036 - Week 3 Day 5: Lost and Found

---

Saynx took a seat on a nearby log, his hand pulled out a filthy rag and cleaned the blade knife. Sticky blood soaked the rag’s surface, the reddish stains darkened with each pass. The therapeutic motion distracted him from the soreness in his bones. His yellow eyes glanced over to three large shapes half-hidden in the foliage. The Blurrg had crossed their path and provided some sport, their grinning skeletons cleaned then left behind for scavengers. Already a few smaller creatures had latched onto what the Mandalorians couldn’t salvage.

A loud buzzing caught his attention. Immediately the Cathar rose onto his feet and came to rest alongside his smaller companion. He planted the blunt end of his lance into the ground as he processed what he saw. Several blis hovered in a swarm near a sticky, black mass stuck to the base of a tree. The nest.

“Uh, I guess we found some Blis. So how are you going to disable them long enough to collect specimens?” Saynx gruffly asked then glanced at Kass for an answer.

Kass grinned at the Cathar and cocked her head to one side as if she was just as confused “Oh, I never thought of that! If only one of us was a brilliant mechanic and weapon designer who could make something to stun the bugs!”  She pulled out a little mechanical orb painted up in Clan Ordo’s colors.

“Think of it as a weaker, higher frequency version of a sonic grenade. It should make them freeze up for as long as it’s running provided we can get them out of the nest. For that part, I’m thinking flamethrower. Y’know, traciny’ika. Just a little fire.” She stared at her older companion for his feedback.

Saynx grumbled under his breath and shook his head. A small smirk lined his stout muzzle. He nodded in approval, the plan more sound than any he could come up with.

“Just got to be careful they don’t sting you. I heard they have a habit of swarming their victims and causing fits. Just in case, I got a medipac in the ship.” He shifted his lance into both hands.

“Got a second dajun if things don’t work out?” The Cathar considered ducking back into the ship and waiting out the vermin out in the worst-case scenario.

“Yeah, if things go real bad I run and try to find a lake to sink into.” She joked. “It’ll work fine, worst case scenario I keep the flamethrower running and just burn and smoke them out. We don’t get the same quality of samples but it’ll be better than nothing.” She put the grenade back in one of the open ammunition pouches on her gun belt and walked toward the nest with her hands behind her head, seemingly totally relaxed, inwardly covered in cold sweat and running off adrenaline already. Kass was not fond of bugs, especially the deadly venomous kind. But she wasn’t a coward either. Part of this ‘field-trip’ of theirs was about testing how she performed in the field, after all.

Saynx listened intently. “I have the ship open ready for us, I’ll back up and you can rush for it. A lake would be too hard to find.”

Part of it was a joke, but he was dead serious about the first one. He tensed and poised for the impending danger about to be unleashed.

The blis buzzed and swarmed their nest, their attention fixed on their daily duties. They barely acknowledged the young girl’s presence. When Saynx gave her a signal, the mission was off.

Kass stepped up, squared herself to the hive and held a fist extended out towards a spot just underneath the buzzing mass of insects. The next minute or so would be critical and everything had to go smooth, or she might end up full of venomous stab wounds. She took a deep breath, adjusted something on one of her vambraces and then unleashed a stream of flames from her wrist that hissed and roared like an angry monster.

She cut the flamethrower after just a second, waiting and watching. The smoke and flames spread up the tree slowly, but suddenly flared high and bright as they licked at the more flammable materials of the hive.

The response started almost the second the flames touched the Blis’s home, the hive itself seemed to quiver and pulse as sudden furious buzzing rose from it, the sheer noise making the metal of Kass’s armor ring slightly along with the insects. She started backing away slowly as the Blis who were already out of the hive turned to regard her, mandibles clacking in alarm.

A swarm of furious Blis boiled out of the hive like angry smoke given form, coalescing into a swarming, circling mass as Kass scooped the sonic stunner out of the pouch she’d put it in. Following the lead of the already angry scouts, the swarm prepared to dive-bomb her, their unified shriek of outrage making her skin crawl.
So, she pressed down on the stunner’s trigger and tossed it at the cloud of furious bugs.

The little device let out its own shriek in answer to the swarm, but the screech got louder and higher until it edged out of Kass’s audible range. The insects prepared to descend on her but suddenly dropped to the ground unnaturally, curling in on themselves and shivering, frozen by the ultra-high frequency only they could detect.

