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Taeli had been setting up a new curriculum for the students at the Lothal temple, per her role as a Master in the newly formed EduCorps. The temple itself, the restoration of it anyways, a legacy of her sister's. If she thought about it, the restoration and expansion of this temple was likely the last thing her sister had done before disappearing. She swiped through another few data files, selecting which ones she wanted to present to the younglings for their lesson on history.
Something twinged in her senses, something was off.
She looked up from where she had been working, closing down her desk's terminal. Her brow furrowed as she followed the trace amount of his presence through the currents of the world, the training she had received with the Fallanassi making her far more sensitive to the ebbs and shifts within it. Her eyes closed, her breathing steadied... there, just the tiniest eddies but there it was, flowing around and through something or someone. Possibly several beings, she would know soon enough.
Getting up, she would be sure to grab her lightsabers and com for a speeder to be brought out for her use. She had something to investigate.
Location: Lothal Objective: Gather Materials, maybe get into a fight
Thyra guided her Aurora Industries Dawn fighter down through the atmosphere, then cut the engines. A brief moment of freefall drew a smile across her face as it always had, then the fighter's wing slipped into a windstream, and she was able to straighten it out. The fighter wasn't as nimble in the atmosphere as her old glider had been, but it made up for it in other ways. Still, she relished any chance she got to glide through the atmosphere of a planet. She had gotten clearance to land at a remote airstrip, having been blatantly honest about her intentions to land, find three crystals, gift one to the local Jedi temple, then leave. She had paid in advance for landing rights and docking fees at the remote strip, so the controller let her go about her business.
After a few, long and enjoyable minutes of gliding, the controller got back on the radio and asked her to stick to a flight path. With a wry grin she acknowledged, then promised herself to find a planet soon to truly glide in. A handful of moments later, she was on the ground. The next minute likely caused some confusion with the ground crew, as she stepped out of the fighter wearing a flightsuit that was reminiscent of her Valkyri armor, and bore an axe and a small shield with her, instead of the pilot traditional pistol.
Locking down her fighter, she turned and began to head out towards the mountains. To hunt for crystals, and maybe a fight or two.
Overhead the low rumble of a starship engine could be heard as it passed by. Jamie glanced up but only a moment, taking in the sight as it quickly faded from view. While it was a bit strange to her that the ship was oddly low in altitude she could hardly stand to question the methods of another pilot given her own inept ability to pilot any kind of vehicle, be it ground, aerial, or space craft. With a shrug she returned to her trek towards the base of the mountain where a number of caverns laid tucked away beneath millennia old rock. These particular caverns held the coveted crystals that Jedi alike sought in the construction of their lightsabers. Jamie had actually found one of her own growing in a small cluster within a rather unique cave beneath a waterfall on Naboo while constructing her own lightsaber. A Bondar and Kasha crystal comprised hers, providing focus and calm to the wielder, as well as the means to defend and protect without taking life.
It would take the girl about twenty minutes of walking to reach the mouth of the cave. Once she did however, the grand entrance was something marvelous. For several minutes she stood by in awe, simply gazing into the darkened void beyond. Beneath the surface were likely hundreds of crystals, but the most wonderful thing about these caves was the warm, saturated glow given off by the clusters of rock nestled in tight groups together, growing out of the floors, ceilings, and walls of the cavern.
Finally the blonde decided to set the basket of flowers down, leaving them at the entrance before wandering inside. The day was still quite young, and she loved exploring. Aela was likely still asleep anyway, so what was the harm in a little cave diving in the morning?
From a ruined Tython to a wonderful crystal cave with an immeasurable amount of crystals within. They all held a faint glow deep within the cave system. Young Ivelisse didn't require the glowrod that he had long since clipped to his belt, deactivated, of course. His own lightsabre hung off of his belt, occasionally bouncing off of his thigh when he took one step too large.
Light blue eyes scanned the interior as he slowly tread over the rocks and dirt.
He had been honing his abilities in the Force for some time. He could feel the crystals in the Force. In such large clusters he was surprised that his senses weren't overwhelmed.
There was a casual shrug of his shoulders before he started back the way he had come.
Specifically, to the exit, or rather the entrance when you held the point of view of [member="Jamie Pyne"].
Calming, were the crystals, rarely did he ever get free time such as this. But he imagined somewhere in the Core there would be Sith, or some offshoot of them who thought themselves well equipped for harassing the Galactic Alliance. Besides, after Atrisia, the worlds towards the Core were fairly rowdy. Something was bound to happen soon, right?
