I figured I'd write down my eye view of what's going on. I had just realized my memory is getting fuzzy on some of the details of what had happened only a few days ago. So I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget.
Here is what I remember since that horrible day. I'm sure my fellow students will remember things differently but they are free to their point of view.
Week 1 - Day 1
So-Dal, Espella, Syril and I were having dinner at the local restaurant when we heard an explosion. We rushed outside to see smoke rising from our compound. Rushing to the compound we found a hole in our roof, our fellow students dead and Lady Jedi no-where to be found. We discovered Lady Jedi's clothes in the middle of the blast scarred on the floor. The clothes had been cut in half as if by a lightsaber.
We did some investigation and found a kid that said he saw a fighter hovering over our compound. A figure floated up in a tractor beam and entered the bottom of the fighter and then the fighter flew off. We confirmed some of the details of the kid’s story but we reached a dead end in our investigation. I was stunned and confused, there is still a dent in the compound wall, where I took out my frustration.
We had to get pack to dealing with the new situation we found ourselves in. There were thieves and scavengers trying to get into our compound, we had to deal with. Before this Lady Jedi had intimidated the locals into avoiding our compound. Now they saw an opportunity to loot the place with Lady Jedi's disappearance and our apparent weakness. Luckily, I believe So-Dal caught one of the best thieves in town red handed casing the compound.
Week 2 - Day 2
Syril and Espella worked on patching the roof of our compound while me and So-Dal confronted the best thief in town. We found him at the thieves’ guild hideout playing cards. He was taking a bunch of lower level thieves to the cleaners while intimidating them into staying in the card game. So-Dal and I walk up to the table and started a conversation. Turns out he would only talk to us if we join the card game. This is when I surprise one of the other participants at the table, by slamming his head into the card table. Knocking him out cold and tipping his chair over backwards so he ended up laid out on the floor. I then casually picked up the now empty seat and sat down. So-Dal went to another table and dragged and empty seat over to our table and sat down. We played a few hands of cards, while we chatted. I conveyed a thinly disguised threat, a kin to we know were you live. Then parted peacefully.
After that I think we went and talked to the Mayor and the Sheriff as a way of introduction. Since we had been secluded in the compound for so long not much came of the conversation at the time. But it was a beginning.
We set up a watch rotation to keep an eye on the compound through the night. I believe we ended up discouraging the best thief but that didn't end up stopping other and we woke up to our training crystal missing.
Week 3 - Day 3
Upon further investigation we found out that our training crystal was being auctioned off at the local Casino. When we arrived there was a large crowd in the Casino watching and bidding on the crystal. We started a whispering campaign, that the bidding was rigged. This got a guard trying to find out who had started it and was pushing people around. Syril further agitation got the crowd was good and worked up, while I moved to the front of the crowd and ignited my lightsaber. Between that and someone shouting Bogan Lord the crowd panicked and started to head for the door. The ensuing riot kept most of the guards busy while I worked my way from one guard to the auctioneer. At this point So-Dal ignited his lightsaber further fueling the riot while Syril and Espella worked on getting the crowd out safely and dealing with other guards. Then, So-Dal got a hold on the training crystal and we made good our exit from the Casino.
Week 4 - Day 4
Espella and So-Dal were beginning to become concerned at the reputation that we were generating in the town and I was worrying about how we were going to feed ourselves. It turns out that the sheriff of the town organizes periodic militias to go hunting Womp Rats and other vermin. The usual caliber of deputy that shows up, can get the job done, but they don't all come back. There was some pay involved. So we signed up and set out with the other deputies. Half way out we ended sending the NPC back because the sheriff was being harassed.
We continued on to the farm that reported the Womp Rat problem. One of the farmers gave us a heads up and we soon found a hunting pack of Womp Rats. We dealt with them with a couple of scratches here and there. Then we continued on and tracked down the Womp Rat lair, which we dealt with from a distance and destroyed.
I believe Syril and I went back to town to make sure the Sheriff and deputies were ok, while Espella and So-Dal made contact with the farmers and started good relations with them.
Tol-Soon returned from his Scouting expedition in the wilderness and helped us make repairs to the compound.
Leveled up to 3rd - A whole new realm has opened up for me. I hadn't understood what Lady Jedi was trying to say before. I can sense things I could never have imagined before. I feel the force ebbing and flowing around me. I can reach out with the force and the force can talk to me. I never knew.
Week 5 - Day 4 night time
That evening we got wind that Bounty hunters were contracted to attack us. So we proceeded to set up to defend our compound. Two bounty hunters attacked the compound from the front and blew up the front gate. We were able to deal with them, but they were just a distraction for the notorious Bounty Hunter Bash Obo. Bash had moved over the roof tops and go the drop on us from behind. He gave us a tough fight and it looked like he would win until a Bogan Lord showed up and end up winning the fight for us.
Day 5
For various reasons we set about to attack the Pelorian Spice Lab. So-Dal and Espella wanted to stop spice production in town. I wanted to throw some fear into the Pelorians for sicing Bounty Hunters on us. To let them know there were serious repercussions for there actions. Syril just wanted to get into a good fight (I think that what all the Hissing meant). We succeeded after a good shootout and destroyed the spice lab.
Week 6 - Day 6
So-Dal suggest that we start a Soup Kitchen to feed the towns poor. But first we got wind that the Pelorian were going to collect protection money from the town's people and we decided we need to stop them. Some investigating uncovered where they were likely to start at. So we decided to show up there earlier. Unknown to us the Bogans had seen us moving into position and they decided to help us out. A couple of Pelorians showed up at the bar and started to shakedown the owner. We attacked the Pelorians and chased them off. When we gave chase we found to our dismay that the Bogans were attacking the Pelorian compound in force. Unfortunately there were many innocent people caught in the cross fire. So instead of helping one side or the other, we helped get the towns people out of harms way.
