Let's Try Again [Dragon School]

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Anora Vahn"]

Now that Anora had time to recover and re-train, and had a small part in a Silver mission to kind of put her on the right track, Josh felt it was the right time for Anora to go on a mission. Thus, the two had been assigned to a planet on the outer rim that held a criminal gang, who had been kidnapping people and forcing them to work on their mining operations for free. Basically a slave operation, more or less.

He knew Anora was ready, but he still wanted to watch her carefully. The mission was simple, liberate the people taken hostage and shut the operation down. Simple and clean. So as the Final Dragon would touch down and the two would walk down the ramp, Josh looked toward Anora to see her expressions, curious as to if she felt she was ready...

 

[Anora Vahn]

If Anora were to stop and say that she wasn't nervous about being sent out on another mission, she would be lying. The last time she had been sent out, she had gotten hurt. Well, not the last time, but she hadn't been the only padawan sent out then either. But this time? It was just her - just her and Master DragonsFlame. And while she knew she was better prepared, and he would do what he could to keep her from getting hurt again? There was still that underlining fear.

But it was pushed to the back of her mind. Ever present, but not at the forefront. She would not let it hinder her decisions, or her reactions. She would not let fear cripple her. They had a job to do, people to help and an operation to shut down. There was no time for hesitations, or second guessing.

So as they touched down and began their way down the ramp, she took a deep breath to steady herself for the last time, then glanced back at her Master when she felt his eyes on her. "I'm fine, Master." she assured him. "Really." and she meant it. She was ready for this.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

If she weren't nervous, and was instead full of herself, he would think he had failed to teach her properly. But she was nervous, and he could feel it. It was good, so long as she could keep it from hindering her. Nerves kept you on guard. Nerves kept you alert. Nerves meant you would be prepared for the enemy in front of you as well as the ones around you. Though this time, it was just he and here, instead of other Padawans. That meant she needed to be on her guard even more. They would no doubt have a numbers disadvantage.

He nodded to her response then. "Stay vigilant. You never know if they'll be nearby. Never let your guard down."

As they reached the bottom of the ramp, the ship would disengage and fly away, in order to better mask their presence. They would be sneaking into the camp, then... Stealth would be best, but if stealth could not be done, then they would need to fight their way through. But first... They had to actually get to the camp. They had landed a little ways away from it. Now they had to make the trek there unnoticed.

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Never let her guard down. Something Anora has been told time and time again, and yet it didn't grate on her nerves in the least. It was a lesson she had learned the hard way, and so she didn't mind being reminded over and over again. Though the warning did make her look around herself out of habit before she nodded to him and continued to follow.

"Will you go over this mission with me one more time?" she requested, not because she couldn't remember what they were doing, but she wanted to make sure the details were on lock down in her mind. She may have put her fears to the back of her mind, but nerves were still there, and hearing about what they were doing and why they were here would help settle her resolve again.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Anora would ask for another briefing in order to understand all details, he figured when she would ask. He knew Anora well enough to know her eye for detail, after all. "Aye" He spoke as he would look toward her and begin recounting the mission details. "They have a fort up ahead, slavers. They have slaves working day and night, and have others locked up in cages in the basement. Our job is to sneak through and free the slaves from their cages, and then make way for them to escape. If we are caught, then we will have to fight through them. It's as simple as that. A vessel has been prepared to transport them off-world, equipped with a device to neutralize any slave collars and implants so that they can be removed without harming them."

With that, he would look up at the fort ahead...

"Just do your best to remain silent and continue forward without being seen. I may decide to slip into the Current if necessary. If I do, continue on without me to the best of your abilities, once the way is clear. If the way does not clear when I do so, then wait for an opening, do not try to catch up to me until you are certain you can do so without getting caught."

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Hearing the briefing caused Anora to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, but she nodded to show she understood what was said to her. All of it, not just the mission briefing, but her instructions to stay out of sight to the best of her ability as well. She could do that, she was stealthy and flexible and hopefully that would work to her advantage here. She wasn't naive enough to think everyone else in the galaxy were oblivious morons. Would that help? Yes, but it wasn't the case.

