Private Eliphas Dune and the Temple of Legume

[Lief]

One shot narrowly avoided hitting Matt, but the other hit its intended target. Eliphas whooped in excitement, moments before it looked as though Latergh may fall right on top of the Jedi and crush him. His eyes widened, mouth dropped to try and say something, but only a pathetic exhale made itself known.

Thankfully Matt was more on the ball than his Tetan counterpart, because he shifted her before that could happen and gently settled her to the ground undisturbed. He stepped toward the pair of them then, eyes darting between stunned Gamorrean and Jedi. Matt didn't look so good. "Don't thank me" he breathed, "I should have acted sooner..."

Mention of the woman's injuries made him frown too. "It's no wonder she was so enraged," he whispered, his gut wrenching at the sight of it. The notion that something inside the vault had amplified it made him feel sick to his stomach. He turned his gaze, staring nervously at the vault door, then slowly made his way toward it. Tentatively, he pushed the vault door shut. Last thing they needed was for more beasties to pool forth, or for more corruption to seep out.

Clearly, Eliphas did not understand how corruption worked if he believed one door could keep it at bay.

He was drawn back toward the pair at the mention of Kolto. As luck would have it, Eliphas rarely went far without some Kolto shots because the standard choice was Bacta and he was deathly allergic. He reached for the vials on his belt, and stepped toward Matt to offer them out. Only Matt wasn't entirely fully focused on the present, he was doing... something... with Latergh. He didn't rightly know what, but it was causing some strain.

Instead he crouched down and set the vial against Latergh's leathery skin, and injected the contents of it into her bloodstream. It was fast acting, especially due to the method he'd used, but even so Eliphas was surprised to see how her skin knitted back together.

Was that Matt?

Was he healing her?

He blinked a few times, looking genuinely amazed.

"Wow... That's insane." Good insane, of course. Well, hopefully with both of their efforts - clearly, Matt's were the more intense efforts - she'd be right as rain again in no time.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

Mathieu had just shaken his head when Eliphas blamed himself for not acting sooner. He should have answered. He should have put his mate's mind at ease. But then, how much more word words have done? Regardless, it was too late for that now. The Jedi did his best to return his mind to the present. Healing Latergh had to be the top priority and to accomplish that, he needed to concentrate and to not let his mind wander all too far.

After a while, Mathieu opened his eyes. He had done as much as he was capable of doing and let out a tired breath. He leaned back into a seated position - it had been a taxing task. A sign that he was not quite as good at healing someone through the force as he might have wished he was. Still, wrestling the woman had been a far more daunting challenge than healing her.

His eyes were slowly drawn towards the kolto vials as he rested. Mathieu sent a grateful nod to Eliphas who commented the force healing "It looks pretty cool" he said with a satisfied grin growing on his lips. With a chuckle, he admitted "But that kolto of yours will probably do far more good than what I did." Perhaps the opposite would have been true if he was more skilled. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Mathieu's gaze ventured to the closed vault and then to Eliphas. He had focused on healing Latergh and missed what the Navigator had done but it wasn't all that hard to figure it out. A sigh escaped him - revealing how he really didn't look forward to the next step "I guess that I should pick those up. Lock them away at the ship and send them to the Council when it is safe."

The large Morellian rose to stand back up. He looked down to Latergh. Perhaps the three of them could leave together when she woke up. Hopefully, what had corrupted her behaviour wouldn't have the same hold of her with the pain subsided and the near-death experiences a bit further back in the past. But then, he didn't even know if Eliphas still wanted to stick around. Sure, the guy had been eager for some adventure when they first met but now? It was impossible to tell. His attention shifted from the unconscious Gamorrean to the conscious human "One of us would've been dead or wounded if it weren't for you." he said, referring to the alien and himself "Thank you"

 

[Lief]

Mathieu was looking mighty tired by the time he was done tending to Latergh's wounds, and Eliphas frowned to see him in such a way. "I don't think it's quantifiable" he responded, when it came to healing via the Force and Kolto, "I think each pulled its weight as much as was needed, and that's what's important, no?"

