In search of the next story

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel sensed the movement and although it was familiar, there was something different about the motion. Maybe it was a cross between a ship and riding a living animal. There was almost feedback in the movement, in much the same way you get when riding a Dewback. Except this was a lot bigger.

“I feel it too,” Sorel said, “And it’s a reassuring feeling I think.” She finished her sentence and followed Orihime to the bridge. And she noticed the distress call also.

“Can you identify the signal OriRel? Its origin but also when the signal started? Or perhaps date it from the nature of the signal?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

The ship was looking at them and providing them with a look as an island appeared on the screen. The signal was close when she seemed to be thinking about it and the inertial dampeners kicked in for the ship. The feeling disappearing as they were getting Sorel's ship into the hanger and setting a small course into the skies above. "It is an old signal from one of the outposts that were created by the Altisian jedi to from the records house the families and children of jedi." Orihime was listening to that when she stood on the bridge and there was a small place that she would be able to sit down. "Children of the jedi?" She had heard of other places like that there had been one on Belsavis and a superweapon like the Eye of palpatine had been sent to destroy it. These types of places were notorious for the difficulty of finding them let alone getting in.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled at the mention of the Altisian Jedi. They were once considered the back sheep of the Jedi. A splinter faction with several practices that were frowned upon by the orthodox Jedi Order, including the taking of multiple apprentices by one Master and allowing families.

Nowadays these were considered mainstream practices and the idea of such people being ostracised seemed old-fashioned.

She knew less of the Children of the Jedi but something in the back of her mind said it was something to do with the purge of Jedi around the time of Darth Vader.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime had some ideas of it as she had a small grin and was bringing up her own datapad with the information to give it to the ship. They were above the planet and setting the course as the massive ship was preparing to go to it. She could only see so many things about the other jedi with some interest though. "There is not much information about these coordinates but we should be able to arrive within an hour. So any information we might have could be used to better improve our own briefing." she was uncertain about it as they had maybe some information but together she could hopefully get some more. "If there are children or families of the jedi then we should be able to get something different. Tey might have been trained or living in isolation. The Altisians were jedi and they could have also collected their own resources or teachings throughout the years."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

It was a subject close to Sorel’s heart. The purity of the Code was something she appreciated and she always wondered what would happen if a society of Jedi grew up in isolation of their peers. She wondered what might happen to the Code. If it would remain intact or be adapted.

And moreover, she always wanted to know what might happen to the interpretation of the Code and its tenets. If the same words existed, were they necessarily seen in the same way.

She almost literally rubbed her hands in glee. “This sounds like it could be a very interesting meeting,” she said. “Assuming they survived of course.” For all they knew, they may have gone the way of the Jedi that left the Order and became the Sith.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at her and that was also something, assuming they survived, assuming they managed to live through the several thousand years itself and were not just another darkside sect. it would all need to go forward into something else but she had a grin on her face. "We'll just trust in the force and hope it has protected them both physically to survive as a place and in the light so that they are still jedi. Maybe Altisian in their style but they were just differing from the jedi at the time by a few things. Nothing too drastic and large." Yes they differed but they were not saying that the jedi should run around naked to be minimalist and only take children.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded at Orihime’s words. On the face of it, the Jedi Order hadn’t changed much in the millennia since they were formed. Yet in many ways they had changed significantly – and in others they had moved their position from one viewpoint to another, only to move back again.

The basics of the Code and its tenets were largely static but in some areas the Order had been far more flexible. And where one Jedi saw this as pragmatic, another would view it as blasphemous. Taking Younglings over a certain age, taking Padawans over a certain age, marriage, children, multiple Padawans, personal wealth – these were all of limited interest to some Jedi and of significant attention to others.

Earlier in her life, Sorel would have been in the latter camp but now she was far more relaxed about how the Jedi achieved their aims – as long as the Code remained intact.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was certain of it while she heard the ideas ticking away and thoughts in Sorels mind... not really but it was more something of a guess mixed with the long pause. She was seeing it while the ship went and it came out of hyperspace above the planet showing the beacon. There wasn't a lot that could match the hyperdrives of some of these ships before the scanners were showing where it was. An island in the middle of the ocean with a small chain there. The life scans were inconclusive showing nothing and she couldn't feel anything in the force itself. Orihime looked down at it though where the fog obscured parts of it. "Do you see anywhere your ship could land on the island? Most of it looks overgrown."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel asked the ship to go in lower, hoping to negate the problem with vision due to the fog. But their visibility was no better lower down and so they skirted the tops of the trees, looking for somewhere to land the ship.

After three sweeps, she gave up and spoke to the ship. “OriRel, can you get us to one of the beaches and hover as low as you can. We can jump down and when we’re ready to be picked up, we can jump right back up again.”

She looked at Orihime. “We can’t leave without checking and this feels like the only way.”

With that she headed to the cargo bay and lowered the landing ramp. Once they were three meters above the soft sand, they felt the ship stabilise and so Sorel jumped, cushioning her landing with the aid of the Force.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime had to agree and there was a lot of it there as the ship was heading down... this was going to be giving whoever was there attention to them as she could see on the scans motioning for SOrel. "There is a small clearing we can jump into." Staying there for a moment as she spoke. "OriRel, we need something to communicate with you for when we need pick up." She said it and the ship seemed to be responding giving a small comlink she would be able to see. Looking at all of the interest here as she had her pack of equipment going towards the hanger to jump down into the clearing. Orihime looked out with her eyes shielding them here as she stood before leaping down for Sorel to join her and she could see the sun but the fog was thick around the island itself. Smaller islands where she was looking around ready in case something came... a massive ship made noise to attract things and obscure the sounds of them coming at you.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

As soon as they landed, the ship moved away. Hopefully, anything attracted by its noise would be drawn away too. Not that there was any obvious life – at least not above ground. There was always the possibility of subterranean life – especially given how little of the planet was above water.

