Training Outside the Lines

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The red and black paint of his X-Wing starfighter stood out like a sour thumb when sitting next to the different greys of ships littered in the hangar bay of The Sith Empire. But it was a pretty sour thumb. Very colorful, vibrant, and full of life. Snack admired his handy work.

He smiled, his head actually visible as the hood of his cloak was hanging around his back and shoulders. His eyes shone dark and deep as he looked over his baby, trying to see if the painted needed a touch up or if anything needed to be tweaked. The mechanics here told Snack that nothing needed to be done, and if it did, his ship was in good hands so not to worry. But he still did.

Finally taking his eyes of his ship, he looked up to the crono on the far side wall. They'd be here soon. Snack had sent a message to his Warrior ranked apprentices, all three of them, and told them al to meet him hear in the Hangar bay at 14 Standard Hours. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at the entrance/exit doors, seeing if he could sense or see Jared, Sten, or Jodah.*

[Jared Mriad]

Jared had been in his room prior to receiving the message from Master Snack tinkering with a new weapon, a kama like saber weapon.

In the dim light of his half study half bedroom, Jared noticed the blinking light of the message center near his cot. Getting up and heading over to the datapad, he read the summons sent by Snack and nodded slowly, then glanced at the crono next to the datapad, it read 1345. Gathering a few items; the two saber kamas, A few throwing blades, and a white coat.

He exited the room and proceeded to the hangar, within a span of fifteen minutes he had reached the hangar and passed his cruiser, Ragnarok, on his way to his masters position.

“Master, You summoned?” he questioned with a bow.

[Sten the Chimp]

Deep, in the Halls of Wukong, hidden in an overgrown garden next to TSE, Sten sat in his room, surrounded by plants and vegetation of every single type. He felt the same as someone encompassed by a million incented candles. It made him calm, at peace with himself. While he advocated the death of anything period, he still maintained a profound respect for the flora and fauna of any planet. Why? He knew not. Perhaps it was because he WAS one, and STILL was one, and even the missing link between technology and nature. As he sat, meditating, he felt.....a beckoning. Someone was trying to contact him via computer, but his system was off; it inhibited his meditation. As he focused on the source, he knew by its familiar aura that it was Snack, and could even see that Snack was in the hangar bay of the TSE. Although Sten had his own hangar bay in the extensive Halls of Wukong, he kept his craft, a modified Nabooian Cruiser, in the hangar of the TSE, for that was usually where he was at. By the way the message felt, it felt rather urgent. Immediately, Sten sprung. In the blink of an eye he was up and bounding, by his hands and feet, across the room. The door was open before he got there, due to the link that the Halls shared with its master. As he blazes through the Halls, he reaches in his supplies room and grabs his pack, already packed for a trip just in case he needed to make a quick exit, as he was doing now. With the beige pack tight on his back and his saber clamped on his belt, Sten scrambles, across the vine covered walls, and spirals up the stairs to the entrance. Even as he gets to the entrance, the massive stone doors with gold accents of monkeys reflecting the sunlight, were just finishing opening. He bounds out, and into a side entrance of the TSE. Not even slowing down, he rushes through the halls, whizzing past a motley assortment of people. He navigates his way through the maze of hallways, finding the hangar with no problem. Seeing a crowd in front of him, he takes the quickest route: the ceiling. His hands and hand-like feet find every foot and hand hold, every little grabbable crevise, and every bar, with lightning speed. Following the source of the summons, he instantaneously sees Snack and his other Warrior-ranked student, Jared. While he knew of Jared, he didn't personally know him, or any other students of his master; a consequence of either being away constantly, his ever-present brooding, or his anti-sociality. Sten jumps off of the ceiling, flipping several times before hitting the ground, landing on all fours at a complete stop.

"You called, Master?"

[Jodah of Giva]

Jodah heard the summons, and began to pad quietly across the hangar floor. He moved from his own Haloan Talon X-1 'Fighter to Snack's X-Wing, and stepped up behind his master. " You called, milord?"

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Watching as each made their way to him, Snack kept silent. He observed the movements of his apprentices, noticing that each one is very different yet knowing that something they share in common brought them together here. He knew that Jodah and Jared had interacted with each other before, but not quite certain if Sten had the chance to talk with the other two. That would change. Snack nodded his head to the group before introducing them.*

Sten, this is Jodah and Jared; Jodah.. Sten and Jared; Jared... Jodah and Sten.

Now that we have the introductions out of the way....

*He paused, making sure to glance at each one.*

I'm sure you are wondering why I called you here. Well, to put it mildly... we are going on a field trip to Dathomir.