Something more happened here but I can't remember what.
Day 7
Since the Womp Rat episode we have been working on relations with the Mayor and the Sheriff. We head over to their building to talk about what was going on. We arrive to find a group of bogans attacking the sheriff. We didn't get their in time and the Sheriff was killed but we capture the leader and one of the other cultist but unfortunately killing the rest of them (no stun mode on a lightsaber).
Week 7 - Still Day 7
At this point both the Pelorians and Bogans are good and ticked off at us. Enough so that they decide on a truce between them.
After a heated discussion on how to deal with the situation, which includes blaster fire and the mutilation of a corpse. Not by me, I'll have you know. I end up leaving my fellow students to their own devices, which turned out for the best. I set myself up on a near by building out of sight. So-Dal, Espella, and Syril set up inside the city hall which was the Mayor's and Sheriff's residence. Tol-Soon who had just recently joined us, had the same Idea that I did and also set up on the roof but he was on top of the city hall.
Day 8
The Pelorians attacked first by sending a landspeeder packed full of explosives screaming at the city hall. Only Tol-Soon and myself were in position to stop the suicide attack. Our first shots took out the driver but the speeder was already set on its deadly course. I reached out with my force powers to try and turn the wheel but couldn't maintain the concentration I needed. Tol-Soon took the more direct approach and fired on the packages inside the vehicle and there by blowing it to kingdom come. It did damage the building, but far less than if it had reached its target. At this point three groups of well armed Pelorian poured out of the nearby buildings. So-Dal was able to defeat one group with his forceful arguments. Espella turned the grenades, carried by the second group, against them. Tol-Soon and I took out the third group and remaining stragglers with a high volume of blaster rifle fire. Then, as an opportunity presented itself, Syril engaged the Pelorian leaders and introduced them to the afterlife with his deadly Axe (Massive Critical, FATALITY).
It wasn't long after (12 seconds at best) that that the Bogans showed up. They were a little more interested in a close up fight and at this point some of us have gotten a bit shot up. Syril and Espella ended up being the closest with the rest of us being a bit out of position. It turns out that one of the Bogans has their head Priest, and as we move to get into the fight. The head priest unleashes a storm of Force Lightning at So-Dal. Who deftly negates the attack. Then the Priest tries another one of his dark powers on So-Dal, to only find it equally ineffective. This gave the rest of us time to deal with the remainder of the Bogans. Then we proceeded to finish off the Bogan Priest with a hail of blaster fire, which includes me doing an acrobatic leap off of a two story building landing on my feet with a blaster rifle in each hand and auto firing into the Bogan Priest.
week 8 - Still Day 8
On the heels of the defeat of the Pelorians and the Bogans we made our way to the Pelorian compound. We were concerned that looting may allow the spice production and general violence to continue. Unfortunately there is nothing faster than a rumor and the looters had beaten us there. As we arrived a youngling was leading a protocol droid out of the compound. It was obvious that the youngling wouldn't get across the street let alone across town without the droid being stolen from him. So after talking with him for a short bit we settled on a reasonable price for his troubles. (Man that sounds so much better that what we really did :), which was to trick the kid into giving us the droid for a fraction of what it was really worth). Then we proceeded to check out the compound. For the most part it had been stripped of it valuables but we did manage to find a safe with some interesting items in it.
After that we moved on to the Bogan Temple. This too was mostly looted of the portable stuff. We did manage to destroy some spice making equipment but we got the impression that people got away with enough supplies for at least a week or two worth of spice. We also came across someone trying to take the Bogan's training crystal but it was secured to its pedestal by the force. After failing to talk him out of leaving the crystal alone, So-Dal used Mind-Trick to get him to give up. Once he had left we destroyed the training crystal.
So we stole from a child, robbed a dead man's house and tricked a fool out of his treasure. As jedi we always try to maintain the Moral High Ground :)
Week 9 - End of Day 8
With the Sheriff, the Mayor, Pelorians and Bogans all being dead, there was no one left to run the town. After a serious discussion on government and what constitutes legitimate authority, we decided to get the town to decide what its destiny should be. We had everyone gather in the town square the next day.
Day 9
When everyone had arrived, we encouraged them to pick a group of representative, who would then be charged with coming up the form of the new government and how the town would be run.
While this was going on, a negotiator from the planet wide Pelorian Gang showed up at the front gate of the town. Espella and I went out to meet with the negotiator. Espella was highly suspicious of the Pelorians and was inclined to dismiss him out of hand. I was willing to at least hear him out. It turns out the Pelorian came with a peace offering. He offered the Jedi 25,000 credits and a case of expensive wine in return the Jedi wouldn't take out the rest of the Pelorians on the planet. We decided to take the offering in the name of the town for compensation for damage done by the Pelorians and as long as the Pelorians did not interfere in the Jedi and towns sphere of influence, the Jedi would not bother the Pelorians. We gave the money and wine to the town. The town decided to use the money to help set up a school for younglings and to help equip a new town militia.
I just realized I missed an incident that happened in week 6. After the sheriff and mayor were killed a member of the old Royal Family stepped out of hiding. The Teta family had been a noble family from time immamororial and had saved this planet from falling into utter chaos when the Bogan Empire collapsed. The family had taken a heavy toll over the years and many of them had to go into hiding. Apparently Reric Teta had being hiding out in this town and observing events. Now, He's decided it was the time to step up and help lead the town. I’m still a bit dubious about the whole genetic inheritance being a good way to prove leadership ability. Anyway, back to the story.
