Root and Branch

Posted on Wed Nov 6th, 2024 @ 6:50pm by Bomoor Thort & Mentis & Thane & Amare & Reave & Kalen "Rex" Vickers & G2-O7

1,801 words; about a 9 minute read

Chapter: Chapter VII: Uprooted
Location: Red Raptor, Entering Myagil Sector
Timeline: End of Week Five (After "Call of the Herd")

"Entering Öetragan space in three... two... one..."

Rex's countdown was concluded by the bright termination of hyperspace beyond the Red Raptor's primary viewport, the white-and-blue streaks withdrawing and collapsing into realspace once more, the filters protecting the onlookers from any visual impairment. The ship, despite the advancements and alterations made since coming into the possession of its current crew, shuddered with the dimensional shift around it. Outside, their view was now filled with the looming and imposing globe of Öetrago. From their current position, it appeared peaceful, with a number of civilian craft and satellites still dotting the planetscape.

Analog buttons clicked and switches spun to Amare's fingertips as she assisted Rex as his co-pilot with establishing an approach vector. There was something reassuring and satisfying about old archaic controls. The newer holographic haptic interfaces on high-end systems looked fancier and had more features, but just lacked the tactile realness of the old ways.

"Welcome home," she said casually to Bomoor over her shoulder. She wondered how those words felt to him, especially after her rudeness towards him earlier whilst constructing her new lightsaber in front of him. She didn't hate him, but she did loathe the darkness that was rising in him. It made her uneasy, but then something deep inside her psyche wanted to push Bomoor further, to encourage him to hate, to complete his fall.

Amare's words washed over the former Jedi as the sight of the blue and green planet became more and more visible through the Raptor's viewport.

"That's the Üssina continent there," he pointed to the long landmass that seemed to stretch out almost from one pole of the planet to the other, "The settlement we are looking for is further south, a little past the capital island."

G2 made a disjointed series of beeps directed at the Ithorian.

"Hm?" Bomoor recognised some of the binary speech pattern, "Oh, yes. You've got the co-ordinates. Right..."

He trailed off and looked back out of the viewport, "I can sense a disturbance down there, but it has been so long since I set foot on Öetrago that I cannot get a sense of where. Our people move around so much too."

"My part here is done," Amare said to no one in particular as she rose from her seat. "Rex can do the rest. I need to change from these Bastion rags and dress for business. Big day ahead of us." As she strode past Bomoor towards her quarters, she gently patted him on the shoulder and winked at him as she said with a wry grin and a sly tone, "Can't wait to meet your family."

Bomoor did not react to the interaction, he was already reaching out to try to sense the danger ahead. He was flooded with familiar sights, sounds and scents, but felt an unnatural malicious presence, infecting the memory. He suddenly thought back to that moment on Korriban, when he was trapped in the mind prison and he felt his mother's presence drawing him back from the darkness. She had sought him out in that place of despair and now he returned to her to rescue her from the darkness as well.

Mentis came forward and took over the seat Amare had vacated next to Rex, giving a concerned glance to Bomoor, but not interfering with his thought.

"Apparently, we might be facing another member of the cult down there," the Rattataki recapped to his smuggler friend, "Tolmin Voq is a dangerous Devaronian, whom Axion gave a lot of leeway so that he could build ties with other organisations for the benefit of the Cult. Seems he has gotten himself tied up with GalactaWerks now as well so Force knows what other upgrades he has packed into that cyborg husk of his. I'm not looking forward to this at all."

"You should have more faith in yourself under the circumstances," Thane's voice accompanied the man from the back of the cockpit, seemingly passing Amare to join the others at the Raptor's bow, a rare, albeit brief, show of support to the Rattataki. Although he took up position beside Bomoor, he did not look to the others gathered beside him, and he allowed himself to regard the Ithorian's vast homeworld before them. If he had any thoughts or ruminations of his own about what was before them, he did not lend them voice, but he did briefly place a light hand on Bomoor's shoulder.

"We should waste little time," he said, quite softly, and reached forward to adjust some of the functions at the vacated station, although Thane did not claim the chair. Even before this incident, he had awareness of the relevant settlements; both Thane and Bomoor had made individual efforts over the years to know enough of one another's worlds, despite being behaviour that was typically frowned upon by their colleagues within the Reborn Jedi Order. Neither of them had ever been quite willing to surrender their base identities, and perhaps even the one forged between them spoke volumes to their characters and the likely inevitability of their collapsing relationship with the Order.

