Private Tropic Thunder

[Shai Maji]

Felucia/Hidden Landing Zone​

Morning/Hot​

The Sith Empire did a number on the luscious planet of Felucia. She knew the planet for a long time, and every time she came there for some kind of deal or to lay low, it looked worse and worse. But now the Empire was gone, and their influence of the planet was over... for the most part. Shai wasn't stupid enough to imagine that the Empire would be gone overnight. Remnants, warlords and other pockets of resistance would still continue on for a very long time with the amount of fanatics and loyalists that were in that faction. Shai didn't see an issue with this. It meant that the hunt was still on. She would still be able to hunt down their Dar'manda and tear them apart for a very long time.

She set her freighter down in a clearing between a bunch of... whatever the hell type of fungus that was. She had made a decision to get back into the hunt. Her choice led her to a group of Mandos that formed an alliance with the Silver Jedi Concord. Shai had hoped that this alliance meant a bunch of Jedi would come along, but sadly it was just her and the companions she managed to snag for the job. She really wanted to see some Jedi in action.

Slipping her helmet on, she led the way to the exit and looked around the place. "Hot damn, this place is depressing." she commented. Their job was simple. They had to find a research facility that was making strand-cast super soldiers and decommission it. The trick was to find the place and flying around like a maniac was the easiest way to get shot down.

Sergeant Omen Mig Gred Varn Barakis

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen shrugged before getting up to stretch and stepping out of the ship with the strange being that was called Shai Maji . He had been asked to come along with the others of the Covenant to check out an old factory. He was surprised to see the voice asking was a fellow Mando who was a Shistavanen no less. But then again, the creed accepted all that wanted to follow it and most Mandolarians would probably accept her before they accepted him. "It isn't that bad, the Bryn I settled here likes it fine." He had said it like it was just another day at the office but he wondered what Mig would say back to him now that he knew. "So, whats the plan if there is any?" As he glanced around at the native flora and fauna, he really hoped there was an actual plan. He didn't like going to blind and guns blazing when he could help it.

Mig Gred Varn Barakis

 

[Silver Solus]

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

Silver shivered with anticipation, twirling her helmet around and around. It wasn’t supposed to be exciting, her job. Everyone … everyone had told her it would be very, very dull. She wasn’t to use her COMMs save in an emergency. She was not to explore. She could not practice, or fight or collect giant mushrooms.

Especially, she was not to collect giant mushroom spores. Which just seemed wrong.

There was but one job, which Silver had. To wait, at the secret base! But how could a secret base ever be boring? But even better, was what she was waiting for.

Felucians! Mushroom people! And her job … her job personally, was to complete the deal her Aunt Jhira had made. A shiver went through her, and her eyes gleamed with delight. Finally, finally the loading bay opened, and she was free to dart to the surface of this strange world! No, not dart. Walk. Slowly.

Silver sauntered down the ramp, and into a world of giant mushrooms and green tinged skies.

And …. Giant Cat People. The 13-year-old’s hard won composure vanished as the Cat-Lady who’d arranged it all disembarked from her own freighter.

“It’s only kind of depressing!” The young verd’ika chimed in, not yet having slipped her helmet on. Blond hair was carelessly swept up into something that was likely meant as a bun, and her hands clenched her T-visor’d helm. “But it’s all growing and healing, down where you can’t see it.”

A brilliant smile lit Silver’s face. “I’m Silver Solus, how do you do?”

There! Even Alor [ Mig Gred ] would be proud.

But then Uncle Omen spoke, and she sputtered, then laughed. “You saved a Brun’Adul?”

 

[Jhira Mereel]

​

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

Almost unnoticed, behind Silver’s exuberance, the Captain had exited her ship and joined the others. “I dropped some Probe droids that automatically upload maps and sensor data to the Starmapper MK II. It’s not a perfect fit, for what we are doing, but it might guide us in the right direction.”

Sliding her helmet on, she nodded to the head of the expedition. “I’m Jhira Mereel; I heard you could use some help, and I had business in the area anyway.”

The Hand Held Cargo Scanner was surrendered to Silver’s eager hands. “Some locals are to meet up with silver, and she’ll handle things. They are very, very good at going unseen in their own environment.”

Striding to stand next to Omen, she offered him a warrior’s hand clasp in greeting, and a warm, “Kinsman! Good to see you.” but her tone of voice was slightly bemused, as if she hadn’t quite processed his Bryn’adul comment.

