The Search

[Qhorin Solas]

Old Corvette Somewhere in Space...

Cronos was plotting a course back to Republic space when the transmission came through. It was marked as urgent.

"We have word on the Padawan [member="Mira Gyndar"], who recently took her mother's StealthX and left the Yavin Academy in secret, without filing a flight plan. Her astromech droid returned the StealthX to the Yavin Academy.

"The droid and the ship's sensor data place her at known Dark Side worlds, primarily Vjun and Lehon. Padawan Gyndar left a sealed container under her bunk, rigged to destroy its contents if tampered with. Master Windspeaker has verified that the container holds a lightsabre, an ancient journal, and a Jedi holocron, none of which have any Dark Side presence.

"Padawan Gyndar separated from her ship at Ilum while apparently visiting the old Jedi temple, and instructed the droid to return her ship to the Academy, apparently as a call for help. A large One Sith fleet was detected in the system. It's vitally important that the closest Jedi to Ilum proceed at all possible speed and evaluate the situation. Please respond.

"Repeat, we have word on the Padawan Mira Gyndar..."

The transmission ended. The former Inquisitor settled back in the pilot's chair, thinking, considering. Preparing.

There was nothing to it. He could not leave a padawan to face the dark alone. Not when he was so well suited to facing it. As he had told Master Korr, he meant to be a shield against darkness -- this would be an opportune time to start.

Ilum wasn't far; just a short jump away, really. He would go there and see what he could find; what the Force might deign to show him, what clues there were to be had.

He responded to the message. "Jedi Knight Cronos Aegir en route to Ilum. I repeat, Jedi Knight Cronos Aegir en route to Ilum."

He entered the coordinates into the ship's computers and activated the hyperdrive. Beyond the viewport, a funnel of dazzling lights and patterns manifested, and space blinked by.

 

[Qhorin Solas]

The crystal refineries of Ilum loomed in the distance, massive constructs of durasteel and ultrachome that extended far beneath the planet's frigid surface to the icy crystal caverns of its frozen core. A long range of jagged mountains spread beyond the refineries, appearing as if giant waves that had been frozen in mid rise. Sky and ground both were a rich, pure white, almost blinding in their intensity.

Cronos flicked a switch on the console and a photochromatic shield lowered across the main viewport. The glare subsided.

He hadn't seen anything that could offer evidence as to the fate of Mira Gyndar, but his feelings where a different mater entirely. There had been a Sith here, he could feel it in his bones, and not some run of the mill Sith either. This one had had power. The echoes of his presence still reverberated in the Force, almost completely overshadowing what could only be traces of Padawan Gyndar. There were other echoes, though, broad strokes and fine lines that were lesser and far mor numerous, some recent, some too faint to decipher.

This wouldn't do. He'd have to go down to the surface to better discern what had transpired here. Finding where to land was only a matter of following the chaotic streaks in the Force, where influences outside the planet's natural order had enforced their will directly. Such, however, was easier said than done. This wouldn't be the work of a few paltry seconds -- he'd have to focus, and reach deep...

He set the ship to hover and retired to the small meditation chamber above the hangar. Legs folded beneath him, he fell into the Force and let the currents take him.

 

[Qhorin Solas]

Ilum had always been rich in the Force. Traversing the unmeasurable threads of the Force that wound about the planet was like swimming upstream and downstream at the same time. It wanted to pull him this way and that, against where he intended to go.

He pushed on, doggedly, senses tuned to search for the lingering wisps of the dark side. One might have thought finding use of the dark side in such an inherently light planet was easy, but the dark side was as surreptitious as it was insidious. It was like looking for a needle in a planet-wide haystack.

But, once upon a time, he had made prodigious use of the dark side; he knew its whispers, no matter how faint. It was only a matter of hearing them.

There was...something far to the north, something fleeting and elusive. An anomaly, of sorts. Something old, impossibly so, and something new. Was this what he had been searching for? He pushed deeper, wading further into the swirling energies of the Force. He was drowning in history, in feeling, in divine design...

Yes, the north. That was it. That was where his search would begin.

He eased the throttle forward, and guided his ship northward.

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

Location: Snow cave, Ilum
Temperature: -39º C

A fur cloak covered the Jedi as she sat, meditating in the snow cave she had dug. Originally the lady had considered staying in the ancient Jedi Temple. However, that was a bit too obvious if any enemy came looking.

The Jedi felt like she had failed in some aspect of training the little Nautolan. Thus the reason she was on this icy world; for some time away from the mass population of the order.

Suddenly, the knight felt to leave and get going toward the north.
Stepping outside her shelter, the lady lowered the hood which partly obscured her face.

Two lightsabers could be seen on her belt. Of course, if anybody knew this Jedi, there could be more hidden.
As she finished covering up traces of her being there, a ghost appeared
"Neffy, yousa must hurry. Anutha Jedi wait for yousa."
It had been a while since Nef had been visited by any force ghost. And she knew this one very well indeed
The Jedi turned to face the Otolla who wore the robes of a Jedi
"It has certainly been a while, Master Bari."

The gungan's barbels twitched as he he let out a soft chuckle.
"Mesa know. Wesa chat later, okeeday?"