When Espella and I had returned to the town meeting they had selected the members of the new Town Council and Reric Teta was selected as one of its leading members. The Town Council would now set about deciding how the town was going to be run and what government it would have.
Leveled up to 4th - I have been diligently working on my studies from Lady Jedi's Training crystal and I have unlocked the secret to Reflecting Ranged attacks with my lightsaber. I hope I'm doing Lady Jedi proud but I'm beginning to see the limits of the training that the crystal can provide.
Week 10 - Day 10
Upon hearing the rumors of the defeat of both the major gangs in our town, a gang of bikers decided to swoop in and take advantage of the power vacuum. They attacked some outlying farm to draw us out into the open. When we arrived Tol-Soon scouted ahead of us and moved to a flanking position. We encountered them circling a burnt out farm stead and we approached them in a spread out line from cover. It was a good thing too. Each of the bikers was carrying a single grenade which they proceeded to throw at us. Fortunately we had cover and only So-Dal and Spella were standing close enough together that they could be caught in a single blast radius. So for the exception of So-Dal we only took a minimal amount of damage (Espella's and Syril's both have force resistance they can activate). We then proceeded to take out several of the bikers and the gang leaders who happened to be twins. After that the rest of the bikers fled.
When we returned the town wanted to honor us in some way and wanted to give us the title of Marshals. We declined the title of Marshals on So-Dal’s objections that we would incur too much obligation to defend the town. It was also decided that the town needed to rely upon us less and take on more responsibility to defend itself. Instead we were given the Title of Knight Errants, which we found to be more acceptable.
I have to say that So-Dal's and Spella's understanding of the force is way ahead of mine but it sure would help if they practiced using their blasters or lightsabers every once and a while. I'm glad I have Tol-Soon and Syril to watch my back in a fight.
week 11 - Day 11
For the first time in what feels like weeks we were now free to pick our target. We knew there was a Bogan Lord that was likely in a Mountain Fortress nearby. There was also a package of medicine that we said we would deliver to a near by settlement called Outpost IV. Outpost IV is known to be under the complete control of the Bogan cult. We also had the option of staying in town and work on improving the local militia and conditions in general. What I think was the deciding factor was that So-Dal "Said" he received a dream from Lady Jedi telling him to find an alien in Output IV. So we set off to Outpost IV.
We entered the Outpost IV as discreetly as possible by disguised ourselves as swoop bike gangers. After some investigation we found out that the town’s ex-sheriff was the one who needed the medicine and was also the alien that So-Dal was told about and the last time the ex-sheriff was seen was Debating with the Bogan Priest. We also got some telepathic impressions that the ex-sheriff was being held inside the Bogan temple.
We set up a plan that involved more than just "get'em". :) We cased the Bogan Temple, and set up our swoop bikes in places to help our escape. The plan was Espella was to stay with the bikes while So-Dal and Jaxal walked up to the Temple and So-Dal engaged the Priest in a lively debate. While this was going on Tol-Soon would sneak in to the temple and free the Ex-sheriff. As it turned out the plan worked nearly flawlessly. The only hitch was since it had worked so well we hadn't worked out how So-Dal and Jaxal would break off the debate with the Priest and all the cultist that came around to watch. So I did, what I, have been told, I do and picked a fight. Then Espella swooped in with the bikes and after some blaster fire we hopped on the bikes and sped off.
We made good our escape, but we've heard the Bogans of Outpost IV have sent assassins after us and a bounty hunter to recapture the ex-sheriff. Oh, and we stole there Bogan training crystal. :)
Week 12 - Day 12
In order to draw attention away from the town we decide to advertise that we were going out to investigate the killings at a local mine. It was reported that the Bogan Lord had killed all of the miners at the mine that happened to be owned by Spella. It turns out that the report came from a lone miner that had happened to escape the attack. He did not see the miners killed, but he was sure it was the Bogan's that had attacked. We made our way there via Swoop bikes, which we parked near by and made the rest of the way there on foot. Tol-Soon again scouted ahead for us, and reported that the miners were tied up on wooden X's and a foursome of Bogan cultist were hanging out by a fire.
We did our best to move up quietly on their position. Once we got close So-Dal stepped out and asked them to surrender. Syril decided to encourage them by charging one of the cultists and putting him down in one shot. With this, the rest of the Jedi stepping out into the open. They wisely decided to surrender.
To our shock and horror we discovered that they were in the process of eating the miners. The remains of 3 miners were laid out on a nearby table. We released the remaining miners and tied up the cultist. Of the 30 miners that were suppose to be at the mine we accounted for 25: 1 who had escape, 21 we untied and 3 that were eaten. We then interrogated the cultist to find out where the remaining 5 miners were (which included an aborted attempt to eat one of the cultist arms by Syril). The cultist indicated that the miners where in the mine, from where we heard loud animal sounds of an insect like nature.
We entered the mine after tending to the miners injuries and left Tol-Soon to guard them. The mine tunnel was long but eventually opened up into a cavern. This cavern was divided in two by an impossibly deep chasm that could only be crossed by an old rail bridge designed for mining carts. In this cavern were 3 beetles more than twice this size of a human and two of the miners cocooned to the far wall. Espella told us that they were of a type that could shoot fire in a cone from an aimable nozzle on their backsides.
