It Starts with Curiosity

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

Well at least it wouldn’t last long, Makari chuckled. His master said it would be a short ride, but Makari was more worried about the stability of the cables and if they would hold under his body weight.

His master was the first one across. As she secured the skyhook even tighter, Makari paid attention to the way she secured herself, and once she started zip-lining down into the mountain, Makari repeated her actions, and followed behind her.

The wind was fierce against his face as he started to zip-line away from the Citadel. It was a bit nerve-wracking to look down, and see how far the drop would be if the cable decided to break, but the longer he held on to the skyhook, the more comfortable he got, and the more confident he felt that nothing suspicious would happen.

When they arrived safely on the ground, Makari unattached himself from the skyhook and took a deep breath, sighing with relief a few seconds later. “Well that was a first experience.” He laughed a bit while stretching his arms and legs. “So which direction is the tomb? You think we have enough time to clear it all out today or do you think it’ll take a few days?” He looked around and wondered how much time they had before sundown too.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She went across the cable and could feel it, the wind in her face even through the bodysuit as below them in the valley there was the fresh snow obscuring the rich golden veins of solari crystal that grew on the world. As she approached at the end Cathbodua waited until it came to the end and hopped to get the hook off as she rolled and turned around grabbing the snow and ice digging her hand in to stop herself. her padawan was behind her while she stood up and listened to him when he arrived next to her brushing some of the snow off of her bodyglove with a small look. "Depends, the tombs here are varied and we can work on many of the things. We should be able to clear out them if it isn't filled to the brim."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

“We should be able to clear out them if it isn't filled to the brim."

She had probably just spoke that into existence, Makari laughed. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it I guess.” He looked around at the snow and ice around them and wondered if they would end up working up a sweat before the day was over with. With this type of cold weather and climate, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad after all?

He tugged at the collar of his robes, and while they kept him warm for the most part, Rhen Var was still cold enough to make him chatter his teeth and shiver from time to time. He wasn’t used to this cold weather, but he tried not to complain about it in front of Cathbodua, who didn’t seem too bothered by it.

“I’m ready to get going when you are,” he told her. “Lead the way, I’ll be right behind you.”

While he waited for them to get moving, he tried to see if he could sense any danger from the surrounding areas. He wasn’t an expert in this type of force ability, but he was learning it gradually and there were times when he could pick up on danger when he was close enough to the source.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She was moving and the pathway through the mountains came while the jedi knight was going down. her eyes flicking around before she went to the edge while she peered down into the chasm kicking one of the rocks. THey had plenty of time and here in the mountain pass there were signs of stair and pathways that had been marked for them all to see. The timbs that were laying there buried in mounds that went deeper into the mountain as she could see jedi statues outside of them giving the full attention. She stopped at one of them where the ice had covered the entrance and kicked it as it cracked revealing the entrance down with her hand bringing up an ice axe and glow rod. "We'll just start at the first one."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

He had climbed mountains before so the terrain wasn’t a problem as they moved through the mountains. Even if he hadn’t built up his stamina in the gravity room, he was used to ruck marching through difficult areas and maintaining his footing, even if the pathway wasn’t so friendly to those who walked upon it. Compared to places like Serenno, where the mountains there could sometimes be a death sentence to those who climbed it ill-prepared, the mountain path in Rhen Var wasn’t so bad in comparison. It was only the cold that was a distraction, and the robes that he wore made that less and less of a problem.

As they found a path of stairs to walk upon, the journey became several times easier, and when they came across a group of statutes, it was apparent that they had arrived at whatever destination that Cathbodua had led them towards.

“We’ll just start at the first one.”

Makari nodded at her words. “After you.”

