I was a Wandering Soul, Drawn to Red Canyons (Forcers/Open)

[RC 212]

Location: Yanibar, Orbit​

Objective: Follow the dream...​

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[member="Alcuin"] [member="Lord Ajihad"] [member="Maleah Talith"]​

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Across the Universe from a barren rocky world full of red canyons and rogue forcers a great pull has been felt. Some say it is the awakening of an ancient evil, others a desperate cry for help. Never the less it has reached far and wide. A drawing feeling, flashes-of Red Canyons and Warriors bearing Discblades clashing with giants in the hard lands.​

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The Zeison Sha are uniting, summoning aid with their combined force knowledge. The question remains, who will be ally and who will be foe?​

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OOC: Strong Participation earns you a reward, subject to your force alignment​

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[RC 212]

Location: Surface
Objective: Find the source of his visions...

Red sand. That was all Jack could see from the where he stood on the ramp. His Naval Aliit'Gam reflected the harsh suns rays and for a moment he was reminded of Tatooine. This was a harsh world, a rugged world. He could feel danger all around him, down to the very essence of his bones. There was so much more to be discovered, but where he was at?

Red sands and red Canyons and not a soul in sight.

Jack had never really been privy to the force, believing it to be hokey superstition. Recently several chain linked events had lead to his going back on that belief. First a bar brawl, where he'd thrown a table with his mind. Second his incredible aptitude to feel the coordinates and destinations of his Hyperspace jumps, with nary a computer to aid him.

Earth, dust, hot scorching suns. these were the things legends were made of.

Dak sauntered down the ramp, leaning on the bulkhead with arms crossed. Jacks were spread out, chest puffed up and his eyes squinted as he glared through the HUD of his Buc'ye, taking in the incredible sights.

"Dont see what all the mess is about Skip. We oughtta be haulin jobs, not chasing superstitious dreams."

"Can it kid. Those dreams have merit, deep meaning..... I've."

He'd what exactly? He was searching for the words.

"I've felt it."

"Aha."

Jack ignored him, still floored by the fat he'd never visited this world. The visions, the ones that were recurring in his sleep. They took place not far from here...

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Alcuin stepped about a bit, sweeping with his solus'orhaar scanner. The thing was pinging some large metal and some life signs not far off, but it wasn't showing much else. He had felt the call, and so had turned his ship towards the coordinates and began setting about on a expedition. He had seen a spinning disk of metal pulsing and flashing in colors, and the same sand as here. So he had put it together with some research in Voss, and got a good handle on things. His kal'ika had been useful, checking out the route ahead to confirm it was where he wanted to go in the first place... At some point, he would have to venture to Yavin, and thank this [member="Ember Rekali"] who had been so generous. And who had known of his identity as one of the few surviving Anefilt. That he was very curious to know how he knew, and further how he seemed to know something of their abilities.

At present, he checked on the location and data streaming back from his GE-MRD to the hand-held scanner, nodding as it began approaching the canyon he thought was the appropriate place to start at. The tiny thing could scout out the location first, check for any hostilities or the like. Most wouldn't even judge it as a threat if they even saw it, given it looked like nothing so dangerous as a wasp like creature. GEAR made some marvelous things, and that is partly why he had bought so much of his exploring tools from them. He adjusted the fit on his GE-AVM a bit, nodding as the HUD synched to the scanner and it began displaying in real time overlay with his vision. His RTD from G.E.A.R. was beginning to approach the canyon as well, so whilst the two probes did their job, he best go check out this other reading. Maybe others were experiencing the same visions.

Hopping to the pilot seat of his speeder craft, quickly he gunned the engines, heading for Raxis and his ship, Absently, he checked his shotgun on his back, and pulled it from there, racking a shell home - just in case.

[member="Jack Raxis"]

 

[Louise]

Location: Yanibar, Lower Atmosphere
Objective: Vision Quest!

“I got a good feeling about this, Toof.”

Maleah Talith's nexu companion, otherwise known as Toofless snorted. Typically big cats weren't the kind of creatures that followed their dreams, no, they preferred to follow food, much more practical and a lot less like a wild goose chase.

Unless of course, he was chasing wild geese, then it was mildly similar, well, if you ignored the fact that one of those was plump and feathered and the other was an idiom.

Like dreams, nexu (wild or tame) didn't quite understand idioms either.

“'Course, the only feeling you've got is in your guts, eh?” Maleah quipped while the rubber band of her plain old goggles snapped against the back of her head, “Besides, even if it's all for naught, you might lose some of that chub.”