Nefertari nodded and began heading for the North.
This scent...a ship had been here. Probably within the past ten minutes, give or take.

The Jedi enhanced her speed, passing what appeared to be a starfighter flying overhead.


[member="Cronos Aegir"]

 

[Qhorin Solas]

There, sprinting through the snows, was a robed figure. A Jedi, Cronos surmised, after tasting the distinct flavor of her presence in the Force. Perhaps she could be of assistance? Discerning echoes in the Force wasn't so tricky, but understanding them, interpreting them down to each little ripple, was another matter entirely.

He pushed the ship faster, and wheeled around to settle in her path, thrusters turning snow to steam. He left the cockpit and sprinted down the corridors of his corvette to the hangar. As the hangar doors lowered, a blast of frigid wind swept through the ship, chilling Cronos down to his bones. He called upon the Force to regulate his body temperature, and the chill left him. He stepped down the ramp into the snow, heard it crunch underfoot, heard wind howling past his ears, sending his hair a flutter.

He breathed deeply and felt ice settle in his lungs. "Greetings," he called out, as she drew near. "My name is Cronos. Are you here for the search as well?"

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

A ship set down in her path. When the door opened, a man disembarked and approached Nef

"Greetings," he called out, drawing near. "My name is Cronos. Are you here for the search as well?"

"Good day, Cronos. My name is Nefertari."
Something was confusing though
"What search do you speak of? I have not received any word for a few days."

If this was the other Jedi who Master Bari had mentioned, then she would probably go along with him.




[member="Cronos Aegir"]

 

[Qhorin Solas]

Cronos gave a slight bow before he spoke. "Padawan Mira Gyndar of the Yavin Academy is missing. Her astromech and ship returned to Yavin, without her. She visited several dark side planets before coming here, to visit the old Jedi temple. To compound matters, there was a rather large One Sith fleet sighted in the system."

He looked to the north, narrowing his eyes against the wind. "It is my belief that she was taken by Sith, but I would still like to visit the old temple." He turned his gaze back to Nefertari. "Have you noticed anything amiss during your time here?"

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

 

[The End Narrator]

There would be faint traces within the Force...

An essence of Mira Gyndar lingered in the area - fluids frozen over from a duel that could have passed a few hours prior, maybe longer. The ground would have splatters of blood across the markings of the Jedi Order, luckily, the surface of Ilum was cold enough that it retained the fluid instead of blowing away in the wind. Two sets of footprints, appeared to drag something through the snow that left a trail of blood which abruptly ended near a larger imprint, perhaps a ship? Near the Temple entrance lay broken ice and snow, perhaps from a hard impact of sorts.

The remains of a One Sith probe droid would be scattered about, half-buried in the snow and ice. Within the Temple itself, the charred remains of wood and debris lay dormant where Mira slept and ate for days while she camped - waiting to complete her business on Ilum. The tracks of an astromech droid would lead in a different direction than the boot prints of a young girl - which led back outside.

There would be plenty of clues and evidence for the Jedi Investigators - should they seek it.

[member="Cronos Aegir"] | [member="Nefertari Sovint"]

Spoiler

OOC - Purely a clue post, give you guys some stuff to do!

 

[Qhorin Solas]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

There were clues to be had at the temple. Evidence of Mira's presence, tracks and markings and, in the drifts that hugged the ruined temple, frozen blotches of blood. There were footprints, faint now, for the near constant snow fall, and the scattered remains of some sort of probe. Yes, the knight thought. His instincts had led him right; or the Force, rather.

He didn't enter the temple just yet. He spoke his findings and suspicions into his comlink to be relayed to his ship and transmitted to the Academy. He had seen what there was to see; now he meant to feel what there was to feel. The Force had led him this far. What else might it reveal?

He sat outside the temple, atop the cold snow, wind whistling passed his face. He fell into the Force with practiced ease, and was again privy to the threads that had guided him here. The darkness has come here, but the other thread, slighter and fainter, wound into the temple. He reached deeper, hoping for a glimpse of what had transpired.

Mira Gyndar had been taken by the One Sith, of that he was beyond certain. The who continued to elude him. It possibly always would.

But he would search regardless.

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

The old temple looked a bit more like a trash dump now. The sooner the Jedi could re-take this planet the better.

there was some blood frozen in one of the footprints
"These tracks are fresh. So is the blood staining some of them."
Nefertari deepened her senses
"I get the feeling Miss Gyndar is still alive for now. We had best hurry though. Who knows what the Sith might have planned for her?"

Then something occurred to her. Perhaps she should check the downed probe droid?
If it had a "black box" in suitable condition, perhaps the two Jedi could get more information.

As the lady approached the droid, part of it powered up and fired a couple blaster bolts at her
"WHOA!" Nefertari exclaimed as she dove out of the way.
A flurry of lightning erupted from the Jedi's fingertips, hitting the obviously malfunctioning robotic mass and shutting it down for good.

She searched the droid and..."(Gunganese expletive)" If there had been any info, it had been destroyed by the electric judgment.

Once more Nefertari dropped into sensing through the Force. It was as though the temple itself were calling her to come inside
"Cronos, I get the feeling we should enter. What do you say?"


(Sorry I took so long)

[member="Cronos Aegir"]​