The single beetle that was on our side of the cavern moved to attack. In response So-Dal used his force powers to lift the beetle into the air and out over the chasm. The beetle proceeded to show us its fire throwing abilities and managed to singe Jaxal a bit. The remainder of the jedi proceeded to damage the beetle. As So-Dal moved the first beetle out over the chasm the other two beetles moved to cross the bridge. I fool heartedly moved to block them on the bridge. After another gout of fire some well placed pincer attacks and a failed tumble check on my part, I decided he needed to withdraw. Meanwhile So-Dal was able to slam his beetle into one of the other beetles on the bridge. This did some damage, but the beetle's refused to be knocked off the bridge. A well placed shot by Syril did manage to finish one of them off and send it spinning down into the gorge. It gets fuzzy for me at this point as I was desperately withdrawing from the fight and catching my second wind. The third beetle had turned around and had followed me to the far side of the bridge. Fortunately the other Jedi had just finished off the other two beetles and proceeded to make short work of the one that was about to have me for lunch.
With that over, we freed the two miners and made sure they were ok. I was pretty beat up but it was decide we needed to press on to save the remaining three miners. Pressing on we found them in an even larger cavern that had a river running through it. It was dark but the mine lighting was still functional. In the gloom we saw the three miners cocooned on the far side with two beetles watching over them. On our side was one more beetle. I switched to my blaster rifle and was determined to stay at a safe distance. Syril stepped up and engaged the nearest beetle in melee with his axe. Unfortunately its hard to fire into a close combat without risking hitting a friend and it showed. We were helped out be the fact that the other two beetles hadn't left their position on the far side of the cavern. We started out concentrating our fire on the nearest beetle but in apparent frustration Espella switched her target to one of the beetles on the far side. This got that beetles attention and it started moving towards us. The rest of us remained on the first beetle and was finally able to bring it down but not without it doing considerable damage to Syril in the process. As that was happening the second beetle had moved to here its death might be hazardous to the miners, so Espella once again switch targets and agroed the remaining beetle. When we were able to bring fire to bear on the second beetle it was already half way across the river (by climbing through webbing on the ceiling). The second beetle was able to get all the way across the river and spew fire on both Espella and So-Dal before we were able to dispatch it. Fortunately the third beetle was delayed enough that we were able to finish it off without further damage to ourselves.
So-Dal's Force powers once again came into play as he used them to move the miners safely across the river. Now we are all heading back to the mine entrance with the knowledge that we are all significantly damaged and we have invited every enemy we know to come to this location.
Ah the life of a hero! :) I'm not so sure we are going to survive the next day. So I wanted to put my current philosophy down in words, in order for it to have the chance to survive my passing.
To fulfill the purpose of Life, you must seek to survive.
To survive you must know when to fight, endless battle only leads to destruction.
To know when to fight, you must know how to fight.
To learn how to fight, you must know your capabilities.
Capabilities are unlinited in form, battles are not won by weapons alone.
To know your capabilities, you must be of open mind and willing to test your limits.
Your limits are never set in stone, training and experience expand your capabilites.
Fighting is not the purpose of life, it is only hte means to preserve life.
Balance is the key to all things.
The Code of Jaxal
Week 13 - Day 12 continued
This is where our decision to advertise our movements could have really bit us in the butt. With the exception of Tol-Soon we were all significantly shot up and we had to expect company at any moment. Espella, Syril, So-Dal and I moved as quickly as possible with the 5 miners back towards the entrance of the cave. Along the way we argued about the best way to defend ourselves. So-Dal wanted to leave the miners in the tents that were outside of the mine entrance, while we step to defend further down the canyon. I thought this would leave the miners too vulnerable, especially if we failed. The miners knew of another exit from the mine but it was more than an hours walk away and hard for the wounded to navigate. I wanted to fight from inside the mine with the miners making there way towards the other exit. I wanted them off the battlefield with a chance of escaping. I also wanted to use the first cavern we fought in a prepared position to fight from. Once everyone expressed their concerns we settled on a comprises position. The miners would enter the mine and head for the other exit while we engaged whomever showed up in the open area in front of the mine entrance.
The sound of the opponents Speeder alerted us to their arrival. The miners had just made it into the mine as we took cover for the fight to come. Four bounty hunters entered the field. Three were armed with slug throwers with tranquilizing ammunition and the fourth with an electro-staff.
They were good. Off the bat they spotted Tol-Soon, which I didn't think anyone could do. They spread out seeking cover while proceeding to fire on him. They managed to land a single tranq on him. The rest of us moved up to engage. Two of the bounty hunters had unwisely picked the same bit of cover to hide in which I took advantage of by spraying it with blast rifle auto fire. Syril moved to engage the bounty hunter with the electro-staff and they went toe to toe with each other for quite a few rounds. Meanwhile Tol-Soon was in trouble, the tranq was powerful and he was staggering more and more each round. He did manage to engage the bounty hunter who had shot him and damage him with his lightsaber. This gave So-Dal and Espella the time they needed to move up. With his last burst of effort Tol-Soon attacked the Bounty hunter and withdrew from combat. So-Dal used the force to lift that bounty hunter into the air while Espella with miraculous effort was able to administer and antidote to Tol-Soon right after he had passed out.
I continued to pour fire onto the two bounty hunters as they unable to get a bead on me. They decided to take the better part of valor with one joining the attack on Syril while the other one circled to help to other bounty hunter. So-Dal flung the flying bounty hunter at the one moving to help him. So-Dal missed but that didn't comfort the bounty hunter that hit the ground. In vengeful fury Spella opened up on the bounty hunter on the ground and sent him to the afterlife. All the while Syril was trading titanic blows with his red clad electro-staff welding opponent. When the other bounty hunter reached Syril you would think things would go against him, but you would be wrong. Syril proceed to chop into his new opponent with massive amounts of damage.
With one Bounty Hunter down and two in melee, cover required us to move up again to get back into the fight. So-Dal was the first to get back into the fight and in a dangerous maneuver force slammed Syril and his two opponents. It worked out as, it failed to injure Syril but did some damage to bounty hunters. Shortly there after the two gun welding bounty hunters went down and the one in red decided to quite the field. We thought that was for the best and let him go.
