The Rangers and Jedi trudged along following Ranger Vindon. It was no easy environment to navigate but the newest Ranger was doing a fine job of finding the best paths through. It was honestly a bit hard for Varn to keep pace sometimes as he’d have to pause and readjust the harness holding the buoy. His dark eyes continued to watch the environment, spotting flying creatures, big and small, and many reptiles scurrying or slithering their way around trees. So far none had proved to be hostile and the Ranger Captain could only hope that they’d stay that way.
Vindon’s voice broke into Varn’s mental processing as the young Ranger called out for the Dashade to come over. Varn marched forward to join Adar and Kilt only to be surprised by the fact that Kilt was not exaggerating. The foot prints were definitely that of a humanoid, and relatively recent since the mud hadn’t reclaimed them. “This complicates things,” Varn’s gravely voice responded.
Srid quickly joined the trio at the front. “What do you make of this Srid, how long has it been since the Alliance abandoned this post?”
“Years, there’s no way that’s left by someone of the Alliance, and it shouldn’t be any of ours, we’re about an hour out from any of the other teams.” The Twi’lek quickly spoke, a tinge of worry in his usually calm voice.
“Alright, then we have potential third party involvement here,” Varn finally spoke up after a few moments of staring at the boot prints. “Means we move extra cautiously but our objective is still the same.” He took a deep breath before rising up. “Don’t shoot unless fired upon, we still have another thirty minutes till we probably hit the outpost.”
The Dashade nodded to Kilt to keep leading the way and the squad set off again. Varn’s head on a swivel, even more alert then before.
Fifteen minutes later.
Varn rushed forward, the buoy on his back almost causing him to fall over. In a bit of a stumble he put a hand on Kilt’s shoulder and gave him a hand signal to stop and remain quiet.
“You really think someone is out here,” a voice from across a watery patch and through some trees could be heard speaking.
“Taniks picked up something crashing out here on the scanners and you know how paranoid the boss is,” a second voice replied. “Better check things out either way if ya want to keep your portion of the pot.”
“Bantha spit, it was probably a meteor, not that we could tell with all this blasted fog!”
“Would you shut up, your whining isn’t going to make this trip any faster.” The two voice began to trail off but they were heading in the direction of the pod crash zone.
“Looks like we have some answers,” Varn quietly spoke after he felt that the unknown individuals were a safer distance away.
Swamps Reclamation (Adar)
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Varn Badaash
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Adar Bolner
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Re: Swamps Reclamation (Adar)
Both Adar and Kilt watched quietly as the two humans spoke and then went pass them. Once Varn spoke, they knew it was clear to speak again.
"Sounded like pirates. Hopefully it is just a small band, we don't have the numbers to take on an entire cell."
"But what could they possibly find here, in Dagobah? Except... the Alliance base. There must be weapons and computer hardware that were left behind. Possibly even classified info. This ain't good."
Adar once again tried to tap into the Force, to sense if there were anyone else besides those two around them, but he picked up nothing. He was getting a little bit frustrated, but he kept his cool. He need to be calm. It was easy to get stressed because of a mission going from reckon and rebuild to secure and eliminate the threats, but he was better than that. He had been training for months now. And he wasn't alone. He had his faith in the Force, but he also had his trust on his team.
Kilt checked his weapons. Made sure they were ready to fire. They were not spotted for now, but next time things could go loud. He double checked that things were clear and stood up and begun to move. "I suggest we move. Don't want them coming back and finding us. Not to mention we are still far from the objective."
"Sounded like pirates. Hopefully it is just a small band, we don't have the numbers to take on an entire cell."
"But what could they possibly find here, in Dagobah? Except... the Alliance base. There must be weapons and computer hardware that were left behind. Possibly even classified info. This ain't good."
