Faction Order In The Chaos [OPA]

[Abaigeal E'ron]

Anoat

It had taken a few weeks to organise and convince people that this project was worthy of their attention. The OPA is not a governing body, like other factions, but made up of all manner of groups. Some are not what you would call benevolent, law abiding and focused inwards. Where as others, are more sympathetic toward people in the Alliance that struggle. And everything in between.

It was to the more sympathetic that Abaigeal had approached for this new venture of hers.

A small exploration fleet dropped out of hyperspace and entered the atmosphere of Anoat. This was not a newfound system by any means, but the planet still suffered from the hangover of it’s toxic past. Because of this, the people that lived here still lived with poverty, hunger and health issues, and lack of facilities for their families that others take for granted. Livelihoods were hard to come by if you wanted to provide for your family without entering the more illicit side of making money.

But there was a platform on which this planet could crawl its way out of the mire, it just needed some help.

The air on this planet was not as toxic as it once had been, but to Abaigeal the tang of it was still there. It would take a long time for workers to clear it, let along the soil which had been permeated with poisons for years upon years. Nothing grew here, and if it did was corrupted and twisted with pollution. As she stood at the base of the loading ramp, she wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew. Especially when the heat hit her.

But first steps first. Today was about finding a place in order to set up and start the initial groundwork for the start of something she hoped would develop into some much greater with time. A new Jedi Order. From Corellia to Kashyyyk, she had been researching and finding out what she could about an old group of Jedi that had once called Bespin home, but Bespin does not require her help, this place does. The Altisian Order held a philosophy that could be the right fit, it certainly attracted in what little information she could find on them. And there was nothing wrong with add ons.

A rusted old orange building stood before them, coated in a thick layer of dust and grim and now life in it whatsoever. It was perfect.



Kahne Porte | Oros | Esme Galloway | Lora Marken | OPA Force Users

Audren Sykes welcome to join if you like.

 

[Kahne Porte]

It had been several years since the Jedi Master had ventured to Anoat. Too long in fact, but there was a reason the Jedi Master avoided this place. To some it seemed like a lost cause, while to others the place was toxic and just seemed dead. Those that were here, were having a tough time. Kahne had been and taken part in many different orders. While he wasn't the most traditional Jedi, he held his own standards and set of values. When Abaigeal E'ron came to him and informed the Jedi of her plan and what was to be done. Kahne couldn't help but join in the efforts. It was too long since the Jedi had been a part of something with fellow force users that brought him sense of purpose and belonging.

It wasn't too long after his return from the unknown regions and deducing where the dark entity hunting his family had taken refugee. The quest was over and he could finally return and not have to worry about looking over his shoulder anymore. He didn't blame himself, how could this have happened. It was something that just came about and things that were forgotten had resurfaced. But know they are over and he could return to the fold.

Kahne had bounced from place to place, and it was usually in the purpose of what was best for his family, but perhaps he needed to do something for himself. The Jedi had always wanted to be completely part of something within the Jedi Order. He was always on the move, while he didn't know Abaigeal too well, he found himself trusting her and to that end it was a good place to start.

The Jedi stood just off to the side of Abaigeal, he gave her a small nudge with his shoulder. "You sure about this?" The Jedi said with a small smile.

Oros Esme Galloway Lora Marken

 

[Esme Galloway]

Esme took her first steps off the landing ramp and onto this new, to her, world. Her nose immediately wrinkled up at the stench. She was so used to the clean worlds of her home that the idea that a planet could be so disheartening to the nose was a harsh cultural shock. She didn't know why she was brought along. Esme was not gifted in the force in ways that could help this world, or even educated in sciences to the degree of her mother. Still with her blessing Esme had joined these jedi in the hopes they could help her find a place in the galaxy.

The young jedi picked up a rock from the ground, examining its coloration before tossing it to the side. So much to do here to make things right. It was almost over whelming at the sense of wrongness she felt. Pulling her jacket tighter around herself, Esme felt the over whelming urge to close herself down in the force. But she refrained from the childish impulses that had become so natural for her.

"I do not see what we can possibly do Masters to make any difference here."

Abaigeal E'ron | Kahne Porte | Oros | Lora Marken

 

[Lora Marken]

It wasn't the most welcoming of sights. Or smells. Lora's nose wrinkled up as she stepped off the ship with Abaigeal, the heat hitting her like a wall. Her eyes narrowed as she felt it buffet her skin, like standing just in front of an engine at work. And they were meant to be staying there?

I wish I had a breather mask.

