Fandom Star Wars: An Old Republic Story

[Skyrte]

Venn Vorale
​

Venn watched as the Jedi Master moved to Cadance's door, trying to wake her up like a stern parent, which brought a small smile to Venns face. Which quickly went away once Delrick came back out with an upset face, and his hand over his saber. Venn got the idea, slid his helmet back on while Delrick instructed him to search the rooftops, and then with a familiar earsplitting crack and jolting, Venn found himself on his back with the wind knocked out of him. He blinked, coughed, and checked himself over. He had his legs, arms, all his toes and fingers, and nothing was sticking out of him. Good enough. "Status!" He shouted, as he rolled over onto his knees and hands to get up, normally when he was this close to an explosion the rest of his team would shout back information. But that was admittedly years ago. He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind and looked over to Delrick, who was on the floor laying still. Venn scrambled to the Jedi.

"You better not be dead, you can't imagine the paperwork." Venn muttered as he took the Jedi's pulse and breath, alive and breathing, good. Then maneuvered the Jedi's body into the recovery position, and reached over to his back, where his Lifesaver's Kit would be, but finding nothing. Of course it wouldn't be there, he didn't bring a combat loadout. He looked over the Jedi's belt, finding no Individual First-Aid Kit, and of course the Jedi wouldn't have an IFAK. Venn reached to the side of his belt and took out his own IFAK, unsealing the large bottle sized kit, he took out the bacta patch and set it aside, pulling aside Delrick's robes to apply it onto his chest. Being that close to an explosion messed with the organs and ears, so placing the patch near the heart was a good way to get bacta going throughout the entire body. Venn was about to apply the patch, only stopping when he noticed discoloration around Delrick's shoulder. He moved more of the Jedi's robes aside and noticed a nasty red mark over his shoulder blade. Venn looked at the doorway, missing its door, and then he looked to the opposite end of the room, seeing the door laying a ways away, with Delrick in the middle. Venn applied the bacta patch there on his back instead.

"Senator!" Venn shouted, fixing Delrick's robes. Again, no response, Venn frowned and jogged over to his door, which was blasted open, the hinges holding on but just barely. He peered into the room and grimaced at the sight. No coming back from that. The trooper opened a secure channel to the Consular Class Light Cruiser, that had brought them here, "Go on alert status, we just got hit with a bomb. Senator's pasted. Jedi Delrick is unconscious, Padawan Cadance is missing. I'll try and drag Delrick back to the ship."
Venn then jogged back to Delrick and lifted the Jedi onto his back with a fireman carry, thinking up of ways to get the unconscious man back to their ship that didn't involve running the whole way there.

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Existence was a peaceful black void.

There was nothingness.

No sound.

No feeling.

Nothing.

Then in the far distance a tiny pinprick of light appeared, and with it a sensation. Sound. A low, muted tone. Both the light and sound growing. Slowly growing.

The light not filling the void, but now with shades of grey, bright white and darkness. The sound was oscillating, rapidly and then nothing, except an omnipresent high pitch tone.

The light came into focus then became blurry then focused again. White plastoid moving towards and away in short bounces. A muffled voice? Voices?

Now a new sensation.

Pain! Sharp, hot, radiating pain! Starting in the shoulder then moving down his ribs and back. His head felt like it was being beaten by an ewok at a celebration!

"Daaank Faarrik..." Came the soft and slow and slightly slurred mumble from the Jedi Master. His vision slowly came into blurry focus. Groaning softly he reached out to tap Venn on his left hip, but a sharp jolt stopped him, eliciting a quick intake of breath followed by an expletive no one would expect to hear a Jedi cry out; Somewhere there was a sailor blushing for no good reason with their spine tingling as Delrick cried out.

By this time Venn would most likely have made it to the lobby and into the mass confusion and panic the always accompanied explosions. Civilians, peace keepers, medical staff and military all mixed and mingled. Dashing and darting around each other, yelling to be heard and to try and bring order to the chaos.

Dust and debris filled the air and littered the ground. The street in front of the hotel was a mess of speeders, some toppled, others crushed, and most working but stuck in a gridlock. One could almost cross the street without setting foot on it. Emergency transport has gotten as close as they could but were still a few hundred meters away due to the blockage of other speeders and debris.

-------------------------------------

As the sound and echos subsided, chunks of concrete falling to the street and onto speeders, two individuals looked less disturbed or worried by all the destruction that just rocked the calm early morning.

Across the street, Chuka calmly stood, donning his helmet and looking around. No one was paying them any attention, at least none of the citizenry or locals were. "I'll head back to the ship and check on the acquisition," His left hand held a small container. "Make sure she eats. You stay here and deal with any pursuit or questions." He also knew she would want to see the aftermath of her explosions.

