This beach vacation was sounding more and more appealing, two tombs and a handful of crusades in the name of the Imperium later.
She smiled, watching the pearl baby approach Cedric and their interaction. The small Anari that waddled over to her gave a small hiccup, a pink tongue slipping between it’s toothless lips and up around it’s nose to clean itself from any residue it’d kept from the preliminary feeding. It looked as if little onyx tusks were forming near the edges of its mouth, and they’d been splattered with what Loske chose to believe was milk.
She held out a hand, an open palm facing up to the wee creature and it sniffed it eagerly. Loske felt her heart melt. Fully entranced by the creature, she opened her arms a little wider to encourage the baby to waddle closer to her. It looked back to its mother, who was listeless with her observations.
Loske followed the gaze, and remembered the lizard woman had said that one was wild. A nervous grin poked through, and she gave a little nod to the dragon-like creature. “You did good, mama.”
The critter rubbed against the pilot’s shin, scales meeting the leather of her boot and she looked up toward Cedric, unsure of how long they could be in this amicable state with the new mother. Maybe forever, given she’d been able to give birth partly due to Loske?
“Do you think we’re on good terms with mama-bear here, because of that Force transfer?”
———-
“Definitely a beach next time,@ Cedric mumbled as he observed the small creatures. They were, admittedly, pretty cute. He strode toward them, bracing his hands in his knees as he leaned down to get a closer look. “They could be.” He agreed, “Or something similar. Wish she’d told us a bit more before she started feeling shabby.” He sighed.
One of the beasts, the white one, drew away from its mother. It toddled you to Cedric, peering up at the Jedi’s face through tony black eyes.
“Hello,” Cedric waved a hand. The infant made a clicking noise - some kind of greeting, he suspected.
It’s smaller golden sibling waddled alongside, though it seemed far more interested in Loske. It stared, just as it’s brother did, and pondered of things.
The mother seemed to stir somewhat. Her breathing leveled out, and some of the haze left her vision. She remained still for now, simply observing.
———
No more tombs seemed like an appropriate sentiment for a stretch of time. “We’re felling into a pattern of only fifty percent consciousness in these crypts..” she murmured by way of agreement.
Stepping around the new mother, Loske’s hand flew to cover her mouth as she gasped at the babes. Any miniature, or infantile creature immediately invoked such a reaction. They were so cute!
She’d forgotten that she was taking things with caution, and dropped to a knee (only wincing slightly) to get a better view of the little critters. Loske was going to be sacrificed for these children.
“She said they were resulting from the netherworld bleeding into ours… and these were going to be her children.” The little Anarilettes were busy feeding themselves, or she would have wanted to pet one. Even though that didn’t go so well last time. On second thought.. she was content to keep her hand near.
“Maybe they’re gateways?” She cocked her head upward to Cedric. He was the Force explainer, after all.
——-
The danger had gone, or at least it felt as such in the Force. Normally Cedric would have heeded such, but the situation had his nerves a little frayed. There was always the possibility, however small, that their assailant has friends somewhere. Sometimes the Force could miss things.
We’re not visiting anymore tombs for a long time.@ Cedric grumbled as he made his way around the Anari.
Three small creatures about the size of a math pup wriggled along the ground. They each bore a similar body shape to the adult in miniature, but their colorations were all different. One was the same as the mother, another gold and red, and a third a sharp green and missing its fangs. The near blind creatures stumbled about, each eventually finding its way to the mother’s side to feed.
Cedric glanced to Loske. “They look pretty normal. Well, normal for a mystical dragon monster thing.” He observed. Two see why she wanted a sacrifice for them? Even if they are powerful with the Force, they’re only beasts.”
———————-
A sing-song type chuckle of an “mhmm” emitted in response to Cedric’s agreeance on the more fun versus less fun methods for progreation. There was a solace that came with his dutiful protection and aid, and she reached up to pat his chest before he pulled away to stand.
Draining the Force essence from Loske sounded sinister, and she suddenly felt incredibly mortal. If that woman’s ceremony had come to completion as intended, Loske inferred she could very well be dead right now instead of cracking jokes. With a fair amount of effort, she transferred her weight to stand. This was the second time in recent months her stomach had been torn open, and she was seriously considering fashioning some armour this time around.
Why would someone want to corrupt unweaned, defenseless babes? Loske couldn’t imagine where a plot that devilish would be conceived, nor where it would lead. Such imagination was beyond her trusting nature.
A smirk evidenced when Cedric referred to the birthing process as something so banal as _business_. More
Cautious than she’d been earlier, she let him take the lead and stayed just behind him, keeping pressure on the bandage on her midriff.
Beneath the scales and feathers, there was movement. The Anari itself stretched its neck to turn and look back, exhaustion evident in its movements and ruby eyes. It released a coo that seemed too soft for a creature that size to emit, and lowered its head wearily to the ground, near the movements beneath its scaly folds.
———
The empyrean was odd here. It moved and recoiled with the Anari, but it’s tides were of a myriad of different colors. The emotions of those within burned through it - the sociopathic joy of the reptile woman, Loske’s fear, Cedric’s innate need to defend. Others poured into it as well - the joy of the laboring beast as her young came into the world, and the relief that suffused Cedric as he gazed down at Loske.
“This was certainly a lot less fun than the usual method,” he cracked a small grin, moving with her gently so that she might not hurt herself. He glanced back to the smoking corpse of their assailant. “I’m not sure what she was, but it worries me.” He admitted with a sigh as he turned back, kissing her gently upon the brow before drawing back. “I’m alright. She poisoned you and unleashed those droids on me. You managed to destroy them - lucky for both of us, because she seemed rather intent on draining you of the Force.”
