Greater Prospects [Kiriko and Bato]

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Klasse Ephemora System – Iron Empire Space

The exploration vessel jumped out of hyperspace from Csilla and began approach to M-18, one of the moons around the gas giant, Mobus. In fact, M-18 was not a moon but a planet known as Zonama Sekot which once had an established mine of precious gems many many years ago, now abandoned. As the vessel manoeuvred with caution the cargo on board became nervous, members of the Iron Empire aboard this vessel had come to explore the place and to see what, if anything, remained of the mines.

The ship rocked and lurched as it became effected by the atmospheric storms that plague M-18, shuddering everything inside, including Théo. He cast his eye to [member="Kiriko"], his padawan to see how he was handling his and hoped for some reassurance, not that Théo is a nervous flyer by any means, but journeys such as these are unsettling. But the pilot was a good one, and held the vessel together as they descended to ground. Landing struts hissed, and the ramp thudded on the ground, a pleasing sound to those inside yet they could hear the crackling of the lightning storms and rolling thunder and the dramatic sky would greet them as they stepped outside.

The possible location of the mines was left open to interpretation, to Théo at least, there were two possibilities, the mountains or the polar ice cap and so the group would start with the explore the mountain ranges. But anything was possible in this galaxy. Trundling down the ramp was a squadron of Groundhogs, vehicles purpose built for prospecting and crossing harsh terrain, with sensors to delve below the ground and able to carry four passenger each. Ungainly looking things, most ugly but they would serve the purpose of transportation as well as provide valuable feedback, a couple of them awaited Théo and the group to take command.

Casting his eyes to the skies, looking into the ‘demon’s eye’ and reading the weather, a skill he learned early in his youth on Midvinter, “We had better move out .. we are in for a bumpy ride”.

[member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

Violent arcs of lightning roared in the sky above the mountains, illuminating the ground only briefly to confirm the hazardous footing, and Bato Golden was suddenly reconsidering his desire to be this high up. While the dramatic thunderstorms served as a stunning backdrop to the impressive mountain ranges and peaks, the rain would make make filming here an agonizing task. Not to mention, dragging a bunch of metal equipment to the top of a lightning filled crag seemed like a great way to test his life insurance.

A thunderbolt crashed into one of the peaks above him, sending rocks and pebbles tumbling down the mountain, and into the narrow valley he was sheltered in. The bolt of lightning had hit something up there, and the burning remains of that something was currently sailing down the sharp peak at a breakneck speed. When he took out his electrobinoculars to get a closer look, he saw the flaming wreckage of his speeder bike, plummeting off the side of the mountain. Most of his nerve went with it.

"Aw, chit." Bato tightened his grip on his walking stick, and accelerated his pace. The sooner he got out of this storm and into some sort of shelter, the better.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The young Beorni enjoyed visits to new realms.

They were like islands in the midst of the sea of stars, which he now knew to host a number of realms orbiting stars -- not unlike his own native Midvinter. But, the best part of travel to new realms? Master Théo did all the work. Which left Kiriko free to do what Beorni did best.

Sleep.

Was it smooth sailing? Did it feel like they were about to rocket out of the sky? The answer mattered not, because you couldn't un-do several thousand generations of hibernation with a little turbulence. So the little bear was sleeping quite comfortably as the ship went buck wild through the clouds.

So when they had landed, and the bear was forced to get up, it was all the cub could do to protest. "We're there already?" Seriously, couldn't the hyperdrive be a little slower? Did they really need to go faster than light?

Honestly, what was wrong with those sleeper ships that humanity used to use? Those sounded so relaxing...

Trotting along on all fours next to his master, the small bear loped down the loading ramp. At mention of the weather, the boy tested the wind with an upraised nose. "Wind's from the east," the boy rationalized aloud. "It could just blow by."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"Hmm", was all Theo said to Kiriko however it was difficult to judge the weather on his planet having no working knowledge of it. It seemed to be a storm set in, or at least, a usual phenomenon for this place but it might blow over. They could hope for that. Theo noticed another man close by, eager to get out of the storm as well, he had never him before but assumed him to be part of the Iron Empire. "Kiriko lets get into the Hog and out of this ...", the mountain side sudden spewed rocks as it was hit by lightning causing the other man to hurry his pace with a cane no less.

"Hello", he addressed the man, "Join us in the ground transport, it might be best we all stick together on such a night as this", it was hard to tell if it was night. Theo pulled up the canopy of the Hog to let Kiriko and the man enter first. If any of them wanted to pilot the ugly thing they would be welcome to it, or else he would.