 

[Sol'yan]

Spoiler: OOC

I have been Informed that it's cool I join you all. Thanks for the invite, and looking forward to rping with you all.

Felucia - at one time, this world fell under the sway of the Sith and bore deep wounds of the Dark Side's presence. When the Empire shattered, those wounds began to heal. But they would not be able to heal fully until the taint was expunged from this world once and for all. When the call went out for the Council to send any available Jedi to assist in this covert mission, Sol'yan was quick to take the assignment when he was discretely approached to do so. Ever since he re-emerged from his self imposed exile, in the beginning years of the Bryn'adul invasion, he had a renewed purpose; which was to do his part in defending the galaxy from the evils that beset it. He had spent too long in isolation, and had begun to make good on his newfound purpose in those years, decades ago.


Now, it was in the two-fold purpose of meeting a deadly vestige of the Sith Empire on the field of battle, namely the Brotherhood of the Maw, and in mopping up the smaller factions that remained of the old Empire itself. To his understanding, he would be the only Jedi within the incursion team, which would primarily be comprised of Mandalorians of the 'Mandalorian Covenant." In his 153 years of life within the galaxy, he had become accustomed to many species throughout the galaxy. While Mandalorians could come in all shapes and sizes, he found their culture to be very similar to that of his own people.


But that was a subject of consideration for another time. For now, Sol'yan was focused on the present. He brought his small craft down in the coordinates given to him for a covert drop, which already contained a small collection of ships, and as he landed he noticed others beginning to emerge from their craft. The Jedi Master soon did the same. He was adorned in his Jedi battle plate, his robes, and his lightsaber, which he ensured was strapped to his hip as he made his way to join the collection of soldiers and operatives, right about the same time that he heard talk of... one of them harboring a Bryn'adul? Sol'yan affixed the speaker with a severe expression, the impact of which was probably lost on the majority considering Feeorin were a comparative rarity as opposed to other races, such as humans. The one who made the remark appeared to be a trooper in full armor. Given that he had just arrived, and had little context, the Jedi merely narrowed his eyes slightly and diverted his attention to the rest of the group.


"I am Jedi Master Sol'yan. The Council has asked that I accompany you all on this mission." He gave a slight bow to the group, and returned his attention to the trooper, a more serious tone on his voice as he remarked: "I...certainly hope this is merely a form of humor I am not familiar with. I do not find it funny, but I hope it Is a joke nonetheless. Otherwise, I would be interested to know where this Bryn'adul is." Sol'yan's tone was even and serene. Interestingly, he did not mention what he would do with the Bryn'adul if he found it.

Shai Maji Sergeant Omen Silver Solus Jhira Mereel

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai studied her companions as they disembarked along with her. One apparently helped to relocate a Bryn on Felucia, while the others seemed more conventional... to a degree. The young girl had a hyperactive streak to her which Shai found rather infectious. The girl introduced herself along with the older woman. It seemed that Jhira and Omen had a bit of a history as she watched them greet.

Shai glanced to the girl with a snicker. "The name's Shai. And yeah, it's definitely not as bad as Mandalore. It might be Mando Central, 'heart of the people,' all that jazz. But damn, that place got me down." she commented as she looked around them. Her attention was brought to another ship that joined them. From it emerged a figure that made Shai's eye grow wide. A figure that she had hoped for, but never expected to see on this mission. A figure that she had idolized ever since she was a kid.

"A Jedi?" she muttered, a giant grin forming under her helmet as she watched the enormous Jedi approach their little group. He introduced himself with a powerfully calm tone of voice. Shai found herself staring at him like she was meeting a celebrity for the first time in her life. "Hi, the name's Shai! Glad you can join us, master Soy-Sol'yan!" she called out to him as she approached him. Once she was in range, she held her right hand out for him to shake. Probably a good thing too that it was cybernetic. With a body like that, he could probably crush her skull like it was nothing. "We never got any feedback that a Jedi would make it. I'm really glad to see you onboard with us." she admitted.

Turning to face the rest of the group, she tried to focus on the mission at hand. "Yo Jhira! You think the locals will help us out? Last time I ran into 'em, they weren't exactly friendly with strangers." she asked her. "I hope we don't run into a rancor either. That could prove problematic." she continued with a shrug. It was a lie. She knew the Jedi master could easily take on a rancor.

