[What Lies Beneath] Team 3

Rules:

• Minimum is 500 words per post
• Maximum is 1000 words per post
• Members will need to post once for participation
• Winner post will be used for next week’s prompt
• Placeholders suggested but not required
• CI’s will be awarded for every two posts with a minimum of 250 words
• Have fun!

Members:
#7925
#13938
#12769

The Great Hall
Lion’s Tooth
Seng Karash
Aeotheran

Hushed voices filled the meeting space, with an air of tension and disbelief. The council members that surrounded the oval table all conspired their own thoughts before speaking to the person next to them. It wasn’t long before the double doors at the end burst open, with Galleros and Inarya jogging into the meeting section. Their eyes focused yet their expressions gave off a distant and blank emotion. Once they reached the table, Galleros threw a Holoprojector onto the surface which shows the Aeotheran islands map. Galleros paced slowly around the group before speaking.

“The members of Devil’s Shroud and others of the House have been surprised, by something we never expected. Submerged under these islands in our control, was the last known location of the team then an unexpected radio silence. The casualties are expected to be high, and the predicted losses are higher still if we allow this disappearance to linger unsolved.”

The map then zoomed in on the topography of the islands, to a small region isolated in a calm eastern sea. Sharp structures spear from the water and beaches covered in kelp and other sea plants. Galleros then stormed to the shuttle.

Sand and seawater spirals out of control when the shuttles unfold their landing gear and settle on the warm white beaches of the islands. The team of Jedi jump out onto the beach along with their own platoon of soldiers behind them. In front of them was the jungle of the island, along with a corridor of tribal pillars and broken statues.

Objective: You must secure a base-camp near the temple and track down their shuttle, as well as the flight recorder. Then you must track their last steps inside the temple. Your optional objective is to find all the texts you can about the previous owner of the temple, and bring it back to the shuttle for analysis.

No posts in Week 1, you may continue in Week 2 still

War Room
The Lion’s Tooth
Seng Karesh, Aeotheran

Galleros sat before a long metal table, the electronic surfaces lying dormant as it had done for many hours now. A sudden silhouette of a Twi’lek cast its long shadow on the wall behind him, light flooding the room from the newly opened door and burning the man’s eyes.

“Kiriyu has made contact,” Inarya let her fingers fly over the console at the far end of the table, bringing the glass surface to life. A holographic map of Aeotheran flared to life, a small blinking red dot marking the location of the recon team.

“Then we move out.” The seated figure that was the Quaestor rose to his feet and strode out of the room, followed immediately by the Aedile.

Devil’s Shroud Landing Site
Team 2 Base Camp
Seng Karesh, Aeotheran

The silence of the entrance to the small cave was broken, Marcus was right, something did know they were there. The sounds were distant at first, then the vibration of hundreds of feet on hard floor echoed from within the cave, like the beating of a drum. Slowly. Cautiously, the three Jedi took their first steps inside the temple, the blades readied, the shaft of light holding the darkness in front of them at bay, faint flickering of force signatures. Before any of them had time to react a force was upon them. Like a swarm it attacked, each of them feeling claws, daggers, anything that this mass had at hand scratching and piercing their skin.

Beams of red hot photons shot through the air around Malik and the others. The screeching of blaster fire cutting through flesh echoed around them. Inhuman screams filled the air, the metallic smell of blood assaulting their senses, driving back the swarm that had pinned down the small group. The faintest glimpses were all they saw; silvery green flesh with red eyes and webbed appendages still lingered in their memories.

Once the dust and the chaos of the blaster fire had cleared, the House Shar Dakhan forces now dug into the entrance of the cave. The ground troops, who had laid down the suppressing fire, moved aside allowing the Quaestor and his Aedile entrance.

“Kill them all. No survivors, no loose ends. This vermin threat ends today, whether by you or myself.” Galleros said with an uncaring demeanor to Malik.

Inarya looked at each of them indifferently, Marcus grinned slightly seeing his Master had come to his aid. He opened his mouth to address her, but the Twi’lek lifted her hand, cutting him off before he had the chance to speak and walked deeper into the cave. Her ears caught the sound of a low groan, like a wounded animal coming from in front of her. Rocks falling caught her attention as a pile moved. Walking to it the Aedile saw the half buried figure that was Anima, the soon to be former leader of Devil’s Shroud after she was done with him.

“Try aiming next time, you missed me…” Anima winced as he fought to maintain his weight upon his arms. Inarya moved some of the rubble from his frame before bringing her boot down, pressing against the male’s stomach.

“How does it feel?” She said coarsely, the starburst scar on her stomach burnt a little from the memory of how Anima had gifted it to her.

“I imagine yours burnt more.”

The female ignited her saber.

“Oh, we can compare…”

The interaction was cut short. Something wasn’t right.

“The Madness comes first… Have fun with that.” Anima muttered as he focused on closing the lesser of his wounds through the Force. The vague warning was all he could manage while focusing on the whole staying alive thing.

Objective: Your team is beset with the horrors and madness that spring from an affliction of Force Terror. Work through the tricks of the mind and find your way to the center of the temple to meet with the main forces. Be on the look out for the denizens found therein, the Draedan

Central Chamber,
Sunken Temple,
Aoetheran

The hordes of evil and twisted abominations have not stopped for several hours now. Each wave of the spawn comes an even stronger resistance to the Dark Jedi’s forces and soldiers. It feels as if the creature understand their weaknesses and exploited them fully. Together, the resistance have secured a small corridor which prevents the Draedan reaching sea level. However to Malik who was instinctively the father of the group, sensed something was amiss with this faction. He took a group of soldiers with him past the resistance line and deeper inside the central chamber. The pitch black darkness echoed with the screeches and scratchings of the fearless creatures, who seem to be constantly watching you. Further into the ancient chamber, was the flurried flashes of ruby light was all Malik and the soldiers saw from Shirai who relentlessly fought. Malik crept closer as his soldiers fired upon the scaled vermin and with a sweep of his hand the creatures were pushed back into the darkness. Then the laughing flooded their ears.

“Malik!” Shirai rushed back to the Elder, gasping with breath and pointed towards the shadows.

Both Malik and Marcus looked into the darkness to notice a white robed Draedan, smirking from ear to ear. He held an ancient designed sword firmly in his strong hand whilst striding over to the Dark Jedi. His blood shot eyes were heavily focused on the Neti, as he raised his hand which caused the torches of the chamber to fire up. A large circle stained brown in the blood of enemies surrounded the white-robed Draedan as he invited the Dark Jedi inside. The intelligent creature paced the edges and impatiently waited, with the same manic grin permanently on his face.

Objective: The Draedan are a foul race, that you have noticed fully. However their leader has displayed a sense of talent and perception. The invading forces upon the temple have their concentration fully on on the grunts of the enemy and have chosen to instinctively prevent your escapades. Using the reserves of your talent, defeat the Draedan leader and bring your Quaestor his head. The only support objective is to make sure the temple is secure from further Draedan attack.