Star Wars: Jedi Campaign

[<imaginative username here>]

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With a lurch that Verran could never quite get used to, the swirling azure vortex was abruptly replaced with the inky blackness of realspace, and the shuttle slowed to a drift.

"We have arrived at Planet Shili, Battlemaster Verran." LT-427 turned the copper dome of his head toward the Jedi. Probably not knowing much more than how to curse and ask for directions to the spaceport in Togrutese had made bringing along a protocol droid necessaary.

"I have uplinked myself to the Corvala spaceport docking computer, requested a landing permit and organised a guide to the edge of the Naar Clan's territory. ETA 06.38 local time. Weather is clear, and expected to remain that way for at least two days. I also succeeded in convincing the aforementioned docking computer to waive our docking fee by claiming Jedi diplomatic priveliges." The droid's mask was impassive as always, but Verran imagined he could hear a degree of self-satisfation in its synthetic voice.

The jedi sat back in his flight chair and looked over the datapad Archivist Siem had given him. The jedi seers, a collection of shamans, mystics, new Jedi consulars and Order 66 survivors had, after days of meditation, produced a list of potential force sensitives throughout the galaxy. Level of detail varied, but they could normally produce a name, appearance, planet and city - Verran recalled that Inri Tsung, now a fully fledged Jedi Padawan herself, was located in this fashion.

Jedi masters were not necessarily expected to go talent-scouting themselves - often the less risky missions were assigned to new Knight-Padawan teams as a means of bonding in the field in relative safety - but this mission was unusual. Firstly, the force sensitives were seen to be on Shili, a backwater, feral planet where the wildlife itself was considered more deadly than a bull rancor on a bad day.

Secondly, there were not one, but two students to recover - twins. Tiso and Taree, a boy and a girl, both around twenty years old. The seers had determined that the two were members of the Naar clan - a traditional nomadic tribe of Togruta who shunned the joys of technology, galactic integration and interstellar travel in favour of the old, traditional ways. They were not inherently xenophobic, but generally did not allow outsiders into their territory without a good reason.

The seers' visions had been unclear, but had implied some degree of urgency was needed in the accomplishment of this mission.

The droid's photoreceptors flashed. "Shall I begin our approach, sir?"

[isemmens]

Verran shook his head as he entered the flightdeck, the droids insistance upon refering to him by name and title seemed to be more throughly programmed in then its over-enthuiasm for its own tasks. His eyes tried their hardest to focus upon the datapad in front of him, bit something on the edge of his perception leaked a sense of foreboding into his otherwise calm mind.

"Please do El-Tee, though try to make the landing a little softer than our departure from Yavin"

Verran had found that El-Tee tended to calculate exact actions as to what was needed to accomplish a task, softening flight manoevers seemed to be a lesser priority than actually making them. He looked up though the ships window, watching the planet before them draw ever closer.

[<imaginative username here>]

"Understood sir, although I calculate that reducing our reentry velocity and avoiding turbulence pockets may shift our ETA by up to four minutes and twelve seconds." The droid swivelled back to face the viewscreen, and slowly brought the engines up to cruise speed.

Ahead of them, the planet Shili swam into view, a vibrant mixture of teal seas, swirling white clouds and red landmasses - most of Shili's untamed plains were covered with the bright red turu grass, a prolific and hardy plant that grew to over two meters in height. As the shuttle drew closer, small gunmetal-grey outposts and cities became visible on the planet's surface. El-Tee took the craft on a gentle desent toward the largest one of these, chasing the sunrise.

With surprising gracefulness, the droid flew over the city's perimeter - a three-meter high durasteel wall holding back the sea of red grass - and touched down on a pad within the New Republic Embassy. There was little traffic at this time in the morning, but numerous pedestrians and vehicles dotted the roads outside the ship.

Within a minute of landing, the ship's comm system lit up, revealing a video of the face of a middle-aged togrutan male. He wore a dusty burgandy coat, a scoped rifle aross his back, and the teeth of some large predator around his neck. Inclining his head in a token of respect, he spoke.