Sure, the idea of helping a bunch of people that were really struggling sounded pretty good. That's what you did, right, if you were a Jedi? And they sure as heck needed it on this planet. She could only agree with the summation of the other Jedi that'd disembarked with them, looking at the absolute state of the place around them. What could they few do? Still though, those poor people.

And besides, her master was dead set on this course of action. It'd be downright ungrateful of her to refuse and stamp her feet like a little brat. Besides, it'd probably look bad in terms of her apprenticeship.

"I guess we can get that place up pretty quickly..." she reasoned, staring at the orange building. "Get some power to the circuits again. Maybe see if we can get ahold of a couple of cleaning droids. They'd be much quicker at the cleaning and rust-scraping than we'd be." Only suggestions, from watching her parents work in the shipyards. "It'll take some work, though."

Abaigeal E'ron Kahne Porte Oros Esme Galloway

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

As the small group gathered at the end of the ramp, they voiced their trepidations which Abaigeal held as well. There was no clear sight into the future that told her this was going to be alright, that she would succeed but that did not faze her. She had done things in the past as equal to this endeavour and made a difference. Sometimes things did not work out they way that she had planned but each time there had been some progress even if only small.

“Master Kahne, when has a Jedi’s life been an easy road to travel?”, she grinned, although knowing this task was a great one.

“If we make the smallest of differences to the lives of these people in a direction that is good for them, then we have succeeded”, this was to answer her Padawan as well as herself. Sure, there was doubt in Abaigeal, she knew that not everyone on this planet would be happy about their presence, that would most likely come from the criminal aspects that have flushed in these outlaw conditions. But for the majority, their coming here would be a blessing if they could achieve their goals.

And there was also the planet itself. That would take far longer to achieve but cleaning the environment would heal the lives of everything that called it home.

But first things first, they needed to get a start on cleaning up the facility for them to call home. Lora had the right idea, she could see the bigger picture, “You are right Lora. We need to establish what can works and what doesn’t. See if you and Master Kahne can locate a power source to this building. Esme if you would accompany me, we need to scout the building”. To make sure it is safe, and find a place in which they can set up camp.


Kahne Porte | Esme Galloway | Lora Marken

 

[Kahne Porte]

"You are quite right, Abaigael." The Jedi said with a small smile as he then glanced over to Esme. "There's always a difference to be made." Kahne responded assuredly to Esme Galloway The Jedi reached the ground as he took a better look at his surroundings. The earth, the air and everything else that he could see through his eyes as well as feel through the force. The Jedi then closed his eyes for a few moments reaching out with the force to the life that was nearby, and there wasn't much. There was much pain in this place, it would take some time for it to recover. Kahne had opted once a damage assessment had been done to call in some members of the agricorps to help aid this place.

"Consider it done." Kahne responded to Abaigeal E'ron as he then looked to Lora Marken

"It's nice to meet you, officially." The Jedi said as he extended his hand to Lora. "My name is Kahne Porte. You can call me Kahne if you wish." The Jedi wasn't one for full fledged formalities most of the time. "I recommend we search the outer perimeter and see if there is anything of value to be used. If not we should seek out any local merchants, if there are any. What do you think?" The Jedi inquired to Lora.

Oros Esme Galloway

 

[Kida Tillian]

Jedi and Jensaarai had... complicated histories. Split off from the Jedi, then hunted down by both Jedi and Sith, only to be welcomed back into the Jedi fold. It was hard to keep track of them both. But for now, they got along well enough. Saaraai-Kaar Veino Garn had strong relations with many of the Jedi and was able to leverage that to the benefit of both. Jedi did all the public work and the Jensaarai worked in the shadows, gathering intel, working undercover, and covertly taking action. It worked out great for both. Jensaarai stayed secretive. Jedi kept their hands clean.

She wasn't entirely sure why Garn had sent her here to Anoat to assist these Jedi, but apparently he knew some of them from the "old days," whenever those were, and wanted to make sure his protege built a network of her own.

Kida grimaced at the tangy air as she stepped off the boarding ramp to her ship and took in the scene of what was happening. They were looking at a yellowish, old building? She brushed some strands of hair away from her face and approached the group around it.

"Jensaarai Apprentice Kida Tillian. Saarai-Kaar Garn sent me to help, but didn't actually tell me what was going on?" She looked at the others for some kind of clarification.

Oros Abaigeal E'ron Lora Marken Kahne Porte Esme Galloway

 

[Lora Marken]

Lora nodded once she'd received her instructions. Probably much safer to find something to start up the power. Unless she wandered into a reactor somewhere. Why did her brain always go to the weirdest, worst thing she could imagine? Maybe it was the pace of the last few weeks, her head all a-spin with discovering who she was and what her place would be. Still though... it was what it was.

