[Elyon-Zoe] First mission

Kiast
39 ABY

The Brotherhood received an emergency call from farmers from a remote small village in the middle of the woods. The call was very disturbed by an unknown source, but according to all clear information, they have injured people. Therefore, their message was sent to the House of the Consular Conclave, which has the equipment for these cases, but mainly they have experienced members.

Quaestor Ira Ojiman eventually assigned the mission to Jedi healer Ranger Elyon de Neverse and her Padawan Acolyte Zoe Ta’var. Their task is to help the wounded and find out what happened there.

Characters:
Elyon de Neverse - https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/character_sheets/14894
Zoe Ta’var - https://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/character_sheets/14256

It’s been a few weeks since the young Jedi Elyon de Neverse arrived with her new Padawan Zoe Ta’var arrived at Asclepius Station and found a new home there.

Elyon had just heard of an emergency call and her assignment to a rescue mission to heal the wounded and look for the reasons for the emergency.

The young Jedi left the Main Center and directed her steps to the quarters to inform her Padawan, because she, too, had been assigned to do so. It will be their first mission since Elyon became her Master.

When she reached her quarters, she knocked and waited for the call to enter.

“Come in,” Zoe’s voice said through the door.

The door slammed in front of Elyon and she stepped inside.
It was the first time Elyon had been in her room. It was one more spacious room because it was inhabited by Zoe and her wolf pet Sasha. The room was austerely furnished. One bed, a table and chair, and a closet in the corner of the room where clothes were stored. Sasha had a crib right next to the bed.

He greeted the newcomer only with a whimper.

“Master, everything is fine,” the young Zeltron asked with a bow, for it was strange that Elyon had come for her.

“Yes, but we’ve been assigned a mission. It’s an emergency call. That’s why we have to leave as soon as possible. I’ll tell you more when we’re on our way. Pack your things for more days for yourself and for Sasha, whom we’ll take with us, please.” Elyon quickly gave her the information so she could pack up as well.

“I’ll be waiting for you at my ship in half an hour,” she added.

“I understand, Master. We will be there as soon as we can.” Zoe replied, bowing again as Elyon left her room.

Zoe jumped to her feet the moment her master left the room and started pulling together their mission backpacks, one for Zoe and one for Sasha. She opened up her closet and picked her warmest cape, a thermal one that her parents had insisted she use. She then followed that up with an extra day’s worth of clothes and something to sleep on. The padawan had strong memories from her days at the Praxeum and their ‘camping trips’ and for once looked back on the moment with pride. She knew exactly what to expect, she told herself.

“Sasha, we are going on our first mission! Can you believe it?!” she asked excitedly.

The wolf merely stared back at her and tilted its head, perhaps looking for signs of activity that would elicit such energy.

Once she was done with her own linens, she packed all her healing gear and clipped her essential gear back on her belt. The Jedi then got her wolf’s bag out and filled it up with food supplies, a collapsible water bottle, and the embedded tracker.

“Oh just you wait, it’s your first mission too,” said Zoe and she put on his backpack. The wolf growled for a moment but Zoe shushed him. “I told you, you have to carry supplies too now. And you have to listen to me. It can be dangerous out there, okay?” asked the Padawan as she looked into its eyes and reached out to him. It was as simple as breathing for the pair of them.

The wolf huffed and let her finish putting it on. Shaking it off for a moment, or trying to, the wolf bounded out of its bed and stood near the door. Zoe shook her head and scratched the animal behind his ears. “Silly, you can sleep on the way there.”

The padawan kissed the wolf on the top of his head and the pair went to meet Elyon.

Elyon, dressed in a dark green Jedi robe, was already waiting leaning against her ship. When she sensed Zoe and Sasha coming, she straightened up and looked at them.

“Do you have everything? We won’t be able to return, not until we complete the mission.” The young Jedi said as she walked up the ramp to the ship.

“Yes, Master, we are ready for the mission,” Zoe replied, following her to the ship with Sasha.

“All right then,” Elyon smiled as she took the pilot’s seat.

Zoe sits next to her in the co-pilot’s seat as the ship leaves Station and heads for Kiast. It wasn’t long before they flew through the atmosphere and the landscape unfolded in front of them.

“R2, please enter the emergency call coordinates into the navigation computer,” Elyon called back to her droid, who was already on the ship when Zoe and Sasha boarded.

The droid beeped twice in agreement and went to work. He connected to the computer and to the navigation system. After a while, he beeped again to let them know that the coordinates were set.

“Thank you, R2,” Elyon thanked, watching the navigation computer know where to fly.

The landscape beneath them was changing. Forests were replaced by mountains, mountains were replaced by cities, cities by forests to the shores of the oceans. A few minutes later, the droid beeped again because the source of the emergency call was right in front of them.

“I see, R2, thank you.” Elyon answered the droid, scanning the landscape below. In the middle of the woods, there was burnt soil in the shape of a circle on which farmers had set up their fields. The land here will certainly be profitable, because a river flows around the fields.

“Interesting,” the young Jedi sighed.

“What, Master,” Zoe asked, also watching the landscape below.

