Public [Open/Social] No Man's Skies and Mystery Meat

[Jaina Rhys]

Tags: Willow Fletcher and whoever else would like to join. All are welcome. (Should you be unsure how to join/fit in, feel free to shoot me a DM )
Location: Unknown so far; Open to further ingame development/investigation.
Objective: Some light hearted bonding over crashing on an obnoxiously beautiful tropical world.
There is no fix 'goal', here, [except for us having a barbecue, that one is mandatory!] just some writing practise and seeing where things may lead us. Every participant is welcome to contribute as little or much to the story and worldbuilding as they see fit.

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...The local sunrise cast the rocky beach into glittering colours of pink, orange and yellow, with the smell of saltwater enriching the air around the alien visitors.
An unexpectedly beautiful, peaceful scenario all things considered.

Listening to the sounds of distant birds Jaina Rhys absentmindedly made her way back from her scouting trip; back to the one thing disturbing the otherwise beautiful and serene landscape:
The burning, smoking and horrendously crooked wreck of the starship that had made an ungraceful crashlading alongside the cliffs.
Their starship…

She hoped that the rest of her current shipmates had managed to send out some sort of a distress signal, or at least had identified the system they had so ungracefully ended up in by now.

Jai for her part had been none the wiser in her attempts of narrowing down their location, having been unable to spot any familiar constellations in what had been left of the fading night sky at their arrival.

With her relief over no one having been too severely injured being slowly overshadowed by a multitude of little worries that came with a crash landing somewhere unknown, she mentally already prepared for more bad news, as a sudden, well known smell made her slow down...

It took one more minute for her to properly identify what is was, and with a sharp inhale she narrowed her eyes at the surroundings of their burning shipwreck.

Was this the smell of... Barbecue?!

 

[Willow Fletcher]

Squinting painfully as she looked around at the foreign surroundings, Willow cursed under her breath as the sunrise illuminated the area. Soon the full daylight would make it painful for her to see much of anything at all without her protective visor, which had been conveniently lost during the crash. Just her luck honestly. This is what she gets for taking public transport.
She had to admit, the planet they had landed on was beautiful in the conventional sense, but far too bright already for her liking, and she could feel the heat beginning to rise into temperatures that were uncomfortable for her.

From what she had gathered, the rest of the crew were more or less alright which was a relief. With no serious injuries the opportunity to scout the area had been presented, something both vital for survival and to get away from the chaos of the wreck. Willow had never done well with being stationary for too long and with her mood already soured and a headache coming on, she was more than happy to ‘take a walk’.
While the light had been dim she had rather enjoyed her stroll and had even taken the time to hunt a few smaller creatures for food. But now as it got lighter she begrudgingly made her way back.

Deciding to make herself useful, she cleaned her catches and started a fire to cook them, using what little from their stores she could find to season the meat. She couldn’t cook, she knew that so she desperately hoped someone would offer to take over for her before she burned the meat worse than the ship. “Yo, can anyone cook?” She asked hopefully, more than willing to get away from the heat of the fire.
Looking around, she wondered when Jai would return, hoping her apprentice was alright.

 

[Vendra Vane]

Coming into view for no one but the wildlife, at least as far as she knew, was a Mirialan dragging something heavy behind her.

"This..."

The heavy metal object dug into the soil like a farming instrument, leaving a long and visible trail in its wake.

"Is..."

Then it got stuck on a rock. "The last karkin' time I buy this chit off of the holonet." Vendra huffed and groaned.

The object in question was a droid computer, the kind you'd install in a starship and leave there, like an astromech without the mobility.

"Be wee woo woo" But of course, it had all the talk back of one. The nasty language, too.

Vendra huffed again, then closed her eyes to summon the Force. She grabbed the straps around her waist and hoisted the droid free from the rock with some extra help. No sense in moving it; nature put it there for a reason, or so she felt. Nature did not put the droid here, though.

Before she could allow herself further frustrations, a scent hit her nose. Barbecue and starship fuel? She hoped they were unrelated, or else someone was in for a bad stomach ache and maybe a bacta bath. That said, matters that went from frustrating to strange suddenly went to... Well. Lost.

The Dark Jedi glanced around her surroundings. This was not the direction of her starship. She had intentionally landed a few klicks away from the site of her second-hand dealings, just in case it was a scam or some kind of a trap. You never know with some folks. Yet it seemed this was not the right way at all, nothing looked familiar. For now, the direction of the smell was her best hope.

"That better not be my ship leaking fuel..." She muttered under her breath and began to drag the droid along again. It beeped and droned absently at their surroundings, seemingly enjoying the change of pace for once.

Jaina Rhys | Willow Fletcher

 

[Jaina Rhys]

As she caught a glimpse of the two silhouettes in front of the ship, Jaina gave both of them a casual hailing nod.
The first person - she had not gotten the opportunity to learn her name yet - had obviously retrieved what was left of the ‘navigator’.