At her grandmother's request while she lived with her upon Onderon, Toofless had been left behind on Borleias in the spoiling hands of her mother and father. Too many lazy days and a lot of overfeeding had left her companion a little on the chunky side, not that he wasn't any less imposing, just a lot less graceful.

They would be landing in a canyon soon and with the pilot droid doing all the work (technological gifts were lacking in her nature), Maleah was left to prepare herself for the climate of the red world that had come to her in visions. With an inherited allergy to sunlight, she had to ensure that every inch of flesh was covered if she was to disembark upon such a planet. The sun seemed so harsh that a mere five minutes out there exposed would have left her in hives. There would be no risk of that.

“Not long 'till we hit planet side, Toof,” she continued, now wrapping the last part of her body that needed to be covered, her head. She almost looked like a Tusken Raider with all of her coverings. “Wonder if anybody else had those dreams,” came the admittance, her feline companion offering nothing but deep grumbles.

“Let's hope they're friendly if they have.”

Toofless agreed.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Alcuin"] [member="Maleah Talith"]

Jack continued to star across the wastes. The force was pulling him, willing him to move. He felt every atom in his body stirring, and he was deeply drawn to the canyons. He wondered what they would hold. Glory? Treasure? Would they be his tomb a moment of his last stand? The possibilities were endless as was the young spacers imagination. Dak without the interference was much more centred. the Young spacer brought him a cup of stim caf and took a cross-legged seat on the ramp.

Jack sipped deeply, enjoying the silence between Dak and himself. they;d flown many thousands of light years together. the kid was almost a part of his flesh, ever loyal and ever cheerful. Jack needed cheering up a lot these days.

"Well what exactly is it you see?"

The silence was broken. His dark borwn eyes shifted rapidly, scanning the horizon as a dust cloud was picking up. Unbeknownst to him [member="Alcuin"] was coming.

The aroma of the nutty stim caf steamed in the afternoon sun, wafting into Jacks visor. He removed the helmet with one swift flourish and tucked it under his left arm, raising the canteen to his cracked and worn lips with the right.

It tasted good. so good. energy slammed through his veins as the Caffeine hit his heart and the canteen, battered and dirty was a happy comfort for him. A remnant of his mother.

"Hopefully whatever has been giving me these dreams these past months. I think the..... well I think the force is real kid. I think I've felt it."

Daks eyes went wide and he stared up at Jack from his seat.

"You're gonna be a Jedi?"

"No... yes, maybe. Can't make sense of it all kid. What I do know. That canyon there." He said, pointing into the vast red wastes.

"That has all the answers I've been seeking."

 

[RC 212]

[member="Alcuin"] [member="Maleah Talith"]


Night was beginning to fall. The first tendrils of deep blue dusk creeping across the orange sky. Jack had sat in contemplation for some time now. He slammed the Buc'ye on his head, sealing it the Naval Aliit'Gam he was wearing.

"Dak you packed the speeder?"

"Yea."

Jack nodded, clapping the kid on the back and mounting the old rusty speeder bike in the cargo hold. Dak moved to follow suit but Jack held up a single hand.

"No, you stay here Dak."

"What why?"

"This is my Journey, beside you have to watch the ship."

Dak was sullen, but nodded, retreating back from the ramp into his cabin. Jack gunned the ignition. The speeder kicked full gear, and he gunned her out, letting the throttle have it. Red trails of dust arced into the dying light as he raced across the landscape. He was going so fast it was a blur to him, using only the force to find his way......

The Canyons beckoned...

 

[Kaeda Vevut]

Location: Yanibar Surface
Objective: Satisfy the Dreaming
Gear: 2 Czerka Fighting Knives, 1 BA-834 Browncoat Crossbow, 1 Durasteel Sword, 10 Durasteel Throwing Knives, Sith Stealth Field Armor


For weeks the sight of red sand stretching to every horizon, marred only by rents in the flesh of the world, had been plaguing Kaeda's mind. For weeks, whenever she blinked she saw a red sunrise purging the world of night and blanketing the sands in its gory hue. Whenever she slept, she walked the dunes. Walked in any direction, trackless, directionless. Lost. For weeks before setting foot on Yanibar, Kaeda had walked Yanibar. She knew, as she walked down the gangway of her Cabur class patrol class, that she had been here before. She'd walked this plateau, long before she'd ever set eyes on the Yanibar Star.