With the immediate danger over we organized the camp and fed the miners. We stayed the night at the mine to recover from our wounds and let people know we were ok. The miners decided that it was ok to stay at the mine after they healed up a bit.
Day 13
With most of our wounds tended to, we decided we needed to go after the Bogan fortress. This entailed having to go back to town to drop off our bogan captives and to shop for useful fortress assaulting supplies.
Once we got that done, we headed out. Tol-Soon had previously scouted out the route to the fortress and we made good time. Once again So-Dal's eagle eyes saved us as he spotted some would-be ambushers on the canyon walls above us. We withdrew and circled around behind three cultists on one side of the canyon. With Tol-Soon in the lead we made short work of them. I'll pick up this entry once we return from the Bogan fortress.
Claws and Teeth! Fangs and Claws! The Bogan fortress tested our metal. As usual it took us a while to come to an agreement on how we should approach the situation. We settled on a ruse were we set off the explosives the bogans had in the canyon, while we lie in wait by the fortress's drawbridge. I suspect the bogans saw through our deception, when the drawbridge lowered and a gundark came out. This spooked the cupas, which in turn attracted the gundark's attention. We released the cupas and set them to running. The gundark took off after them. We used the opportunity to race into the fortress. With moments to spare , we made it into the fortress, as the drawbridge closed behind us. The entrance area was empty with the exception of a deactivated load lifter droid. We proceeded up one of the two available elevators only to come face to face with yet another Gundark. It was later learned that all of the gundarks we faced this night were of a young and not fully developed variety (shutter). I leaped out of the elevator with my saber in hand and met the gundark toe to toe. In retrospect this was not the wisest move I have every made. It proceeded to unleash a furry of claw attacks that hit harder than anything I'd fought before and it followed up with a bite that nearly crushed bone. Apparently, Syril and I made it look like we had it under control as So-Dal pretty much ignores our situation to make sure no one else was coming. Syril struck it mightily but gundarks are hardy beast, which just turned its attention to Syril and rended him viscously. I think we all saw how dire our situation was and we concentrated in bringing the beast down.
After the fight Spella did a nearly miraculous job of patching me up and between that and catching my second wind I was only minorly wounded. She wasn't so lucking with Syril and he was still moderately wounded. We remained resolute and decided to carry on. The next couple of encounters pitted us against much easier to deal with cultist. As we neared the entrance for the central chamber, I spared one of the cultist and spent a few moments questioning him. The information was of minor value but useful. Before I could ask more than a couple questions, the Bogans opened another door and released another gundark upon us. I stepped up to block the way between the gundark and my fellow jedi, taking on my best defensive stance. So-Dal, Tol-soon, and Spella fired upon the gundark with little effect as Syril joined me up front. The beast attacked me with the same furry as we had seen before but I was deftly able to avoid all but one attack which I was only saved from by the grace of the force itself. The volley of claws put me off guard and I was unable to successful attack in return. This was not true for Syril and he struck it hard enough to once again become the center of attention. Between his resilience and the spoiling shots coming from the other jedi he was able to last long enough for us to bring this beast down.
This fight left us concerned about continuing into the heart of the lair. Spella did her best to patch us up and our force senses told us there were no more gundarks to deal with. This still left the Bogan Lord and his acolytes to fight. The Bogan Lord was strong with the dark side and we could almost feel the evil emanating from within his throne room. We would not let this stand. Our resolve was granite. We paused until we were all prepared and the doors of the final room opened.
We opened the fight by tossing grenades and firing blasters. This softened their bodied but not there spirit and they moved in to engage us, which we countered with a charge of our own. The acolytes were strong in the force and proceeded to force choke several of us. Spella, and I were able to shake off the effects but they got a firm grasp on Tol-Soon and did some damage to So-Dal. So-Dal answered forcefully by lifting one into the air, to soon there after, to fling him at one of his companions. Spella's shots were true and brought down one of the acolytes and Syril shot another. The acolytes were not done, and proceed to use another one of their force power, but to little effect. While I kept two of them busy, So-Dal used his force slam to knock two others down and Syril chopped another one nearly in half. Then the Lord appeared, he attacked So-Dal with Force Lightning. Reflected a shot from Spella back at her. Then attempted to break mine and So-Dal's resolve, but the force was our ally. We proceeded to surround him having dealt with his acolytes. Tol-Soon clashed with the Bogan Lord with such ferocity that you could feel the force thunder around them. The Bogan Lord was well skilled with his lightsaber but preferred to use his force powers. It looked like he was going to attempt to use Force Lightning once again on So-Dal, so I stepped in his way. The Lord responded by changing targets to Tol-Soon, and while Tol-Soon tried to bring his saber to bare it was just a fraction too late. Tol-Soon went down. Ironically this gave So-Dal the opening he needed to drive his lightsaber home. The Bogan Lord looked very surprised when he saw the end of a lightsaber coming out of his chest.
The battle was mighty and it tested us to our limits. We will make sure evil doesn't reinhabit this place by making it our own.
After the fight with the Bogan Lord and some Initial clean up I decided to take a long meditative trance in which to heal my wounds. The battle must have taken more out of me than I had realized, I had never fallen into so deep a trance before this one. Its the first time that I've had a dream while in a trance. As for what that dream entailed I will keep to my self for the time being.
When I awoke I found that my fellow jedi had invited in our very first guest. It was a human who had wandered in from deep in the wilderness. It seems by shear luck he was able to get by the Gundark. Apparently the Gundark was completely focused on the Kupa it had managed to catch and the human was able to simple walk right by it. Maybe its my suspicious nature but I tend to think there was a little more skill involved than he lets on. Either way it was good to let him in, I don't think any one of use could take a Gundark on by ourselves.
