The luck of thieves

[Milla Caranthyr]

Planet: Noverskaa

Location: Logging village north of Lesorskaa


A large six legged walker slowly trudged down the muddy road that cut through the center of the village. The load of logs it carried swayed and shook with each step as it headed towards the lumber yard at the edge of the village. This would be the first of many walkers to make the trip today. Each one would lumber out of the forest like some great beast loaded down with logs that kept this village running.

Villagers barely paid the large machine any mind as they stepped aside to get out of its way. A small girl stood on the side of the street and watched the machine pass before darting down the muddy road. Her bare feet sank slightly into the soft mud and she hopped over the large foot prints left by the walker. The girls tail twitched excitedly as she ran down the street towards the landing pads. Cargo walkers were the least interesting thing to arrive at the village today and she wasn't going to miss it.

At the edge of the village were several large cement and steel landing pads surrounded by small workshops and warehouses. Normally these would be occupied by cargo freighters here to pick up logs and lumber produced by the village. Today, however, several new ships had arrived for an entirely different purpose.

Several days earlier, a logging team had discovered some ruins deep in the forest. An interesting find considering this planet had no native sentient beings. Word had gotten out and with it came archeologists and other exploration teams who wished to uncover more of these ruins. This was why Milla ventured down to the landing pads, to see who or what got off those ships.


[member="Sabine Galen"]

 

[Sabine Galen]

A small scout-ship entered the system, en route for the surface.

Sabine Galen was quite interested to see the world of Noverskaa for herself. Her father, a noted explorer and archaeologist, had heard whispers of forest ruins. Of course, he was eager to find out more. However, his schedule had not allowed him the time away. And so, Sabine had been sent in his place to find out more. It was a simple mission, she was to scout the area and return.

She certainly hoped she could confirm the existence of these ruins... and if not, she'd have a nice hike through the woods anyway. Her ship set down on the landing pad, and Sabine glanced at her datapad one more time. She had a good idea where to go, but she was counting on the force to guide her.

“Alright, then,” She said aloud, and picked up her rucksack. With her supplies all packed, she was ready to go – and she double-checked that her saber was still clipped to her belt, it always was.

Soon, the ramp lowered and the young woman moved down, her eyes already on the treeline.

[member="Milla Caranthyr"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

The first ship of the day finally touched down on the landing pads. A small scout-ship of familiar design settled on one of the landing pads and powered down. Milla edged closer to one of the buildings and watched the ship with sharp eyes. Something about this vessel brought about a familiar feeling.

After several minutes, the ships ramp lowered to the ground. A woman in her early twenties stepped down the ramp to the landing pad below. Milla couldn't get a good look at the woman's face, but what she saw made her freeze. This woman looked an awful lot like someone she knew, someone she thought she'd never see again. She wasn't sure though, the woman was to far away.

Milla cautiously moved across the landing pad to a stack of crates closer to the ship. She peeked her head put out and watched the woman. Unfortunately she was turned away from Milla so she couldn't see her face. What Milla did notice was the lightsaber. The small girl gave a sharp inhale of surprise at the sight. Her gaze turned back to the woman's face, now that it was turned enough for her to see. "Sabine?!" Milla stated in surprise, albeit a little louder than she wanted to. She pulled back behind the crate and leaned against it to hide. There was no way that the woman didn't hear her.

[member="Sabine Galen"]

 

[Sabine Galen]

Sabine took in a breath of mountain air. It was nice; this place almost reminded her of Kashyyyk. After readjusting her pack, she spun around at the sound of a voice. But when her wide eyes scanned the area, she didn't see anyone. Odd, she could have sworn someone had said her name. Standing tall and straight, the young Knight drew the force to her. Suddenly alert, she reached out...

A small gasp escaped her.

There was someone else here –and she recognized the presence. Her mind traveled back to the temple ruins on the desert world, and she saw memories of a young girl with blonde hair. Milla. How could it be that she ended up here?

“Milla?” she called. “Is that you?”

The slightest movement caught her eyes, and she noticed the stack of crates nearby. Ah, the girl must be hiding there. Instead of startling the girl, Sabine remained where she was—she'd let Milla approach when she was ready... if it really was her, that is.

[member="Milla Caranthyr"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla held her breath as there was a few moments pause. Maybe Sabine didn't hear her and she was just over reacting. The silence was broken by Sabine saying her name. The young girl tensed for a moment wondering how Sabine knew it was her, then she remembered that the woman was a Jedi and probably sensed her through the force.

What to do, what to do. She could run, but that wouldn't be very good. Hiding here wasn't going to help her either. There was only one option she really had at the moment. Taking a slow breath, she cautiously stepped out from behind the crates.

Milla came to a stop a few yards away from Sabine and gave a nervous smile, revealing her sharp teeth as she did. Her tail tried wrapping itself around her leg in nervousness of the situation. "H..hi Sabine."

