A Rift in the Fire

[Dune Rhur]

Before the Jedi Temple, Eol Sha

The Cauldron Nebula was a sector where few wanted to be. It could be dangerous and it was isolated from the Outer Rim because of the seven supergiant blue stars. Paradoxically they were the reason why beings even took interest. Valuable gases could be scooped up and huge profits made.

So miners came and they even set up a colony on nearby Eol Sha. That world was a huge contradiction too. It was a temperate planet with an atmosphere breathable to oxygen-based lifeforms. Yet it was a world full of volcanoes and seismic activity.

During it's history few beings stayed very long. But some did persist there. Events played out that colonists would leave for more hospitable surroundings on Dantooine. This being centuries ago during the time of the New Republic.

Since then few had returned. Comparatively few hearty souls seeking that isolation. More recently had the Jedi come for that same reason. They sought a place to rest and to train their apprentices away from the galaxy's troubles.

It was to these Jedi that those independent souls came looking for help. Strange things had been happening. The local crab-like bugdillos had become agitated and aggressive. Edible lichens had been mysteriously turning to dust.

More than that a terrible sound had been heard to come underground caverns. A few of the settlers had suggested that it might be the semi-legendary Fire Worm. They were quickly laughed down by others. But the Jedi couldn't help but notice the uneasiness even in those who denied it.

So it was that they agreed to help. It was the Jedi way. Into this the Knights and Masters would bring apprentices and prospective students. It was dangerous but they couldn't be shielded from it forever.

One Bith clad in the brown robes of his Order stood and waited on the others....

[member="Sochi Ru"] [member="Bhakt Wemk"] [member="Alexandros"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Lan Graendal"] [member="Mason"] [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] [member="Alyson Halle"] [member="Thema Csapla"] (if your name isn't mentioned and you're a Light side-oriented character who is part of or associated with the Dominion, PM me and I will add you if you're interested).

 

[Alyson Halle]

Eol Sha was a rather interesting world the people there lived rather modestly eating lichens and hunting the budilos to survive, however their livelihood was failing, the bugdillos have started attacking the populace and the lichen supply had dried up, the entire planets food supply was in jeopardy, the Jedi had to do something for the people or else the planet would soon be in a great famine that they would struggle to recover from. There were many problems occuring and each would need to be tackled in a systematic way if they wanted to succeed.

Alyson made her way over to [member="Dune Rhur"] in order to figure out what her specific job was in this mission to save Eol Sha, she could care less what mission she was given, but she would prefer one where she could fight, however whatever she was given she would not complain, she would do what ever waws neccessary to help these people avert a massive famine and to save lives from whatever was brewing beneath the earth. Who knows what was under there, but if the rumors about a "Fire Worm" were true then it would make a huge problem for the jedi and the people of Eol Sha.

Alyson approached the master, bowing to him.

"Master Ruhr." She said in greeting

 

[Mason]

Mason ran a hand through his hair as he approached the meeting point. Eol Sha was a mystery to the boy, how a planet could survive given it's surroundings. Even the planet itself gave Mason chills. The idea of active volcanoes, seismic activity, and Fire Works was almost enough for the tall boy not to make the trip. Luckily he went against his gut feeling and decided to help.

The brown robes fluttered slightly at each step. There was no bubblegum, no pink, and no stuffed animals, mason was completely serious today. He finally reached the meeting point and found [member="Alyson Halle"] and [member="Dune Rhur"]. The lanky boy would give a bow to Master Rhur.

"Master Rhur, a pleasure." Mason said. His eyes fixed itself on the person standing next to him. Mason assumed it was another Padawan so he gave her a nod.

The surroundings made him anxious. Yet having the presence of others somewhat calmed the bubblegum boy.