Kaeda entered the command for the gangway to close and lock. It would only open again for her. If she were lost in the sands, an archaeologist would eventually find the cabur class patrol craft. It might even still work. It didn't matter, Kaeda never got lost.

Once the ship she came in was locked down securely, Kaeda donned the helmet to her new armor. Once she was sealed in, she did a final check of her weaponry, then closed her eyes. She was a Mandalorian, and therefore never went anywhere unarmed. However, this was not a standard time, so she had to rely on what brought her here. So, she closed her eyes, and began to walk. She followed the pull of the dreaming as she walked towards the dawning sun.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kaeda Vevut"]
[member=Alcuin] [member="Maleah Talith"]

When he reached the mouth of the canyon he slowed. He had the sensation of eyes upon him, someone was watching. The night was begging to set in now, sun flaring in it's death throes across the inhospitable rocky flats. There were two trails here and fresh tracks. Jack kicked the speeder to a stop and felt the engine rumble under him as it idled.

A quick glance back and forth, and there was nothing. Except tracks in every direction. there was someone or some peoples here. And they knew he was here too.

"Damn this gives me the creeps."

The trails were split three ways. That was the conundrum, so he picked the freshest pair of prints, and closed his eyes. His gut felt a path fro him, as he envisioned the speeder flowing and flaring through the narrow canyon walls. Two were duds, but one rang true, giving him a strong vibration in his core. Forward the single path with the least prints. Contradictory, but instinct never proved him wrong.

Again he gunned the speeder, racing ever upwards into the darkness of the canyons. The world a blur, the sound or a rumbling engine reverbrating on the lonely canyon walls.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kaeda Vevut"]
[member=Alcuin] [member="Maleah Talith"]

The speeder roared, the canyons streaked by. Jack had been moving along for several moments when he felt something. It was hard and it struck twice as fast as even a Trandoshan slaver faced down with a Twi'lek beauty. His hands slipped from the bars of the bike as his head smashed the inside of his helmet from the blow. He tumbled down , landing on his back and rolling several feet.

shock, surprise, fear. Everything registered in a second. Through the blood spattered HUD he watched as the Speeder careened, sideways racing of the edge of the cliff. Clinking, clacking and dull booms marked it's death as it exploded tumbling down.

Shattered. His vision was swimming as he rolled over, immediately lanced by waves of pain. He guessed broken ribs, and a laceration on the face maybe. Blood dripped from his lips as he pushed off trying to stand.

"Stop!"

A hard knee pinned him into the dirt, face first and he ceased movement completely.

"Who are you!"

"I? I am...I ....."

"Speak, why are you here, are you with them!"

"No... no I was....drawn here." Jack coughed, and his brow furrowed. Every muscle in his body tensed, as he expected the killing blow. This wasn't how he was meant to die. It couldn't be, could the force really draw him here just to end his life?

"Hmmmmmm."

The voice was becoming clearer. It was a woman, possibly.

A Twi'lek.

"I sense much confusion in you young. But you are not them."

"No.."

"Hmmm but what to do with you?"

Jack remained silent, stoic.

The Twi'lek was silent and finally he felt her knee move, and a hand reach out to pull him up. Stumbling he whirled and planted both feet shoulder length to stabilize himself. His hand dropped to the Besk'ad on his waist, but he was halted, held back by some unseen force.

"No need to draw your weapon young warrior. It is my duty to protect my home, and my people from the outsiders."

Jack was still mighty confused. She was dressed in robes of red, with metallic plates scantily adorning sections of her chest and abdomen. Her face paint was orange, her lekku badly scarred and mangled. But there was something about her, a familiar feeling.

"What? What people?" He growled.

She remained composed settling into a neutral stance with hands on her hips.

"We... The Zeison Sha."

 

[Louise]

Maleah, suffering from the Talith curse (which often involved crashing any vessels or ships that they personally drove) opted to avoid travel by speeder and instead would use her companion as a mighty steed, whether he liked it or not.

He was nowhere near as quick as a speeder, and his mileage was rather high, but she would have it no other way.

Before mounting the nexu, she offered him some consolatory chin scratches first, to which the creature rumbled deeply in delight. They disembarked down the ramp together and out into the canyon before taking off at full pelt.

She was slightly saddened by the lack of wind throughout her hair, but it wasn't worth the horrific blisters and hives that would have been caused by the harsh sunlight, perhaps later when it set that would be a viable option.