[member="Sabine Galen"]

 

[Sabine Galen]

Sabine blinked as there was more movement behind the crates, and then… a young girl stepped out. But, this was not Milla… was it? Her eyes widened slightly, taking in the unfamiliar appearance before her. Of course, some time had passed since their last meeting. However, could the girl have changed this much since then? There were rather pointed teeth and a tail now, and a definite hint of darkness that mingled with the presence she knew as Milla.

“It is you… isn’t it?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

Though there was now darkness in her force signature, she did not detect any malice. Sabine’s posture relaxed slightly. She could easily see that Milla was uneasy. Approaching slowly, Sabine came to kneel before her, taking in the new changes.

“Milla, what happened?” Sabine asked gently, trying not to sound rude. She earnestly wanted to help her young friend if she could.

[member="Milla Caranthyr"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla could see the surprise in Sabines eyes when she stepped out from behind the crates. This was expected considering how much the young girl had changed since the last time the two met. Between the tail, horns and sharp teeth, she barely looked human anymore. Well...technically she wasn't.

"Yeah, it's me." She responded when Sabine asked if it was her. The question really didn't need to be answered, but she figured she'd respond all the same. Milla didn't move as Sabine slowly walked up to her and knelt down. She knew what the next question was going to be. Just explaining it all was...difficult in some ways.

"I...I was afflicted by Sith alchemy." She knew she would have to explain it better than that. Sith alchemy was a dangerous thing and she knew there would be many more questions to come. "I was exploring a room that had some really old artifacts in it. There was one that was strong in the force and drew me towards it. When I touched it, it released some form of Sith alchemy. A few days later, I grew horns, a tail and my teeth got sharper." There was a moments pause as she let it sink in. "The doctor said my genetics aren't even human anymore. They don't know what I am."

[member="Sabine Galen"]

 

[Sabine Galen]

Sabine listened to the tale unfolded by Milla. She couldn't deny that she was honestly surprised by this revelation. An explorer herself, she knew that caution was needed when dealing with artifacts. She'd nearly lost her own life back on the desert world, when she and Cassius had been locked in the ancient chamber. And, thus far, she'd never heard of a case like Milla's before.

“Can you tell me more about where you found this artifact or what is was?” she asked gently. Sabine's thoughts immediately went to wondering if there was a cure for this affliction. Then again, she also wondered if Milla was content with her new form. It was a delicate situation, to be sure. There more she looked at Milla, the more she became comfortable with her new appearance. Though she was, essentially, a different girl... the true Milla was still there.

“My father might be able to help,” she offered with a soft smile. “If you want it, that is—and I'm here for you, too.”

Milla was a friend. And Sabine did not abandon her friends.

[member="Milla Caranthyr"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla had to think for a moment about what the artifact looked like. She didn't get the best look at it and it was some time ago. "The artifact was actually part of a collection a nobleman had. Can't exactly remember his name or where. I do know what it sorta looked like. A bronze ball, about this big." She held up her hands to show something about the size of a softball. "There were strange carvings on it. I think they said it was Sith writing. Or something like that."

The young girl arched an eyebrow when Sabine said her father could help. "Help how? They said it was permanent, like it's written in my DNA. Well...I guess it completely rewrote my DNA so I'm whatever this species is. Besides...I kinda like having a tail.."

[member="Sabine Galen"]

 

[Sabine Galen]

Sabine gave a small nod, perhaps she'd been a bit too eager. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn't mean to suggest that we try to change you.” Again. But she added a smile. “A tail would be pretty interesting to have.”

Even if Milla did not wish to find a cure—if one even existed—Sabine knew that her father would be interested in learning more about the artifact, adding knowledge to his vast library was a lifetime hobby of his. Sabine had almost forgotten her reason for coming to this world; she needed to complete her task before going back.

“Say, how did you get here? Have you been here long?”

The thought struck her, maybe Milla could help. Sabine stood up and readjusted her pack, she did have enough supplies for the both of them.

“I'm actually here to locate some ruins in the forest... have you heard of anything like that?”

[member="Milla Caranthyr"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla gave a shrug at Sabine's apology. "There's no need to apologize. Others tried to find a way, but couldn't figure it out. So I kinda just excepted it." She gave a nod and small smile. "A tail is really fun to have. I can use it like an extra hand and it helps with balance."

A small frown appeared on Milla's face when asked how she got here and how long she had been here. "I've been here for several months. I was adopted by the geneticist who tried to figure out what happened to me. She was really nice. When the Sith attacked the Mandalorians, she brought me here to keep me safe. Then she went to help provide medical aid to the injured." Milla paused for a moment. The next part was a littlelittle harder to say. "The Sith attacked where she was at and....she's not coming back.."

The thought of what happened to her adoptive mom wasn't easy to think about. Honestly she'd rather not dwell on it at all. She decided to answer Sabine's next question as to not dwell on lost family. Instead she pointed at an empty walker heading back into the forest. "Yeah, I've heard of them. This is a small village, word gets around. All you have to do is follow one of those walkers to the logging sight. The ruins are right near it."

[member="Sabine Galen"]