigger it to temporarily shut down. Their body will go into a type of shock where they become completely gone. Until they begin to recieve signals from their nervous system again they will remain in a comatose state, completely off balance. This will allow you to accomplish whichever task you have gone there to accomplish.

 

Now that you have the knowledge you need to learn this skill you must apply it. Go and practice and return when you have mastered these skills. There is still much you have to learn.

 

With that the hologram blinked out of exsistance. Gavin remained seated, contemplating what he had learned. There weren't any sentinet beings that he could learn to master this skill on, but the animals would serve his purpose. He set out in search of one, using the Force to track them through the underbrush and the swampy marsh.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Guest

[Gavin Ryaro]

((Legal 2 and a half month double post))

 

As life gives it also takes away, which happened to be the case for Gavin. His personal journey for knowledge had slowed to a trickle, and it was time for an emergence into the real world. He had heard through a comm message from the grand master that there was an over abundance of hopefuls at the newly rebuilt Helix Station, and that they were asking for Knights and Masters to come train them. Though he didn't particularly like the idea of leaving his hermitage behind, it had to be done.

 

Over the course of the next few hours he packed away the scattered lot of things strewn about the small campsite he had preapared for himself and completed the preflight check on his ship. When all was said and done he lifted off from the swamp planet and burst into hyperspace.

[Rodya]

Hidden beneath the canopy of tangled vines and tree limbs, shrouded by thick layers of milky mist sat an old freighter halfway sunken into the mud's of the swamps. Months earlier, the ship had mysteriously appeared above this wayward planet, and had willingly settled into its current seemingly inescapable situation. On this day, a metallic humanoid emerged from the ship's bowels, as it had been accustomed to do over the past few months, and walked among the living organic species of Dagobah.

 

The droid's neural processors scanned the area in search of new species. While resting in the swamps, this droid had taken on as kind of a side job the cataloging of all of the creatures, plants, and other finite life forms that called this planet home. It seemed a simple yet productive way to past the time.

 

After all, Dunya, the droid, thought as she attempted to rationalize her behaviors, I have to find some way to pass the time if I plan on being here for as long as it takes.

 

”œOrganics can live for several years,”

[Rodya]

((Legal Double Post))

 

While Rodya remained unconscious and trapped aboard the ship, Dunya prepared for a short trip. Until now she had stayed close by to monitor Rodya's condition. She didn't want him waking up unexpectedly, yet now she was itching to investigate an interesting reading the ships scanners had picked up.

 

"Perhaps I will find a new life form today," she exclaimed as she turned to check on her incapacitated master one last time. "It would be so easy just to let him slip away, but how could I do it?"

 

She told herself, It would be easy, just flush a poision through his veins and let him die, but his life is precious just like all of the living creatures here on this planet. He deserves to live, but only in his current state.

 

Dunya, a droid with a conscience. Ironically, Rodya's droid had developed a program that kept her from hurting organic life forms even though he had intended Dunya to be more like him: fierce and unforgiving. It was truly a testament to Rodya's skill as a mechanic and programmer that he could create a highly sophisticated machine capable of self evolution. Despite this fact, a droid's purpose is to fulfill its master's desires, something Dunya was no longer doing, so perhaps Rodya's skill was lacking after all.

 

She dismissed the evil thought and assured herself she was doing the right thing as she said to Rodya, "I'm leaving you well prepared for my absence, master. I've estimated, based on the terrain and distance, that this journey will only take me a day, and that I will return tomorrow. You should be fine till then. The machines are your friends master, don't fight them. Farewell."

 

Before creating Dunya, Rodya had never trusted droids. He should have listened to his intuition and stuck with organic life forms.

 

Dunya exited the ship and headed into the swamps in search of something spectacular.

[Wranorn]

The Jaded Life popped out of hyperspace above the planet. Wranorn checked the maps of the planet, and the ship guided it-self through the atmosphere, and down to the planet. Two miles off the surface, Wranorn took control over the ship again. Directing it towards his current target.