His brow furrowed as he realized an explanation was needed. “Some users of the Dark Side can draw the very essence of life from other creatures. It seemed she wanted yours to do...something, perhaps corrupt the Anari’s babies.” He gave a light shrug.
“Either way, it sounds like the Anari’s finished up her business.”
——-
—-
Cedric could not have been more correct about the lack of appeal being trapped several thousand feet underground. And dead. The dead bit was the hook. She only shook her head in confirmation, closing her eyes to moderate the pain, even though it was clearly beginning to subside.
She could feel her energies starting to pool back throughout her body, imbuing different areas at alternating speeds. It was all Loske could to not to open her eyes while she felt the minutae movements of Cedric looking about the cavern. “Not how I imagined I’d make a baby.” She murmured tiredly, in response to her companion’s narration of nature running its course, and suggested implication that a part of Loske’s Force energy had some assistance with the youngling’s ceremony.
An involuntary mewl slipped from her lips when the gauze was applied. It stung enough for Loske’s eyes to wearily open again with a bit of a pop. Delightedly, her eyesight was significantly better than the last time she’d tried looking around. The oblong silhouettes and shadowed blobs had more details and shape, and the brilliant cerulean wasn’t quite so blinding as it was atmospheric ….and it was the first time she saw the fallen tour guide. Loske scowled, and leaned into Cedric to help scoot herself into a more appropriate seating position. With a definitive point of her chin in the lizard’s direction, she pressed against the bandages herself, and scoffed out a response. “Better than that queen. Are you okay?”
There was a definitive slippery sound near the creature, mixed in with it’s own laborious pangs and distressed cries. The apparent mother’s noises were loud, but hoarse. They were joined shortly by a few quieter sounding whimpers.
“Don’t imagine you’d enjoy being bound to a crypt for all eternity,” Cedric smiled down at her as he brushed a few blonde strands from her face. If he’d been a healer, he might have been able to restore her. As things were, the best he could do was stabilize.
The beast stirred. The Jedi has lived, but another had died - it was not the shadow that importuned upon the minds of the young within her, but its destruction. The Anari rumbled quietly as it raised its fanged skull, eyes glazed over with a weakness that one might associate with a sickly individual.
And then the creature roared in sudden pain, it’s body coiling back as its young decided now was the time to come into the world. Cedric grimaced, not having any desire to actually watch the process, and focused on Loske. “I think it’s dying,” his voice was quiet, “That woman spoke of birth. Looks like her babies are on the way - likely had something to do with her attack. Perhaps they feed on the force.”
He glanced back over to the rather busy creature, grimaced, then back to Loske. He went for one of the packs hanging from his belt, retrieving a thin strip of gauze. It wasn’t Barca, but it’d do. He was careful not to cause her discomfort as he lifted her shirt up to her midriff, eyeing the knife wound appraisingly. The gauze was applied - enough to keep it from getting infected and bleeding everywhere.
“How are you feeling?”
————-
That violet cloud was the last thing she’d seen before falling completely under the whims of the Falleen. Time was irrelevant until her tear stained eyes fluttered open, vision still somewhat obscured by the poison’s residual effects. It would abate eventually. Until then, it was like looking at Cedric through shattered, fogged glass. She was vaguely aware of her position, between ground, person and pain. Mostly pain, secondarily the intrusive yet machinations inside her, at the will of the Jedi maestro. She tried to move her fingertips, and to her surprise they responded.
Loske groaned before she could appreciate anythinf. “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely, her frame still relatively lifeless, but she managed to reach up and wipe any drool that had leaked from her limp lips. “I didn’t want to be Baren’thors indefinite roommate.” There was a certain humour in almost dying in a crypt. And there being a casket handily at the ready.
Meanwhile, the Anari stirred.
——————-
Above all other times, the bond was proving itself to be quite dangerous. Cedric felt Loske’s pain as intimately as if it were his own. It shattered the balance, forced him into the instinctive behavior of a beast lest he be struck down by a terror that was not his own.
He saw the world in an extremely fine focus. It moved slowly, the details of the world both sharpened and blurred in different places. The blade burned through the woman’s leather, carved through flesh and tendon and bone. She screamed for the second it took to die, her body crumpling to the floor in a smoking heap.
The energy transfer ceased immediately. Cedric lightsaber fell from his hand as he turned on Loske, kneeling down to cradle her in his arms. “Shab,” his breath came and went thunderously, the fear of death finally fading from his senses. He utilized that calmness, focusing on the blood within Loske’s body. Were it anyone else, he could not have done this, but their bond was an intimate one, and allowed for certain understandings otherwise unknown.
It was easy to identify the foreign fluid. He willed it to thin to such a degree that its effects would be far diminished, though he could not cure Loske of it completely.
————
After her legs, the progress of the spread amplified. A combination of numbing pain and sensory overload compounded throughout her body. One by one her motor skills depleted, and any upright position she’d had was now slumped. Her final movement was reaching for her own throat, as a terrible realization came to the fore that she could choke on her own saliva with this much numbness. Has Loske been a practiced veteran of Art of the Small, she could have retained her focus and balanced it with her other activities. Alas, her she was. A limp corpse.
She could barely feel the touch of the claws against her. Her vision was marred with tears and she was focusing on forcing herself to keep swallowing. However, she _could_ feel the essence of her vitality flare, her entire existence within the metaphysical engorge and rise in a focused tunnel to the top of her body. She also felt terror.
Seeing with her eyes was no longer an option. Understanding the Force’s presence and existence was all she could muster, and that was far more powerful a view than imperfect vision. There was a dark, penetrating call at the rise of her person. A request to siphon her vitality. For a few devastating seconds, she followed the path of her energies, a light blue, twist and dance around a tether of red that stretched into a dark, opaque basin. The vessel in The Force started to culminate the blue, the red only acting as a courier to move the essence from origin to secondary holding place. The energy the reptile was exuding to complete this task was incredible and resounding, so much so that Loske tried everything to focus on it, and absorb as much of it as she could to build or replenish the energies that were leaving, with the ones that were coming in. Something far too advanced for her to truly use to win or end this trial, but at least buy her some more agonizing time. The clash of red and blue at her crown twisted to vile amethyst.