*A sick smile curled its way on to Snack's lips. This would be interesting to see how each would react to what their actual purpose on the planet would be. Oh, what fun!*

I'll send you all a technical read out on the planet, and let you guess as to why we are going there. Get to your personal ships and meet in orbit up in the clouds. We leave now.

*Snack cut himself off abruptly, turning on toe and jumping up into the cockpit of his Stylin' X-Wing. Check the pre-flight stuff, he lowered the hatch, popped on his helmet and was the first to blast out of the Hangar Bay. His X-Wing shot out of the planet's atmosphere and took an orbital waiting position above waiting for his three followers to catch up.*

[Jodah of Giva]

Jodah nodded to his 2 fellow warriors, and then Force-jumped to his own ship. He stepped up to the side placed his hand against a small pad. A door spiraled open in curved shards. He crawled up within it, seating himself on the padded chair within the control orb. His hands danced over the small dials and lights around him, checking his engine and weapons system. His feet moved the footpedals up and down, and he kept an eye on directional engine rotation. Satisfied with the final specs, he placed his hands on two handles. The controls were similar to a common podracer. He flipped a switch o nthe side of the left handle,and listened as his engine started up. The ship hovered lightly off of the ground and the landing gear automatically retracted. He then pushed the handles forward hard, pulling the footpedals back to nose the craft up. It soared out, over the city below, and then into atmosphere. He set himself into an auto-follow on Snack's X-Wing, waiting for the tech readout to come through. He looked at his main viewscreen, and did a scan on Snack's craft. He sent a text message to his ship's system, reading: My transmission code is H980. Figured you may want to know, it's foreign for this system.

[Jared Mriad]

After Jodah hit his ship out, Jared nodded at Sten then force ran to his cruiser. The Ragnarok shined bright red chrome in the lights.

He entered the ship via the cargo bay, Several boxes of cargo were spread out and Jared moved inbetween them easily. He entered a corridor via a vertical siding door that hissed up silently.
He was now in the Command deck, two sits rested infront of him and two to the sides for communications. Jared had reformatted the seats to connect to one main seat in the middle of the four. A Apache-like chopper neurohelmet rested in the seat, Jared picked this up and placed it on his head, a black visorlike electronic device rested just above his nose and readouts streamed across it.

Jared activated the power core inside the ship and listened intently as the engines roared to life. The Ragnarok hovered in the air as Jared activated the four outboard engines with a fury of thoughts.

Ragnarok shot out of the hangar with a roar, Instantly the two inboard engines activated and thrusted the ship through the atmosphere into space.

Ragnarok to Master Snack, Transmission code 32.73 PSI. Rag out. he sent through the computers via his mind. Soon the Ragnarok hit a orbital axis and slowed to a stop.

[Sten the Chimp]

Sten clambers up the wall, his hands and feet grabbing at each hold, and traverses the ceiling in the same manner, leaping from light fixture to the top of a ship, and on the roof of his own ship, Primal Hatred. The smooth, mirrored exterior of the modified Nabooian Cruiser felt cold on his bare, calloused feet. It hadn't been out of the holds in a few months. But that mattered not. He had a mission to do. Sliding down the side of the Cruiser, he lands on the docking ramp. He jumps, grabbing a handle inside by the door to slingshot his momentum to the front of the ship. With the momentum, he sails through the air, spins his back towards the ground, and climbs upside down on the pipes and grated ceiling. Once over the pilot seat, he drops, spinning to put himself rightside up and butt first into the seat. He snaps his harness immediately, and flips a series of several switches with his hands and feet. The engine roars to life, and Sten moves the feet levers forward as far as they can go, and the ship blasts forward. Sten superiorly maneuvers the ship, diving upward steeply and narrowly avoiding the other ships parked in the bay. He flies the ship outward and into space. Moving his foot, he hits the keyboard at his foot several times, and a holo-map displaying the quickest route to Dathomir. Setting the course, he hits the keyboard and throws yet another lever, instantly sending the ship hurtling into hyperspace. Hitting the com unit, he talks to the other ships.

"The frequency's 141.80 WUKNG. Also foreign."

OOC: Sorry 'bout the wait. Had an AP US History College exam and had to study. It's over and the rest of school (10 1/2 days or so) is a sinch.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Once all were space born, and had given Snack their frequencies, the Dark Lord brought up his search on Dathomir and sent the exerpt to each of them.

"Dathomir

Located in the Quelli sector, Dathomir is a low-gravity world with three continents, a wide ocean, and four small moons. The planet is covered with a wide variety of terrain including mountains, deserts, purple savannas, and forests with eighty-meter trees and vines bearing hwotha berries. Indigenous life on Dathomir includes flying reptiles, piglike rodents, long Whuffa worms, burra fish, and the feared rancors. Semi-intelligent, two-legged reptiles live in the desert and call themselves the Blue Desert People.

