Private Involuntary Adventure

[Kaz Krayt]

Felucia/Middle of Nowhere​

Morning/Partly Cloudy​

"Oh don't worry man, this'll be fun! Rancor hunting can be quite the trip if you come prepared... or not. Whichever way you look at it." Kas quipped with a big grin as he glanced at Aeson whom he parked in the co-pilot's seat. He was sure the guy didn't appreciate being coerced into a trip like this but Kaz preferred having a medical professional with him when doing stupid stuff like this.

The ship broke through the atmosphere and Kaz quickly adjusted the course towards the equator. "At least you're a medic, so dying shouldn't be too likely with this. Unless you get kriffed up, then we got a problem." he joked as he spotted an open space to land in. "Dude, just look at the scanners. Can't even check around us 'cause it's just friggin life form blips all over." he muttered as he eyed the scanners, letting his ship lower into the opening. There was a muffled shriek as the landing gear touched down but it was quickly silenced and drowned out when Kaz jumped to his feet. "ALRIGHT! Let's get moving." he declared as he slipped his helmet on and shut the ship down. He gave Aeson a tap on the shoulder and made his way to the exit.

Outside he blinked at a small creature crushed under the landing gear but kept marching past. A few feet away he turned to face Aeson and rested his hands on his hips. "Alright sunshine, how do you wanna start this?" he asked with a smile in his voice.

Sraak Akdesh

 

[Sraak Akdesh]

"We can start by turning around and going back on the ship." Aeson quipped, putting his own helmet on.

The medic of Clan Wren was never one for hunting. At least, not for sport. He was fine with the occasional duel or spar. But willingly going to the lair of some angry beast to just gather a trophy? Sounds like something someone with two brain cells came up with.

He departed from the ship, his DL-44 carbine cradled in his arms. He would be damned if he was going to do it with any melee weaponry. He flipped down the monoculars attached to his helm, scanning the area. The land was teeming with all sorts of life, but thankfully, nothing huge just yet.

"Remind me again, vod, why you would want to hunt down a rancor?" He posed, "From what I know of them, they don't taste all that good, so it cannot be for the meat."

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Kaz shrugged as he approached the medic and slung an arm around his neck to walk with him. "Oh don't be like that. This'll be fun! Don't worry dude." he assured him as he let go and led the way into the jungle. "As for the Rancor, it's definitely not meat. I can back you up on what you said, they taste like bantha fodder. Nah, I need the teeth. I got a guy who's looking for them and they're willing to pay top creds. Plus it looks awesome! You ever see Rancor tooth grips on a blaster? Dude!" he explained happily as he walked backwards in front of the guy, his glowing T-visor locked onto the man. "It's gonna look so friggin sick if I can pull that off. Plus some teeth on top of the helmet would go nicely with my own style, wouldn't you say?" he explained away before spinning around to walk normally.

"Okay, I got a very serious medical question that's been bothering me for years now." he spoke up after a while of walking, hoping to initiate some small talk. "I need to know. What happens if I stand around some of these fungi, take my helmet off and breathe in? Will the spores, like, get stuck in my lungs and germinate or will it just not do anything?" he asked him with a serious tone in his voice. After a few moments of walking he spoke up once again. "Look on the bright side! The next time you need to impress someone at a bar, you can just say how you had to save another Mando while singlehandedly defeating a Rancor! That's what I would do. Instant man points, my dude." he spoke with an obnoxiously loud voice, a lot louder than is necessary.

Eventually Kaz came to a halt and looked around. "I was hoping me rambling would lure one by now..." he muttered in thought as he stared into the jungle. "Okay, new plan. How about I cover you in some sort of scent and I go sit up there?" he suggested with a massive grin behind his helmet, curious to see Aeson's reaction. Unbeknownst to him, though, the earth gently started to shake as he spoke to Aeson. It was only when he heard trees falling and absurdly loud breathing, that he shut up and glanced around. "Oh shit you did it! Nice man, come on!" he whispered to Aeson as he grabbed hold of him and dragged him into cover. From a spot behind a toppled fungus tree he waited for his target with wide eyes.

His pistol was drawn as he glanced at Aeson, who would likely be able to feel the excitement coming off Kaz as he knelt beside him. Something akin to a happy noise escaped the Zabrak as the sounds drew closer and closer... until the hulking beast could be seen lumbering right past them. "Okay, let's get its attention. I need to see those teeth first before we start shooting." he suggested as he looked up at the beast.