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"I suspect the Fire Worm to have a role to play in this whole crisis, even though it may not be totally related to the bugdillo problems"

Eol Sha. Not long after the conclave ends, she received disturbing reports about bugdillos becoming increasingly aggressive, threatening the planet's food supply, and the lichen turning to dust, and a Jedi Council meeting has been called to address that matter. For the time being, Jessica had to take the locals' words for it when it comes to the Fire Worm and accept that she has to fight one. She recognized [member="Dune Rhur"] and [member="Alyson Halle"] from the conclave and, compared to her, and in fact, the vast majority of the conclave's attendees, were more intensively using lightsabers than she was, especially [member="Bhakt Wemk"]: however, [member="Thema Csapla"] was much more similar to her in style than different, just with vastly less power. [member="Mason"] and [member="Sochi Ru"] weren't present at the conclave, no more than [member="Jakkor Kess"], [member="Alexandros"] or [member="Lan Graendal"] were. After the pest control mission on Mygeeto, she would think that her broomstick would save her butt, but on a volcanic world, a broomstick is a liability because hot volcanic ash can render the broomstick toast.

"Once these bugdillo problems are solved, perhaps some hydroponic farm should be built around the Jedi Temple premises, under the auspices of the AgriCorps"

 

[Jakkor Kess]

Jakkor had arrived on this very world after Several Jedi sought to seek the Relic of the Old Republic out. He had seen many things over the past years since being awakened from stasis. He had witnessed the Rise of the Empire, survived Palpatine's extermination of the Jedi Order and had his best friend who loved him turn against him forcing him to kill her by his own hand. Frankly for only being in his early 30's he was quite sick of the galaxy as he had seen war and Chaos for most of his life. He had often sought solitude with his wife and children, but one way or the other he couldn't be left alone. He didn't know that his name was known by any Jedi perhaps it was because he was a rare Tusken Jedi who had served in the Omega Wars and Clone Wars respectively and even was a warlord on Tatooine till his tribe was murdered by a bounty hunter. He had grown weary of Combat, as after years of thought he reached a certain clarity that this wasn't the will of the force nor was it the Jedi way. As Master Yoda had often told him as a youngling "War does not make one great." Oh how far from the truth could he have been. He was now tortured by it where he had now felt disgusted to wield his sabers against someone.


He had not informed his wife [member="Viktoria Kess"] of the Jedi who approached him, coming from a faction calling itself the Dominion they had heard of Jakkor Kess as a man who was out of his own time, served in the Omega Wars and the years after that went into Exile becoming disgusted with the Jedi of today that were either the war mongering Galactic Alliance with they're atrocities during the Battle of Kaeshana, or the Silver Jedi mostly keeping quiet all he wanted was to retire as no one would clearly listen to him. But now these Jedi have saught him out due to his views and were in dire need of more Knights to train a new generation of Jedi built on the fundamental ideas of the Old Republic, and serving the will of the Force as peacekeepers than warriors. Jakkor was in deep thought about this for days before leaving Monestary in his black Eta 2- Actis class interceptor with built in hyperdrive and traveled to the coordinates that were given to him.

After a day of hyperspace he had managed to arrive to the world of Eol Sha the place where a Jedi Temple was said to be located. He took the early TIE prototype down through the atmosphere and set it down on the outskirts of the temple. He hopped out of his fighter walking carefully along the path leading to the structure. He was wearing his traditional Jedi robes that spoke to his Tusken Heritage but were similar to most Jedi robes of the Clone Wars era along with a black cloak. His lightsabers dangled at his sides as he walked, he still wore the Tusken mask of his people preferring not to take it off as it was taboo to his culture to show one's skin, but he was always lenient on such as he was a Jedi as well as a Tusken. He had often wondered who he would train as he had not found any students to take under his wing, that's if he could find any at all.

He kept getting close to the temple where he could practically see the structure, but could also sense something was not right with the planet as he did not see any wildlife so far, not a bird nor insect nor carnivore or herbivore. This left him curious but he would surely find out what is the meaning of this, he than walked along the temple steps to see a few faces, a couple he recognized and a couple he hadn't but it did not matter. He recognized the one known as [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] and the man who had approached him sharing similar ideals [member="Dune Rhur"]. He however did not recognize the two of what looked to be male and female. [member="Mason"] [member="Alyson Halle"] He gave a slight bow to the group in respect as he spoke his voice sounded polite but carried a rough almost Outer Rim accent to it, but courteous nonetheless. "Greetings Master Rhur, Med-Beq. You have asked me to come here and Here I am after a long Journey now what is all of this. and what will I be doing?" He said inquisitively as he wanted to
know why he was here and what he would do.