She found herself walking beside Silver with an enormous grin still plastered on underneath her helmet. "We got a Jedi with us, this is awesome." she muttered to the girl. With seemingly no other distractions, she gestured for them to move forward. If the two other girls had business with the locals, it would make things much easier to locate the base.

Sol'yan Jhira Mereel Sergeant Omen Silver Solus

 

[Finley Dawson]

Between the Sith takeover and subsequent invasions, it was amazing that the old Ranger compound was still somewhat intact. When the operation was complete, he'd be sure to take stock and see about the possibility of using it as a permanent outpost for Silver Forces. In the meantime, he and other Silver Jedi were here to assist Mandalorian counterparts in taking down the rogue Sith.

He and his squad had taken their own transport for the trip, a stealth shuttle for a quiet insertion. The optical camouflage rendered the ship nearly invisible, really only noticeable at close range to those present at the landing zone itself. Carefully he touched down on an empty plot adjacent to a stationary freighter below.

So he had stuck the landing, now if only the rest of the operation could go smoothly.

On a wild world like Felucia, he had his doubts.

As of late, the Jedi Knight had been working with the Commandos for the 228th, but for a jungle planet like this, he had brought in specialists well suited to the environment. First out of the passenger bays was a whole squad of Wookiee Commandos - the Nightstalkers. Finley was last out pushing a case of equipment on a repulsor bed.

On the ground he found Master Sol'yan already arriving ahead of him, in conversation with the Mandalorians on scene. He gave them a smile and wave as he approached with his Wookie companions.

"Knight Dawson of the Silver Order here, ready to lend a hand - and some high explosive charges."

Shai Maji Jhira Mereel Sergeant Omen Silver Solus Sol'yan

 

[Sergeant Omen]

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Try to annoy the Jedi as much as possible.
And Omen was promptly ignored or at least ignored by the leader of this little expedition who was busy fawning over the Jedi. Well, that was nothing new. And then the Solider heard the voice of a small teen and looked down at a small girl who had made someone bring them along. "Yes, I saved a Bryn or more like she saved herself. And I will not tell anyone her location on this planet because someone here wants to kill them for no reason." That last part he said staring daggers into Master Sol'yan . May the spirits give him mercy if he gave her location away more, he probably shouldn't have said her location in the first place. He twisted to see who else had greeted him as kinsman before giving a great smile at seeing Jhira, gladly accepting her shake. "It is good to see you here Jhira. I'm guessing this is your charge" He gave her a raised eyebrow that said, "Why did you bring her here?" Not that he did appreciate the friendly company, he just didn't want to have to drag the girl around with blaster bolts whizzing past his head though knowing Jhira, she probably trained the little one to take care of herself. "So, I'm guessing the plan is now for the Jedi to rip the front door off and let them do all the work as well as all the blaster bolts?
Shai Maji Jhira Mereel @Finely Dawson Silver Solus Sol'yan

 

[Silver Solus]

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ Sol'yan ] [ Finley Dawson ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

A bright, silvery laugh escaped as Shai admitted straight out what most people felt upon Mandalore. “It is awful, isn’t it? We even got attacked there! But don’t worry, we’re going to put the water back soon.” A thoughtful pause followed, eyes suddenly much, much older than her years. “I don’t think it will help much; there’s lots of ghosts there.”

Shai’s murmured, “A Jedi?” immediately drew the reaction of stepping behind the giant cat lady.

Silver kicked her helm up into hands; watching as the apparition stepped out of his ship. A gasp, then stunned silence. The alien sunlight glinted on true-silver plate, haloing the strange, alien creature. Lekku (were they Lekku?) framed a noble and stern face. And he was so tall.

“Not a Jeti; a Silver Jedi Concord.” As if that were a single, monolithic thing. “Look!” Silver hissed in sibilant glee, clearly meaning to be discrete and failing. Bouncing, her helmet tumbled to the ground one more, and she griped Shai’s hand in unbearable excitement. “He brought his Light Saber. And his armor, his SILVER KNIGHT’s amor. They have a rising Phoenix where an Iron Heart should be, but it’s the same thing, I just know it.. I mean, on the inside. Indomitable will!”

