It's a jungle out there

by Aerena 'Relentless' Kolene

The children both run up with canisters on their backs painted lime green with a tube running from it with what appears to be a blaster rifle attached to it. Weha feels this is the perfect solution to gum up the clockwork gears of the centaur creatures. They can shoot short to medium range and the gel comes out pinkish purple and then turns to a foam that hardens on whatever it lands on. both kids feel this is the best solution to meet their assignment. Kualia wanted to create some small droids with plasma capability that could land on them and put holes so that blaster fire could be more effective. She is worried about how to get them back and we discuss how to get a mech droid that could direct and recall them. She seems excited about it so I tell her that once we get all settled, she can have a lab so she can work on building things - IF her mother approves.

Erol Vandromas starts talking about the Aeldari being the ones who actually created the sphere that Janus found somewhere near the ruins. Dr. Vahzilok claimed that there was something important about the symbol and Janus thought it helped him to see the truth about the universe. There was a project tied to the sphere investigation: Eidolon. He tampered with the sphere and whatever he did almost caused the extinction of the people on this planet. Then Dr. Vahzilok, who was trying to find a way to preserve his people, discovered a way to keep death from them. In the process of working on this experiment, he became part of the sphere and then they ejected the sphere off planet as the only way to destroy it and aimed it at the sun. They either missed or it had its own propulsion system and seemed to be headed for Armasar - the second gas giant in this system. Current theory is that there is a method of communication that can be blocked which would then render the clocktaurs inoperable. Since we seem to have a plan, I turn to the kids and tell them they need to take off the cannisters and head back to mom as they won't be going on this mission. They try to bargain for going on the next mission, but I tell them no and to head back to their mom. Steelflow goes with the kids to make sure they get back to the mom safely.

I send Zaye a quick message to let her know that they kids did a great job in their assignment, they are on their way back to help her, and I did mention that Kualia could have a lab of her own once we are settled - if she agrees. She replies with a short message that is fantastic, and the lab.. it isn't a bad idea provided you and she agree what is and isn't in the lab for Kualia to work on with blueprints. Zaye sends another text after a moment that simply reads "Be safe". I respond with "Always."

I pick my team for the mission: Vanya (she knows where we are going), a mentat to handle the communication blockage, Danar to provide firepower if necessary, and Erol Vandromas since he knows the why. Vanya says we are heading to a research station to the east where the hostages are being kept in deep sleep - probably. Then the two Jedi talk about a second place and Hondo is being 'watched' by the Cestians while we are solving problems. He wants us to also find one of his crew - or so he says. We will be helping him if it is easy!

We borrow an assualt shuttle and head out across the desert landscape. Ahead of us I see a fortified city with all defensive batteries facing the zigguraut - bigger than the Jedi temple. There are two prongs off the top of the building with a green glow emanating from between them. Several smaller buildings are all connected that appear to be a drop off location site. We do a circuit of the complex and Vanya tells us that it is a smuggler drop off point. I do a passive scan of the facility and see a lack of repairs and care, but the generators are on. I see general electormagnetic scans of several droids and medical equipment that could be cryo or bacta chambers. Nothing appears to be looking out or in and the defences appear to be taken out by an EM pulse. Maybe a year or so ago it looks like this was the site of a battle. I move to a focused scan and discover that there are 15 people that are being healed to perfect health and then put into cryo freeze. Not all of them are our hostages as some of them are Cesteans. We land close to that smuggler drop point.

We land and then get a transmission from So'Zen stating he has hostiles incoming. Vanya and Vandromas concoct a quick plan to do a decoy and destroy plan after a quick scan shows that there is a flock of 20 clockwork creatures chasing So'Zen. I let down the ramp and they depart the ship with the cannisters the kids concocted. They stop away from the ship and ignite their lightsabers to let him know where they are. As soon as they do, the creature surge past So'Zen and move into a protective stance. I tell the Jedi's to turn off their lightsabers which they refuse to do, but they do put them in a less threatening position and the creatures seem to appreciate that. Kit Kat chimes in and suggests that he can hack the doors of the facility and we can use So'Zen's collective to cause a distraction on the north while the rest of the team enters through the south side and strolls to the medbay to rescue the hostages. Vanya and Vondromas keep the cannisters on for the just in case and we head in.