———
A sigh of relief escaped the Jedi as the probe droids both fell in time. He’d worried the poison might have rendered Loske unconscious, but it seemed his Padawan still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
The reptilian woman spat a curse as her minions were dismantled. She spun about, and allowed herself some pleasure as the girl fell to her knees. “I am a conduit.” She said, cradling her shattered hand close to her chest as she eyed up the Jedi Master. “I exist solely for that purpose. No Jedi is going to keep me from destiny.”
“A conduit for what?”
The dagger was hurled at Cedric. The Jedi easily sidestepped the blade, but that brief moment gave his assailant enough time to turn on Loske. As the blonde fell to her knees, the reptile would place her talkies hand upon the girl’s head, and the broken wretch of an arm upon the Anari.
She drew upon the blonde’s power in the Force. In her weakened state, and that of the Anari, the reptilian woman intended to drain Loske of the Force - a most agonizing way to die, and transfer that power into the resting beast. The violence of the girl’s death would be the catalyst for the Anari’s shift, of that she was certain.
Red light flickered around the woman’s hands as she began to use the technique.
Cedric reaches out with the Force to snatch at her, but found his attempts rebuffed. Something greater was protecting the reptile. Perturbed, Cedric launches himself into the air, his blade falling toward the reptilian woman’s neck as the ground rapidly approached.
—————
As soon as the woman was distanced from Loske, she focused inward. The poison was seeping into her blood stream, and she was doing everything she could to keep her adrenaline low so as not to spike her heart’s activity and increase the flow for the elixir to latch on to. Buried deep within, she knew this was not the first time she’d been poisoned (False. A donated memoir from maternal influence). An instinctual effort occurred, and she found her focus drawn inward while the clash of blades happened around her. The view was spectacular, microscopic activity and duelling fates within her with optical clarity she didn’t know she had. There were cells of her own already attempting to attack and dissuade the venom from continuing to affect her. The protective patterns were quickly registered, and she focused on attempting to reproduce them with the foreign antibodies belonging to the toxin. Some of the poison’s foul emerald soldiers rescinded or changed to a more neutral colour. With the outline set, Loske took her hands away from her wound, trusting her efforts to help stay the progress of the venomous effects. Anything to prolong those precious moments before it took total control.
“You probably got this too, hey babe?” Loske murmured, taking a slow step toward the resting beast. It looked trapped in a cell of flesh, scales and feathers. Conscious, but unable to act. She took a steadying breath in preparation, and placed a gentle hand on the Anari’s neck and was immediately catapulted into a search light view. The anatomy of the creature was vastly different than Loske’s. The only similarity she could immediately detect was the presence of foreign toxins as in her own blood. The patterns of the creatures cells were complex, and required more time than the Padawan could afford when a flaring warning spiked her senses.
Loske withdrew from the creature, taking stock of the scene of contention between the Falleen and Cedric when a third and fourth contender entered the ring. The situation looked foul, and a sense of dread filled Loske immediately. No, no. She needed to keep a clear head and as calm as possible. Couldn’t spike her adrenaline. Unfortunately, what she needed and what the circumstances required were opposing. With a swift movement, Loske’s hand reached to the side of her hip where her hilt rested. On touch, she snapped that same arm back outward, activating the blade and sending it hurtling in an arc toward the levitating gunner droids. Cutting through the air, it spiralled in a wicked streak of gold, striking true through the first prone droid. The blade snapped back to Loske’s outstretched hand and the other rose to meet it, concentrating on the build of the droid from her perspective. It wasn’t particularly fancy, a network of wires and synapses. The force rallied to aid, closing in around the droid until it cracked, fizzled, and combusted to fall from the sky and crash to the ground alongside its bisected twin.
“Hnnng..” she groaned, clutching the wound once more after that flare of activity. The spike of exertion has increased her blood flow, and it was thinning with the oppressive poison’s aggressive takeover. She felt it stretch to her legs first and she dropped to her knees.
———————
She thumped into the resting Anari. The beast growled in response, but was too weak to move. It was reacting however - it’s breathing has quickened, its massive talons clicking oh the stone floor anxiously. The woman noted this as she rose, and could not help but crack a cruel grin beneath her mask.
The pain in her hand was intense, the dagger having been dropped to the floor as bones had ceased to remain whole. She drew upon that physical agony, savored it.
Cedric managed to break through the grip, but not before being met with a telekinetic blast of her own. The reptile howled as she sent it crashing into the Jedi Master, Cedric taking it head on, and finding himself stumbling back several feet, his ears ringing and his senses temporarily distorted.
“That blade was coated in Voxyn venom.” The woman said with great relish. “In a few moments, your body will begin to shutdown. It won’t kill you, but it will certainly hurt - I have far more than a simple slaying planned.”
Cedric was nothing but silent intent as he charged again. The woman was quick, the knife flying to meet her outstretched hand moments before Cedric’s blade fell. The dagger held the blade - Cedric withdrew, then went for a horizontal strike. She ducked beneath, and it was only a swift jerk back that kept Cedric from being gutted as she sprung up, blade gliding dangerously close to his neck.
“You made a big mistake lady.”
“I’d say the same to you.”
Another blow was exchanged as Cedric drew back, and the two combatants halted, sizing one another up.
That was until the probe droids detached from the ceiling above, their auto-guns firing streams of deathly crimson at Cedric. The Jedi was forced on the defensive, caught in a deadly dance to meet each bolt before it landed.