We all spent some time getting to know him and learned he may have a past related to our Lady Jedi and that he definitely has knowledge in the ways of the force. We spared for a while and he definitely knows one end of his lightsaber from the other. His accuracy still needs a bit of work but he showed me a trick or two that I haven't quite worked out on my own. He also seems to have disarmingly charming way about him that had all of the other jedi ready to except him almost without question.
He seemed willing to join with us, if for no other reason than to raid our freezer box. Jumbo-Ki never ate so much back in the day when I ran with the gang.
After that we then had to turn our attention to what to do with the remaining Bogan cultist. There were 12 still alive after the battle, 4 of whom were apprentices to the Bogan Lord and had some force powers at their command. For the time being we placed each of the apprentices in their own room and the remaining cultist in another. Then we placed enough food, water, and sanitation means for 3 days and sealed them in.
You might be wondering why we picked three days to seal them up. Well it turns out that the Pelorians and Bogan Cultist at Outpost IV were still going at it. We were concerned for the safety and well being of the innocent and we're determined to do something to help. We figured 3 days would be enough time for us to get out there and at least get the non-combatants to safety. Sealing the doors was the quickest and safest thing we could come up with. In the end we also decided to leave Syral to guard them, intimidation along should keep them in line.
We made haste towards Outpost IV, that almost got us caught in a sticky situation. Apparently industrious spider(s) has created a humongous web stretching over a quarter mile in length that we nearly ran smack into. We made note of its location and decided to go around. Outpost IV needs seemed to be more time critical. When we arrived, there was sporadic blaster fire still going on, and as we neared the Outpost we encountered the Bogan Priest riding out at full speed on a Dewback. This short circuited an argument we were trying to have about how to enter the town.
Speaking of arguments, I started one with my fellow Jedi. I wanted to get them thinking about what course of action we should take in the future. I pointed out that up to this point we have only been reacting when we have been attacked. I did admit that our retaliations have been of an overwhelming nature. But that is only good tactics. If they attack you with a knife, you don't attack back with a knife you use a blaster. We are now getting to a point where no one a provoking us. We now have a choice as to whether we work on defending and strengthening what we have now OR we can choose to go out to other cites and engage the evils we find else were. Each path has its own advantages and disadvantages. Do we spread ourselves too thin or do let the rest of the world suffer? Do we invite more and more enemies till they join up and overwhelm us or do we sit back and give them the inititive and allow them to grow stronger on their own? I didn't have an answer for them, but I did take the opposite side of the argument. Just to get them thinking, oh and I also like a good argument. :)
Back to Outpost IV, By the time we got into town the fighting was almost over. We looked for a place to bring the wounded, starting with the restaurant we ate at before and finally settled on the slave auction house. It turns out most of the towns folk are good survivors and we only found wounded Pelorians and Bogan Cultist to treat.
I encountered one Pelorian who was just coming down from the high of battle and whatever spices he was on. I walked up to him presenting myself as an ally and took his blaster while helping him walk a few steps. I encouraged him to lead the way and in his groggy state he did not protest and gave us and indication of where the pelorians where hanging out by which way he staggered off.
We made a decision to run the Pelorians off since they had already done half the job of freeing the Outpost by kick out the Bogans. Unsurprisingly we found the pelorians hanging out at one of the 3 cantinas in town. It didn't take much of a show of force to convince the pelorians to move along. Once we exit the bar and a partial way across the main square we found out the pelorians had contacted the rest of their buddies and they were all bugging out. Except for one hold out (there's always one), which my fellow Jedi made short work of convincing him the error of his ways.
It will be interesting to see where we go from here.
Week of 9/9
We spent the night at Outpost IV in the makeshift triage center we had set up in the slave auction house. In the morning we tended to the wounded the best we could and poked our noses out the door to see how the town was fairing. Everything still seemed to be quiet, and we encountered a youngling who seemed curious but seemed intent on picking pockets. The youngling was caught in the act, and after some questions a couple of my fellow Jedi decided to go confront his guardian with the boy in tow. It seemed like an easy enough matter so I decided I'd go get breakfast instead. So-Dal, and Spella seemed to be of the same mind and joined me.
Later on Tol Soon, Syrl and Baran-ki told us that a horrifyingly overweight bothan was using this youngling and others to steal for him. Generally from passers by, but some times from towns folk. They convinced the bothan that it was best that he left town and never return. We joined them after finishing breakfast, just in time to see a poor Kupa straining to bare the bothan out of town.
We then had a discussion on what should be done with the ill gotten loot the bothan had collected. It was decided that the boy should separate out those items he knew to belong to townsfolk and then return those items to their owners with an apology. We was scared at first but we reassured him a couple of us would go with him to make sure he was safe.
At this point we remembered that we had left the Bogan Priest tied up outside of town (Oopps). While I continued taking the boy around town, my fellow Jedi went out to deal with him. More discussion ensued as to what to do with the Priest. It was finally decided to exile him out into the wilderness without blaster or light saber, and with a warning never to return. Meanwhile me and the boy had ice cream for completing the tour around town returning stuff.
That being dealt with the Jedi returned to town, and arrangements for care were made for the youngling. We talked with the town residence to ask what they wanted to do now that the bogans and pelorians were gone. They were of the opinion that the status quo was just fine with them. They would continue to keep their heads down and just keep on keeping on. This seemed pretty shortsighted in my opinion but it's their town and we were going to abide by their choice.
We left town and headed towards the spiders web we had encountered on our way to Outpost IV.
