Fantastic Beasts and Where to [Copyright]

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”You should be proud.” Aela told her apprentice, walking over towards her lightsabers and scooping them up. She slid them into their respective holsters and then wandered over towards the Cannok.

”All I did was give you a little push.” The Marshall said. ”You did the rest.”

She had given Jamie strength, a little more focus, but she hadn’t actually touched the Cannoks mind herself. All Jamie had needed was a little bit more focus, and in the end that was what mattered. Focus could be trained, pushed into someone who truly wanted to learn. The Marshall leaned in and inspected the creature. ”This is your...second time trying something like this, you did well.”

Practice made perfect.

”The first time I tried this one of these things nearly bit my leg off.” Only her sisters timely intervention had stopped that from happening. ”It takes practice.”

That could not be overstated.

No force technique could be mastered overnight, especially the ones that had to do with influencing others, even if those others were animals.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie shrugged, "It's hard...And strange."

Admittedly this was the simplest of the many tests to come. The Manka Cat was substantially more difficult, and she was quite concerned that when Aela wanted her to attempt something on that relative level she might encounter the same difficulty as before, the exhaustion, dizziness, and black out that had quickly overtaken her before.

"And these are just simple animals."

Its' mind was still a complex maze she had to try and navigate within seconds of making a connection.

"I imagine something with a more advanced brain and higher will be much more difficult to understand and work with."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded her head. ”There are even some creatures where its simply impossible.”

Even for people who were very powerful and gifted in the control of beasts, there were simply some beings within the galaxy that couldn’t be controlled or pushed. Aela could have listed a few of them off, but that wouldn’t really have accomplished anything besides making her seem a little bit smarter.

”It takes time.” She told Jamie as she took out a ration bar from her back. ”Patience, and an understanding of exactly what you’re trying to control.”

It always helped her anyway. ”The more you know the creature and its habits, how it works, the easier it is to influence.”

”Cannoks for example are notoriously...well simple and laz.” She pointed to the creature. ”You did well to put it to sleep instead of having it try to run away.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I see." She was still curious about the whole blacking out thing though. "Is there a way I can make sure I don't pass out again while trying to do this? I'm nervous that in a really dire situation, like back on Spira, that it might happen again. And that is really what scares me." The feeling she'd had back then was ingrained into her memory, and while the Cannok was alien and strange feeling, it wasn't nearly as powerful or frightening to her than the Manka Cat had been. Whether that was due to the relative simplicity of the animal or the fact that she felt at least somewhat prepared this time she wasn't sure. All she knew was that passing out again was not something she wanted to do.

Jamie plopped back down on the rock beneath her, grabbing her bag from the ground with her foot and pulling it up. Within she removed the bottle of water she had opened earlier and took a few sips, looking around the jungle to try and identify some of the ambient noises off in the distance. The heat was still relentless, the humidity making her hair a frizzy mess, even tied back as it were. She could feel the beads of sweat roll down the back of her neck, catching on her shirt before being absorbed by the fabric.

"Is it always this hot here?" She wasn't even certain Dxun had seasons, come to think of it.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Yes. Unless you get into the mountains.” It was considerably colder in the mountains, but even there the sun was somewhat relentless so finding a good midpoint was all but impossible. Aela knew that from experience. Really the only time you could get comfortable on a planet like this was flying through the air on the back of a Drexl.

She sighed.

”Practice.” Aela told Jamie honestly. ”The more you do it, the more you get used to it.”

She wished she could give her apprentice a quick and easy answer rather than one like that, but the truth was that it wasn’t that easy. ”You pass out because you’re doing so much so quickly and couple that with the foreignness of the mind you’re influencing...its too much.”

The Jedi Marshall frowned.

”The more you do it, the less that will happen.” Aela told her. ”There’s a reason I used battle meditation instead of influencing the creature myself. I only gave you the energy to do what needed to be done, I didn’t do it for you.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She crossed her leg over the other, blowing a puff of air from her lips up towards her forehead in an effort to cool down. A waste of time really, as the brief second worth of relief felt twice as bad immediately after, the oppressive heat returning once more, seemingly worse than before. The feeling of sweat coming from every pore in her body was abhorrent. It made her cringe. She was unused to temperatures like this. Naboo was pleasantly temperate for the most part.