This was not out of any concern for his or her ability to deal with any hostile situations, but to help keep a lower profile and draw attention away from them both. No need to have anyone looking for and making connections to a lost Jedi and two Mandalorians. One would do. "I'll meet up with you at the hanger."

The older Hunter have a small nod and stepped into the throng of chaos, generally moving towards the lobby like a tourist to a show. Once he made it to the front of the damaged hotel, he shook his helmet head and activated his jet pack and flew off towards the spaceport.

Within a few minutes he was walking up the ramp of Helia's ship and soon found the Padawan still secure in the bunk. "Morning." His voice sounding a bit robotic through the modulated speaker of his helmet. "I brought you something to eat." Holding up the small container, with a couple of pastries and a thermos of Caf.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Cadence had been asleep when the Mandalorian returned. She spent a good chunk of the night struggling to break free of her bonds until eventually she tired herself out. Her sleep was anything but restful, however. Her dreams were filled with images of faceless figures shrouded in darkness. They said nothing to her, but she could feel their malice. A cold terror swept through her body, sending a shiver down her spine. She tossed and turned throughout the night, somewhat awkwardly due to being bound to the bed. That morning when Chuka called out to her she awoke with a start. grimacing a bit from a sudden, sharp pain in her wrists. She tilted her head up to look, suddenly remembering that she was still bound to the bed.

"I brought you something to eat," the man said while holding up a small container and a thermos.

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Oh look, breakfast in bed. Five stars."

She pulled on her bonds again, rattling them against the bed frame in a vain attempt to break free. After a few quick tugs she let out an explosive sigh. "Why am I even here? What do you want with me?"

 

[Skyrte]

Venn Vorale​

Venn was already out the suite door and headed to the turbolift when he heard a mutter, then a loud swear from the Jedi. Venn looked over in surprise, and stopped to rummage through his IFAK to grab one of his two disposable painkilling autoinjectors. He popped off the clear cap with a thumb, then jabbed the pen into Delrick's thigh. Then Venn continued to the lift,
"Didn't know you knew that word. I've just given you a pen of painkillers, focus on yourself," Venn instructed, knowing that Jedi could use the Force to aid in their own healing, "There was an explosion, Senator got taken out, you took a flying door to the back." The door to the lift opened and Venn pulled out his blaster pistol, firing a few shots into a ceiling panel, throwing it up. He looked through the hole, stepping to the side to get a better look at the turbolift mechanism. It was thankfully magnetic, or railed, as long as the telltale sign of rope cables weren't there. He'd seen too many holovids and heard too many horror stories for that, and he was fully prepared to haul Delrick down a few dozen flights of stairs to avoid falling to his death in an elevator box. As Venn holstered his pistol and smacked the button to go to the ground floor, he commented again, "The door won by the way, don't worry though I'm sure you'll get it next time."

Venn watched the elevator go down, then stop, pick up a few hotel guests, then go, stop again, picking up more hotel guests. Some saw the fully armored trooper carrying the wounded man and opted for the next lift, to which Venn was eternally grateful. As soon as his lift touched the ground floor though, the others in the lift swarmed out in their panic. Venn however walked out fairly calmly scanning the lobby for medical staff, he spotted a pair with medical bags, and walked over to a vacant chair, setting Delrick down as gently as possible onto the chair. Venn marched over to the pair of medics and got their attention, bringing them to Delrick. The trooper gave the medics a rundown of Delrick's injuries.

As he watched the medics do their work, Venn squinted. They were right under the Imperials, so no way they planted those bombs. If they collapsed the building they would have been caught in the rubble too, and being just a floor above, they would have definitely been rattled hard by it. They could have all gone to the roof and gotten an extraction from a ship, but to his recollection, Venn didn't see or hear any large sized dropships earlier this morning. If they did it during the night... Cadence went missing during the night... He looked around the lobby, searching for any Imperials. He muttered a curse under his breath, this was all getting pretty complicated.

 

[GhostieGao]

Helia nodded and finished her drink. The chaos was exciting, though she felt a little bad about civilians screaming. Many had their mobile devices out and were filming as emergency services raced to the scene and hotel staff evacuated everyone inside. She didn't think anyone would notice her, let alone ask questions, but she watched the scene regardless. She'd meet Chuka at the hanger, once everything calmed down.

---

Imperial soldiers busied themselves gathering their wounded (there were only a few) and evacuating the late diplomat's staff. Bokden still stood in shock, which, admittedly, seemed to clear him from immediate suspicion. Ciel was protected from the main danger of smoke inhalation with her mask, but the heat still singed her skin, stung her eyes, as she investigated the wreckage. She felt the floor would likely give way eventually, especially as the flames licked at metal and concrete. It was possible this place would fall with her inside it. Well, if that happened, so be it. It was just one story she'd fall. Right? Then again, even the greatest warrior would die with a blow to the right part of the skull. She needed to find evidence of what happened and get out.