Most of the journey came and went without event, they stopped a few times and rested up, made sure to keep themselves both fed and hydrated. Toofless' was an older boy now and his legs needed to take breaks, even if he was persistent upon still going. Determined old sod.

After what was half a day of riding the sun was beginning to set, finally giving the young woman the chance to remove her head wrappings, finally letting that canyon wind that had shaped those red rocks through time breeze through her hair, cooling the sweat that lay upon her brow.

All she followed was instinct, which according to her sister was one in the same with the Force. Gut feelings. Well, that and there were tracks, that helped. Although when they hit the branching paths there were several choices at hand and many tracks to follow. Thankfully, the smell of smoke in the air that indicated an explosion also helped, and also indicated danger.

Now it was less a matter of guessing and more a matter of tracking and so the pair slowed their pace following the least travelled path.

---

[member="Jack Raxis"] [member="Kaeda Vevut"] [member="Alcuin"]

 

[Kaeda Vevut]

Kaeda walked through the desert, towards the canyons. She followed the aetheric pull of the force, letting it pull her towards where the call was coming from. Her eyes remained closed, though she could feel the land around her, the desert creatures hiding in their burrows from the heat of the sun. Through the force, she could have completely negated the weight of the blazing light, but she let it bathe her, letting nothing dilute her submersion in the force.

The dust and sand of the open desert soon gave way to the dust and rock of the canyons. The heat was still present, but quite as oppressive down here. Kaeda paused for a few minutes and took some sips from a water canteen. The water was practically body temperature and tasted strongly of the dust that had been in her mouth, but it wet her tongue, and whetted her appetite as well. Her stomach growled, sharply letting her know that it wanted sustenance. She gave it a protein bar quickly, then stood and continued on her way.

The canyon walls channeled the wind, disorientating any attempt to hear the direction of where sounds had come from. Creatures scrabbled around, escaping the advance of this strange woman, and had she been relying only on her hunting skills, she'd have had to take a far longer time to negotiate the canyons. Following the pull of the force, however, allowed her to ignore the disorienting sounds of the channeled wind and branching, winding paths.

She walked, silent, for hours. Then, she began to feel the presence of others nearby. She opened her eyes and slipped a throwing knives into both hands. She crouched and did her best to allow her presence to be subsumed into the force, making it harder to detect her. Voices came a little later, drifting back and forth through the canyons to reach her from several directions at varying times. This would be a useful place for a safe haven... She thought to herself as she slowly continued forward.

"No need to draw your weapon young warrior. It is my duty to protect my home, and my people from the outsiders."

"What? What people?"

"We... The Zeison Sha."

She heard the last parcel of conversation as she made a turn and came upon [member="jack raxis"] speaking to someone. Neither were people she knew, though she sheathed her throwing knives again, allowing the sentiment to not draw weapons to include her. She stepped forward cautiously, though, always aware that people can becme hostile towards sneaking people.

[member="Maleah Talith"]
[member="Alcuin"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Kaeda Vevut"]


"Zeison Sha? Never heard of em'." Jack grunted, still upset and bleeding from the hit he'd taken earlier. The Twi'lek simply stared and then laughed a bit as another woman came from the Shadows. This one Jack did not recognize either.

"Who are the Zeison Sha?"

The Twi'lek ignored him, turning to face the new comer. From her back she produced two rather large and fearsome disc blades. They gleamed in the dim light of the canyon, razor edges still unnaturally sharp. Jack watched intently as she cocked her arm back slightly. That must have been what she hit him with. But wouldn't it be on the bottom of the canyon? How many did she have?

"Speak traveller. Where do you hail from?"

He could feel her telekinetic grip easing up slowly. He suspected he was about to be free, she must have been drawing energy for a different force application.

 

[Kaeda Vevut]

[member="Jack Raxis"] [member="Maleah Talith"]

Being a strong proponent of distance weaponry, Kaeda recognized the lethality of the disc blades, even though she'd never heard of the Zeison Sha either. She raised her hands spreading her fingers to show that she held no weaponry anymore, and stepped fully out of the shadows.

"I am Kaeda of Clan Vevut from Concordia..." She spoke loud enough to be heard through the distance, though she didn't move any closer yet, nor lower her arms. "I've...been following a pull towards here. I come alone." Kaeda spoke slowly, making sure to enunciate as surely as possible to leave off her slight accent. She wasn't stupid, she knew the woman wielding the disc blades likely wasn't just trying to show off. The way she gripped it showed habitual practice, the cocking of the arm showed excellent muscle memory, as well as refined musculature. She was sure that if it came to blows, Kaeda would be able to get away, but that wouldn't solve the issue of the pull. "Who are the Zeison Sha?" She said, repeating what the other had asked.

