By Paths that Seldom Mortal Goes

[Ultimatum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Tm6qnVEgQ

Ultimatum had heard from an old ally, having sent a message for help on a journey. He had also picked up another, another person who had volunteered his services. He had sent them the coordinates of Bespin, designating that their meeting place. It was close enough to Mustafar that he would be able to get there quickly and prepare for their arrival. He had brought with him his Dynamic class Freighter and the Fate. One for comfortable transport and the other in case they came across a fight.

He had arrived only a day before and was still helping with the final preparations, bringing foodstuffs aboard and getting the auxiliary fuel tanks filled. It was possibly going to be a long journey and he didn't want to fall short of anything for the organics who would go with him. He had to be ready, after all a failure to do so would be a life or death situation.

He had found that recently he had urges to travel, to explore, no reason, no explanation. He just felt a command to go out and find that which had not been. He had some need to search, to constantly move to something new. It was strange and unusual to himself, he could not explain it. He had spent some nights simply going over galactic maps and looking for systems that potentially had life and then looking through galactic records for searches. He had found many that had been overlooked or lost.

This time though, this time he had found something truly interesting. Ancient, truly ancient, reports of a planet that had been lost for centuries. Life had been found there and had proven dangerous as well. It did not list location, but the time stamps were consistent with the Galactic Civil War and that more than likely meant that any locations at the time were not defunct from galactic spiral movement. He however had an idea of where it could be. The problem was that it would take time to get there. But time was no issue to him. He was a droid.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn'Dhal had heard of the marvel known as [member="Ultimatum"] through a mutual friend. A young, ambitious, rambunctious little Togruta named Ryker. Knowing what the sentient droid had done for his friend, Ryn had extended a hand in friendship as a show of appreciation and gratitude. Eventually an opportunity to repay a portion of a self-perceived debt came, in the form of a request for aid in an exploratory mission. Eagerly, the masked padawan accepted!

____________________________________________________________________

Eventually he arrived on his ship, the Mask. Landing the Mandalorean designed ship at the designated port, Ryn set foot to ground, laughing behind his mask as his little mechanical pal warbled enthusiastically at the top of the entry ramp. "Alright Emvee, calm down. No, I won't ask if he gives autographs. That'd be rude!" The astromech whistled low. "Oh come off it! I'll ask if you can come say hello when we get back! Be safe little buddy!" He'd holler, as the droid blared his own farewell, drawing up the ramp and sealing the ship.

Now, it was time for the masked padawan to head off and finally meet the great Ultimatum! What exactly this adventure was ahead of him, he did not know, but he trusted this droid. If he did what he had done for little Ryker as freely as he had, then there could be no reason NOT to extend this trust!

With that in mind, he hurried off to the exact location Ultimatum's missive designated him to wait at.





[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had responded to [member="Ultimatum"] 's request right away. How could she deny him when he had helped her so willingly? This would be part of how she would pay him back, even though he had asked for nothing in return.

She had never been to Bespin, only seen stories about it on the holonews and through archives on the holonet. She had arrived on one of the many transports to their designated meeting place. As it was an adventure they were going on, she dressed in trousers, shirt and long jacket, nothing form fitting so that she'd have the freedom of movement on her side. Her satchel was slung over her shoulder, containing all that she figured she'd need; food, water, a set of extra clothes, her sapir tea, kettle, tea cup and blaster, all of it expertly packed for ease of travel.

As Kay approached a few docked ships, she shrunk her Force signature down to that of a small tree nut. One can never be too careful. Another person had been heading in the same direction and had stopped at the docked vessels. She bowed her head to Ryn'Dhal and offered a small smile. "Hello." No doubt Ultimatum would join them soon and get things started.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was pleased that PU-01 ad 02 would be able to handle the last pieces of preparations, he realized that his designated meeting location was close enough for a brisk walk, for him that would probably be about 15 kilometers per an hour. He had heard and noticed that few organics could reach such speeds in walking. In fact he had only seen it during some of the organics' sports events.

He gave one last look to the two ships, the food, water, and other sundry supplies had already been loaded onto the Dynamic while the Fate was being filled with extra supplies because it was unlikely that they would travel around in it. The greatest disadvantage to using what used to be a drop ship meant for at most an hour or two in flight as a full transport was that they were incredibly uncomfortable. Even with the padded seats and refresher the ship simply was not made with the idea of living weeks within in mind. That was why he had decided to take the Dynamic, of course this wouldn't have been an issue if the Hammerhead in the shipyard had been finished. It was very close, in fact he assumed that it would be almost if not completely repaired by the time he returned.