Kolto could only do so much, as could a Force User still new to drawing upon it for healing efforts. Had only one been accessible who knew what might have happened to the Gamorrean.

"Stronger together" he finally added, with a firm nod of his head. Yeah, that sounded about right.

Talks shifted to the contents of the vault, and Eliphas glanced toward it thoughtfully. "I wonder why it's affected her more?" he wondered aloud, "Maybe because she was enraged to begin with?" Either way he felt a little wary about approaching it. He knew they'd have to, though, he couldn't let Matt shoulder that burden alone.

"Come on, I'll help you move it. Then maybe we can see about bringing Latergh somewhere safer too..."

He trudged back toward the vault, though he didn't really want to reopen it, when Matt's final words were uttered. "Don't thank me" he stated plainly, "There's been enough blood shed here to last me a lifetime. I'm just glad you're both okay."

Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

Eliphas spoke the truth. While Mathieu had not perceived him as dumb or anything near it, the Navigator now displayed wisdom which the young Morellian had not expected. He tried to hide his surprise. So far, his new friend had been reasonable, kind and decent - but this was a bit different. In a good way. Mathieu produced a nod in agreement and repeated what Eliphas had just said "Stronger together"

As they continued, Mathieu looked to his mate as he asked about why Latergh was more affected. He nodded at the Navigator's theory "It could be related to preexisting rage, yeah." he shrugged before continuing to idly list a few other factors "There could be a number of reasons. The temperament of her character, vicinity and exposure to the artefact, intellect, pain, suffering" Mathieu trailed off for a bit. For a brief period, there was silence as he considered his words "There can be factors on our end too. Our own temperament, training and ..." he paused once more as a curious thought popped into his mind. "... and an affinity towards the light"

He appreciated the company and Eliphas had proven to be a valuable ally. Not only did he help in Mathieu's moment of need - but he also worked to temper the Jedi's more violent tendencies. War and constant combat did, inevitably, affect him and his list of resorts in a hostile confrontation. It was good to be with someone with a less muddled mind. Still, he offered a jestfull smile "I just wrestled with a Gamorrean, I think I can carry the artefact" While his words suggested that he declined the offer, his body language told another story as he waited for Eliphas before walking over to the vault door.

It was good to hear that his new mate was so disturbed by the violence. The galaxy could use more people like him. Still, to Mathieu the day had been relatively peaceful, all things considered. But, he had no reason to disagree and simply nodded along "Yeah" as he got to work on opening the vault door once more. After having figured it out once, reopening it now wasn't much of a challenge.

The interior of the vault was relatively simple. A long bench followed the walls of the room. One segment had collapsed, revealing dirt and mud where the metallic panels had once hung. Underneath, a seemingly deep water filled hole could be found. The wet marks of the Kirruks still littered the floor, going from the pond to the door. Centrally, was the artefact - a peacefully shining holocron. The tetrahedron was placed on top of a pedistal. The light which it emitted was a subtle red which coloured its immediate vicinity.

"There we have it" Mathieu nodded to the holocron before looking to Eliphas. They had finally reached the source of the corruption in the temple. The large Morellian produced a large and seemingly simple cloth pouch from within his backpack. He wasn't all too sure how to deal with the artefact in the long run. Hopefully, Chaussidier would have an idea. The old guy wasn't a Jedi but he sure was experienced and wise. Regardless, he would reach out through the force and telekinetically take hold of the tetrahedron and brought it into the sizeable pouch.

"Anti-climatic, wasn't it?" he joked as he closed the pouch.

 

[Lief]

After mirroring his sentiment, Matt proceeded to list off a few other reasons why they might have resisted the effects of the artifact more so than Latergh, the last of which pertained to an affinity toward the light. Well that certainly worked for the Jedi, he thought, but himself? Not really. He was a lawful individual, good, but he wasn't of the Force so did light really explain it?

Eliphas left those thoughts to himself for now, maybe he'd bring it up again later. For now?

"Yeah, well wrestling a Gamorrean or not I know I wouldn't want to enter that vault alone." Besides, for all they knew there'd be more than one thing on the inside to bring back, right? Surely all of this couldn't be for one thing.

