Private The Serpent and the Rainbow

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin could practically see the wheels turning in Tenn’s head. Virtually all of his padawans, without fail, had been taken aback by his willingness to let them call him by his first name rather than the proper titles. And like so many others, Tenn rejected the idea. Starlin was a little surprised, but this was all about the kid’s comfort level, so he said nothing more on the matter.

The appearance of the big red alien in the lift was arguably more important. Starlin got into the lift, with Tenn standing beside him. The Massassi pressed a button—Starlin noted that it was the floor Kandri was supposed to be on—and the lift started to rise.

"So uh… who are you exactly?"

“One who serves the Master of Cerements,” the Massassi replied. “He has been handling the zombie. Protecting her with his amulets.”

“Is this Master of Cerements also a ‘bocor’?” Starlin asked.

“No,” the Massassi said emphatically. “A bocor is a sorcerer who serves the spirits for good and for evil. The Master is a high priest. He practices sorcery only for good.”

By now it was pretty clear that, in addition to Mayor Kane and Dr. Starstone’s more scientific approach to the zombie phenomena, they would also be dealing with some sort of local folk religion’s interpretation of events. Other people may have scoffed at this, but Starlin’s training under Syd Celsius had taught him it was better to respect things you didn’t understand than to dismiss them as mere superstition. He was something of a space wizard himself, after all.

The elevator came to a halt. As soon as Starlin stepped out into the hallway, he was hit by the scent of incense. The smell only grew stronger as he followed the Massassi to another door… oh man. Was that dried blood smeared around the door frame?

The door slid open, revealing a room filled with ritual paraphernalia. Dried herbs and leather pouches hung from the ceiling, their scent mingling with that of the incense smoke. Starlin coughed discreetly into his elbow before entering, plastering a big, friendly smile on his face. His smile wavered slightly as he crossed the threshold, sensing how the energy of the room changed drastically in the Force compared to the rest of the hospital. Phew, this Master of Cerements guy must've been working with some pretty potent stuff...

There was indeed a woman sitting in the hospital bed, looking similarly wan and sickly as the Mirialan had. There was also a man sitting in a chair by her bed. “Close the door behind you,” he said sternly.

Making sure Tenn was inside with him, Starlin closed the door. He gave the man a thumbs up.

The man’s serious demeanor fell away, and he grinned as he stood up. “Welcome, Jedi Knights!” he declared jovially. “I am Kairn Savage, Master of Cerements.” He was dark-skinned, pointy-eared, and a little bit portly; the loose-fitting robes he wore didn’t help to disguise his belly. There were various objects hanging from his belt or around his neck, amulets and beads and vials and some sort of rattle with a bell attached that jangled when he moved.

“Cool,” Starlin said with a nod. “We need to talk to Kandri.”

The Massassi whispered something in Kairn’s ear. “Yes, you must speak to her, and I must deal with the zombie you brought with you,” Kairn said. “The amulets will protect you, so long as you do not let anyone through that door. When you are finished, come and find me—I would like to talk to you about all this.” With that, he and the Massassi both left, closing the door behind them.

Kandri seemed understandably nervous about Kairn leaving. She was Human and looked to be about Tenn’s age. Her fingers fidgeted with a leather pouch hanging around her neck as she stared at the two Jedi before her.

Starlin turned to his padawan and shrugged. “You want to do the honors?”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn blinked. The reponse left him with more questions than answers. The Massassi did expound somewhat on matters, at least in its relation to current events. Treatment was apparently being done mystically as much as it was medically.

They were led to a pungent, stuffy room, which immediately made Tenn's face contort. He was plenty use to bad smells, living as a slave and an undercity rat, but this was something much more distinct. He rubbed his nose, resisting the urge to pinch it.

The so called Master of Cerements introduced himself with the imposing name of Karin Savage. Starlin made no effort to introduce himself, so neither did Tenn. Kairn's demeanor was much more casual that he assumed. In fact it took only a quick conversation before he let them be to question the zombie he was working with, "Huh," Tenn shrugged. He wasn't complaining.