Adar once again tried to tap into the Force, to sense if there were anyone else besides those two around them, but he picked up nothing. He was getting a little bit frustrated, but he kept his cool. He need to be calm. It was easy to get stressed because of a mission going from reckon and rebuild to secure and eliminate the threats, but he was better than that. He had been training for months now. And he wasn't alone. He had his faith in the Force, but he also had his trust on his team.
Kilt checked his weapons. Made sure they were ready to fire. They were not spotted for now, but next time things could go loud. He double checked that things were clear and stood up and begun to move. "I suggest we move. Don't want them coming back and finding us. Not to mention we are still far from the objective."
"The universe is infinitely complex, but my purpose is clear."
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Varn Badaash
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Re: Swamps Reclamation (Adar)
Varn gave a nod, it was true they didn’t have the numbers to take a large cell of pirates, even if the Rangers had better training. This mission had just flipped from recon and staging to a full fledge clear and secure operation. The Ranger Captain was not pleased with the this change but he had to adapt, his team and potential the other teams were counting on him making the right calls.
“Alright, we’re still fifteen to twenty minutes out from the outpost,” Varn began as he stood up. “Patrols are likely so we need to be extra vigilant, Srid, join Kilt at the front, Adar you stay in the middle and let us know if you feel anything, I’ll hold the rear and keep an eye out for any potential returning patrols.” Varn’s stance had notably changed he was a beast of the hunt and he was now in his element.
As they moved the Dashade’s Prax rifle was on a heavy swivel, checking around trees, watching the teams backs, anyone who dared try to oppose his charges would find themselves on the messy end of his rifle. Luckily for everyone though the next twenty minutes went by without danger, no more patrols were spotted and soon Srid spotted the exterior wall of the old outpost. They stopped and Varn slowly approached doing one last sweep of the surroundings.
The wall was roughly three and a half meters tall and very overground with local fauna. Varn’s dark eyes looked it over till he spotted a watchtower at the eastern corner. “There, movements,” Varn gravelly voice spoke as softly as it could. “One on the watch tower, Srid what intel do we have on this base?”
The Twi’lek sat low and quietly grabbed a stick to draw in the muddy ground. “There should be a tower on each corner of the post, the gates are located on the eastern and western sides,” he quietly informed the group as he roughly drew it out. “The old landing zone is out the west gate, in the center of the walls there is the main multistory command center.” The command center could just barely be seen from their position. “It’s got three stories above ground as well as three below. The barracks is in the north eastern corner while the mess hall is directly across in the south east corner. Two warehouses were built on the opposite two corners. Several small office buildings probably still exist in between. We can’t say how intact any of these structures still are as the swamps of Dagobah are well known for reclaiming there land.”
Varn looked at the crude map in the mud before glancing at the walls again. “If we are assuming these are pirates of some stripes then they probably have a ship or two in the landing zone and that’s likely where their most congregated.” The Captain didn’t like this, they had no idea the enemies numbers or how well equipped they were. “Our best bet is to sneak in and get a lay of the grounds before we begin any assault, the way I see it we can either try the eastern gate hoping that it is less secure or attempting to scale these overgrown walls.”
His dark eyes returning to his squad, he knew from his time under Alim that it was always best to get the input from his mates before making the final call on a strategy.
“I’d like to at least get one of us in that tower before we go live,” Srid added. “You know high ground and all.” The Twi’lek gave a sly smile.
“Alright, we’re still fifteen to twenty minutes out from the outpost,” Varn began as he stood up. “Patrols are likely so we need to be extra vigilant, Srid, join Kilt at the front, Adar you stay in the middle and let us know if you feel anything, I’ll hold the rear and keep an eye out for any potential returning patrols.” Varn’s stance had notably changed he was a beast of the hunt and he was now in his element.
As they moved the Dashade’s Prax rifle was on a heavy swivel, checking around trees, watching the teams backs, anyone who dared try to oppose his charges would find themselves on the messy end of his rifle. Luckily for everyone though the next twenty minutes went by without danger, no more patrols were spotted and soon Srid spotted the exterior wall of the old outpost. They stopped and Varn slowly approached doing one last sweep of the surroundings.
