I Will Share Your Road

[Lief]

Kashyyyk​

​

https://youtu.be/rId6PKlDXeU​

​

The ability to fly through the stars once more was not something Jyn took lightly; it was as though all the weight and baggage she had been carrying with her for countless years now had been stripped away, and the hum of hyperspace breathed air anew into her lungs. She was by no means the greatest pilot, in fact there were children within the Order with more flight experience than the Fire Lady, but she had managed the journey regardless.

And now she felt alive.

Accompanying her on this journey was the young boy she felt fiercely protective over. The child who had ventured half way across the Galaxy to join their cause, alone. Jyn knew how it was, to be so young and innocent yet surrounded by peril and uncertainty. She would be his guiding light, as [member='Tirdarius'] had unknowingly been for her. He would not stand alone with her around.

That wasn't to say that their friendship was without difficulty, of course. Already young Sobaan had proven himself somewhat reckless and impulsive. He had slipped their ship on Bakura, left behind on a First Order world no less, he had scaled the edge of the Temple's foundation in search of something shiny, to impress her... Now she felt wary about letting him out of her sight. He wasn't in trouble, though; he was well and in one piece, after all.

As the ship cut through the sky of Kashyyyk Jyn could not help but smile. Such a welcoming sight greeted the pair, trees which stood taller than anything she had ever seen before... Coruscant not withstanding. Excitement shook within her, threatening to cast her skin to ash and her blood to magma though neither made itself known. No doubt Sobaan could sense it, somehow the child always did, but Jyn did not worry over it. She had learned to control it, it would bother her little these days.

"Please stay by my side on this world, child; there are many beautiful things here that are in truth deadly, creatures which could easily kill you in one swoop. I want you to promise me, Sobaan, we can see all there is to see without you running off on your own adventure, okay?"

Her tone was soft, caring as ever; she only wanted the best for the boy.

[[member='Izo Chuka'] | [member='Sobaan Palle']]​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Rwookrrorro
Kashyyyk

As much as it pained him to be here, he never shirked in his silent vigil to Kashyyyk.

He traveled alone, under cloak of night, to the place where his reality shattered around him. The base was a ruin now, its interior gutted and strewn about the forest canopy like an eviscerated corpse. It's been six years since that fateful battle, and even now the skeletons of the fallen attempted to cling to weapons that had long since fallen down to the forest floor, their broken fingers weathered with decay. Some were Jedi, some were Sith, many were ordinary soldiers on both sides of that despised conflict.

That was several hours ago, now he sat secluded in a small corner of the local tavern of Rwookrrorro. He was deeply locked in his meditation, an art that he had found more and more easy to master in his self-imposed exile from the Jedi Order. Yet even in his attempted serenity he saw swaths of red cut through the sublime blue, flashes of anger that threatened to bubble to the surface at all of the atrocities he had witnessed at the hands of the One Sith in their mad bid to dominate the galaxy. So many innocents left to rot in the sun, so many worlds laid bare by the unrelenting treads of war. Not even the Republic he fought for was above such barbarity, and he loathed the many times he convinced himself that they were not as bad as the Sith even as thousands died from the conflict, of the indigenous people they plundered to sustain the war, of the ecosystems ruined beyond repair to build their monstrous machines of cruelty.

That they were not as bad as the Sith even as his own government vented civilians into space without a second thought.

Tears threatened to well up in his eyes, but he stifled a sob and threw himself into his deep meditation. The dark thoughts would not take him today. He couldn't afford to let them take him today.

[member="Jyn Sol"] | [member="Sobaan Palle"]​

 

[Sobaan Palle]

He looked out of the viewport with some excitement.

"So many trees!"

Jyn was apprehensive, but Sobaan was elated! He'd never seen a world covered in so many giant trees as the one he now saw. What was he to do with himself? There had to be hundreds of different kinds of critters down there just waiting for him to hunt them. Oh, he was, without a doubt, incredibly excited about going to this world. Very much so! So much so that he didn't notice Jyn's apprehension at first because his attention was focused solely on the planet. From this high up he couldn't particularly pinpoint anything, but he knew there were creatures out there begging for him to go and chase them down. Wouldn't this be exciting!

Sitting back, he looked at the Fire Lady with a big grin on his face, though it was also hiding the disappointment of being told that he couldn't go running off on his own. She always said that, now. Jeez. Go on two adventures and come back fine only to be treated like it was the end of the galaxy or something! He sighed, noting her worry, and nodded his head. Maybe this time it would be alright if he didn't go running off on his own.

"I promise."

He did have his fingers crossed when he said it. You never know what could happen, right?

[member="Jyn Sol"] | [member="Izo Chuka"]

 

[Lief]

She wasn't entirely convinced by Sobaan's words, but she didn't want to ruin their journey. Instead she gave a nod and once the ship landed and the boarding ramp was lowered she stepped down onto the surface of the world and inhaled slowly.

"Now, Sobaan, this is Kashyyyk. Do you know what the native species of Kashyyyk is called?"

Taking in the sights which were on offer, of trees and houses perched within them, Jyn guided the boy through the village they had come to with a small smile. Fun and educational, that was what she hoped this trip would be. Though they were here for other purposes too.

For now, though, he deserved a moment of respite. Travel was tiring, and no doubt the growing lad was hungry.

"Let's find somewhere to have a drink and something to eat before we head into the forest, hm?"

She nodded in the direction of one of the communal spaces, high above them but accessible by a ramp which wound itself around the tree; more useful than stairs, given that supplies would need to be hauled up there. Ensuring that the boy was following, she began to walk up the ramp, toward the tavern above.

