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Jeleasi'Beni

In a whirl of fluid and graceful steps, like a dancer spinning herself around a pole, the Twi'lek disengaged the lightsabers and hipped them both on her belt, as she twirled around to wrap up Amos tightly in an embrace.

"Hello Handsome, are you going my way?" she asked with a toothy smile and a wink just a moment before she dragged the pair of them off the top of the shuttle in a Force driven jump. Her focus then shifted to the landing... or maybe just surviving the fall.

Jix

He doesn't know how long he can keep this up but right now there is no choice. He tries to close the distance to his companions. The less distance hey fall, the less they get hurt. It is a simple equation. As soon as they land, he will have to head down, see how far he can get. In his head he is already plotting a disengage, fall, armor cools, reengage, slow descent, rinse and repeat. It may work, it may not but the same simple equation works for them heading down too.

Amos

He is taken by surprise as the graceful twi'lek wraps her arms around him and then they are suddenly airborne, flying through the air toward what will no doubt be a painful landing. He twists them in mid-air, his own arms around her as he attempts to take the impact. She is the pilot and needed more now than an ex-marshall.

"Hold tight"

Jeleasi'Beni

While she doesn't have the body mass or the physical strength to resist Amos' gallant effort to take the brunt of the fall, she can refocus her use of the Force to help land them as best she can. JB knows he is force sensitive. Everyone assigned to this mission was classified as such. Two Jedi, herself whose training had not been completed, and Amos, Jix, and Sirra… and of course, Babay, whom she carried with her in her pack. He wasn't force sensitive, but he was part of the team and about to be involved in this landing as well. He probably would have had a solution to help the team right now, his cables to slow them... something...

The team...

Jeleasi'Beni wasn't sure this would work, or if it was even possible... What if she could channel her force through Amos' and add his strength to her own? She didn't have time to ask him. But he was repeatedly determined to make sure the mission succeeded, even if it meant his own sacrifice. She was determined not to let that happen. She didn't want to lose anyone else, but this would be a risk...

GM

No time left.

The Stormtroopers fire up through hatch; Amos and J.B. jump for it. Jix steers and powers the sled as best he can with only one pair of hands; there's never an Ardennian around when you actually want one.

Behind the Amos and J.B., the TIE Echelon 'lightspeed skips', a blind hyperspace jump along the navicomp's last plotted course.

But its wing pylon is badly twisted, weakening the lateral spaceframe. The main body of the shuttle jumps to lightspeed, tearing off its solar collectors and becoming a streak of white hot flame across the yellow sky.

The transdimensional explosion hurls Amos and J.B. towards the sled. The ex-marshal turns his shoulder into the fall, trying to protect J.B.. And with Amos pressed against her, she focuses the Force through him like a lens.

Amos sees Jix lined up, the deck rushing towards them.

Black.

Amos's arm jerks, waking him up.

He's dozing in a comfy recliner. Its repulsorlift bobs in the late-afternoon breeze coming in off the savannah.

The entire side of the house is open, the walls concertinaed to the sides. Beyond, the sun dips low over the plains of Dantooine. The faint crescents of two moons hang in the sky, and a flock of white-wings come home to roost in the sprawling Blba tree.

Home.

Equinox Day and Amos is sleeping off a large lunch at the summerhouse. He hadn't had much sleep the night before, what with celebrations in full swing in town.

It's much more peaceful out here in the savannah.

Eyes closed. Amos hears laughter and barking. Somewhere around the side of the house, his son and the family dog are flying his new toy glider. Shaped like a Brith, his son's present was excitedly unwrapped that very morning and won't survive the day, destined to be carried off by a real Brith who probably mistook it for a pup.

"Hey, Marshal." Says a soft, loving voice. Feminine and familiar.

Amos might be confused. Is this a memory or a memory of a dream?

Opening his eyes, squinting, he sees his wife standing over him, smiling, looking lovely in her summer dress.