Approaching Kandri, however, made him a little more nervous. He was fine having back, but Starlin pushed him into the spotlight. Tenn grumbled under his breath, letting the silence drag a smidge too long before he spoke, "Uh… Hey. I'm Tenn," He glanced back at Starlin, before continuing, "We're Jedi. And we were hoping you could tell us about… what happened. If that's alright?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Despite his determination to be respectful and open-minded, Starlin hadn’t even thought to introduce himself, a bit overwhelmed by everything he was seeing—and Kairn seemed to disappear almost as quickly as he appeared, so there was little time to exchange pleasantries.

After the Master of Cerements and his assistant left, Starlin turned his attention to Kandri and Tenn, whom he had urged to start the interview. He was hoping to get his apprentice to do most of the talking, while Starlin stood guard. Can never be too careful where weird chit is involved.

“It was a powder that killed me,” she replied, her fidgeting becoming a little more erratic. “A white powder, like fine flour. Someone threw it in my face when I was walking home. It went into my eyes, my nose, through my skin. I felt faint, and I fell. When I woke up, it was… a funeral. I couldn’t move or open my eyes, but I could hear people I knew crying and talking about me like I was dead. Then they buried me, and I was so cold…”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

"I'm sorry. That sounds terrible," Tenn frowned. He wasn't exactly great at commiserating, not with words anyway. But the sentiment held true. Seeing the grief of loved ones you thought you were genuinely dead. Then being buried alive, unable to move or speak? It must have been an uncanny and terrifying experience.

They knew a little bit now. It was some kind of powder being used to do the deed. At least it was for her, "What next? Do you remember?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“I could hear the boneworms scratching along the edges of the coffin,” Kandri continued, her voice very soft and small. “They bored holes in it and started crawling over me, biting me. I tried to scream, but no sound would come out. Until I heard something hit the top of the coffin, and then the lid was pried off.

“There was someone standing over me. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. This person wore a painted mask and strange clothes. The boneworms on me caught flame and burned away to ash. I was lifted out of the ground and held in the air by some terrible power. And… and then something happened. I don’t remember what, only that I was suddenly free and lying on the ground. I ran out of the cemetery and into the street, screaming for help. Someone found me and brought me to the hospital.”

Starlin listened to her macabre story, stroking his chin. “Kandri—uh, I’m Starlin and also a Jedi. Anyway, is Kairn Savage helping you?” he asked.

“Yes. His amulets are the only thing which has protected me from the bocor.”

"So you believe the bocor is the one responsible for turning you into a zombie?"

"Who else could it be?"

Starlin shrugged. "Some people think it's done through drugs, without any sorcery."

"I used to think that too. I scoffed at the Master of Cerements and the old ways. But that was before the bocor turned me into a zombie."

She did kind of have a point, he supposed. “Well, at least you're free of 'em now.”

Kandri shook her head. “I have nightmares of the masked one chasing me, trying to restore power over me. Sometimes I would wake up unable to feel my limbs. This has kept the dreams at bay.” She clutched at the leather pouch around her neck. “Kairn says I am not meant to be among the dead, so he will perform a ritual to bring me back among the living. Then the bocor will have no more power over me.”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Another haunting piece of imagery, capped off with vague details about the apparent culprit behind the zombifications. Someone of indeterminate gender, dressed in strange, concealing garb, apparently capable of levitation. Tenn glanced back at Starlin, “Some kind of Force user?” A pretty safe guess given the supernatural circumstances, but hearing a firsthand account made him more comfortable to begin putting theories together.

“What could’ve broken the bocor’s control?” He mused aloud, then glanced back at Kandri, “Anything else? Anything at all that stood out to you? Every little detail helps.”

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Some kind of Force User?”

“Or someone with a repulsor device,” Starlin said with a shrug. "You're probably right, though. I get the impression the bocor is a legit sorcerer, even if their methods seem kinda overcomplicated."

“What could’ve broken the bocor’s control? Anything else? Anything at all that stood out to you? Every little detail helps.”

Kandri’s brow furrowed, struggling to remember. “I thought I saw a shadow behind him right before it happened…”

“Could it have been another person? Someone who stopped the bocor?” Starlin pressed.

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. Starlin’s eyes darted toward the sound. “Who is it?” he asked.

“Nurse EW-3, here for a regular check on Patient: Harend, Kandri,” replied a soothing, modulated droid voice.

Scratching his head, Starlin exchanged glances with Kandri and Tenn. “Should we let it in?” he asked. Kandri seemed inclined to say yes, but Starlin was hesitant. Kairn had told him not to let anybody in. Did that rule extend to medical droids?