So'Zen enters with his collective and he reports that there are cybernetic beetles and plants. The collective will eat the beetles and attempt to take a chunk out of a metal crate, but they ignore the plants. Kit Kat, Danar, and I head to the south side which appears to be a maintenance bay. There are some damaaged speeder bikes laying around. Appear to be quick repairs that weren't done so maybe they couldn't? Kit Kat does the hack and fog rolls out and we enter a vertiable rainforest with glowing flowers and beetles playing pollinator. Then we hear a honk and look to see one of the same creatures that were chasing So'Zen in the doorway. He/she/it snaps at a beetle and then waddles on out. Danar puts on a rebreather while I pull out my hand held scanner and discover that the droid signs I was getting from the ship are all of these flowers and beetles. I keep my scanner active as I head towards the medbay. The flowers register as mostly organic, but with inorganic cybernetic parts. It is very similar to A'wakeen technology - not exact, but close. I send Kit Kat a quick message about the tools within the jungle. The door opens haltingly and with a dim light, but there is a tall humanoid shape towards the end of the hallway.

It seems to be on patrol, so we stay in the dark and wait to see if it notices us so we can follow it to the medbay. Two of the clusters come out of another door and that causes a much more in depth scan. I freeze until it moves on and I hear it mumble? Then there are two more of the humanoid shapes and they are carrying a cryo tube. They enter a room down the hallway and leave within minutes. All three turn to the left and leave - hopefully. We sneak down to the room and look in. There are dozens of cyro tubes with Cesteans in them. The room is cool in temperature and looks to have been modified within the last 24 hours.

Continue reading...

There is a stun setting??
Katunda, 12 Nelona (month 5), 12731

Blue Spider down
Katunda, 12 Nelona (month 5), 12731

How to be threatening - in a totally non-threatening way.
Satunda, 13 Nelona (month 5), 12731

One warehouse down - one to go
Katunda, 12 Nelona (month 5), 12731

Target Practice
Katunda, 12 Nelona (month 5), 12731

SHINY?!?!??!
Katunda, 14 Nelona (month 5), 12731

Corellian Whiskey
Month 4, day 14, year 12731

Carbon freezing is NOT an option
Datunda, 14 Nelona, 12731

Not all aliens are nice guys!
Natunda, 15 Nelona (month 5), 12731

Frigate Baiting
26 Nelona, 12731

Flying monsters
Atunda, 26 Nelona, 12731

Another one bites the dust - literally
Atunda, 26 Nelona, 12731

Ambush?
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Hitchhikers are bad news
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Spook has fun!
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Fun Flight
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Dark Troopers
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

High Low
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Delicious
30PLen Nelona, 12731

On the cliff's edge
Natunda, 30th Nelona, 12731

Pit Droid in two
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Dungeon Crawl level 1
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

Jedi - you take them!
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

Black Marble!?!
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

Force is so not me!
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

Mentats are as crazy as Jedi
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

JuggerNOT!
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

Flimsy of Doom
Atunda, 6 Helona, 12731

It's ok - I'm cute.
Satunda, 18 Helona 12731

Ianar Berav
Satunda, 18 Helona 12731

Fred and Thelma
Satunda, 18 Helona 12731

Dr. Zak?!?!?
Datunda, 29 Helona, 12731

Sargan is coming
Datunda, 29 Helona, 12731

Book o' doom
Datunda, 29 Nelona, 12731

Jem: Dead or Alive
Datunda, 04 Melona, 12731 T

Bar Brawl
Datunda, 04 Melona, 12731 T

Medusa Diplomacy
Datunda, 4 Melona, 12731

Starrise Falcon
Datunda, 04 Melona, 12731 T

The End?!??!
Datunda, 4 Melona, 12731

The Marshall is in
Katunda, 07 Melona 12731

First Holocron
Katunda, 07 Melona 12731

Dream a little dream
Satunda, 13 Melona, 12731

Lemon Copper BBQ
Satunda, 13 Melona, 12731 T

Centaurs
Satunda, 13 Melona, 12731

Zaye Kolene
Satunda, 13 Melona, 12731

Future past
Natunda, 15 Melona, 12731 T

It's a jungle out there
Natunda, 15 Melona 12731

Clocktaur Virus
Natunda, 15 Melona, 12731

Honeymoon?
Natunda, 17 Melona, 12731

Palatrium Flying
Katunda, 07 Melona, 12731

Questions Answered
Katunda, 07 Melona, 12731

Home at Chalcedon
Katunda, br 27 Melona, 12731

Convenient Cave
Satunda, 28 Melona, 12731

Sensor Pings
Katunda, 18 Melona, 12731 T

Zaye and Kolene's Excellent Adventure
Satunda, 28 Melona, 12731 T

A second wire?!?
Satunda, 28 Melona, 12731

Cthulu does not belong in our universe
Satunda, 28 Melona

The Journal Entry’s title
Satunda, 28 Melona, 12731

Dance Fight
Satunda, 28 Melona, 12731

Aunt woes & blockade runners
Satunda, 29 Melona, 12731 T

WTF, mate
12731 10 Telona

Can we kill him already?
12731, 10th of Telona

It's a jungle out there

Continue reading...

Find your way!

Resources

WHO WE ARE

LEGAL

Get the news

Listen to our Podcast

Our Allies