Private In the Jungle, the mighty jungle

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

The thick, humid air of New Cov’s jungles pressed against Valery as she stood near the edge of the dome, gazing out into the tangled expanse of trees and vibrant foliage. She adjusted the belt of her sleek jumpsuit and sighed. The faint hum of insects and distant calls of wildlife served as a reminder of just how alive this environment was, even as danger lurked behind every vine and shadow.

Turning slightly, her amber eyes fell on Rik Perris , who was likely doing his own final gear check. While familiar with New Cov's jungle, it was still a dangerous mission. She was glad to have him by her side again.

"A freighter crashing out there is bad enough," she began, her voice steady and clear. "But this jungle doesn’t take kindly to intruders. It’s not just the wildlife — the terrain itself can feel like it’s working against you. That’s why we need to move carefully and stick together." She activated a small holo-map on her wrist, showing a faint trail leading deep into the jungle where the crash site was marked with a blinking red dot.

"From the reports, it’s a large freighter — likely carrying supplies meant for the domed cities. There’s no word on survivors or what caused it to crash, but we’ve been tasked to secure the area and help anyone we find."

Her hand brushed the hilt of her lightsaber, a quiet reassurance of her readiness. The sunlight filtered through the transparent dome, illuminating the contours of her face and casting a faint shimmer off her jumpsuit as she began walking toward the airlock.

"I hope you're ready," Valery said with a faint smirk as she glanced back at Rik. "The jungle has a way of testing everyone who enters it."

With that, the airlock hissed open, and the wild, untamed expanse of New Cov awaited them.

Rik Perris ​

 

[Rik Perris]

Wearing: Bodyglove
Gear: Utility belt, Lightsaber, slugthrower, tactical knife, machete, slugthrower mags, etc.

Rik didn’t know New Cov well by any stretch of the imagination but one: its humidity, inherent to biomes of its likeness. And were he anyone else, he could end up bemoaning that fact, but the environmental and temperature regulating components of the bodyglove underlayer of his armour would mitigate that sweat-inducing, sticky problem by a large margin… and he wasn't one to complain.

He holstered a slugthrower pistol with one hand, while flexing the glove on the other hand, then the first hand when it was empty. Everything else had been checked. It had been a while since he’d worn the bodyglove by itself, almost long enough to feel like something was missing. Almost.

“Not many friendly jungles to begin with.” That was, to say, that she wasn’t telling him anything new. Valery carried on to the objective of this mission. “Or apprehend if necessary,” he tacked on. But that was all.

"I hope you're ready," Valery said with a faint smirk as she glanced back at Rik. "The jungle has a way of testing everyone who enters it."

He snorted in humour. What did she think he was, an initiate?

“Yeah, yeah,” he shot back, one corner of his mouth lifting, “Tell me something I don’t know, lady.” He lifted his chin toward the exit. “Let’s get a move on.”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery raised an eyebrow at Rik's humor-laced response, her faint smirk widening just slightly. His confidence wasn't surprising — it was part of who he was, and part of what had made him an effective companion on missions like this. Still, as he turned toward the exit, she let her gaze linger for just a moment, a subtle flick of her amber eyes taking in the way his bodyglove moved with him.

But the moment was fleeting, her focus snapping back to the task ahead. She followed after him, the airlock opening fully to release them into the oppressive heat and tangled expanse of New Cov's jungle. The sheer vibrancy of life around them hit like a wave — the dense canopy of trees, the sharp cries of unseen creatures, and the constant hum of insects all blended together into a chaotic symphony.

She loved it — it was her home.

"Tell you something you don't know?" Valery echoed as she stepped past him, glancing over her shoulder with a teasing glint in her eye. "Alright. I won't be helping you when you're hanging upside down from those lethal vines. They love cocky types."

