Sunburns & Hyperdrive Troubles

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

So there was no real way for him to do it naturally. That was a bummer to him. "Oh. Wouldn't that be like losing an arm?"

Perhaps that was a bit of a bad comparison.

The way that Kaile and Jamie had made it sound the force was more like...more like your entire skin than an arm or a leg. It was an extension, another sense. Losing it wasn't like going blind or losing ones hearing, it was like losing a whole host of senses, or at least thats the way that Kurt understood it. He frowned slightly, thinking about what that might be like, how it would feel to lose something like that. It wasn't like having his skill in piloting stripped, it wasn't like that it was...well it sounded different, like losing a part of yourself.

He frowned slightly.

"Does it kill you?" Kurt asked. "I can't imagine that...well losing something like that is easy."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile gave a frown," Kill you? Losing the Force?"

She immediately shook her head. "If that were the case, you wouldn't have me here right now. I've had Bobo for the longest time, almost four years without using the Force. I had him on me all the time." until recently. Having the tiny lizard away from her had previously left her dry heaving and passed out. It was only through practice that she managed to slowly tone back the backlash.

"The Jedi have been known to cut people off from the Force," She told him, hopping over a large rock. The sand was beginning to change again, from a warm beige to that dark lava black. "They do it to the most dangerous Force users... normally Sith. They don't believe in corporal punishment. So they do the next best thing. Cut them off from the Force and put them in carbonite."

"But you can use specific types of grenades to fight them. The Pyre has some. Arceneau Trade too actually. I have some nifty little espion gadgets that can help out with that too." Her had came out, and she began to tick with her fingers.

"You know deathsticks right?" considering his massive binge of three day spice hit, he would know about this type of spice. A very dangerous kind.

"What they are made of, there is this compound in it that can cut off the Force from a user if they inhale it or if they are injected with it. Sometimes for about five hours or so."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"No no." Kurt said, trying to clarify himself. "Being severed from it completely, not just cut off for a bit."

It was an important question, though the information that she had just given him was rather interesting. "Not that I can really ever do that."

"I mean, I know you said they do it to Sith, but do those Sith Die eventually? What do they do without the force? Why freeze them in carbonite when they don't have it anymore?" Kurt still didn't quite understand the significance of the loss of the force. Were Sith still dangerous even after losing that part of themselves? Was that why? Or did they freeze them to preserve their lives after losing that important piece of themselves. For some odd reason Kurt wanted to believe it was the latter.

He wanted to believe that the Jedi wanted to preserve life.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Oh. If severed completely?" Kaile blinked, then scrunched up her face in concentration. "I... don't know. I don't think so. I haven't heard of anyone dying from being completely severed from the Force."

Unless you are of the Force, but that was a special snowflake condition and didn't really apply.

"I guess... I know that there are Sith who are soo corrupted. So... " her hands began to gesture wildly again, "Just gone beyond that they literally are keeping themselves alive through the Force. The Force can extend your life naturally. That is what they say that the Lightside of the Force can do. But the Darkside..." a heavy grimace cut across the Lorrdian's face. It was clear she didn't like this part at all. Truth be told, such individuals scared her.

"With the darkside it can extend your life at a price. More often than not, that price is the lives of others." a pause, then she gave a slight skip hop over more black stones.

"Because they are basically prisoners now. I know thats what the Alliance does. Carbon freezes them. There are also prisons over the volcano calderas. Thing is.... some of them are just too dangerous to set free."

She began to nibble her lower lip. "And even if they do get cut off from the Force.. who is to say they can't find a way to get it back?"

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

That thought sent a chill up his spine. So even if they were caught, even if they were severed from their greatest tool, they could still regain it? They could take their greatest power back and become what they were again? That thought was terrifying, and it meant that the whole situation called for a certain...finality.

Had they considered that?

They must have.

The Jedi were self righteous at times, but they weren't fools. They must have known by now, they must have realized after all this time...If the Sith could simply recover, if they could be severed but then simply regain their power after, then the only solution to stopping them, truly stopping them, was to kill them. They would be ended that way, their quest for power, for strength, all the slaughter and crime that they committed, it would come to an end if one simply killed them.