Kass was still frozen to the spot too, disbelief and fear slowly melting until she suddenly pumped her fists and shouted excitedly. “Ha! Got it in one! Greatest weaponsmith ever! Take that you oversized creeps!”

“Kass, don’t you have a bora do to?” Saynx shouted, his eyes fixed on the downed insects.

The job wasn’t done because the device couldn’t last forever. Once it was finished, he intended on treating her and letting her bask in the victory.

Kass pulled a vial out of her belt and used it to scoop up several of the insects still stunned, repeating the process several times until they had enough. “There, it’s done. Things weren’t so tough to beat after all!” She said that, but was still cautiously backing away from them towards the entrance to their ship, waiting until she was sure she could make it before running headlong back for it.

Sanyx smirked, his jaws clenched to avoid a chuckle. He didn’t want her to assume he found her retreat amusing. A swell of pride filled his chest and followed her figure up the ramp. In the distance, he didn’t spot the small Bothan wandering through the foliage and drawing dangerously close to the hive’s direction.

Kass did notice the little figure though, since she was already surveilling the area around the hive to see when her sonic device would wear off. “Oh osik! It’s a kid!” With no more explanation than that she took off sprinting back across the distance towards the burning hive and more importantly the apparently clueless Bothan. She waved her arms and shouted“Hey! Hey kid! Get over here or you’re gonna get stung!”

A curse uttered from Saynx’s muzzle. His helmet head jerked back and spotted the young girl far later than Kass.

Lo looked up when her ears caught the shouts of another young female. She froze to the spot and stared, her mind tried to debate on the image before her. Her mind fought the impulse to flee. In the background, the blis buzzed angrily. Their small bodies floated about to seek out a culprit for their suffering.

It finally dawned on Lo when her sense went off. She rushed forward to meet Kass halfway, her fear and force drove her to reach the ship. Her hair floated back to reveal something on her neck, but it was still too far to distinguish.

“Kass, we need to start closing the doors. I’ll hit the button, you get her in here now.” He shouted as he began to reach for the console button.

Kass raced toward the girl, pivoted neatly in place and wrapped both her arm and her armor’s cape around the small Bothan to stabilize her and give her some cover against the enraged bugs nearby. “C’mon just keep running, I’ll keep them off you okay?” She did the same, hustling the girl toward the open ship doors. As they ran she turned her head to check on the Blis.

Lo nodded as she flinched, the girl’s touch sudden and unexpected. For a moment she felt guilty, but couldn’t think about it too long. They were in danger and needed to move. As the girl moved, they began to draw closer to the ship’s now gradually closing door.

The Blis noticed them. Their movement drew a few close as they launched themself at the cape. Stingers hit, but the weave kept them at bay. The angry hiss sliced through the air as more collected to help. They reached the bottom of the ramp as it started to pull upward.

“Kass hettir the shabuir!” Sanyx roared as he rushed up to help.

His hand pressed a button as his vambrace shot forward a blaze of flame into the advancing swarm at one side. Crisped, tiny bodies fell into ashes onto the ground. Lo continued to move in and get out of the way.

Kass flung an arm backward and released a spray of flame against the bugs while looking back over her shoulders, charring another small cloud of insects and pushing the other girl up the ramp. “Go go go close it!” She rushed inside herself still letting off little bursts of fire over her shoulders to deter the bugs until they were all safely sealed inside. She was panting from the quick run and rescue and rolled her shoulders to loosen them after flinging her arm around like that. Then she took off her helmet to breathe easier and turned to look at the kid they’d picked up.

“Woo, that was crazy. Alright, you’re safe now kid. We’re not gonna hurt you.” She said, holding her hands out, palms up front in a ‘calm down’ gesture “So, what are you doing out here? You alright?”

Saynx’s hand slammed onto the button and the ramp quickly sealed shut. He continued to let out some last flame shots as the buzzing died down, the sound muffled by the hull’s thickness. A low, frustrated huff came out of his muzzle. He turned away and set his weapon into the holder nearby. Immediately his eyes narrowed on young Bothan’s hand.

“Kass, are you seeing what I am? She’s missing a finger.”

Lo’s hand shifted behind her back to hide her hand. It still throbbed and settled with heat, a subtle hint of budding infection. She impulsively lowered her eyes. The girl licked her dry lips before she replied. Her chest heaved up and down like she couldn’t breathe, her worry flustered her thoughts.