As it would turn out, it was in fact for one thing. A strangely shaped item that glowed red. Eliphas wrinkled his nose at the mere sight of it. Matt was smart enough not to touch the item with his hands, which made the Tetan all the more grateful for his Forcely presence. What would have happened if he hadn't been able to move it with his mind? Would it have corrupted the Jedi too?

Either way it was soon bagged.

"A little... I can't believe something so small could cause all of this..."

He urged them both back toward the vault door, not wanting to linger inside any longer than he had to, and once outside he approached the slumbering Gamorrean. "Do we move her? When we have the artifact put away, I mean. Or do we... I don't know. Wait for the stun to wear off down here?"

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

Eliphas commented on the Holocron's size. It was curious, for in a way, it was really rather reasonable. Why wouldn't something that cause this much pain and destruction be large and intimidating? The answer - of course - was that the root of the corruption was the dark side and stemmed from the force infused device that they had just picked up. Something which was largely incorporeal like the force did not need much in terms of size. His brows furrowed a little "The dark side isn't generated in some machine and when its corruption spreads, it does so in the hearts and minds of its victims."

Perhaps it was just some weird gesture of respect for the Tetan but just as Eliphas had closed the vault door earlier, Mathieu now did the same. When joining the Navigator by the slumbering giant that they had fought earlier, he shrugged. "I'm hesitant about carrying her up the stairs. And then there's the jungle outside." Needless to say, he was not all too excited about the prospect of carrying her. Even if he activated a stim and allowed the force to do some of the heavy lifting, it simply did not seem like a very realistic option.

He weighed his options and the two most realistic alternatives seemed to be to either leave with the artefact and come back to pick her up with a vehicle or to wait for the stun to wear off, just like Eliphas suggested. What he was certain of, however, was that he would not leave the Navigator alone with her before he had a chance to assess her state of mind. If she were to wake up and still in a frenzy, he trusted in his sabre moreso than Eliphas' capability and willingness to shoot her with another stun bolt.

And so, there really wasn't much of a choice for Mathieu to make "We could leave her here with a note and come back to pick her up when I've sent this away" he said, holding the pouch up to indicate what he wanted to get rid of "Or we'll wait for her to wake up like you said. All I know is that I'm not leaving you two alone" he chuckled "So the choice is yours"

And then he thought of something that caused him to feel silly. Why had he not thought of it earlier? If they could come back to pick Latergh up, it was reasonable to assume that "Maybe someone could pick us all up." A bright smile appeared across his lips. Mathieu was certain that Chaussidier could send a shuttle - although, he wasn't quite so sure how eager the old Admiral would be to expose his rather covert operations. Still, they needed to get out and an civilian-looking ship and crew wouldn't be all that hard to muster. With that, the large Morellian produced his comms device to make the call

 

[Lief]

The Jedi's comment about corruption spreading made Eliphas pause. He shuddered, physically shuddered, and a grim expression fell over him. Certainly it had him glancing warily in the direction of the holocron, unnerved by its mere presence. He didn't want corruption inside of him. Didn't want corruption around him. Especially not if it had the capacity to make him as enraged as it had left Latergh.

No. The sooner they could get it out of here the better.

He remained quiet while Matt thought over their options, and ultimately decided that moving her was probably not in their best interest. That was something they agreed upon then, and he nodded his head agreeably. "I think we should wait, a note won't do much if she wakes up enraged still. I don't want her to think we meant to do her harm, or that we just abandoned her here to face more of those lizard-things alone."

Then the Jedi made mention of another option. To have someone come to them so that they could deal with the holocron and the Gamorrean all at once.

"That's... Actually a really good idea" he agreed, moving to the stairs and taking a seat at the foot of them. He was feeling a little more drained than he'd care to admit, though whether it was due to their proximity to the corrupted item or because his adrenaline was waning he couldn't say for sure. All he knew was that he was ready for a warm trip to the refresher and then bed. An early night. It might end his shore leave prematurely but he didn't mind.

Not this time.

"Do you think they'd be able to drop me back off at the Atale? She's just a few clicks south of here."