"Good morning, master Jedi. I understand you need to get in touch with one of the local clans? Name's Golen - I'm an experienced hunter and tracker, and can get you to their territory without setting every beast within a click on your scent. Your droid's already organised my fee, so when you're ready to depart, come meet me at the East gate."

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[isemmens]

"Thank you El-Teee, that extra four minutes should give my stomach more time to keep its composure."

Verran smiled wryly as he placed the datapad down, strapping his trademark gauntlets around his forearms. The action was a mere force of habit rather than any indication that he expected trouble, just as a Jedi would habitually carried lightsaber or even a spacer with a blaster. His eyes darted to the comm system, pausing on the last buckle to bow respectfully back.

"Good Morning, Yes. It is my objective to visit the Naar Clan"

He tightened the final buckle on the inside of his left arm. Judging by the more feral nature of this world, wearing his armour would sacrifice a level of needed mobility while also looking more physically intimdating that required.

"I will be with you shortly, El-Tee are you coming?"

(Wasn't sure whether Golan was speaking Basic or Togrutese)

[<imaginative username here>]

"It is my understanding, sir, that the Naar Clan speak a local dialect of Togrutese, with a likely high degree of clan slang and terms unique to their tribe. While I am qualified to perform non-combat roles on over 4,000 forms of interstellar, sublight and repulsorlift craft, I am also fluent in over 5 million forms of communication, along with the social protocols of 700,000 different cultures. Thus, I believe my presence would be of great help to you, and I will therefore accompany you." The speech about vehicles and languages was clearly built into El-Tee's programming, but that same note of pride from earlier could be heard in his voice.

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A short walk later, Verran and the droid arrived at the Eastern Gate. Two anti-personnel turrets flanked the open gateway, panning left and right in a set rythm. Leaning against the wall stood Golen, absent-mindedly picking dirt from under his fingernails with a powered-off vibrodagger.

"Aha, Master Jedi!" He straightened up and bowed his head again. "Shall we get going? Morning is a good time to travel; the daylight predators are still slumbering, and the nocturnal ones are probably calling it a night." Without waiting for a response, he confidently walked out the gate.

"Don't worry about the turrets - they'll ignore anything of our size. Now, a yuzzem, togorian or maybe a particularly bulky wookie - that might be a different story. But we'll be fine."

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The next few hours passed uneventfully - Golen leading the way, confidently striding in a straight line through seamingly featureless rippling sea of grass, Verran following, and El-Tee bringing up the rear, occasionally getting a limb stuck.

At one point, Golen had them halt and sit perfectly still for over quarter of an hour in absolute silence. Only once he had decided the threat had passed did he explain - "see that pile of droppings? They're from an Akul - and fresh. They're powerful predators, but don't have brilliant senses of smell - they're attracted to sound. If you ever think one's nearby, you stay still and shut up; and you might just survive."

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Around midday, Golen brought them to a halt again.
"This is as far as I go, my friend. The Naar clan's a bit funny about Togrutas that have "parted from the old ways," if you take my meaning." He gestured at his rifle. "I'm a blood traitor carrying this thing around."

He pointed at a copse of low trees a few hundred paces away. "When you're heading back, come find me over there. I'll be in or around those trees - Akul can't climb very well. If you want to find the clan, just keep walking straight - they'll find you."

(Golen was speaking heavily accented but fluent Basic)

[isemmens]

Verran followed obidiently, knowing that ignoring the advice of those well experience in the local fauna was practically a death sentence on this planet. El-Tee presented minor limp to the stride of the three of them, but Verran was more than happy to help the copper droid through particularly difficult terrain with little more than a subtle smile and an outstretched hand.
Verran had read about Akul briefly on the trip to Shili, monstorous predators that still imposed an ever present threat to the native species, they often hunted and pieces of the beasts where worn as a badge of honour amoung Togrutas.

"Thank you Golen, I hope I will not leave you waiting for long"

He bowed to the experienced hunter before starting to walk towards the clans territory, looking back towards El-Tee to ensure that the protocol droid was following. A brief worry for the droids safety lingered in his mind as Verran pondered whether the tribe would be against his robotic companion and Verrans own dependancy to translate.

"El-Tee, I don't wish to insult you. But given the situation, I would suggest not talking to anyone besides me unless you happen to be translating for me."

