Tied Together With A Smile

[Jamie Pyne]

"So much for Jedi Masters mastering things like arrogance, and always learning, huh Aela?" She elbowed the girl in the side a little, standing next to her as they inspected the crystals. "I know what these are. I just didn't need to hear myself say it." Instead of an elbow this time she prodded Aela with two fingers between her ribs. Her own sarcastic smile appeared as she drew back and placed her attention on the crystals growing out of the stone.

The blonde watched as Aela was seemingly pushed away from the one she moved to touch. A slight snicker came from the younger girl.

"Yikes. The great Jedi Talith can't handle a little crystal?"

The Padawan reached over, brushing her hand slowly against the crystal.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Mhm, sure." She frowned for a moment though.

"They must be attuned." Aela said quietly. "To people, individuals."

She looked around the cave.

"There must be thousands of them." Slowly Aela turned the flashlight towards other edges of the cavern, watching as they sparkled with a soft sort of glow that seemed to enhance the light all around them. "Maybe more."

Amazement flowed from her voice.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Maybe." She said with a nod. "Come on, there's probably more further in. I don't think you'll need that flashlight though. Not if the cave is littered with these."

If the crystals were all uniquely attuned to individual people, perhaps there was one meant for Aela, and Jamie as well? If so, none of the ones right here called to the blonde. She remembered the first time she felt the pull of the Force towards her crystal. It was strange, almost like something she didn't know was missing suddenly drew her towards it.

Maybe there was another.

"This way." She beckoned, turning the corner where an incredibly steep incline dipped low into the earth. "Have to be careful, this way could be dangerous."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded.

In truth there was really no telling exactly how long these crystals had been here.

As far as Aela knew there were only a few places in the galaxy that had crystals one could use in lightsabers, at least in any notable abundance. Those places could be counted on the fingers of one hand. She frowned for a moment and tried to think of the last time she'd been in a place like this.

Lothal.

Jamie had been buried beneath the cave then, though even there the Crystals hadn't been so abundant. Her lips thinned as she shook the memory. This was no time to be thinking about something like that, they were supposed to be having fun. "Maybe we should contact the New Jedi Order when we're done here."

This would certainly interest them.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"If that's what you'd like to do."

She was somewhat surprised by wanting to share the cave with the Order, having mostly decided to leave. By doing that they would likely take ownership of the cave, or at least means to secure it from others venturing inside. That meant the crater would no longer become something of an enthusiasts challenge anymore, and more of a Jedi outpost.

The thought saddened her for a moment, but it wasn't exactly up to Jamie to decide. If Aela felt the NJO should be made aware, that was what would happen.

"Come on." She called again, carefully balancing herself with her hands against the wall as she slowly descended the slope. The ground beneath her feet wasn't terribly sturdy, so balance and careful footing would be important.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"You'd rather not?" Aela asked her padawan quietly.

This wasn't just her decision after all.

Aela had always tried to make it so Jamie's word had equal weight to her own, at least in these sorts of things. The Marshal was by no means perfect, and she knew that, so when it came to matters of...well a more wordly nature she like to ask for advice. She trusted Jamie, and so of course her word meant more than some others.

"Careful." She told her Padawan as she seized the force. "Be ready to brace yourself."

A fall here would not at all be pleasant.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It's not that I don't want them to have access to Force crystals." Hardly. She would much rather they be all rounded up by the Jedi than fall victim to a single Sith. "But in doing so, it will ruin the wonder of the cave, take away from what we're doing here, will polarize it as another trial ground for young Jedi, and a harvesting center for the rest." She shrugged, "And eventually, the Sith will find it." Crystals were like beacons. Once the knowledge was out there, everyone came for it. Light, dark, and grey alike. In time, it would likely be discovered regardless.

No secret was kept forever, but the longer it could be, the better. At the moment, few traveled to Lujo cave diving, making this a relatively unknown place.

"I've got this." She said with a smile to Aela.

Her boots dug into the rock bed beneath her feet, slowly inching her way down. The slope angled off about twenty-five feet down, curving down towards some other tunnel. It would be hard to tell where it went from there, but it looked to get significantly more cozy the further down they went.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela let out a slow nod. "Alright."

Her padawan was right of course. The Jedi would want this place protected. They wouldn't ruin it in any way of course, not with mining or anything silly like this, but the moment they became alerted to it's presence it wouldn't be long before the Sith caught wind, and they would most certainly destroy it.

"We won't tell them." She said to Jamie as they carefully made their way forward. "Though, I think eventually they'll figure it out on their won."

She had no idea what the Alliance planned to do with Lujo, but eventually someone else would find this place. She smiled at Jamie as they wandered forward a bit more, her hands scrunching slightly against the rock behind her so that she could get a small grip, trying to hold herself up as best as she could. "But we can keep it secret."