——-
By the time Loske’s palm was near the Anari’s snout, things started to go foul. The creature was pretty disinterested with her scent, which was mildly offensive, but not so offensive as the act of aggression from the mamareptillian. This was the second time she was trying to kill them.
Loske’s hand snapped back, just in time to meet the woman’s wrist and prevent the entire blade from piercing her body at the speed intended. Regretfully the rouge guide gone bad still had incredible momentum and purpose, and her blade struck partly true, and penetrated Loske’s clothing and skin, touching in the first layer of muscle before the clone twisted the wrist away with a crack and backed up the defense with her free hand’s telekinetic burst, pushing the woman a distance.
She staggered, dropping both hands to the fresh wound with a grimace and looking between the red, then the yellow eyes, of the two creatures within the tomb.“Kriff..”
———
Cedric was far less trusting than his companion. He stepped toward the beast, but a hand was falling toward his lightsaber. The reptilian woman seemed not to notice. “Well,” she continued to pet the creature, looking away for a few moments to feign disinterest. “I told you that these creatures are imprinted on by what occurs around them.”
The dagger fell from her sleeve, dripping with green ichor. It moves in one swift motion to her hand, which extended unnaturally quickly to stab Loske in her midriff.
The snap-hiss of Cedric’s lightsaber caused the resting creature to growl anxiously. His blade fell to bisect the reptilian woman from shoulder to hip, but it never landed. The weapon was held suspended inches away from the woman’s neck - her free hand was reaching out, holding the Jedi Kaster back with a force barrier.
——-
The Netherworld. A passageway Pomsty had used to apparate from place to place. A land of the former. And it was the origin of the resting beast? Wild. The Force’s will? Loske shook her head, looking again at the creature. The Anari’s presence was peaceful, not an activated predator in the slightest while it was at rest. The interaction between it and it’s leather-clad keeper seemed unregistered, though perhaps a hidden appreciation.
Loske couldn’t get beyond the point of The Force’s will. To her, the Force was an instrument, something that materialized when summoned. Some people could control it, others could not. That statement unraveled a few of her formerly steadfast opinions. If The Force wanted to create something, it could? She bit her lip while these thoughts processed and the masked guide continued to explain the uniqueness of what Cedric and she were witnessing.
The woman’s reptilian gaze never seemed to lift from the pair of Jedi, and Loske felt judged in the cold scope of those amber eyes.the woman had walked in on a potentially intimate display, and given her voice and mannerisms, not something a cold blooded individual would appreciate. In fact, it was typically revered otherwise. Loske was about to categorize her that way when she offered the opportunity to interact with the holy creature, the clone was trusting above all else, and nodded without hesitation.
“Why is it you think The Force brought us here?” She asked, while stepping forward with a hand outstretched so the creature cold sniff her palm before she intruded on its personal space to touch it.
——————————————-
“Of course.” Said the woman, as if that were wholly obvious. She approached the resting creature - who was clearly a bit out of it - and ran a gloved hand across its scaled flesh. “The Anari are beings of both this world and the Force. They’re a result of the netherworld bleeding into our reality: living embodiments of the Force’s will.”
She came to a halt at the head of the beast, petting the waning creature with something akin to love. There was an artificiality to the reptilian woman that made even the more positive emotions seem faux.
“And this one is yours?” Cedric asked. “How are they created?”
The woman paused, turning to regard the duo. “Not yet. She is a wild one, but I have nursed her. Her children will become my children.” Another pause. There was a subtle danger to the woman’s movements as she turned about, arms folding across her chest as she leaned back against the beast.
“As for their creation...Anari reproduce like any beast. It is only their place of origin that is special - they are luminous beings, and different actions imprint different things upon them, like all living things.”
Her reptilian eyes narrowed into slits as she did her work. The pheromones of the Falleen were powerful things, and the woman being of their race beneath all that leather did not hesitate to utilize them. What normally would have been used for seduction was instead intended to make the duo amenable to her suggestions. She stepped forward, cooing, “You could pet the beast, if you want. Might be your only opportunity.”
—————
This was a stark contrast to their last visit to a mausoleum. Their self proclaimed tour guide lead them to walk between the clear pools, to what Loske was assumed was the heart of the mountain. The true sepulcher of the Barsen’thor, and it was even more beautiful than the first room. So much so, that Loske felt her breath hitch as they took in the scene, both physical in appearance and how it existed within the transcendental.
The statue inside was far more detailed than the several prior, and she was reconsidering her stance on being a marble immortal. It was only a fraction of a millisecond before she saw the beast that she sensed additional life in the tomb. She stopped walking.
Their guide introduced the creature as an Anari. That explained that this creature was of it’s own species, and, apparently much like the reptile that’d tried to assassinate them, it didn’t get a name to go with it’s introduction. It stirred, only slightly, enough for them to catch the ruby colour of it’s orbs as it glanced lazily, unbothered, in their direction.
“And it’s going to give...birth?” Loske coaxed, trying to bring the enigmatic hostess back to an explanation on why she was so delighted The Force incredible timing bringing them here for such a holy event.
“Consider me flattered,” Cedric muttered as he began to make his way after the reptile woman. The doors parted open for her entrance, and remained so for the duo.
The chamber behind was nearly mystical. Crystalline pillars stretched up to the top of the curling, and several were lined into the walls. These crystals emitted the same blue glow from the waters before, casting the entire chamber in a similar aquamarine glow.
The chamber itself was the size of a dueling arena, though it was relatively unfurnished. At its center stood a statue of a robed Jedi working a dual saber, and beneath that statue lay an ornate golden tomb.
What drew Cedric’s eye was the sleeping creature in front of the tomb. It was a massive thing, easily the size of a large Nexu. It was completely black in coloration, sporting four legs with wings attached to the forelegs, sharp red eyes, and tusks longer than Cedric’s arm.
