Jini blinks several times, her eyes both focused on the droid. "Don't worry about me," she says, trying to sound cheerful. "I've been through worse scrapes, and we are nearly out of here. It is my responsibility to get everyone safely out, we'll be fine once we are on board the ship."

Den follows Jini's instructions and prepares their exit. The faster the better!
This message was last edited by the player at 18:30, Mon 07 May 2018.

   The Protocol Droid turned her head slightly, in what might have been considered a cocking motion to the left. I am a 3P0-series protocol mechanism, Mistress. I may mimic certain organic functions as you understand them, but I am incapable of worry or anxiety."

   A pause, while the Droid considered something. "Mistress, when shall I be joining the others on the..." K1's single ocular sensor moved up to scan where the opening was, then returned back to the Jedi, "Hover sled?"

The winch came down and Boss and Den worked together to get the straps and magnetic clamps hooked up to the repulsor-sled used by the technicians. Moving up by pairs, each padawan rode up with four Separatists. Boss had the Nikto guard go third so that there was ample security above and below to prevent a possible escape attempt.

  It was a little more difficult than initially thought because close to the top, Tylen had to stop the winch because it was about to tilt the hover-sled once it got near the top and the mag clamp lines moved over the rock. Tylen was forced to help Kalyx get the Bith technician climb up the last two meters. The Trandoshan was easily able to pull himself up to the top, and stand by to assist the others.

  The pilot called down to K1, in a huffy tone, "Kalyx here tells me we got some guests coming aboard my ship? That would have been nice to know. This is going to take longer than planned. I thought we just had six people and a droid. We have to hurry this up, its a matter of time before they notice the ship on planetary sensors is not in its flight path and will investigate."

---

OOC: Who is going up with Jini in the last load up? 4 padawans with the Nikto and 3 techs, so that leaves a wounded Charlie, K1, Jini, and Boss.. I assume or did Boss go up with one of the first ones?

OOC: She'll support the wounded Charlie, I think.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:33, Mon 07 May 2018.

The wounded clone sat at the lift tube entrance as the others went up. Jini helped get the last group, K1T1 and the clone sergeant, into the hover sled and sent them on their way. She heard the sounds of battle droids in the sanctuary as it sounded like they were marching directly toward the hidden chamber.

   Charlie shook his head and let out a long breath as he grabbed his helmet. "Sounds like we are going to have company. Maybe they won't be able to find the latch. I don't suppose your mystical powers can make it hard for them to find us."

  There were sounds of metal scraping against the stone at the door, and a minute later the latch sprung. There was a loud clunk and gear turning sound as the stone door began to screech and rumble. Pebbles and debris fell away as it began to swing slowly open.

  The clone trooper intoned as he positioned his repeating blaster, "Save yourself Commander. I will try and hold them off. A disabled clone has no place in the Republic anyway, and you have become a good leader."

   The Droid heard the annoyance in the pilot's voice and replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "The only constant in the universe is change, Sir. We are working as quickly as we can, however."

   K1 followed the Clone Sergeant onto the hover-sledge when her audio sensors picked up the sounds of something advancing on the door. Directing her sensors in that direction, the unmistakable noise of the approaching Battledroid series machines made the 3P0 model look to where the Republic trooper and the Jedi Teacher were located.

   Mistress Relliri, might I suggest haste in your joining us? You may be able to distract ... them," One could almost hear a note of distaste in the Droid's words as she referred to the approaching units, "But they will eventually find you. Time is of the essence."

Jini can feel the panic setting in as the noise from the droids gets louder. They clearly know where to go and are headed straight for the small sanctuary behind the hidden doorway. She looks up at the hover sled as it ascends with K1 and Boss. It is groaning under the weight of two people, there is no way it will hold three.

She idly wonders if she should try to climb up the side of the turbolift shaft, even if it means leaving the clone, but as she is trying to figure out the best way to start the droids manage to open the door. The realization hits her. There is no way an immobile clone, no matter how brave, can hold off the droids long enough for the hover sled to finish the ascent and then descend again, let alone long enough for her to climb out of blaster range. The only chance she and Charlie have of surviving is fighting their way through the droids. Hopefully there won't be too many.