Jai already smelled her repairs being in demand soon.
Good news.
Another thing she smelled was still the lingering aroma of meat and exotic spices surrounding the ship.
Captain Fletcher was cooking.
Bad news.

With a deep inhale she looked forth and back between the two, then up into the skies where the full yellow sun now cast their surroundings in a soft shade of saturated gold.

“Did the ship get out any distress calls?
I scouted out a few points of interest.
Doesn’t seem densely populated; if at all.
No reception and no air traffic from what I could see - Unless we’re on the dead side of… Here.

I’ll head out for the nearby mountains once the night hits, hoping to get a proper view of known star constellations.
I could have sworn I saw something reflective during our approach - Maybe another crashed ship, so I would like to have a look at that too…”

She did not outright say it, but hoped dearly that they did not just hit an uninhabited world…
Even behind enemy lines was better than No Man’s Skies…

Approaching the wreckage further, she took a look at the damages.
Now, in the daylight, the damage looked even worse, and wide rips and tears were to be seen all across the hull.
It was in fact done.
There was barely anything left to fix, so they would have to get very, very creative.

She looked back at the two, then reminded herself to tackle one problem at a time.
Sitting down on a small cargo crate near the provisional fireplace, she stretched her aching shoulder, while giving the barbecue another critical sniff.

“You know I could have… Prepared Gihaal soup… No need to go out of your way for me, Cap…”
She snickered, then looked at the other person, giving her an easy going nod, signalling her to join her.

It was time to get to know her shipmates turned comrades in the waiting game…
“Hey; Happy to meet you! I suppose I'll become useful for your Droid problem soon, heh!”
She hailed the stranger, and gave her another cheerful (or at least as cheerful as currently appropriate) nod.

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T: Vendra Vane & Willow Fletcher + Whoever wants to join

 

[Willow Fletcher]

Watching as her apprentice approached, Willow gave her a welcoming nod as she grimaced at the meat cooking.
So.
Damn.
Hot.
“Distress calls? Not sure,” she shrugged. “The direction I scouted had nothing but wilderness and a vast array of nothing useful. I didn’t see any evidence of sapient life, but who knows what the day will throw at us.” She looked around feeling suddenly a little uneasy before looking at Jai again.
“You good? Shoulder giving you trouble?” Willow herself was starting to feel a little off. She took a step back from the fire and removed her overshirt to try and cool down a little. “Anyone seen my cloak? I have the feeling this planet is not me-friendly temperature wise," she asked anyone in her vicinity.

Noticing the meat was starting to burn, Willow hurriedly turned it over to prevent further damage before scrunching her face up in disgust.
“I would rather cut out my tongue and fill my mouth with salt than eat Gihaal again. More for you Jai.”
She turned her attention back to her ‘cooking’ although she couldn’t help but look up every now and then when she got the feeling of being watched.
“Anyone hungry? Meat’s just about done and so am I. I need to get the hell away from this fire.”

---

Jaina Rhys + Vendra Vane and anyone else interested in joining us!

 

[Vendra Vane]

When finally the source of the smell came over the horizon, Vendra was somewhat surprised by those she saw. A small crew, apparently, around what appeared to be their crashed starship and improvised cooking pit.

The Dark Jedi was woefully unaware that one of them was force-sensitive. She had lost those senses and she herself stood like a beacon in the Force to anyone who did have those senses. She moved closer, the droid computer still dragged behind her.

"Dooot?" It hummed with curiosity at the strangers as they approached. Vendra almost wanted to snap, as she had been considering how to announce herself before the droid did it for them both.

Instead, the Mirialan simply sighed and cleared her throat. "I was hoping to find my ship, but..." She looks past them and to the wreckage. "I'm glad this isn't it." She did not hide the small comfort that it was them, not her, who had the worst of starship trouble this day.

Still, it meant that her ship was out there somewhere, and unless she found it soon, it might end up just like theirs. The banter these strangers shared was one of familiarity, Ven made note of that. "I don't mean to interrupt, but... You haven't seen a ship... Err, a different ship, have you? Small, three seater, looks kinda like a brick."

Vendra approached the fire when offered, the droid still getting tugged along by the straps around her waist.

"Doo, doo doot!" The droid was confused. It didn't understand how to calculate a navigation chart without being connected to a ship.

"Oh, uh... Vane." She offered a friendly wave. "Vendra Vane."