 

[RC 212]

[member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Kaeda Vevut"]

Jack felt a bit better as the newcomer spoke. A fellow Mando'ade though one he'd yet to meet. The disc blade dropped slightly as the Twi'lek nodded, making the connection easily between the two warriors. Mando's talked with a certain accent and walked a certain way.

As her hands dropped to her sides she grinned and tilted her head downwards, giving them a wicked impression of her eyes. She seemed much more savage now, currents of force swirling around her. She was primed for battle.

"We the Zeison Sha. Abandoned folks that descend from the treacherous Jedi. Left to rot here on Yinchor, but we survived. Except now a new threat is upon us. As we talk Blazing chain Pirates are moving inwards through our canyon defences. It's only a matter of time before they hit our main village and the Dark Jedi slaughter us all."

"What? Blazing Chains?"

"Dark Jedi Pirates whelp. Where have you been?"

Jack scowled, still slightly bloody.

"Not here obviously."

"Silence, we have very little time to talk. Come with me and help defend our village from the attack. We have many treasures and need warriors such as yourselves. What say you?"

Jack was perplexed. Just moments ago she had been intent on killing them, and dumping their bodies off a cliff. Now she seemed desperate for help. Jack felt the puzzle pieces come together. This was it, what had been calling him all this time.

Destiny....

 

[Kaeda Vevut]

"We the Zeison Sha. Abandoned folks that descend from the treacherous Jedi. Left to rot here on Yinchor, but we survived. Except now a new threat is upon us. As we talk Blazing chain Pirates are moving inwards through our canyon defences. It's only a matter of time before they hit our main village and the Dark Jedi slaughter us all."

"What? Blazing Chains?"

"Dark Jedi Pirates whelp. Where have you been?"

"Not here obviously."

"Silence, we have very little time to talk. Come with me and help defend our village from the attack. We have many treasures and need warriors such as yourselves. What say you?"

At the words of the Zeison Sha warrior, the pull at Kaeda's soul vanished. The absence of that pull was both a glorious release of tension, and a saddening void that felt like a lessening of Kaeda's presence in the Force. A quick check on her center showed that she still had her connection, so she smiled to herself and nodded. She was clan born and bred and lived to fight. If pirates were plaguing these people, she would not be troubled to help end the plague. Allies would be useful in her eventual goals.

"I will fight." She said, though she didn't reach for any weapons as she didn't want to cause the warrior to mistake her words. "Where do you need me?" She spared a glance to the man who had appeared there first. He looked to be deciding something, and from the wounds he'd taken he might have more to consider than she did. To her it could possibly be as simple as the first to ask for her help got it, but she had no love of pirates.

[member="Jack Raxis"] [member="Maleah Talith"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Maleah Talith"] [member="Kaeda Vevut"]

Jack gave her a glare from inside the helmet. No doubt she felt his fiery wrath but ignored it. As she spoke the picture was becoming more and more clear. The Mandalorian woman was on board however, and despite being slammed across the noggin by the Twi'leks discblade jack himself was strangely content to join in. She was interesting this wandering Mando woman, and Jack wanted to know more about her.

Which he could learn by fighting beside her.

"I'll take the fight. Lead us."

"Excellent, quickly now keep up!" The Twi'lek hissed as she surged ahead, leaping boulders and crevasses on the trail with a nimble foot born of many years of experience. It was all Jack could do to keep up, blood caking on the inside of his Buc'ye and vision still swimming. As they reached the peak of the mountain caves began to come into view, and then farther in they were confronted by a village.

Warriors were running to and fro, each bearing their distinctive custom made discblades. Jack marvelled at the sight and turned to face the Twi'Lek woman.

"What's your name anyways?"

"Kav'assa,va You may call me Kav."

"Well Kav, where exactly-"

"Say no more Warriors. You'll be with me. Have you ever worked with a disc blade?"

"No."

"Are you telekinetic in the force?"

She cocked her head giving a wry grin to the pair.

"Yes." Jack said, short and losing patience with her riddles.

"Take these then."

Without further ado she handed them two discblades each, razor sharp and forged with intricate carvings.

"These are the weapons of my tribe. You girl, He can teach you as we go. I haven’t the time. come we are assembling at the head of the largest canyon, the Dark ones are on the march."

Jack grunted again and they were off, traversing red stone and sand alike.