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn furrowed his brow. Something about learning an old horror tale from his youth was real didn’t exactly fill the padawan with joy.

Kandri seemed to remember an indiscernible shadow behind the bocor just before she was freed from their control. Another party in this little mystery? Before they could theorize further, a droid knocked on the door, requesting to check on the patient. Tenn glanced back to his master, shrugging, as he expected him to be the one to have the final say.

Shep was already at the door, waiting for a potential intruder. Tenn swallowed, and approached, “Hello?” He peeked out to see if the droid was legit, not opening the door fully, and giving whoever was on the other side only a peek into the near corner

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin took up position against the wall, lightsaber hilt in hand, while Tenn eased the door open a crack. On the other side there was… a floating medical droid.

“I don’t sense anything,” Starlin remarked. “If you think it’s okay, go ahead and let it in. I trust your instincts, Tenn.” Even if Tenn seemed to want to defer to his master as much as possible.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Sure enough, it seemed it was just a medical droid. Tenn didn't sense anything. Neither did his master. He furrowed his brow in a few seconds of intent thought, before finally relinquishing, "…Alright." He opened the door for the droid to come through, stepping aside. Shep backed down as well, though he remained studious of the visitor, "Don't take too long."

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

The medical droid floated into the room. Starlin kept his eyes darting either way down the hall, before gesturing for Tenn to shut the door. He gave his padawan a thumbs up before turning back to Kandri. “Uh… welp. I don’t have any more questions for ya. How about you, Tenn?

“Or should we head down and talk to Kairn?”

"You are Jedi," Kandri said suddenly, while the droid scanned her vitals. "That means you are powerful. The bocor will see you as enemies and want to enslave your souls. It is difficult, but not impossible. This bocor is very bold."

"Heh. Thanks for the warning." Starlin smiled awkwardly.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn just shrugged. He was ready to wrap up the creepfest as soon as possible. The droid came in and began it’s exam, at which point Kandri suddenly spoke plainly about the bocor’s M.O. Tenn stood up a little stiffly, and shot his master a let’s get out of here kind of look. For someone who was, until very recently, skeptical of any mysticism regarding the bocor, her sudden lucidity on the subject matter struck Tenn as disconcerting, “Um-- Feel better. I guess. Thanks for your help.”

He left the room, waiting for his master to join him, “So uh, the other guy wanted to speak with us too?”

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“You did good in there, Kalos Kid,” Starlin said after they had left the room, bidding Kandri a quick farewell. “Especially since I put you on the spot.”

They were headed down the hall when Starlin realized they didn’t know where the Mirialan patient was, which meant they couldn’t find Kairn either. Well, not couldn’t, but it would require the help of the Force to locate the Master of Cerements.

“Alright, training montage time again.” He turned to Tenn. “Can you stretch out your senses to track Kairn Savage down? He’s a Force User, so it shouldn’t be too hard to pinpoint his signature.”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

"Oh— Thanks," Tenn replied indifferently, though as he processed the compliment he seemed to stand up a little taller. The padawan never quite felt like he needed the approval of his superiors per se, but the acknowledgment of success was always appreciated. Especially from the one Jedi giving him the time of day to actually prove himself.

Something which Starlin was intent on doing once more. They needed to find the Savage guy, but didn't really know where to start. Which meant using the clarivoyant powers of the Forces to track him down. Tenn hardened his expression, and shut his eyes, needing to do so to focus. Force signatures, like his master said, were easier to pinpoint than NFUs, at least when they weren't being deliberately hidden. One such signature stood out from the rest, echoing more prominently through the etheral. Tenn could only presume that this was Kairn, "I… Think I picked up on something."

Tenn opened his eyes and glanced back at Starlin. Then he steeled his self-confidence, and began following the trail. Shep as always, wasn't far behind.

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin watched Tenn focus, then followed the boy when he set off across the hall and down to the first floor. Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous stairwell. For a moment, Starlin thought he heard a third pair of feet behind them and paused to listen. But he heard nothing. Must’ve been his imagination.

Tenn led them to an area without private rooms. Instead, patients would lie on beds lined up in rows. The padawan stopped before one which was divided from the others by a large gray curtain. Strange noises could be heard coming from behind it—not quite human voices and not quite animal sounds. Laying a hand on Tenn’s shoulder, Starlin carefully reached forward with his other arm to push aside the curtain.