Once she cracked upon the entrance that was covered by ice, Makari followed behind her with a glow rod of his own, prepared for whatever dangers that lied ahead.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

The tomb was mostly stone carved down to look smooth and nice with banners decorating the wall as the jedi knight searched around. She was wearing the mesh and where the force was strong and collected she wasn't certain. "Lets see." She looked at some of the thing in there tapping the console to see if it still worked while going forward. "Can't tell whose tomb it might be for but there was a number of jedi who have been buried here. You might fond some rare crystal for your saber." She continued to move through it and was listening for the sounds of anything that might be there to attack them but she wan't certain, if nothing was here then they could just move onto the next one.

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

The banners that lined the walls as they entered the tomb, caught Makari’s attention. They reminded him of other tombs that he explored on other expeditions, where the banners belonged to powerful Sith lords and Jedi knights, whose accomplishments could be guessed by the amount of banners that adorned the walls around their resting place. As they moved through the tomb, Makari thought on his master’s words. “You might find some rare crystal for your saber." She was right, and he was glad that she was giving him approval to work towards getting a lightsaber.

While she tried to tinker with her console, Makari closed his eyes and tried to immerse himself in the force. Was there any danger around? Was there any other presence besides him and Cathbodua in the tomb? He opened his eyes and looked around. He didn’t sense nothing, but something told him that something was here nonetheless.

He looked at Cathbodua, “I feel like something is here. Maybe a crystal like you said.”

He scratched the back of his head and tried to figure out which direction was pulling at his senses. He started to wander off from Cathbodua, although maybe she was following him, and he ended up in a room full of crystals, although there was a very large creature lying motionless. Was it sleep or was it dead? He started to look behind him to see if Cathbodua had followed, because if she hadn’t, he wasn’t sure if he could handle this creature on his own if it started to cause problems.

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[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

That was one of the things they might be able to find, crystals made the jedi go round as it were and there were so many different things on a world like Rhen Var that she could work with. Cathbodua was leading the way through the small area towards a section in the back with a small alcove where she could touch vases or small ornate boxes. Jedi funerals were usually a pyre not a tomb unles they were usually meant to hold something valuable or were revered as a powerful user of the force. Also helped that people looted sith tombs but they generally stayed away from the jedi tombs in case of any problems. "Yes I can feel it as well, close your eyes and focus on it. Allow it to guide you to its location."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

Cathbodua wasn’t around him when he entered the room full of crystals. Once the creature started to make some sort of grunting noise and moved slightly, Makari decided that it was better to leave and not test fate when he didn’t have a weapon with him. Well he had one but he didn’t think his vibroblade would do much damage against a creature of that size.

When he ran back into Cathbodua, she led the way to a small alcove where there was vases and small ornate boxes. "Yes I can feel it as well, close your eyes and focus on it. Allow it to guide you to its location."

Well he had tried that before and that led to a large creature, but he would try it again.

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the force around him. Tried to sense where destiny wanted to pull him and after a while, he opened his eyes and started walking in a certain direction.

He leaned down and picked up an ornate box that was silver and elegantly designed. He looked at Cathbodua, as if he was seeking her permission to open it, but he decided to open it anyway and what was inside was a crystal that he was looking for.

“Well, I think I found my crystal, although this might be grave robbing. Am I allowed to keep it since the force led me to it?” he chuckled.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She was looking at him and reached out with her senses remaining there as she felt it. A sleeping creature within there but she was looking at the box with the crystal as she spoke giving a small nod of her head. "Sometimes but one of the biggest traditions within the jedi is crystals passing down through generations of jedi to protect them and work with it." Cathbodua had a small look on her face while she was going over the thing there and could feel the creature stirring. She didn't have all of it to work with as she was standing near the area where the creature was and she could protect him as the protomesh along with her own skills for defending as her muscles were slightly tense to focus and allow herself to punch it if it decided to wake up.

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

He held the crystal between his index finger and his thumb while Cathbodua spoke. She said that crystals passed between generations of Jedi, but he felt like this crystal had a history that was connected to him in some way. Like it belonged to someone he knew or maybe someone he was related to? It didn’t seem like a mere coincidence at least, and the more he stared at it, the more this feeling strengthened.