Aela moved an inch more forward.

"For a little while at least." She wondered just how long.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

There was a small smile on Jamie's face beneath the cover of the darkness. For now it would be kept secret. For how long though was indeterminable. "Okay." She said quietly, listening and feeling for the shifting of rock beneath her feet. Whenever and wherever it felt unstable she softly shifted her feet to a more stable spot. At this pace though it would take some time to reach the bottom of this incline. Though if they were rather determined to descend faster they could always anchor into the stone and lower themselves, but Jamie would much rather save what anchors and rope they had for later if possible.

The other option of course was simply sliding on their rears down, but even then, they could get injured if they weren't careful about it.

"So what are you going to tell your mom?" She asked finally, breaking the silence in the air.

Her hands braced again on the wall as she felt a sudden shift in the soil.

"When you contact her about leaving the order? What do you think she'll say?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Careful!" She told Jamie as she clutched the wall, trying to see if there was a better way down so that they didn't hurt themselves. She brought the flashlight down, her lips thinning for a moment. They could slide down safely on their feet if they used the force, though it'd have to be in a more...unique way.

"I'm not sure." She answered Jamie. "She won't try to stop me."

That just wasn't who Kira was. Even if Aela suddenly became a Sith her mother wouldn't try to stop her, oh there would be plenty talkings to, and her mother would likely send her father to beat her over the head, but Kira wouldn't really...stop Aela. She tried to be supportive in everything, save for murder of course. "I don't think she'll even really be disappointed."

That also wasn't like KIra. Aela shook her head.

"Honestly I have no idea why I'm so nervous." There was no reason to be.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Then are you just telling her to be reassured that it's okay to make up your own mind?"

Jamie didn't totally understand the reasoning behind Aela asking her mother, or telling her, whatever it was that she had planned to do. It was clear the girl's mind was more or less already made up, so in Jamie's mind, that was really all that mattered. She had lived beneath the eyes of her parents and rebelled against them by leaving Naboo to begin training in the Force, much to their disappointment. In that regard she knew that asking them would be the wrong thing to do, but she supposed that for Aela it was different.

Maybe she did just need the comfort of knowing her mother approved of her decisions, whatever they were.

"It doesn't sound like you have any reason to be nervous, really."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela shrugged. "Yeah."

That was really the answer.

"She'd always wanted us to be Jedi. So maybe I'm just another kid looking for the approval of their parent." Saying it that way was maybe a bit harsh, but it was true enough. Aela just wanted her parents to be proud of her. She already knew that they were in some manner, but...well if she left the Jedi Order that might change. Her rational mind told her it wouldn't, but this wasn't really a situation that one could pin rationality on.

"Come on." She told Jamie. "Follow my lead, and be careful."

Slowly Aela pushed herself off the wall, leaning back slightly and touching the ground with one hand while squatting low. Her other palm remained in front of her, flashlight between her teeth. Slowly she began to slide down the cliffside, the hand in front of her gently pushing away rocks, boulders, and anything else in her way.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie paused for a second, watching Aela curiously slide her way down the length of the tunnel's slope. Her nose twitched, seeing the girl zip down, the only hint of her existence being the light she held in her mouth. Hopefully she wouldn't fall or that will break all of her silly teeth! She pulled back her lips at the thought, cringing slightly.

Well...Here goes.

The girl tried her best to follow Aela's instruction, feeling the weight shift in the soil beneath her as she went skidding down the length.

Twice she felt a sudden paused, nearly enough to push her forward and off balance into a face dive, though by some grace of the Force managed to hold it together just long enough to reach the bottom without death or injury. "Woah! Stars! I made it safely!" She blew a puff of air to move away the hair from her face.

"According to what I read, and the pictures I saw, this is the easier of the cave's sections that lead to the lagoon."

The blonde brushed off the dirt from her hands and continued forward, along with the light from Aela's torch.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela let the flashlight fall into her hand once more.

"Sometimes I wonder how people even get by without the force." Aela said as she slowly shook her head. She had always used the force, at least that she could remember. It had helped her from an early age, and her father had said that even from an early age she'd used her abilities naturally.

She shrugged.

"How much further do you think?" Aela said as the light of the flashlight moved across the caverns. She wondered if any of the Sith had discovered this place. They had held Lujo for nearly a decade before it had been liberated by the Alliance, though she thought it a bit silly that they hadn't left anything behind, especially if they'd discovered the lightsaber crystals she and Jamie had stumbled upon earlier. "I don't think this flashlight will last forever."

She wish she'd taken one of those rechargeable ones.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I'm not really sure." She admitted.