She always calls him 'Marshal' but the way she says it is a lot different to the townsfolk.

"Think you best go make sure Davey don't run off." Jenny strokes his head, his hand. "Up you get, sleepyhead."

She pulls... Amos's arm jerks, waking him up.

His breath mask is rattling with moisture, he hurts but not the intense pain of broken limbs.

Wind rips across the deck of the gravsled. J.B. grips the rail, stunned but pulling herself to her feet. Jix clenches the control panel with one hand, an old gonk droid with the other.

Smoke trails from the Verpine's Ultramesh armour as it peels and burns in patches.

The yellow sky is engulfed by the tower as it roars, collapsing, shedding wreckage around them.

The sled spirals downwards, barely controlled, 50 kmph.

This could be it. The end. But at least they're together. At least they succeeded. They got the message out and 2BB-2's slice will ensure the First Order's other Ghidrah nodes have a very bad day. They saved the Galaxy but saving themselves was never a priority.

Jix

This could be the end. It sure feels like it. He is fighting to stay connected, to ignore his armour burning away, to last out as long as he can to control their descent as best as he is able. Even despite his predicament he can be awed by the view of the tower exploding like some demonic volcanic eruption scattering its not so molten lava all around them.

His conclusion.. job done!

GM

Somehow J.B. had landed her and Amos on deck without bones being shattered.

Eyes closed against the blast, Jix didn't see how the Twi'lek did it but she must have used the Force.

As the two get to their feet, the yellow sky around them is filled with streamers of black dust and smoke.

Looking at their mammalians faces, Jix feels a connection. It's not Verpine, not an insectoid sense of hive. It's more like insight into their inner selves. They are more than personalities, more than emotional states, they are stories, ever unfolding, chains of events all tied together. For a moment, as the rugged terrain gains resolution below, the three are more than a hive, they are one.

Jix pushes his fingers tighter into the sockets. More power. The repulsors wheeze, searing pain shoots through Jix's chest. Electricity, heat, both, he can't tell but his optic nerves are lit by irridescent agony.

The energy current has burnt through his carahide into his flesh and organs.

But the repulsors brake just enough... Here come the rocks! Airspeed reads 30 kmph.

The sled crashes into the ground with a bone-jarring impact but its noise is swamped by the collapse of the hyperspace transceiver.

J.B. and Amos live, though their muscles are leaden. They're engulfed in thick black cloud and the slope is littered with burning metal.

They can hear wreckage still hitting the rocks around them.

They find glowrods in amongst the tools scattered in the bottom of the sled.

Where is Jix?

They find him lying on his back, barely breathing, eyes staring blindly. His torso exoskeleton is blackened and burst, the soft innards bubbled up from the cracks.

He's dying.

[Gypsy, Jix has filled his Physical stress track. Um, congrats? He must now make a Physical Defence (Brawn) roll to cling to life. Your next post will determine any extra Positive dice we add to that roll.

I'll let PP and KenSeg's next actions contribute too.]

[OOC Have a brawn of 4 - what dice do I roll? ]

[I'll handle the dice, np. But we need to gather the dice pool first. What goes through Jix's mind in this moment? What might help him cling to life? Verpine physiology might be such that the wound looks worse than it is, for example, but what might give Jix the will to carry on? Etc.]

Jix

He cannot see, only feel.. and feeling is not pleasant, but it will not last. He knows he is dying but hopefully his sacrifice is worth it. And it will be if his two companions survive. The whole group has become the closest thing to a hive he has known since that awful day when he lost everything, all reason to continue existing, wracked with survival guilt and has been serving his penance ever since. Not long now..