"My name's Theo", he added by way of introduction. "This is Kiriko", his little sleepy companion.

"We had better get a move on and find these mines if they are to be found". At least in this location.

​

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

Bato sighed in relief, and smiled. "Hey, thanks for the rescue. The weather out here is terrible." He nodded towards Theo as he tossed his stick to the side and stepped into the vehicle. "I'm Bato, pleasure to meet you."

He had to admit, these Hogs weren't exactly the most attractive things to be driving. Still, they looked durable, and with so many tires, they could probably navigate the rocky terrain with more ease than him. And not to mention, the heavy weight of the car would keep it relatively stable as they moved, if the suspension was anything to go by. Bato couldn't help but eye the steering controls with a bit of excitement.

Still, he wasn't about to hop into the driver's seat. It's not his car, that would be rude. And he was positive testing how well this thing could drift was not a good way to make his first impression.

Instead, he sat in the back and drummed his fingers along his knees idly. Might as well tag along with these guys.

​

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Not only were this Hogs ungainly they were hard to get into, well at least for his padawan. So with a big heave, Théo lifted Kirirko off the ground and boy was he heavy all he could feel was soft fur and blubber, and placed him in the back seat next to Bato. "Good to meet you Bato", he added jumping into the pilots seat. The engine whirled and splattered, and with easy encouragement, the Hog lurched forward with a jolt.

At top speed, all of them could have walked faster, but speed is not it's purpose and immediately the sensors kicked in and started to penetrate the ground. Théo was not expecting to find anything at this location but the readouts were interesting revealing large caverns below them, deep below them.

He turned the Hogs toward the mountain range, the rough terrain easy for the Hogs to navigate but with little to no comfort for it's passengers and it swayed and rocked them to the side. A turned his head, almost looking apologetic at the progress, "I hope you brought a good book". He grinned, "Were are you from Bato?", he decided might as well kill time with conversation until they get there.

​

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

"Well," Bato started, scratching the back of his head, "that's a tricky one. I move around a good bit, but my film studio's set up on Csilla. Tax reasons, few competitors, that sort of thing." He was incredibly disappointed with the Hog's pace, but not every vehicle could be a rocket, he supposed. At this speed, he questioned why a driver was even necessary. Crashing into the cliff face would hardly be a lethal collision.

Still, this ride would be agonizingly dull without something to do, and Bato abhorred silence. He continued the conversation by asking a question that had been bugging him for a bit. "No offense Theo, but what are the two of you doing out here? Weather's hardly fitting for a drive."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"Film studios? .. are you an actor or something?", well this was new to Theo and now the conversation would take his mind off the mundane nature of this mission for now. And he also wonder why Bato was all the way out here and in the Iron Empire, but there are many in the Empire Theo has yet to meet and no doubt there was good purpose for Bato's inclusion.

"We Kiriko and I are on a mission to locate the old mines for the Empire. We have little to go on and we more then likely will fail but we can only try. And if we get lucky .. well there might still be gems in the mines. They were abandoned because of the atmospheric conditions", his eyes lifted to the floor of the Hog as if he could see through it and into the night sky with the storm that will never pass.

One big heavy lurch from the Hog as it trundled over a large rock, made Theo turn his attention back to the controls and read outs. The instruments had picked up on an anomaly deep within the planets crust. The scanners showed a large underground cavern with many formations and tunnels running off in several directions but they seemed random rather then by design so it may not be miners tunnels, but it might be worth a look.

What they needed to do was find a way in.

​

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

"Yeah, I'm an actor. You've probably never seen my stuff though, it's got kinda limited markets," Bato said. Truthfully, it was part of why he came out to the Iron Empire instead of anywhere else on his tour. His films always seemed to sell better in more martial cultures, and while he personally had a distaste for that sort of thing, credits were credits, and he was happy to provide.

When he heard the story about the gems however, he got curious. It wasn't every day he stumbled across treasure hunters. Or, miners. One of those. "What kind of gems are you looking for? Diamonds or something like that?"

Then the vehicle lurched forward, and he saw Theo turn his attention to the complicated readouts. "Hey, Theo? There something wrong?"

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Spoiler

Slow bear is slow.

Being lifted up was always a strange sensation, so the cub giggled as Théo heaved the young Beorni from the ground and up into the contraption into which they were seeking shelter. Or, riding. It was a rather strange and bizarre thing, these metal beasts of burden.