Was that crass? Was that a soldiers way of thinking? Kurt shook his head, wiping the thoughts away. "So I guess everyone is different then, huh?"

He meant regarding the force, skipping past his idea of how to end the Sith.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]
Kaile’s nose scrunched up, eyes squinting against the bright light of the sun. She didn’t catch his body language when he asked that question, so she was a bit confused on what exactly he meant.

“Huh?” she paused, coming to a stop on top of a large black, pumice like boulder that set her at least half a meter above him.

“Different?” another second and then it came to her. “OH!” right, like everyone else. She gave a nod, reaching out to take his hand so he could help her jump off. He grabbed her hand, holding her steady, the Lorrdian now wandering off to her next ‘hill’ to conquer.

“Yeah. Different people have different skill sets. Not everyone is the same. Some are able to use the Force more. Some are able to fight faster, with more strength and endurance. There are those who are masters of manipulating the mind. Of secrecy and becoming invisible to the eye and even to droids so they don’t know you are there!”

Another ticking of fingers, “There are healers of extraordinary ability. Some that claim could save one from the brink of Death. Others are seers, who can see into the future and discern how events may go to give one the advantage.” The last was rather exaggerated, but...rumors said that the Dark Lord of the Sith had a Dark Seereess who was able to do exactly that. That their victories were all due to her great manipulations in farsight.

How true those claims were was up to debate.

“LIke for me,” her hands came to point at herself. “I’m good with machines. Anything electric.” she flashed him a grin. “I’m really good at mimicking beyond what I can do as a Lorrdian. And I have other neat tricks I can do.”

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

So the force was all about natural gift, just like everything else. As he helped her down Kurt began to wonder how far that could extend, if the force was more than a simple advantage and something that just gave those who could utilize it an extra leg up.

That realization brought another thought forward.

"A force user will be a better pilot than me." Kurt suddenly felt very low. "Damn."

He had natural talent as a Pilot, he was one of the best in the galaxy in fact, but the idea that someone with the force could be better than him simply by having the advantage of the force? Oh no he didn't like that at all. It seemed unfair to him, entirely so in fact. He wasn't jealous of the idea of someone being more skilled than him, not at all, that would be a challenge, but if someone had the force and they used it to be a better pilot?

That seemed like cheating.

At least it did to him, though that might have seemed odd to Kaile. "I guess I'll have to ask Jamie what she does."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]
“Maybe, but I don’t think anyone can have as much of a natural talent as you, Kurt.” and she meant it with every fiber of her being. Kurt was the best pilot she knew. Force or not. He should be damn proud of that.

“Yeah, you could ask her. “ a thought came to her then. Looking up at Kurt, as he wandered on a head, a bit downcast because of the whole pilot thing, it dawned on her then.

“So when am I meeting her?” she asked Kurt. This was important. Because Jamie was important to Kurt. She knew that, even if he didn’t really know it well then. Nervousness struck her then. A small seed of doubt.

“Or… do you..” she began to play with her fingers, glancing down at them. This was a bit awkward, then she glanced up from lowered lids. “.. not want me to?”

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Whenever we get the chance." Kurt said with a shrug. "I'm not keeping you from one another if that's what you mean."

There was no shame in who he was, what he did, or what Kaile was to Kurt. The two of them simply hadn't met because opportunity had not allowed it. Jamie was now in training, and in fact Kurt hadn't been able to see her since she'd started it. They had talked over holo-call and of course exchanged messages regularly, but he'd not have the opportunity to go and see her since they had parted on Byblos. It was something that hurt him, though he lived with it.

"Probably after her training is done, or at least, until her Master says that she can have more than a day off." That was simply logic.

It's not like he was actively keeping them apart.

"I want her to feel comfortable and have time to properly meet you." Kurt said. "I think the best is when she has time, which is when she'll be done with training. Though I have no idea when that actually is nor what the training really is either."

That was what vexed him. Jamie had tried to explain it, but much like the force...well the method of becoming stronger in it was completely lost to him.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


That made sense, she mused, giving a small nod. The smile that followed would brighten her face anew.

“Okay!” she sang, rushing over to him to hook her arm around his. With a beaming grin, she flashed a wink. “Well, should be fun whenever it happens!”