The exchange between the glowing silver alien and her Uncle brought a moment of stillness and confusion to Silver. After a moment’s thought, she smiled up at her uncle. “Oh! No, no. He’s not a jetiise; uh … Republic Jedi? Jedi-Jedi? He’s a Silver Jedi. They aren’t baby stealers or hate-killers.” A pause, and a shrug. “I mean, you still can’t tell, because you gave your world.” Voice dropping to a whisper, she added, “I’m glad you saved one. Maybe she’ll become Mando’ad!”

Not at all daring to touch the figure of legend and myth, Silver gave a murmur of awe when Shai offered a hand shake! Shadowing Shai, Silver flashed wide, wide dimples at her new friend’s murmured aside, We have a Jedi. “Better! a Silver Jedi Concord.”

A strange hum, and a patch of nothing became a ship! Probably, she should have had her helmet on. Probably, she’d have seen something in her HUD that would have told her it was coming. Probably, she’d be scolded later.

But in that moment, it was pure magic, watching a near-invisible Wookies shimmer into being from a stealthed ship! She squeaked, almost unable to breathe. “And Wookies!”

Knight Dawson of the Silver Order here, ready to lend a hand - and some high explosive charges.

Wookies, stealth, Silver Jedi and Explosives?

“Maybe Aunt Jhira will marry that one!!!”

 

[Jhira Mereel]

​

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
]Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ Sol'yan ] [ Finley Dawson ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

When the silver-clad being debarked his ship, Jhira grew still. She was putting a lot of faith in Mig Gred. But Omen was here; she trusted him. So the Captain stood her ground as this vast threat walked closer, and spoke so gravely, so reasonably to those present. While she said nothing at the Jedi Master’s challenge to Omen, she felt the subtle tension that often presaged violence. But Omen turned away from the challenge offered, to return her greeting. His raised eyebrow and glance at Silver as eloquent as any scold.

“She’s only here to handle negotiations. She is not fighting Sith or Imperials.” Jhira gave a gentle nod to her niece. “These are things she must learn how to do,” a glance at the Jedi Master. “As well as learn to look beneath the surface of things.”

Turning to the leader of the group, Shai, Jhira nodded. “The locals have reason to distrust strangers. Jedi, Sith, Republic, Imperials, and even the Commerce Guild have all set up here, exploited the natives, and then blown each other up.” A shrug.

“I’ve been trading here for a while. If we are respectful and quiet,” a doubtful glance at the unloading Wookies followed, “They’ll meet with us and Silver will conclude our trade arrangements.” A pause, and her smile flashed.

She offered a firm buffet to Omen’s back. “No worries, Shai. Omen can handle any Rancors. That way we get’em alive.” More quietly, to her kinsmen, she added, “As long as we get the right door, I’m all for them going first. Especially if Sith are involved.” but the look in her eyes said she had little faith in the Jedi’s restraint, when it came to door bashing.

Jhira’s gaze snapped to the Master, as Silver spoke a little too openly of the commonly-held perception of many Jedi Orders as baby stealers. Fear stirred; Jhira pivoted to face Master and Knight, watching them.

Silver’s final proclamation won a dry, “There are far less painful ways to attain Wookie friends, a lightsaber, and a box of explosives than marriage,” Jhira assured Silver.

Her voice grew cooler, cautious, as she addressed the two Jetise. “I am Captain Jhira Mereel, this is my niece, Silver. She’ll be dealing with the Felucians. They have their own Force Tradition here. Are either of you familiar with it?”

 

[Sol'yan]

Sol'yan was slightly taken aback by the reaction of some within the party, and bemused by others. He was honored by the Shistevanen's reaction, giving her a respectful nod. Any further reaction was interrupted when he overheard the statement made by the armored trooper to the young woman in front of him, and he definitely noticed the deadly look given to him. There were few things that Sol'yan was intimidated by; dirty looks by a puny human were not one of them. There is no emotion, there is peace he intoned. He could feel himself slipping off balance - a feeling he had not felt for quite a while. It was then that he took a moment's pause. For the past 30 years or so, he had been back within the galactic community once again, which was engulfed in a war for survival against the Bryn'adul threat at that time. Part of his unease was due to his species' well known ill-tempered demeanor, but he had also been so involved in warfare as of late, that he realized that he had allowed himself to forget - however briefly - a simple but important fact about Jedi. Jedi were never meant to be soldiers, but rather guardians of peace and prosperity. He had spent so much time concerned over whether the Silver Jedi were losing touch with that fact, that he apparently did not spend enough time on that very subject within himself. It took a stranger to get him to realize that.