But wait! Is he condemning his team to survivor guilt? Forcing them to endure what he has? He would not wish that on anyone. And is he taking a coward's path, releasing his pain at the expense of others. That is not his way! And what if they need him? Obviously not now but in the future. What it he is given an opportunity to save his team-mates.. and he is not there because he took the easy way out. A hive mentality is about sacrifice for the others, not about reducing your own suffering. He needs to live, not for himself but for this group, all of whom have put themselves is harm's way for his benefit. Images flood his mind: Sirra who has already suffered much in this life but with her bravery undaunted, her desire to make a difference even more determined; Winta with her quite direction and guidance, a fitting hive mother but one with power and fortitude, one who will continue to exert her influence in future years; Amos and Preach carrying their wisdom and talents to where they are most needed, brave fighters, brave fighters of the hive; BB who is lost but may still be recovered; and finally Jelly Bean, his friend and his shining example. How can he let her down? How can he let any of them down. They are his hive now. A different hive true, but he is not alone, not any more.

He takes a deep shuddering breath. For the hive!

Jeleasi'Beni

It was hard to move. Everything hurt, especially her lekku. She rolled herself over, clenching her teeth. Her body worked and the pain was not any more or any less when she did. Amos was alive. What a stupid, foolish thing she did... but she didn't see any other alternatives. When Amos decided to sacrifice himself to shield her from the impact, she reacted. Losing Babay had taken her to the edge. She didn't want to go back, but a part of her would always stand at the edge now.

Where's Jix?

The last thing she remembered... was... was... He was... was... oh, dank farrik...

JB staggered to her feet to find her verpine friend.There... "Oh, kriffin' karabast... what did you do?"

The sight of her was gut wrenching, but Jeleasi'Beni didn't hesitate. She wasn't going to lose another friend today. She summoned all of her reserves, what little might be left, and ran, if it could actually be called running at this point, and fell atop her friend in a straddled position.

"AMOS," she screamed as she leaned in and put her forehead against the carapace of JIx's head, her hand upon her injured chest.

"JIX!"

"Stay with me... Please... Fight... Listen to my voice. You aren't dying today. I won't let it happen... Not today... We still need you. I need you!"

"Get over here Amos... hurry."

If Jix were a ship, a computer, or a droid, she could put her hands on him and just know what was wrong and start working on it. JB could make things work when they shouldn't work. But Jix wasn't a machine. Jix was a living being.

Oh Child... The Force isn't a thing to have or not have... It the thing itself that connects us all... every living being is a part of it and it is a part of us all...

Maz's words echoed in her head as a memory of her early days of training came back to her.

The Force. Could she connect to Jix? Could she use the Force, be a part of it that Jix needed right now. She had only ever connected to machines... but... but, weren't they all some kind of machine? Living Machines? Her Force and Jix's Force were the same Force... THE Kriffin' FORCE!

The Force was life and Jix needed life right now.

"I need you here Amos... He's dying. Help me!"

Between the pair of them there might be something medically useful. Amos would have to deal with that.

She closed her eyes and drifted into the Force that flowed through her, trying to find the connection to Jix, focus on it, feed it... fix it... fix him.

[Excellent posts, guys!]

Amos

After all of the pain and suffering his visions had been of peace and the love that he had thought never to have again. At least not on this side of the veil.

But it was all torn away from him as Amos came back to consciousness, tears streaming from his eyes as the loss hits him all over again and every muscle and fiber of his body hurts.

But there is a voice....his name.....Jelly Bean is screaming for him!

Hacking out whatever was in the air, he rolls over and gets to his feet to look over and see their friend on the verge of death and yet another ache is added to the burden.

He shambles over, reaching for the verpine's medical pack to see if there is anything within that could possibly be of service against injuries this tramatic.

"I am here JB."

[OOC Jix carries stimpaks but Neil will need to confirm they are OK and would work ]

[I didn't want to disrupt your creative flow, but yes, Jix has stimpaks and a medpac. Since Jix is already stimmed, he can't be stimmed twice, but he also has an antishock blanket that's used for stabilising critical injuries and was used to stabilise Mhar-li back on Jakku and is counted as Superior equipment for cling to life rolls. Jix also has doses of nullicaine that allow someone to ignore any Traumas on a roll. Both would be very handy here.]