His ears did perk up as the conversation took a turn for the obscure. Or, at least, Théo and Bato had begun talking in terms for which the bear had no context. "Pardon me for asking this, but..." the polite cub began, as his round ears drooped slightly with embarassment. "...what, pray, is an actor?"

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"Not exactly sure of the type of gems that was mined here, but they would be precious enough to have drawn the attention of others years ago. The place was abandoned, but that does not mean the mines were depleted". Théo turned the Hog toward a large hole indicated on the scanners, it was a few miles ahead of them and they would be crossing very rough terrain. Théo was very curious to know what Bato meant by 'limited markets', and was about to ask in what exact field of the industry he work in or produced, brown paper bags came to mind, but Kiriko beat him to the punch with a question of his own.

Besides, Théo's attention needed to be on the instruments and guide them safely over the rocky surface. "hmm" was the only response to Bato, nothing was wrong, but everything just might be, right. "I found something, up ahead there is a large opening in the ground, it could be the mine entrance". There was no point in looking out the window ahead, as the night did not afford them any visibility save for a few flashes of lightning which only illuminated the place and made it look eerie. And the front head lights seemed to vanish and be swallowed up in the darkness.

The Hog progressed and started to climb an incline which made progress even slower, but eventually they got there. Théo stopped the Hog, the read outs informing him of a long drop if they moved further, so it was time to get out and go on foot for the rest of the way. "Well, it is a nice evening for a walk", he said pushing open the hatch and stepping out.

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

Bato paused for a few moments, trying to figure out the best way to explain his profession. "An actor is someone who acts out stories, usually on stage or in a movie." He patted the young cub on the head to try and cheer him up. "You'd probably like seeing a movie. They're a whole lot of fun."

When it came time to leave the safety of their very very slow vehicle, Bato hopped out of the Hog without much fuss. He was curious as to what could be down in the mines, and besides, the faster Theo and Kiriko finished, the faster they could all leave.

​

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The bear paused at the hatch and waited for Bato and Théo to clear the ramp.

Hopping from out of the transport, the small Beorni landed on all four with an audible THUMPF. The fur undulated like a sea of grass, as the fat underneath rippled downward and back up along his muscular frame. Then, the cub just casually started walking forward.

"Acts out stories? You mean, like characters from a novel?" the bear inquired, resuming the earlier conversation. He hadn't seen a book since he'd left Midvinter. The space traveling humans seemed more interested in holographic-based forms of media, so even as he said it he wasn't at all certain that either of them would even know what a novel was.

"That sounds..." the began mused aloud, pausing to think of himself in the role of Balu - the Beorni Bard from whom the legend of the Minstrel Bear had spawned. Harps and swashbuckles and buckles and swashes! "That sounds brilliant."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

While his padawan and Bato talked acting, Théo was head down and bum up. Literally. He had found his way to the edge of the large opening and got down to take a look, in this light there was little to see with the eyes but his force senses helped greatly to ascertain the depth of the hole and it was very large indeed. A flash of lightning helped illuminate the entrance and for that split second, Théo managed to see the layout of the land below. Black rock, that had a shinning surface to it .. fossil fuel possibly. Which would be a good indicator for precious gems.

"Have you two heard of 'a leap of faith'?", he turned to them with an arched brow. They had rope in the Hog but Théo knew it would not be enough to get everyone down into the hole safely to the floor. From a very early age, Théo was never one for waiting to find out but rather ran head long into a situation without so much as a thought for alternatives, this trait was a part of him that would not be denied, sometimes to his own demise. And today was one of those days, and with that, Théo stood up and leaped into the 'abyss'.

The force surrounding him as he jumped to the floor of the cave and as the floor rushed up to meet him, he cushioned in descent and landed with a thud as his boots sunk into a dusty surface. "Okay .. who is next?", he yelled up to them as he prepared himself to catch them through the force. If needed ..

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

Bato nodded to Kiriko as he stepped out of the Hog. "Actually, yeah. Exactly like that. But, unlike a novel, it's all done in one sitting." He brushed himself off almost on habit before stopping himself. "I could take you to see a movie or something, if you want." If the padawan had never seen a play or film before, as an actor, it was Bato's duty to fix that.

Of course, that train of thought was swiftly derailed once Theo leaped into the cave. Bato rushed over to the mouth of the cave and released a heavy sigh when Theo finally called back. The actor shook his head and walked back to the Hog to retrieve the climbing line. "Yeah, I think I'll just grab the rope. No way I'd pull that off."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The invitation to one of these moving books sounded like quite the experience.

