Secret Vaults of the Selab (Levantine Sanctum Dominion of Bayan)

[Ashin Varanin]

Bayan -- a quiet world, pastoral, population in the hundreds of thousands. More than enough room to avoid cultural contamination, if a rogue Fallanassi Elder had, say, raised illusion and a veil of forgetfulness over a broad portion of land on the largest continent.

The Order of the Selab was not the same as the Levantine Sanctum, but many Selab members and associates called Levantine free space their home, or at least kept connections here. Sometimes unbeknownst to each other, admittedly.

A quiet call had gone out through the grapevine, and through the network of patrollers that kept Levantine space free: Someone had come, bearing things to learn and places to explore. The Order of the Selab never gathered in its entirety, but sometimes a swap meet of sorts might be held, trading useful information at all levels of value, and good souls from nearby communities might be invited -- though they might not know what they'd attended, even years afterward.

And, of course, the deepest vaults held secrets that not even Je'gan knew, because he was not the first Selabite to come to Bayan.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Seydon of Arda"]

Seydon-
The planet Bayan has been pegged as a meeting site for associates of my associates. I'm told they plan to excavate ancient crypts and exchange both relics and knowledge. I think by now you have a general idea of what interests me, and there's no guarantee the catacombs are safe. Consider Bayan a suggestion and an opportunity, and if that ambiguity is too much for you, know that I'm uncertain also.

Enclosed is the latest installment, knife sheaths cut to your specifications.
R.M.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

An Ithorian herd ship, the Chodo Habat, hovered in geosynchronous orbit, and its priest looked up at the asymmetric star in pleasure. He continued plodding along the perimeter of Je'gan's White Current illusion, coaxing plants both native and transplated into a low hedge. The best he could do, at the moment; he was no Master. He sang and burbled to himself as the border took shape.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton admittedly knew little about the Order of Selab, only hearing about them after he'd been let in on a few conversations running around the rumor mill. Once it'd been explained to him what they were Jaxton had to say that he liked their idea, and he was happy that some of them had found a home in the Levantine Sanctum. So he was more than ready to help when he'd been told that plans were being made to build a meeting place for them on the nearby planet of Bayan. It was a primitive world with only a few hundred thousand in population. Finding a nice out of the way clearing could easily be done, keeping the populace relatively untouched. After that Levantines would probably add Bayan into their regular patrols and the planet could evolve socially and demographically in it's own course, free of the interests of Republic or Confederate colonization. It was a win-win.

Then again, that was all in theory. It took some work to make that theory a reality. Jaxton was unafraid of the task, docking at one of the zones Je'gan was supposed to be projecting a White Current Illusion. In his cargobay was digging equipment and tons upon tons of liquid ferrocrete to be dumped to make a foundation. Getting out of the ship and breathing the fresh, unaltered air was invigorating. It'd be a long day, but at the end of it all they'd have something to point at years from now and say "I helped be a part of that."

 

[Seydon of Arda]

A rogue sprint-cutter, a barbed length of metal-spine fanned tall with sail-stacks, operating with long-expired credential leases partially stolen from CIS contractual arrangements, deposited in high orbital anchor. A tiny prospector pod, fitted thickly with enough repulsor-pads and a bulked atmospheric, conical engine, disengaged and fell in a slow gait through the tropopause.

The Iron Snake had been sold at auction, to both procure extended finances and ensure certain prohibited or at least guarded materials didn't end up in abusing clutches. Seydon of Arda paid for himself, a single carry-on duffel, and whatever added expenses the shiester Captain felt brave enough to tack on. Twenty one hundred credits and a handful of palladium ingots, all told. He piloted the prospector pod himself, gently wiggling at worn control-yokes, function nubs piercing the gripping worn from extended use. Temperature read-outs on crystal-glass diodes dipped amber. Canopy shielding was thread-bare. Seydon slowed and slowed.

Eventually, open steppe-plains fogged with vapor clouds trailing from the higher mid-land lakes opened out below. He cocked an attitude adjuster, spanning a course west. Rave Merrill of Akure Executive Leather Works, occasional source for esoteric hunts involving creatures with penchants for man-flesh, sent him word regarding a small congregation committing its presence on a small plains-world designated Bayan on numerous, out-dated territorial charts. Granted, he nursed apprehension. Stowed in his duffel was a crystal-creatrix psypathic 'machine'; in essence, an ancient and veritable holocron left to his trust by [member="Jorus Merrill"]. Alongside 'Lot L': records of the Chuunthor expedition, veritable well-spring of basic, reliable factoids regarding secrets of the incredibly insular Witches of Dathomir.