 

When he felt comfortable with his surroundings, he set the ship down on a open field. Grabber his rifle and food supplies, and departed his ship. The ground was mushy and wet. The air was stale, and smelt of rotten plants. This was why he hated Dagobah so much. The smell was over bareing, causing him to cough lightly.

 

Wranorn trudged through the marshy plane, entrering the Jungle. Once the canopy covred him, the ground became solid again beneath his feet, making his trip a little easier.

 

He was not too far from the safe house that his target resided in, but he didnt want him to be alerted to his arrival. He had taken a chance on landing as close as he did, and wasnt about to loose his chance at a few hundred credits.

 

Wranorn activated his rifle, as he neared his targets house. Slowing his pace, and lightening his step he crept closer to the safe house. The silent snap of twigs beneath his feet aggrivated Wranorn. He knew that the target might be able to hear them. So Wranorn decided that this was close enough.

 

He pulled out a spotter scope from his bag, and began to search the windows, and near-by area for any sign of movement.

[Rodya]

Half a day had passed since Dunya left her master and the safety of the broken ship, but time matters not to a droid content with being stranded on a lonely planet forever. The bountiful number of life forms on Dagobah make for good company and offered her more than enough comfort. Besides, she thought, I'm still serving my master. Without me he dies. Having justified her actions to herself one final time, Dunya trudges forward towards the unique signature she had found only a day earlier.

 

The ground grew firmer and the trees taller as she progressed, but the thickness of the vegetation did not subside. With her droid eyes she could also tell that there was a space ahead where more light seemed to break through the canopy. Perhaps she was coming to a clearing and a slightly different biological habitat from what she had observed thus far on Dagobah.

 

”œHow exciting,”

[Wranorn]

Though Wranon considred himself to be a paitent person, this surveying this run down, overgrown hobbit hole was beginning to feel like a waste of time to him. The had not been a sign of his target for the past 4 hours. So it was safe to say that his information was wrong.

 

Wranorn thought he could hear some movement around the area, but blew it off to the animals. He packed his scope away, and picked up his rifle. He was about the head back to his ship, when a large SNAP crossed his ears.

 

He dropped down to the ground, and rose his rifle to his shoulder. He now knew he was being watched. He coruched down further, in an attempt to cast a lesser silhouette, but felt that t wouldnt do him much good. The technology these days could easily tell the diffrenece between lifeform, and plants.

 

Wranorn scanned the area with his free eye, and noticed a figure standing in the woods. He watched as a large branch fell to the ground. This was the source of the commotion.

 

Halt where you stand" Wranorn shouted, no longer worried about being noticed. "Identify your self or I will fire" He was a little hesitant on the last part, because he knew not the level of skill his stalker wielded.

 

He Kept the crosshairs on the figure, fingre on the trigger, ready for anything.

[Xen-Que Poleb]

Xen-Que's Blade entered the murky atmosphere of Dagobah, making a quick descent to the treetops. He entered a landing code for the ship and activated stealth mode so he would not be detected by lesser scanners. The cockpit wheeled back and the Blademaster ejected from the ship as it continued onward to a landing site. He used the Force to break his fall and landed quietly in the trees. His glowing eyes scanned the area as his extra sensory perception searched for anything out of place. He felt a lifeform that seemed out of place; another human. Not many humans on Dagobah, so it was very likely this lifeform was related to the reason why the Force told him to come here. It was some distance away, so he began the trek through the canopies towards this misplaced lifeform.

[Rodya]

Trapped.

 

The lone gunmen had the drop on her. He was probably a scout or gaurd for who ever owned the compound. They will surely find out now. Dunya's processors worked at the fastest capable speeds calculating her esape routes and each plan's probability of success. As each second ticked by however it seemed that she was out of options. She could not retreat to the ship because that would lead this being right to her secret, but she also could not run to the compound, although that was where she was probably headed anyways.

 

Then it hit her. He had his gun pointed at that base. Was it possible that this man was not associated with the owners of the hidden institution? That opened a whole new set of possiblities for her to analyze.

 

Dunya put her hands into the air. A beam of light bounced off of her silver fingers and shot towards the hidden man. "I am J-37, protocol droid."

