Faction Journey to the Center of the World (Open to TGA/NJO / Ask for Invite)

[Katarine Ryiah]

Journey to the Center of the World

Crash Landing




"It's not what is upon this island, but what is underneath that interests me."

- Jules Verne



The Galactic Alliance heroes are in trouble! A small class shuttle taking commuters to various locations has spun out of control. The engine failure sounded blaring alarms as the pilots struggle to regain control. The craft randomly jumps to hyperspace and is swallowed by an anomaly. Moments latter they craft is spinning into the orbit of an unknown planet. The vehicle burns upon atmospheric entry as the passengers hang on for the ride of their lives. The ship plunges into the sea, water crashing in on all levels as the body of the ship is torn apart. Beyond the wreckage is an island that remains unidentified to the galaxy. Our heroes have no idea where they are or what mysteries await them deep in the mysterious island. Their communications don't work, the ship is beyond repair, and it looks like they will have to rely on each other to survive the journey to the center of this unknown world.

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[Katarine Ryiah]

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Location: Mysterious Island
Objective: Survive Crash
Tags: Open

This certainly had not been how the Jedi Master thought her day would go. She'd caught the transport heading off world, intending to take it as far as she could towards the Jakku Enclave. Kat didn't fly herself so she was often aboard some shuttle or another. The fear of a crash was always terrifying to the woman, but now it was a reality. The alarms were blaring, lights were flickering, and people were screaming. It was chaos aboard the shuttle as they rocketed out of control.

When they hit the water the windows shattered with the force of water pouring in. Katarine was thrown forward, seat and all flying from the force of impact. As water started pouring in she gulped it down, coughing and sputtering before taking a deep breath and releasing the seat belt from the chair not hanging on her back. She swam through the water, unbuckling whoever she could and pushing them up towards the shattered windows and the surface. Her head was bleeding, probably hit with some debris, but adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay. She swam towards the back of a shuttle where someone was unconcious and helped drag them through the window, both heading for the surface.

The first gulp of air was a life saver. Her lungs hurt as the salt water burned her eyes and nose. She had no idea if the person in her arms was alive or had fallen victim to the crash. Around her she could see others breaking the surface as well. The only land in site was a short swim away.

​

 

[Pal Veda]

“This is why I always fly!” That was the last thought racing through Veda’s head as the transport crashed into the sea. A little panic? Sure. But it was mostly an overwhelming sense of frustration and annoyance, knowing if he had been piloting his ship, he’d be safely on the way to wherever right now. Instead, he was about to die in the dumbest way possible for a smuggler of his level — in a ship crash with someone else flying.

But he wasn’t dead. At least yet. His seatbelt kept him from ejecting across the passenger hold as the transport slammed into the water, ripping the ship apart. Broken glass and debris monetarily filled the air. Then the water. It came with a violent, overwhelming swoosh. Lukewarm, at least. He wouldn’t freeze to death. Veda tucked his head as it washed through the cabin, sucking in a huge breath so that he could manipulate the latch of his seatbelt under water. Free!

Veda had the awareness to grab his pack before he swam toward an opening, noting other passengers making their way out of various holes created in the hull by the crash. Some were not so lucky, clearly having died on impact. He ushered a couple through the makeshift exit before himself, trying to clear out any survivors. His oxygen was rapidly depleting, and it looked like those who were going to survive had gotten out. The outlaw raced toward the surface, sucking in air as soon as he breached the water level.

Chaos. Civilians yelling, screaming, confused. He tried to keep a level head, evaluating his surroundings, looking for the next move. An island. He started paddling toward it, encouraging those around him to do the same.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

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Location: The Island
Objective: Help Survivors
Tags: Pal Veda

Katarine made it to the shoreline and felt like she could lay down and sleep for a hundred years, but she forced herself to get to her knees and check for a pulse on the man she'd been dragging. She started chest compressions and a moment latter he was coughing up water. She pushed the wet salty hair out of her eyes and looked around. Survivors were dragging themselves onto the sand now.

"Anybody who can walk please help those that cannot!"

Kat took off her jacket and placed it over the man in the sand and then stood to see who else she could help. Debris and wreckage was floating to the island as well. It looked like the tide was with them for now and they should probably start gathering what supplies they could. First she wanted to see who else was hurt though.

She noticed a man carrying a pack (Pal) and motioned for him. "Grab what you can!" She thought she recognized him but she was so exhausted and the adrenaline was still pumping that she could not be sure.

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[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Island
Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Pal Veda

Things had been a blur. A moments before the crash, Tarw had tried to note everything he could and wasn't even sure where his weapons were since he stowed them somewhere else aboard the ship. Thinking he would simply collect them when he arrived on at the destination. Instead there was blaring lights and alarms with people rushing around in panic and deep concern. The ship was heading to a crash and then nothing. His memories turned to black and there was nothing that he could remember.

Instead he awoke on an island and could hear voices. His head was pounding. He had taken a hard blow to the head it seemed but the rest of his body seemed fine. He seemed intact and nothing broken. Which was a miracle in of itself. Slowing shifting to a sitting position, he looked around, there was no one he recognised. Currently he spotted at least two others but he did not know names or their faces. Taking his time, he shifted to a standing position.