D'vok stepped onto the planet, and closed the ramp for his ship. He felt a connection to this planet. Like something was drawing him here. And he didn't like it. He saw a figure in the distance, taking note of his lightaber. "A Sith!" D'vok thought. He drew his DL-44 and sighing to himself. "It's always gotta be the hard way. Nobody can just be nice."
Siriwook can tell the older Jedi is very busy with his garden, so she carefully steps around his plants and continues following the Loth-cat. The creature seems startled, however, by the sight of [member="Jamie Pyne"] and leaves. With a mixture of elation and annoyance, Siriwook approaches the entrance to the cave. On the one hand, she's found plenty of crystals and friendly faces. On the other hand, her plan to look where few have gone in recent years is an unnecessary effort.
Siriwook considers the lesson carefully and decides it is: when proving your unique value, you don't need to reinvent the lightsaber. Other, wiser people have gone before and done most of the leg work.
"Wyaaa~[Hi!]" she says to the Jedi, tripping over the basket of flowers. Her voice echoes, becoming something more wild, almost scary. With a little embarrassment, she rights the basket again and carefully replaces the flowers. "[Sorry]," she says into the Force, not sure if she means to say it to Jamie, [member="Aerion Ivelisse"], the kyber crystals, or the flowers.
As he had been instructed to do, his lightsaber had been left securely stored within the First Order's transport of convenience; his steel blade of which remained sheathed, removed from his back and tied instead around his right leg, the straps embracing his shin and calf muscle rather firmly while the weapon was buried within the side of his black leather boots. All done to suit the rather scruffy and second-hand attire that he bore to fit in with the rest of the world. His superiors were right of course, to carry a lightsaber would be a dead give-away had it been seen and yet if they were to encounter the Jedi Order, Brennan wondered just how well he might fare without a weapon of equal power and reach. The Dirk was not the blade to take into a head on confrontation, it was the weapon of a sneak thief or an assassin's preference concealed within the shadows.
Having not ushered a word in their inbound flight, the others might well have considered him a mute for all his conversation nor opinion was worth; his mouth never betraying his thoughts and expressing what could be taken for vulnerabilities; he simply followed the others doing his utmost to ignore the droids that had aided in the vessels continued maintenance and refueling. Five Kilometers, nothing more than a matter of minutes if travelling by speeder, swoop or otherwise. It was probably for the best, he silently agreed. The longer they roamed in the open, the better their chances of being noticed and further investigated.
While they discussed in brief and very few details their plan of attack, Brennan simply watched and studied his peers. For all their differences, a very unique crowd and yet he had felt the darkness that surrounded the Knights of Ren back on Virgilia, it was hard to ignore with such a memory in mind that these few people he stood alongside all had the potential to utterly destroy him if given the incentive. It was difficult to know whether that frightened him or excited him. Ever the tag-along, he would wait for confirmation to be given before following in suit and keeping a mindful eye on his surroundings. The fact was that he didn't truly know even these people well enough to trust them; trustworthy as they probably were, it just wasn't in his nature anymore to put blind faith in others before himself.
Castor nodded as the red-headed Ren spoke, his eyes falling on first the Sith Mon-Cal accompanying them, and then finally to the young woman, also a Knight of Ren. A slight error on his part perhaps, to overlook her initially. She was a capably fighter and the way the stories were told she'd held the archives against the onslaught of the Ssi-Ruuk by herself, or mostly. In the future he would remind himself of that when seeking guidance. For now, he had received the answer he needed from the three senior members of this expedition though why exactly the Ren suffered the presence of a Sith among them he could not answer. He knew little of the Mon-Cal aside from rumors and even those were just whispers. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind he focused again at the task at hand. It seemed they would need to acquire a few speeders to hasten their journey. Continuing to conceal the dark fire beneath the surface, he stepped off, headed towards the port, proper. They would be able to find what they needed there, in fact as they began to approach a small kiosk stood, surrounded by various hoverbikes, some sporty, others more utility oriented with small hover-sleds attached to the rear. These would do well.
Approaching the small kiosk, a rather short and stocky Aqualish emerged. Chittering to himself the man's age was apparent, loose fitting linen tunic and cracked leather vest suggesting he'd worked here a very long time. Short tufts of gray hair hung from the sides of his bald head, though the dominating feature of the creature before them were his two pairs of eyes. *Almost spiderlike*, mused the Disciple of Ren as he greeted the alien.
