All is Quiet in Wild Space

[Nyla Crow]

Nyla still wasn't happy, not really, but at least her less-than-willing companion made her chuckle.

Activating the engines on her admittedly less than cutting edge ship, she snorted in response to her "friend's" words. "I'm well aware of what she can do. It's why I'm looking for her. She's powerful, like I said. There's a lot I could learn, from her." The last sentence was said with a tone of utmost desire; she may not have been Sith yet, but she had a lust for power and knowledge that could put many a prospective Sith to shame.

With a creaking groan, The Crow's Beak lifted off of the ash-stained fields of Dantooine, and chased after Boethiah.

Let it never be said that Nyla Crow let cowardice - or common sense, for that matter - get in the way of her goals.

 

[Boethiah]

Boethiah had now found herself deep within one of Dantooine's many caves, yet she had unwittingly entered one of a particularly significant nature. The cave itself had a powerful connection with the force, one which extended beyond the concepts of time and space; a timeless place which served as a nexus of force activity. It was also one of the few caves which contained the highly sought after lightsaber crystals, which the Jedi used in the construction of their sacred weapons.

Yet it was also a cave which held the ability to capture moments in time, and keep them forever--memories in the force. These memories subtly flowed through the energies of the cave, which began to adapt and churn from the suddenly corrupt darkness which flowed from Boethiah. Completely unaware of this effect, the witch continued onward, drudging through obstacles which otherwise hindered her movements. Something in this cave began to call to her, and soon she began to realize she wasn't alone.

Strange noises radiated throughout the darkness, her eyes darted to and from each source, yet she couldn't see clearly what was lurking beyond the light. Exhaling deeply, Boethiah crawled into a corner of the cave, and slid down the cavern wall, sitting alone in the dark.

 

[Yasindra Quorr]

Quickly, the space of the little ship were filled with song. Oh yes ... songs of melancholy, disappointment, and dreadful annoyance. Songs they were, to Yasindra ... though to others it would likely be picked up as whining. She continued her melody of 'Ugh's and 'Eurgh's and 'Bah's as her eyes darted around the ship. In all this, she made her unpleased nature very obvious. Was it at the prospect of following a powerful young woman into the heart of darkness? No no no ... it was being in this shoddy ship!

"How can you survive in this thing!?", she finally said, breaking her whiny song. "Your tools are rusty, my grandfather's grandfather still worked with that generator over there, and this pipe! This pipe isn't even connected to anything! I dare not ask what kind of A.I. you put into this either, if you even have one at all... Bah, bah, bah. Surely you could've stolen some better tech than this.."

And in her musings, she paced around the ship, intent on making her presence quite well-known to her companion. "While you chase that oddity, I think I might just stay here and fix this thing up. That ought to keep me busy, and more importantly, alive."

 

[Nyla Crow]

For the second time in a day, Nyla considered murdering Yasindra.

It wasn't that she was complaining. It wasn't that she was insulting Nyla's abilities as a smuggler, as a thief. But she was criticizing Nyla's ship. The last place she had to call home. Her constant companion, and as far as she knew, the only thing left to remind her of her old crew. Nyla gripped the controls tightly, gritting her teeth as she did her admittedly shoddy best to hold her anger in. It was not long, however, until Yasindra's song was supplemented by Nyla's; not a song of melancholy or annoyance, but of rage and wounded pride. Snarls and low growls, audible signs of contempt being released after every comment about her ship.

Luckily for Yasindra, it wasn't long before the ship reached the cave. Nyla shuddered as she felt the pure power emanating from it, and landed her craft.

"I think it best if you stay here as well, friend. It might be rather dangerous in that cave. Something in there is powerful." That being said, she re-gathered her armaments, placing them back on her belt. With a smirk, she opened the cargo bay door, and stepped out, towards the cave.

"If I come back, and you've painted my ship pink, I'm killing you." Those were the last words she spoke before entering the Force-fueled Cave. She thought, at least, they should be funny, considering they might well be her last words in general.

 

[Boethiah]

As Boethiah sat there, the cavern's chills slowly started to become warm. The constant blanket of fog picked up, and the exterior ambiance faded away entirely. For a lengthy amount of time there was nothing. She brought her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs, keeping only a small vantage point for her eyes to peer from at the scenery around her. Then suddenly -- as if she had gone somewhere else -- the scenery began to change, and a shadowy figure formed in front of her.