Sraak Akdesh

 

[Sraak Akdesh]

Aeson quirked a brow at Kaz when he asked him a genuine medical question. He looked over the fungus and shrugged before starting an explanation.

"Fungal respiratory infections are a thing, yes. More common with mold spores, however." He noted, "The spores will reproduce in the lungs and patients will typically show the standard respiratory symptoms. Labored breathing, coughing, perhaps even increased mucus production. Normally we would prescribe some dosage of antibiotics, or in truly severe cases, cybersurgery with mechanical lungs."

He soon felt himself moved downward and feeling the mobile quakes of the ground beneath them. He did not need his macrobinoculars to even distinguish the source. A behemoth, iridescent like the world around them. A Felucian Rancor. He could feel his heart in his chest. Aeson carefully moved his carbine.

"Alright. Since you got me into this. I'll help get its attention." He sighed, messing with a knob on his blaster,"Gonna give our big friend a little bit of a sting. Get ready to run like hell."

He squat back into position, and aimed his blaster. He had set it to a stun setting. Not enough to subdue the beast. But enough to make it sting and hopefully get the rancor to turn around and charge. He popped off his shot.

Energy struck flesh, and a bellowing roar seemed to shake air itself. That was Aeson's cue to dart back into the bush...

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

As Aeson explained away at what could happen, he earned a wide-eyed stare from Kaz as he spoke. By the time he was done, Kaz stood in place for a few moments as he simply eyed him in sheer shock. Finally the Zabrak got some life back into him and threw his arms up in victory. "Aha! Take that Baros from fourth grade!" he proclaimed in victory. "Seriously, I had this bigass argument years back but it's been bothering me for ages. My argument was basically that you can get your lungs karked up and they might need to be replaced. Glad I wasn't all that wrong." he explained with a giant grin behind his visor.

Back behind the toppled tree, Kaz watched closely as the Rancor waddled past on its stubby legs. Aeson got ready to fire as Kaz got ready to run. "Alright, I'm ready. Fire away." he muttered as his eyes were glued to the Rancor. The shot rang out and the stun bolt hit the Rancor. As it roared and turned towards them with its gaping maw ready to devour them, the Zabrak got his confirmation. This was exactly what he was looking for. The beast released an enraged roar and Kaz bolted into a sprint... but not alongside Aeson. He was charging right at the monster. He jumped up and his jetpack hurled him upwards as he howled like an animal. He finally impacted the beast's massive nose with a heavy grunt and held on for dear life. A low growl escaped the beast and one glance into its eyes confirmed that it had its target sighted. "Oh shit!" he called out as he scrammed to hurl himself upwards before a massive paw could squash him against the beast's horn. He made it onto its back just in time to avoid the paw and hid on its neck as the creature violently flung itself about.

But it quickly stopped and turned towards a direction. Through the bony frill of the monster Kaz could see its new target. A delightful morsel encased in a shiny white and red shell. With another violent roar it charged after Aeson as Kaz tried to think of a way to get through its hard shell. "Heads up dude, it's after you!" he called out over the comms in hopes of getting his comrade's attention. Once the creature neared its target, it would try to grab or crush Aeson with its massive front paws. He hoped Aeson could clear its attacks. He would feel rather guilty if the guy actually got hurt in this mission.

Sraak Akdesh

 

[Sraak Akdesh]

"Haar'chak!" Aeson managed to yell out at the monsterous rancor charged.

Hoping to outrun the animal, he booked it in an opposing direction. Despite having armor on, one could almost be surpised at the pace the medic was putting up. It was like watching a tauntaun trying to outrun a wampa on Hoth. The Mirialan contemplated his exit strategy from his pursuer. He looked at one of his vambraces and then to the trees around him.

With quick thinking, Aeson fired a snare of whipcord at a high branch. Once he heard it confirm its wrapping, he used to the retracting function on his wrist. While normally meant for ensnaring bounties or hostiles, the whipcord could prove to be a good grappling hook when needed. Aeson scaled up the tree, watching for the rancor behind him. He took a position perched in the branches, just barely out of the titan's reach. He aimed with his rifle again, this time with the settings on regular. He began firing shots, his aim a little off due to sheer adrenaline.

"Okay, I'm gonna stay up here and keep pelting it with shots until either I hit it...." He breathed heavily, "Or you have a miraculous way of taking this karker down."

Kaz Vizsla