"Hello, my companions and I are looking to rent a ride, looks like this is the right place to be?"
Castor knew without a doubt that this was the place, signage at the small kiosk indicating such, however he wanted to be sold. Any good merchant always tried to haggle prices, sometimes even when there wasn't a chance. If you never try, you'll never find out. Castor fought the urge to cross his hands, instead resting them on at his waist, his right hand above the blaster pistol it its holster.
Chittering to himself at first, the Aqualish bowed. Turning back to the counter of the small kiosk he produced a small box, before pressing a button on its face. Speaking once more (If that's what it could be called, to the casual listener it might have well been the bleating of a herd of nerfs), the Aqualish paused, a small chime sounding from the device before an automated voice kicked in.
:: Darbo rents speeders. What you need Darbo has. ::
Quickly appraising the group the Aqualish continued.
:: For group, I give you each a speeder for 1000¤. If no return, Darbo keep. If return, Darbo keep half. ::
As the man finished speaking he waddled back towards the counter, placing the device once more where it had been before rounding the corner and standing in the window. Slapping both hands on the counter he motioned for the group to approach. With a sigh Castor took the few steps to the counter, fingers resting gently on the grip of his blaster. Looking back to the rest of the group briefly he turned to the Aqualish and raised an eyebrow.
"One thousand credits per... Well that seems a bit steep to me, perhaps something closer to six hundred and fifty would be more appropriate don't you think Darbo?"
Resting his hand on the counter he tapped his fingers impatiently. They needed to get a move on. Surely they could just take the speeders though that was a cavalier way of doing things and would defeat the purpose of their subtlety. Castor hoped they could get moving along shortly, he did not wish to linger longer than necessary. Narrowing his eyes at Darbo he waited for a response. Darbo had been entering in the figures to his small point-of-sale machine, pausing as the offer was made. The Aqualish may have been old, but not senile... yet. With a grunt he shook his head, the long gray hairs waving as he did so, it was almost comical. Bleating Speaking once more, the machine translated the speech before restating in an electronic synthesized voice.
:: Six hundred fifty. I old, not stupid. Seven hundred fifty, no less. ::
Looking back to the numbers the Aqualish sighed loudly but began punching in the figures. He was still making good money, though significantly less than he would have liked. Mumbling to himself he uttered a few curses regarding off-worlders before extending his hand for payment. Nodding his head with a smile, Castor reached into his jacket pocket, retrieving one of the credit-sticks they'd brought for just this kind of thing. Removing it and twirling it between his fingers for a moment he placed it on the counter, gently sliding it towards Darbo who greedily snatched it up, inserting it into the machine. Pressing in a few numbers the Aqualish turned the screen towards Castor, pointing at the digital receipt indicating the agreed upon price. Now it was up to the customers to choose their rides, or decide if they would share. Castor turned to face his companions.
"It looks like we're allowed to select our rides. Some of these are tandem, some are singular. Choose your rides carefully. I would recommend that some of us take the cargo models. Beyond that, let's get a move on."
As he finished he cast a wary eye back towards the proprietor of the small business before appraising the speeders before him. There were varying models, some obviously designed for alien anatomy while others were clearly human in design. Taking a few steps he ran his fingers across several of the bikes in an attempt to decide what would be best fitting for the environment. Trees and hills would be the primary terrain they would be dealing with en route to the mountain caves, something with a narrow profile would be best. Finally settling on what looked to be a somewhat modernized version of a 74-Z sans weaponry. It did appear to have a terrain sensor however. Ever the scholar, Castor recalled that typically the terrain sensors had been linked into the helmet HUD of the pilot, he wondered briefly for a moment how he would be able to utilize that particular feature, and then he saw it. Hanging from the handlebars was a small eyepiece. A grin crossing his features, the Ren quickly donned the eyepiece and checked back to see what the others had chosen. Raising his leg up and over the bike, he took a seat as he waited for the others, using the small screen and a control pad mounted on the hull of the speeder to analyze the best route. As he finished doing so, he felt an unease in the pit of his stomach. As if to give voice to his unease he could hear blaster fire in the distance. Strange, regardless of what it was that had caused it, he didn't want to be around in case it drew the attention of the local authority, which in inevitably would. It would be much safer for them to leave the area before any suspicion could be cast their way. He checked once more on the rest of the group before powering up his own speeder, the engines coming to life.