 

[Avo]

Lan inhaled.

The crisp, dry air flowed into his lungs upon his body's command. His eyes remained closed and he remained completely still, completely silent. The cool winds grazed across his seated form, rustling trees and branches that so freely danced in the light gales of wind. In the distance, there was the ever persistent rumble of geologic activity that usually came in the form of seismic plates rubbing against one another or another molten geyser of lava spewing out into the land.

Eol Sha was a strange world. The world was quite the literal paradox. Calm and serene in some areas and filled with molten rock and earthquakes in others. It was nothing like the wilds of Felucia or Kashyyyk, though these great forests just begged for Lan to explore them. New creatures to discover, more locations where the Living Force ran deep. He could tap into it, let it flow within and without. Peaceful meditation. Clear the mind and become one with the Great River.

Green eyes opened. Jedi had been arriving consistently throughout their short tenure here.

The old master rose from his pose, relaxing his posture and flexing taut muscles.

"Welcome, friends." Lan offered a warm greeting, smile included. "I assume you all suspect the quasi-mystical fireworm to be the culprit of this situation, but I encourage you all to seek out other avenues of investigation. Ask the Force. Feel it, survey it for wounds or disturbances."

The master cast his eyes across the assembled Jedi. "Let it be your guiding path."

[member="Jakkor Kess"], [member="Jessica Med-Beq"], [member="Mason"], [member="Alyson Halle"], [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Mother Askani]

She stood there amongst Dune and Lan and watched the others gather, well...she found herself among the ranks of the Jedi again. Her history was shrouded to many, some knew others may have heard but only she could speak the facts. Her quest for clarity led her to places she would least expect, and hopefully she would find the answers she sought eventually. She observed the others, none of them she'd known and perhaps that was a good thing in some way. Her face gave, softened up as the others began introductions. She held onto a smirk that would be drowned out later by a small smile as everyone became acquainted.

She hadn't the pleasure of stepping foot on Eol Sha, but being present now she was able to cast her sphere like perception around her and was able to observe the environment more intimately. To say the least, it wasn't her preferred environment. She looked to lush vegetation but was accustom to adjusting for the right reasons; she will be okay.

She looked to the others as Lan addressed them, she would follow up "As I am not well acquainted with most of you, I am Sochi Ru" she lowered her head in a form of a bow. Shifting her hands from just at her waste she motioned as she spoke, her exotic accent making itself known. "There's much to be done..." an inhale, "It will be up to us to bring the order necessary to make this location comfortable for us all." her pitch went up as she took a breath while speaking.

"Master Dune has all the information," Her hand rose and came to rest on his shoulder, just before she glanced over at him.

[member="Jakkor Kess"], [member="Jessica Med-Beq"], [member="Mason"], [member="Alyson Halle"], [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Initially, Thema nearly rejected the mission. Some sort of monster hunting crusade was ridiculous. It'd been the miners who'd chosen to inhabit the volcanic planet, they could easily choose to leave. The fire worm, on the other hand, had no choice. Why not just let nature run it's course? If the fire worm was to destroy the planet, so be it. Life would find a way. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Then again... She really needed to get back up on her feet. Ever since the Republic had fallen, she'd lost all direction in life. Was this job little more than a hunting expedition? Yes, yes it was. But compared to everything else she'd done in the past few months, it might as well have been a charity drive. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Clad head to to in an EVA suit, Thema made it off her transport shuttle, thumping over in the direction of Dune and his fellow Dominion Jedi. She wasn't part of the nation herself, true- But they were a good replacement for the Republic. Plus, they had people she trusted in their ranks. Mainly, Dune and company. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Stopping as one of the planet's volcanic eruptions shook the earth beneath her, already began taking a few glances behind her. It wasn't too late to turn back. This mission was dangerous- No one would blame her if the padawan who'd barely mastered force telekinesis were to leave for an easier assignment. Besides, it wasn't like she'd make much of a difference alongside these other formidable masters.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]'No.' A voice inside her spoke, calming her senses. 'They need you.'[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10.5pt]Choosing to heed to her conscious' call, Thema finished crossing the distance between herself, and the entrance to the Jedi Temple. Much like the rest of the planet, the structure was made with crude, ashen rock. More of a hut than a proper sanctuary, really. But if her destiny awaited within the cold confines of the black build, she wouldn't turn back. It was too late anyways- With a roar, the starhopper's sub-light engines sprung up, beginning to zoom out of orbit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Grumbling to herself, Thema creeped closer to the building. On her left hip, a blaster. The common type you saw on smugglers, bouncers, and land owners alike. On her right, that cross-guarded lightsaber she'd grown attached to throughout the years. She was as ready as she'd ever be, it seemed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]And as she entered the building, the realization came to her that maybe she was the most ready, in fact. Out of the five jedi crowded in the building, she seemed to be the only one dressed to deal with high temperatures. "... Are we not going to follow a fire worm?" She questioned out loud, suddenly afraid she was over dressed. Maybe she'd gotten the mission wrong. Oh, no. In seconds, panic filled the young padawan's chest, barely masked by tempered Jedi control.[/SIZE]