With those thoughts circling his electronic head he moved quickly, staying out of the way of most organics so that he could walk more efficiently. He was there in but a minute or two and he thought he recognized [member="Lady Kay"] off not too far away. He expected that he would be seen fairly soon, after all he did tend to leave an impression, that and he was pretty unique to most droids in appearance. He had not actually met a droid with a likeness similar to his own, it was a fact of some pride.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn'Dhal had only but heard of the [member="Lady Kay"]. But meeting her in person was refreshing. She was a pretty human, with what he perceived to be a very small Force presence. He questioned that with a tilt of his head. It felt familiar, vaguely, from his practices in the methods of limiting ones presence. His own skill at the ability was near non-existent, but having been bombarded with witnessing his masters displaying the ability as examples made the subtle restrictions in the Lady's Force Aura almost unnoticed. Almost.

The masked padawan stooped into a low bow. "Greetings." Rising up, his golden eyes glinting playfully behind the thin slits in the mask. His melodic voice danced playfully as he spoke. "I pray my appearance does not alarm. I just find it more comfortable traveling and interacting in my current attire in a public stage. I shall likely relieve myself of the mask after we are on our way with... Mister? Master? Sir? ....." The padawan would cock his head to one side, at an obvious loss for what would be the appropriate honorific for [member=Ultimatum]. Shrugging, then giving a nod, he'd continue, "Mister Ultimatum. Yes."

As if on queue, the unique entity arrived mid conversation. Turning with an accidental flourish of his robes, the masked padawan would give an equally respectful bow to Ultimatum. "Greetings! Padawan Ryn'Dhal, at both your services."

 

[Kay-Larr]

She smiled in amusement as [member="Ryn'Dhal"] apologized for his attire and in the manner in which he carried himself. So young sounding and eager. Those were the days!

As Kay was about to speak to the Padawan, [member="Ultimatum"] appeared. She smiled, bowed her head and then held out her hand for him to shake. "Wonderful to see you again, my friend. I take it that you are well?"

The fact that there was a Padawan here meant that she had to be extra careful with herself and keep herself from using the Force. It was afterall, her secret.

 

[Ultimatum]

"It is good to see both of you. I hope that I am not taking you from anything of too much importance." He would have spoken immediately about the plan, except that he knew that before that they should familiarize themselves with each other and who they were working with. This might be a long journey and any personality differences would probably compound on each other if not dealt with before the trip. Ultimatum knew that organics occasionally had difficulty overcoming something so simple as character conflicts and that that often was the reason for exploration missions falling apart, he had to avoid that for the sake of the mission.

"Have you two met before?" He trusted [member="Lady Kay"] as she had been a good ally for which he had accomplished a feat that hopefully few would learn of. [member="Ryn'Dhal"] was another matter, he did trust the man, after all few people would willingly take part in an exploration like this just for the fun of it. He assumed that the padawan was trustworthy, most Jedi were after all, but Ultimatum was one who kept an eye on the potentials, including a betrayal of one sort or another. He didn't believe that that would be the case, but he had to prepared nonetheless.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"Not before this moment. I have, however, heard a bit about her, and her humanitarian efforts," He would turn once again to [member="Lady Kay"], giving an affirming nod of his masked face, "Which I must say I greatly admire you for, whatever value that may have ma'am." His attention shifted back once more to [member=Ultimatum]. "I pray you will also forgive my mask at this time. It is more comfortable to myself to cover myself so thoroughly in crowded public places. I have no intention of hiding whom I am from either of you two. But, I would prefer to not expose myself in public."

Poor boy, had no idea of the accidental double-entendre he just stated, considered other meanings to his words, before continuing. "I mean to say, I do not have anyone hunting for me, if that is what you think is my reasoning for concealment. I bring no threats with me." He stated calmly, attention returning to the captain of this mission. "If you would like for us to continue our conversations in a more at-ease location though, I am more than willing to follow." His melodic tone picked back up again, warmth and comfort seeming almost palpable coming from the padawan.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She turned to [member="Ryn'Dhal"] and gave him a small smile. "Thank you. I do try my very best to do what others haven't even tried to tackle head on to the extent that I have." But that made her even more curious about the Padawan. As did his mentions of his mask. She looked to [member="Ultimatum"] having not much information to go on for this journey thus far. "I think that going to your ship would be a great idea as Ryn'Dhal suggests. Then we all might be a bit more open with our discussions."

 

[Ultimatum]

"Very good. Let us go." He slowed down his walking pace, to more standard for organics, relaxed he thought. It was a short one all the same, perhaps a little longer than his initial walk to the meeting point.