The woman halted in front of them, arms held out wide. “This is an Anari.”
This lizard lady had the vibes of a demon nanny. She was welcoming, respectfully conversational, but leering and sinister at the same time. It made Loske uncomfortable, as much as she wanted to trust the woman. There was nothing explanatory behind that amber gaze, no insight to intention.
“I would never.” Loske whispered back to Cedric’s concern. There was a large part of her that wished Frank here in here with them, he’d be able to drawl off a lengthy explanation of whatever myth these elusive Anari were associated with. Her gaze flickered down to the bracers that poked out from under her jacket -- they were remote weapons attached to the cannons of her ship, and a communication device back to Frank. The comm had been turned off for this whole time, which was just as well because Loske could quickly see there was no reception for a transmitter down here.
“Ah,” The woman halted, arms folding behind her back as she regarded the two humans. Her tone was soft and welcoming, but her gaze had a natural predatory glare to them. “The birth of the Amari. You don’t know...” the realization passed over the masked woman.
How strange the Force was.
“You can come with me if you wish to see them. They are creatures of myth - evidently obscure myth at that.”
The woman simply walked around them, carrying on toward the doors at the end of the hall.
Cedric gave the blonde a worried look. “This feels like trouble. Don’t get separated from me in here.”
Despite the warm welcome they’d been given, there was tension so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Which, by some of Cedric’s gestures, may have been what he intended to do.
Loske on the other hand, followed the trajectory of the gloved point to a mile-high doorway.
A birth? In a tomb? That was ironic.
Apparently trial by fire was taken quite iterally by reptillian sentients. At least by this one. Knowing that it wasn’t so much an espionage aggression, and more of a protecting of the space, she felt a little more relieved knowing _S.S. Bruno_ was probably fine. The protector of the birth, or whatever it was, seemed to approach the attack as a “what’s done is done” and “it is what it is” sort of attitude, and her passiveness to the aggression encouraged Loske to let bygones be bygones. Mostly because she was incredibly curious about this bizarre reference to some sort of holy ceremony - even if the woman didn’t answer who she was.
“Right.” She nodded, as if the entire act of trying to kill them _was actually fine and quite understandable_. “So here we are. Ready to see..the birth?” The woman had said The Force’s timing was impeccable. That sounded kind of sinister. “What it was you were protecting...refresh our memory on what that is, again?”
Felt kind of awkward talking about something that the woman made sound so obvious, but it appeared neither of the jedi had a clue what this was in reference to.
The woman remained silent as she began to walk toward the duo. Each of her steps was slow and measured, her yellow reptilian eyes peering out from small openings in her mask. Her gaze started between the two of them, and she came to a halt just a few paces away before speaking again. “The ceremony, of course.” She said as if it were something they very well ought to know.
Cedric drew back from Loske, a hand lingering near the lightsaber at his hip. “What sort of ceremony?” He had a strong feeling this was the same person that had attacked them on the path up the mountain.
The woman gestures ahead, toward a pair of doors at the other end of the hall. “You’ve not come the birth?”
Cedric’s patience was running thin. “Were you the one that attacked us on the trail?”
The masked woman tilted her head, a hint of amusement lacing her words. “Of course that was me. The untested can’t be allowed to see something so holy. You made it here either way, so what does it matter now?”
That was true. And he seemed to do a lot of running, the only benefit of having that well-acclaimed entertainer play Cedric in some film was that Mr. Truise claimed to do his own stunts. She’d never really put much thought into being represented in an entertainment capacity. She supposed she somewhat owed Coraline La’Toya the role, given Loske had unknowingly impersonated her on that one occasion and the poor actress had to contend with a tabloid headline the next day. Whoops. At least Solstice Vine was benefitting from the press.
Loske’s eyes and attentions were focused solely on Cedric when he was preparing to give a response to his question, and any sort of tensions she’d had just by nature of posture, surrendered when he closed the space between them and touched her cheek. From that relaxed, dreamy state to absolute startlement made her flinch, and twist to greet the foreign voice. Instinct flared up her muscles on the defence, and she reached for the weapon hanging around her hips.
The figurine who owned the voice had been nigh undetectable until she spoke, but that wasn’t saying much considering Loske’s senses were pretty unrefined. Her heart settled down, it’s aggressive thumping slowing to a regular pace after being shocked at the intrusion. The body language of the woman seemed pleasant. But...Loske was dubious of mixing pleasant and tomb in the same sentence.
“The right time?” Loske asked, righting her posture to look less offensive, although she still assessed the dark-claden sentient in the doorway. That was the only visible exit. “What does that mean? Who are you?”
Truthfully Cedric has been quite reserved when it came to his writings. Some of it had been creative work, most of it instruction and ideology driven. He’d published several treatises on the nature of the Sith, and covered much in the nature of the Force, but most of it still wasn’t ready. Still, it might help to have a proofreader. “I’ll show you what I’ve worked on when we get back. Most of it’ll probably bore you. It’s a lot of spiritualism and opinion pieces.” The more personal bits would need to be ironed out before he was willing to share.
He met her gaze, and found himself drawn in as he’d so often been lately, chuckling quietly at her joke. “Yes, exactly like Com Truise - although he might be a little short to play me. They make him look a lot taller in the movies.”
A hand rose to caress her face, “I wanted to see the tomb for myself and-“
Another voice silenced the Jedi. “And do what?” It was feminine, but it had a reptilian growl to it. Cedric span upon the source; a woman in dark leather stood in the entrance of the way they had come. She was completely shrouded in it, her face covered by a form fitting black mask. “You came at the right time. I guess the Force is looking out for me after all.” She said, arms outstretched in welcome.