"I... apologize for my overly direct tone." His tone was even and serene; the state of mind he normally endeavored to maintain. He had spent the better part of a century meditating on the nature of the force and trying to center himself after the death of his master. It did not feel good to lapse, however briefly or minutely. "I have spent... many years fighting against the evils of the galaxy, in the form of the Bryn'adul and the Brotherhood of the Maw. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that all individuals have the ability to redeem themselves, if they are so motivated to do so." Sol'yan's demeanor could never be described as soft or overly warm. Part of that was due to, as previously mentioned, the rarity of his species in the galaxy at large. A smile from him, more often than not, appeared as a less severe grimace unless he really went out of his way to smile. But, he was a kind soul at heart, and he did his best to ensure it showed this time. "I would however be interested to hear the tale of how this Bryn'adul saved itself, sometime. Perhaps it would help me gain further insight in resolving the affair peacefully, should I ever encounter one again." He gave the trooper another slight bow, and turned his attention to the young woman.

He could sense tension in the air, likely due to the mild confrontation he was party to, so he judged it necessary to engage in some form of levity. He dare not approach the young woman for fear of inciting further anxiety amongst his compatriots (for he sensed that some of them mistrusted his kind, whether it be Feeorin or Jedi he wasn't quite sure), so he decided to only take a couple of paces forward and kneel down to be on the same level as the young woman. They still stood roughly 10 feet apart, but instead of closing the distance, he reached out with his hands and plucked a delicate, non-toxic or threatening flower from the wild flora surrounding them. He then, slowly & gently, floated it through the force over to the young woman, nesting it in the crease of her right ear. A genuine, unforced smile could be seen faintly on Sol'yan's lips as he arose again to his full height. He turned to the newly arrived Jedi Knight and gave him a bow in greeting, along with his Wookiee companions. Shortly thereafter, one of the Mandalorians approached him. He judged her female based on the fit of her armor, but he could not see her face given that she was still wearing her helmet. He craned his head down at her, nodded at Silver as she was introduced (the faint smile returning slightly), and listened to the woman's curt statement and following question.

"While I have visited Felucia before, I am not the most familiar with the Natives or their customs. I primarily kept to myself back in those days..." He let his voice trail off thoughtfully before seemingly snapping back and finishing his response: "I am aware some of their tribes have 'shamans', similar to my native culture. But I do not know much about the details of their customs aside from that. Please, enlighten me."

Shai Maji Finley Dawson Sergeant Omen Silver Solus Jhira Mereel

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen only returned the bow deeper that the master gave as an apology for the outburst. "It was just a one-off. I and another Jedi comforted her and found her to be a Silver Knight herself that had somehow been transformed into a Bryn. We only gave her a way out of her life of servitude and smuggled her off the planet we were on. She is more than capable of living on her own." The Trooper nodded to his kinswoman's, his eyes sharing his same concern. If the Jedi wanted to ask more about his abilities then they could ask but for now, he would keep them to himself.

And then the conversation had moved on with the Jedi moving on to talk to Jhira and her little assistant. He waited for Jhira to separate from her young charge before approaching her and whispering in her ear."We can try to set them up if you want. It would be interesting to see what happened to say the least." He was glad this tween would not be going with them to raid the factory. It wasn't going to be a fun thing to have to try to find her in the air vents or clean her guts off the floor so the Ravenous creatures. Plus who else could he have to annoy Jhira with him?

He nodded hello to the Knight before going off to find his own peace and let the Shistavanen goggle over the Jedi in peace, going to find a log, kicking it to make sure it wasn't a tentacle, before breaking off a good size branch and start to widdle it down into a little Mando figurine. It would be crude it but it would give Omen something to do till it was game time.


Shai Maji Finley Dawson Silver Solus Jhira Mereel Sol'yan

 

[Finley Dawson]

Upon his arrival, Finley could already see they were off to a rough even before the operation had technically begun, like a Trooper arguing with another Jedi over a Bryn'adul apparently stuffed away nearby. Finley wasn't personally running to purge any Bryn himself, but he could certainly understand the hostility that others may harbor against them.