"Understood, Master." she did assure him aloud as well, then shifted her focus forward so that she could keep an eye on their surroundings.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Well, she seemed to understand to an extent what he meant. How much? He wasn't sure. Either she understood in detail or just enough to get by. Suppose he would find out when they got there. Did that bring good odds? No, not really. But oh well. He'd take those odds. So the two would move through the wasteland until the gate of the base came about. He could see guards at the entrance. They seemed rugged, wearing mercenary type armour. Were they slavers? Or were they just hired guns? He wasn't entirely sure, to be honest. He needed to keep his emotions in check, he knew.

But now they needed to find a way in.

So he would turn to Anora, deciding that, as this was a learning experience, he would get her opinion.

"What do you suggest, for us getting in?"

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora had followed dutifully through the wastelands and to the fort where their interference was needed. She had spotted the men on the wall and frowned, but her attention shifted so that she could look along the gate walls. Her body leaned only a little to try and see further down, and when she was questioned she made a thoughtful noise in her throat as she considered her answer for a moment.

"This is supposed to be a stealth mission," she stated, more to remind herself than him. "There might be weak points in the wall somewhere. A hole, or something." Her gaze shifted back to him. "Could be worth looking into." Was it a guarantee? No, of course not. But any weak point that got them in without being seen was an advantage for them.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Indeed, a stealth mission it was. Good on Anora for remembering that. Unlike some people, who had rushed in headlong despite it being stealth based and completely botched up the Silver Jedi's prior mission... Anora at least remembered when directions were given, and kept the goal in mind. It was a good quality. Always remember the goal, and the point of the mission.

"Take the lead" He would suggest, wanting to encourage her. "See if you can spot a weak point in the wall. Just remember that if we are spotted, they may kill the slaves."

It was a lot of pressure to put on a Padawan, but Jedi needed to learn to adapt to high pressure situations.

 

[Anora Vahn]

Take the...what? He wanted her to lead? Anora looked away so that she could assess the wall one more time, and then she nodded her head before she moved away from the spot they had been hiding at. Though hearing that being seen could cause innocence to be killed? Yeah, no pressure or anything...

But she kept that pushed aside. Aware of the fact of course, but she couldn't let something like that cloud her judgement or freak her out. There were lives on the line, and keeping her focus was the only way to make sure - or try to make sure rather, that she didn't screw this all up some how.

So she led the way along the wall, checking occasionally for eyes above or around them until they came to a space that was uneven in it's build. Enough to squeeze through, and she stopped. "Here..." she let out to him quietly.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Yes, he wanted her to take the lead. This mission was to help -her- learn to be a proper Jedi. This was all about her. He could do this in his sleep if he wanted. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but this was a fairly low level threat, this particular camp. At least for Josh anyway. This was a mission one would send a Padawan with a guide on. Or well, one Josh would send a Padawan with a guide on anyway. Josh did have particularly high standards.

With the pressure on, he watched as she would examine the structure, looking to see if she could handle it, or lose her cool. This was part of the learning experience, and if she did screw up, he could rectify it and ensure that the slaves got out. But these were things that she needed to learn, and quickly, in order to move the training forward. Eventually, she would find a gap in the wall that was enough to squeeze through, and he nodded his head in affirmative before squeezing through and motioning for her to come along.

Patrols were everywhere, armed mercenaries no doubt. He would look to her to decide how to proceed, whether they should try to take out the mercenaries and likely alert the slavers to their presence... Or try to sneak into one of the doorways.

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora had watched while her Master slipped into the space she had found, and then she followed suit once he was all of the way through. She remained low, and her brow creased as she looked around them for a moment. She personally didn't want to alert the armed patrol, or anyone else for that matter, so when her gaze came across a darkened doorway, she nodded her chin towards it, but said nothing.

Yes, this was a learning experience, but real, innocent people's lives were at stake - and honestly Anora had no idea that her Master could rectify damages that she did if she chose poorly. So she wanted to remain hidden, and get the innocence out before any violence started.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh had his own plan in mind if she chose poorly, luckily. He knew these sorts of missions like the back of his hand, which was part of why he had brought Anora along. It let her get some experience and learn to make choices, while leaving a bit of breathing room if she made an error as he already had a few plans thought up to deal with potential issues. Still didn't mean she could slack though, this was still a dangerous mission and lives were indeed at stake.