After all, it wasn't like she'd ever been through the cave herself. "I've only seen the pictures and heard the stories. The people that spoke of this place were not Force sensitive, at least, I don't think. If they were, they would have surely mentioned the crystals, I would think." It had taken them all relatively the same length of time, two days, three including the trek to and back. Jamie and Aela had made good time already, getting to the site and into the cave in the first day. Of course, how long they'd been inside, and what the time was, was a bit difficult to know, given the lack of natural sunlight or moonlight around them.

"I know that the lagoon follows a series of tight passageways. Only one of us can fit through at a time, so we'll have to go one in front of the other."

They'd know they arrived by the bright light beneath the surface of the expansive pool as well. That was the main reason they were here, anyway.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

True to her word, the corridors quickly began to narrow as they moved further along. Aela was the first to notice it, frowning slightly and bringing the light a little bit ahead of herself so that they could peer down the caverns that were quietly closing in on them. "Well..."

Aela said quietly.

"I hope you're not claustrophobic." That would be unfortunate, especially considering that they didn't really have any other way of getting to this lagoon. Slowly the corridor began to close off ahead of them, Aela offering her flashlight to Jamie. "Here."

If she was going to lead the way it was better that she had the light. "Just don't run off with it."

Aela wasn't afraid of the dark or anything, but...well one could easily get lost down here.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie patted her chest and began waiving her hand towards her face. "Ohhhhh! Aela! I'm scared!" She cried out. "I can't breeeeeeeeeeathe!"

She was totally faking it, but it was still entertaining for her to mock Aela a bit. "I didn't think going into a deep cave underground was going to be so dark and tight!" The blonde snapped the light up in her hand and turned her head back, shining it up from beneath her chin. Aela would see her sticking her tongue out at her before quickly squeezing herself between the compact walls of the cave ahead. Thankfully the rock walls were smooth and devoid of jagged edges that could potentially cut or gash open her rather exposed skin.

The smell of salt water slowly began to fill the cave, the more she wiggled through with Aela just a short distance behind.

"Don't get stuck" She warned, "I don't want to have to use my lightsaber to cut your big ass free."

She giggled, continuing to push herself along.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela swatted at Jamie again. "Quiet you!"

At the very least in the narrow tunnel Jamie was easy to hit, that was a benefit to all of this. The Cavern grew more and more narrow, even as she could begin to smell the salt water within the air. She squeezed herself through the same points that Jamie had just gone through. The girl was a tad skinnier than her, Aela having more muscle tone, but she managed to get herself through the tiny space without too much trouble, just having to shift slightly.

"My ass is not big." She told her padawan. "It is perfectly proportioned to my body size."

Aela popped out on the other side.

"If anything, It'd be you who gets stuck." She took a deep breath.

"What with all that ice cream you eat." The Jedi Master said as Jamie handed back the flashlight, the cavern once again expanding as a soft glow erupted out from ahead of them. "Not to mention the brownies."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie waited for Aela to squeeze out of the cramped tunnel and onto a wider section of rock. Her head tilted back, seemingly looking at Aela's behind. She wiggled her nose and poked the girl's butt.

"Still bigger than mine." She said, "Brownies and ice cream included." Her cheeks puffed into a wide smile, "You got a bubble butt."

The blonde laughed once more, making her way around the winding path in the wider area of the cave. Above, clung to the ceiling of the cave high up hung heavy looking stalactites, by far heavy enough to kill should one fall on an unsuspecting person. Thankfully there hadn't been any reports of missing persons venturing into the cave, or that could have very well been one of the reasons why.

Circling around the wide berth of the cave was a seemingly natural walking path that led to the lagoon several dozen meters below. Sure enough, vibrant light shone through the water, casting a mystical blue hue along every inch of the walls surrounding the water beneath them.

Jamie could feel the essence of the Force blooming below. These definitely were not mineral caves, but, like Aela had found at the entrance, crystals buried within the stone below.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Bubble Butt? Like you shou-" She was about to continue on when they finally found their way to the lagoon.

"Wow." Was all Aela could manage to say, her eyes settling on the glowing water. The flashlight clicked off in her hand, allowing the natural bloom of the light to shine up all around them. Her eyes adjusted to the softer light for a moment, and then she peered through the water.

The entire lagoon was perfectly still, not a single wave or rippled rushing across it, though she assumed that there was something feeding it somewhere. The Jedi Master quietly marveled at the sight, her eyes darting from place to place as she tried to take all of it in. Her eyes closed eventually, the force reaching out from her. Once again she felt the same presence as she had before, the odd bounce of the crystals as a few of them reflected the force, and others drew it in.

"There must be millions of them." She said quietly. "Untouched for thousands of years."

Unlike Illum or Lothal.