Dust in the Wind

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

Matsu was in the suit so her had shake couldn't be seen while she spoke and sealed the room. As it started filling with water her words came over the comlink. "There are many secrets buried under the surface of this world and others like Manaan. Where we are searching is the library there is a few area's the city has not fully sunk and has air bubbles." The water finished filling the room and Matsu opened the door leading out into the inky water that was illuminated by large lights. The feeling was there but she couldn't feel the chill. "There is a sonic emitter for defense against sea creatures if you need it."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

"Understood," Jeela replied, shivering slightly in her suit as the faintest chill crept through the suit. Or perhaps it wasn't a physical chill. She couldn't always tell. The sonic emitter was a relief, since water and Lightsabers didn't always mix well.

She activated the lights on her suit and she pushed her self out of the ship, heart drumming in her ears. She paused to re-equalize the pressure, and then slowly spun around, inspecting the area and the comforting presence of the ship. "Do we have sensors that can drink air pockets or are we required to search manually?"

Searching manually would take a lot of time in this Stygian gloom. She couldn't even see any of the ruins yet. How long would their air last? Would they have enough time to search?

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

Matsu spoke continuing forward as the lights brought the sight of the ruined city. There was the light from the machines and she entered it. They might find an air pocket but she wasn't going to removed the suit it took too long to really put on and seal in case of emergency. But working with the area since these were made to be hardy was fine. The gloves allowed for fingers to be used in the gloves. "We are there just to dark down here to see all of it." Matsu kept going and spoke feeling some of Jeela's anxiety. "There is plenty of air, at the longest these suits hve been able to function for nearly seventy two hours."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela calmed, somewhat. Seventy two hours was quite a long time. She couldn't think of any way they could possibly run out. Well, she could, actually. Lots of ways. She just chose not to, and instead focus on feeling the area with the Force, and bending down next to the ruins to scrutinize them.

They were weathered, certainly. Anything left underwater that long would be weathered. The surprise was that they still existed. Most cities would have been long ago reduced to nothing but sand on the ocean floor. Yet, here it stood, still easily recognizably as a city. She was having some trouble,wrapping her mind around that. The builders of this city had clearly been masters, beyond her comprehension.

"Do you know if many other archaeological surveys have been completed here?"

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

None that she knew of... well there had to have been one or two but they didn't make the reports. No one announced they had come to the city and searched. That was why Matsu spoke while she stood there and kept walking. "No, not many though this place is still in relative secret. The Kaminoians are usually very careful about who they allow here or work with. "The people of Kamino are very careful in their dealings and discreet which is why I have come here for research and checking for ways to heal myself. The war provides many ways to move about now." matsu continued to walk until they were in a large half sunk room and she smiled. There they were, aquatic artifacts and some urns as she rose up.

 

[Jeela Tillian]

That made sense then. She paused once they were in the room and knelt down beside the urns and artifacts. She bent forward to examine them, frowning. She wasn't trained in archaeology. She had no idea what she was doing. She did relief work. She tilted her head. She had a feeling touching them could be bad, and she didn't know if she had any tools for this.

"Pardon my ignorance, but what do we do with these?"

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

The million credit question. "We do nothing Jeela, this is for you. This library, this secret is for you hidden away and to be protected. I find some people do not like that unlike them I choose to embrace harmony and serenity in the force, that I am not maddened and depressed enough to kill myself for fighting in a war and taking lives.... but they are quick to pass judgement, quick to abandon their own truth of the jedi code to pursue vengeance. So to better protect life and make sure people do not abuse this gift I am leaving it to you so that you might learn and protect its secret. Only giving it to someone you trust." Matsu continued to walk and in the suit stood near Jeela. "As for the rest of it, isn't this a peaceful to center yourself?"

 

[Jeela Tillian]

Jeela stopped, jaw dropping open slightly while her mind raced to come to understand that. Hers? To share only with those she trusted? Who did she trust? She certainly didn't have any friends close enough to trust with this. She sank down slowly to sit next to one of the urns. It would be her duty to protect these. She could, no, she would do that. As for centering herself, yes it was. The darkness outside compared to the stillness inside was almost a perfect representation of the Force. She sank into the Force, letting it envelop her and carry her in its currents. She was at peace, moreso even than she had been at Voss.

"It is a magnificent place to center myself in, almost as if the room is a sink to drain emotions into. I see why it is important to protect this place. It's secret I will keep close and not share lightly." If at all, for that matter. Perhaps, if events warranted it, she could flee here for sanctuary and quiet study. "If you do not mind my asking, have you run into conflict with the Jedi from because of your views?"

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

"Yes mostly I run into conflict with them because I mourn in private I hide my emotions and embrace the view of all life returnign to the force in death. I celebrate the passing's of those who perish some by my own hands. I have never denied when defending the Republic that people died. The problem is I was asked to fight, asked to bring the power of storms to protect the Republic and I did just that. So for following their orders, for being a jedi who honored the council's wishes I was labeled a war criminal. I never have denied I kill people I have only ever argued the naive view that sending two soldiers and two jedi against a million plus of the sith forced and expecting there not to be any deaths is childish. It is why when I find new research the silver jedi receive it and the jedi council do not. Because I have lost faith in their perceptions of reality always infighting and threatening former members."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela nodded, brow furrowed. She still hadn't realized that nods were very difficult to discern in these suits. "That is understandable, although I do not necessarily understand all of which you refer to." Despite moving from disaster to disaster, she knew little of galactic events as a whole in regards to areas she didn't go to. The disillusionment with leaders though,she understood that completely. "I also have lost faith in a council and left."