There were no details to notice, it was but a silhouette, and a crude one at that. There were no fine lines or particular shapes, but she could tell it was some sort of humanoid. The sound of its footsteps emulated, reaching the young girl's ears with ease before the sound distanced itself as the figure moved on ahead. When it vanished around the corner, Boethiah slowly unraveled and stood up, following after--being drawn in by its presence.

Turning the corner after it, Boethiah continued throughout the caverns, forgetting why she had entered in the first place.

 

[Yasindra Quorr]

All Nyla could hear as she would leave her craft were the engines restarting, and the craft slowly picking up from its bedding. It did not seem to reach for orbit, or having any notion of escaping the planet, however, as it seemed to be flying back to where they came from, a good mile or so away. After all .. how can she tinker with this piece of garbage without her trustworthy tools, or Geoffrey at her side? Indeed, she could not.

Well ... she could, but that'd be silly, really.

A wide grin was plastered on Yasindra, overtaken by the excitement to get to work on something again. Those gentle hands of hers had not touched her technology this old in a long while, and she couldn't wait to tune it up. She gave little thought to the possibility that Nyla might take her actions wrongly, though, which she will likely regret later, but the things she could do with this craft would surely impress even her.

---

Once settled, she called for her trustworthy companion, grabbed her tools, and set to work.

Oh yes, she'd implement all sorts of things. These generators will work better than ever, these weapons will fire smoother than they ever did before, the engines will make this thing go faster than ever, and ... well, she might just implement a few secret things here and there. She had seen the woman's power, however small, and recalled her own fear. It would not be Yasindra this craft would tear to shreds, no no ... she'd make sure of that.

"Killswitches on the guns? Electromagnetic disablers on the engines? Oh, and a little self-destruction with the push of a button ...", she said to her companion.
"Yes, yes, Geoffrey ... we'll make sure that's equipped. Let's make sure she doesn't find out though."

"And we'll get rid of this useless pipe too!"

 

[Nyla Crow]

Life still wasn't good. That was Nyla's thought as she heard the engines of her ship fire up, and saw it drift away slowly, back to its original landing point. But she had no time to deal with such petty matters; she had a destiny to attend to. And so she stepped into the Crystal Cave of Dantooine, gasping as she experienced the sheer power of the location up close. It had been beautiful, from a distance. Standing inside, surrounded by the occasional outcropping of multicolored crystals, it was transcendent. It was, in fact, enough to cause the prospective Sith to delay for a moment, basking in the cave's glory.

But the delay was just that; momentary. If Nyla was nothing else, she was determined. And so she focused herself, zeroing her new and unrefined connection to the Force, searching for the aura that drew her to the planet in the first place. After a moment, she opened her eyes, and smirked. She had found it. And so, with an optimism that can only be explained by a lack of experience, she headed towards her target, whilst drawing both her lightfoil and blaster pistol.

It still hadn't gotten through to her that some things couldn't be solved with violence, it seemed.

 

[Boethiah]

The cavernous tunnels seemed to twist less and less, and began opening up into larger rooms of sorts. After moving forward for some time, Boethiah stepped into a room filled with light--light emitting form clusters of crystals which were scattered along the walls, and floor of the cavern. Most were either blue or green, a few yellow, orange, and even purple. Yet at the center there was one larger formation of a pinkish-white colouration. It called out to the witch through the force, compelling her to near it.

Bending down before the formation, Boethiah snagged a small crystal budding from the ground, pulling it loose form the rocky cocoon which held it. In her hand, the force radiated; she could sense a connection between her and it, but the nature of that connection was obscure...

Only she felt stronger, collected, and even a bit tranquil. It brought peace to her chaotic thoughts. This also meant she slowly began to realize the nature of her surroundings. "Oh..." The word escaped her slips in a soft whisper.

 

[Nyla Crow]

Nyla trudged along after the girl's Aura, and considered why she was doing so.

It was obvious, after all, that the girl was young. That she was scared. Her power may have been great, but she had no proof that the girl was any more experienced than Nyla herself. So what was it, then? Nyla considered this question as she weaved her way through the Crystal Cave, following after Boethiah with ease. Years of living in a crowded slum on Nar Shaddaa had given the woman an excellent sense of direction, and so it was not long until she found herself in the same cavern as her target. Excellent. Mission accomplished.

Now what the hell was she supposed to do?

She thought quickly, racking her brain for ideas. Summoning up her strength, to impress the girl? No, that would never work. Last time she did that, Boethiah nearly killed her. Reasoning didn't seem to work, either. The girl was either distressed or mad, or possibly both. Her brain sorted through the possibilities; her actions, her target's responses, her likelihood of survival. In the end, she chose the survivor's option. The path which most took, when confronted with a power far greater than their own.