She took Kahne's hand and shook it gently, giving him a small smile. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Lora, though I'm sure you knew that already," she replied. Her hands went into her back pockets as she listened, thinking over his ideas. They sounded good... and yet something bothered her.

"I think that it might be better to order off-world? If we're looking for something like droid-help, I doubt we'd find it on this world," she said, looking around at the general... poverty of the environment around them. "Even if we did find something like that, it'd be rare enough to put it outta our price range. That's what I think, anyway. I'm not paying for it." She shrugged as she set off towards the perimeter of the building, her boots trudging in the weird, probably-toxic mud.

She kept her eyes open, following anything that might have looked like a wire, or cord. Something that might give a little power, or some life-support. Hoping beyond hope for some kind of air-scrubber system or oxygen processors. If we're staying here, we need something to make it a little bit cleaner. A box swelled out from a wall, nestled into a corner beyond the side of the building. Lora approached it carefully, fingers reaching into the rusty groove. She tensed, pulling at it. Feeling the resistance of the old, corroded hinges, she pulled harder. Gritting her teeth as she tugged and...

The door swung open forcefully, the circuits inside sparking and emitting a huge, acrid cloud of burnt electrics. Lora coughed as she stepped back, covering her mouth. They looked pretty fried.

"Well... damn."

Kahne Porte Oros Abaigeal E'ron Esme Galloway Kida Tillian

 

[Kahne Porte]

She was correct, Kahne knew majority of them by first name. Not through personal introduction but more so through just everyday talk and the like. When the Jedi master returned from the unknown regions back to the Outer Rim and Alliance space, there was still much he had to catch up on. He didn't check in everyday as he would've liked too. Kahne knew that everyone had their jobs to do.

"It's nice to meet you Lora." Kahne replied after his hand left hers and then they began their trek across the toxic land. He listened to what she had to say and the more he looked around he couldn't help but agree with her. "I think you are correct about that Lora." The Jedi said as he followed her towards what looked to be a box which looked to house circuitry of sorts.

However as corroded as this place was, the best thing to do would be as Lora suggested and get stuff off-world. "I know some sources where we can get some of the items we need for repairing this place." Kahne spoke as she popped open the box. Kahne waved his hand around in front of him and some of the cloud made it his way. The smell from the corrosion got to him a bit as he coughed a few times. "That's not good. We could try and repair this for now, but in the very near future this whole wired and eletrical system will need to be replaced." Kahne wished he would've brought his ship and Gala with him. She was quite handy when it came to repairs.

Oros Abaigeal E'ron Esme Galloway Kida Tillian Lora Marken

 

[Esme Galloway]

Esme stood by and watched the others work. She was unsure what to do herself. The others seemed to naturally rely on the force to guide their every step. For the young Hapan it scared her to just let go like that. However, not wanting to be left out Esme took a deep calming breath and allowed her own senses to reach out. At first she felt nothing except like she was being stupid. But then a spark of life caught her attention. It felt as if it was partically underground.

The young jedi let her senses guide her to the point, walking a small distance from the ship. At first she didn't see anything, but then a small head popped from a burrow. It spotted her before ducking back down. It looked to be like the small rodents she'd used to feed in parks back home. Cautiously Esme knelt down and pulled a small biscuit from a pouch. She held it out towards the burrow, trying to exuded as much friendliness as she could. "Its ok. I won't hurt you. Are you hungry?"

The small creature popped out once more. It took a look around before scurrying out of its hole and grabbing the treat from her hand. It sat back on it legs and started nibbling. When she first set foot on this world Esme thought that no life could possibly thrive here. Yet here was life. Her mother always said that life finds a way. Perhaps this was the first step in finding a way to revive the world.

Oros | Abaigeal E'ron | Kida Tillian | Lora Marken | Kahne Porte

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

The sound of a new arrival as their ship landed and the ramp hissed as it lowered. Abaigeal waited to greet the person who quickly introduced themselves. “A pleasure to meet you Kida”, she greeted with a half bow from the waist. “I am Master Abaigeal E’ron of the OPA”.

“We appreciate all the help we can get”, she replied frankly. “We are a small group, but we wish to try and help the people of Anoat, and in time, the planet as well. But firstly, we have to set up a base camp and get that .. ”. She pointed toward the orange building. “..clean and fit for living”.

“My padawan and I were about to scout the place to make sure there are no unwanted visitors”, although by the look of Esme, she had already found one. Abaigeal had a smile for her, the creature was cute and maybe not so pesky.