A small readout detailing the results of a scan of the target settlement appeared upon the console, bleeping in response to Thane's inputted commands. Rex glanced over and cocked an eyebrow at a near-extreme height. He angled his head backwards to make some comment to Bomoor, but saw the expressions worn by both former Jedi and instead rested his hands patiently on the console in silence.

"It has already begun," Bomoor stated, managing to retain his composure as he watched a long plume of dark smoke come into view in the distance, confirming the readings Rex was getting on the console. He jolted forwards, leaning over Mentis and Rex to look at the full readings.

"They have ships encircling it. We're not going to find landing easy," he noted, before whipping his head back towards Thane, "As you said, let's not waste time. Do you think you can manage a freefall if Rex can get us low enough?"

Thane thought for a moment. The enormity of the situation had dawned quite plainly on him; the threat to Bomoor's people was abundant, and each passing second and decision would be crucial to saving as many lives as possible and maximising their tactical advantage - if they indeed had any, outside of a party of capable Force users.

"The Force is our ally both on the ground and in the air," he responded, suppressing a frustration at his impending suggestion. His desire, as ever, was to be in the midst of the conflict, actively confronting and felling their foes. In particular, and since his acceptance of the dark side, there was a sense of emotional satisfaction that came with the incensed power such battle now brought - something he had not always appreciated he had suppressed, and still only recently grew to indulge. "Vickers is our best pilot, but with my reflexes and senses, I should man the turrets. The three of you should go planetside, with Reave as suppressing fire." He tapped Rex's side of the console as he continued. "We drop you, and then we continue to strafe and offer fire support from above - if they are utilising battalion formations, in true GW droid tactics, we could maximise our destructive capability. I will join you afterwards, if I can."

Bomoor nodded firmly, the logic of the plan accepted without hesitation, "Then I will take Mentis and Amare down to fight on the ground. I can get Reave down safely too."

He cast a glance to Mentis, who gave his own slightly less secure nod, clearly uncertain about what lay ahead, particularly with Voq's involvement in the whole affair but encouraged by Thane's reinforcement of his ability in their more recent interactions.

The former Öetragan turned again to the cockpit window, now spying some of the individual laser blasts, lighting up the forest with an unnatural florescence. After a pause, he added:

"We won't have enough room to all drop simultaneously from the passenger ramp in here. If we use the cargo loading hatch in the unconverted bay on the starboard side, that might be a safer drop. Assuming the bay doors aren't too rusty to open at this altitude."

At that, he received another grumbled series of bleeps from the droid.

"Well, we'll know soon enough," Bomoor took the droid's code as a vague confirmation, I'll head there now with Mentis. Get on the intercom to get Amare and Reave heading that way too."

He started moving, with Mentis jumping up alongside him but he paused beside Thane to add softly, "Thank you for this, my friend. We would not have been in a position to assist here without everything you have built here."

Thane, who had already started making adjustments on the console around the weapons facilities and power distribution, looked up to Bomoor. His pale lips formed a weak smile, but the Caanan appeared awkward at the Ithorian's endorsement. He nodded curtly and returned his attention to the readout, flicking a few additional switches and twisting a few dials quickly. "No time to lose," he said, rising quickly from his own chair as he completed his final adjustment, moving to follow the others out of the cabin. "Find your mother - we will cover the skies."

Thane's sincerity could be keenly felt and, with a final nod of his wide head, the former consular sped out with Mentis and down the corridor to the empty cargo bay.

Thane threw his head back towards the cockpit from the hatch, its lone occupant working furiously as the terrain, buildings and figures dotting the war-torn landscape grew larger and clearer in definition, the Red Raptor almost atop their scorched target. "Get us in low for the drop-off; I'll take the low-turret. Lots of strafing - and use the main guns on the battalions. We'll do damage to the land, but let's take no chances."

Working furiously to manage the demands of the ship's speed within an atmosphere and entering a combat scenario, Rex did turn from work, his hands moving flawlessly across the interface as his eyes did not deviate from the view beyond the cockpit. His knowledge and comfort with the machinery, even in his relatively short time piloting the Raptor, was a testament to his talent - and still a source of surprise for some of his adopted comrades.

Instead of saying anything, sarcastic or confirmatory, the smuggler just thrust one thumb up quickly, and then continued jabbing at the controls. Finally, the sound of laser fire was audible, and the Raptor rocked for the first time from a nearby explosion. They had arrived.

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