A remote world, full of swamps

[Sorel Crieff]

It may have been remote, but it was also one of the purest places in the galaxy within the Force. As such, and given her limited knowledge of the Dark side cave – she decided she needed to visit the place. Perhaps it would hold answers for her? Or provide her with questions that would help her seek the truth. About her role in the scheme of things and what the Force had in store for her.

Clouds formed a thick band across the sky of Dagobah, a belt of storms that her beaten up old VCX0199 ploughed through. She increased the shields to prevent any lightning damage and hoped it would work. Dagobah had many climatic areas, many places not quite as teeming with life as the magnificent swamps; but she was heading for the marshy areas where a Force presence could be masked by so many life forces. It was where Yoda lived all those years ago.

As she broke through the canopy of cloud, the ship’s spotlights extended brilliant cones to the wet ground below. She located a clearing that looked like a field of white boulders, but as she shone the light down to cut through the creeping ground fog, she saw that the white rocks were actually spherical fungi. As the beam played across them, their sensitive skins burst, showering fine spores. She could hear the faint boom of fungus blasts as the lumps reproduced in the sudden wash of light.

She set her ship down down, keeping her fingers tense on the controls in case the craft should begin to cant or settle awkwardly. But the ground seemed stable beneath her. She switched off the engines.

When she cracked open the hatch, the sudden buzz of millions of life forms-croaks, grunts, whistles, and death screams assaulted her ears, a chaos of natural sounds that made the jungles of Yavin 4 seem peaceful by comparison. Minuscule gnats and biting flies thickened the air.

She stood stunned and a little intimidated on the boarding ramp. A mist had already begun to unfold. The snowy shower of white spores settled to the ground from the sensitive spherical fungi. She smelled the damp odour of decay and fresh life.

She trudged away from the ship and into the brooding swamps. Enormous gnarltrees stretched to the sky, their twisted roots like multi-legged creatures balanced with bent knees. The roots were sweeping and arched, forming dark warrens for innumerable creatures. The day was grey and fog-shrouded, growing darker with each moment as sunset approached.

Ignoring the obvious discomfort, she slogged through puddles, climbing over fallen trees, and scaring creatures that fled into darker hollows, splashing into the swamp. Much larger growling things moved in the distance, crashing between trees.

The ground fog thickened into white tentacles that wrapped around her lower legs. Sorel’s face carried an openness and a tentative wonder. Suddenly, a knobby white spider as tall as a human heaved itself up from a pile of underbrush, its legs like twisted forerunners of the thick gnarl-tree roots. But the knobbly hunter meant her no harm, and stalked off in search of smaller prey.

She wondered if she ought to head back to the ship and re-start her exploration tomorrow.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

In the dark thicks of the swampy lands, a small dirt hut stood firm and loud with small insects crawling about in hopes of fresh food, mates, or whatever else. Along side sat a small woman who wore a dark blue robe, staring at a series of flickering screens that showed multiple parts of the lands, as well as occasional news.

A sudden notice of a new person coming onto her land was alerted by the visuals of one of the screens. After leaning in for just a moment, the woman got up and slid into her slippers, walking out of the door with nothing but her staff in hand, ready to talk the woman out of her visit.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

She lit up a glow rod and bugs started to swarm around her, attracted by the light as darkness fell.

Suddenly, with a screeching subsonic cry, a swarm of nightbats crashed out of the swamp trees and swooped down. They had leathery wings and insectile bodies with six thin segmented legs bearing small, sharp claws. Attracted by the light, the nightbats came toward her. Other flying creatures flurried in front of them, confused by the high-pitched barrage of noise.

The nightbats attacked indiscriminately, scratching with their claws at her, slashing her robes, her neck. She fended them off with his hands. One clutched her hair, tugging it as she thrashed to knock it away. With a hissing thrumm she drew her lightsaber.

She used the Force to strike at her targets, but the nightbats kept coming, dozens of them. Her former Master’s lightsaber blade crackled and flared, if anything attracting more of the creatures. She did what she was trained to do. She trusted in the Force. She deactivated the saber and endured scratching for a few moments as she stood and calmed herself and connected with the flying creatures. One by one they calmed too and stopped attacking. They flew around her, near her, but without touching her before…one by one they flew away.