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

Chuka shook his helmeted head as the Padawan dramatically struggled at the bonds holding her to the bunk. He moved closer, setting the food and drink on deck near the bunk. "Credits." He spoke the word matter of factly, as if that would explain everything, and answer both her questions.

Deftly unhooking her feet from bunk. "Don't fight or try to escape." Looking into her eyes through his faceplate, if she tried to meet his eyes, she would see her own reflection. Her eyes would line up on the T-visor as if it were her under the helmet. "Just eat." Holding up the food and drink so she could grab them with her still cuffed hands. Stepping back and leaned against the bulkhead, giving the young Padawan more then enough room to eat, in fact if she tried she would have enough room to try and make it to the hatch. The only obstacle was the Mandalorian a couple of arms lengths from it.

-----------------------------------

Delrick relaxed as the pain killer worked quickly through his system. "You'd be surprised what you learn from after enough time on a Navy ship." Slowly nodding as he listened to the update on what happened, getting as comfortable and relaxing as much as he could over the armored shoulder. Closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing and letting Venn deal with the other guests as he let the Force swell and flow through his soar and abused body, speeding up the healing process.

The Jedi Jedi Master had always been grateful for the Troopers of the Republic, but he was especially grateful for their training and thorough thoughtful actions in a crisis. As he sat with medics, letting them attend to and work on his as best they could, Delrick reached for his connection with Cadence. Trying to get a sense of her wellbeing and state. He knew she was alive, if she were not he would have felt an emptiness. He sent out a sense of calmness and confidence to Cadence.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Chuka set the food down near her then stepped away, giving her space enough to eat. Rather than sit up, however, she simply laid back while staring up at the ceiling. This felt all too familiar to her. Huddled in a corner crying while Varlo stood over her, urging her to eat. Even forcing her, if it came to that. It almost always came to that.

"Credits," she huffed, "Yea, I guess that makes sense."

The sale of a Jedi Padawan was bound to drum up a lot of business. Chuka could probably shop her around to any number of buyers out there just itching to get their hands on her. Some less figurative than others. Those types of markets exist too, of course. Whatever the customer she could look forward to either a swift execution or a future of being force-fed daily by an owner desperate for her "talents". For her, that first possibility was infinitely more preferable than the latter.

She tilted her head slightly, eyeing the food with distaste. It smelled decent enough and she had to admit she was feeling hungry. Still... Should I eat it this time? Be the good little girl Varlo always wanted me to be? Just the thought of doing that turned her stomach. She grumbled, old habits...

At last, she tore her eyes away from the meal container set before her. Turning her head so the Mandalorian could no longer see her face. When she spoke again there was a strange sort of tone to her voice. Desperation, perhaps? No, it sounded more like resignation. "Look, do me a favor and just kill me, please. I'd rather not go through this again."

 

[Skyrte]

Venn Vorale​

He spent a few moments more searching for any sign of any Imperials, but didn't find any sign of them, no jet black armor or dark robes in sight. He sighed heavily, it didn't add up, that Sith was downright pleasant compared to the other Sith he'd seen before, and it seemed like she shared the same sentiment as he did regarding this mission. Just some babysitting mission that should have been easy, simple, and basically a vacation to Makem Te for a week or two. Could this have been done without her knowing? There were two, after all, and that squad of Imperial troopers, Imperial Agents in disguise? Venn grumbled, he hated subterfuge and the whole cloak and dagger thing. He turned back to Delrick, who now had an injection of Bacta in his arm. Venn gave a nod to the medics in thanks, a Bacta injection would help speed along the healing much quicker than the patch.

He approached the now resting Jedi and took a knee in front of him, lowering himself to the level of the sitting Delrick. He waited until Delrick acknowledged him, then he spoke up. "So what's our next move? I will admit after that explosion my priority was getting us out of there, I didn't want a second explosion taking us out up there... and I don't see any Imps or Sith around the lobby. If they were hit by a blast too and there were survivors, I would have expected them to be down here already." Venn took a look over his shoulder at the crowds, still not seeing or hearing any Sith or Imperials, and he shook his head.

 

[Grim Wraithe Stjerna]

The Mandalorian tilted his helmeted head slightly as the Padawan did not eat and seemed to be utterly defeated. This was not the usual attitude or behavior he had encountered in other Jedi and Sith before. Ture she was a Padawan Learner and therefore was not as experienced as her Master, but he had expected a bit more fight left in her.

"Look, do me a favor and just kill me, please. I'd rather not go through this again." The resignation in her voice brought a flash of anger to the older hunter.