"I understand." She finally managed to say, tugging at her shirt to make a small breeze between her chest and neck. "So there's no real trick to not blacking out, aside from practicing it." That was mildly concerning. Her hope now was that she was proficient enough in the skill that when it came time to leave Dxun that she would no longer risk passing out while attempting to utilize the ability.

Jamie popped off the cap to her water and took another small sips, wiping away the moisture from her lips with her hand. "What's next?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”We continue to head to the ruins.” They were still about an hour away by Aela’s estimation. They would have to trek through more Jungle, but eventually they’d find it. The Jedi Marshall was more than confident that they would find what they were looking for. She had taken this very path before after all.

”Like I said, Boma’s nest there now.” Among the toppled ruins and ancient buildings. ”We’ll find a place where they cant reach us.”

Probably on top of one of the buildings. ”Then...well then you practice. I’ll help you when you need it, but...we’ll see how well you can control them, get them to do different things.”

It was really the only way.

The more Jamie got to practice, the more she would get used to using the technique. The Boma nest provided the perfect opportunity for her to try her skills in relative safety, and would allow Aela to help he when she needed it without pushing too far.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Right. Okay then." She said, pushing her butt off the rock and landing on the soft earth below. Picking up her bag and brushing away the dirt from beneath where it had rested on the ground, Aela's Padawan tucked the bottle inside the upper flap of the sack and pulled it up over her shoulders. With a few passes of her hand over her face she adjusted the strands of hair that had gone off on their own, despite the effort made to tie the locks back and out of the way.

"Off we go."

If they took up a perch of some sort where they wouldn't necessarily be bothered by the creatures she was practicing with then it would be a lot easier for Jamie to maintain focus without worrying whether or not the animals were going to turn and attempt to kill or otherwise eat her during the process. On the other hand, perhaps it would also make the training exercise a bit more difficult in the beginning, as she frequently found herself having trouble exercising her abilities without the real threat of danger in the mix some how.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

They wandered through the expansive forest for another hour or so, cutting through thick vines and tree branches when needed but otherwise trying to disturb as little as possible. The Cannok that Jamie had put to sleep was left alone, resting where the creature had plumped itself down onto the ground.

Eventually they reached the edge of the ruins, marked by what was once a great stone wall that encircled the entire range of structures. She frowned slightly as they reached the first half broken down stone wall, her fingers pressed against the rock as she closed her eyes and tried to sense if any of the creatures were close. ”This used to be a Sith Temple.”

Aela said quietly.

”Thousands of years ago, before the Mandalorians occupied it.” It was so long ago that the histories of Dxun really only made a brief mention of it. ”The Boma’s nest is a bit closer to the middle of the structures.”

They would have to be careful not to run into any on the way in. ”Come on. Let’s get closer.”

She and Jamie breached the walls of the ruins, and immediately the extent of them was revealed. There were several ancient stone buildings, a few pyramids. Most of them were covered in thick vines and other foliage, though the central pyramid was only half consumed in thick green growth.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie paused as the two entered the cave, setting down her bag for a moment and quickly rummaging through the contents. What she was after was the electronic device she'd purchased during her last trip home to Naboo with Kurt, a rather high end, beautiful camera. Thus far she'd only taken photographs of her trip to Dromund Kaas, however she knew she would want to have it for her trip to Dxun, and this seemed to be an opportune time to take a few quick pictures of the ancient temple as the two made their way quietly through.

The blonde adjusted and twisted a handful of small knobs on the device, flipped up the flash projector and snapped a few photos before scooping up her bag and catching up to Aela as she meandered through the old ruins towards their destination. Jamie slipped the band attached to the device over her neck, ensuring that even if she had to run for whatever reason, perhaps a raging animal decided it was meal time, that the camera wouldn't fall and break.

"Hard to imagine anything occupied a place like this." She remarked, pushing away a small cluster of vines that hung free of the ceiling, connected by moss long since grown over. "Everything is nearly reclaimed by the planet now. It left little trace of what came before it. It's incredible how nature pushes forward despite our best efforts."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Jamie was right on that account, especially here on Dxun. The planet, or rather the moon, was constantly reclaiming the little bits that sentients had tried to take away from it. Just about the only areas that stayed conquered were...well the parts that had too much history to ever be touched again. Sith Temples. She frowned at the mere thought of the structures, but it wasnt like they could be avoided. Aela figured they would eventually see at least one of them.

She shifted slightly and looked towards the central pyramid.