Week of 9/16
On returning to the Web we stopped what we thought was a good distance away and stopped to observe the situation. We learned that the web is covered with spiders and each of the spiders were HUGE. We also spotted a Land Speeder that looked like it might be in repairable condition stuck deep in the web. I made an attempt to contact one of the spiders thought the force and I thought I got a reaction but my ability is too limited to learn anything more.
So-Dal then attempted to Force Move the Speeder out of the web at a distance. The spiders reacted by jumping on the speeder and also pulling in back into place. They were able to overcome So-Dal's ability. On closer inspection of the speeder, it appears to have been turned into a hatchery by the spiders and was filled with eggs. We also noticed a shiny bit within the speeder itself that may be of interest to us. Then some of the eggs hatched and further obscured the speeder from view.
Before we got any further we became aware that we were not as far away from the spiders home as we had thought. Well hidden spiders dropped down from what we thought were trees, mere meters from the bikes we were on. Well, I should say, bikes that everyone else was on except for me. I quickly jumped back on my bike and we all zoomed away from the area.
Syrl was of the opinion that we needed to go back and deal with the spiders but for myself I think we need to acquire more resources to crack this particular nut.
Next we had to head back to the Jedi Fortress to deal with our Bogan prisoners.
Much discussion ensued (this seems to be happening a lot lately ;) )
The final decision was to release the four apprentices separately in different directions in the deep woods with a days rations and water. We consulted with the remaining cultist and some decided they would stay with us. Some would go to Toth-Anon with the permission of the Town Council and the rest would be returned to their home town on the other side of the mountains.
Syrl again tried to convince us to deal with the spiders, but more of us were interested in heading to Laser City to follow up on the rumors that information can be found on what happened to Lady Jedi. So Syrl went with majority and we set off. Our first stop was a Toth Anon, to get supplies and I decided to give my speeder bike to Elisin so he could get back and forth from Outpost IV. We are going to be gone several days and I want there to be someone that could cover for us while we were travelling.
On our trip, we spotted a HUGE sailing ship, no I really mean HUGE. It was the size of small city all by it self. I really wanted to check it out but the rest of the Jedi sided on caution. As we approached Starfall City we also came across a building of Rikata origin that had a burnt out speeder and a rusting starship crashed near by. Again caution prevailed and we moved on.
We spent the night at Starfall City, were we witnessed two starships fighting it out in orbit above the city. We got breakfast, took a bath, and did some shopping. Now we are going to set out for our final destination.
Its been a while since I have been able to update.
Three days ago we left Toth Anon on our trip south to Laser City. As usual we first had a lengthy discussion on whether it would be better to go back to the spider hive or go to Laser City to check out the rumors we got from the Pelorians. With that out of the way, I also gave up my speeder bike to the Camaasi. So he could get back and forth from Outpost IV without a problem.
Its a decision I kind of regretted as we spent many hours bumping across the water. Hours of sitting on the back of Baran-Ki's bike with Salt Water spraying in our faces. I swear we all had an inch of salt caked on all of our clothes by the time we were done. On the plus side we got to see this massively huge ship. It must have been the size of a small city. I tried to get the others to take a closer look, but they were having no of it. Oh, Well.
The site seeing continued once we got back to land. We saw a crashed starship and a busted up land speeder both disturbingly close to the ruins of a rakata fortress. All of which failed to turn use aside from our appointed quest in Laser City. It was getting late in the evening, fatigue and darkness succeeded in stopping us were curiosity had not. So we decided to stop at Starfall City.
We didn't particularly trust the inhabitants of the city. So we decided to camp with our bikes at the machinist shop. But if there was anything we had to do was, we had to get clean. It felt like the salt was eating into our skin. So we each took our turns at the local bath-house to wash up. Some of us are more bashful then other and decided to bath alone. I spent my time with a lovely local lady and had an delightful conversation. I must admit I wasn't entirely honest with her, as I talk her we were going to Draco city and not to Laser City. I didn't think it would hurt anything.
Once we finished with cleaning up we settled in to our meditations back in the garage. Late into the night we became aware of lights flashing outside, but we heard no thunder. I believe it was Baran-ki that was the first to become curious enough to check out side. It didn't take long for some of us to follow. It turned out that the flashes were coming from far above our heads, in the starry sky. Two large star ships were battling out, in orbit above the planet. They slugged it out for a while, until the smaller of the two have, had enough and broke off the engagement. We had guessed that on of the two was the GraveStar Pirates and the other we were later to learn was from the Dark Fleet. Once the excitement was over we returned to our meditations and the rest of the night was uneventful.
The next day we started out early and headed around the mountain range between us and Laser City. We reached Laser City around mid day from the North West. It was generally agreed we should be subtle in our approach. So we camouflaged our bikes a moderate distance from the city and made our way into the city through the back alleyways. The research we did before hand had given us an idea of were some of the locally important building were located. We used this to first make our way to the Medical center. The majority of the beds were full when we got there. It was like a major fight had just taken place.
I got the impression that it was not unusual level of business for the Medical center. Even though some of may have been caused by a recent skirmish with the Dark Fleet. The conversation with the local doctor was pleasant enough, but I was unsure how many of the patients were actual GraveStar Pirates and how many were just victims of said Pirates. So without really discussing it with my fellow Jedi, I drop who we were into conversation with the doctor in a tone that was easy to overhear. This prompted a number of wounded to go for their comms, which we easily stopped. It lead me to the conclusion that probably a large majority of the people in this town belonged to the GraveStar Pirates.
This prompted us to move on to the local cantina. I have to smile when they accuse me of breaking our cover, when the very next place they want to go is the BAR in a PIRATE town. Oh, Well.