[member="Sochi Ru"] [member="Lan Graendal"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] [member="Mason"] [member="Alyson Halle"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Bhakt Wemk]

Bhakt made his way to meeting, late. He cursed and blamed the damn doctors who fussed over his arm. It was well enough and if the need called he could block the soreness. He was not about to miss this. It was essentially a call to arms to all able bodied force sensitives in the Dominion and the he was karking late. He finally came upon the hill the task force was meeting on and came to a halt. Bhakt clasped his fist to his chest and gave a short bow to all gathered.

"Hello, Bhakt reporting, I hope I haven't been holding up the hunt."

The Nikto was ready. He wore his armored vest and already had his ax in his. Bhakt had read the briefing and was curious more than afraid to face down this fireworm if it existed. Though he believed more than likely they'd be facing down more mundane fauna as they investigated the cause of the disturbances.

 

[Dune Rhur]

With most of the group gathered Dune stepped up to address them all. Not before a quiet word for @Mason. The Bith needed need the Force to notice his unease.

"Don't worry," he said for the youth's ears alone "I'm confident that we can deal with anything that might happen."

With a smile and a nod he turned back to the others. [member="Sochi Ru"] and [member="Lan Graendal"]'s presence gave him the greatest reassurance. Not for himself but for the gathered apprentices. [member="Jakkor Kess"] and [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] would be able to protect and teach them too.

[member="Bhakt Wemk"], [member="Alyson Halle"], Mason and his own learner [member="Thema Csapla"] gave him the greatest hope. They were the ones the Jedi so desperately needed to carry on. He gave the young Chiss no special treatment but he was glad she'd come. It was good to have her back.

He nodded to Sochi and shared a small smile. Dune began by stepping before the group and making a short bow.

"Thank you all for coming. I know you all have questions and I will answer them as best I can. But first, our purpose. As you are all aware, the settlers here have asked our help regarding local creatures being unusually aggressive. Lichens and other local edible fauna have been dying off. What's more, strange noises have been heard to come from caverns several kilometers away."

He gestured out across the mountainous hellscape that was Eol Sha.

"We will be taking speeders in as close as we can. The difficult terrain would mean getting there'd be virtually an entire day's walk. But we will still need to walk the last kilometer or so in. The ground is quite craggy and taking a speeder there would be too dangerous."

"We are potentially going to encounter a Fire Worm," he replied to Thema's grumbled query as he turned his head to address her "As far as the greenhouses go, an excellent idea. For later."

He looked back to the group as a whole.

"We don't know if this Fire Worm exists any longer. It did, once, as far as we know. But it hasn't been officially sighted in centuries. Rumours of sightings have come from a few settlers over the generations. They allegedly saw it but have never substantiated the tales."

"What we do know is bugdillos, local crab-like creatures, have been attacking unwary hunters and even those passing-by. Individually they're not greatly dangerous but they tend to swarm when threatened. We'd like to avoid killing too many as they're a valuable food source for the beings here."