The sound of a roar, mixed with a greeting echoed through the maw of the cave towards Jamie. While she had already made it several paces inside by the time she heard the call, Siriwook would see the shadow of the blonde disappear from site just after the girl's startled reaction came in an attempt to turn around. With a twist of her feet, a bit of loose rock shifted, and the path that she had been on which forked in several directions split saw her slip. Like the graceful being she was her arms extended fully outwards in a saddened attempt to break her fall, only to land face first into the dirt as she slid down the sharp incline further into the cave. In response, Siriwook would hear only the thud of her small frame hit the ground before the visage of Jamie disappeared into the cavern.
The cave beneath the mountain was massive, with dozens of intertwining and interconnecting tunnels, each one swarming with crystal clusters. As the girl slid some fifty or so feet down she was able to take in the sight of some of the glowing clusters above and beside her. About twenty seconds of sliding later the girl would reach the bottom of the cave, her unexpected travel having completed. She sighed, standing up and brushing off her now dirt covered pants and shirt, collecting herself and ensuring she hadn't lost her lightsaber on the way down.
"Well, that could have gone smoother." She said aloud to what was likely herself, brushing away a few strands of hair and glancing around at her surroundings. "Now where did I get to?"
Kyrel was in meditation throughout the entire trip to Lothal. He found strength in the dark side even the constant pain from his armor helped. He had hadn't been to Lothal before now,and found the thought of one day bearing the banner of the First Order most exciting. From the recent power vacuum left by the fall of the One Sith. The First Order has now reached a point of power that their first incarnation haven't even seen before. It was now expanding from the Unknown Regions to the Western Reaches and Outer Rim conquering worlds and resources expanding to there ever growing war machine.
Kyrel knew that it wouldn't be long before the Supreme Leader would take his rightful place as the wise and just ruler of the Galaxy. The only thing that stood in the way was the loathsome Galactic Alliance and their precious Jedi to protect them. It wouldn't be long before the First Order had the strength to take them out,and hopefully it would be soon. This mission would show their Jedi that the Ren are something to be feared,and Kyrel couldn't be anymore eager about it.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the alarm alerting them that they have arrived at their destination. The ship buckled and zoomed it's way through the atmosphere to the capital's spaceport. As the ship activated the landing gear,and the lamp lowered itself [member="Castor Ren"] appeared from the cockpit. He addressed them that they would all be going through customs,and than looked at Kyrel with a concerning glance,and told him to stay to a secure location. He got up,and than told him reasonably. "I believe i can keep the lightsaber tucked away within the back of my suit. Hidden by the cape. Customs won't see me as nothing more than a mere battle droid,or even a guard droid for our group." He walked outside trying to make his movements mechanically droid like as possible although with his appearance he had no trouble.
He got a few glances from a few civilians some were curious,and some were fearful but nonetheless did not bother with even questioning him,and just went back to their daily lives. He followed Castor to the kiosk his long black cape flowed with the wind,but didn't even reveal the saber that was hooked to the belt underneath. The aqualish glanced at him momentarily and gave him a questioning look but he thought nothing of it. He resumed his transaction with Castor for the speeders,and when it was over Kyrel walked with them to the hanger where they were kept.
Among the group of speeders he spotted an old Zephyr G swoop in the group,and pointed to it to claim it as his. He walked over putting one leg painfully over the speeder sitting on the seat. He activated the switches with surprisingly brought the old swoop to life once more. The fiery engines roared and the vehicle hovered. After making sure to get the systems checked he looked at Castor,and asked inquisitively. "So what now..I assume you must have the coordinates to the caves,and if i may ask. What shall we do if we encounter Jedi?" He had to ask the second question only because he was so eager to face them in combat.
Siriwook looks for [member="Jamie Pyne"] to no avail. The jedi is clearly gone. Sniffing the air, Siriwook is sure of it. Her heart sinks until she realizes this means she's on her own path again after all. She reaches out for that Loth-cat. Where has it gone?
"[I'm hiding!]" it thinks, in fewer words, just sensations.
Siriwook reaches back out to it. "[Why not try to find that shiny crystal?]" she asks.
"[Yucky crystal!]" thinks the Loth-cat, again, figuratively speaking.