"Let's head to the second Tier." It would be relatively safe, and nearby where the Boma would make their central Nest. She moved quickly, ushering Jamie along so that her padawan wouldn't get eaten by any of the stray creatures that was roaming around the abandoned city.

"Try not to think too much about what used to be here." Aela said quietly as they moved. "Sith often didn't leave pleasant memories."

It was a sad truth.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Any idea what sect of Sith constructed this place?" There were so many now that Jamie doubted that Aela knew the honest answer to such a question. She simply felt obligated to ask out of curiosity sake. Even still, painful memories or not, the younger girl was interested in the history of places, including of the Sith. Knowledge of the galaxy was a powerful tool to have on hand, even seemingly irrelevant places like this, aged and forgotten, could someday prove as invaluable information in a bind.

It wasn't about just the memories that lingered, but the historical significance that such a place brought. To really know the galaxy you had to know all of the galaxy, even the darkest, most painful parts.

"Do even the descendants of the Sith know of this place? It seems that even if so, no tracks have been left in the recent past from what I can see."

The ground, aside from where they walked, looked relatively undisturbed, save for a few animal prints now and then.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Those long dead and gone." She said quietly. "Purebloods."

Those SIth that had hailed the ancient traditions more than any other. There were still a few in the galaxy, one or two isolated in a sect now and again, but most were dead. Sith Purebloods were the original SIth species, the first real practitioners of the darkside. They were the ones that had really spread their Empire through these stars, and they were the ones that had first corrupted Dxun with their touch like they had so many other worlds of note.

"They were the original Sith, the people that the culture was named for. Red skin, face tendrils. A few are left in the galaxy, but most of their culture is now long gone. Wiped out by Jedi thousands upon thousands of years ago." An old story.

Long dead.

She shifted slightly as they reached the base of the pyramid, pulling a length of rope free from her pack so that they could use it to tie off and better climb along the ancient wall. "They doubtlessly know of it, but I think most anything of interest is long gone."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie had never heard the term pureblood when it came to Sith. She had always believed Sith was a culture, rather than a species that culture was built upon. A look of fascination cascaded over her features as she listened to Aela speak of them. The young blonde certainly had never seen one herself, nor had she seen any photographs or archived data on the species. It was incredible to know that the Sith were actually a race of sentient beings much like herself, though had a powerful and unique connection to the Force, even if that connection was dark sided by nature.

For a long minute she pondered over what they might have been like in the flesh.

"That's amazing!" Her words echoed through along the walls as they walked, the excitement in her tone clearly distinct. "It's unfortunate that their history and culture has been largely erased."

That was something she would never seek to do. Even if the Sith were evil as can be, history and culture had a place in the galaxy, and should remain as a point of data to be studied, no matter the grim nature behind such.

"I'm surprised that their interest is waned. I would want to know everything I could about ancestors. Feth, I want to know more myself!"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Pureblood are, were, dangerous." Her voice was a little bit more subdued than Jamie's she wasn't quite as excited as her apprentice, though it was nice to see her take an interest in a subject, even if it was one of the most dangerous species in the galaxy.

They wandered for a little more until they reached a large wall.

"A massive portion of the species is force sensitive, and in particular they have a very special connection to the darkside of the force." Aela explained to Jamie. "Almost symbiotic. They don't need to eat, sleep, or do much of anything else to sustain themselves. The Darkside does it for them."

Hence the danger. "I don't like the idea of qualifying a single species as evil...there are almost outliers, but Purebloods are pretty close."

Very close.

"Dxun wasn't their original home, just a base." Aela explained as they headed up a section of stairs. "They originated on Korriban, then spread into the galaxy from there."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"A species that can sustain itself solely on the energy of the Force?" She wiggled her nose. "That's...You're sure that's not just myths passed down?"

It seemed pretty unbelievable after all. Not eating or sleeping at all has to be impossible tales passed around to make them sound more mysterious and magnificent.

"Korriban..." She said, jogging her memory of the galaxy. "Is that why the Sith of modern history flocked to that world to build their empire? Because of the significance of the pureblooded Sith?"