"The goal is to find what's stirring them up. Possibly it's some kind of environmental factor we can correct. As Master Graendal said, we will look to the Force for guidance in these things. It will lead us to the truth, whatever it turns out to be."

 

[Riamah]

Sitting quietly off to the side, hardly noticed by the others, Ra watches and listenes to the conversation. She knows a few of the people from the Conclave and the familar Tusken Jedi she had met once a few months ago. She makes note of those she knows and the new people she didn't.

The issues they face today include aggressive bugdillos and a potential fire worm or worms. Having spent such a short time on Eol Sha, Ra has no idea what either one is, but has likely eaten the bugdillo before today.

Laying at her side on the ground is a staff, Ra other weapons aren't seen. Up her sleeves and in her boots are four knives and the ever present spiked ball is at the end of her braid.

"Might the odd noises heard just be the settling of rock in a cavern or cave? Sound carries over a great distance and might be getting polluted or garbled before it reaches the hearing of anybody."

She's not one speak often, but usually has some wisdom for her age.

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Bhakt Wemk"] [member="Thema Csapla"] [member="Sochi Ru"] [member="Lan Graendal"] [member="Jakkor Kess"] [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] [member="Mason"] [member="Alyson Halle"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"If anybody knows Force-stun, it is recommended to use Force-stun on the bugdillos before they close in on us: then we can reduce the amount of bugdillos being killed, that is, if the stunned creatures forget about us or are otherwise misled"

If we're walking the last kilometer or so, I'd hope that I would not need to rely on Force-speed: I want to be using the Force for something other than Force-speed, especially with these threats lurking around the corner. Also, if they are anything like other species of crab I've heard about, it's easier to deaden the motor neurons than to make articulations stiff, which is what most people usually do for Force-stun, she thought, upon hearing [member="Dune Rhur"]'s notes. There is no doubt in her mind that @Ra'a'mah, [member="Bhakt Wemk"], [member="Thema Csapla"] or even [member="Alyson Halle"], would benefit from learning Force-stun, even though it may be premature. Then again, she expected [member="Sochi Ru"] to be much better at using Force-stun, but otherwise she was that space witch whose spellbook is perhaps too large for her own good. With the speeder being brought up close, perhaps even some sort of bus speeder, the time to leave for the designated area has soon arrived.

"Before we all set out on this journey, Force-stun is when you use the Force to deaden their motor nervous nodes: it is useful when you want to capture enemies alive, or otherwise need to keep something threatening immobile"

 

[Mason]

The tall Padawan let out a breath of relief as [member="Dune Rhur"] reassured him. He wasn't used to any of this. As more Jedi appeared Mason felt a pressure get lifted off of his shoulders. He wasn't alone. Mason folded his arms and listened to what Master Rhur had to say. He thanked the group for coming. The master went on to explain the the fauna had been dying off, and the animals had been acting strange. He explained that they'd be taking speeders up to the last kilometer, after that they'd have to walk due to the terrain. The main goal was to find what was causing the distress. Master Rhur echoed what Master Graendal said about letting the force lead them. Mason nodded. @Ra'a'mah who had been silent finally spoke up saying that the supposed Fire Worm could be just distorted sounds. It was definitely plausible.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"] spoke about force stun. A technique that Mason didn't know much about. But from what time blonde Jedi was saying, it seemed pretty important.

"I have to agree with the lady with the staff...What if this Fire Worm is just the shifting of rocks...Or even the tectonic plates shifting being distorted by the caverns many walls?" the Padawan said with a tilted head
[member="Lan Graendal"]

 

[Alyson Halle]

Passing it off as shifting rocks was a mistake Alyson was not willing to make. She knew well enough that it takes quite alot to unsettle native wildlife, it takes something extraordinary, if it wasnt a fire worm it was something else causing the Bugdillos to go crazy like they were, whether it was disease, or the Fire Worm, there was something more than unstable earth setting these creatures off.

"Native animals would be used to the earth shaking, there is something more going on here, it doesnt have to be a fire worm, but it sure as hell is something out of the normal, plus earthquakes dont normally cause a complete change in behavior for an entire species."