He started to open his mouth to ask Cathbodua a question, but something about her aura caught his attention. He looked in the direction her head was facing, and saw a creature in the alcove that he hadn’t noticed before.

He took out his vibroblade unconsciously and moved beside Cathbodua. “Is this one of those dark creatures you were talking about?” he asked.

While he said that, the creature continued to stir, until it opened its eyes and blew out air from its nostrils, rising to its four legs and starting to wave its spiked tail from left to right.

“I think it’s looking for trouble,” Makari said. The creature started to inch forward as it growled and made other sounds that made it seem like it was preparing for a charge, and when it finally did, Makari jumped back on instinct, still gripping his vibroblade.

"Do you need any help?" he asked. He was prepared to jump in and help his master if it was needed, but he didn't want to get in her way if she thought his help wasn't necessary.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She didn't speak as the breath came out when she was watching it. A warm steam in the cold air and the jedi knight motioned with her hand for the padawan to relax a little. "Just relax around her." She was watching the jako beast as it breathed looking at them and it was a fighting. The tusk at least one of them broken from battling another likely for food or for a mate. The females fought just as much she had seen of the pups while the males were bashing their heads against each other. "Jako beasts can be dangerous but only if they sense hostility." Which being able to feel the force and in some cases with things use it as the fur and tusks were valued for their properties. "Just relax and let it see you don't mean harm."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

His master motioned for him to relax, but that was easier said than done. He could sense the hostility from the creature, and everything in his body told him to react. Whether that was stepping back or moving forward. Simply staying still didn’t seem like a good option, but he trusted Cathbodua’s judgement for the time being.

“If you say so.”

He tried to relax like she said and he took a deep breath to calm himself and steady his emotions. He was never a person who moved on instinct, but right now, there was still a fear of this creature charging them in this small space, and there wasn’t much room to maneuver around and dodge if it came charging in their direction.

"Just relax and let it see you don't mean harm."

Again, he tried to follow her words. He cleared his mind and absolved all thoughts of taking hostile action. He was an empty vessel. He didn’t think or move for several seconds until the beast finally made a grunting noise and started to move in another direction.

“Well, I think we’re safe for now. Looks like its wandering off somewhere." Makari scratched the back of his head. "But is it alright to leave it alone like this? Isn't this one of the creatures we're supposed to be clearing from the tombs or is the Jako Beast a harmless creature?”

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She was watching the jako beast and spoke. "I would never say it is harmles, a jako beast can be dangerous but it is a normal creature that was brought to this world long ago. Its ability to survive the weather and find food or fresh water is invaluable." There was also for the domesticated one that they were loyal pets but it was kind of like a wolf or anything that is in the wild. You don't really have them domesticated. though for yourself while she was letting it go. "They aren't friendly in the wild but the domesticated ones can and are kept around for some fo the jedi." She knew padawans could bond with them and have their own ones for going around on the planet as a companion or protective pet. "The creatures we are looking for are corpses that were resurrected but unlike other they do not try and eat you just protect tombs of darksiders."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

Cathbodua told him this wasn’t the creature they were looking for. They were looking for corpses.

“Undead creatures, huh? Corpses? Can’t say I ever ran across any of them in a tomb before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything right?” Makari gave it a little more thought and said, “So how do you kill them exactly since they’re already dead? Decapitation? Burn their bodies or something? I mean I’ve heard some stories from people, but they tend to exaggerate things and their stories never really match up.”

Makari’s eyes travelled to the Jako Beast and a curious thought popped into his head as he added, “And you said these creatures were invaluable because they could survive the cold weather and something about them finding fresh and food water all the time, right? Well if we’re going to be on this planet for a while, I think having one of these creatures around would be helpful? How do you tame them exactly? Can you just capture any Jako Beast in the wild and tame them, or do you have to domesticate them from a young age? Like a wolf or something?”