"Does anyone have an idea where we crashed?" Tarw called out, he walked over to people and offered to give some help to them. He was not super skilled with medicine but knew some basics that would handle minor injuries. "I also got no weapons, they were in the cargo, if we can grab them that might help if there are creatures here that aren't friendly." Tarw mentioned.

 

[Pal Veda]

The young woman with the odd hair seemed to be taking charge. That face . . . Where do I recognize her? He would figure it out later. For now, she was right. Veda‘s backpack was only half full, so he collected the cans of food and other supplies washing onto the shore until his bag was filled. It wasn’t enough to last this group very long. He walked a ways from the shore and dumped the collection, along with his personal items, onto the sand. A fried data pad, an extra set of clothes, his blaster, and some extra cartridges. He quickly regathered the blaster and cartridges and buried them back at the bottom of his bag. Survival situations were finicky. If this group got out of control, he wanted two things: to be armed, and for no one to know he was armed.

He repeated the process again, gathering what he could quickly pull out of the water and taking it back to the same pile. He saw others doing the same, so he turned his attention to the young man asking questions. A soldier by the looks of him. Could be dangerous if he decided to be. Veda would have to keep an eye on him. “No idea,” he responded, looking around. He noticed his Rogue Squadron sunglasses were still in his jacket pocket and slid them on. A miracle of miracles they had not only made it to shore with him, but they had survived the crash unscathed. “There are a couple of cargo containers floating out there,” he pointed, “looks about fifty meters out. I don’t see any others. Guessing those two got kicked out during the crash. Feelin’ up for a swim?”

Katarine Ryiah Tarw Rhyfelwr

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

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Location: Island
Objective: Help Organize Survivors
Tags: Pal Veda Tarw Rhyfelwr


Katarine brought three more survivors over to the man she had given CPR on. She sat them down and told them to stay put. Again and again she repeated this, helping lift the ones who could not walk so they were all together. There were about fifteen in all, eighteen if you counted her and the two men now collecting cargo.

She felt the inside of her boot and breathed a sigh of relief. Her lightsaber was there, and the others were clipped to her belt along with the ancient Naboo blaster from a century ago. The blaster might not work after the wreck. It barely worked before but she had sentimental value to it.

When she found the pilot he had grabbed a medic kit and that was a stroke of genuine luck. The kit had some bascta patches and a few other odds and ends.

“Let’s figure out whose injuries are the worst and we can treat them first. Do you know first aid?”

The pilot nodded and stood up.

“My…my copilot… he … he didn’t make it…”

“I’m so sorry. These people need you right now. Can you help them?”

He nodded, but was visibly shaken. “Do what you can. I’m going to get the supplies with the other two men. Then we can try to figure out where we are.”

She walked over just in time to hear the man with the sunglasses suggesting a swim.

“I can help.”

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[Pal Veda]

There she is again. Was she a specter of his past? Another lifetime, maybe. Focus!

“Looks like you’ve been helping,” Veda responded, nodding over at the pilot that was breathing air instead of water thanks to her. He took off his pack and jacket, then started to pull off his boots as he continued. “You look like a strong swimmer. Strong enough to haul those crates in?” Once his boots were off, he tossed his shades inside of one, praying they would be there when he got back.

The outlaw took a deep breath to get his head straight, then he waded into the surf. ”Let’s hope these cargo crates have something useful in them. I’ll go for the one on the left.” Assuming at least one of the other two would follow, he dove into the waves and started swimming.


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Katarine Ryiah Tarw Rhyfelwr

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Island
Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Pal Veda

Looking out to the sea where the cargo was, Tarw was cautious. This was a foreign world and they weren't sure what was around here. He hoped there were no sea animals large enough to find them tasty while they swam but it seemed the other guy was heading off. Removing his jacket, shirt and trousers, not wanting the heavy clothing weighing him down and making sure that he could avoid spending the rest of the day in wet clothes, he nodded to the woman. "Keep a lookout, just in case there's a sea monster that attacks as we swim back."

Wading in, when deep enough, Tarw pushed into the water and started swimming towards the cargo to the right. Reaching the cargo, he searched for something to grip onto and be sturdy enough so he could pull the cargo back. Testing a few holds, he found one he felt comfort with and carefully swam back. Making sure not to overexert himself and ensure that his grip on the cargo was tight.

Once they reached shore, Tarw dragged the cargo onto the beach and made sure the current would take it back before grabbing his clothes and dressing himself again.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

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Location: The Beach
Objective: Figure Out Where We Are
Tags: Tarw Rhyfelwr Pal Veda


Between the three of them they managed to pull out a few more cargo trunks and thankfully no sea monsters attacked. All three of them made their tired way back to shore and Kat sat down to empty the water out of her boots. People were nursing small injuries and or crying on the beach. Kat was exhausted and could have easily sat on the beach and slept but she forced herself to get up. They had to figure out their next steps.