Verran opened up his travelling cloak, allowing it to hang off his shoulders, giving anyone that would like a clear view of his clothing underneath and distinct lack of weapons.

[<imaginative username here>]

Verran had only been walking for a few minutes before his attunement to the force alerted him to the presence of other minds nearby. A few seconds later, a male voice in an alien tongue barked something short and agressive from somewhere behind them in the grass.

El-Tee blinked a few times, and then translated. "...He says "halt, outsider.""

With panther-like grace, several togrutans stepped out of the grass. Their ochre garments and red-white skin colouring gave them perfect camouflage - without the force to warn him, Verran would have had no clue that they were there. Each was armed with a long curved blade, although none of them had their weapons raised.

The leader, a wiry middle-aged male, prowled around the jedi and the droid, scowling in particular at the machine's photoreceptors, moving his head as if to see if they tracked him. He then walked in front of Verran, and asked something in a still-agressive tone.

"He demands to know what you want, sir."

[isemmens]

Verran kept his hands at his sides, not wishing to draw more attention with sudden movement as they approached. He turned his head to face the one that had addressed him, speaking firmly.

"I am here to speak to Tiso and Taree of the Naar clan"

He bowed his head in a way that briefly reminded him of his time with Vert Ganat, a shallow head dip while still maintaining eye contact.

"My name is Verran."

He listened to El-Tee regurgitate his words in a language that was incoprehensible to him, waiting patiently for the responce from the more agressive accompanying party.

[<imaginative username here>]

Even before the droid had begun to translate, the togruta's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of the twins. He began to gesture violently, shouting emphatically. Another of the togruta, a younger female, stepped forward and addressed the leader, clearly arguing with him.

"They are...debating whether or not you should be allowed to enter the village, sir. The young lady insists that you should speak to the clan leader about the twins, while the leader is vehemently stating that it is none of an outsider's business."

At this point, the leader broke off from the argument and turned again to face Verran. He jabbed the Jedi in the chest with his finger.

"Why you want to see Sah'raat?" He asked in halting basic.

[isemmens]

He paused watching the two of them argue, a worried look increasing in size across his brow. Verran turned to El-Tee as he spoke, only to have his attention grabbed by the physical contact of the Leader, his hands clenched as he fought of the near involuntary action to strike back. A second went by as Verran took a deep breath.

"I'm here as an emissary of the Jedi Order"

He turned his head back to the leader, his eyes locking with his.

"We believe that Tiso and Taree are Force Sensitive."

[<imaginative username here>]

As the droid's translation caused the female to resume chattering angrily at the leader, El-Tee quietly murmured something to Verran.

"Sir, the word "Sah'raat" does not appear in its entirety in my dictionary. Originally, I assumed it to be a name or title unique to this tribe. However, I decided on a whim to cross-reference the word with my Lore & Culture Databank.

Togrutan myth speaks of the "Sha'rhet," a malignant spirit that inhabits young warriors, driving them to become independent of their tribe, often while hunting. This selfish action would drive a wedge into the tribe's solidarity, and often cause the entire clan to succumb to the wilderness. The myth is primarily used as a fable to encourage unity within one's tribe, but the word "Sah'raat" likely originates from this source."

The leader held up his hand to his subordinate and barked a single syllable. He then turned to Verran and spoke a few sentences, which El-Tee promptly translated.

"He says that his sister is right, and that this is a matter for the Clan leader to decide. He none-too-politely orders you and I to follow him."

[isemmens]

Verran nodded lightly, Not sure whether he was to walk ahead of them or with them. This 'Sah'raat' simply seemed to describe some level of individuality within the tribe, but even the slightest bit of independant action generally forced single Togruta apart from the pack. It wouldn't be unusual for force-sensitives to act independantly within a group, they were more open to what was around them as well the advantage of a newly forming 'sense' as it where.

"El-Tee, stick close"

[<imaginative username here>]

The Togruta fell into formation - an arrowhead around the jedi and his droid. None spoke, but the leader often gestured, signalling his pack to move up, fall back, spread out, et cetera.