Jix

Somewhere in the black depths of his pain, he hears his name, hears voices. He is not alone. The others are here. So dark. But the voices give him direction, a focus. He tries to speak. Nothing. So hard. Tries again.

"Tha.."

It is as much as he can manage.

GM

J.B. touches her forehead to Jix's. Amos rips the antishock blanket from Jix's backpack and spreads it over the injured Verpine.

The metallic blanket lights with a warm amber glow, extreme low power relativistic shielding, the same tech used on starships but here designed to slow body functions and restrain cellular damage.

Like the blanket, a feeling of well-being comes over Jix. Pinpricks of light in his vision become stars and perceives a great work, a pattern, lines, geometry, order from chaos, meaning.

Out of time and space, his spirit travels the World Between Worlds, aeons and parsecs in every heartbeat, sensing the scale of mystery around him but also realising the truth: That everything will be all right.

Jix walks with Verpine in a luminous Hive, hearing the brainwaves familiar yet long past...

In front of an old GX1 shuttle with plom blooms painted on the hull, Jix greets two Twi'lek, a young couple hand-in-hand, that remind him of J.B.. Glad to see him, they embrace him with welcome arms and emotional tears...

Elsewhere Jix chases a dog, a scruffy horned mongrel, part Kath Hound with a biscuit-coloured coat. It leads him to a human woman who's dressed like a fringer, busy in a ranch kitchen, other folks helping out, chatting and laughing merrily, wearing party hats.

There's a party hat waiting for Jix anytime he wants. But he yearns to be alone for a while---not long---just some peace and quiet to enjoy this relaxation he feels. Time to stop thinking, to sleep like a baby, to recover, to grow....

Darkness now, not black terrifying oblivion but the cosy darkness that promises a deep, invigorating sleep and with such wonders and happiness awaiting him when he's ready. Standing beside Jix in the darkness is a small green-skinned being with soulful eyes and wing-like ears. It's a friend, someone Jix trusts innately.

"Yes. Rest now you can." It says softly, "If you need me, here will I be."

And so Jix exhales his last breath.

J.B. senses the Verpine's spirit leave. Remembering Maz Kanata's words, J.B.'s connection with the Force has never been stronger and in the moment of death she feels the same oneness that Jix had felt. They could be part of the same person, simply evolutions of each other, like yesterday's you, today's you, work you, off-duty you, all sitting around a table. All different, all you, always. It's feeling cosmic in its vastness yet utterly intimate.

Focused Amos tweaks the controller on the antishock blanket but it reads no life signs.

Lifeless. Jix is dead. But J.B. and Amos are left with a sensation, startling in its realness, that death is not the end. They have a long journey ahead but they'll tell Jix all about it when they see him again.

Their comlinks crackle, a broken transmission from Smoke Team.

«...We can see the collapsed tower. Where are you?» Winta's voice. They must be airborne.

[This is a tough scene. Gypsy, imagine Jix is settling in for the best sleep ever. What will he dream of first?]

Jix

The universe is truly a marvel. He is with his old friends and at the same time they are all amongst the stars. He feels carefree, rolling over in the cosmos, visions of happy times coming to him, some he remembers, others not, but none of it seems to matter. Comfort. Companionship. Feeling part of something.

He waves to Yoda and flies in his direction. Everything is effortless, amazing, beyond belief.. he is at peace..

GM

After the roar of the tower's collapse there all smaller bangs and crashes of lesser collapses. The three Resistance fighters are covered in dust, surrounded by rubble and gouts of flame.

Jix's mortal remains settle into their final, rested state. Amos and J.B. are silent, perhaps out of respect or grief, or perhaps just processing the chaos of the past half-hour.

Through the dense cloud of debris, a beam of white light suddenly shines down on Mirror Team.

Above, rolling vortices of wind part the cloud and the circular shape of a Corellian light freighter descends, hovering with its repulsors.

[Go to CFH13: Conditions of Victory]