That was a bit unexpected there. Or, perhaps not. The Force led her where it wished her to go, and it would make sense to learn from someone with a similar history. She slipped into a thoughtful silence, considering the path that led her here. "When did you study with my order?"
She still considered herself Jensaarai, oddly enough, given the manner in which she left. She still hadn't quite become used to being a Jedi.

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

Matsu smiled at that. "When I was very young and my sister traveled with me. The galaxy was a different place, we learned from several dozen force sects and watched things play out. Always learning new things, always talking and seeing what united and made them different. The Jensaari were strange at first but once I made a suit of armor and had been there for a few months they warmed up to me. I learned a lot."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "They actually let you build a set of armor?" That was unheard of when she had left. They had had a change of leadership that was a touch more....reactionary. If they didn't want someone to find them, nobody would find them, and they didn't want anyone to find them. Utmost secrecy was their mode of operation. She would have visited quite some time ago though. Before the change in leadership. She frowned, trying to guess how old she was. Probably not too much older?
"I might have been there when you studied with us, although I would have been very young." She gave a small smile. "The Jedi are equally strange from our perspective as well."

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

"Yes the did, I was trained to immerse myself in a culture and learn. I studied and trained with many things which was a surprise to me." She kept moving around a little in the suit and sat down while she looked at Jeela and reached out with her hand to grab some of the old artifacts. Aquatic species and all the work they have went through to preserve it... she respected the culture without fully understanding it. "There are many things you can learn when you immerse yourself in a culture, when you give in and learn as much as you can from people."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela was not surprised she had been trained that way. It made sense for an archaeologist to be able to do that. It made this much easier to become a part of a culture. She was just surprised that the Jensaarai had allowed her in. That was before the leadership change. She focused back on the words, mulling them over. Why was that? What could she figure out?

"I can see that. Is it a consequence of not holding what they might teach at bay by avoiding becoming a part of their culture? Or simply being accustomed to thinking the thoughts of their cultures?"

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

"It is in the blood, I have a very good mind and memory when I want to I will and can easily adapt to a cultural ideal and people. Memory is the key and more then that we can do so much more as time goes on." A smile under the mask while she stood up and grabbed one of the holocron putting it into a pack for Jeela. "Come we shall return to the ship and this holocron is your it is of the master who made this place. His information will help you greatly."

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela nodded inside her suit again, mind elsewhere, thinking about that. Was that really all it was? Memory? Was that why she had never managed to adapt to any other culture she had spent time in. Or maybe it was because she had never really tried? Her attention sprang back as Matsu spoke again about the holocron. She would have her own holocron? Her mind spun at the thought. She bowed, or tried to in the suit. It ended up being much less flexible than she anticipated, and she almost fell over. She straightened.

"I am honored, Master." She thought for a moment and then asked, "Who was the master who built this place?"

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

"Qalsneek the Bull was a strong jedi master and he can guide you where I might fail or falter." She continued to sith there though and patted the suit of Jeela. "You are doing very well and when you are ready we can head back to the ship. Much serenity can be found in this location." Her smile under the helmet was there.

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela considered the name, turning it over in her mind.mShe had never heard of him, so she would her word for it. She took another long, searching look at the place around them. Timeless, it was, ancient almost beyond belief, and yet resonant with the fibers of time that pressed softly all around them. She sank into its quiet, finding the calm exemplified by the chamber within herself, and took a deep breath, feeling the tension from being under who knew how many kilometers of water, run off like water itself.

She nodded, "I am ready now." The compliment about doing well sent a little flame of joy through her, and the suit wasn't quite so heavy anymore. "And thank you. You are an inspiring teacher."

 

[Matsu Ike]

@Jeela Tillian

Matsu gave a nod of her head, getting up and leaving the ruins slow enough for Jeela to follow with her new charge. The holocron was hers to protect as they headed back to the sub and her enjoyment of the time being. She headed back inside and waited until both of them were in there and sealed it while she finished everything up. They had been down here for several hours and now could meditate here on the ship.

 

[Jeela Tillian]

[member="Matsu Ike"]

Jeela followed close behind, carefully holding the pack that held the holocron. This was not so,etching she would put at risk lightly. Or at all, if she could help it. The waters they passed through seemed less dark now. Or at less forbidding. There was danger and the unknown here, yes, but it was also a place of peace, if someone knew how to look for it. Given time, she might even begin to feel at home here. Lots of time, actually.

It was a relief to be back aboard the ship, and she was out of her suit as fast as she could once it was possible, and then sunk down to the floor, resting against the hull, and holding the holocron in one hand, examing it. Such fascinating devices. Perhaps someday she would make one. Wouldn't that be odd? People would study from her image that served as a gatekeeper, and in a way, she would be immortal. There was something strangely humorous about the idea, and she gave a small chuckle.