“Would you care to join us?”, but before moving off, Abaigeal crouched down beside Esme to watch her little new friend for a moment. Whispering so not to frighten it, “You did well Esme. Shall we go? bring your friend with us, if you wish”.

The rusted door gave way easy as she pushed against it, a cloud of dust flourished in the air enough to make Abaigeal cough. She reached for her saber, igniting the blue blade to provide light before stepping in.

“Esme, I want you to try that again, see if you can sense any life around you?”, Abaigeal would do the same but for Esme, it was lesson to push herself a little further. “Focus on all that is around you, clear your mind and concentrate through the force”. This is not an easy task, for some it takes years to master and others have a natural gift. But it is a skill most important to any force user.


Esme Galloway | Kahne Porte | Kida Tillian | Lora Marken

 

[Kida Tillian]

Abaigeal E'ron Esme Galloway Kahne Porte Lora Marken

"Nice to meet you as well, Master E'ron," Kida replied, trying to remember what all of the rules and protocols for the Jedi were. It was a bit fuzzy and hard to keep track of, but hopefully they wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't know them. She could work with titles though. Those were manageable, even if the Jedi did have an extra one. "And that's why I'm here."

She turned to look at the building and made her way towards the doorway, taking in the state of the building and those around it. She heard some talk about supplies and wiring. "I have a few spools of ship-grade wiring aboard my vessel. Don't know how much it would need, or of what quality, but maybe that could help?"

Kida took a step back at the sight of the corrosion in the panel once she was closer, but stepped in behind Esme and the Jedi Master through the doorway, into the shadowy corridor behind. So it was a lesson of some sort that they were working on. The young Jensaarai skirted past them and knelt to inspect the integrity of the floor and the wall-joists.

 

[Lora Marken]

Lora listened to Kahne agree and explain about the box. She coughed a little more, her throat still stinging with the lingering smoke, her mouth tasting of electrical smoke and embarrassment. She stepped forwards, staring at the tangle of burned wires and corroded materials, nodding. "I hope you've got good sources. This stuff looks about a thousand years old." Didn't stop her from reaching in though.

Her fingers slipped through the wiring carefully. She was already twisting some of the stringy filaments around before she thought to herself maybe I should be wearing some gloves? Oh well, too late for that. The grime and muck that was quickly developing on her fingers would have to be protection enough.

"I've never really done much building electrical work," Lora explained, "but I've patched some ship wires back home. And... if this is what I think it is, we might have something." Lora leaned in, squinting slightly as she reached for a little cutter in her belt. Two snips away from a patch of decay, two thick wires banded in red that she started to twist close together.

She looked over her shoulder at Kahne. "You happen to have a torch or something on you? I think if we patch these two together... we might just get the lights working, at least. Maybe even more."

Kahne Porte Abaigeal E'ron Esme Galloway Kida Tillian

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

“Anything would be a great help”, she accepted Kida’s offer with a smile. Maybe Kahne and Lora could use it.

Moving into the next room, following Kida, the torch light showed the mess which could be cleaned in no time, but the structure of the place was the question. While Kida examined one side, Abaigeal did the other. There was evidence of rust and corrosion most likely from toxic atmosphere over the years, so the place needed to be scrubbed. The OPA would be able to help with that, and in time the place would be fit for living in.

Abaigeal was making a metal list.

Into another room, the same sort of scene was unveiled, through the force there was no sign of any life, save for small creatures that now called his place home. It was difficult to work out what this place had once been, everything had been cleared out, or looted. The torch light followed along a seam in the roof, for the most part the structure was sound but that too would require testing.

Her foot hit something that crushed as her weight shifted. As she discovered with the torch, it was bones. They were those of a being that had perished here. It was the only one in the room, Abaigeal stepped back not wanting to disturb the resting place anymore that she already had. Crouching down to examine further, the body had been here for some time, all that was left was the skeleton.

She reached down and place a gentle hand on the remains, focusing through the force images of the past came to her mind. A man, who looked to be past his prime had made this place home and lived as best he could here. He was suffering from starvation and sickness, and loneliness. Abaigeal could not ascertain his name or anything further but she knew that regardless of who he was, he deserved to be placed to rest properly.

“Kida?”, she called out softly, “I found something”.


Kida Tillian | Esme Galloway | Kahne Porte | Lora Marken

 

[Kida Tillian]

Kida nodded in response to Abaigeal E'ron 's answer. "I'll grab it once we clear the building." She pulled a glow-rod from her belt and snapped it to activate, casting a warm golden glow around that she used to inspect the building structure, running her hands along the walls and corners, tapping against them, seeking for rotten material or places where the underlying joints and hoists might have given way.