Potentially invaluable bartering pieces. If the congregate was functioning to pool resources. Seydon stoked the aft-engines for a quarter more impulse power, making for the southern hammock-vales, gliding above cloud-cover as steppe-shepherds herded their nerf flocks to the next grass-lands.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"] [member="Seydon of Arda"]
Jaxton's ship and Seydon's transport pod found a particularly tranquil...construction zone. Cestus Cybernetics labor droids, top of the line -- you heard me, [member="Zothustro Quill"] -- worked to erect permacrete forms and put durasteel rebar in place for the 'crete pour. Portions of the building had already been constructed, enough to give an educated eye the impression of the ancient Dantooine Jedi enclave. As site foreman, Je'gan wore a most undignified hard hat and steel-toes. A few dozen deaths had given him a unique perspective on workplace safety.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

The Gypsymoth settled down beside [member="Jaxton Ravos"]' ship, planetfall on another remote world. Jorus added a hatchmark to the log, which was basically a bulkhead wall marked by sets of marks, four vertical, one across. Planets and systems visited. A life's work writ in scratches on durasteel.

He pondered, then shrugged and pulled out a toolbox from beneath his seat. A tree was marked on the box. No point in being selfish.

Toolbox in hand, he ambled down the ramp and made for the half-built facility. "Mornin' Jax."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

At the edge of the illusion, Boolon rose from his expanding hedges to peer back at the landing ships. He caught a flicker of familiarity in the presence of the Levantine Masters. With a burbling Ithorian expression of approval, he gonked and continued encouraging the hedge to grow tall and strong. These breeds had thorns, and he strengthened those as well, making an obvious deterrent that would keep the hedge safe from the local nerfs.

 

[Velok the Younger]

A nondescript little Tachyon-class freighter touched down, and from it emerged a nondescript little astromech droid. A display case had been secured to its flat top. Visible inside were small datacrons, and a manifest was affixed to the transparisteel.

For Barter:
Jedi Order datacron on the construction and use of Force-imbued blades
Jedi Order datacron on the seven lightsabre forms
Velok's imperfect datacron copy of the Sar Agorn Jedi holocron
Blueprints of the Hammerhead

The droid tweedled forlornly, as if it knew the silliness and gravity of its task.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

The flow of the currents would not lie.

They were as familiar and nostalgic as a favorite loub-paper book to the Fallanassi adept. Regardless of the undignified hard hat and steel toe boots. Drawing a certain comfort from that, Nohemi Allaneh’s voice would soon quietly come flowing just off to the right of @Je’gan Olra’en.

“Master Olra’en.” she would voice aloud for him to hear.

“It is a pleasure to see you.” she would say to her former Master.

 

[Chloe Blake]

The Order of Selab worked almost like a spiderweb. Ain’t one thing that wouldn’t go down without a single thread vibrating on the next. So it was to not surprise that the Aurora Hawk would soon find it’s way to Bayan.

Landing with a waning hum of engines, Chloe would blow the long bangs of blonde wavy hair away from her face, her hands fingercombing through it’s length to tie it up in a messy ponytail at the crown of her head.

By and all, she gave the appearance of a ship mech. Tank top with olive overalls tied at the waist. Over this she would toss her new Warden’s coat, getting used to the heavy weight. A satchel with graphite pill boxes would contain the information she’d collected on Aurum. The wealth of knowledge of the ancient Je’daii.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

The Rose shuddered as she breached the atmosphere, flames licked the hull and sensors went black. It's pilot hummed softly to herself, smiling slightly as the flames diminshed and sensors came back tonlife with a squeal of activity. Eyes swept over the display, picking up the Gypsymoth and Jaxton's ship. A small frown creased her head. Where was the Snake ?

Adjusting her course she brought the Rose's slender form around and to rest next to Jorus' ship. Descending the ramp she cast a glance around smiling in greeting at Jax and Jorus soft footsteps carried her to [member="Boolon Murr"]. "Master Murr." She offered in a soft voice "May I assist?"