This was a rather dangerous mission, they would have to go down into the lava caves if they wanted to find the cause, but something seemed off, she felt it in the back of her mind that there was something more happening, something greater than just a fire worm or some earthquakes, it felt like something unnatural, but she passed it off as herself being paranoid, obviously she was new to the force, she was probably wrong.

This would be a rather complex mission, and most of them did not seem very prepared to go into lava caves, but that was none the matter, shouldnt be too dangerous. The fire worm was made out to be a legend by the locals, and who was she to say that they weren't.

[member="Mason"] | [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] | [member="Ra'a'mah"] | [member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Bhakt Wemk"] | [member="Thema Csapla"] | [member="Sochi Ru"] | [member="Lan Graendal"] | [member="Jakkor Kess"]

 

[Avo]

Lan smiled as the young students pondered the many possibilities for Eol Sha's disturbances. There were many variable to this whole ordeal and many that could end in violence, aggression, or hastiness. While Lan's role here was to help solve this problem, it was equally so in the training of all of these gathered Jedi as a whole.

"Hopefully," he started, "There will be no need to strike out in recklessness. We will tread lightly, display respect to this world and its people, and we shall end this disturbance promptly."

There was nothing but confidence and surety in his voice. These young Jedi were the next generation, something special. They were to be heralded and praised for their great efforts and deeds. The Jedi master regarded the other masters, [member="Dune Rhur"] and [member="Sochi Ru"], with something of a curt nod.

"Our first step is to formulate a plan of action." The master absent-mindedly fingered the crystal hung around his neck. "Do we meet the populace first? Or shall we do investigating on our own, and where?"

Lan had an idea himself but he wished to hear the thoughts of their students.

And so, he retired from the forefront of the group with another grin to allow someone else to take the metaphorical podium.

[member="Alyson Halle"], [member="Mason"], [member="Jessica Med-Beq"], @Ra'a'mah, [member="Bhakt Wemk"], [member="Thema Csapla"], [member="Jakkor Kess"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

"I would add that we are there to investigate things," Dune said "We know nothing for certain as to why."

He gestured to Thema's environmental suit.

"We can always come back for this kind of equipment. I don't anticipate the need of it. We aren't surveying magma chambers, in this case."

If things went very badly no amount of technology could save them. Not from lava and fires at that temperature. Even cortosis would melt albeit more slowly. Toxic fumes were another possibility but they could deal with that by returning with better equipment.

"Master Graendal, would you care you take some of our numbers to speak to the settlers. I trust your judgement in whomever you pick, of course. I could lead the other group into the caverns. Master Ru, Knights Med-Beq and Kess, do you concur?"

[member="Lan Graendal"] [member="Alyson Halle"] @Mason @Jessica Med-Beq @Ra'a'mah @Bhakt Wemk [member="Thema Csapla"] [member="Sochi Ru"] [member="Jakkor Kess"]

 

[Jakkor Kess]

Jakkor nodded as he was never known to investigate, at least now anyway it had been a long time since he had done such especially with new Jedi. He would wonder if he would even become a Master a padawan but he could not say for certain as he didn't really know anyone he just merely listened and waited for Master Rhur to finish before speaking as he looked around through his lenses of his mask. He said in a calm tone. "I will head down to the caverns to investigate the taverns. If anyone else wish to join me that is all fine, I for one like to get to the source of this disturbance."

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Lan Graendal"] [member="Alyson Halle"] @Mason @Jessica Med-Beq @Ra'a'mah @Bhakt Wemk [member="Thema Csapla"] [member="Sochi Ru"]

 

[Bhakt Wemk]

Bhakt had remained silent for a moment as some of the others spoke. To be quiet honest the Nikto pirate felt extremely out of place here among these jedi. They all seemed so calm, and at peace. Even the force seemed no more than a tranquil pond surrounding the few masters and knights that were gathered. He outwardly sighed and knew he had a long road ahead of him if these were the examples he was going to have to live up to.

The Knight Jessica mentioned a force technique that would useful here. A stun that focused on inhibiting nervous functions in the body. The Nikto wasn't sure if he'd be able to pull something like that off, but admittedly these simpler creatures would be the perfect practice dummies for the technique.