If not, well, walking never hurt him.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

Mathieu offered his mate a smile and a nod as he agreed to the idea. The jungle was thick and it was hard to find clearings for a ship to land by - but with the right preparation, he was confident that they would be able to manage, now that they already had people on the ground and an exact location to head towards.

He produced his holocom from a pouch by his belt - fortunately, it appeared to be functioning, very much unlike his universal translator. Before making the call, however, Eliphas wondered about if it would be possible for him to be dropped off south of their current location. To Mathieu, it didn't matter much - they were definitely not going to bring him up to Chaussidier's flagship - dropping him off would be a necessity. And as for Latergh - he looked to the unconscious woman "As long as our friend here doesn't object" he said with a playful smile appearing by his lips. They both knew that she was in no position to object to anything.

Trying to make some distance between himself and the Navigator and Latergh, Mathieu moved to the far end of the small room. Admittedly, it did not grant him as much privacy as he would have hoped but perhaps it wouldn't be all too bad if Eliphas had some questions about who his friends were. The Tetan had come across as a trustworthy person so far and a decent one too.

"This is Mathieu. I am forwarding my coordinates to you now. We'll need a pickup for three persons, one of us, an unconscious Gamorrean" he spoke to the blueish figure that had appeared on the device. She appeared to interact with a console before confirming his request "Very well. Are they safe?" Mathieu looked to his two companions. Were they close enough to be clued in on Chaussidier's long-term cover operations? "No" he said, almost sounding a bit disappointed by it himself.

"Understood. We will be there shortly" The Jedi nodded before ending the call and once more pocketing the small device. "That went smoothly enough" he said as he took a few steps to return to the others. Almost as if he expected them not to have heard a word the woman just said, he informed them "There's a transport on the way. They should be here soon."

 

[Lief]

In the downtime, while the Jedi wandered off to make the relevant calls - none of which Eliphas paid even remote attention to - the boy let his head lean to the side against the stairwell wall and his eyes drifted to a close.

By the Empress he was tired. Seriously tired. It hadn't even been that long, relatively speaking, since he'd gotten out of bed that morning yet it felt as though an entire age had been and gone. Every now and then he'd peek an eye open to monitor Latergh but there were no real changes to note.

Nope, he just gave himself a little bit of time to rest. To regain his breath.

A knot remained in his stomach, and he was avoiding looking in the corner of the room where the dead lizards lay. Did it feel this terribly for everyone? Or was he just... A weakling? A wuss? He didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't like what had been done here.

Didn't like it one bit.

Still he understood the necessity, especially seeing the state that the Gamorrean was now in.

Matt roused him from his sleepy state, and he lifted his head back up from the wall to acknowledge his words.

"Mm?" It took him a second to catch up, but then he nodded. "Oh, alright, good... Should we, uh, see about bringing Latergh upstairs then? Or does your ship have a gurney or something we can use instead?"

It was taking every ounce of willpower for Eliphas to avoid yawning mid sentence. He was almost proud of himself for managing without; last thing he wanted was to seem rude after all.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

If he knew Chaussidier, the shuttle would already be well on its way by now. The old man always seemed to know what to do and what to expect. Having a discrete enough craft at the ready to pick him up might have been one of those things that he had thought of and prepared. Regardless, they wouldn't get very far before it arrived. In fact, it didn't look like they'd get out of the temple cellar without it and its crew.

It was only when Eliphas looked up and spoke that Mathieu saw how tired he appeared. The Navigator had been roused from his sleepy state and opened up with a tired 'mm?' A hint of concern spread across the Jedi's face for it seemed sudden. Was the guy just dropping low after an extended period of excitement or was he injured? Mathieu leaned his head to the side as he looked down to the man. He spoke absentmindedly "They'll probably be able to help us." he said - while he believed that it might be possible for him to enhance his strength and stamina to the point where moving her up the stairs might be possible, the alternative was preferable.

Mathieu's gaze returned to Eliphas "How are you holding up?" he tried to ask it with a somewhat positive tone. The question didn't have to be an accusatory "You're looking sleepy and bleak!" - after all, they had been through quite a bit. Mathieu told himself that it was an alright question to ask.