After about a quarter of an hour, the group entered a clearing in the grass. A number of teepees were arranged in a semi-circle around a smouldering fire. Togruta dotted the clearing - some with blades and bows, others tending to the cooking fire. A few younglings near the center were playing with an animal-skin ball, but stopped to stare at the outsiders as they entered the clearing.

The patrol leader led Verran straight through the camp to the largest tent - a conical structure made out of strong wooden poles and red-white striped hide. He knelt in front of the tent, then parted the flap and said something in a reverent soft voice to the occupant. He then stood back, holding the flap open for Verran.

Inside, the air was musty and smelt of woodsmoke. A number of embers burnt in the central hearth, and thick furs were heaped around the edge. A long curved blade much like the patrol leader's rested on a stand, with a similarly designed spear propped up next to it. Sitting cross-legged opposite the entrance was a Togruta male - about the equivalent of 50 in human years. His lekku reached the floor, and a thick cloak that Verran recognised as Akul hide was draped across his shoulders.

"Ah, you are the... Jedi... envoy, yes?" The togruta spoke reasonably good basic, although he seemed to struggle with the unfamiliar word "Jedi."
"My name is Osek Naar. I am the head of this clan. I understand you are curious about our twins, Tiso and Taree."

[isemmens]

Verran's nose was taken back a little by the smell, he couldn't help but wonder how adverse the effect would be to someone with a more sensitive nose than a human being. He made his way inside regardless, bowing as he was adressed and taking off his travelling cloak, setting it just to the side of himself upon the floor.

"I am indeed the envoy. My name is Verran"

He sat upon the floor in a method that seemed similar to one preparing to meditate, looking towards the Elder Togruta. As Verran spoke, his eyes looked down towards the embers as if they were somehow calming.

"Our seers felt the presence of Tiso and Taree, they gave the task of finding them down to me, on the grounds that something was wrong, something possibly disturbing in nature. I was told they have been affected by what your Clan calls 'Sah'raat'. I understand that it is some kind of spirit that can inhabit younger warriors."

He looked back up at Osek, trying to gauge his emotional response to the explanation Verran had given him.

[<imaginative username here>]

The elder sighed, and gave the warrior who had escorted Verran a steely gaze - prompting him to quickly leave the tent and close the flap behind him.

"I assume you heard that word from Veero there. Sah'raat is an insult in our tongue - it is best described as meaning "selfish exiled" - one who cares only for oneself, and separates oneself from the tribe."

"Tiso and Taree are members of our tribe, but were not always so. Our scouts found them at about the age of six or seven - the boy, Tiso, wounded and carrying his unconscious sister Taree. They were on the edge of our territory, and their tribe had apparently been savaged by an Akul. We took them in and made them our own, but they never fully settled in."

"Tiso is now a fine young man, a skilled warrior and tactician, and a fair and wise patrol leader. He and his sister recently reached the age of adulthood, and were to slay an Akul as a rite of passage sometime in the next month. Afterward, I intended to train him as my potential successor."

The elder's face became troubled. "His sister Taree, however, is a wild child. Stronger and faster than her brother, she is possibly the best warrior in our clan - and her looks have brought her the attentions of many of the eligible males. However, she has no interest in friendship or teamwork with any save her brother."

He stared into the embers, his eyes flickering amber in the smoky light. "Taree and Veero were on patrol together about a week ago. He has had eyes on her since she started to show signs of adulthood. The way he tells it, he was attempting to express her feelings to her, and she attacked him with some dark sorcerous powers - forcing the animals themselves to assault him. He fled with his life, and she took off too the east."

"Upon hearing this, Tiso - a normally calm and collected young man - flew into a rage, demanding to know what Veero had done to scare his sister. He attacked the elder warrior, and was defeated and forcibly subdued. I intended to talk to him the following morning, but he somehow escaped the guards and went into the night, chasing Taree."

Osek looked up. "I have heard and seen nothing of the twins since. Veero spits on their names, and with Taree having always been such a loner it was not hard for him to turn the tribe against them. I suspect that there is more to it than he says, but he is my strongest soldier and I cannot sully his name - to do so would cause a dispute and weaken our tribe's solidarity."

"If you want the children, Jedi Verran, you can have them with my blessing - but they have been in the wild for a week now, alone. They are likely dead."