 

It was the only thing she could think to do; putting on the act of being an average droid. At best he would take her hostage, ask her some questions which she could lie about, and then use her to get inside the facility. She determined at this point he would have no reason to doubt her association with whatever group was hiding in the large compound in the clearing. Her chances were slim, but surrendering to this individual seemed like her only chance at escape.

 

Unarmed, Dunya remained perfectly still, waiting to see what the human would do next...

[Wranorn]

Though it didnt take long for the figure to respond, the answer it gave startled Wranorn.

 

J-37, Protocol droid he thought to himself. That dosn't seem right Though Wranorn had no basis for this feeling, he had no other choice but to go along with it. A glint of light illuminated his crouched body, exposing him to the matalic figure before him. He didn't know if this was a good thing, and he began to regret not setting any counter measures to protect himself for such an event as this.

 

Wranorn knew that he could not let this droid go off, it might be with this target of his, and since he was a bounty hunter, he needed to collect by any means he could.

 

He stood up, making sure that he kept his sights on the droid. He walked slowly in the direction of the light source, making sure that he didn't trip or stumble. Which he was prone to doing in situations like this.

 

He remebered a particular time when he was concealed in an alley waiting to make his shot. His foot got caught in wire sticking out of the ground, and caused him to trip. His rifle went off, hitting a power cable above his target. The cable dropped down, and electricuted the man to death. When he got up, all he could do was laugh. Though he had fumbled the shot, the job was completed.

 

Wranorn shook his head slightly Now is not the time to reminese. He could not believe he was thinking about that at this time, he needed to get this bounty. He needed the money badly.

 

"Where is Dredric Slaught?" He said in the most in-controll voice he could muster

 

 

(( Sorry had to give the target a name))

[Rodya]

((That's fine. I was tired of saying "owner of the facility"))

 

Dredric Slaught?

 

Dunya had no clue what the human was talking about, but luckily she was a droid and lacked facial expressions, particularly that one where organics raised their eyebrow suggesting confusion. Otherwise she would have entirely given herself away. She had no clue what this human was talking about, and could only guess Dredric Slaught was the person this man wanted to point his gun at.

 

With her computer processors racing for answers she decided to take a real risk. "Oh, you are here for the master. He is away on business. You should really make an appointment next time you want to see him."

 

Now, just go away... she wished. If this human would just give up and go home she could escape easily.

[Wranorn]

Oh the droid said. With that simple word Wranorns' feelings gave in to him. For being property of this man, the droid should know exactly the name of its master, and have no hesitation of its masters name. Wranorn wasn't sure about this though. He wasn't about to let that feeling go, so he decided to press the matter further.

 

"Business you say" he said calmly, keep a close eye on the droids fingures and hands. Protocol droids were known to be rather cunning in some cases, and would somtimes be fitted with blasters hidden away in their metal chassis.

 

He was no Jedi, but he didn't have a good feeling about this droid. Something was right here.

 

"And what bussines might he be tending to, has he returned to Corusant to pick up another politician?" he had no clue if this would work but he thought it might help.

[Xen-Que Poleb]

Xen-Que was traversing the canopies of the swamp for some time. He went by largely unnoticed. It was impossible to stop the million in one occurrence of one of the countless lifeforms spotting him for a split second, but he hid his presence (and his being) well. He was quiet as a mouse, gracefully leaping and swinging through the marshy world. The forest stopped, as he neared a clearing. He made one final leap from the treetops, and landed quietly behind a tree stump, the Force softening his landing. He dropped to one knee focused on shielding his physical appearance, as the two sentient (or near-sentient) were not Force users and would not sense him through the Force. He saw a relatively hardened bounty hunter, who to be brutally honest, was acting a bit naive in the presence of the droid he was conversing with. Xen-Que felt not the need to enter this foray at this moment. Instead he observed.

[Rodya]

If she were organic her palms would have been sweaty, her knees would have trembled, and her lip may have quivered slightly, but as a droid she remained perfectly still. What would she answer, though?

 

It was an easy decision actually. The man had left her with an easy way out. "Master's business is his own. Besides, I am a mere protocol droid. He does not tell me his business."