The wall was roughly three and a half meters tall and very overground with local fauna. Varn’s dark eyes looked it over till he spotted a watchtower at the eastern corner. “There, movements,” Varn gravelly voice spoke as softly as it could. “One on the watch tower, Srid what intel do we have on this base?”
The Twi’lek sat low and quietly grabbed a stick to draw in the muddy ground. “There should be a tower on each corner of the post, the gates are located on the eastern and western sides,” he quietly informed the group as he roughly drew it out. “The old landing zone is out the west gate, in the center of the walls there is the main multistory command center.” The command center could just barely be seen from their position. “It’s got three stories above ground as well as three below. The barracks is in the north eastern corner while the mess hall is directly across in the south east corner. Two warehouses were built on the opposite two corners. Several small office buildings probably still exist in between. We can’t say how intact any of these structures still are as the swamps of Dagobah are well known for reclaiming there land.”
Varn looked at the crude map in the mud before glancing at the walls again. “If we are assuming these are pirates of some stripes then they probably have a ship or two in the landing zone and that’s likely where their most congregated.” The Captain didn’t like this, they had no idea the enemies numbers or how well equipped they were. “Our best bet is to sneak in and get a lay of the grounds before we begin any assault, the way I see it we can either try the eastern gate hoping that it is less secure or attempting to scale these overgrown walls.”
His dark eyes returning to his squad, he knew from his time under Alim that it was always best to get the input from his mates before making the final call on a strategy.
“I’d like to at least get one of us in that tower before we go live,” Srid added. “You know high ground and all.” The Twi’lek gave a sly smile.
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Adar Bolner
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Re: Swamps Reclamation (Adar)
As they moved, Adar held his vibroblade on one hand and his blaster on the other. That way he was ready for anything. At the same time he was looking through the Force, hoping to spot some unnatural presence. He did his best, but the swamps of Dagobah only allowed him to sense only his immediate surroundings. Still, that was better than nothing. The trek towards the outpost proved to be safer than any of them thought, and the managed to reach its walls.
Adar paid close attention to the map drawn out by Srid. He did not hear anything else, as he went into a deep focus, trying to get a feel of the base through the Force. He asked the Force to guide him, hoping that it would hear him amongst the abundance of life. He was close enough to get useful but rough intel, and... something else. He could feel an unnatural presence in the Force, somewhere in the outpost. He did not know what to make of it at the time, so he did not relay any of it to the others.
"Captain Varn, I asked the Force for aid, and finally were able to sense something other than plants. There were a lot of lifeforms where the barracks should be, as well as in the command center. If I can sense them, there must be a lot of them. There are also some in the west side of the base, though these are not as strong. It could be due to them moving."
Kilt immediately spoke out. It was one thing to let them know if some patrol was closeby, and another to give intel that shouldn't even be possible for the best spies. He had been a scout several times, and at most he could note the patrol routes of the guards.
"Yeah, not to doubt your abilities or the Force, but it would be better to check it out ourselves."
"You say that Kilt, and yet I sense a lot of doubt in you. Even some... fear? I trust and thank the Force for giving me this blessing, to able to see the world in a different yet familiar way. And for what it is worth, I know that what I felt was true."
Ranger Kilt did not say anything. He was a bit ashamed, but he turned towards his Captain. "Well Captain, shall we wait for Ranger Srid to get up on that tower? That should give us a clear view to confirm what Adar said."
Adar paid close attention to the map drawn out by Srid. He did not hear anything else, as he went into a deep focus, trying to get a feel of the base through the Force. He asked the Force to guide him, hoping that it would hear him amongst the abundance of life. He was close enough to get useful but rough intel, and... something else. He could feel an unnatural presence in the Force, somewhere in the outpost. He did not know what to make of it at the time, so he did not relay any of it to the others.