Siriwook thinks for a moment, saying to the Loth-cat, "[Nothing will look for us in the yucky crystal!]"
The loth-cat considers this, then goes back to hiding. "[Already hidden]"
Siriwook considers the morality of what she's about to do.... On the one hand, she should respect the loth-cat, especially after it helped her so much. On the other hand, she's unlikely to find the crystal before the other Jedi she senses. What if they want it too?
Ultimately, she decided to try to find the crystal herself. She can't make the loth-cat look for her. Her mood lightens as she feels something in the cave sing to her. The crystal! She speaks back to it. "[I'm coming, friend!]" She doesn't know if crystals can talk, but she does know that the Force is alive... right? She hopes, and her hope is enough. She walks further down the passage, careful to avoid a large hole.
"Augh wwwaaaru! [Could have fallen there!]" she says to no one in particular.
Answering Samka’s threatening glance with a stoic gaze that gave away nothing, Veles wrapped the unnaturally black robe tighter around his body and nonchalantly walked over to the presented vehicles, taking a short tour through before the payment was settled. The Aqualish didn’t want to sell himself short, his ridiculous prices clearly spoke not of quality, but of the kiosk owner’s awareness others either had to pay or travel on foot, no other alternative. If only the old man knew his newest customers were deadly enforcers of the Supreme Leader’s will, plus one Sith lord! More and more offers flew from one ear to another and Veles suddenly found himself thinking he would have used the Force to solve the haggle, a darker, forceful version of the infamous Jedi mind trick.
The random thought made him realize how ridiculously it sounded when he went over the idea one more time, a Sith lord crippling an old man’s mind over the price of a speeder. It was completely unnecessary, unbefitting of someone like him, petty. Rubbery crackle escaped the Mon Cal’s artificial hand as he angrily curled it into a fist, afraid the dark side’s influence had poisoned his thoughts. Would his weak Jedi enemies lower themselves to playing tricks with innocent – irrelevant – people? Subtle suggestions sent into one’s head only worked on the weak-willed. Direct, unquestionable orders bending another’s mind to do their bidding could twist anyone provided the manipulator’s will overpowered that of their victim. Was it really that much of a difference though?
No speeder bike model could be described as new or at least pretending to be; all ancient junk or cheap knockoffs of more successful machines than the old owner’s pocket could afford. Knowing that, the Mon Cal picked what looked powerful enough to live through the mission. The Overracer appeared to be in solid enough condition, little more than an engine with controls, equipped with civilian stabilizers, high-altitude lifters and sound dampers. Almost no rust and plenty of wear, indicating the machine saw frequent use. Before mounting the bike and riding off, his cloaked back stopped the Aqualish from spotting one webbed hand leaving the mysterious confines of Veles’ robe and performing a subtle, delicate motion that led to disabling the machine’s integrated comlink device, thus denying the Aqualish or anyone else the possibility to track it down.
Only then Veles finally sat behind the controls, handlebars in hands, and with a forceful throb let the speeder’s engine roar in blissful ecstasy before the noise died down, turning into a consistent hum. When he and his fellow dark side practitioners rapidly cut through the distance between them and their target destination, all surroundings decayed into a colourful blur, cybernetic eye flooding Veles’ brain with a plethora of information.
Sunlight was now filtering directly into the room, burning directly onto her face. She frowned slightly, trying to pull the blanket further over her head only to realize that doing so would make her too hot. She frowned and then let out a loud sigh, tossing the fluffy comforter off of herself and stretching. She let out a loud yawn, and then slowly began to sit up. Her lips smacked together a few times, a hand came up to rub sleep out of her eye and slowly she stood up.
The metal floor was cold, but it didn't seem to bother her.
Slowly Aela wandered over to the refresher, grabbing her toothbrush off the cabinet and slowly beginning her morning routine. She was blissfully unaware of any and all potential assaults on Lothal, nor did she sense anything wrong. Her mind was mostly a blank as she slowly ran herself through her typical morning, brushing her teeth, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, normal Jedi stuff. Eventually she wandered back into the tiny room the Temple had provided her.
She wondered for a moment, then headed towards the cabinet to pull out a set of civilian clothes.
Another yawn escaped her as she pulled on her pants, Aela falling back onto the bed as she looked at her Chrono.