 

Ignorance was an easy card to play, and Dunya hoped it was a convincing one. The question of how she would escape still eluded her though. Surely the compound's sensors would notice both of their signatures, at least the man's. Soon enough, she figured, mercenaries and gaurds would descend on their location. She needed to get out of this, and fast.

 

"What are you doing here?" It was a bold move, asking a man with a gun his business, especially when she was defenseless, but she had to change things up a bit and take the risk. As she waited for an answer she silently and unnoticeably scanned the area for any way of escaping.

[Wranorn]

CRAP Wranorn thought to himself, how could he have let that get by him. Of course a protocol droid wouldn't know what its master was up to. But he had hoped he would have gotten more information then that from it. He was starting to feel that this situation was no longer in his controll. He needed to end this conversation now before this droid got the better of him.

 

For all he knew the droid could have already alerted Slaught that there was some one here for him, he couldnt let this go on any longer. He brought the rifle in closer to his cheek, getting a better view through his scope. He knew that taking the droid out wouldn't be too hard, he had dispatched more then a few droids in his day, and this was no different.

 

He took a step to the side to get a clearer shot at her chest. As he did so, his foot caught a rouge vine sticking out of the ground, causing him to stumble. His rifle left his target, as he tried to catch himself

 

Why does this always happen to me he screamed in his head. The word that came out of his mouth was less thought out though.

 

With mud clinging to his hands and knees, he quickly regained his composure, and brought his rifle back up to the spot the droid was standing. He quickly scanned the area, catching a glint of light reflect off the leg of his would be victim.

[Rodya]

Luck

 

Dunya seized the opprotunity provided by the man's clumsiness and raced for a hiding spot. She ran toward her ship, but knew she could not return there directly. She would have to throw this man off of her scent first.

 

The only major misfortune of her choice to run was that now her story would be quite flawed if she were to be caught. Why did you not run back to the base, he would ask, and a believable answer she would be hard to find.

 

Her mechanical limbs moved as well as they could through the cluttered swamp. Leaping over a log, Dunya soon realized she had committed her own clumsy mistake. Her silver legs slid easily into the thick soupy muck of a mud hole. Down her heavy body went into the filthiness of the swamp. The mud covered all but her head, and the weight of the substance kept her from inching out of the hole.

 

Ruined...

 

Hope was quickly fleeing Dunya's grasp as pounding footsteps grew ever closer to her prisonous bog.

[Wranorn]

Wranorn couldn't believe he had fumbled the whole thing. With the simple vine, he was now involved in a chase with a robot that knew the area. He had looked at some maps of the planet, so he wasn't completely ignorant of the terrain.

 

He ran down the path that he knew this J-37 had taken. The fresh foot prints, and skid marks on the ground led the way perfectly. He knew he wasn't far behind, he could hear the sound of metal clunking against the soft, muddy ground.

 

Turning a corner, he came across a log crossing the path. He noticed the slipping foot print indicating she jumped. So he too jumped, feeling the log crackle under his weight. While he flew through the air, he looked down.

 

What the heck he thought as he saw a metalic dome jutting out of the mud. He landed, and slid into a turn, bringing his rifle up to the swamp ingulfed droid's head. He lowered it, noticing that it was only a head , and that she seemed to be stuck.

 

no sense in wasting a shot he thought as he slung his weapon to his back, and retrieved a vibro-blade from under his cloak. This droid knew something, and from what it seemed had nothing to do with his current target. So what was it hiding from him.

 

He walked over to the silver dome sticking out of the ground. And brought his knife up. With a quick presice strike, he lodged the blade into the neck of the droid. Causing a few pops and crackles as the blade severed wires, and gears in the neck.

 

With a whhrrrrr the droids eyes deactivated and went dark. He knew that he no longer had to worry about this retched thing anymore. He pulled his knife out and, brought it down again on the other side. Causing more sounds of dismemberment. He made a sawing motion, taking the head off, and with a simple twist pulled what few wires were still clinging to the lifeless body.