It was only then she sensed another presence, nearby and heading towards her.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Wet and gooey travels were common here on Dagobah, one of the few places you could expect to see a giant bird dying at your doorstep, and someone might actually come out to save it. The woman slowly closed in distance - 150m, 100, 75, 50. At a decent 30m the woman stopped and watched the being from the distance, almost hidden in the dark of the shadow if it wasn't for her bright hair and icy eyes poking out.

What a curious thing she had witnessed. A Jedi? Here on a Sith-related world? Now how could that possibly be? Of course the answer wasn't as complicated as it seemed to be. A lot of Jedi have chased paths all the way out here, but the woman wasn't out in the wild for that today. "This is private property."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel sensed the woman’s approach, but the words still made her jump – unexpected and incongruous to the surroundings as they were.

“My apologies,” she said, bowing to the woman. “I meant no harm. I was looking for something. Something specific – a cave. It is known to be a Dark-sided nexus and Jedi often visit it as part of some trial.” She was aware she was rambling a little and probably making little sense. This was primarily because she wasn’t sure why she was here. Not really. It was a pilgrimage of sorts – but why she couldn’t explain. The Force directed her, but even to a Jedi, the explanation was a little vague.

“Do you live here?”

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

The mysterious woman who we learned lived in this swamp, slowly nodded her head. After a short moment of thinking, she pointed to the left with her staff, keeping a focused eye on the stranger. "Go that way, you'll run into the cave."

W​ithout another word she turned and started back for her home, hopefully to her sake getting rid of the trespasser and leading them away from her home.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel stood and listened. The woman was kind enough to show her the way, but turned and walked away almost immediately. She was unsure if she was dismissed or supposed to follow.

She took a few faltering steps forward before speaking. "Thank you. I am Sorel by the way, I did not catch your name. And do you wish me to follow you or seek out the cave? And if the latter, do you have any advice?"

@Kiara

 

[Kiara]

Her body signs looked like she was sighing, but no sound came from her form. She half turned around and blinked at [member="Sorel Crieff"] with her lips pursed into a tight line. She was thinking for a lot longer than it seemed necessary. "I'll keep an eye on you until you're off my property. Good luck finding what you're looking for, and don't cause any trouble around here."

She purposely avoided giving a name - and expected it to fly along with no consequence as it seemed to like to do at times. She was a grumpy stubborn hermit, and that much could be seen.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was no fool. Clearly the woman meant her no harm – but she wasn’t necessarily welcome here. So she bowed once more. “I truly appreciate all of your help and I’ll be on my way. And I intend to cause the minimum amount of disruption, I give you my word. And I wish you a good day.”

With his she headed off in the indicated direction, sure she would feel the Darkness of the cave as she drew nearer.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara watched for the promised times, then laid down on her dirt bed to wait - and probably fall asleep. It was up to the young Jedi to disturb her again, but she was asleep, and unaware if she would need help again...

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The sense of darkness grew ever stronger, which was when she made her first mistake. She was so focussed on the Force and what it meant that she forgot to use her ordinary senses. One moment she was walking, the next she stumbled sideways, slipped and vanished. She had fallen down a hole at the base of a tree.

She didn’t remember hitting bottom. She barely remembered staggering to her feet. Her first real moment of awareness was standing in near darkness and shivering with cold. Her former Master, Maw, was standing next to her. Despite the impossibility, it didn’t feel wrong and it did not occur to her to question the situation. And Maw was staring into the darkness, looking at something that Sorel could not see.

And then she could.

Small lights like fireflies swirled in the darkness and mist. Slowly, they grew into images spinning around in the misty cave. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if the fall had rattled her brain, but the images remained. It was like looking at holograms, only these visions weren’t coming from any machine.

“That’s us,” the Gran Jedi Master whispered, staring at the largest of the images. “That’s me.”

Frightened and amazed, Sorel watched as the visions played themselves out like a holovideo.

 

[Kiara]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Other people's visions seemed to always find themselves in Kiara's head while she was trying to rest. Especially the darker ones. She squirmed gently on her spot, then opened her eyes with a sudden scowl forming. Those visions weren't her own. She would know - she was there. Slowly sitting up with a gruffy huff, she went to her table and began to fiddle with her tools to forget the visions that swam their way freely into her mind.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

As she watched, the events of that fateful day in the Outer Rim played out. Her Master's death, the revelation he used the dark side, her inability to save him. And finally her promise never to fall, to never even contemplate using the dark side. It was as real as being there. Once she was engrossed, she completely forgot she was in the cave and witnessing a vision.