"What would anyone want here? Village in the middle of nowhere. According to the map, the larger city is a day or two away, ”Elyon told her, looking for a good place to land.

“Maybe they have something that interests someone,” young Zeltron thought aloud.

"Does it matter if we walk a little? I’d like to hide the shuttle from possible air hazards. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, ”Elyon said when she found the right place to hide the ship. It was a rock overhang of mountains, which were about 20 kilometers from the village.

"No, Master. Sasha likes to run, ”Zoe told her, winking at her animal friend.

"Good. He’ll have plenty of movement, ”Elyon said as she guided the shuttle to land and maneuvered it under overhang with a deft maneuver so she wouldn’t be able to see much. Then she turned off the engines, got up, and walked over to R2.

"R2, I’m sorry, but this is not the terrain for you. Stay here and guard the shuttle. If anything goes wrong, I need you here, ”the young Jedi told her droid, stroking him. The droid started beeping in protest, but eventually calmed down.

“So, it’s time to go,” Elyon said, pulling her backpack packed for the mission out of storage.

"Yes, Master. We’re right behind you,” Zoe said with Sasha at her side as they followed the young Jedi out of the shuttle.

The young Zeltron put one foot in front of the other, the crack of twigs and other underbrush underfoot was peaceful in a way. She often enjoyed walking in the forest with Sasha back home on Kiast. The air felt different here, less light and far warmer than the mountains back home. Zoe kept a sharp eye on the environment around her, wondering what they would find. She was mostly lost to her own thoughts until she couldn’t hold them any longer.

“Master, I don’t sense anything wrong in the Force, yet the mission brief said people were injured. Wouldn’t they have had to walk through here? Is this a trap?”

Zoe uttered the thought that now bothered Elyon. It was weird. They should feel something, but they felt no more than the creatures around them in the forest.

Both girls continued on the beaten path, which was widely used by the locals.

“I must admit that you have asked very important and correct questions now.” Elyon said to break the silence between them.

“Something’s wrong here, we should feel the villagers because we’re close,” the Jedi said after pulling out her datapad and tracking their position.

“How is it possible we don’t feel them?” Zoe asked a little nervously.

“That’s a question we have to find the answer to,” Elyon said, walking away toward the village again.

"There are several ways to cover up your presence. For example, by blocking the Force, you can hide from Force users, but there would be a Force user who would hide the whole village. And they called for help, so why would they hide? That’s strange and unlikely. " The Jedi thought as she marched, focusing on her thoughts. And so she didn’t notice that her ability to sense her surroundings was still waning.

“Master, what’s going on?” Zoe woke her up from the thought process.

“Something is blocking us,” Elyon replied, trying to reach out to the Force.

“How do you think something is blocking us? That’s not possible,” said young Zeltron, looking at her Master.

“We’ll find out in the village, there must be answers to our questions,” the Jedi said, stopping, kneeling, and looking into Zoe’s eyes.

"I know it’s as uncomfortable for you as it is for me. It is important that you do not show anything about yourself. Whatever we find there or whoever. We have to look like nothing is happening and that we are still in control of our abilities. Can you promise me, Zoe? ”Elyon explained the plan they both had to follow to be able to survive what awaited them in the village.

“Yes, Master. I will do my best,” young Zeltron agreed, nodding.

“Okay, it’s time to go,” Elyon said, straightening to her full size.

The two girls, accompanied by Sashi, broke up to a village from which smoke rose. There was peace everywhere, but unnatural as silence before the storm. They had just stepped into a trap that would now fall.

Zoe peered through the trees out into the open of the village. A thin wisp of smoke lazily trailed from the center. She reached to the Force but felt nothing again once more. She shifted nervously. She didn’t like being cut off from the Force. Sasha stood next to her, head up high and body alert. Zoe glanced in his direction and shook her head, patting him on the head.

Tough as always Sasha, don’t worry I know you are scared…

The wolf softened a fraction of a degree but kept alert nonetheless. Zoe stood up and walked out of the cover of the forest. Elyon was right next to her, eyes alert and ready to defend as needed. The pair slowly made their way to the center of the village, glancing inside homes and half expecting people inside them. None appeared. Sasha followed reluctantly behind her, sniffing the ground around the pair of Jedi.

“Is this the right village, Master?”

“Yes, padawan. They should be here,” Elyon said as she rechecked the nav point.

Meanwhile, Sasha continued to sniff the ground, slowly walking towards whatever scent he was following. As the wolf snaked through the homes, he finally ducked inside one.

“Sasha, where are you going?” called Zoe as she followed her companion into the home.

Elyon followed after her padawan and both Jedi were met with a dead man, probably for a couple of days. A single blaster shot burned into his chest. Elyon rushed over to his side and started to Force Heal him, but before she could start the man stirred weakly for a moment. Fading in and out, he tried to speak.

“Stay calm. I’m a healer and I’ll help you.” The young Jedi told him, but the man was still trying to speak. “Run … run … as long as you can. They … want you. I … I’m just a bait.”

“What does he mean that they want us?” Zoe asked, standing over her Master, still kneeling beside the man.

“He meant us, little one,” the male voice behind them replied.