Her tone was playful, but the warning wasn't entirely hollow. The jungle was infamous for its natural dangers, and there were vines out there that could ensnare even the most skilled hunters. With that, Valery pressed forward, her steps cautious but steady as she pushed aside low-hanging branches and ducked under thick leaves. The jungle seemed alive, constantly moving with the rustle of unseen creatures and the whisper of the wind threading through the canopy above.

After a few minutes of careful progress, the faint scent of scorched metal already drifted toward them, mingling with the jungle's earthy aroma. Valery slowed and furrowed her brows, "We have a way to go, but I already smell fuel and fire," she said quietly, her voice low enough to barely disturb the sounds of the jungle.

Rik Perris ​

 

[Rik Perris]

Wearing: Bodyglove
Gear: Utility belt, Lightsaber, slugthrower, tactical knife, machete, slugthrower mags, etc.

The humid climate was oppressive, but only to his head and face when he stepped out of the dome; the temp regulation in his bodyglove was going to keep him from overheating, like always, but it was on him that he left the headpiece off. He could pull it back on if he really, really needed to.

“Alright, fine,” Rik grumbled quietly in good humour when she stepped past, his gaze following behind her as she did, “I’m a grown man, I can cut myself down.”

But the fact remained that he didn’t know this particular jungle yet, and despite all his initial cheek and attitude, he would remain alert and open. His body soon followed along where his eyes had went, and he kept pace, following her lead, ducking when she ducked but only more because he was taller, and pushing past low branches - traversing a wilderness could be a workout in itself.

Rik noticed it before she slowed, the scent of scorched metal, burnt foliage, and mild smoke, “Birdsong’s gotten a little quieter,” he noted just as softly, “the crash would have spooked the wildlife in the general area.” He glanced down, saw a feather, and crouched to pick it up. “I expect we’ll see more feathers the closer we get,” then he glanced up at the canopy from his crouch, and ahead as he stood again, “gonna be a hole in the canopy a little ways from the crash site; should help figuring trajectory when we get to our destination, might help nailing down what really happened.”

He was a little sceptical that this was just a crash brought on by a bird in the engine, or some other faultless occurrence. If whatever company was running the supply route was performing regular maintenance, and its pilots knew the ins and outs of navigating over this wilderness on what would be a fairly frequent run - all reasonable assumptions - then incidents like this were highly avoidable.

If this really was a supply ship.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's steps grew quieter as the two of them pressed deeper into the jungle. Her amber eyes remained sharp, scanning the dense foliage ahead for any sign of danger or clues that might confirm Rik's suspicions. His observation about the bird activity—or lack thereof — made her nod slightly, her own senses heightened as the tension in the air grew.

"It doesn't feel right," she murmured, her voice low. "If this was just an accident, the wildlife would be back by now. They spook easily, but not for long unless there's something unnatural keeping them away." The animals on New Cov weren't quite ordinary creatures, after all.

She stepped over a fallen log, her boots sinking slightly into the soft, mossy ground. The scent of scorched metal and burnt foliage was stronger now, mingling unpleasantly with the jungle's natural aromas. Ahead, the trees began to thin, revealing an area of devastation carved into the otherwise untouched greenery.

"There," Valery said softly, pointing to a gap in the canopy. Sunlight poured through the hole, illuminating a swath of broken trees and smoldering wreckage. The supply ship lay tilted against the edge of a shallow ravine, its hull crumpled and scorched. Smoke rose from one of its engines, curling into the sky like a dark signal to the heavens.

Valery held up a hand, signaling for Rik to halt for a moment as her senses reached out through the Force. The crash site was eerily silent, save for the crackle of small fires and the occasional groan of metal settling under its own weight.

"I don't sense anyone alive nearby," she said after a moment, her tone laced with unease. "But that doesn't mean there's no danger. Stay sharp."

She moved forward carefully, ducking under a broken branch that jutted out like a jagged spear. As they neared the ship, Valery's eyes narrowed, taking in the scorch marks along the hull and the unnatural angle of the debris.