Nyla Crow kneeled, and bowed her head so that she looked at the ground. "Forgive me, Lady. I meant no offense to you, earlier."

 

[Boethiah]

Boethiah walked back towards the entrance now that she had finally figured out where she was, sighing softly to herself, she embraced the crystal in her hands much like she did the dead bird earlier. Returning the way she came, the young girl stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice. She heard it first before she had managed to see the person it resonated from. Memories from earlier rushed to the forefront of her thoughts, but this time it wasn't fear that circulated through Boethiah's mind, but rather curiosity.

She looked around the cavern, searching for the other girl that was with her, when the witch didn't see her, caution overtook. "Why did you follow me?" She asked inquisitively, a hint of concern lingering in her soft voice. Boethiah's heterochromatic eyes darted to and from Nyla.

 

[Nyla Crow]

She wasn't struck down immediately.
This was progress.

In response to the girl's question, Nyla offered first a small laugh, before she answered. "Really? You're powerful. Immensely so. I could feel your presence from a low orbit. I had to find you." She cleared her throat, and continued speaking. "I'm not here to harm you, I promise you that. I'm here to learn." Finally, she raised her head, and Boethiah could clearly see a grin in the darkness. "Whatever it is that you might be able to teach me." What Nyla didn't mention - and what Nyla didn't sense on a conscious level - was the niggling, whispering voice in the back of her head whenever she looked at Boethiah, drawing her closer, like a moth to a flame.

Or a prospective Sith to the spirit of a Dark Lord, in this case. More than likely, the outcome would be the same.

 

[Boethiah]

"I need to find Mother," she completely ignored Nyla by speaking to herself, and then began to walk around the outskirt of the corridor, trying to move past the Sith acolyte without interruption.

The crystal she held in her hand would likely be felt by Nyla just as much as the signature Boethiah produced, yet this one would be far more concentrated and stable in comparison. Unlike the witch's, it was clearly refined and emitting a soft light in the process. For those aware, such a crystal was often used in the construction of a lightsaber; providing it with unique properties that even Jedi Masters often went without due to the rarity of such auxiliary crystals.

Before she passed the line of Nyla's presence, Boethiah's eyesight flicked over to the woman briefly, but without much focus or attention.

 

[Nyla Crow]

A few thoughts went through Nyla's head.

The first was that this woman had no interest in her. The second was that she wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, at this point. The third was that she needed to follow that crystal, the same way she needed to find Boethiah. And lastly, that she had just found an excellent way to stay near the both of them.

She rose to her feet, and turned to face Boethiah. "Allow me to help, please. I would be honored to assist you in your journey, wherever it might take you." She wasn't lying, not really. What she had said was the honest truth. And if it happened that this 'Mother' might be able to give her knowledge or power, well, that was just a bonus. She followed after Boethiah, clipping her lightfoil back to her hip as she strode on. She figured that the woman would either accept her help, or ignore her completely. Either way, she believed herself to be safe.

As safe as she could reasonably be, at least, given the circumstance.

 

[Boethiah]

Truthfully, Boethiah wasn't sure how to get home at this point. Her arrival itself had been obscured by something--or perhaps nothing; either way, she didn't remember enough to retrace her steps. Looking over to Nyla who had now placed herself between her and the exit, the witch stood still for a moment, a deadpan expression besieging her face. "Wayland," she muttered, going to continue her path towards the cave's exit.

Sensing the security of her crystal threatened, Boethiah's hands clasped further around it until only the faint light managed to escape the seams of her hands which cupped around the powerful stone. Her pace was neither brisk nor slothful, yet it it was slower than she could move comfortably. Boethiah's garments were simple, merely a robe and sandals. Yet her flowing, thick locks were maintained by elegant jewelry carved of wood, holding most of it in a bun at the top, allowing some to hang freely just at shoulder's length.

 

[Nyla Crow]

Wayland. Land of the ways. or something. Interstellar Cartography was never Nyla's strongsuit.

Still, no reason to let the girl know that.

"Ah, yes, Wayland. If you need help getting there, my ship can locate the coordinates, make a hyperdrive jump there." Her voice was friendly, for the most part, although it was laced with irritation and impatience. Why couldn't she have found a reasonable person, really? Following after Boethiah, she once more wondered why she bothered. Surely there were other Dark Side users who would be willing to teach her. But none like this, she realized. It was hard to sense, most of the time. But she felt it when the girl used the Force. There was something powerful, within her. Something glorious and dark and deadly. Nyla could not, if she were to call herself Sith, allow such power to go to waste if she could help it. And so, the choice was obvious.