While he waited on her answer, he stared at the Jako Beast and wondered what it would be like to have it as a pet. He normally didn’t care for pets, but on this planet, something told him that having this particular creature by his side would be a precious commodity. Maybe a useful ally?

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

"Stopping them is easier then some of the others. Just need to break them to pieces and most are bones after all of the time they roam around. They were made to work on some of the bigger things allowing the corpses to protect tombs where they are tied to. We've also tested and have a theory if they are lured far enough away the magic will dissipate but it is really hard to have a test like that when you could endanger a padawan or the ones working to observe it." She was watching the creatures with a few more ideas to herself before she started walking and brought up the scanner as well as her own arm tapping the meshed gear. "These will protect from them however, the mesh uses wintrium which will eventually while we wear them become immune to sabers being able to cut through it. Teeth or claws will not harm you and we are working to get it as a weave for robes."

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

She didn’t catch his question about taming the Jako Beast, but she told him more about the corpses. Apparently you just had to break them to pieces, and there was a theory that if you lured them away far enough from the tomb they were protecting, they would crumble away on their own. She said it wasn’t a confirmed theory, but Makari thought it made sense when he really thought about it. A magic like that had to have a major drawback.

When she told him about the wintrium in the mesh gear, he nodded, but he had never paid attention to what materials went into what clothing. He simply bought what he needed, and never really cared about the process that went into making it.

He looked at Cathbodua and shrugged “Well, when you put it that way, they really don’t seem so tough. Can you detect anything on your scanner? Are any of these corpses in this tomb or should we try another one?”

His eyes were looking around at their surroundings and he was trying to use force to see if he could detect anything that felt off.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

She looked at the forearm pad as it was showing the area with the tomb as she shook her head. "Nothing in here, we will look to the next one." She did notice him for the danger and he was right. It was usually because tomb raiders packed light to get more gear when they went in and on worlds where they protected it was dangerous environments like freezing weather or desolate wasteland. "We'll see what else there is and close this one off so it doesn't just get more things in it." She was moving but stopped only a little to check the other urns removing a chunk of crystal as well that was colorless with her attention. "It might be something to see about later." More of the things they could do on things here as she grabbed one of the larger tomb doors and pulled it over motioning for him to get out while she was blocking it and showing the strength she had gotten from the heavy gravity room. THe mesh rebounding the force energies so she could further enhance her body.

 

[Makari Valeal]

[member="Cathbodua"]

She told him that the tomb they were in was empty, and it was time to move on to the next one. But before that, there were things that they could collect and bring back to the Citadel. While she checked the urns, Makari looked around at the walls and noticed some of the things that were carved into the stone surface. There was a language that he couldn’t understand and there were other things that were of lesser importance, but he noted it anyway, and took pictures with his datapad, just in case someone asked him about it later.

He checked a few of the urns himself and there were a few vases he checked as well, but he had no such luck in finding anything else.

Cathbodua managed to find a chunk of crystal and after that, they were heading for the tomb doors, where his master showed off a bit of her strength. While she opened up the passageway out of the tomb, moving the large doors aside, Makari just remarked at her strength.

“You’re unreal. Is there anything you can’t do?” he asked her with a laugh. Once he was out of the way and out of the tomb, he said “Do you think it’ll take years for me to get to that level? I mean I’m not in a rush to get that strong but I’m just curious that’s all. Compared to other padawans, I started my training real late so I have a long way to go to catch up, if you know what I mean?”

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Makari Valeal"]

"I can't sing." She said it while leading the way and her deadpan was the closest to a joke while going and working on some of the things. Training her padawan in the skills and ways of how to work out in a heavy gravity room would be a big important thing. She didn't know how long it would take for anyone and it was subjective with how much someone trained, she preferred to do it between time whenever she could which is why her medical bay and training bay were pretty much next door to each other with her quarters in the sub-basement of the temple. She had everything she needed and could train for days without making contact with other people. "You'll get there eventually. It is different for everyone."