[member="Sobaan Palle"] [member="Izo Chuka"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Subconsciously his emotions radiated outward like a warm breeze, his internal turmoil manifested as visible agitation in all of the nearby patrons. This wasn't the first time the yoke had slipped from his grasp, he was often at odds with his own tranquility these days. It always seemed to evade him no matter how rigorous his devotion to meditation and the calming mantras taught to him by his deceased master. There was something there, lurking deep within him, that never allowed himself to reach that coveted state of idyllic peace. Izo knew that it was his own grief and anger at the war, the Sith, the Jedi, everything around him that caused such dark feelings to fester deep within his soul.

An argument between two Wookiees finally boiled over into violence with one of them flipping over the oaken table with a roar of outrage before tackling the offender, and in the process knocking down an entry tray of drinks and bowling over several non-Wookie humanoids who just so happened to be milling about nearby. The whole cantina was becoming increasingly pressure cooked, ready to blow up at any moment as tensions ran high and reason drained from their minds.

All the while Izo was visibly shaking, sweat glistening on his azure flesh. He knew what was happened, his clarity was uncompromised, but this was one of the worst episodes he had suffered yet. With each subconscious outburst it became increasingly harder and harder to reign it back in before it consumed him completely. He dreaded the day when he would not be strong enough to keep such darkness contained and he becomes a slave to the shadows.

He'd rather plunge his own lightsaber through his heart than let that destiny claim him.

[member="Jyn Sol"] | [member="Sobaan Palle"]​

 

[Sobaan Palle]

When the ship landed he practically bound from his seat, racing past Jyn and onto the platform, though he didn't go far, just far enough to actually see everything. It was far more beautiful close up than it had ever been when he'd seen it in space. Kashyyyk, she had called it. Tree World would be a more fitting name. They were enormous. Taller than any building he'd had the luxury of seeing and as big around as any building he had seen. Stack them on end and you could probably fit a bunch of buildings inside. He spun around, marveling at them, and then looked back at Jyn when she asked her question. Did he know? Honestly, no. He hadn't done any research when she'd told him where they were going, though he certainly should have.

"No," he said, offering a frown. "But aren't they big and furry?"

He pointed past her where some of them were moving around, so clearly he knew they were big and furry. But he didn't know what they were called, and he didn't want to make a guess and offend them. Sometimes it was better to keep your mouth shut on some matters.

"Ok! We should get supplies for going into the forest too, shouldn't we? Camping requires gear and food and packs and a good bow and arrow for hunting."

[member="Jyn Sol"] | [member="Izo Chuka"]

 

[Lief]

Together they ventured high into the towering trees above, winding around the trunk until a large platform greeted them. From there she halted for a moment, and peered down at the boy with an amused smirk. "You might not want to refer to them as such in earshot" she teased, rubbing the top of his head the way one might ruffle a child's hair. As always her touch was gentle.

"They are known as the Wookiees, and they speak predominantly Shyriiwook so don't expect to understand them. Perhaps in time we can teach you a method of understanding other languages through the Force, hm? Wookiees live far longer than you or I, on average, numerous human lifespans can go by in the space of just one for them."

Now she picked up the pace once more, moving toward the tavern. Each step she took however seemed seeped in anger, loathing, until her skin turned ashen and the very air around her felt heavy. There was someone nearby who had their emotions untamed, and it was suffocating to this particular empath who had to fight to avoid even her own emotions.

"Stay close" she murmured down to Sobaan, as they entered the dimly lit room and moved to find a table. Her eyes scanned the space, seeking the individual she could feel. Somebody needed her help, whether they realized it or not. Once seated she nodded to Sobaan. "What would you like to eat?" She couldn't speak their tongue, but she knew how to point and the menu had both Shyriiwook and Basic words.

[member="Sobaan Palle"] [member="Izo Chuka"]

 

[Sobaan Palle]

"Wookiees."

He looked around at all the different ones wandering around. He's never seen such large, furry creatures before. It was both exhilarating and scary at the same time. They almost, see, looked like creatures that one would hunt, except these were salient beings. You don't hunt salient beings unless they have done something wrong and you are trying to bring them in so justice can be dispensed.

"Shyriwrock. That sounds weird."

Probably didn't help that he mispronounced it, either. Regardless, they were soon walking off to somewhere on the tree platform, and he hurried to keep up with her all the while his eyes were roaming over their surroundings. He wanted to go run and jump off the platform and start climbing down trees, but if he did that he would definitely get in trouble, so he decided he wouldn't.

She led him to some place where they served food and he picked up a menu. Most of it was in that strange Shyriwrock language or whatever, but he did notice basic, too. He scrolled through until he found the shoulder of some land based critter and pointed at it. Yep, he was going to eat a big old slab of meat and only meat. Sometimes he did like to eat the way his momma did, even though he often ate veggies too.

"I want that. Shoulder of something I've never heard of. Sounds good!"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Slowly, but surely, the radiating anger began to recede from the cantina.

Sweat drenched his flesh, and the shakes had not yet fully subsided. He felt a growing nausea in his stomach, and with blood-shot eyes he vacated his booth and the cantina with great haste, practically flinging himself out of the front doors. He found a secluded spot directly outside of the cantina and spilled the contents of his earlier lunch all over the wooden ground, his legs giving out as he caught himself on the nearby wall.

A cold biting chill swept through him now, and his extremities felt numb and uncoordinated. He fought back the urge to let unconsciousness take him, whispering a prayer to the Force to give him the strength to not collapse outright. Using the wall as an anchor he began to delve deeper into the back alleys and unpopulated thoroughfares that connected every building in this particular section of Rwookrrorro. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for back there, probably solitude to wallow in his weakness of body and spirit, and to come down off of the hateful fever that was raging through him like wildfire.

He didn't expect anyone to intrude upon his isolation.

[member="Jyn Sol"] | [member="Sobaan Palle"]​