Humans came to Dathomir hundreds of years ago when a group of illegal arms manufacturers were exiled to the planet by the Jedi Knights. Several generations later, a rogue Jedi named Allya was also exiled to Dathomir. Allya began to teach the Force to the planet's inhabitants and to her descendants, who also learned to tame the wild rancors. Some time later, nearly four hundred years ago, the two-kilometer Jedi spaceborne academy Chu'unthor crashed in a Dathomir tar pit. (The Jedi master Djinn Altis was known to travel in a ship also called the Chu'unthor, but based on available dating information it is unlikely that it was the same ship.) Yoda and the other Jedi sent to recover the crashed Chu'unthor were repulsed by the witches-- those female inhabitants who had learned to use the Force. Different clans of these witches (such as Singing Mountain, Frenzied River, and Misty Falls) were formed, including a group following the Dark Side calling itself the Nightsisters. Life among the clans followed a pattern of female dominance, where males were largely treated as property and not allowed to act in important decisions. Around one hundred years ago, the Nightsister Charal managed to escape from Dathomir and fell in with a group of alien marauders, who then crashed on the forest moon of Endor. Imperial forces later constructed orbital shipyards and a penal colony on the surface. Following the failure of the Emperor's attempt to destroy the Jedi enclave on Belsavis, several designers of the Eye of Palpatine were reassigned to punitive duty at Dathomir. After the Emperor learned the power of the Nightsister leader Gethzerion, he ordered all the prison's ships destroyed from orbit to prevent her from leaving the planet. The stranded Imperials at the prison were then enslaved by Gethzerion and the other Nightsisters. Four years after the Battle of Endor, Han Solo won the planet Dathomir in a high-stakes sabacc game from Warlord Omogg, who claimed it had been in her family for generations. Han's subsequent adventures on the planet resulted in the destruction of both the Nightsisters and of Warlord Zsinj's forces. Nineteen years after Endor, a new order of Nightsisters based in the Great Canyon emerged on Dathomir. This clan, allied with the Empire and founded by Luke Skywalker's former student Brakiss, treated their males as equals and sent their best Force students to be trained on the Empire's Shadow Academy. [COPL, COTJ, YJK, DS, ISWU] "

Flipping on the comm unit to the secret frequencies of each, Snack spoke to them all.*

The cooridantes were sent with the information on Dathomir. Our purpose there... We'll be hunting Rancors.

*He clicked the comm off, a smile cruising over his lips. Snack wondered what his apprentices were thinking when they heard the news of what they were doing... either excited or freaked out... either way this would be an interesting endevour.

Setting his course, he pushed the lever forward, sending his X-Wing into the confines of hyperspace.*

[Jodah of Giva]

Jodah smiled to himself. He had heard of these fearsome beasts, but never really seen one. He assumed they would be like the wingless versions of the dragons of his homelands. His hand slipped quickly over to a small console on his right. A flat monitor folded out of the interior. He spoke out loud, directing his voice towards the screen. "Shiva, search biodatabase, display Rancor, 3-D model." The monitor flashed softly, and then folded horizontally, laying flat. A 3-D, holographic figure appearred above it. It was a typical sized rancor, rotating slowly, with pop-up biological information about the creature. Jodah followed Snack's lead, 'jumping, and set his computer to follow his master's course. He then wset about examining the model, doing his best to learn all he could about it.

[Sten the Chimp]

In the tunnels of hyperspace, Sten heard the message and smiled evilly. He knew of the Rancor, and how big they were. Massive, literally giants. Hunting them would be.........rather difficult. But, Sten was ready. It had been awhile since he had had a real challenge.

"Be careful what you wish for......."

[Jared Mriad]

Jared pushed the Ragnarok into hyperspace following the other three on a streight shot to Dathomir. He flipped the ship into autopilot and gazed out of the main veiwport into the hyperspace vortex.

Long before his enrolment into the Empire, Jared had heard and actually seen a Rancor in action against a traitor, it wasnt a pretty sight. Hutning these fearsome beast would be a challenge, if not a exitement. The computer beeped acnologing the arrival time...

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*3... 2.... 1... 0

The console on his X-Wing beeped at the same time he pulled the lever back, pulling his snub fighter rather abruptly out of its gentle coast in hyperspace. Jerking back in his seat, the Dark Lord looked out of his view port at the blue and purplish green planet that hung in space. Three other craft exited out of hyperspace around Snack, all in a disorganized formation. He flipped on the comm to their respective frequencies and began transmission.*

There she is. We'll land on the larger continent over there, near a beach. Follow my lead.