Willow Fletcher | Jaina Rhys

 

[Jaina Rhys]

As Jaina noticed that the Captain seemed to be more and more uneasy, her eyes narrowed a little.
It was not just the heat (which - if anything - felt like a welcome breeze to Jai.), there was something more to it.
The Captain was oozing the same aura of worry she gave off when they were about to engage trouble.
Was it the new person?
Was it something else?
The Captain seemed to scan the environment as if expecting to be jumped at any second…

Jaina for her part had not found any imminent signs of danger, and even the larger wildlife seemed uninterested to join them out here on the beach.
But then again, she understood very well that Willow had insight into things that she herself, just as most others simply lacked by nature…
“I suppose sapient life doesn’t necessarily have to mean they enjoy beach parties, right?”
She snickered, before she wondered whether her jokes made the tension even worse, so she immediately added. “Yeah, shoulder’s dinted since the crash, but I think it’s just a bruise or something…”

Panic averted?
Mayhaps…
Either or; Willow did not [yet] address any concerns, so Jaina decided to not pry.
Instead she took off her cloak and tossed it at her Captain.
It would undoubtedly be too long, but the white colour and the material would hopefully work as enough of a temporary insulation until they had found Willows own protective gear.
“I want that back. No unauthorised bloodstains this time.” She mumbled in a sarcastic, but genuinely caring manner while staking the fire with one of her rapiers.

For a moment she just sat there, trying to think if she missed anything; anything that would warrant her Captain being so obviously concerned…

As she regained her thoughts and focus, the third person had already joined them and she and Willow were speaking.
Another ship?
Until that moment Jai had assumed she was one of their fellow passengers, but the prospect of more than one ship crashing in such close proximity and time frame?
Highly suspicious…

“I did see something before we crashed.
I believe… North North East from here… Caught a glimpse of something shiny; Could have been a ship… Or a building… Something that does not grow in the woods in either case…”

She smacked her lips at Willow’s mention of Gihaal, even though a small part of her was disappointed that her Captain did not share her own nostalgia for this mandalorian evergreen…

Once more looking forth and back between the two, before her gaze eventually came to a halt on the newcomer, Jai raised one eyebrow at her.
“Welcome to our little patch of paradise, Vendra Vane.
I’m Jaina, and the one with the burnt meat is our Captain.
So…
I suppose you were caught every bit by surprise as we were before our ship downed?
Something with the NavCom; I think we might have been pulled out of Hyperspace... We barely made it to this habitable planet here, but crashed before we could sync location data…”

She closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing her cold hands over her tired face before slowly opening both eyes again individually and looking at the continuously crispening loaf of meat in front of her.
“Yeah, I think I can use a bite… Who’s with me?!”
She wondered if she could sprinkle Gihaal powder over the stale smelling piece without Willow noticing…

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T: Willow Fletcher & Vendra Vane + Whoever would like to join us

 

[Willow Fletcher]

Unable to shake the uneasy feeling of being watched, Willow channelled her connection with the force to monitor their surroundings, immediately picking up on an approaching presence. She couldn’t tell whether the newcomer was a threat or not so she kept her guard up while trying to maintain a calm demeanor. She chuckled at Jaina’s comment about beach parties, still wary but amused.

“Well I suppose that’s lucky enough for us while we’re still trying to figure out where we are and how we’re going to get the hell off this rock. The last thing we need is unfriendly company. We’re screwed enough as it is.” She critically looked at Jaina’s shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her. “If your shoulder is dinted, why not take off your armour and assess the damage properly?” She knew it was unwise to remove it in their current situation, but she wanted to keep up the illusion of a casual conversation.
Admittedly she was taken by surprise when the cloak was thrown at her and it took her a moment to process it.
“No promises,” she teased with a smirk as she draped it over herself to try and block out the heat. Using the force, she slowly pulled the dagger from her apprentice’s boot and moved it to her hand as a subtle way to put her on her guard.

The ‘dooot’ caught Willow by surprise. She had been monitoring the approaching stranger and had expected them to announce their presence in a more subtle way.
“I would feel the same way honestly, if the roles were reversed. Unfortunately I haven’t seen your ship or I probably would have tried to hot-wire it to get off this planet.” Her tone was playful and light, but there was a glimmer of truth to it, she was a pirate after all. She eyed the droid being pulled along curiously, wondering why the poor thing was in such a state.

She gave Jaina a look when the other mentioned seeing something shiny again. North North East huh? “It’s worth checking out after we’ve fully assessed ourselves and rested a little. We need to make sure no one goes into shock. Although, admittedly I won’t be able to go until it gets darker and cooler again.”
Willow held out her hand to the stranger and cast Jai a glare when she insulted the meat she was cooking. She was doing her best! It wasn’t her fault she was bad at cooking and no one had decided to take over for her.
“Willow Fletcher. Pleasure to meet you.”

Willow was glad Jaina had more of a grasp on their situation than she did. Admittedly she had been rather distracted at the time of their crash, sampling a bottle of rum, testing for quality. Taking a portion of the meat for herself, Willow took the opportunity to retreat to the small shaded area. “Everyone help yourselves,” she announced, more than happy to leave it to the masses now.
She was starting to overheat, her mood was getting sourer by the moment and her head was aching. The water sparkling beyond the wreckage was looking awfully tempting but she would have to wait until the sun wasn’t so savage or she would get burned to a crisp. Grumbling, she adjusted Jaina’s cloak to try and keep the sun off her. “We need more shade. Hey Vane, what's it like in the forest? Is it safe enough to vibe in there?"