 

He stood up, holding on to the newly decapitated head in his forearm. And began to look around the area. Realizing that he really didn't know where he was in this swampy tundra. All he could do was retrace his steps back to the base, and make his way back to his own ship. He had a memory scanner there, and it might help locate his target, or might prove to be more trouble then he wanted.

 

Luckily they hadnt gone to far from the base, a few turns here and there. A couple of twists and spins. This droid was obviously trying to lead him away from something. He didn't think that it was the base he was trying to avoid.

 

He quickly made it back to his own ship. Getting the droids head attached to the memory scanner, and began to download what information on the display screen. As he reviewed the information as it came up, it seemed that this droid was up to a lot more then it had alluded to.

[Xen-Que Poleb]

This was just plain weird. Engaging a droid in brute force like this bounty hunter had was overkill. He felt something more important was underlying this interaction than some lowlife bounty. He extended his fingers and lifted the droid out of the mud, bringing it up into the treetops. He opened the chest plate and examined the inner workings. It was very intricately designed. This droid was not made in a factory; it was handmade with great care. This was a droid built for the personal use of its creator. A creator that was no doubt nearby on this planet.

 

Upon further investigation he discovered that this droid's primary function was not etiquette; but astromech. It was a pilot and it had equipment that complimented a ship. These protocols would be useful in finding the ship it controlled, and likely it would find whatever the droid was hiding. He called for his ship to scope the nearby area for a ship that matched the profile.

[Rodya]

The machine that had called itself J-37 now only existed as a heap of scrap metal lying on the soft wet ground in the dark swamps of Dagobah. She had hoped he would pass her by and not see her head protruding from the mud. Her hope had been in vain. His sharp steel had wedged itself into her body slicing, twisting, and eventually severing her head.

 

Rodya”¦ The name drifted through her processors emitting an everlasting tribute to her incapacitated master and his skill. She had evolved, unlike most mechanical beings in the universe; Dunya had wielded the supreme trait that had provided organics with the ability to spread their power across the galaxy.

 

But, like organics, evolution had separated Dunya from her master's will. She was an assassin's droid that lacked the assassin's ability to murder. Ironically, she could not kill. In her pursuits to stop Rodya's violent madness she had trapped him in a comatose state. Due to her inability to kill though, Dunya had created a program that linked her to the ship. Without her to monitor the machines, Rodya would eventually die, so this final program would wake her master from his coma in the event of her own demise. In one final act of goodwill, Dunya would hold true to her evolved programming and allow her master to live.

 

 

As Wranon's vibroblade separated Dunya's head from her body and all signs of artificial life fled her metal casing, deeper in the swamps another life form suddenly crept back into the realm of consciousness. The machines that had been used to imprison Rodya now shot doses of adrenaline into his veins. As if from a dream, the onetime bounty hunter opened his eyes and looked upon a blurry, yet real world.

 

His hand moved to his face wiping the sleep from his eyes and removing the feeding tube from his mouth. Vomit dripped from his lips and leaked onto the floor as he turned his head coughing and gasping for air. It was the first time Rodya had breathed on his own in months. No thoughts, no questions, no ambitions sprung into his mind. He simply lay back against the pillow and breathed. He was alive.

[Wranorn]

Wranorn was becomming a little baffled by what his screen was showing him. Not only did this Dunya not belong to his target, she had her owner in suspended animation in the forest somewhere. The Droid had developed some time of human emotions, and seemed to have evolved in her own right. The machine would have been a great addition to any bounty hunter, and he felt that the owner might not be too happy about him destroying it.

 

When the scan had finished, the day was comming to an end, and the already dark planet, had fallen into night. Wranorn grabbed up the disket from his ship containing all the information he had retrieved, and the droids decapitated head. He threw both into a pack, grabbed his rifle, and an asortment of vibro-blades, and left his ship.

 

He had downloaded directions to the ship he was looking for, but he felt that in a last act of defiance, Dunya had corrupted, or some how altered them. He could only trust that she had not, and kept on trudging through the swampy mess. Slipping and sliding around on the ground, Wranorn was sure to keep track of his progress by leaving small marks on the trees he felt were notibly distict from the others.