"Nonsense, Charlie, we'll get out of here together," she says to the clone, trying to sound confident. Knowing that there is no way for her to do what the clone suggests, even if she was willing to leave him behind. As she had been contemplating right up until the doors opened.

As she turns from the shaft and unclips her lightsaber from her belt, her hand brushes over the dark side artifact that she had tucked into her belt. There is no way she'll allow that to fall into the hands of the separatists again. "K1!" she shouts up the shaft as Charlie opens fire with his repeating blaster. "Catch!" she shouts as she hurles the rod up the shaft, reaching out with the Force, willing the artifact up far higher than she could possibly have thrown it. High enough to reach the droid.

As she concentrates on that, she quickly activates her comlink, connecting to Tarrin's frequency. "Tarrin, there is no way Charlie and I are getting out of here. They are too many, and there is no time. You have to lead the others now. Get them to the ship. K1 has the artifact, you must get everyone out safely and the artifact to the Jedi Temple. Don't let this be for nothing," she says, speaking much faster than usually as the sounds of blaster fire get louder in the background.

When the rod is safely in the hand of the protocol droid, Jini turns her back to the turbolift shaft and flicks the switch on the handle of her lightsaber, accidentally dropping the comlink on the floor, the channel to Tarrin still open.

She steps up in front of Charlie, deflecting a blast that would have hit him for sure, before leaping forward, propelled by the Force, and delivering an overhand swing into the head of the nearest battledroid. She can see down the hallway what seems like an entire battalion of B2 battledroids advancing. "There is no death, there is the Force," she mutters as she lays into the nearest droid.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Wed 16 May 2018.

K1 and CT-4805 were forty meters up the sixty meter shaft, when they heard blaster fire erupting below them. Flashes of red lit up the darkened shaft  below. Boss could here the return fire from his clone brother's repeating blaster answer in response, lighting up the shaft even brighter. The sound of Charlie's blaster in the shaft alerted those at the top of the fight going on below.

   Boss's helmet didn't reveal the pain in his face, but the white gloved hand on the cargo strap was shaking from clenching it so hard. It was obvious there was a conversation going on between the clones over a private channel by the way the clone sergeant was vehemently shaking his head while staring down.

   [[Boss stated in a strained voice,"I will come back down as soon as the artifact is secured. I.. I might be able to slide down the metallic cabling, it could hold."]]

   [[Charlie responded, "No. This is my duty. We are outnumbered, another destroyer is making its way in. You must get everyone to safety. Complete the mission. It was great to serve with you, brother."]]

   Her crimson coloured sensor looked in the direction of the Jedi and the wounded Clone Trooper close to her, K1T1, the sound of the shots from the Droid's weapons, meshed with those of the Trooper, triggered something ...

---

   Smoke rolled through the corridors of the ship where the Droid walked. Shouts and blaster fire could be heard in equal measure as she made her way towards one of the Smuggler's spare rooms. She heard footsteps running towards her at a pell-mell pace, and saw that one of the ship's crew was firing down the corridor and not watching where he was going. His head turned just in time to see the red sensor before he piled into the Droid with a force that knocked both of them over. Both landed on the deck plating awkwardly and she heard an unkind word about a clumsy Droid before she heard a low growl. "Should've shot you when I had the chance."

   More blaster bolts passed about the same height as where the man had once been standing. The sound of booted feet came closer and the man scrambled to get away from on top of the 3P0 Droid's chassis. "Freeze!" came a call through an intercom in a Trooper's helmet. K1 immediately stopped moving, but the man she'd been entangled with kept going as he reached for the blaster he'd dropped.

   "I'm not going back!" the man shouted defiantly before a blue bolt struck him and the body crumpled back to the floor.

   "That's quite enough, Trooper." a voice called out, the tone even save for a note of authority. A bearded man walked forward - a Core Worlder, by the look of him - his appearance and robes marking him as a Jedi. He looked to where the smuggler was, then to K1 before he spoke again. "I say, this must be awkward for you ... may I ask what your designation and function is aboard this ship?"

  "K1T1, Master Jedi," she answered without a pause as she tried to rise from the deck. "Protocol and Information Droid for the crew of the-"

   The bearded Jedi simply smiled and extended a hand to her ...