A Phoenix was significantly cooler than a hawk or an eagle. The depiction of the creature was enchanting, and she found herself wishing she’d been able to see the glory of Essonia it’s prime. Technically, she probably could with enough practice... dive into a planet’s core and memory. A wistful objective.
Principles to live by, with room for interpretation. Loske liked that idea. The Jedi code was one thing, it left some room for interpretation but not much. Another layer, the virtues of Ashla, were firm and righteous. A foundation that could be embraced and cultivated to make the fine human that was Cedric Grayson. She listened with deep appreciation, cautious not to interrupt.
The story was an excellent prologue to the chamber, which looked to be the main event of their discovery. The luminescence bathed them in a cerulean glow, that in Loske’s opinion, highlighted some of Cedric’s most distinguished features, especially when his words had a passion to them, it made his expressions slightly more animated. She loved it. “Yes, is like to see more of whatever’s been preserved of Essonia, and your writing if you’re not precious about it. The history of you and your people, it’s... it’s nice you have that culture to reference and hold on to.” This was another instance where they were opposites. Cedric came from a big family, built on lore and expectation. A history rich with artistry, talent, strength. Loske came from a lab, where even the nurturing process was rushed. She could probably pick and choose from either of her parents side to dedicate to, they were both nobility on different planets, but that didn’t feel the same. It didn’t fit so snugly, she didn’t feel the right to bear it with the same pride Cedric wore his.
She was appreciative of the room’s beauty, but far more appreciative of it’s cool-glow. A stark contrast to the warmth she felt touch her cheeks at the compliment, and she turned to give him a soft smile. She was about to thank him, when he agreed about getting shit faced. By pigeons. Her teeth clicked shut. Still, better thank him. “Thank you. I guess that burden is on the artist, then.”
Ah yes. Holofilms. “Like Com Truise?” She smirked
There was a blue, liquid, glowing elephant in the room. “What are we looking at here? It’s incredible.” It felt incredible, too. Powerful.
Not a question he was asked often. He was more than eager to oblige.”That is the Essonians Star Phoenix. They were once common on Ession - a highly intelligent breed of predatory hawk, notably force sensitive. They are called phoenixes because of their penchant for pyrokinesis.” He explained, recalling the creatures quite fondly.
It had been years since he’d seen one. “They survived despite the cityscape of Ession overwhelming most of the planet. Hardy creatures. They’ve been the symbol of my house for generations, and are generally seen as religious iconography, as there are many old fables about the phoenixes. They represent the virtues of the Ashla: fairness, compassion, honesty, mercy, loyalty, and sacrifice. It’s what I live by.”
Finished with the statues, he stepped onward. The chamber beyond was a long hallway that looked as if it had been maintained up until that very day. Pools of clear water stretched across either side of the hall, and bioluminescent creatures swimming within it cast the chamber in a phantasmic blue light.
Ornate columns of bronze and gold stretched up to the curling in rows of two on either side of the walkway, old prose carved in aurebesh on their sides. “Well, this is gorgeous.” He mumbled in appreciation, before turning back to Loske.
“I can show you some old pieces we preserved when we get back. I’m more of a writer myself though, if we’re talking creativity.” There wasn’t much, but they’d managed to preserve some of it.
He gave her an odd amused look as she spoke of being a statue. “You’d make for a beautiful one,” he let loose in a moment of gushy honesty. “And likely for a very good pigeon shitting post too.” He snickered.
“I don’t think I’d like to be a statue. I’d rather people just portray me inaccurately in holofilms. More interesting that way.”
She wasn’t sure if it was therapeutic or torment for Cedric to talk about his people, but he seemed at the ready to engage in the subject. Perhaps it was the type of topic that would bring different reactions, she was still nervous about overstepping boundaries to something so precious.
“Symbolism, like your house crest.” It had been the crest he’d concealed when they went to The Underground, the same symbol the different squadrons within the legion bore. On the tapestries that had been made for Coruscaunt’s palace. “What does the predatory bird stand for?” She chose to describe the type of bird rather than guessing eagle versus hawk. People could be particular.
Was she interested in that sort of thing? “In art? I’d like to learn to appreciate it. The closest I’ve gotten is painting grouped tallies on my helmet.” More impressive artists had painted her X-Wing with decorum about dog fight victories.
“In becoming a statue?” She gave that pause, considering the implications. Her mother was a statue. “Probably not.. it’d probably be somewhere for pigeons to perch, and.. I’d like to think my likeness is more difficult to capture.” Also, she was adverse to the path of her legacy. Politics and greatness wasn’t something she was keen on pursuing. She’d just focus on doing what needed to be done for the galaxy, with no expectations of marble immortality.
“What about you.”
The momentary oddness in the Force did not repeat itself, and Cedric allowed himself to relax somewhat. If something with malcontent was nearby, he’d sense it before it got too close. They could afford to appreciate the old tomb for now.
“Very.” He perked up at the question. The Essonians had grown to be quite a creative people in the years before their world’s destruction. Artistry had been a revered field - but the majority of the more skilled creators had died in the genocide. That scene had yet to make a comeback.
“The public was captivated by elegant pieces, usually.” He walked up alongside her, appraising the ancient statue. “Much of the upper class preferred more brutalistic styles. It was generally more symbolic than pieces like this.” He gestured toward the statue.
“You ever interested in that sort of thing?”
They might have friends. Loske’s step faltered at that realization. If they were being targeted, they’d been tracked. Which meant they probably knew where the Jedi parked.... and S.S. Bruno could be in jeopardy. Which meant their ride off world could be severely compromised. In her sinister thought trail she’d covered her mouth to prevent any gasp from escaping.
She pocketed that thought away. They’d cross that bridge when they got there.. if they got there. Her gaze flickered from foot to foot of each of the statues, and traipsed up to their unrecognizable faces, seeking to distract herself from the rabbit hole of logistics. The features were all quite linear, and permanently stoic with placid indifference.