She sent a glare towards Jai, her Gihaal senses were tingling. Her apprentice was thinking of doing something abominable, she could feel it.
"Don't you dare," she warned playfully.

Jaina Rhys + Vendra Vane + anyone wanting to join!

 

[Vendra Vane]

The first thing Vendra noticed was the dynamic between the two.

First, she responded to Jaina. "I certainly didn't expect to run into crash survivors out here." Her explanation on the crash, however, was no area of the Mirialan's expertise. She was a half-decent pilot at best but honestly knew very little of navigation or the causes of starship disasters.

Then, Ven moved her attention to the Arkanian, who continued to speak. The playful remark after her initial startlement lingered on; it created a sense of security that showed by way of Ven's hands being far removed from her weapons. A holstered blaster on one hip and a very old lightsaber that looked more like junk than a weapon.

"Jaina. Willow Fletcher." She made note of their names with a nod.

Vendra looked at the food between them with a curious expression. Her life as a mercenary in the Outer Rim, particularly ship bound, meant that her usual meals came in the form of a plain slop, procured from expired food containers. Before she could even ask what it was, however, Willow produced a question.

"The Forest?" She glanced back at the trees in consideration. "Small animals, mostly. Honestly, I have a ship... I just..." Now, with a hint of embarrassment. "I need to, uh... Find it," she chuckled. "Lucky for you, it's actually a three-seater, and there's only one of me."

"Beep boop."

She looked down at the droid computer. "Well, you get installed in your own special place." She huffed.

Jaina Rhys | Willow Fletcher

 

[Jaina Rhys]

“Eh….”
Was Jaina’s sparse response towards Willow’s suggestions to peel off her armour to allow a better look at her shoulder.
It didn’t feel like an emergency yet, and the morning was rather chilly, so without her cloak, Jai preferred to not make a medical assessment striptease - Especially not with a new - potentially judging - pair of eyes.
While she was not getting any imminent vibes of danger from Vendra Vane, they still just met, and Jaina - as welcoming as she was - did not feel that level of trust yet.

Fitting to the very string of thought, she could suddenly feel the cold, somewhat heavy handle of her dagger in her hands.
She knew immediately that her Captain had moved it there as a silent order for her to stay sharp - literally.
With a nod towards the loaf of meat she was still looking at, (but clearly aimed at Willow) Jai leaned a little forward.

“...Maybe later.” She eventually spoke on the subject of her shoulder, seamlessly resuming the small talk, while reaching out to cut off some bits of the meat.
It was now as Jaina realised that her shoulder was in fact hurting.
She would not be able to use Rapiers with this arm….
Forcing that though aside for now, she looked at the newcomer again and gave her an easy going nod.
“Well, to be fair, I won’t even dare to make any attempts to calculate the statistical probability of our meeting here, which is why I am certain there’s more to it.
Doesn’t look like any traditional attack… Maybe a natural phenomenon…”
She went quiet again and squinted.
She vaguely remembered hearing anything-but-scientifically-reliable stories of creatures residing in hyperspace; tormenting unassuming travellers every once in a cerulean eclipse…

Cutting off a meat slice with the the hand of her non-injured arm and putting in on a small piece of cloth as a makeshift tray, she gave it another critical sniff while looking up to the other two again, giving Willow in particular a little snicker of acknowledgement.
The Captain must have known exactly what Jai had been planning to do with her share of meat…
With her face suddenly though turning more serious again, Jai looked towards the lush green ahead of them.

“I can head out after breakfast and take a second look. I don't like the idea of being idle the whole day; we don't even know how long a day on this rock is yet….
Which gets us to our next problem…”
She now looked at Vendra Vane and did a noticeably uncomfortable inhale; the type of inhale that radiated even more bad news ahead.
“...We’re more than three.
We have two more injured crew members aboard…” She pointed towards the wreckage. “...This there.
They’re stable but require medical assistance above my first aid skills.
I’m not sure we’ll be able to drag them through the forest, let alone manage to squeeze them in your ship either…
...If I head out quickly I can cover some ground inland towards the structure.
And on the odd chance this planet is inhabited of some sorts, I can try and get us help.”

She had still not entirely given up hope that the reflective structure she had seen during their crash might have been a building; some sign of civilisation; some sign that they were in fact not completely and utterly lost.
She shivered at the thought of her final demise being ‘lost in space’ of all things.
What a humiliating end for any self-respecting adventurer that would have been…

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T: Willow Fletcher , Vendra Vane + Whoever would like to join us