Over and over the scene played out - until it changed. This time, when she went to cradle her fallen Master's head, when she turned him over...it was her face she saw - not the Gran's. Shock hit her like a bolt and her ears were full of the sound of crying. And as the vision abated and the Gran Master standing next to her disappeared, she realised the sobbing was real. And it was she that was crying.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Crying slowly made it's way to Kiara's hut, through the echos and depths of the swamp that hid the two from ever reaching. After fixing up a small toy for a long while, she took her staff and put the device to her side, going out and through the swamps on a tedious journey to find her lost stranger.

She already knew the path quite well - for more personal reasons she didn't like to share. Nearing the cave, she leaned against the staff, shining in the dim light of the swamp from the dark of the cave like a shimmering knight of heroic efforts. "Come on, the swamp already has enough tears shed in it. Let's get you cleaned up." All the previous words spoken from the hermit had seemed to almost shed off with her new tone, and a change of words.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel clambered out of the cave. She was embarrassed by her tears - but not enough to wipe them away. "They say you always find in there what you least want to face - but have to. Now I know it to be true."

Then she faced the woman. "And thank you. You have already helped me and your kindness is gratefully received. Believe me, there seems to be too little of it in this galaxy. I'd appreciate cleaning myself up."

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Kiara quietly scoffed. She wasn't someone to advertise her kindness in every comment - or reply to what someone said to be all nice and fluffy to their own benefit. She simply turned around, using her staff to help her walk the way back to her dirt hut. There, she went inside and gathered dirty and clean water in various vases, putting them right outside her door.

Swinging it wide open, she rested on her staff from the inside of the hut's protection and gave Sorel a small frown. "Go on, get clean. Don't ask if I can train you either, for all I know you're already a higher level in everything than I am. I've seen it happen before."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The walked back the way Sorel had come and then headed off to a hut - clearly this woman's home. They walked in silence - Sorel reflecting on what she'd seen and what it might mean. Invariably you found out when the time was right, so she finally put it out of her mind. The Force would tell her when she was to know, that much she was now sure of.

"Thanks again," she said as she made her way inside and ensured she was cleaned up. "You have already gone beyond anything I could have expected," Sorel said once she'd finished. "I assure you, I would never take advantage of your hospitality and your kindness. Rather I'd like to offer you anything I can do for you, by way of repayment. And I'm not suggesting for one moment that you have asked for anything, but if there is anything I can do, anything you need, you just have to ask."

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

The comments got Kiara thinking for a little while. Before she had gotten gifts from students - usually what they wore to get to her hut, and that much was told by the various half eaten up droid with armor on them, and suits of various ranks, from pirates, smugglers, pilots, bounty hunters, officers, everything from every faction it seemed.

"I want you to tell only those you trust that I exist. When you see someone telling stories of the red headed witch who lives in the swamp, tell them there's no possible way anyone could survive in there." After licking her lips, she sat down again on the heated dirt that was her bed. "That's all."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

[member="Kiara"]

Sorel nodded. Something as easy an anonymity was often the greatest gift. Keeping a secret sounded simple enough, but either an unfortunate slip of the tongue or a burning desire to share knowledge caused things promised to remain unknown to spill into the world. But Sorel was a Jedi. And she'd held her Master's secret and therefore truly valued the importance of remaining tight-lipped. So promising was relatively easy - but she took the oath seriously.

"Of course I shall keep your secret. You have my word as a Jedi. And as one who owes you for all of your help. I shall not speak of you, will convince others you could not exist and warn you if necessary if others become too inquisitive." Sorel bowed formally. "On a more practical level, I have many things on my ship that you could use. Power cells? Rations? Spare parts. Please, take your pick."

 

[Kiara]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"I could use limb hinges and rechargeable power cells if you have them. If not, I can provide nearly everything I need for myself." This meeting seemed short and sweet enough. She wasn't quite sure what more she was expecting - but need inside a dark loneliness was building up again as the moment grew closer where Sorel would leave.

It was hard for the hermit to give up people, even when she was stubborn about it, but she showed no sign of her feelings to the young woman before her.