Her eyes rolled a bit as she realized what time it was, a little bit of shame setting into her bones as she realized that she'd slept half the day away. Her only consolation was that Jamie had probably slept even longer, and thus she could just shift the attention to her padawan. She smiled and then quickly stood up, slipping on the rest of her clothes and running a quick hand through her hair as she headed out the door and towards the Cafeteria.
The Mobquet Flare-S was the bike to catch his eye almost immediately at the notion of being able to take their own preference; this was a bike he had come to know well in his past life. Back then the Jedi had allowed their students to take up a plentiful number of hobbies and interests outside of their dutiful hours and this had been one of his. The Flare-S was not nearly as common for a practitioner of the Force anymore in the galaxy of today's age, it hailed from a history of thuggery and made it's name through the races often taken in the larger city worlds where criminality was rife and reckless. Naturally a boy no older than twelve would have looked at such a bike, watched these said holo-vids and only imagined how exhilarating it might have been. Funny how now, he finally had one within his reach and all he could think about was how best to serve. It was a testament to how far his mind had been pushed since the young age and whether or not the other Ren would see weakness in his past, Brennan only cared about gaining the strength to bend, shape or break his future days spent in service of the First Order.
Moving to the bikes side, he raised his right foot to the pedal of the bike, reaching out to take the right handlebar into his and pulling back on the clutch, his left found the ignition and fired her up. The Swoop came to life with a roar, the engine sputtering at first as if it struggled to clean out the pipes from being left to idle so long, now sounding off in all it's glorious might, Brennan swung his leg up and over it, mounting the bike and looking down over the various toggles and the lone speedometer displaying also it's balance of power regulating through the small frame of the vehicle from the power cells. The bike was old, the model a long lost loved joy of his childhood which echoed a need to consider her reliability in the field. There had been others around, likely better suited for the haul and him being a disciple of Ren, he probably should have stepped forward to transport the bulk of the resource they intended to return with and yet he didn't. He had decided to be selfish and followed in his own desire...-The exact opposite of what a Jedi Padawan might do. The thought process, the idealism was all still there somewhere in his head but it wasn't slavery that told him to steer away from such a life, it was his choice. The freedom in breaking off all former ties and running head first into another path.
Darth Veles' own bike fired up nearby and the Sith showed his motivation by dropping the hammer and sending the swoop into a screaming pursuit. Brennan had not the mind to know the difference between Veles and the others of the First Order. He hadn't taken the time to speak to any of them, only offering obedient nods and single worded answers when it was demanded of him; it was curious how easy it was to remain silent, instead to take in the scenes unfolding around him and with the absence of conversation, left only to his mind in which he questioned and dissected the path before him. As he had yet to be forced to be broken once again in his life, he awaited the others, ensuring that he would be the last to leave. The Superior members of the Knights of Ren always at his front, both for their sake and for his. He had to suppose that his fear and lack of trust of others approaching him from the rear might also spare them from taking a bolt in the spine from the enemy, had they only the opportunity to fire first.
The First Order: [member="Castor Ren"] [member="Isla Ashen"] [member="Darth Veles"] [member="Samka Derith"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Perth Levov"]
D'vok entered the cave. It was darker than he thought. He couldn't exactly see, so he activated his lightsaber. The soft yellow light illuminated a path. In the distance he heard roars. "A wookie?" D'vok pondered. He pressed on through the cave. there were several twists and turns, he even thought he was turned around several times. he was very disoriented. the golden glow of D'vok's saber only lit up a few feet ahead, so as D'vok blinked, in a split second mix of innatentiveness and stupidity, D'vok fell off of a small cliff. He was too disoriented to realize what had happen until he had already hit the ground with a loud crash. he inspected his wounds, several small cuts on his face. he decided to press on yet again. More twists, more turns, until he came face to face with [member="Jamie Pyne"] . D'vok pointed his lightsaber at the woman. "Don't move a muscle, sith."
It seemed that her suggestion had been met with approval by her peers. With a small nod, she stepped forward to move with the group. But just as she lifted her boot of the ground, there was a tug at her sleeve. She blinked a couple of times, and paused to aim a glance back over her shoulder. The young woman with lavender hair cleared her throat audibly. Isla’s brows arched slowly, and she cast a glance around to see that the others were walking towards a kiosk to arrange for their transportation to the caverns. With a moment to spare, she turned on a heel to face the younger knight.
“…Yes?” Isla uttered in a low tone, eyes narrowing slightly.