As the two ascended the staircase Jamie listened to the sounds of their footsteps, each small thump disturbing the age old dirt from its' place, imagining the time the ruins were more than just abandoned pieces of history, for a moment she could swear she saw the ghost of another wandering beside her up the stairs, their stride in unison with hers. It was surreal. Jamie rubbed her eyes, fingertips merging at the bridge of her nose by the time she and Aela reached the top of the old staircase that gave way to a long corridor, partially collapsed with rubble and stone making their navigation through the tunnel a bit trickier.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Well, it’s likely that facts have been stretched a bit, I doubt they never ate or slept, but the Force allows us to do neither for a long time. I Imagine for the Sith, the original Sith, that gift went even further.” Turning days without sleep into weeks. If the Jedi could do it, then it would only stand to reason that Sith could as well, and if a Species was pre-disposed to the not just the force but the darkside?

Well then it made complete sense to Aela that they would be able to take the ability to a whole new level.

She shifted slightly into the tunnel, moving over a pile of rubble and trying to disturb as little as possible. They would have to squeeze through tight spaces and wiggle until they reached the balcony, but at the very least that meant no one would pop out from behind them later.

”That’s part of it.” Aela said as she squeezed through a small gap in the rubble, pulling her pack through after. ”More than the history though, it’s the power.”

That’s what it always came down to. ”The Ancient Sith, Purebloods and those humans that mixed with them later, were very powerful. More powerful than any Sith in the galaxy today. Some of that power remains on Korriban. In the tombs of the ancient Sith, the Valley of the Dark Lords, even within the planet itself.”

Goosebumps rose on her skin as she remembered what it was like to walk on that world.

”The Sith crave that power.” Aela said quietly. ”I don’t think many of them care about the history anymore.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie lifted her left leg up, digging her foot into a sturdy section of rock and pulled herself through the narrow opening behind Aela. For half a second she got her right ankle caught, shifting it a few times before it was freed, though her boot nearly came off in the scuffle. On the other side she would stop for a moment and tighten the laces a bit more, ensuring that the problem wouldn't return later on, at a more inopportune time, for instance if they needed to flee for some reason, falling rocks, rampaging animals, the usual. The Padawan was clumsy enough on her own without added distractions.

"Can we go?" She asked the other girl nonchalantly. "To Korriban." In case Aela wasn't sure where she was asking. "I'd like to see it for myself."

The two hadn't even been on Dxun more than a day yet and Jamie was already looking for more places to experience that were littered in history, legend, myth, and blanketed with the Force.

It was more or less the perfect storm of things that interested the younger woman.

"Maybe the Sith today don't care much for the history, but it does interest me."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela frowned for a few moments as she looked at the tunnels ahead. A part of her had already been expecting the request, if only because she knew Jamie fairly well by now.

”Perhaps.” She told her padawan.

Korriban was dangerous, in some ways more dangerous than Dxun. Though this world had animals, creatures, and beasts that actively tried to kill you, Korriban had all that and more. Sithspawn still roamed the surface of the world, and there were dozens, if not hundreds of ancient Sith Tombs, all of which were infested with remnants of the Darkside of the Force.

The world was a threat to Aela and Jamie especially, to any Jedi really. One had to be careful walking on the surface of that world, the dreadful presence of the darkside was enough to make most padawans sick.

Not to mention the temptation.

”The very same reason Sith go there is the same as to why Jedi don’t.” Aela explained to Jamie. ”The darkside is...well dangerous to us. It tempts, it tries to worm its way into our head, it tries to convert. Korriban especially. There is power there, dark power.”

She began to forge ahead within the crumbling hall. A frown pulling at her lips as she made a decision. ”We’ll go eventually, but it’s not something we should rush to.”

Her father had made sure she knew about the darkside, she would do the same for Jamie.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Okay." She chirped. Jamie had learned by now well enough that Aela was generally correct when it came to matters of caution. As long as her answer was in some indirect version of yes, Jamie wouldn't cause a fuss. Eventually was a firm enough yes that it meant when she felt her student was ready. After all, it wasn't as if Jamie was eager to repeat Bastion again in the near future, or ever in fact. That was by and far an experience she could well do without.

"Was the world always filled with that kind of darkside energy? Or was it corrupted by the Sith more over time?"

The more questions Aela answered as they made their way through the ruins the more questions Jamie had. It was an insatiable thirst for understanding.

Along the floor as the two walked Jamie noticed a number of deep claw marks in the stone. How old they were exactly was impossible for her to guess, but given the length of time this structure had been here, and abandoned, allowed the girl to estimate that the markings were quite old, even if the creatures they were looking for inhabited this ruin today. She found it hard to believe that they would be able to squeeze through the narrow passages and corridors in this area.

"Is Korriban desolate now as well?"

[member="Aela Talith"]