"Captain Varn, I asked the Force for aid, and finally were able to sense something other than plants. There were a lot of lifeforms where the barracks should be, as well as in the command center. If I can sense them, there must be a lot of them. There are also some in the west side of the base, though these are not as strong. It could be due to them moving."
Kilt immediately spoke out. It was one thing to let them know if some patrol was closeby, and another to give intel that shouldn't even be possible for the best spies. He had been a scout several times, and at most he could note the patrol routes of the guards.
"Yeah, not to doubt your abilities or the Force, but it would be better to check it out ourselves."
"You say that Kilt, and yet I sense a lot of doubt in you. Even some... fear? I trust and thank the Force for giving me this blessing, to able to see the world in a different yet familiar way. And for what it is worth, I know that what I felt was true."
Ranger Kilt did not say anything. He was a bit ashamed, but he turned towards his Captain. "Well Captain, shall we wait for Ranger Srid to get up on that tower? That should give us a clear view to confirm what Adar said."
"The universe is infinitely complex, but my purpose is clear."
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Varn Badaash
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Re: Swamps Reclamation (Adar)
A single nod gave Srid the go ahead and the Twi’lek dashed off to scale the tower and eliminate the guard. The Dashade’s dark eyes returned to Adar and Kilt, as they shared their thoughts. Varn stopped himself from shaking his head at their jabs at each other, wether they were intentional or not. A Jedi and their Ranger companion had to have the utmost trust in one another, a Ranger kept a Jedi grounded and brought a perspective that they wouldn’t or even couldn’t see. The Ranger in turn had to trust the feelings and connections the Jedi had, understanding that the Jedi could feel things that no one else could ever know.
For Varn the later part was always tough, while in Kilts case the young Ranger could still be susceptible to movements in the Force, feeling it’s flow even if he could never identify it or truly understand it. For the Dashade, the force was a myth, an intangible ghost to his people, the only reason he knew it was there was because he’d seen these force users do incredible feats, feats Varn would plain and simply never be able to accomplish.
For now Varn wouldn’t comment on the duos response to each other, it wasn’t the time or place. They were also still young in their roles, the Captain would merely write it in his report, if a Jedi or higher ranked ranger wanted to talk to them about the importance of their relationship then they could.
“We will give Srid his time and have our answers soon enough,” Varn’s gravelly voice replied.
Sure enough the trio received a signal from the watchtower, a flashing of a small light in a unique pattern. “Coast is clear, let’s move up to the wall.”
The nav buoy was slowly lowered to the ground behind some underbrush before Varn dashed to the exterior wall and scurried towards the tower. Once there Srid sent them another signal to join him at the top. The Dashade nodded and turned his back to the wall and got into a slight squat before silently signaling both Adar and Kilt that he’d boost them up before following.
For Varn the later part was always tough, while in Kilts case the young Ranger could still be susceptible to movements in the Force, feeling it’s flow even if he could never identify it or truly understand it. For the Dashade, the force was a myth, an intangible ghost to his people, the only reason he knew it was there was because he’d seen these force users do incredible feats, feats Varn would plain and simply never be able to accomplish.
For now Varn wouldn’t comment on the duos response to each other, it wasn’t the time or place. They were also still young in their roles, the Captain would merely write it in his report, if a Jedi or higher ranked ranger wanted to talk to them about the importance of their relationship then they could.
“We will give Srid his time and have our answers soon enough,” Varn’s gravelly voice replied.
Sure enough the trio received a signal from the watchtower, a flashing of a small light in a unique pattern. “Coast is clear, let’s move up to the wall.”
The nav buoy was slowly lowered to the ground behind some underbrush before Varn dashed to the exterior wall and scurried towards the tower. Once there Srid sent them another signal to join him at the top. The Dashade nodded and turned his back to the wall and got into a slight squat before silently signaling both Adar and Kilt that he’d boost them up before following.