For the vast majority of sentients, their interactions with the Bryn were limited to the receiving end of xenocidal campaigns that stretched across entire sectors of space. Even on their worst days, the Sith could never compare to the sheer scale of carnage unleased by the Bryn'adul, which left whole systems void of life. Billions dead, and countless more displaced from their homes as refugees.

Listening further, he could see the two come to some understanding, as the Trooper revealed the Bryn in question was actually the product of some sort of forced conversion. The revelation was unsettling, to say the least. He had been unaware of such a thing being possible, no doubt more in Concord would like to hear about it too.

"Assuming we successfully complete the operation," Finley spoke up to Omen. "I'd also very much like to interview your Bryn associate to better understand the conversion process you mentioned. Also, if any further assistance could be offered to aid their rehabilitation, then I'm sure I can arrange for provisions and medical services to be provided."

The reactions from the other Mandalorians present ranged from guarded suspicion to mirth toward him.

In fact, had he just heard a marriage proposal?!

Used to seeing even the women usually armor-clad, it was hard to think of them in any context outside of battle.

He tentatively took the words as some form of compliment, offering a sheepish grin.

He settled beside Sol'yan, nodding toward his counterpart in solidarity. Finley had worked with Mandalorians for a long time, going back to the original Vegemite Order of Kaine Australis on Myrkr, but he certainly felt more comfortable with another Silver Jedi around.

"Alright," now addressing everyone. "Apologies if I'm forcing you to repeat yourselves, but if you don't mind, then I'd like to hear the specifics of whatever plan you have to raid the lab. What kind of opposition should expect? Finally, the Concord would like the head of the whole program captured alive to gather intelligence on any further TSE remnants still in operation? Will that be an issue?"

Shai Maji Silver Solus Jhira Mereel Sol'yan Sergeant Omen

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai's happy attitude was steadily crumbling as she watched her comrades interact with the Jedi that arrived. The newest arrival even brought some literal extra muscle along as a bunch of Wookiees disembarked his vessel. Their reactions were pathetic in her opinion. Distrust, childish attitudes and forced polite behaviour was obvious. Even from her Union days, Shai never could understand the hatred some Mandos harboured towards Jedi. She knew about what happened between them, but that was long ago. Many of the Mandalorians roaming around weren't even born when that happened. Where were these backwards savage tin cans when the SJC came down from the skies with supplies and aid to get Mandalore back in action? Where were they when the Jedi were the only ones to lend aid to the Union in their fight against the Sith?

In her hurricane of thoughts, she zoned out for a bit as the rest spoke to each other. Her visor stared emptily at a distant spot as the voices became white noise... until she heard a word. One simple word that brought her back to reality.

<"Hey!"> she barked at her fellow Mandalorians, her left hand resting on her pistol as she yanked her helmet off to glare at them. <"If there are Sith in that base, I'm the first one going through. And you tin cans better show some respect to the Jedi, or else I'll dome you myself. Karking backwards savage animals."> she growled at Omen and Jhira in Mando'a as her crimson eyes glowed with burning hatred. She had a score to settle with the Sith, a personal crusade that she felt was far more critical than a simple force of habit. These children could wait their turn, especially if they wanted to keep throwing attitude at the best anti-Sith fighters in the galaxy.

Slipping her helmet back on, she took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She needed to get a grip. She wasn't going to help anyone if she started to fight with her own kin... though smacking their domes against a tree was still a tempting idea.

"Let's move out!" she called out to the rest with a much better tone. After a while Shai glanced over her shoulder to the rest of the group. "So you're tellin' me, we have to go blunder around until Silver's locals find us and she can negotiate with them?" she asked the others. "What exactly is Silver's business with 'em?" she continued with a confused look.

Sol'yan Finley Dawson Jhira Mereel Sergeant Omen Silver Solus

 

[Silver Solus]

​

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ @Sol’yan ] [ Finley Dawson ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

Oooh, Jedi Master Sol’yan was perfect. The Silver Jedi Concord has a voice that could soothe even a grumpy droid, and he went right to work doing what Jedi were supposed to do.

Making peace. Creating hope. Her smile grew and grew.

And then he looked at her!! He knelt, still towering over her, and floated a perfect pink flower into her hair. Laughter sparkled and swirled in the air. “Thank you, Maser Sol’yan!” Surging forward to offer a hug, she abruptly checked herself, unsure of what was allowed, and what wasn’t.