"Smashing," the bear remarked with a nod, happy to accept the gracious offer from the man named Bato. Ahead, Théo had gone and done something terribly... Théo.

A leap of faith indeed.

As their thespian counterpart departed for the rope in the hog, the small Beorni's ears drooped slightly as he peered at the abyssal canyon into which his master had gone diving head or arse first.

"I can't say I blame you," the cub offered quietly, as Bato took his leave of them. Then, reaching over, the cub adjusted the shielding crystal cinched in leather around his left forepaw.

Backing up a few paces, the cub caught a running start as he leapt from off the ledge. As he did, a pink Force Bubble appeared around his form as he descended down through the air.

The rose colored bubble hit the ground and bounced before it popped, tossing the cub up in the air as he flipped onto his back and came crashing down with a thud.

Rolling onto his side, the Beorni picked himself up on all fours. Giving a vigorous shake, from the haunches to the hind quarters, the boy shook off the experience before dropping his backside and taking a seat. Craning his head back, he waited for Bato to drop the rope down and join them.

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Théo had been ready at the bottom of the cave for if something was to go wrong with Kiriko and Bato as they jumped or climbed. It was good to see that his Padawan had the ability to use the force and land without and cause for concern and as Kiriko sat looking back upward, so to did Théo. "Should something go wrong with this, I will catch him, but would be good to have two sets of hands .. or paws on this one .. just in case".

Like Kirirko, Théo waited for the tell tale signs of the rope end, he knew the climbing rope would not be long enough and there would have to be a drop at some point, just how far that would be was yet to be determined. Meanwhile, there was a strong energy pulling on the force around them, it's origin seemed to come from beneath their feet deep in the wells of the earth. It was a strange sensation to Théo's body, not malicious by any means but not light either. It seemed to be something that could be used or manipulated to a purpose if it was the want.

Something was here.

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​

 

[Bato Golden]

The anchor rock Bato had chosen looked fairly stable in his opinion, so he began climbing down the cave. There wasn't much light to see where he was going, and without a harness, rappelling down was not an option. So, the actor was left with little choice but to climb down the rope as slowly and carefully as he could. Descending down a rope into a cavern seemed to last an eternity when you couldn't see the ground, and the task gripped Bato with a strange fusion of anxiousness and monotony. The task was repetitive, sure, but he couldn't help but tense up when he remembered the rope would abruptly end.

Then his legs suddenly swung against air, and he realized the rope had abruptly ended. Bato figured that there couldn't be more than a fifteen foot drop below him - the rope was fairly long - and that would hardly be a leg breaking fall. Unless of course, he landed wrong. He couldn't see the terrain below, and a snapped ankle was entirely possible. Still, it was time to get down. He took a few deep breaths, readied himself for the fall, and released the rope.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] | [member="Kiriko"]​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The bear was still there at the base of the drop-off.

Extending out his left forepaw, the rose colored crystals on the boy's leather wrap shone brightly as the Force was channeled through them. A pink aura appearing as a Force Bubble manifested itself, then quickly flattened out. It would serve as a bit of a trampoline, cushioning the man's drop and allowing him to bounce easily down to the floor.

...if he landed on it that is.

But, Kiriko thought he had it positioned right. The lightning was rather dim though.

[member="Bato Golden"] | [member="Théodred Heavenshield"]​

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Watching the ungainly form of Bato wriggling down the rope, Theo grinned knowing the rope would be just that bit to short. With Kiriko at the ready, so too himself, they would not see any harm come to him, but it was fun to watch. Finally the end came, the end of the rope that is, and Bato dropped. Sensing his padawans efforts pulling the force to himself before the bubble appear, Theo stood with arms outstretched palms facing upward and took hold of Bato through the force as well, it was best to be sure.

Bato might feel a strange sensation around his person, like a gentle giant hand engulfing him, unsure if Bato had had this experience before but the first time is always the weirdest. But let test Kiriko bubble. Just before he would touch down Theo removed his hold on the man and left him to fall a few meters. The distance would not harm him in any way, only make him land with a hard thud to the surface of the cave, but if he manages to reach Kiriko's bubble that would be nothing.

Strange this eerie silence in the cave now they are out of the raging storm above. It was like they were being watched, and the hairs on the back of Theo's neck stood up, he cast a look down at Kiriko wondering if he could sense it too. There is life here, and .. lots of it.

​

[member="Kiriko"] | [member="Bato Golden"]​