 

When he came to an area that indicated recent traffic, he would get low to the ground, and creep forward. Once he had moved ahead enough to get a decant look at the are around him, he would stop and note the location. Once he felt nothing was worth his time, he would stand up and move on.

 

He had been searching for this ship for hours now, and he felt that he was getting close. He was noticing a few more foot prints on the ground, that looked similar to the ones he followed when chasing Dunya. He dropped like a stone, when he heared a metalic clank. He had obviously made it to the right area.

 

He wasn't about to have the same situation happen to him as he had allowed before. He grabbed a few thermo-detonators that he had in his bag, and jimmy-rigged a trip wire to them. He set them up behind him, knowing this was a well used path, and would seem like the most logical place to set them up. The area surrounding the ship was dense with swamp land and fallen trees. Not many ways out.

 

He set on trip wire a few inches off the ground, high enough to fatch a foot, and low enough to not be noticed. The other wire he set diagonal across the path, that would catch arms, or hands that were crossing them.

 

Once he felt confident that they thermo-detonators were well hidden from sight, he began to make his way slowly towards the ship.

[Rodya]

Pockets of ooze around the ship bubbled and churned leaving noxious gases lingering around the area. The mucky waters of the swamp seeped into any solid ground near the ship making the whole area muddy and disgusting. Trees and vines swung low over the ship, trapping it in an inescapable prison that would one day reform the ship making it just another part of the natural surroundings.

 

It seemed like an overall hopeless situation. The ship would be stuck forever in the swamps left to decay and rot until the wildlife eventually claimed it as their own. Until then however, the tin can offered shelter to an individual who seemed to be in as hopeless a situation as the ship.

 

"Dunya!" Rodya called for the droid, the companion that would not appear. He remained on the table, flat on his back, desperate for some form of help. He had spent some time just breathing, making sure he was truly alive. The past few months, a time span that was indiscernible to Rodya, had been a blur of dream-like realities where the once great hunter had swam between worlds of varying styles, shapes, and colors. It had all seemed so real, but the pain of waking from such a deep sleep grounded him in true reality.

 

Rodya's head, shoulders, arms, chest, legs, and even toes ached from inactivity and muscle deterioration. Even months of inactivity however had not depleted the Dashade's bountiful muscular resources. He could still move his legs and arms which he now flailed about in attempts to push back the pain as he continued to moan in his deep voice, "Dunya!"

 

Where could she be? It was the only question Rodya could push through his mind. How he had ended up in this situation did not seem to concern him. What he really wanted to know was why Dunya, the droid he had invented to take care of him in just such a scenario, was not performing her duties. He had relied on his creation as his only source of backup making her his co-pilot and aid. Now though, during his greatest time of need, it seemed his creation had failed, flawless though she was.

 

In his wailing, Rodya rolled off of the table, jerking many of the tubes, IV's, and sensors away from his body. Spit drained from his meaty mouth and water flooded his eyes, but his vision had improved. He could now see with more detail and recognized many aspects of the ship. He could not feel the vibrations from the engines however, so he knew they were not traveling.

 

Down a corridor he crawled pushing himself with his feeble legs. "Dunya," he said in another pitiful attempt to summon his servant, but now he knew she would not come. Something had happened. Sadness, fear, anger, and hatefulness all flushed through Rodya's soul. What's happened? The Dashade pounded the floor with his firm fist in an act of frustration that sent an echoing thud to any nearby listeners.

 

"Dunya," he called one last time.

 

((You two can board the ship whenever. Assume that Dunya would have locked it, but this ship is not modified and she would have lacked any real resources to set traps. Any locking device should be easy to bypass, I don't know what's going to happen once either of you board though.))

[Xen-Que Poleb]

Xen-Que's Blade scoped the swampland, looking for trace signatures of those found in the droid's inner-workings. He found a partial match in a ship that was embraced by the forestation. It was surrounded by greens in a way that would take years; had it not been Dagobah. This ship had only been here for weeks. Maybe months. Xen-Que ejected from his brother's ship once again, complete with landing sequence, and landed in the trees. He closed his eyes and focused on the ship. He outstretched his fingers and held his hand out toward the heap of metal. His eyes went from a comfortable close, to one that was creased with concentration, clasped tightly.