Ultimatum could appreciate [member="Ryn'Dhal"] being more comfortable hiding his identity in public. Ultimatum had occasionally wished for his anonymity while traveling the galaxy, he had heard that many organics had the same preference. He understood why he wanted to be hidden but he did not always understand other reasons. There were few things that necessitated stealth.

"There is much to tell, but for now I am hoping to find a planet that has been left out of galactic records for the last several centuries." He didn't say much beyond that. He had more information to share, but he didn't want their flight plans to be spread about to various people. After all if there was another planet with lifeforms unseen for so long it was best to find out what these people were like before they were reintroduced into the galactic scene.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Eagerly the padawan followed. It truly wasn't a long walk, before they reached where [member=Ultimatum]'s ship was stationed. As he and [member=Lady Kay] were the only organics in the area, Ryn felt comfortable enough to remove his mask, allowing his cowl to fall back. Ears snapping up and alert, the bright-eyed padawan exhaled a sigh of relief.

"While I am more relaxed in public covered, I must admit the confinement does wear with time!" His tail unraveled from about his waist, and proceeded to playfully flick back and forth, as he stowed his cloak and mask into his satchel. "A lost world. I am definitely eager to aid in that! It sounds like it will be an amazing experience!" The melodic tone of his voice was now that much more evident, no longer distorted through the mask.

Hoping to break the ice with a bit of humor, he added in, "And don't worry, I don't shed too much." Fangs aside, that grin was definitely friendly and playful.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay followed her two friends to the ship. Once inside she glanced around, raising a brow but then smiling at [member="Ryn'Dhal"] 's appearance. He was so......cute! His comment about shedding made her chuckle.

Then she turned her attention to [member="Ultimatum"] and the information that he had given them so far. "A planet left out of the records? Do you know if it was left out on purpose or why? I suppose that a small landing party like this would be best in case the natives are hostile towards strangers. We wouldn't want them to feel as though they are being invaded and would need to protect themselves."

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum watched as [member="Ryn'Dhal"] removed his mask and was genuinely surprised at the padawan's species. It was quite a beautiful one, keeping in mind, that it was male of course. He smiled at the joke. He send a silent command to Dynamic freighter to open the cargo door, while the Fate began lifting off. The latter of these ships would have appeared to be an old Republic gunship from the clone wars era, Ultimatum had found and rebuilt the ship in order to ask as a transport. It was armed nicely for its intended purpose.

He listened to [member="Lady Kay"] as she asked questions and gave her opinion. "The records have very little about the planet, in fact there is really no mention of the native species, aside from the fact that there is intelligent life. The Imperials of the time were the first to get there, however I do not know if it was purposefully forgotten or if it simply was accidentally left. I would lean to the latter, though if the natives were violent enough I would have expected the Empire to send an invasion force not to try and forget them. I have very little to work with as there are only three logs from the planet, but I have been able to get a portion of space in which the planet may be located. Unfortunately the area is still massive, with dozens of stars with potentially habitable planets and just as many areas that are less likely. I have the information on the databanks in the ship. What are your thoughts right now?"

He looked at both Kay and Ryn, waiting for an answer. He half expected one of them to walk away right now, the potentially long travel might not be appealing and he wouldn't have blamed them if they wanted to leave. It was not going to be easy and there was the possibility that dangers lie ahead that could prove fatal.

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ultimatum"]

[media]https://youtu.be/I_izvAbhExY[/media]

His huge manly size seven black boots hung idly as he sat at the star port bar. His helmet face plate pulled down with a straw sticking out from under it like a white striped proboscis as he enjoyed a nice White Ruusan.

Two heavily armed being stood behind his in their badass black armor, because badass was a shade of black, obviously. He sang a song that everyone loved but never admitted to loving and decided he would buy some tibanna today for his whiny gunners who kept saying they needed to reload.

"Pansies, in my day we shoved the least useful guy in the chamber and let him fly." he said out loud before singing more of his song.

"Yes lord helmetus!" the troopers said in unison.

"Trooper? Did you just lowercase my title and name?"

"I don't understand Lord Helmetus."

"That's more like it."

"Hail Helmetus." the troopers said with confusion and fear.

"Fething right Hail Me. " Darthka replied returning to his drink.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"My thoughts?" The padawan asked, ears cocking at odd angles. "If, you are wondering as to whether I am having second thoughts about this endeavor, I can assure you that is not the case. I hope my abilities will prove valuable in our venture, and it will also provide me many opportunities to test my limits in some fields. I believe I would be a fool to turn down the opportunity you place before me." The feline humanoid smiled warmly, fangs glinting in the lighting.