“The Essonians..” she started, quickening her step to walk beside Cedric,rather than staggered. “Are they quite artistic? Are you likely to be carved out of stone?”
He gave that a moment’s consideration as he rose to his feet. “I might partake every once in awhile,” he conceded. “You’re going to need a manager anyway. I’m more of the administrative sort.” Definitely more his speed.
The Ashla was present here. The temple of the Bar’senthor was one of the few places that the Sith had not ruined during their coreward conquests. Cedric had suspected it was because the Bar’senthor was already an ancient topic, and one likely forgotten by the Sith at large. Still, that represented a unique opportunity that many other places lacked - it was still pristine.
Or it should have been.
As Cedric stepped toward the ancient statues, he felt a twinge. It was akin to a tightness in one’s chest, in a spiritual sense. It disappeared as quickly as he noticed it, but it told him enough. There was something amiss here, and it was likely to do with their assailant from earlier.
“That it does,” Cedric agree, keeping such worries to himself for now. “We’ll have to watch our backs. Whomever that was outside is still running about, and they might have friends.”
The ethereal realm seemed to relax now the two wielders were firmly rooted in the ground once again. Any tightness she’d felt slackened, and rolled back to the steady existence it usually maintained. Until called on again.
“So what I’m hearing is if I become an acrobat, on the trapeze say, you’re going to be in the crowds.” She pulled an overly exaggerated disappointed expression “S’a shame.”
Their glow rods were of little use now, given the cavern’s natural sort of glow and the additional lighting from the crystals. She looked down at her cracked one, rotating it twice over and giving it a tap against her palm to see if any of the contents seeped out. They did not, and she was appeased to pocket it back in her jacket.
Even with all the light, she had no idea where they were relative to the front door. The only solace she took was knowing this was a Jedi temple, and there’d probably be less booby traps than the Sith temple.
Up ahead, they could see large sculptures of robed figurines holding illuminated crystals skyward. Ancient Jedi Masters. Loske pointed in that direction “Seems optimistic.”
Cedric couldn’t help but crack a bit of an embarrassed smile as Loske put his phobia to words. She was right, of course, and quite observant as well it seemed. The Jedi opted not to react to it - fear was a powerful demon, but it only had any power over the individual when they allowed it. Not he.
“I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan.” He braced himself against the wall with one hand, and extended the other outward. As Loske drew her herself into the air, so too did he in the empyrean. He envisioned himself as a creature beyond flesh, a spiritual entity of pure energy, and imagined that form willing the winds themselves to protect the Jedi Padawan. They drew about her falling form, though Cedric withheld some of his power. It wouldn’t do to perform the task for Loske - just to make sure she didn’t die in the process.
A pleased smile found its way to his lips as he touched the ground. “Pretty close to the superhero pose,” he mused as he observed her, “Points for that.”
A heavy breath was taken. The world went silent. Every animal instinct screamed at Cedric to turn around as he rose one foot over the egde, and took the plunge. His eyes were closed as he continued to envision himself in that spiritual body, the vague disconnection of sensation from his physical form making this fall far less terrifying. He landed in a similar crouch to Loske, a few paces away.
“The less we do that, the better I’ll be.” He grumbled as he rose to his feet.
Apprehension made their tether taut, and Loske’s haze remained on Cedric as he assessed the situation. “You’re not fond of heights.” It had started out as a question, and it ended as an observation. He’d hidden it well this entire time, even risking getting into that remotely controlled StealthX above Sisio. And here they were, teetering on the brink of some ancient knowledge and he was still prepared to go. She couldn’t respect him more for it.
Arguing about who went first would prolong the length of time they had on this edge. To Loske, this wasn’t even landing gear height. She moved from the wall and touched his upper arm briefly, before clenching and unclenching her fists. “I’ll try the same for you, once I’m down there.”
Her first attempt to ascend had been marred because she trusted Cedric to catch her, and she’d miscalculated. Neither of them could afford a second chance here. She took a final glance down and tried to assess it she would any other landing... except this time the repulsers was a kindred, metaphysical cushion.
She gave a short exhale and wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and take the plunge, but instead forced herself to jump eyes wide open. And looking down. A tunnel of wind immediately embraced her, whipping around her clothes and hair with a distracting level of white noise. She remained focused as the distance between her and the stones rapidly closed. Her ally rushed to her side, controlled and calm in neutrality. Like a giant, extending knee pad it curled beneath her feet to soften the blow when she finally made her landing. It was on three points, two hands and a knee. Excess pressure rolled off in waves, causing loose rubble to blow away from her LZ and some of the nearby stationed crystals to shake. Her own glow rod cracked by combination of hitting the stone, and her clenching it too tightly.
Another sharp exhale, and she was about to check herself for any damage but her sense of awareness was still piqued. She was fine. She was fine! And no immediate threats down here either, not that she could sense anyway. Turning quickly, she looked up at the silhouette of Cedric, and willed The Force to stay with her and provide additional barrier for the Master to jump to.
“The galaxy needs a lot of things.” He replied near instantly. It wasn’t the first time they’d discussed the sorry state of things, and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last.He kept any further comments to himself so as not to further spoil the mood,though what happened next surely accomplished that of its own accord.
Cedric felt his stomach fall into the pit below as he stepped out into the open air, the chill cavern breeze brushing across his face like death’s first touch. He gazed down, felt the dizzying heights, and found himself clinging ever further to the rockface. “That’s probably our safest bet.” There was a strain to his voice. Cedric was clearly not happy.
“You go first. I’ll try to lift you down - after that I should be able to clear it on my own.” He instructed as he tried to edge himself into a position where he would not fall after immediately engaging in the Force.