 

There was a lifeform inside, though for some reason it was very faint. This person must barely be alive, he reasoned. He would have to be fast to action. The vines and shrubbery were violently jettisoned into the swamp. Xen-Que lifted the ship from its vulnerable positioning and cleared the area further before resting it down again. He jumped down from the treetop and approached the ship. He sensed the bounty hunter was nearing, and thought of bringing forth Narthalos, but his white hair and coat already made him visible; no sense in making his appearance look threatening.

 

He used his extremely gifted powers to spring open the door, with much ease, and rushed inside to see a man crawling on the floor. Much to Xen-Que's surprise, this man was very much alive. And well. His physical condition was lacking, but nothing life threatening.

 

"My apologies... I thought you were dying..." Xen-Que then realized something was wrong. The faint presence in the Force was disturbing. There was more to this man then what he saw. He may have acted too quickly. He was mindful of the man, in case he acted erratically.

[Wranorn]

Wranorn made his way around the overgrown ship slowly, he had heard some comotion eairler, followed by a loud thud, that echoed through the trees. He knew that there was a person in there, and it seemed that they were now alive and moving.

 

He came around to the side of the ship noticing the door was wide open. He felt compelled to enter the ship. He turned a corner to see one man standing over the other. The standing man had bright white hair, and a fluffy fur coat, the other was semi-blocked from view, but Wranorn knew this was the man the droid had kept in suspended animation.

 

With out thinking, Wranorn lifted his rifle the his shoulder, and pointed it at the the upright man. As he did so the decapitated droid head slipped out of his bag, and landed on the floor infront of Rodya.

 

What are you doing here he shouted sternley.

 

(( sorry so short, I couldn't think of too much else to say, and to get the story moving, I think that this short post helps. ))

[Rodya]

Rodya had been sitting in the floor with his back against a wall when he suddenly felt the ship move. It lifted from its spot, broke free of the mud and foliage that had it trapped, and steadily floated through the air. Rodya looked around, scared, not knowing who was piloting the ship and worse, who else was on the ship. It seemed a short trip however, because almost as soon as he had felt the ship rise, it fell softly to the ground.

 

Startled and frightened, Rodya tried to stand up, but couldn't quite make it to his feet before his nerves were once again attacked by the sound of a hatch being ripped off the ship. He slid back down the wall and looking up was blinded by a stunningly bright white light.

 

"My apologies... I thought you were dying..." said the light. Rodya's weak vision could not pierce the light rays the surronded the being, a fact that made the Dashade even more fearful. He tried to back away.

 

"What's going on?" he asked, "Who are you?"

 

Rodya wanted to rise and strike the man down. He felt like a cornered scared animal with little defense against a much more superior being. It was not a scenario he was used to.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

Another voice, what the hell is going on? Rodya was extremely confused, but then something hard and metallic struck the ground and rolled towards his feet. It stopped, and looking up at him were the two darkened eyes of his brillant creation. The sight of Dunya's head made the once fierce warrior attempt an attack on whatever he could grab, but he remained too weak to rise to his feet. All he could do was snarl and hold back tears.

 

"What have you two done to my droid?" The question leaked out of Rodya in a pitiful sad way signifying the loss of something close to his heart. It was odd to think that the once dreadful bounty hunter even had a heart, but perhaps something had changed during the many months he had spent in a coma. Maybe Dunya's plan had worked after all...

[Wranorn]

"What have you two done to my droid?" The man on the ground shouted at him in a rage. He didn't quite know what to say him, but he didn't think to much before words spilled out of his mouth.

 

I would be more worried about what that droid ws doing to you He figured that would settle the situation a little while he dealed with the other man.

 

His white had was intriguing to Wranorn, it seemed different in some way, as if it were not natural for such young looking human to have. His white fitted coat draped to his calfs, and hung off his shoulders nicley. It was very complementary of the body structure. The man before him seemed to have an affinity to white, he was covered in it, gloves, hair and jacket.