“I-I got separated from my M-friends.” It wasn’t a total lie, but not the whole truth.

She cautiously lifted her head and studied their reactions to her statement.

Kass’s eyes widened in shock before the Bothan hid her hand behind her, registering the girl’s panicked reactions ontop of that. Her eyes went hard and cold for a moment, then she took a deep breath in and out and her expression softened again to something gentler.

“What’s your name? We’ll take you to your...friends, don’t worry. I know we look scary but you’re safe here I promise.” To emphasize her point, she unbuckled her gun belt and tossed it away. “Come here. Let me see your hand and check you over, treat your injuries.” She turned back to Saynx “Old man, get the medkit please, we’ll check her out if she lets us.”

Saynx nodded, understanding immediately. “Yeah, I’ll make sure it’s the one that has the stims for infection.”

He disappeared leaving the two girls alone.

Not sure if she was doing the wise thing, Lo stepped closer to Kass and extended her hand for the Mandalorian to see her wound. The index finger had been severed down to the base where it connected to the hand. A shoddy strip of her own clothing had been wrapped about the flesh where charred skin sealed the wound. It was like something hot and intense had been pressed into it, about a day old.  

“It still hurts and I think some infection is starting to fester in it. I couldn’t find any herbs to help.” Lo stated as she focused on her breathing.  

Kass raised an eyebrow at the kid’s assessment. “I’ll bet it hurts. You some kind of healer, kid? It definitely looks infected but it’s still early, maybe we can do some good here. Come sit down.” She said, leading the girl to the co-pilot's chair and gently helping her in as she looked over the hand again and started checking her all over for further injuries.  “Saynx! Gonna definitely need that medkit for the ad’ika! Make sure we’re full up on local anesthetic; it looks like that hand hurts worse than the Blis stingers would!” She winked at the girl.

“So, before that big guy comes back, did the Empire do this to you? That wound is too precise and smooth to be accidental. They captured me too once or twice, when I was a little younger than you. You don’t have to say anything, just nod yes or no.”

Lo paused for a moment, a little stunned. Timidly she nodded yes slowly.

Kass’s mouth set in a grim line but her eyes stayed gentle and full of care and empathy. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe from them, get you home. Promise. Me an’ the old man are enemies of the Empire. I’ve been fighting them since I was younger than you. What’s your name, where are you from?” She kept searching the girl over for more injuries just in case, distracting her with talk as she did.

Lo swallowed her nerves, “Padawan Lo Lya’Tre.”

Kass did her best to conceal her surprise and excitement given how injured and clearly scared the little Bothan looked. “Oh, you’re a Jedi. My name is Kass’iana Ordo. My mother is the Mandalorian Ambassador to the Republic, newly appointed. You’re among friends here, even if the big guy is grumpy. I was actually hoping I’d meet some Jedi out here. Don’t worry, we’ll get you home for sure!”

“My Master and a few other Jedi with their padawans are also here. I need to show you something.” Lo twisted about in the seat and lifted up her long hair, revealing the slave collar on her neck. It beeped and placidly seemed to sit there.

“The Sith let me go, but... I don’t think she intended on me getting very far.”

“Who’s grumpy?” Saynx rumbled as he brought in the medkit.

His breath hitched in his throat when he spotted the collar embedded into the Bothan’s neck. The Cathar’s helmet had been removed for the moment as he narrowed on the unnatural thing.

Kass stifled a gasp and tried not to show her shock and horror at the slave collar around the younger girl’s neck. She had seen similar devices on prisoners of war before, but to put one on a child, even a force-sensitive child, was unimaginably despicable and completely without honor. Not to mention there might be a bomb or a powerful shock device barely an arm’s length away from her, attached to the girl’s neck.

She tried to sound as calm and reassuring as she could “Don’t worry kid, we’ll get that thing off your neck soon. I’ve seen them before, even disarmed one before.” Technically true, but back then she was harvesting stolen, unused ones for parts to use against the Empire. That was very different from trying to get it off of the neck of a very much alive, delicate girl. “It’s just...gonna take some time and studying, wanna get it right the first time, you know? But we should prolly fix you up and meet with the Je’tii first, huh?  I’m sure your Master and your friends are worried about you!”