Isla found the young woman’s haughty explanation amusing, and a tiny smirk appeared on her pale face. She had to admit, a cover story could be useful. Already, her mind was filling in the blanks of their imaginary history. Perhaps their parents had suffered a tragic demise, leaving Isla to shoulder the burden of raising her young sibling – a task that she had been woefully unprepared for. Surely Samka’s wardrobe choice would be reflected as a failure on her part. Yes, this could work.
“Understood.” She said stiffly, and turned to join the others. But Isla looked back. “Come along, little sis.”
A slow smile played on her lips as the two began to walk on. Isla couldn’t help but notice that she stood several inches taller than Samka, so many that she almost felt like she towered over her. There had been something about Samka’s attitude that reminded her of the younger siblings she had left behind on Skye. Youth. There was such a brash confidence about her, but it appeared to work in her favor. They reached the row of speeder bikes a few moments behind the others, and it seemed that they were left with the models that had been rejected by the others.
Isla approached an older bike, it was shabby and rough around the edges – just like her. But for all it probably lacked, it did seat two. Silently, she climbed onto the bike and started it up. She glanced back at Samka, and smirked. Too young to work, too young to drive.
“Hop on.” She said, and gave the empty space on the seat a pat.
They would need to ride fast if they were to catch up to the others.
Desmond C'artyom watched from the shadows as the dock workers went about their buisness. Loading and unloading crates. The bald man did some haggling with the Aqualesh until finally one of them relented. It would appear the man got the better end of the deal as Darbo reluctantly took the mans money. A large droid followed the strangers into the speeder bay and Des merely shrugged this off. It was one of the few things he found normal about the merchants. It was the outer rim and body guards were always needed. The girl he could pass off as a stow away or simple passenger, but it made no sense as to why the merchant would pay for her and her sister's speeder. Not to mention that a couple of the passengers were sporting swords...
Regardless Des was rather suspicious. He suspected spice smugglers. The passengers were probably mules.. This struck a chord with Des as he was a recovering addict himself. He decided to help the girl when he cornered the scoundrels, but he'd need more evidence then a gut feeling. He deactivated his cloak and would seemingly materialize from the shadows. He walked towards the docking droid and proceeded to question him.
"What does he have on the manifest?" Des asked the the lanky droid.
"Produce, it seems he was bringing in potatoes," the droid droned in it monotonous voice.
"When the passengers are clear have a search team aboard that ship," Des commanded of the droid. Warrant be damned he was on too something and he knew it. He walked to one of the dock hands and discreetly checked the contents of the box. It seemed it checked out, but they could easily be making a pickup.
Des made his way to the kiosk and discovered Darbo lounging nonchalantly in a metallic chair. "H'chu apenkee!" He cried out to the alien.
"Chuba Pateesa!" Darbo cried out hands in the air, as if greeting an old friend. But, Des saw past the old hustler's guise.
"Do you have any idea where those merchants were headed?" Des asked quietly, so as to avoid over eager ears.
"Moulee-rah..." The Aqualesh said, pointing a meaty finger into the palm of his other hand.
"On second thought it's probably nothing..," Des pulled out a credit stick and pretended to drop it behind the Aqualesh. The old alien picked up the stick, pocketed it, and slid a small transponder across the kiosk counter to him. Des left the dock to go find his own speeder.
An incline into the caves, that's how he had got down there, though albeit more carefully and gracefully than the rocks that were skittering down before the blonde haired form of [member="Jamie Pyne"]. At first she didn't look familiar, he didn't even know who she was, not until she had gotten up to her feet and spoke.
Seemingly forgetting his previous appointments in the Core worlds, Aerion came to a slow stop when he finally came to the realization of who was standing before him.
"A poor joke would be to say 'rock bottom,'" he said, years of practicing statements so dry split the silence as he spoke. Presumably, she'd be surprised to see someone else present there, additionally as someone that could be vaguely familiar. He gave her the time she'd need to recognize him if she did, the cold Jedi back on Naboo. Then, he had been lazy, lacking drive to do anything except things for himself. Even in the cave, lit only by the crystals reflecting off the rock walls, there was a chance she'd be able to tell there was some difference to him.
Specifically, purpose.
And probably his outfit, it'd be wrong if he never changed his clothes.