The newcomers cast a shadow over her and the man she was trying to heal. She knew from his waist that there were three men. Elyon slowly raised her head to them and began searching for the Force, but her connection to the Force was still weakening. Therefore, she focused on the details that might now be key. The three men were soldiers armed to the teeth. The young Jedi noticed an emblem on the shoulder of one of them … he belongs to the Collective.

“Where are the others? If this man was just a bait, then where are the others,” she asked, rising slowly, covering Zoe with her body. This young girl had no experience with the Collective, but Elyon was already watching the atrocities that the Collective’s soldiers committed.

“They’re dead,” the commander said with a smile, adding, “just like this man.”
Before Elyon could do anything, the commander pulled out the blaster he had attached to his right thigh and fired at the reclining man. The young Jedi kneeled back to him immediately, but it was too late. The bolt hit the man’s neck and he died immediately.

"It was not necessary. You want me and not the innocent villagers. You don’t have the courage to enter enemy territory and face the enemy, but instead you kill the innocent and lure us here like a coward, " the Jedi said with a cold, calm voice, rising again and standing in front of Zoe this time, ready to fight.

She continued to try to find another detail that would help her reveal who she was facing. As the man who seemed to be the commander of the team put his weapon back in his scabbard, she noticed the embarrassment on his other hand. It had the letter T. Which could indicate that it was Trill Squad, a new group belonging to the Collective, which, according to rumors, focuses on special events.

The commander gritted his teeth and blushed with anger. “Me and the coward? You’re lucky that I need you alive, because otherwise I’d kill you slowly and in pain,” he shouted at her.

The rest of his men, meanwhile, pulled out their blasters and aimed at her to apprehend her and express dominance in the situation. The young Jedi would be able to repel them easily, and she knew Zoe wouldn’t be left behind, but she didn’t want to risk the life of her Padawan.
She promised her mother that she would take care of Zoe. Therefore, she must now be patient and let herself be led by the Force and her own reason, which now recommended her diplomacy rather than attack.

“Interesting, so if you need me, you can let this little one go.” Elyon tried to use Mind Trick, but unfortunately her attempt did not fail. Even this ability was now beyond its reach in the Force. Elyon looked at Zoe. She could see that she was struck by what she saw, but still upright, looking proudly in front of her. She’s as strong as her mother, Elyon thought, and lightly took Zeltron’s hand in her to realize she wasn’t alone. Zoe looked at her and nodded that she understood her gesture.

“I wouldn’t recommend that, Commander,” the man to his right said.

“According to all available data, this little Zeltron is the daughter of Aura Ta’var, former Consul of the Clan Odan-Urr, Zoe Ta’var,” the man added, watching Elyon’s reaction. The young Jedi didn’t show anything.

“And she,” the commander asked, pointing to Elyon.

“This is the Aedile of the house Consular Conclave, Elyon de Neverse,” the man replied calmly with confidence in his voice.

They know who they are honored with, and they have the latest data. How is that even possible? Elyon spoke to herself in her head.

"So we’re lucky we got these two,” the commander said with a false smile and continued towards Elyon and Zoe, “now you two will come with us voluntarily or you will choose a harder way. What will it be, Jedi?”

Elyon stared resolutely at the armed men and sized them up. Two guns remained pointed at her. She could feel Zoe’s presence behind her tinged with fear but showing a defiant brave face. The woman could probably take them, but this was an awfully small hovel and her padawan’s life was not assured. No, the Force had a different suggestion.

Let them take you, she felt the Force whisper as it was a close friend.

“If we go peacefully, will you promise our safety?” asked Elyon to the Commander.

The Collective man’s smile soured. “Yes, but only because my boss said so. Hand over your sabers and we’ll take you to them.” The man held out a hand.

Elyon sighed and handed over her saber, albeit reluctantly.

“And the girls?” he asked.

“She is too young to have a saber. She has none,” answered Elyon.

The young Zeltron opened the front of her outer robe to show she indeed had no saber. The Commander made a move to check, but Elyon stepped in front of him and stared him down.

“I have no saber. Now take us to your boss before you get in trouble. And leave the dog. He will only slow us down,” Zoe said with a short wave of her hand under her robes. This time it worked.

“Fine, but let’s go,” commanded the man as he waved them through.

“Man, even the dog gets lunch before we do. It’s not fair,” commented one of the other Collective thugs.

“This was a lot easier than expected. Probably because they won’t give their kids weapons. At least the Sith arm you,” quipped his associate.

Zoe’s poker face was well-practiced from years of stealing cookies. On the outside, she was a scared embarrassed padawan who didn’t have a saber and lost her dog. But on the inside, she was smiling because she had hidden her saber from sight well, thank you younger sibling, and her dog would very much find her. She knew it and she liked to think the Force knew it too. Besides, she had her master to protect her and a mother who tear them a new one if they hurt a hair on her head.

The pair hopped on some speeders parked outside and were slowly whisked away towards the mysterious meeting as they winded through the forest. Elyon reached out to the Force. She could feel Sasha following behind them and Zoe had hidden her saber well. A plan was beginning to form…