He then tapped his index fingers together nervously. "Though, I must ask a concession of you, Mr. [member="Ultimatum"], for the combined necessity of my comfort, and safety of others on our trip. I have a.... 'Condition'." The padawan scratched the back of his neck, as he reached for the words to address his situation. "Extensive hyperspace travel is..... Well.... Abnormally strenuous on me.... I don't quite know why...." His gaze danced between [member="Lady Kay"] and Ultimatum. "I can kind of.... Change.... Form? I can normally do it at will.... But, extreme stress levels.... Kind of.... Force it to happen...."

Ears drooped slightly, as he looked back and forth between the two. He'd rather be up front before they left. This way they could elect for him to remain behind. "I have maintained control over myself consistently over the last dozen and a half tripe that evoked a shifting, but i would rather take preventative measures just in case. Be that either a secured quarters to retreat to in event of an impending 'issue', or if you two would rather, I could maintain my alternate form for the trip. It would limit my usefulness in manual or menial tasks though, but would eliminate the worry of me having an episode and losing control. Or, option three...." His ears folded back involuntarily. "You leave me behind and we go our separate ways."

It took a moment, then his eyes darted upwards, as he quickly touched his ears. A scowl cut across his face, as he quickly swatted his ears. "Stoppit you two!!"

[member="Darthka Helmetus"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as she listened to @Ultimatum. "Sounds like we are in for a good trip then. I'm sure that there would be many that would be glad to have me out of their hair for a while. And maybe....this could keep me out of trouble for a bit." She smiled with a hint of a smirk.

But then [member="Ryn'Dhal"] spoke up. His description of his 'condition' caused her to raise a brow. Of course she was curious as anyone would be. "I'm sure that we each will have our own quarters to retreat to when we need to sleep. But if I might ask, what does your condition cause you to change into?"

[member="Darthka Helmetus"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was relieved that the two did not wish to back out. He was gladdened that both seemed confident in their ability to handle this, though as [member="Ryn'Dhal"] explained his condition Ultimatum was intrigued. He wondered just how dangerous this transformation would be, he assumed that it was enough to actually be a concern, since the padawan was bringing it up.

He was going to respond but [member="Lady Kay"] beat him to the punch. The freighter they were supposed to be traveling in would have separate rooms, each of them was intended to house four bunks and should have enough room for his time if required. The doors of the ship were made to withstand the pressures of being in space and had blast doors for that sort of security. He wondered how long such would hold, was the transformation that dangerous? He did not know and perhaps he would never know, but it was worth asking.

He nodded as Kay said that there would be room, trying to confirm it.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"My transformation. I can remain in control when I undergo it willingly. It's when the stresses of Hyperspace get too great, and my biology reacts defensively to force me to change, that I run a risk of going 'predator in a corner', as it was once described to me. Mind you, I've not lost control of myself in such a fashion in a great many months, but the risk is always present, however small. If you would like, after we get on board, and I can.... prepare...." He'd pause, looking down at his clothes. "Clothing tends to be the first casualty of such a transformation, and I'm weary of having to buy new garments...." His gaze lifted again, his warm smile back on his face once again. "If you two would like, I can show you the.... other me.... before we take off, and you can decide if it is a risk you wish to take."

He would wait for [member="Ultimatum"]'s direction towards the domiciles, and after an acknowledgement from both himself and the [member="Lady Kay"], Ryn'Dhal would head off to the rooms to prepare for a demonstration of his other self.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I'm sure that it's not that bad...." Kay tried to sound reassuring. [member="Ryn'Dhal"] seemed so worried that he'd be rejected. But she was certain that whatever he changed into, [member="Ultimatum"] and herself would be able to handle it. But she couldn't help being curious. "And just so we know...if you happen to lose control, how may we help you to be able to turn back to normal?"

She was kind of used to having to calm her late husband down when he got really angry. And she would do so by stroking his forearm gently with the tips of her fingers. If only that worked on all Sith Lords....

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum replied calmly, "If you would be so kind, a demonstration would be appreciated. If you take a left at the first intersection in the ship as you walk in there should be a hall that leads into a room."

Ultimatum was just as curious, but he did not want to push his companion into something if he did not want to do it. He was understanding of having to deal with some sort of problem within, having documented a number of organics with similar issues. He wondered what it would be like, again the fact that [member="Ryn'Dhal"] had brought it up more than likely meant that it was potentially a real danger. He was thankful that [member="Lady Kay"] seemed to be equally calm about this as he was.