“Can I hug you? May we talk later?” There was a touch of anxiousness, a brief reveal of a deeper fear, hidden under her relentless good cheer and optimism.

Uncle Omen explained about his friend; that shiver of fear grew a touch deeper, at the idea of being made into something, and she retreated to the safety of Shai’s shadow.

The Jedi with the Wookie friends and the explosives grinned shyly at her, and Silver ventured forth once more, her own grin lighting the air.

Literally.

“Hello, Sir Knight! I am Silver Solus. I will be concluding a deal, with Shaman Callista, for some Nysillin, a bunch of Nexu they caught for us, and special water.” A beat. “For Mandalore; to help restore it.”

“My Aunt Jhira thinks they will know where the evil outpost is; so if we are nice, and polite, they may well help us,” A wistful sigh followed. “I am to stay with them, escort our prizes back to the ship, and then stand guard until the mission gets back.”

Shai’s explosion startled Silver; especially the instant escalation to lethal force. Young as she was, she knew what a grip on a blaster met. She stepped back, falling into a brawler’s crouch, eyes wary, as the tall cat lady called either her Aliit or the Sith Karking backwards savage animals.

 

[Jhira Mereel]

​

LOCATION: Hidden Base, Felucia
Objective: Find evil Factory. Blow it up, yay!
Equipment: Ship | Cybernetics | Jet Pack | Beskar’gam | Weapon load out
Allies: [ Shai Maji ] [ @Sol’yan ] [ Finley Dawson ] [ Sergeant Omen ]

The Jedi Master apologized, which drew Jhira’s full attention. Speaking eloquently of how constant battle could narrow the mind, cause one to see enemies everywhere, he won Jhira’s respect. Not due to the accident of birth that gave him bizarre powers, nor the particular brand of Jedi he espoused, but for his honesty. Too few people of any rank could apologize when wrong, and fewer still bothered to think about why they should.

A nod to him followed, but she did not comment; it was Omen’s place to decide if he felt his friend was safe.

When the turned to Silver Jhira tensed, but she remained still. This moment was both inevitable, now that Silver had passed her Verd’gotten, and well planned.

These Jedi were the ad’ika’s heart’s desire.

But he made no harsh move, no scold, no anger. A floating flower and gentle smile; Jhira nodded slowly, considering him.

Then he astonished her, in enquiring after local customs rather than dismissing them. A most usual Jedi; not proud or bigoted or intolerant.

Her voice warmed from wary distance to instructive. “Nature shamans, bonded somehow to the land and plants around them. A bit of animism, if I understood what they tried to explain.They are very good healers.” If you were on their good side. “They have a lot of fear, though, as I said before. The shamans are well respected, and in this case their leader is one.” A wry smile managed to color voice, despite the helm. “I appreciate your courtesy in asking; you may feel a bit of power swirling around, and I would not wish you to be distressed or feel you were attacked. Being a Mando, my shaman friend likes to have ‘peace in the air’ when we meet.”

A beat, before Jhira glanced at the angry Shai.

“They are very wary of the Dark Side. Anger, fear. I didn’t follow all of it, Master Sol’yan. But if there is a dark-sider here, somewhere, they will know. And we have to remove it.”

The story of the lost Knight turned into the enemy was deeply, deeply disturbing. But Omen’s amused whisper in her ear won a laugh from Jhira, if only because she was absolutely serious. It was always, always better to have the Force Users deal with each other. She let him retreat in peace, knowing how unstable the situation was. Her mind shied away from ‘unsafe,’ but the specter was there.

Had she made a mistake, trusting this Silver Concord Jedi? Would hate and fear cost her friends here dearly? It did not look good, to have so much hostility from the only Concord Mando here.

The Knight handled Silver’s outburst with gentle grace, a second good impression of these Silver Knights that had so captivated a fellow Mandalorian that she’d not even greeted Omen. after Silver spoke, Jhira stepped forward.

“I’m Capitan Jhira Mereel.”“I believe the plan is to meet up with my contact here, and get some intel and directions.” Indicating Shai with a nod, she continued

“Shai may know more of the force estimates.”

The correct response to ‘bring me one alive,’ was always, ‘that will cost more.’ But as she wasn’t being paid, it left her with a moment or two of thinking to do.

“I have no problem bringing you a prisoner, but I won’t let anyone on our side get killed trying to do it. Does that work for you?”