---

   ... K1 looked down into her hand, the artefact firmly gripped. She heard the ignition of the lightsaber and saw the deflection of the first bolt before the Jedi leapt forward and the battle began in earnest ... She began to record as the lift rose up higher and higher and caught the last snippets of the battle before the lift carried the Trooper and her out of range ...

  The slicer droid and clone sergeant finally reached the top of the tall shaft after a long minute or two. The whirring of the wench ceased as the repulsor platform came to a halt, causing it to sway gently.

   At the same time the blaster fire down near the shaft bottom abated. Those helping the last two passengers, spotted two super battledroids who, unceremoniously, trampled over a motionless white armored individual as they entered the doorway of the shaft. They were not able to move farther into the shaft because there was no steady flooring, just a bunch of jagged metal scraps a few meters below them. But the two B2 units shifted their optical sensors upward and spotted the targets at the top of the shaft. Their arms switched to blaster mode, and fired lances of glowing red plasma up toward the makeshift lift, just moments after K1 and Boss were pulled clear to safety.

   Tylen shook his head, knowing from the blaster fire that there were no other passengers to retrieve. He didn't say anything, what could he say? He tapped on his remote device and the wench pulled the hover sled over the ledge. It's repulsors kicked in and it still floated, despite a few laser burns along its bottom paneling.

   CT-4805 removed his blaster rifle and roughly shoved the floating sled out of his way as approached the ledge of the shaft.

Den waits for Jini to return, but finds that she did not come up with the droid, as was the plan. When K1T1 approaches without the Jedi Knight, a quizzical look crosses his face. "Where's Ji..?" He doesn't finish the question as he hears her response over the comms. He shakes his head in denial. "No, why..." He takes two steps forward, but feels a trooper's hand on his shoulder to gently guide him to the ship.  He doesn't fight much as he is escorted onto the ship. This was her decision. She was doing this to save the mission.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Wed 16 May 2018.

The young Miraluka had stayed on his guard once he reached the top of the elevator in order to make sure that the forward guard zone was safe for the others.  He held his the point of the blue blade level and outward as he assessed the area for threats.  But, after the elevator went down and back up and still Jini and Charlie had not appeared, he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.  Perhaps the Jedi Knight would not be coming up right away since she wanted to make sure that she brought up the rear, but an injured person like Charlie?  He should have been one of the first ones after the two padawan that were the vanguard.  He was about to open his comlink to check with the Jedi Knight what was going on when he heard the Mon Calamari's voice.

"What?  No!" the Miraluka cried out over the comlink with alarm in his voice.  "That doesn't make any sense, Jini!  At the very least let me come down to help you so that Charlie can get away!  There's no reason for an injured person to sacrifice themselves!  You and I together would probably be more effective at holding them off, and then we could make our escape while they are recovering!"

Making purposeful strides back toward the elevator, Tarrin began typing into the pad in order to call the platform back in order to aid the Jedi Knight and injured clone.  Surely her plan was madness!

   "It is too late, Padawan Feruwi," came the voice of the 3P0 Droid as she followed the young apprentice, waiting until the Mirulaka had finished speaking before she'd replied. "She is affording us time to escape, we should take it, or risk being captured by the Separatists ... and this" a four-fingered hand held the Sith artefact firmly in its place, "will fall into the wrong hands. If nothing else, this needs to be taken to the Jedi Temple for safekeeping.

   "Our need to return this artefact outweighs any other consideration, Apprentice. We need to go before it is too late..."

Jini's voice sounds far away, partially drowned out by blaster fire. "...nothing you can do ... are too many of them," she shouts. "You must get the .... to safety, secure the artifact..." she shouts. "...come for you on the surface soon, must get awa..." she manages to shout, cut short by a scream of pain. The sounds of fighting continue, making it clear she might be hurt, but not quite down.

"We have to go, Tarrin. She is doing this for us." Den says weakly into the comm. Hearing Jini's struggle during the battle makes it more diffcult for the young padawan. He is left speechless, shaking his head in disbelief. He mutes his commlink, not wanting to hear the final moments of the battle, undoubtedly hearing the demise of their friends. He takes a seat on the freighter, his legs too wobbly to support him anymore.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:57, Fri 18 May 2018.