For Kaile, it was all a matter of simply getting along with each other. However, in the back of her mind, she knew that training…. well training could take years. Decades.

That was a long, long time.

Don’t fret on it Kaile! She told herself. She just had to stick to the now and enjoy her time with Kurt. With a drag, she would tug the pilot so he would move faster. “Come on! We are almost to where we were at last time!” she said in an excited exclamation, moving him along faster with a laugh.

Up ahead, those rabbit like creatures were bounding about. “Hmm… should we try lunch now? Or later?”

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Oddly enough, Kurt found that he still wasn't really all that hungry. He hadn't had breakfast, so technically he should have been starving by now, but he felt...good, still. It was an odd fullness that he wouldn't expect from himself in that moment, especially since he had carried Kaile all the way across the land bridge. Perhaps the excitement of the day allowed him to keep up without eating, or at least without really having too much of a problem with it.

"I'm good for now." Kurt said quietly. "Are you?"

"You shouldn't wait on me if you're hungry, I can always eat later." He didn't mind waiting for her to finish a meal.

Catching food would have to wait until they found a base camp.

Traps usually had to be set in such a way that they could return to them easily enough, and that meant having a place to set out from. If they set traps now, including simple snares, they would end up having to walk much farther than if they set up a basecamp somewhere first. Kurt was hyper conscious of that, not wanting to lose any of their meager resources or do more work than they had to.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Kaile gave a shake of her head. Her eyes twinkled with humor. “Nope, I’m good.” she assured him.

“You’re the one who eats us out of ship and home!” she teased, well aware that he had at least two servings worth of curry last night. How the man could still look as good was a wonder.


Curse his fantastic metabolism!


“Okay!” it was time to get serious -- okay not quite. Her arm still was wrapped around his, and she took the time to stick out her tongue at him for a silly moment. Okay, NOW was the time to get serious. She let go of his arm, his warmth departing as she gave a sudden burst of steps a head. The area was getting less sandy and more prone to small boulders of lava.

“Looks like it is starting to get a bit more rocky.” she told him, “Careful with your step… also for anything that may be hiding underneath any of these rocks.” The large verdant jungle was also starting to get thick in foliage and flora. Water now would bubble, rustling over the rocks. She was tempted to taste it, but figured it would be better farther up the river.

It could still very well be salty.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The large rocks began to peek out of the ground, making Kurt glad that he had taken his better shoes today. He began to climb up and alongside Kaile, sometimes moving ahead of her and sometimes holding back a bit. At one point they crested a small rise, coming upon a massive boulder.

"Hang on." He said as he climbed over to the huge rock. Like a spider monkey, Kurt began to ascend the large boulder, using a powerful grip of hand and the traction from his shoes to drag himself up the face of the boulder and plop himself down on top of it. He smiled down at Kaile, then slowly began to pan his head left from right, hand coming up to shield his eyes from the sun above him. He eventually caught glimpse of what he was looking for. "There's a Clearing to the west. Small...I think...lots of rocks but also grass."

It would be about a thirty minute walk, but it also looked to be the perfect camping ground. "Lets head there."

She could eat after they made camp.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

“Oh really?!” Carefully, Kaile began to ascend up the boulder. She didn’t have gloves, so she had to be careful of handholds. Good thing she had a good pair of boots. Small grunts and a couple of heavy breaths later had the Lorrdian push and lift herself up.

Kurt offered a hand at the top, easily helping Kaile cover the last few feet so she could stand up beside him. At that, once she dusted off her hands, Kaile gave a small “Whoaa.. “ of wonder.

The island was larger than they had first imagined. Way larger. There was a small valley in between the two jutting masses of black from the north and west side of the island. The clearing Kurt spoke of not too far at all. In fact -- Kaile brought her hand up to shield her eyes.

“.. Is that..” she squinted. “ Is that a waterfall?”

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt looked to where Kaile had pointed, his eyes slowly following.

"Huh." The Courier mused. "Yeah. Yeah I think it is."

That wasn't too surprising really, in fact he was more than willing to bed that this island and more than a few of those, especially the nearer one got to the top of the mountain. His theory about an underground lake was still a pretty strong one, especially given the fact that the island was far larger than they had first expected it to be. Kurt pursed his lips for a few moments, his eyes settling on the clearing near the falls. Yes, that would make a perfect place to camp.