Given they were entering the fray in as low-key a fashion as possible, Perth chose not to carry any weapons. Or rather, no visible weapons. For she espoused the view of a former Jedi Grand Master that was most famous for falling out of a window, that she was the weapon. Not just because she was most developed in the magical side of the dark arts, but because she was an Echani. Or rather an Echani and Thyrsian mix that was raised an Echani warrior.
She was raised to see combat as all-encompassing and seen as something akin to a form of communication. As such, she did not relish fighting but her upbringing told her that to know an enemy fully, you had to fight them. To an Echani, fighting was not only self-defence, but a form of self-expression, a means of communication similar to art. To an Echani, a combat between two people said more than hours of talking.
Where she was not typical was with her embracing the Force. But like her brethren, she was focused on unarmed combat and loathed the use of armour, preferring to fight in minimal clothing. Her fighting style focused more on agility and movement, and so anything that hampered freedom of movement was avoided.
Finally, she swung her leg over a speeder bike and joined the group heading out towards the crystal caves. She did not want to draw attention to a large group of riders heading in the same direction, so she hung back. It not only made them look less like a small army but it gave her the chance to see if anyone was following the main group.
Siriwook smells the departure of another person, [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]. She wonders for a moment if she scares them and they ran away, but it doesn't matter--she's here for the crystal. She hears it sing. Or, rather, she feels it out through the Force. But the thing about the Force is, it's not uniform like water in an enclosed space. It has thick parts and thin. It has pools and eddies. It flows. And, to Siriwook's consternation, its babbling brooks don't always speak clearly. She must slow down her search and watch her steps. It's not a matter of getting lost--as long as she is conscious, she knows the way back, and she can always ask the Loth-cat--but a number of wrong turns could send her falling down a hole or into unbreathable gas or waste her time in a 3D labyrinth.
She reconsiders using the Loth-cat.... But she won't compromise the creature's safety merely for her own convenience. The crystal sings louder. She must turn back a ways and take the other path, a path which will pass over the one she has just traveled, and then drop down. Siriwook tests the air periodically by producing a small flame. She hopes none of the substances in the cave are highly flammable, but the flame will help her decide whether or not she can still breathe. She knows from her time on Wasskah that fire won't keep lit in a tightly-enclosed space, even if you hold your breath--a lesson that would have caused her death if she hadn't accidentally trapped another wild animal in her hiding space that was determined from annoyance by the smoke to break out.
Returning her attention to the present, she can see the ripples of the stone's song coming from around the corner. She's nearly there. As she approaches, she takes out her mining tools. The stone seems not to like this plan and stops singing to her. She sets down the mining tools, and the stone sings again.
"[Do you want to come with me?]" she asks the stone. She shakes her head. The stone doesn't have wants and needs. There is no singing stone. She is the stone! She is singing to herself. This realization seems to open something inside of her, deepening her understanding of the Force--but it is a remembering of something she can't quite grasp. Could this be connected to her false memories or her dreams of the darkness? She doesn't know, but she decides this was a good next step.
Siriwook sits next to where the stone is and closes her eyes. She allows the sounds of the cave and her breathing to be all she hears. She fills her heart with hope and feels a ripple beside her. The stone is moving. It is smaller than the one she sees from the outside. It is surrounded by a larger piece of crystal that is unstable. The large piece of crystal is holding the wall. If she breaks it, she will cause a cave-in! The Force remains mysterious to Siriwook. How does it know?
She thinks about the smaller crystal. Behind it, there is softer earth. Slowly, deliberately, she breaks away that Earth until the stone can get out from the crevice in the larger crystal. The effort of moving the unseen object inside of another object without disturbing the surrounding area is very taxing on Siriwook. She knows this will take a long, concerted effort of will and has to pause the advancement without dropping the crystal. She can't afford any distractions as she focuses on this singular task.
The most challenging aspect is moving the freed earth from around the front of the crystal's path to the back, as it has nowhere else to go. She uses cryokinesis to produce a little wiggle room, causing the materials to contract somewhat. A few more inches... a few more... she can sense the stone is now under less key stones--stones that are not as important to the structure of the cavern. She moves more earth behind the stone to keep it from falling back along its path and allows the ambient temperatures to return to normal. She lifts her mining tools and begins working the stone to free the crystal with gentle taps. She knows the wrong tap can shatter the crystal. Before reaching it, she'll have to use the Force again.
Her awareness of her surroundings comes back. There are a lot more people in the caverns than she first realized. What the heck is going on?