What had happened?

Rik Perris ​

 

[Rik Perris]

Wearing: Bodyglove
Gear: Utility belt, Lightsaber, slugthrower, tactical knife, machete, slugthrower mags, etc.

"If this was just an accident, the wildlife would be back by now. They spook easily, but not for long unless there's something unnatural keeping them away."

Rik nodded slowly. That was another fact which added to making this mission look less and less like a simple search and rescue, and to him, first instinct was that because it was likely something unnatural, that meant the possibility of one or both of two things. And neither of them good.

He stepped over the same fallen log, while his nose wrinkled at the increased potency of the scents wafting from the crash site and weaving into the natural bouquet of the jungle. Up ahead, the scenery changed, trees scraped, thinned, broken, and mowed down all along the path the ship burrowed into the canopy and through the peace and greenery of this place.

Rik looked up, following where Valery’s finger pointed to the jagged hole in the canopy where sunlight streamed through at around a forty-five degree angle, highlighting the ship in a clearing partly of its own making, laying angled at the edge of a ravine. He paused at her signal, but his eyes peered at the wreckage and pillar of smoke, while she peered through the Force.

“It,” he softly hazarded a guess, “and/or they could have long left the area.”

But stay sharp he did, and followed Valery on the approach to the ship, only moving away from her to slowly circle around to the opposite end of the wreck. He eyed the stream of smoke again, and focused, trying to find the smoldering ember of its source in the empyrean, and once he did, smothered it with ‘pinch’. Then he looked back to the Jedi Master, his expression frank.

“Either there’s bodies in the wreck,” they’d have to check, “or we should be looking for blood, footprints, animal prints, drag marks,” the area immediately around the opening of the ravine was mostly rock, most such clues would show where stone gave way to soil, “from either people or cargo. Or cargo that escaped. Or something or someone that scavenged the wreck.”

Or any combination thereof. He then had a thought, hoping to ease the unease a little.

“So, people I ran with during the years I was gone, we used to find something to bet on almost every mission. The loser usually suffered something within the bounds of reason - taking on someone else’s maintenance or cleaning tasks for the week, buying everyone a round of drinks at the next opportunity, things like that - so in that spirit, I propose we make a wager.”

Rik gestured to the wreck.

“Let’s say I think there’s no bodies in there,” he suggested, “I’m right, you owe me. I’m wrong, I owe you. Alright?” He sounded rather serious about this, and pinned Valery with a knowing look, without even so much as a smirk. “Keep your bet reasonable, and I’ll do the same.” But then a corner of his mouth did pull up. “I mean that, Val, no funny business.”

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery arched a brow at Rik's proposal, the corner of her mouth quirking upward in amusement as he set the terms of the wager. "No funny business, huh?" she asked, her tone light but teasing. She placed her hands on her hips, leaning slightly toward him as if sizing him up for the challenge.

Then, without warning, she tilted her head and batted her eyelashes with an exaggerated sweetness, her amber eyes sparkling with mischief. "Who, me? Funny business? I'd never," she said in mock innocence, her voice dripping with over-the-top sincerity.

Straightening up, Valery allowed the playful façade to drop just enough to reveal her smirk. "Alright, if I win the bet, here's what I want. You're coming with me to the next gala or formal event I get dragged into, and I get to pick your outfit." Her grin widened slightly as she added, "I have excellent taste, so don't worry — you'll look great."

She stepped past him with a soft chuckle, her hand brushing against a low-hanging branch to clear it from her path. "And if you win, well, I'm sure you'll come up with something equally creative. So what do you say, Rik?" She glanced over her shoulder, her smirk still firmly in place. "Do you dare?"

Without waiting for an answer, Valery approached the wreck, her focus sharpening once more as they closed in on the mystery ahead. But the playful glint in her eyes lingered — she'd made her bet, and now it was up to fate to decide.

Rik Perris ​