 

He continued to inspect the tall, slim man, and noticed a Jedi Marking on his jacket. Instantly feeling a sense of relief, he lowered his rifle sightly, trying to not provoke a responce from the man. He had obviously entred this ship in a manner that would have eluded Wranorn. He felt it best to show some submission.

[Rodya]

More worried about what Dunya did to me? Say what?

 

Rodya sat at the feet of both men confused and weak. He couldn't walk, he had no clue what planet he was on, and he was completely at the mercy of the two individuals standing before him. It was an uncomfortable position for Rodya to say the least.

 

Something else seemed different as well. Typically, the runt's words would not have been enough to calm Rodya's usual over zealous rage, but logic, or perhaps his weakened state, seemed to be winning the battle. His quickness to anger was halted by the man's words and he was made curious about the situation.

 

Fear also struck him as his eyes began to adjust to the conditions. He could now see the white figure; the first man who had appeared. He was tall with long flowing hair and a certain air of goodness about him. Rodya was in the company of someone special, a fact that made him want to spit, but something new touched Rodya. The overwhelming hate he had once felt was somewhat lessened in this man's presence. The Dashade was angry about his droid, scared and nearly out of his mind after waking up as he did, but the smallest trace of peace pierced Rodya's thick skin in the midst of the chaos. In spite of the situation, the presence of peace was perhaps Rodya's greatest source of fear.

 

He looked upon Dunya's head once more and said to the last man who had spoke ((Wranon)), "What do you mean the droid was doing something to me? Explain. And, who are you?"

[Xen-Que Poleb]

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but perhaps these proceedings would be better suited in more amicable environs. Unless your droid did more handicapping and sabotaged all your equipment, your ship should still be flyable. May I suggest the relatively neutral world of Dantooine?"

[Rodya]

All of the new information was extremely confusing for Rodya. What had been happening? Two men now stood before him, one insinuating Dunya had apparently went nuts, and the other suggesting they all go to some backwater planet.

 

It was all too much for a man still struggling just to walk. Dantooine? Rodya wasn't even sure he knew where that planet was, more or less why he would want to go there. Something was different however, and Rodya had a gut feeling that this white robed man could be trusted. It wasn't like Rodya to trust someone peaceful, but something about him had abviously changed.

 

He placed a hand on the ground and pushed himself upwards, leaning against the wall for stability.

 

"Ok, both of you tell me your names, and you," Rodya said pointing to the runt ((Wranon)), "come with me."

 

He looked back at the taller man, "I'll meet you on Dantooine, but what's in it for me? What exactly do you have in mind, a job?"

[Xen-Que Poleb]

Xen-Que knelt down next to Rodya. He held his hand over his broken frame. He began to use heal the bounty hunter through the Force. "My name is Xen-Que Poleb, Blademaster liaison to the Jedi Council. I came here because the Force told me to. I would say that I believe our meeting was destiny, that everything happens for a reason," his thought trailed back to Midsengard. "But I no longer believe that. What I know is that I see a man much like myself; a man that probably shouldn't be alive right now. This probably is a chance meeting, but that doesn't mean we can't make a destiny from it."

 

Xen-Que's features could be examined much more closely up close. No wrinkles. No blemishes, scars, or anything of the sort. He had a look of youth about him, but his wisdom and hair suggested otherwise. He got to his feet, hoping that this man would now have the strength to do so as well. "A storm is coming. I have seen it. And perhaps after we speak with the Jedi Council, I may have a mission of personal importance to myself."

[Wranorn]

Wranorn, was still focusing on the Jedi infront of him, he was still weary of his surrundings.

 

"My name is Wranorn, I am a bounty hunter currently on a mission."

 

come with me the man on the floor said, Wranorn felt guilty for taking out the mans droid, but if he hadn't who knew what would have happened to him.

 

"If you insist" he replied.

 

A mission for a Jedi he thought to himself when the man finished speaking. Whats the world comming to, when a Jedi asks for the help of bounty hunters.