"Let's head over there." Kurt told her, his hand coming to rest on his leg.

"I think we can make it within the air." He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were doing math. "Maybe a little under. Set up camp and then make some traps for food tonight."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile in the meantime had dug into her bag to pull out one canteen of water. She unscrewed the top, offering it to the pilot next to her. "Mmhmm," she gave a nod in agreement. So far so good. Here, one caught less the scent of the ocean and more of crisp, green. It was a wet, earthy smell. Kaile didn't mind it at all.

"With the river that close, we'll just need to make sure we won't get any surprises. " didn't need things poking around their camp. She at least remembered that.

Once Kurt was done with the cabteen, she brought it to her own lips. A nice cool sip later, she gave a nod of encouragement. "Alright, let's go while we still have light.

After all, who knew what was out there waiting.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt slid down the rock first, crashing onto the ground with a heavy thud and a clatter of rocks falling away. There was a scattering of volcanic ash as he came landing, Kurt nearly slipping and hurting his knee as he came crashing down. "Kark."

He said quietly, shifting within the rock gathering and looking back up at Kaile.

"Careful." The Courier said as he raised his arms to catch her. "The rocks aren't as sure as we are in regards to where they want to be."

He tried to make the joke, though the phrasing of it fell rather flat. Kaile offered him a pity chuckle, smiling as she slid down the rock and into Kurts arms. He caught her, putting her down onto a more stable section of the ground before pointing towards one of the paths that lead into the deeper parts of the jungle. "That's out way."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Omph," Kurt caught her easily, but that bit of descent winded her. Carefully, Kaile wove her way the natural path down the hill. There was plenty of loose rocks, making it a bit difficult to continue their climb without taking extra precautions. Sometimes they had to use nearby branches for extra support, sliding down rocks in another. The plants around them were such a bright green. There were more vines here, and more of those colorful flowers Kurt had warn Kaile about not touching.

"Careful there," the Lorrdian warned the courier, pointing out a rather slippery slope she had to use an overhead branch for balance. Kaile stood upon a flat rock, a thin sheen of sweat coating her body along with a dusting of dirt. She waited for him to make it down by her side. The sound of falling rapids was just at the edge of their hearing. They were closer.

"Yeah, just use that branch," she pointed out with finger. "If you can't reach it tell me. I'll help."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt bounded forward, choosing to jump over the tract of land entirely instead of using the branch as support. It was more dangerous, yes, but it was also a little bit more fun. He landed with a soft thud, managing not to fall onto his face as the roar of the waterfall grew louder and louder. He frowned slightly, stopping as he managed to come back up. Sweat clung to him, his shirt completely soaked through and his hair wet with the exertion of the last few minutes.

"I think we're almost there." Kurt said as he turned his head to listen more closely.

It was apparent from the slight rumbling roar that they were nearing the falls now, the river, or whatever the Waterfall poured into likely being right around the corner from where they were in the jungle. Kurt pressed up ahead first, moving through the jungle and smacking down any branches that got in the way. He took careful measure to avoid any of the brightly colored flowers that popped up, taking a clear step away from anything that appeared out of the ordinary or abnormal.

"Right..." Kurt said as he parted the last of the branches. "Here."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile dipped just under Kurt's arm as he held up and away that that last frond. Her eyes grew wide in awe and wonder as she stepped up and under from the bridge of his arm to stand just slightly in front of him. The falls fell at about a height of thirty meters, water rushing out in a white spray against black lava stone. It descended into a shallow pool, crystal clear as it rushed down towards the deeper areas.

There was a natural clearing up ahead, full of flat rocks and even ground. Further down along where the water turned into a river, there were large boulders they could easily use as a bridge to get to the other side.

All in all, it was simply beautiful. A slice of paradise for them to enjoy.

"Oh my stars," she murmured, glancing up towards Kurt with a widening grin. "Can you believe this?!" A second wind of energy took her, and Kaile became excited. "It's probably deep enough to swim too!" which mean she could still teach Kurt how to wade in relative safety.

Anxious to get to the other side and make camp, Kaile began to climb down the last few rocks that would land her on the ground by the waters edge.