Kairn Savage lay on his hands and knees on the floor before the bed, where the Mirialan zombie they had rescued earlier lay. The Master of Cerements was breathing hard, but otherwise motionless; the Mirialan, on the other hand, was thrashing violently, his limbs entangling in the sheets and a sheen of sweat coating his olive skin.

Kairn’s Massassi servant stood guard over the eerie tableau. His gaze flicked toward Starlin and Tenn as soon as they opened the curtain, a warning look in his eye. Do not interfere.

Shep began to howl and whine in distress.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

The closer they got to the room, the stranger things became. An underlying sense of eerie-ness crept up the padawan's spine, until they finally stood mere feet from the source of the uncanny cries, obfuscated by a curtain. Starlin took the lead now, revealing the scene behind. Savage was undergoing some kind of procedure with the patient, while his servant stood guard.

Tenn could barely even figure how he was supposed to react to it all. He glanced at his master, then his attention was swept away by Shep's uncharacteristic baying. He knelt down by the hound, trying to gain his focus, "Buddy! Hey, what is it? Calm down."

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Shep continued to howl and whine, until finally he slumped forward, his body suddenly going limp. Alarmed, Starlin crouched down to examine the charhound—but the Massassi grabbed his arm.

“Do not interfere,” he said. “The dog has been chosen as a mount.”

“Huh?” Starlin glanced down at Shep, who stood up again just as suddenly. His lips twitched as if he were about to growl, before he suddenly leaped up onto the hospital bed. The charhound bared his teeth in the zombified Mirialan’s face, looking like he was going to lunge forward and take a bite out of the helpless man!

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

"What?" Tenn threw his hands down, his voice exasperated and confused by the proceedings. The Massassi was insistent that they not interfere, all the while Shep was looking ready to take a bite out of the mirialan. Tenn stepped forward instinctively, fighting the urge to snatch his pup. He looked to the servant angrily, "If you don't want me to interfere, tell me what's going on," He demanded. If they would not extrapolate further, then he wasn't going to risk both Shep and the mirialan man.

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Your dog is possessed,” the Massassi replied, his expression stony as ever. “We cannot control who the spirits choose to ride, but this is a good omen. You must not interfere.”

Shep growled and barked at the zombified Mirialan, but then his jaws snapped shut and he instead laid down against his chest. This seemed to have a calming effect on the zombie, who stopped thrashing and groaning.

Kairn stood up. “The Serpent is here,” he breathed. “I can sense him.”

“What Serpent?”

“A powerful spirit. Together with his other half, the Rainbow, he can heal anything.”

Starlin closed his eyes, witnessing the event with the Force. He sensed a sharp increase in the concentration of energy within Shep, but he couldn’t be sure where it was coming from or what was causing it. “You could make the dog do whatever you want with the Force,” he said, letting his skepticism show. “Just like the bocor could take over the mind of a person and turn them into a ‘zombie’. No Serpent needed.”

“I have done nothing but prepare the way for the Serpent to enter. I thought he would choose me as a mount, as he has in the past, but he has chosen the dog.”

If Kairn was trying to impress them with a display of his religion’s power, it did seem a little weird that he would use Shep to do it. “Any idea why?”

“The Serpent can be mischievous. Perhaps he is mocking the bocor’s power by fighting him in the body of a pet animal.”

The Mirialan gradually fell into a peaceful sleep. Shep hopped down onto the floor again, tail wagging, and trotted over to Tenn. He seemed to be back to his old self.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn watched the bizarre proceedings with pent-up tension, just waiting to jump in if something went wrong. But the hound calmed, and so did the mirialan. Kairn explained the reasoning behind this turn of events, his religious rites tied to the so-called Serpent and Rainbow. Tenn didn't really have any understanding of it all, or most religion for that matter. Even Jedi teachings were more an academic study than anything else to him. He cast a side eye at the man regarding Shep as little more than a 'pet animal'. The charhound was smarter than your typical beast, and their connection was bound through the Force as much as it was loyalty to a master. Still, Kairn's assessment wasn't that far off in the grander context.

The Mirialan fell to rest, and Shep was seemingly no longer possessed as he hopped over to greet Tenn once more. The padawan knelt down, and gave his old friend scratches behind the ear, "So is that it?"

Starlin Rand​