 

[Lief]

The boy nodded.

"Then, we can wait" he stated, after all even between the two of them he wasn't entirely sure they could lift the woman. Maybe if Matt had some sort of way to do so with the Force, but Eliphas wasn't sure about that, and nor was he about to ask him to try. They'd been through a lot, at least in the eyes of a mere Cadet, pushing it any further seemed... foolish.

Raising a hand, he rubbed it down over his face and tried to rouse his mind back into action. A sudden slump from all that had happened, he knew that if he didn't stand up and get the blood flowing again he'd probably never want to move. So he pushed up, huffing as he did, and shook off his limbs a little.

"A little drained," he admitted when the question came, "This was, uh, a bit more excitement than I'm used to I must confess." Eyes fell back to Latergh, and he shook his head. "I'm glad I came, though. I can't imagine how well it would have gone with the language barrier if you'd found her here by yourself."

That had a light chuckle breaking free from his lips. Helped to reignite some of his lost energy.

"You? Did she hurt you at all?"

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Temple of Legume​

Location: Ossus
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Lief

---​

A slight, subtle but still noticeable smile grew on the Morellian's lips as the Navigator rose and indicated that he was not injured. Mathieu nodded and let out an idle "We have been through quite a bit." as he threw a glance to Latergh as Eliphas did. Her worst scars were gone but still, she was clearly a bit bruised up from the vicious attack earlier.

His new friend mentioned what he had brought to the table himself. The capacity of understanding and communicating with the Gamorrean. It was true that the day would probably have been much worse if he had not been there. "I'd probably still be waiting for her to tire herself out trying to open that door" Mathieu let out a chuckle at the idea of Latergh continuing the rather futile effort that she had undertook when they arrived. It was unproductive to say the least. He was not quite as tempted at considering the other alternative - that it might have ended in a more hostile and perhaps even violent confrontation. While it would have been something he would have wished to avoid - the lack of communication could have taken his path there regardless.

"No, I'm fine" the response came quickly but it was true. Maybe he had reived a bruise or two but it was nothing more than what could be expected from a more rough day at work. While he often struggled with most things theoretical and the ways of the force, his impressive physique and good stamina often allowed him to push on. "I'm not sure I'd still be fine if you hadn't stunned her when you did. So thank-" he almost completed the sentence but was distracted by a sound from outside.

The rumblings of an engine could be heard and he quickly let out a glad "It must be them" He waved for Eliphas to follow him up the stairs "Come on, let's find you a nice seat to rest on. I can probably work out a way to get Latergh up with the crew"

 

[Lief]

"Probably" he retorted, glancing over to the vault. Yeah, no, it still gave him the heebie-jeebies to look at it, but the thought of Latergh trying to break it down with her axe softened it enough to be bearable. "Man, imagine spending all that time trying to break into someplace only to find a weird glowing pyramid and a bunch of lizard-dogs..."

All in all, the Gamorrean should probably be grateful for their intrusion. Either way she'd made out with a bunch of credits, all that he had on hand at least, and however much Matt had seen fit to pass along.

She almost looked sweet lay there in a stun-induced sleep. Almost.

"I'm glad" he replied, peering over at Mathieu and taking note of the few cuts and bruises he did have. Nothing overwhelming, nothing which could cause them to pause and be concerned. He didn't even seem quite as tired as Eliphas did. In many ways he envied the man for that.

The Jedi was half way through thanking him - and Eliphas was shaking his head and preparing to cut him off - when a rumble above tore away their focus. The ship had arrived, then. Mathieu gestured him up the stairs, promising him somewhere to rest on the other side, and he was in no position to try and claim he wanted to do anything else.

Up the stairs, and out into the bright Ossus afternoon, he peered at the vessel; soon enough he'd be back with the Atale, and what a story there was to share! "I'm glad I met you," he stated, all at once, before they made their way up the boarding ramp. "If you're ever near Empress Teta, look me up..."

If he ever made it back to Teta. The rate that their benefactor was going, it seemed like another year might pass before that happened.

Mathieu Brion