We did go in the back way into the cantina, bypassing two guards as we enter. I don't think we even got a chance to sit down and order drinks before the pirates started to gather. We headed back out the way we came in an moved towards the main street. Where we were greeted by a half-dozen or so pirates sporting autofire weapons. Baran-ki and I were out front and took the brunt of the barrage. I have to admit that Baran-ki is quiet agile and was able to avoid more of the fire than I did. I was scratched and I don't think we was damaged at all. For the amount of fire they poured into us, it was fairly impressive.
Baran-ki, Syral, So-Dal and I moved across the open street, or should I say shooting gallery. We each managed to make it across in our own way. Baran-ki's movements were fluid and unpredictable. Syral was toughness personified, just daring the blaster bolts to do harm. So-Dal let some of the fire take its toll and then turned the remanded of the fire into healing, completing some mystical yin/yang circle. I just used my normal fleetness of foot and let the force guide my saber in blocking their shots.
Tol-Soon, and Spella decided to cut back through the cantina to see if they could catch the Pirates from a different angle.
The four of us finished our rush across the street. Crashing into the pirates on the far side. The impulse of the charge aided Syral and I. We left our targets inches from unconscious's. But the battle did not last long. Apparently Spella had found a way to contact the leader of the GraveStar Pirates and negotiated a truce. Just as we downed two of the pirates, Spella made us aware of the truce.
It turned out that the truce was well timed. As we started to talk, two Dark Fleet shuttles descended from orbit. One circled to the town, while the other sped off across the planet. The circling one looked like it headed off to the northeast and landed near by. We all decided that the Dark Fleet was the greater threat and were willing to play nice for the time being.
My fellow Jedi's and myself headed out of town to intercept the landing shuttle. As we approached the shuttle we encountered its occupants, which turned out to be 8 very nasty beasties and 16 Dark Fleet Commandos. This show of force convinced us to retreat for the town. Baran-ki made a brave attempt to slow the pursuers by tossing a tree at them. The Force was not with him at the time, as he was unable to lift the tree. This moments delay also allowed three of the beast to set upon him. Before he was able to get way they stung him with a quick acting toxin that would have put him down in half a minute. Fortunately for him and Syral ( who had been a little slow on his feet) Spella had just the right counter agent handily. She administered it as we made a mad dash back towards the town.
We decided to make our stand at the local armoror's shop. The Dark Fleet Hounds were right on our tail. The danger of the fight focused my mind in a way I had seldom experienced before. It seemed like weeks passed in a matter of moments. I gave me a chance to come up with a plan. It was likely that any one of these hounds were a match of the best of us in fighting. It looked like our best bet would be if our toughest fighters formed a defensive line to block the door of the Armoror's shop while the rest fired at the Dark Fleet hounds from the inside. Syral, Baran-ki and I stood ready.
The Hounds approached. So-Dal and Baran-ki unleashed their Force Slams before they got to us slowing some and damaging most. As the hounds reached me I settled into a zone. There was only the moment, there was no past and only enough of the future to guide my blade. I felt the Force flowing through me, directing my saber to just the right place at the right time. The plan was working, the hounds were being worn down bit by bit. By the time their masters had arrived we had downed all but three of them.
As the Dark Fleet Commandos approached we shifted our line. Syral, and Baran-ki moved to our right to block a group of commandos from flanking our position. I remand to keep the attention of the, now, two remaining hounds. Everyone else continued piling on the damage anyway they could. Then the main group of Dark Fleet Commandos opened fire. Fortunately for us we were not entirely alone. Several of the surrounding building had GraveStar Pirates stationed on them. They pirates added their blaster fire to our aid and in so doing soaked up some of the Dark Fleet Commandos return fire.
I was still at the center of it all. Two hounds at my feet and a half dozen or more Commandos firing at me round after round. The Force always there to guide my saber, never faltering never letting me down. It gave my fellow Jedi the time they needed to engage the Commandos and allowed the GraveStar Pirates the time they need to gather and aid in a counter attack. I was able to shift into the doorway of the shop. The Blaster fire still raining down.
Spella got a comm from one of our fellow Jedi that he was in dire need of her medical talents. The hounds were still blocking the way. I decide to drop back into the shop in attempt to draw the hounds and clear the way. It did make a path for her but I couldn't keep the hounds attention. One took off after her but me and Tol-Soon were able to take down one of the remaining hounds.
The rest of the battle became a blur as the GraveStar Pirates joined the battle in earnest. We turned the flank and set the rest of the Commandos to flight. The town was clear, but the battle is not yet over. Even though we were heavily damaged we thought it imperative to capture the Dark Fleet Shuttle.
Almost as fast as we ran for the town the Commandos made for the shuttle. Syral, Tol-Soon and I caught up with two of the Commandos who turned and fought. The remaining four Commandos continued on to the shuttle. The rest of the Jedi ran past us and continued pursuit toward the shuttle.
Tol-Soon made short work of the Commando he caught, with Syral's help. Syral headed for the shuttle and Tol-Soon moved to help me. With Tol-Soon's help we downed the Commando I had caught. By that time, the rest of the Jedi had the situation in the shuttle under control. Me and Tol-Soon had to mop up a fleeing GraveStar Pirate and I don't think Tol-Soon was at all pleased to see the numerous large dents in the cargo section of the shuttle, when they brought the shuttle back to pick us up.
We've just received word from the Toth-Serro Jedi that they have found a cave strong in the force were Lady Jedi can talk to us in person. They also relayed that Lady Jedi told them that I had held the secret to furthering our Jedi training. At this point I revealed to them that I had two shards of a force crystal. One of which I had received from my mother. This reminded us of the crystal like item we had seen at the center of the Spider's Hive. With only a minimal amount of argument we decided to go to the cave after a solid night of force meditative healing.