Saynx frowned at the device but trusted that Kass knew better than to mess with it without the proper tools. A collar could easily be customized for various effects or sensitivities. He had a faint hope it could be removed with normal tools.

“How about we start with your finger first. I don’t think the infection will help the matter.” He offered the medkit to Kass.

At Kass’ statement, Lo lowered her hair and let it flow back down. She turned to let Kass work on her finger.

“I hope so. I’m pretty sure they realize someone poisoned the salve, but…” Lo took a deep breath then continued onto another thought.

“I don’t think it’s wise to take me to them. The collar at least has a range before it starts to shock me and I don’t know what it is now. I’m not sure what happens if I push past the shock range.” She recalled this fact from the times she tested the boundaries on the ship, back when she was first captured. Such a long time ago.

Kass took the medkit and opened it up to retrieve a small hypospray and loaded it with a vial, then took out a little bottle and a swab and poured some liquid in the bottle onto the swab. “This here is just a mild numbing agent for your hand. It already looks inflamed and even if it wasn’t, I don’t want you hurting anymore when you’ve been through enough.”

She took the little Bothan’s hand as gently as she could, grateful for the battlefield medicine training and precision electronic work that kept her hands steady and precise. She gingerly swabbed the little ball all around Lo’s hand. “Alright...1...2..3...4..5.” She lightly tapped the back of the girl’s hand, far from the injured part. “Any sensation there? It should just feel cool and numb, maybe a little tingly.”

Lo tilted her head and smiled. The simple gesture warmed her timid features as she commented.

“No, I don’t feel anything. Can I see the bottle?” She was a bit curious about the agent’s ingredients. With a little effort, she might be able to identify their natural components. If there was any.

“I still feel phantom sensations which are expected with trauma and limb removal. Once I get back to the temple, I can request an artificial replacement. I just hope I can function as well as before.”

Saynx decided to interrupt. “Not to push you, but do you have coordinates to where your allies are? Kass, are you up for a trip? You did want to meet Je’tti on favorable terms, didn’t you?”

Kass had to suppress a grin as the kid relaxed, then went into immediate analysis mode. She happily placed the bottle next to Lo’s uninjured hand. “Sure, I’m up for a little on site negotiation if our new friend feels like trusting us with that information. After all, I am the head aide to the new Mandalorian Ambassador to the Republic.”

Kass turned back to Lo’s hand. “Okay, this is the last difficult part but you should be more than numbed enough by now.” She took the hand in her own gently and used her free hand to position the hypospray, then clicked the trigger as it injected its contents with a slight, high pitched hiss. “There! Should be all better, let’s just re-wrap…” She re-dressed the hand all business-like though she was careful to still be gentle. “All set!”

Even with the numbness, Lo tensed when she watched the injection. Her whole figure became stiff and her eyes unable to tear away from it. She couldn’t stop her fingers from curling into a fist. When Kass finally withdrew the hypospray, Lo’s breath expelled into the air and rushed air back into her lungs.

“Sorry, I don’t like injections.” She didn’t explain further, but a sideways glance indicated Sayna knew why.

“It’s all right, adiik. Kass hates them too.” The old Cathar teased his companion as he gave her a toothy smirk.

Kass fake glared at both in joking outrage “Hey! Nobody said becoming a Mandalorian would mean I’d have to catch up on 12 years worth of vaccinations! A-anyways, we’re all set now. So, if you want, I’ll go meet with the Jedi and bring them to you. Then we’ll all work at getting this collar off.”

“I want to test out normal tools to get off the collar, then we can move onto more creative means. So we’ll need to pick up some materials in town tomorrow.” He hinted to Kass he didn’t intend to leave Lo alone.

The Cathar didn’t hide his disgust at having to associate with slavers or their ilk. At the thought, his mane bristled and his black lip curled in a sour display.

Lo glanced at Kass and nodded. “Uh, do you have a datapad?”

Kass took her mini datapad out from a pouch in her utility belt and handed it to her

After being handed the datapad, the young bothan began to type in the coordinates for meeting her allies.

“This is my best guess since I don’t know for sure where they are. I marked a few places a bit of a way out and if they are patrolling, you will cross paths. When you meet them, mention my name and ask for Master Rothul or Jedi Knight Alycon.”  

She passed it back.

“I’ll stay here with the adiik until you get back Kass. It looks like she could use some rest and food.”