Shai’s outburst was just that … an angry, hurting Vod defending her friend, even as Omen had been. Jhira was attentive - it was stupid not to pay attention when her kin were angry! But she neither got angry back, nor misunderstood.

It was the SITH who were dirty karking savages. So she speared Silver with a glance, and ordered, “Answer your squad leader’s question. We do not take a contract, and back out because someone is angry. And we never, ever condemn someone for loyalty.”

Proud, young, hurt, Silver froze, then turned to face Shai. “I have coordinates. We’ve a rendezvous planned. I’m just picking up some healing supplies and Nexu, for Mandalore.”

Jhira nodded approval, then reverted to Mando’a to speak with Shai. “For my part, you may kill all of them you find, the faster the better.” Jhira angled her head, indicating the two Jedi and their invisible Wookies. “They seem to want the leader alive; you’ll have to take that part up with your friends.”

 

[Sol'yan]

TAG: Jhira Mereel Silver Solus Shai Maji Sergeant Omen Finley Dawson

Shai's outburst was greatly appreciated - so much so, that Sol'yan had to stifle a grin. He did not expect to be defended by one of this group, but it was appreciated nonetheless. Following that, the armored trooper's explanation of the Bryn'adul he had rescued did little to put Sol'yan at ease - could a Jedi really be forcibly transformed into one of those... abominations? Rather than a fight, Sol'yan owed this trooper a citation from the Council for his service to one of their own. In fact, he made a mental note to make the recommendation at his next opportunity. He had to give credit to the follow-up question asked by Finley as well. If they could find a way to combat this nefarious process, it would go a long way to stamp the spread of the Bryn'adul in the long run. Before Sol'yan could direct his full attention to Jhira's response to his question, Silver spoke and inquired about a hug. The Jedi paused for a moment.

Perhaps it was due to him being accustomed to isolation, or yet still overt (or underlying) hostility from those he met, but he was not accustomed to receiving... 'hugs.' That said, he did not have it within himself to deny the girl her request. He knelt down once again, and stretched his arms out, allowing the young girl to nearly tackle him to the ground with the vigor of her embrace. He let out a slight 'ummph!' as her body met his, followed by an uncharacteristically hearty chuckle. His massive hand patted the girl on her back, and he gave her a gentle squeeze with his arms before releasing her. "We can talk as much or as little as you want, young one. Just be sure you don't drive me into the ground the next time you have the urge for a hug." His hands held hers, and he gave her a wink as he shook them slightly. After the brief moment, he rose up again and faced the Mandalorian woman before him again, this time giving her his undivided attention as she explained the path set before them. The reference that Silver herself would be able to partake in this ritual with the natives was impressive, and he could sense her small (but not insignificant) presence within the force. He knew she was someone special, and not just because of her innocent disposition. The idea that it would be ripped away from her by the Mandalorian culture saddened him slightly. Hopefully he would never have to defend himself from her in the future.

At the mention of a potential Sith presence, Sol'yan finally spoke again, as if in agreement with Jhira's final statement: "We will remove the Sith presence. While I agree with Knight Dawson's summary of our mission parameters, rest assured that we will not compromise the safety of the team in an effort to bring a criminal in alive. One way or the other, the taint will be removed." Sol'yan gave a nod to Finley as he spoke. He disliked correcting or amending the statement of another Jedi, but more was at stake here than merely fulfilling the will of the Council. If they could not win the trust of these men and women, they might as well part company now and go at it alone. "And whoever goes in first is irrelevant to me, provided we all make it out alive." Sol'yan may not have been the officer in charge of this mission, but a leader was not merely the one whose name was printed on a piece of paper.

"I am ready to proceed, if everyone else is."

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen replied to the Knight with a voice that said no as he whittled his little figurine. "Do you really think I would let you harass her? She is just coming out of a trauma-filled stage of her life. If I let you interview her, how much will it disturb her progress from a man-eating alien to someone who is in control of herself? Maybe later on but not now..."

The Trooper just nodded along as the various squad members hollered and exchanged words with each other about respecting the Jedi, talking with the natives and claiming the Sith in the factory as their first kill. The words just passed in and out of his ear as he focused on his whittling. He knew talking would just get him into more trouble so he just sat, waited, and whittled. When they were ready to go do whatever task, he would be ready.

Jhira Mereel Silver Solus Shai Maji Finley Dawson Sol'yan