Jedi Academy

Byron was at the wheel heading out to the coordinates he had been given for the mkillik nest to get a chance to observe them. He was not going to get closer than he had to as the creatures were said to be very dangerous and territorial… or at least that was the impression he got from the mob and the security officer.

He needed to see for himself, but thankfully here were others interested in the matter as well…

Byron said aloud, “So the situation as I understand it, is that people have gone missing and the locals have formed a makeshift militia or mob to get to the bootom of this. My concern is that this will deviolve into violence and many innocents on both sides could get hurts so I hope we can get some clues on what is going on.”

OOC: Not sure what to do with the Threat, guess some of his info is either out of date or just wrong... hrrm... but he knows a good deal at least.

Knowledge Xenology: 4eA+2eD 4 successes, 2 threat

"Did they actually see these giant bugs kidnap anybody, or are they just guessing?" Zanja sat in one of the passenger seats, with the window rolled open and her elbows propped on the sill, peering through her macrobinoculars as her hair whipped in the breeze.

It was a valid concern, mob justice was very good at the mob part, not so much the justice part. Eir was wearing her scanner goggles, more to keep the sand and sun out of her eyes than anything else. Plus, Eir was pretty curious about the bug-like sentients, so tagging along was a win-win in her mind.

“My guess is that this is all coincidence, the killiks suddenly appeared or were noticed nearby and people disappeared but it could be connected. Even so, we need to figure out what is going on before these locals get theslevs hurt or rile up the killiks to do some real harm to the city,” he said to Zanja and Eir.

“I know that the killiks form nests and hives, they used to be the dominant species on Alderaan a long time ago… but well things changed.”

"People going missing are going somewhere." Zanja shrugged, still surveying the landscape with her binoculars. "If these Killthings are sapient, they might know something, anyway."

Byron Mik wrote:OOC: Not sure what to do with the Threat, guess some of his info is either out of date or just wrong... hrrm... but he knows a good deal at least.

Knowledge Xenology: 4eA+2eD 4 successes, 2 threat

A lot is said about Killiks, and its hard to separate truth from fiction. But Byron definitely knows that the Alderaanians manage to live with them in relative harmony, and Alderaan is a lot more populated than Auratera is. And they tend to be peaceful unless provoked. But there are occasional incidents, maybe? Again, a lot of hearsay.

They also definitely have some sort of hive mind, and are not easy to communicate with.

(will see if Faily wants to add anything)

Huffing, "or the Killik were just minding their own business and are a convenient scapegoat. Officially sighted," she mocked, "or just no one cared until they needed someone to blame." Eir tucked a curl of hair back under her hood, "just how many people are reported missing, exactly?"

“Well they either went somewhere or they are dead, but I hope they are just lost… or maybe the killiks have them… which would really complicate the situation. If we can meet the killiks peacefully then we can try that but today I jut want to observe from a safe distance see if we can discern anything without disturbing them. Last thing I want is a fight,” he said honestly.

“I have a feeling that if we don’t intervene there will be a great deal of misery and suffering in the near future. Plus they may not fully understand creatures that are not part of their hiveminds, which could lead to all kinds of misunderstandings. Not sure on the number the local security forces want to keep this under wraps it seems.”

Zizzy nodded. "It could easily be a big misunderstanding. Good idea bringing us out here Byron."

She looked over at the nest. It was bigger than she had expected, but then she had only read about Killiks. Her tendrils started to focus on on their surroundings.

"What did the police tell you exactly? People went missing and it it's being blamed on the Killiks? I mean, they look like they're keeping to themselves. Ooh, maybe we could set up a recorder, like Xenobiologists would do?"

D3. LA. Does Zizzy know about Killiks? Average Xenobiology: 3eA+2eD 2 successes, 4 threat


(OOC: Haha, we get all the threat in this thread)

Byron slowed the speeder to a stop, the nest was visible but hopefully the copse of trees and rocks would hide their approach and give them cover with the nest perhaps a half kilometer away or so, maybe more. He didn't want to get any closer in case the Killiks felt like they were intruding. he said to Zizzy, "The officer was nervous and more concerned with the mob than the issue, he said he could not tell me who was captured due to them waiting to alert next of kin."

"I feel like they just want the situation to go away."

"That might be a bit rude, Zizz, they might think we're spying on them." Eir pushed her hood back now that they'd stopped, "hiveminds, huh? I wonder if they can talk. I hope they can understand Basic."


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[D4 LA] Killiking me Softly (Xenobiology, Average): 4eA+2eD 0 successes

I apparently know nothing Byron hasn't already told me >_<

Byron responded, “They can… or the hivemind can at least understand it maybe? I have heard some weird stuff so I am not even sure if all of it is even true. I would rather not do anything to rile them up, so keeping our distance is the best bet. If we see any approach we need to appear non-threatening and leave if they seem agitated.”

"Yeah. Let's just get a good look for now." Once they got to a clear vantage point, Zanja did a careful sweep with her macrobinocs, looking for any sign of these Killiks and their settlement, or of any other activity in the area.

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D4 LA--Perception, what's going on at the Killik hive? Using the shiny new macrobinoculars, unknown difficulty: 1eP+3eA 1 success, 4 advantage

The bugs seemed good at blending into their surroundings, but they could spot what seemed like Killik-burrows and some bee-hive like adornments to the landscape near some tunnels.


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D4 Spotting some killiks? Using a GM Destiny: 1eC+1eD 2 failures, 1 threat


So 1 failure, and 3 Advantages. Advantages allow you to see the burrows, but not any of the Killiks.

“Well, that’s gotta be where they live. See those lumpy looking places?” Zanja pointed, holding out the macrobinoculars in her other hand so the rest of the crew could take a look at what she’d spotted. “Either they’re all inside, or they blend in pretty good.”

"My guess is that both are true, did you see any sign of non-killiks in the area?" he asked.

Taking the offered binoculars she had a closer look at the nests. "Oh hey, I'll see if I can spot anything through these. Nice clear image on them."

Zizzy took a look at the burrows, watching out for any tracks or signs of something other than Killiks. She definitely saw something!

D4. LA. Looking for tracks. Average Survival: 1eP+2eA+2eD 3 successes, 2 threat, 1 Triumph


(OOC: Enjoy!)

Zizzy could see other tracks than Killik ones. Humanoid tracks, and even Ithorian tracks.

There also seemed to be a scorch-mark of some sort on one of the mounds. Maybe from a stray blaster bolt, or a laser torch?

"Oh hey, there are humanoid and Ithorian tracks over there. And burn or scorch marks on one of the hives." She lowered the binoculars and passed them along. Of anyone wanted to see she would tell them where to look exactly.

"Do you think maybe someone tried to knock down a hive, or took a shot at it before the disappearances?"

“Killiks are territorial and would defend the nest with their lives… so if someone did attack it even by accident that would spell trouble. Given that some folks are said to disappear it may give credence to something I read about the Killiks,” he said looking at the mounds himself.

He lowered them and said, “The Killiks can add other species to their hives, well I am not sure they can but it was rumored they could like brainwashing or something. The locals also believe that is happening as well… I know one of them, the leader of the mob named Luc mentioned that a neighbor was brainwashed by the killiks.”

“Maybe… they are still in there?”