*Snack cut the transmission off and quickly flipped on his turbo thrusters as his X-Wing sped towards the planet. The entry into the atmosphere was like every other, besides the fact he felt a weaker pull of the planet's gravity on his craft. Diving his nose hard, he flew in near the shore of the larger land mass. He killed his turbo engines and kicked on the repulsor lift engines, slowly turning his craft a little over ninety degrees to both slow his fighter and to land neatly in the sand.

Snack powered down his X-Wing and opened the top hatch, waiting for the rest of his crew to set down.*

[Sten the Chimp]

Sten comes out of hyperspace just above the planet. Seeing the larger continent and where Snack was landing, he hit the controls and followed. A few minutes after Snack had landed, Sten settled down on the soft, white sand. Opening the docking doors, Sten padded out onto the sand. He didn't like the feel of it. He didn't have much footing on the beach. But he'd get over it.

Instead of staying out on the beach, out in the open, he walked his way into the wooded area. He clambered up a tree quickly, in hopes to get a better vantage point on things.

[Jared Mriad]

Jared ran the Ragnarok nearly off the destinated landing spot, shooting more for a wayward course of the water. The craft came close to touching the ocean's surface as Jared headed away from the beach for a looping U-turn.

The Ragnarok turned and lifted into the air doing a clean flip and barrell rolling to point rightside up at the beach. As the craft neared the beach, Jared activated the repulsor lifts which fanned more saltwater out. The frontal hull lifted into the air as the two back struts dug into the soft sand and the craft powered down.

The loading ramp fell and Jared stepped out into the sunlight.

"Feh..." He mummbled, looking over the ocean, and turned to the others a look of unplesantness on his face. "Too Quiet.." he mummbled again, And I can see why... too much noise... he thought.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Jodah's ship landed next to Jared's, and once all were gathered, Snack began the briefing.*

Rancor's are big nasty critters, as you probably know. They are the ugliest thing you'll ever set your eyes on, and to any normal or even some Force sensitive beings, the last things one would set their eyes upon.

*He paused, taking a second or two to look at each of his apprentices.*

Never forget on this mission that we are the hunters, not the prey. If they know we're coming, we're all as good as dead. Sten, you have a natural link with many animals, so you'll be our eyes and ears. I'm counting on you to find out where we can find a juvenile rancor, and to keep us all one step ahead of the beasts.

*Reaching behind him, he unclipped his two twin blade sabers, and held one in each hand.*

Let the hunt begin!

[Sten the Chimp]

"Yes master."

Sten grinned.

"This is gonna be fun."

Sten leaped up to the highest part of the trees, using his rapport with the animals to his advantage. He headed east, swinging, sliding, climbing, and jumping towards a possible Rancor nest.

"A little birdie told me that a nest might be this way!"

[Jared Mriad]

A sly smile cross Jared's face as he darted through the trees, Eletemanki held out to the side. Hunting a rancor, any, would always prove interesting.

"They better be worth a challenge, eh?" The sith warrior commented as he dodged a low branch.

[Sten the Chimp]

"Of course. Perhaps I can get a baby back on the ship to put in my home...... It would make a rather cute pet......."

Sten grinned crazily as he swung about in the trees. His words were Force-infused to make sure that everyone heard his "joke."

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Don't get cocky up there, Monkey-boy.

*His words, too, were thrown out by the Force making sure all would here it. Snack was at a brisk jog, following right behind Jared and infront of Jodah. Unlike Jared, Snack's hands were free of any weapons. They would slow down his momentum if he were carrying one in his hands.*

[Jodah of Giva]

Jodah chuckled slightly at the remark made by Sten. He replied quietly, picking up his pace but not getting in front of Snack. Only the completely ignorant would precede their master without orders. "Indeed, quite a pet..." He considered the joke somberly for a moment, thinking about it. If he could get a rancor...he shook his head slightly. A bit too much trouble, and he had nowhere to put it... yet.

[Sten the Chimp]

OOC: Last I checked, he mentioned that I would be valuable as to tracking one, and there are always cryptic instructions in what people say, so it was kinda like he was asking me if I would go ahead. But the hell with that, it don't matter. And no offense is taken by your thoughts......yet. :p

IC:

Sten continued following his instincts, in hopes that he would soon reach the nest. Be careful what you wish for, for at that exact moment, Sten stopped, and saw it. The nest. It was deep, in a pit. And thankfully, the Rancor were asleep at the moment. And the group was upwind of them, so their scent wouldn't be caught by the noses of the Rancor, but all that was needed was a slight shift of the wind, and they would be alerted. Sten turned to his companions and spoke in a hushed voice, as well as by the Force to insure that his words were heard:

"The nest is up ahead. It would be best if we were a bit cautious at this moment. I suggest that we study them for a bit, learn of a few habits before we attack. After all, one should never underestimate the enemy, and especially one that is that big..."