 

[Talia]

Enroute to Bayan

There was a measure of excitement running through Talia’s body. It would be hours before she would arrive, but nonetheless, she was as giddy as a schoolgirl. Her face would practically glow and her eyes would shine bright.

After centuries… she would finally get to meet other members of the Order. After so many years of believing she was alone, after losing the two members of her trifecta, she finally would get to meet more like minded people.

At first, it was hard to believe. But after meeting Phylis and Ayden… it proved that the Order had indeed survived.

Oh it could all be a trap. But she had to find out.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]
Je'gan met her at the edge of the construction zone, removing his hard hat. "Nohemi! I knew the Fallanassi had relocated to Levantine space, but I thought you were still with the Jedi Order -- my connections aren't what they used to be. Welcome to Bayan." He gestured back at the half-enclave. "We'll have something special here soon enough. Are you here through the Levantines or through Selab?"

She was one of the few of his students to whom he'd revealed the secret society.

 

[Not Ordo]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"] [member="Seydon of Arda"] [member="Je'gan Olra'en"]

The new Okyaab-class freighter Kal had acquired from the shipyard over Wayland was now the kind of ship he would normally be found in, which was why he had taken it in the first place. The ship had set down some distance from the construction zone and unloaded the distinct form of Kalizka. It had been a very long time since he had last seen Bayan, a very long time. He stepped away from the ship as it cooled down and checked that his satchel was still secured before walking toward the construction zone. His tall walking stick in hand and his green and brown robes had been recently mended from a business he had seen finished before heading to the remote world.

Kal had not been in contact much with the rest of the Sanctum or with those of the Order. He had always been one to keep to himself and out of the affairs of others to the best of his ability, of course there had been exceptions...here and there. He did not know who exactly he should expect to see here of if any of them would be people he had known. So many of the old guard were gone, but then he had seen the old guard replaced before more than a few times. He didn't know if he was the oldest left among them but he knew he would be passing on something very special to him this time just incase he didn't make it to the next gathering. His datacron had sat in his bag and been added to for two thousand years. It was about time he let someone else hold on to it for a while.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

@Je'gan Olra'en



Her dark head would incline and she would give a slight curtsy in respectful greeting, ever the proper one.

Rising, she would smile that gentle smile, acknowledging, “The prosperity and the relocation of the Fallanassi is my duty and responsibility. I left the Jedi Order under the request of our leader to oversee it.”

A pause, then that smile would grow warmer, “Both have have individually invited me to Beyan, but will soon discover my ties with each.” a tinge of nostalgia would go wandering over her face as she let her gaze flow over him.

“I’d often wondered what had become of you, Master Olra’en, in the wake of Metalorn.” she admitted, concern in her voice.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]
He grimaced faintly. "I tried to find a place to be a Jedi. Stopped a world's conquest by convincing its attackers to leave, helped support another world against invasion. There are ironies there -- the joys of being nonpartisan. The first fight's invaders and the second fight's defenders were both the Fringe Confederation. Never thought conscience would drive me to oppose the Republic, but it happened."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Immense Ithorian eyes lit up. "Friend Rosa! Your aid would be most welcome. The calicoberry bushes need some extra encouragement to put out thorns in unison with the cabralshrubs." He patted the hedge fondly. "Good Ithorian horticulturalists have planted this entire hedge. My hope is that, with a mere few weeks, I'll have visited and strengthened every metre of it."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Some said non-sentient beings could not appreciate beauty, but in the nuna's experience, such immediacy of perception was integral to its little life. After all, nobody ever decided a thing was beautiful after extended thought. Apart from a beautiful argument, of course -- but even then, the nuna could appreciate the elegance and symmetry that made an argument beautiful, like the perfect slurp from the middle of a mealworm.

The nuna glomped joyously through the fields, a testament to the peace and safety of this environment now that the Levantines were in action.

 

[Velok the Younger]

[member="Kalizka"]

The arboreal archivist quickly encountered the astromech, whose piteous breewheeps corresponded in magnitude to the tray of datacrons strapped to its head. The droid, recognizing the general antiquity of the personage and the general shininess of the Okyaab-class, made the educated guess that Kal was of sufficient net worth to offer a trade that the droid's mistress might find acceptable upon its return.

"Beep-beep?"