“Given the size of the place, I suggest we circle the island first and then head inland. What do you think?”

The fog was a challenge even at ground level, but what stopped them seeing clearly would logically stop others seeing them.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at her and gave a nod of her head to that. Wanting to look and move around to see the island itself would give them an idea of what they would be able to do. She motioned towards the beach they were on and dug around on her belt for a beacon setting it on a tree. "Just so we don't end up going in circles." Orihime was looking at more of it and breathing in the air as the water and smaller islands around them could be seen just off of the main island here. She could see parts of it while walking and letting the sands muffle the sounds of the waves. She looked up as the sounds of a Dov-Atu came when one of the large birds flew down to snatch something that looked like a pig from the ground and then fly up.

"Oh my." She said it while looking at the island for herself when she was looking around. The fog obscured everythign they might be able to see. She was moving and motioning towards the treeline itself when she was walking. "Those creaures are called Dov-atu. They are different usually someing from space and getting trapped on a planet itself. Massive and dangerous but they are also a good indicator of where there can be danger as they will swoop down and catch things." Staying there when she breathed out for a moment getting a small scanner to follow the beacon for themselves. They could map the island and see where the easiest place to get to the beacon is.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. Given it was an island, she hoped they did go in a circle on one sense and end up where they began, but she understood Orihime’s logic and planning – with a beacon, they knew where they were at all times with regards this reference point.

As they walked, Sorel did not recognise the creature that swooped down and grabbed what she presumed would be its next meal. “A Dov-atu?” she repeated. “Not something I have ever come across as judging by its size and your description, not anything I’d want to. But I get the feeling that wish will be a forlorn one.”

And then she glanced across as Orihime’s technology was beginning to map the island for them. It might not be a swift exercise to travel the island, but it would be a thorough one.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She was looking at Sorel with a grin on her face. "They are not usually encountered by some but seeing them fly around in space between asteroids are something that is very beautiful." She said it while walking and there was more. The sounds of everything here, the water coming while she saw some of the rocks leading up and part of it went towards continuing. Orihime was bringing out her grapple and equipment to climb looking up at it. Slowly though she was bringing a hand away as there were some crystals there. "Hmm these are nice, not pure enough though for a saber, they might work for decoration though." Orihime was looking to see what they would be able to show until she was climbing up with some of the trees letting her get around. Once up she could look out and see sections of the island showing above the trees for them as some of the mountains and cliffs went up into the mist. There were small carved areas with a watefall that she could see.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded then smiled. “Beautiful! I’ll remember that if I come across one up close and personal. They’re not deadly, they’re beautiful.”

Sorel followed Orihime upwards and it was a balance between higher equating to a better view and higher meaning a greater chance of cloud and mist obscuring their view.

But she spotted the waterfall. “Now that’s beautiful and feels like a focal point. We should head there.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at Sorel as they climbed up and she could see a lot more of it as a small grin was on her face there. She held herself on the cliff face looking out itno the mist for a moment longer here. "We can." She was setting it up so they would have a focal point as well as a place to go when the sounds around them were coming. Orihime scaling on the cliff to he side to find a better place for hand holds and the crashing of the waterfall as she could see a small mud pit of Ra-Set down in the water. Stopping Sorel as she spoke and said it. "Wait wait wait." It was like a large mud pit and ball that she could see before they were all moving around. A small smirk on her face though before she stayed there. Securing the grapple so she coudl be in one place.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel followed Orihime and soon they were on the cliff face.

Sorel was an able climber and so the challenge was not significant as they climbed. They often had to go sideways before moving up – but this was common for climbers and Sorel took it in her stride.

The noise of the waterfall was pleasant but she was also aware it could mask any manner of noises, so she remained vigilant and connected to the Force, sensing for any potential dangers.

Then Orihime told her to wait and so she paused and noted the small mud pit. So Sorel waited.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at the pit and at the waterfall as she continued to ascend the cliff itself and stood above at the higher point over the waterfall. With a small on her face though before she was speaking. "This is a view." She could see more of the island then when they were coming down and the more they got into the interior and lighter the fog itself was. Here there was just the mist fro the waterfall that was coming down. She could see more of the island now then when they were traveling in the mist itself and offered a hand to Sorel so she could get up and join her looking over it all. It was looking mostly untouched as well with the barest hints that someone had been here aside from pthas in the jungle itself that were clear and showed signs of feet walking them.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel accepted the hand up so she was on top of the cliff with Orihime. “It’s a wonderful view,” she echoed and noted that here, inland, the fog was less dense and they were afforded pretty much an uninterrupted view to the beaches.

She pointed to where she was sure Orihime had already looked. “It may look untouched and unblemished, but those look remarkably like tracks through the trees. Which suggests humans. So maybe our first scans were incomplete?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She was looking at her with a look on her face, here on the island they had a lot that could go into it. Orihime was looking at some parts of it while she leaned over just enough to really check. There was a lot of island on the interior and the mountain area they were in she couldn't see many ways as it was more like a barried between the sides of the island. Parts where she could is to the other side were much thicker and hod no real signs of someone having been here. "Agreed, if there are paths then that means there should be people here. We will be able to work and search it the further we head in." She was seeing some other parts while getting a small grapple so that they would be able to get down over the mud pit of large flying snake things.... As much as she would want to try jumping down. Alerting them they might be in the water might not be the best thing when she locked it down with the stone and secured it motioning for Sorel to follow before going down and there were small sights when some of the small ami came out to run around her feet.