"You're no good to me dead." Kicking off the bulkhead, taking a step towards her, pulling a chair from the lone table in the cramped bunk room. Sitting in it with the back facing forward. "You Master has failed you in his instruction if you are giving up so easily." Tapping the back of the chair with one finger slowly. "You are worth a lot of credits, however, you are worth more then that if you can manage to crawl out of your self indulgent pity," Looking into her eyes once more. "Aren't Jedi supposed give up individual attachments in order to focus entirely on greater concerns." Under his helmet one eyebrow was raised, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of the young girl.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Delrick thanked the medics as they finished ministering to him, he was already feeling much better, and knew that with a lengthy mediation session he would be healed fully. But even without the focused meditation he was well enough to stand, walk, run, and if needed, fight.

The Jedi Master nodded to Venn as he got to his eye level. Listening to the trooper's thoughts and observations. "If this were a battlefield we would be evacing and regrouping." Shifting to sit on the edge of the reclined med chair with a soft grunt, he reached out to Venn's shoulder to help stabilize himself as he stood. "But this is not and so we are not. I do not suspect the Empire was behind this, we would not have made it off the floor if they had been. And if they were caught in a blast of their own, I suspect their political leader was the target as our own Senator was." Looking around and generally motioning to the lobby exit. "We should investigate what happened. Cadence, would you..." Delrick stopped himself, recalling that she was also missing. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly at the thought of her being missing. "I should look into her disappearance as well." Adding in a softer tone, one that could be deciphered as care and concern.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Wait, you're lecturing me now," Cadence asked, finally sitting up and giving him an incredulous look. "What exactly do you know about anything?"

She stood, her face wracked with all the pain and the rage she kept bottled up inside. "Come on, tell me. What's your sob story," she demanded, moving closer to him with slow, deliberate steps. "Did you lose your family to war? Were you exploited for your power? Forced to hurt people against your will? Then shipped off to the farthest reaches of the galaxy because a bunch of fuddy-duddies in big chairs decided you were too dangerous?"

As she spoke Chuka could hear a loud groan, the sound of durasteel being pressed to its limits. The ship shook violently and anything that wasn't nailed down tumbled off every surface in the room. When the caffeinated beverage fell, spilling its contents all over the floor, Cadence's anger finally subsided. The ship stopped its trembling and all had seemingly returned to normal. Aside from the mess the padawan's tantrum had left on the floor, that is. She stared down at the puddle at her feet, looking as though she lamented never having the opportunity to enjoy the drink.

Despite her outburst Chuka was right. Her master would be disappointed in her for giving up so easily. He wants me to put up a fight then fine. Her hands were still bound, of course, which was troublesome. Escaping this situation would be much simpler if she had access to her powers. Without them, she would just have to rely on her agility. Not ideal, but maybe she could still make it work. There wasn't a lot of space to maneuver in the cramped quarters, but her frame was small, giving her an advantage over the larger Mandalorian.

She turned her back to him and for a moment it looked like she was intent on returning to the bed. Then suddenly she whipped around, charging straight at him. There was a loud smack that echoed throughout the room after the chair Chuka occupied had toppled forward. Cadence was quick to react, first ducking to the right before bounding off her foot and darting left. Using the bulkhead for leverage she rebounded off the wall then dove over the table. Her momentum carried her forward into a roll and in an instant she was back on her feet again running for the hatch...

 

[Skyrte]

Venn Vorale​

Venn nodded at the Delricks assessment in agreement, it had to be the diplomats who were the targets, not the Republic group as a whole. If the bombers were Imperial and they wanted them dead, well they planted one bomb already, a second or a third would have been simple. With Delrick now standing, having used Venn's shoulder to keep him steady, Venn followed suit and got back onto his feet. Once Delrick remembered that Cadence was missing, Venn glanced around, not seeing the Padawan anywhere. What was keeping her? An explosion surely would have brought her running right back. He furrowed his brow.
"Delrick, can't Jedi track people through the Force? Locationally?" He asked, remembering the Jedi who had helped them search for survivors after a battle, those Jedi must have been specialists but it was worth a shot, "If she was just out early grabbing a caf she would be here already after hearing that blast, something, or someone must be keeping her."

 

[GhostieGao]

The Imperial soldiers exited the building shortly after the Republic did, carrying their injured. Only one Sith was with them, the togruta. They didn't seem to take much notice of the Republic troops or the Jedi, too self-involved.

Ciel was a moment behind the rest, pale skin stained with grime and smoke. She clutched a bit of metal and she looked over the crowd, but didn't see anything she was looking for. Anger bubbled in her chest but she did not release it. Furthering hurt at the moment would make little to no sense. She was after whoever bombed the hotel, not the Republic, not the Jedi. Glancing at the emblem on the scrap, she frowned and tucked it away. There was more investigation to be done, but she didn't think Jedi dealt with Hutts. Besides, the majority of people in the crowd were in shock or more excited to see something strange. The troopers on both sides felt more shock than anything that she could tell. The Jedi seemed... concerned?

Wait, where was the padawan? She narrowed her eyes and scanned the crowd, but couldn't see any hint of the padawan.