To establish a best wordsmith of the conglomerative _us_ , required that _we_ was a united force against a pointed threat. The galaxy was splintered, fractions on a map, with opposition and friendships disparately spread between borders. Loske still couldn’t wrap her head around what The Confederacy of Independent Systems did -- it was all conjecture for her. She’d sort of come to terms with the placidity of The Silver Jedi. They weren’t extending their reach to provide proactive aid or assistance anywhere, but the planets beneath their umbrella seemed content to have the peacekeepers on their side.
“The galaxy needs _something_.” Loske agreed, ducking and shimmying around a lower hanging stretch of something - like a fallen pillar. She paused, stopping her footing at the edge of nothingness on the other side of that fallen crouched pillow, and gripped the wall to prevent herself from teetering downward.
The drop was steep, abyssal almost, to the stretch of cobblestone beneath. Several hundred feet below them, glowing lantern-like objects lined the walls. Almost at their eye level, other luminescent crystals acted like chandeliers from the ceiling.
It seemed Cedric and Loske had travelled through to the tomb by way of some sort of ancient air vent. It looked like all the effort of the tomb had gone into the flooring, and the walls themselves were lazily carved and chipped away stones from the mountain itself.
She waited for Cedric to reach her, and squished herself against the side of the opening to give him some space to observe the drop, bracing herself against the rockface and affixing her gaze from the cobblestone to him.
“Telekineses to slow the descent, right?”
Cedric might have cheated a little bit.
He reached out into the empyrean as he followed after her, willing the looser rock to warble and rumble in such a way that it fell out of his path. He didn’t have the benefit of a slender form or normal clothes as Loske did.
“Only a handful, though I don’t know the exact number. Barsen’thors generally only appear in times of crisis. Whomever becomes one is usually one of the best of us, given their title when they are needed. It is a position of near ultimate authority, traditionally allowed to circumvent the Jedi Council in order to resolve conflicts before people bring out the guns, and sometimes after.”
His brow furrowed with thought. “The most recent one was several hundred years ago. Ashla knows we could use the next.”
She only gave a presumptuous sounding “hoo-hoo” to the final nail in the coffin of the innuendo-driven banter.
The title was so long. Why were there titles for everything? Consular our ambassador wasn’t distinguishable enough? “That’s impressive.” Loske mused aloud, thoughtful at the ability to end wars at a suggestion. It sounded like the opposite could be true, a single word to cause upset and create a war. That was easy to do, anyone could do that. “And this is the third ones final resting place. How many have there been?”
He wouldn’t have caught the blush, were it not for the sudden surge of warmth that passed through their bond. Thoroughly amused, he continued. “That it is. We’re all compensating for something after all,” he grinned at his own expense, despite the unpleasantness of the cavern.
A series of loud clangs issued from the cavern as Cedric’s phrik plating dinged along the walls. “The Barsen’thor?” He welcome the question. “The Barsen’thor is a position only one Jedi can ever hold at any given time. It is the greatest consular of the Order - the wisest diplomat, the most experienced sage in the Force. Barsen’thors have ended wars with their words alone.”
In the dim lighting, she blushed ever so slightly at the ball he served back to her court. An ace! She didn’t have a backhand prepared, and it bounced out of the lines without her being able to reply. It’s true, it wasn’t his lightsaber that had been the magnetic thing about him, heck, she hadn’t seen that in action until The Weapon Ultima.
“A Jedi’s weapon is an extension of themself..right?”
Once again, Loske’s lithe form and lack of metal around it gave her the advantage when it came to small spaces. She wasn’t facing as much discomfort as her companion. She laughed at the painfully apparent frustration he was experiencing. She didn’t mean it nastily, at the end she tried to turn it into some sort of sympathetic noise but it didn’t pan out as planned.
Best to distract him from the difficulty of the navigation.
“What’s a Barsen’thor anyway?”
This beach vacation was sounding more and more appealing, two tombs and a handful of crusades in the name of the Imperium later. She smiled, watching the pearl baby approach Cedric and their interaction. The small Anari that waddled over to her gave a small hiccup, a pink tongue slipping between it’s toothless lips and up around it’s nose to clean itself from any residue it’d kept from the preliminary feeding. It looked as if little onyx tusks were forming near the edges of its mouth, and they’d been splattered with what Loske chose to believe was milk. She held out a hand, an open palm facing up to the wee creature and it sniffed it eagerly. Loske felt her heart melt. Fully entranced by the creature, she opened her arms a little wider to encourage the baby to waddle closer to her. It looked back to its mother, who was listeless with her observations. Loske followed the gaze, and remembered the lizard woman had said that one was wild. A nervous grin poked through, and she gave a little nod to the dragon-like creature. “You did good, mama.” The critter rubbed against the pilot’s shin, scales meeting the leather of her boot and she looked up toward Cedric, unsure of how long they could be in this amicable state with the new mother. Maybe forever, given she’d been able to give birth partly due to Loske? “Do you think we’re on good terms with mama-bear here, because of that Force transfer?”
“Is that what caught your attention? The lightsaber?” He fired back, keenly aware he’d murdered whatever joke she might have been preparing in its cradle. It brought an amused little grin the man’s face. He was preparing a follow up when she spoke of wheat and its many evils.
Cedric gave her a near-confused look as she explained the nature of the grain curse. Truthfully it took him a few long moments to figure out just what she was talking about, but he got the gist. “Ah yes, wheat. The eternal foe of all living things. Thank the Ashla the Chandrilans managed to hold back its monstrous assault with tractors,” he snickered, his voice dropping with playful sarcasm as the Squall squeezed its way through a particularly small section.
The Jedi grimaced as he followed in after Loske, his armor grinding and creaking as he began to awkwardly wiggle his way through the path. “Well,” he breathed a heavy, audible sigh. “I can say that I officially hate this.”