"I am willing to follow your commands. To protect you, should you need it."

 

[Boethiah]

Nyla's initial comment seemed to be ignored completely as the two made their return to the outdoors. Then, upon her last statement, Boethiah turned her head as they walked, eying Nyla silently for a moment. Her curious gaze was short-lived, she returned her visage towards the path ahead until light from outside was seen at the end of it. As they exited, the sun had already begun to set.

"Soon it will be dark, and then the truth of Dantooine shall be revealed. The Black Court didn't kill all that lives here," she spoke the words slowly, looking over to Nyla, before turning her body and stepping closer to the young woman. "Please take me to where I must go." She requested, standing still so that she may lead her forward.

 

[Nyla Crow]

Kath Hounds and Kinrath. Lovely.

Still, it was important to focus on the positive. Nyla had finally gotten the woman to acknowledge her for the second time, and had found her in. She stepped forward, and ignited her lightfoil. While she had no training in proper lightsaber combat, she was decent with the lightfoil. Flicks of the wrist and short thrusts did the job fairly well, and it was easy to use it while keeping her other hand on her blaster.

Nyla led the way back to The Crow's Beak with nary an incident, and walked up to the cargo door, disengaging her blade as she approached. In the darkness, the symbol on the back of her jacket was still visible, such was the vibrancy of its crimson color. After a few quick knocks against the door, she waited for a moment, before the howls of a distant pack of Kath Hounds reminded her why she should be worried. She knocked again, this time much more urgently. "Oi, open up!"

 

[Yasindra Quorr]

"Normally, people add 'please' to their sentences," a voice rang from the luxurious ship across Nyla's Crow's Beak, through unseen speakers mounted on the outside. Yasindra, though often driven by her arrogance and emotions, was not stupid enough to be left alone in the dark, with two powerful Force users on their way. The second she had noticed they were returning, she had snuck her way back to her ship. She watched the two women, and the ship, from monitors conveniently mounted near the driver's seat.

"I suppose I'll make an exception... Hm? Why, you've been so nice to me, after all," and with the push of an unseen button, the Crow's Beak's door opened up. "You'll find I made some changes to your ship. I cleaned up your engines, added some better equipment to those guns, and you'll find the generators run much, much more better! Why, you ought to be thanking me for this generous act, really. I do hope you didn't need that useless, loose-hanging pipe, though. That one will serve my fish quite well in that new aquarium of theirs. They do love it when I give them new obstacles to swim around with."

She waited patiently for an answer with a sly grin, tracing the monitor next to her. This one was the pride of what she had just done. An old radar monitor she had lying around, hooked up to the tracker she placed in Nyla's ship. It won't track her through the galaxies, but at least she'll know if the brigand was closeby. You can't be too sure with youngsters these days ...

 

[Boethiah]

Boethiah looked around for the source of the voice. Clearly she wasn't too technologically competent. Yet once the doors opened, she was all too eager to enter without waiting for Nyla's permission. With the sound of the wild life behind her, and now the environment of the Crow's Beak's cargo hold, she had become further distracted by the discovery of new things.

That curiosity, however, did not manifest itself quite in the ways anyone would have thought. Instead of being fascinated, she seemed to be exploring for practical means--as if to get a grasp of where she was, and what purpose it all served.

After a moment or two of this exploration, she turned to find the nearest corridor deeper into the ship, searching for a bunk where she could make herself at home. Letting Nyla deal with Yasindra all on her own. Not as if Boethiah had offered any signs of being helpful regardless.

 

[Nyla Crow]

Following quickly after Boethiah, she closed the door behind her with a sigh of relief. Sith may know no fear, but they were certainly allowed to value their lives. Her relief, however, was quickly destroyed upon realization of what Yasindra had said. She had touched her ship. She had gutted it, replaced parts of it, taken it apart. Who knew what she could've snuck in there? Bombs, surveillance, the list was endless, certainly for a criminal who'd done her fair share of that work herself. But that, in and of itself, was not the biggest issue here.

That pipe was important to her.
Okay, it wasn't. But it was principle.

Yasindra, in either her stupidity or her arrogance, had touched Nyla's ship. Her property. Her home. With a snarl of rage, she seated herself in the pilot's seat of The Crow's Beak, and set coordinates for the planet Wayland. Once she got everything debugged at a port somewhere, she was going to make that kath-mutt pay.