"Do we know what happened?"

The pilot shook his head. "Something pulled us off course. There was a bright flash and then we were in the atmosphere, heading for the crash. I don't even know what planet this is."

Katarine nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder. She could tell he felt guilty.

She scanned the jungles that surrounded the beach. The question was where were they safer?

"We might want to build some type of camp. Until we figure out where we are we can't very well radio for help." She looked at the two men who had helped her gather stuff. It seemed like they were the most capable of the bunch and that might mean they had to lead this situation.

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[Pal Veda]

“We don’t know where we are,” Veda stated the obvious, “but the beach looks pretty normal.“ He pointed toward a small clearing on the edge of the trees, above the top of the sand. “That looks like a decent spot. Even if we don’t know how high the tide will rise, it shouldn‘t go above the level of the sand.” Sound logic, right? Made sense to him.

He didn’t feel like hauling the cargo up, but looking at the rest of the passengers, he didn’t have much of a choice. Most seemed okay physically, but they were struggling with the excitement of the crash. “Hey!” Veda yelled to a couple of other men standing around, unsure of what to do. “Come give us a hand.” They stumbled over, surprised to be called upon and still not fully comprehending the situation. Veda threw on his backpack then started dragging one of the containers toward the clearing, and after a few moments of uncertainty, they did the same.

“Soldier boy,” Veda called back to strapping young lad that joined him for the swim. “Do you know how to build a fire?” The first step was drying everyone—including himself—off. There looked like enough limbs and scraps around the edge of the jungle to get a fire going, but they would need to venture in a little deeper for more wood if they wanted to keep it going.

Veda turned his attention to the first container in front of him. “Now let’s see what you’ve got for me.” He opened it up to find mostly clothes. No surprise there. He dug around looking for anything useful. The best he found was a bandana that he wrapped around his forearm and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Any luck with the others?” he asked the female who seemed to be running the show.


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Katarine Ryiah Tarw Rhyfelwr

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Island
Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Pal Veda

Searching through the cargo, Tarw pulled out some more clothing, some food and some simple tech. Right at the bottom of the cargo, Tarw found his blaster rifle. He sighed, it was only one of several weapons he had but he was relieved it was the most important one to him. His father's rifle and it would be irreplaceable. A quick check over the weapon, he saw that there was no damage to it and that he could still use it. "I got my rifle but that's it. Limited ammo, so gotta use it sparingly."

"Name is Tarw." He replied to the other guy, "yeah, fire should be easy enough, just something to spark the ignition." He hadn't found a knife or something that could strike a spark to lit anything that could be used to create the fire.

Tarw returned to the other two that had helped with the cargo and were clearly aiming to work on survival. "We need a camp and we'll need to scout around the surrounding area." He stated, "I can lead a scout party to get an idea of our surrounding area, could help figure out where we are. I found some simple tech stuff so if anyone is skilled with tech, they might be able to make some form of radio or a distress signal?" Tarw suggested, unsure what could be made but he hoped that something could be scrambled together.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

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Location: The Beach
Objective: Survive and Scout
Tags: Pal Veda Tarw Rhyfelwr

Building a shelter up where the tide couldn’t get them was a good idea, and the soldier said he felt he may be able to start a fire.

"Any luck with the others?"

“It looks like we have 14 survivors plus us three so that’s 17 total. The pilot is okay but copilot didn’t make it. So far no major injuries. Some breaks and bruises but I think those left will survive for now.”

“Name is Tarw”

“Katarine.” She nodded to the soldier. The two men had good ideas and she figured now was as good as time as any to start them.

Moving 17 people away from the tide line was no small task with injuries but they managed. People were in shock and just blankly following orders. That would wear off though and could be an issue later.

If they got a fire going they could then scout. Food, water, shelter. It was a start.

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[Pal Veda]

“Pal,” Veda responded, introducing himself to the group. He nodded toward the rifle in the young man’s hands. “Best hang onto that thing. You don’t know what’s in that jungle, but you also don’t know these people.“

He drew a knife from his belt and passed it over. He also handed over a small handheld lighter from his pocket. “The lighter may work when it dries out. For now, try my knife to get it going.” Pal looked Tarw in the eyes and added, “And I better get it back when you’re done.”

Joining Katarine at the beach, he helped her herd the survivors to the clearing and started giving them instructions. Collect sticks for firewood, collect vines and larger limbs to start constructing pieces of the shelter. But they would need to go deeper into the trees for some of this.

Veda stepped off to the side of a moment of privacy and opened up his own pack. He reached for his blaster pistol and began to inspect it, quickly disassembling and reassembling the pieces. It looked fine. There would be no way to know for sure without firing it, and there was no way to fire it without drawing everyone’s attention to the fact that he had one of possibly the only two blasters that made it to shore. Making sure no one was watching, he placed the weapon back into the top of his pack and threw the pack back over his shoulder.

Seeing the fire going, he approached Tarw for his knife and a word. “I’ll join your little expedition.“ He turned his attention to the female. “Katarine?”

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Katarine Ryiah Tarw Rhyfelwr