Raana stares blankly at the comlink for a moment, realizing she is listening to the last moments in the lives of Jini and the clone trooper as they are overwhelmed by battle droids. She doesn't know Jini or the clone, but clearly the others are torn with the Jedi Knight's decision. She puts her hand on Tarrin's arm. "There is no time. Even if you took the hover sled down again, it would take too long. Jini chose to cover the rear, knowing it could come to this. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. Trust me when I tell you that I know exactly how you feel, I lost my master and forced myself to follow his last order, to surrender to the Separatists. It is hard, but we must live to fight another day, not throw our lives away for nothing."

"No!" the Miraluka cried out, collapsing to his knees in front of the elevator console, his lightsaber falling from his nerveless grasp.  The sapphire blade of light shut off as it fell, the hilt bouncing once and settling on the floor.  "No..." he repeated weakly holding his elbows as he wrapped his arms around his own torso.

"What is the point of being Jedi if we cannot stop things like this?"  The words came out in an audible whisper.  A rhetorical question, one searching for understanding out loud.

Even now he could feel the pain of the lifeforms below them as they fought against the droids.  While the others had the audio of the comms to go by, Tarrin could perceive what was going on in much more intimate detail.  Was this the reality of war?  The young Miraluka was beginning to understand why some of the Jedi Masters did not approve of Jedi involvement in the conflict.  There was so much...darkness here.  And seeing their brethren fall like this brought a great deal of emotional conflict.  That would already be bad enough, but being made to watch it like this while not being able to do a thing?  That was a curse that was uniquely a Miraluka one to bear.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Wed 23 May 2018.

Raana realizes that the Miraluka padawan is beside himself, perhaps feeling his master dying right now below him. The memory of her own master perishing, his last words to her, it’s all very fresh in her mind, so she understand very well how Tarrin feels. Sadly, this isn’t the time. She looks around and sees the clone trooper headed for the ship. “Trooper, help me,” she asks him.

Knowing that words will have little effect, she simply grabs Tarrin’s arm, and with the clone’s assistance she half-carries the Miraluka into the ship. As she does, she notices his lightsaber on the ground. Using her free hand she reaches out towards it, using the Force to propel it to her hand. She attaches it to Tarrin's belt, before helping him sit in one of the passenger seats. With everyone on board she closes the door. “Take off, pilot, we need to get out of here before any separatist ships arrive,” she shouts towards the cockpit.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:33, Sun 27 May 2018.

  The Trandoshan took up the rear guard as Raana and Tarrin went up the ramp. He was torn himself over leaving the two companions. He knew that they had a mission and would have to honor Jini's last orders, but he did not like it at all any more than Tarrin did.

  It was then that he clearly felt the Mon Calamari's, nearly unbearable, pain and then her presence abruptly vanished from the Force. The finality of her death drove him to his knees and he stumbled into the cargo bay, as Tylen raised the ramp. He unleashed a keening, growling, wail that echoed through the ship.

---

OOC: All the Jedi felt Jini die, and you can post your reactions to that event. I'm going to miss doing Jini's voice in the audiobook recordings.

Den suddenly winces and covers his face, trying to hide his pain. The feeling of loss in the Force is almost too great for the young padawan to bear. It's one he has not experienced yet, and one that he does not want to experience again any time soon. He takes deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He sniffs and wipes at his eyes, the tears starting to roll down his cheeks. It will be a difficult time for these padawans, and they will need each other's support.

While the others could feel Jini's presence disappear through the Force, Tarrin could see it.  And even as he was dragged away, he was staring in abject horror as the blaster bolts ripped through the Mon Calamari's body, causing her to jerk from the force of the rapid-fire death.  The Miraluka tried to keep himself together, but he could still see Charlie fighting on from where he was holed up behind some rubble near the elevator that he had been using as cover.  All it took was one launched plasma grenade from a battle droid to rip both him and the rubble to shreds.