The first room was clean and she moved onto the second, doing much of the same inspection. "We've got a little bit of structural dry-rot, but we can probably cut these portions out and patch them. Get some sealant on the rest and it should be good to go. "

She looked over her shoulder and raised the light source higher as the Master Jedi spoke. "Oh? What is it?" She picked her way across the room and let out a low whistle as the light fell across the skeleton. "Now that's never really really a good sign." She knelt and squinted across it. "I don't see any marks of violence. Any guess on the cause of death? Or would it make sense to call the authorities for a forensic team?"

Esme Galloway Kahne Porte Lora Marken

 

[Kahne Porte]

They aren't too bad. Kahne thought to himself and he couldn't help but smile at Lora's comment. The Jedi watched as she weaved through the circuitry and pulled the cutter out of her pocket. And just as she asked if he had anything for light. The Jedi was already reaching down in the bag that was still on his shoulder, bringing anything of use that he felt they could need in repairs and for light. The Jedi felt the snap of the glow stick as it began to glow and he raised it up just above them to shed light over the situation.

"If you can get this working that would be great. Give us some time to get a better layout of this place." Kahne said as he watched the padawan and he couldn't say that he wasn't impressed. She was doing a good job so far, and on that end he was pretty happy.

Abaigeal E'ron Lora Marken Kida Tillian Esme Galloway

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

Kida was right, this did not bode well but most for the local residents. Just how bad was the toxicity on his planet? or had this person died here of other causes. Kida hit the right idea, it was time to bring in the forensic team to get a more concise cause of death. Equally, Abaigeal could not see the cause, not immediately anyway but she is no expert on things like this. "I agree there does not seem to be any violence to cause this death, lets go the investigation team in here and we should close off this room until then", and get the all clear.

"Might be a good idea to take some soil samples and send them off too", it would be a good idea to get the toxic levels on that, especially if they are to spend an length on time here. Abaigeal turned to leave and waited for Kida if she was finished her initial investigation. Once they left she closed the door and marked it to warn others not to enter.

"We should move on to the next room, make sure there are no more bodies". If they discovered more, then there is a serious problem in this place. It also made Abaigeal more determine to help the people of this planet, if they were suffering because of constant exposure to toxic elements then this was what the Jedi needed to do, to help them with and give them a more better standard of life. Everyone deserves that in the galaxy and if they can't do that in the OPA, then who was going to help them?

Kida Tillian | Kahne Porte | Esme Galloway | Lora Marken

 

[Kahne Porte]

Kahne glanced up slightly one of the light fixture just above them flickered on for a brief few seconds and then flickered back off. "Your getting there." The Jedi exclaimed with a very proud look on his face. He glanced up again as the fixture flashed on and this time was able to stay on. There was a audible hum that could be heard as it seemed as the power was doubling over trying to stay alive and stay on.

The Jedi master tapped his comlink to get in touch with Abaigeal.

"Hey Geal, you guys should have the power restored." He glanced back to the control box and to Lora Marken "But for how long I cannot say. I've got a feeling this entire place will need to be rewired. Shall we join you inside, or do you wish for us to continue scouting the perimeter?" Kahne asked, as he was mainly following her lead here. While he was of perfectly sound mind, this was her party after all.

Esme Galloway Abaigeal E'ron Kida Tillian

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

Over her shoulder she heard Kahne about the power. Immediately Abaigeal tested it flicking on the nearest switch, and behold the lights came one. They were dull and no doubt needed a good maintenance team to run over the entire place but this was a good start. "Great job!" she yelled back to Kahne and Lora. This gave her a new sense of hope in this place, the light in the darkness as they say, always gives hope.

They had been on this exploration for a good few hours already, and it was time for a break and maybe a bit to eat. "Lets meet outside by the ship and grab some food", she yelled back at him before indicating to Kida to join them. She just wanted to check over this room before doing so. She turned off the light before stepping back into the adjacent one, and testing the lights again. They came on only to reveal nothing out of the ordinary, just more dust and debris of broken furniture but she continued toward the window, wiping away the thick layer of crust to see through. The view looked out into the waste land, flat and dead with a slick of water that might have once been a beautiful lake. For the moment she stood trying to imagine what this place once looked like. Forests maybe or grassland fed and nourished by the lake.

One day we shall restore this place back to it's glory. Oh it would take time, and lots of hard work but that is what life is about. Hard work for much reward.

The moment placed and she joined the rest of the team by the ships. "Master Kahne, I must thank you for coming all the way out here. But you know what? I think, given time .. it will all have been worth it", she smiled as she settled down the eat with them.

Kahne Porte | Esme Galloway | Kida Tillian | Lora Marken