He looked over as Ra spoke and nodded her way to show he recognized her. Though he wasn't quite as familiar with tall human boy who spoke up after her, who had agreed with her idea of it possibly being nothing more than the natural tremors of Eol Sha. Such things could happen but he found he agreed more with Alyson. Something that could upset the natural order to this degree had to be some new occurrence or foreign element.

Finally Master Lan stepped forward and offered 2 distinct possibilities of where to go from here. Either to head to the local communities for more information or to head directly out into the Eol Sha wilderness and look for answers directly. He even offered to hear ideas from the learners among the gathered group. Bhakt once again felt assured at his choice to join the Dominion as he was really began to like this whole democracy business. A few others spoke up before him and Bhakt decided to add his opinion.

"Well I for one would like to get down to business. I personally like the idea of splitting up. I'd like to watch the bugdillos for a bit. I figure if something has them riled up they're probably avoiding it like a wookie to a straight razor. So maybe if we can tell where they aren't going, we can tell where we need to be looking. Seems logical to assume that we'll find less and less vegetation the closer we get to the disturbance as well."

[member="Jakkor Kess"] - [member="Dune Rhur"] - [member="Lan Graendal"] - [member="Alyson Halle"] - [member="Mason"] - [member="Jessica Med-Beq"] - @Ra'a'mah - [member="Thema Csapla"] - [member="Sochi Ru"]

 

[Riamah]

After speaking, Ra fell back into her silence and listened to the others. Could a natural occurrence set off natural wildlife to this degree, she would say yes. Before an earthquake happened, many creatures started acting strangely. However, [member="Alyson Halle"] mentioned this was always happening here and it shouldn't have this sort of effect. Ra acknowledged with a small nod.

[member="Jessica Med-Beq"] mentioned using a force ability to stun the bugdillos, but she herself had so little of force knowledge, it would be pretty useless to try training her on such short notice.

"What about just knocking them about a bit? If one doesn't have the training, like me to use to the Force in such a precise manner?"

Ra placed a hand on her​ staff, showing she would use that to do the knocking. She might not be very good at using it yet, but anybody can hit.

She turned her attention to [member="Lan Graendal"] as he spoke and figured the talking should be done by other people. Her people skills were less than stellar and was more likely to start some sort of scuffle than gain any useful information.

When [member="Jakkor Kess"] spoke up volunteering to go into the caverns, she smiled slightly. This tusken garbed Jedi was the first one she met and then she never saw him again. She walked away from that incident knowing they weren't a myth and had wondered at the lightsabers at his side. She'd since learned she could use the Force and indeed possessed a lightsaber hilt that just needed repaired to work.

[member="Bhakt Wemk"] nodded at Ra which she returned and he said he wanted to observe the bugdillos and where they went or didn't go at all. It sounded like a good plan all around.

"I would like to go into the caverns as well with Master [member="Dune Rhur"]."

They had spent such a short time together and there were so many things she still had to learn from him. She showed no real outward emotion, but her gold eyes glittered in the anticipation of this much needed excursion.

[member="Mason"] [member="Thema Csapla"] [member="Sochi Ru"]

 

[Jessica Med-Beq]

"I concur: splitting up may be a good idea. I would also like to go into the caverns"

Since I was the one who had the idea to use Force-stun on the bugdillos in the first place, it would make sense for me to go to the cave. Then again, I'd fully expect the party heading down to the disturbance itself to be the larger of the two, she thought, upon hearing @Ra'a'mah, [member="Jakkor Kess"] also volunteering to go down the caves with [member="Dune Rhur"]. As for [member="Bhakt Wemk"], he'd rather observe, gather information outside. And also, as [member="Alyson Halle"] said, it was more likely than not that it was a recent disturbance that affected the bugdillos on a species-wide level more than anything else: fauna native to volcanic planets had to adapt to the tremors or die. But she could feel that [member="Lan Graendal"] preferred to be cautious about this whole enterprise. As for [member="Mason"] and [member="Thema Csapla"], much less [member="Sochi Ru"], she lacked the information to tell whether each person would rather join the cavern party or the party investigating among the locals.