As they squeezed through, he would quickly hide behind a wall as he peeked out, before looking toward Anora. "What do you suggest?"

He would help if needed, of course. But he wanted to stimulate her to think for herself.

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora had quickly followed suit into the doorway, and fit herself against the wall as well, lower down so that she could see around the corner. At the moment it was clear, but that didn't mean that there wasn't something in their way further along - or hell further down the hall for that matter. "Can you reach out and sense if we have trouble ahead?" she asked him, barely above a whisper, but with their close proximity she knew he would hear her. Anora was getting better with her Force skills, but it was the stuff that enhanced her physical abilities. The rest of the stuff she was still trying to get the hang of. So she was actually asking for help in this - and it didn't even bruise her ego to ask.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh let Anora mainly lead the way from there, letting this be her mission to an extent without letting things get too out of hand to where lives would be lost. He knew to take over the mission immediately if it became necessary. She would check to see if the coast was clear, before turning to him to see if he could tell if there was trouble ahead. A smart move, consulting the one who could sense the furthest to get the best lay of the land. Closing his eyes, he nodded his head and would try to read the life energies of those around them...

"Place is crawling with them" Josh would remark. "As far as nearby us... I detect life signatures nearby, yes. I would exercise caution."

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora had waited quietly while Josh took the moment to scan the area, and when he answered her she cursed under her breath. Of course there would be people in the way, why wouldn't there be? This couldn't just go off without a hitch, now could it?

She shifted a bit, quietly to keep from making any noise, and she chewed on her lower lip for a moment as she seemed to think things through. And then her gaze went back to her Master and she squint just a little. "How far spread apart are they, could you tell?" she questioned him quietly. Maybe this would't be as difficult as she was trying to make it out to be.

Hopefully.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Of course it wouldn't, it wouldn't be much of a mission otherwise. Though Anora was wise in asking the Master about their movement patterns. Nodding his head, he would close his eyes, motioning for her to do the same. "Feel out for life signs" Josh would command quietly. "Just because one does not use the Force does not make their presence impossible to sense. You have to search for their life signs, search for their very essence. Focus harder, but keep calm. You can do it."

It was a basic skill, and one he was sure Anora could learn. It would be easier for her to tell it herself than for him to tell her, after all. And it was a good learning experience.

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora sighed softly through her nose, but she nodded and did as she was told. Her eyes closed and she breathed out slowly. This was the part that was hard for her; yes she was getting better, but it was still difficult for her to reach out. But, she turned her focus and rather than focus on what was hard for her, she focused on feeling for others.

Her brow creased, and at first there was nothing. Clearer sound, easier focus sure, but nothing more than that. At least not at first. The less she worried about what she struggled with, the clearer things became until there was movement. Anora exhaled a little harder, almost in relief. It wasn't a perfect picture, but she could see the movement - or the lack there of in some cases.

"They're spread out far enough." she stated softly, "We could get behind them, render them unconscious." it would be the easiest way to keep from alerting others and causing problems. They needed this to be clean, and hopefully they could get it done and get the hell out of here.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Sure, Josh could do it himself, and would do so if she proved incapable. But Anora had been a Jedi Padawan long enough to be capable of this. This was a good learning experience for her. And continuing to learn and improve would be pivotal to her development and her advancement. She couldn't develop if she wasn't learning, and Josh would be failing as a teacher if he wasn't encouraging her to learn at every reasonable opportunity.

Anora would be able to read their positions, and Josh would nod his head in response. "Good" He said. "Now we just need to figure out how to get behind them. Do you have any suggestions, Anora?"

[member="Anora Vahn"]

 

[Anora Vahn]

Anora pursed her lips as she seemed to think this through. "They don't really have a movement pattern..." she wasn't exactly talking to him, but she wasn't not talking to him either. "If we sneak up behind them one at a time and take them out, we could get through here without raising any alarms." The people on patrol were lax, probably bored out of their minds and paying little attention - for now. "So long as we don't make a lot of noise and raise suspicion, I think we can do it."

It wasn't ideal, none of this was. But it was the best course of action if they didn't want to cause a ruckus. "Unless you have a better plan, of course." she did offer up. She may be the one spitballing ideas for this, but she was not the sort of person to not take other's suggestions into consideration.


[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]