By this point, Tarrin was sitting in the ship, his mouth open in horror.  But, no sounds came from his lips.  Instead, scream through the Force itself ripped from his body and emanated outward, audibly silent but somehow loud enough to shake the spirits of those around him.  It was rare to see one of his race grieve, and with no eyes or tear ducts to speak of, it was often debated how they did so.  Now, the other Padawans could see firsthand how it occurred.  More than that, they could feel it.  There was no need to guess at how a Miraluka felt when someone close to them passed away.  Anyone with a connection to the Force could feel the exact same thing.

Although Raana hasn't spent time with the Mon Calamari Jedi Knight, she can still feel her passing, deep in the caves. At first as a slightly sad feeling that suddenly comes over her, but right after that in a much more intimate way, through Tarrin's grief made all to real as she helps him on board the ship.

Stunned for a moment, she recovers sooner than the others, who might have been hit harder simply by virtue of having a connection to Jini. She runs to the cockpit, suddenly aware of the fact that she's never met the pilot before. "Eh, we should take off. The others aren't coming. We'll tell you the details once we're off this rock," she says.

"Do you need any help up here?" she asks, letting her voice trail off. She is a decent pilot, although she's more familiar with piloting fighters and smaller gunships than light freighters.

  The pilot was already rushing through his pre-flight checks and trying to check the sensors to find the best route away from the patrol. He pointed to the sensor station as he replied. "Just get on the sensors and make sure we don't have any surprises. I am going to move away from the incoming Bissian forces and make a run for it, at vector 24 mark 7."

  He flipped a few more switches and then spun the ship as he brought the repulsors online and then slammed the throttle forward on his makeshift controls. The boxy ship rattled enough to make the passengers think the ship was going to come unglued at the seams, and from Tylen's reaction, he wasn't too confident either. He looked around the cockpit and checked several systems as the Shrieking Acklay climbed upwards, the inertial dampeners finally caught up and the ship seemed to calm as it angled through the tannish tinged atmosphere and into space.

  Raana didn't see anything else on sensors. There was some weak pursuit from the patrol, but nothing serious. They were able to leave the planet and take a short hyperspace jump to the edge of the system where they met up with the Republic ship Reliance.

   K1 found one of the seats on the transport as the pilot hurried through the pre-flight checks and sat down. She watched the others as they too found places to sit down and lowered themselves down in their own fashion. The Droid remained silent and let the others grieve while she processed what had happened.

   From what her sensors told her, the organics all were in various states of distress over the loss of their Teacher, Master Relliri. From what the Droid knew, organics could feel and express loss, and the comparative silence that reigned aboard the craft was a stark contrast to their arrival earlier. K1 watched as Padawan Ferruwi sat in his chair, his mouth open. A quick moment's consideration informed the Droid that Mirulaka expressed their emotions differently than other organics, but this was the first time that the 3P0 had witnessed it firsthand.

   The others, from what she could surmise, expressed their feelings in a fashion in a more conventional fashion. The Trandoshan, Kalyx, had emitted a keening wail when he'd entered the cargo hold and fell to his knees. Jaxon, perhaps the youngest - or at least the youngest appearing - had just placed his head in both hands and had begun sobbing and deep breathing. Likely he was trying to camouflage the emotion he felt - organics were also noted for such behaviour - but there were signs that some Droid models like his own that were able to detect such attitudes.

   The Togruta pilot, who didn't have the same connection as the Padawans to the Jedi Master, was the only one that appeared to have a certain detachment to what was going on. K1 The Droid watched the woman run towards the cockpit and slip inside. Each one will grieve in their own way.

   K1's internal gyroscope 'felt' the quick change in direction, then the sudden acceleration as her chassis roughly contacted the back of the seat. The ship suddenly tilted up and the Droid turned her sensor towards the window, where the blue sky slowly leeched away it's colour until the black of space was all that was left. K1 paused a moment as she considered; their trail from Bissia into space was very much like what she had heard about people who were on the edge between life and death. The blue of the atmosphere was life itself, and its ebb into the blackness of space was not unlike what death was for both mechanical and non-mechanical life. And the stars that had begun to twinkle reminded her of an old folktale; one where when a person passed onto another life, their ... essence ... rose into the Heavens and became another of the twinkling stars in the sky.

    "Curious ..." she whispered to no one in particular, as the small ship jumped into Hyperspace.