Tied Together With A Smile

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie nodded to answer Aela's question. "A small one. Will be kind of tight, but carrying something bulky wasn't exactly an option. Besides, we really only need it to prevent the draft that I'm sure will be felt inside." Normally she would bring along one of the canopy bags to sleep in, but for a trip like this a tent was likely suitable. It would be warm at the area of the planet where the cave was located during this period in its' rotational cycle, meaning they wouldn't be too worried about sleeping in the cave.

"Should be able to latch it onto the bag rather easily."

Of course they would also need all of the other equipment too, including food and water. The trip back would be much easier in terms of weight, given a lot of it would be gone, meaning less to bring back on the return trip.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded, slowly taking one of the backpacks that she found and beginning to organize things in the right way to maximize space. Oddly enough this was one of the things she quite enjoyed doing. Packing was relaxing in a way, like a puzzle. It was all about making everything fit in just the right place. There was something extremely satisfying to making sure that you had everything that you needed in order to get on with your day.

Of course she'd never admit this outloud, mostly because Jamie would absolutely never let her live it down. "Alright."

She said with a quick nod, feeling the odd lurch of the ship as they dropped out of hyperspace. Her lips thinned almost out of reaction, knowing that they would soon be passing through the atmosphere of Lujo and heading towards the ground. Something that would be undoubtedly...shaky.

"We'll have to be careful of wildlife." She reminded Jamie. "Make sure not to leave any trash."

She perked her head up. "There aren't any big creatures on Lujo are there?"

Aela had never really looked into it, but she was pretty sure there wasn't.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie was not known for being neat. That was for sure. Her bedroom back home? A disaster. On Sullust? A nightmare. On passenger ships? A combination of the two. Packing so that everything would be quick and easy to access while properly fitting was a daunting task, one she found far more difficult than Aela did apparently, as it took her twice the amount of time to get her main bag filled.

As she worked she exchanged a bit of conversation with Aela. "Not that I know of. None of the others reported seeing anything note. Nobody has disappeared during their trips so far either. So I think we should be okay." That was a good sign at the least. If there were creatures, at least they weren't common. No Drexyls, Terentateks, or Sith to worry about to the best of her knowledge.

"Don't worry mom, we won't leave trash behind."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Good." She said. "Never want to exactly trust that the Sith haven't...brought something."

They were quite well known for doing so.

She glanced at Jamie when she called her 'mom', her lips turning down into a scowl. "Nature is important."

Aela reached over and whacked Jamie's side.

"Don't you forget it. If we go running around leaving trash everywhere we'll be no better than the Sith!" That was probably a little bit of an exaggeration, especially considering that most Sith destroyed entire worlds on purpose, but this was an important issue to Aela. "Now shush and keep packing."

The Jedi Master insisted, slipping a bedroll into the pack.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Hey! Ow!" She cried out, swatting at Aela's hand in retaliation for the smack she received. "I was joking! Do you think Naboo is so beautiful because my people don't care about our planet and that nature simply cleans up for us? Sheesh!"

The blonde rubbed her side where Aela had assaulted her, exaggerating the pain perhaps a little bit. Still, the hit was unnecessary, and the Sith comment was most definitely blown out of proportion.

Jamie mocked Aela by silently repeating her words in a goofy manner. Now shush and keep packing. Her head tilted side to side, nostrils slightly flared while her lips pursed. She would hear Jamie hmph, but continued doing as she was told.

"Anyways! I don't think we'll find anything besides small wildlife and some birds."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Good." Aela said with a smile. "I'd rather not have to chase you when you run away from another Terentatek."

To be fair to her apprentice, the creatures had been created to kill Jedi and other force users...but she teased her about what she didn't like so why couldn't Aela do the same?

It was only fair.

"I'd get tired, you seem to run faster when that happens." She offered Jamie a small wink a she placed two packs of freeze dried food on top of her bag, folding them beneath the canvas section of the tent they would be taking along.

It paid to be prepared.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's expression turned to one of complete disgust. "Don't joke about that." She warned, "Those things are terrifying!"

Twice she had seen them now. Twice too many. Disgusting, vile, abominations.

"If one is there, I'll be sure to add Lujo as another planet to never visit again."

There was a reason she ran faster when a Terentatek was involved. They were murderous rampaging monster beasts! She wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, who made them, why, or how many existed. All she knew was that Aela said they lived for a long time, longer than she would live, and that was enough for her. They could stay wherever they were.

The blonde crammed a few more items into her pack, a pair of canteens and clothing, then tightly zipped and clasped the bag shut with a nod.

"No. No Terentateks Aela. Not unless you're the one gonna deal with them."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She stopped for a second. "You do know..."

Aela slipped a small lamp into the pack.

"That Korriban is crawling with those things right?" Jamie had expressed an interest in going to the Sith Homeworld for quite some time, having told Aela that she intended to go there even if her Master didn't allow it. "The same goes for pretty much every other Sith planet. Ziost, Dromund Kaas, Athiss..."

All worlds that Jamie had wanted to see, explore. She had an odd fascination with the ancient Sith, even after having met Vrak who practically tortured her. "They all have Terentateks, not to mention all sorts of other beasties that aren't natural."

She wondered if Jamie had ever even thought of that particular conundrum.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde stopped what she was doing, hands still on the zipper of the bag. She blinked. Again. And again. Her eyes fell to the floor while she heard what Aela said in her head several times over. The girl bit her lip. Suddenly this prospect seemed far less pleasant than she had originally thought.

"Well," Jamie said, turning to face Aela. "I guess that just means..." She lingered in silence for a moment or two.
"You will just have to come and make sure I am safe." She lifted the bag up to set aside while she began to pack the smaller pouches. "You'll have to make sure there aren't any where we're going." A coy smirk appeared on her face. "It is your duty as my master to ensure my safety, after all."

She then continued packing, as if her statement was already set in stone.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"They're kind of hard to avoid on Korriban." She told her padawan, sticking out her tongue. "That's not to mention the Hssiss, Tuk'ata, K'kor Slugs, and the dozen other creatures running around the Valley of the Dark Lords."

She mused for a second. "It'd be easier just to show you some pictures."

There were plenty of them. The old Galactic Republic, The Mandalorians, and the Silver Jedi Order had all documented the tombs quite well. It wasn't a complete historical record of course, but it was about as close as one could get without actually going yourself.

"That way you'll be extra safe." She folded some of her own clothes and placed them into the pack.

She wasn't opposed to going to Korriban with Jamie, she was more controlled now and she'd taken things with Vrak pretty well...but she was still weary of such a trip.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It's not the same. I want to see it for myself."

Pictures were great, but the reason she was going to Lujo was because pictures did not give the actual experience. She wanted to see Korriban for herself as much as she wanted to take Aela with her on this journey to the cave. Experience was what she wanted. Pictures could only do so much. In the end, they didn't help someone truly understand the extent of value the places had.

"If that means I have to push you through every room to make sure it's empty first, I'm willing."

She grinned. "If that's what it takes."

Jamie finished the last of the packs as the violent rumble of the ship echoed once more, threatening to knock her off balance as the ship began to lower towards its' final destination.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She let out a huff.

"That seems mean." As soon as she spoke the ship began to wildly shake, her hand shooting out to grab onto one of the side panels of the cargo hold. There was a violent shutter of the vessel itself, then a large leap as they dropped through the atmosphere.

The pit that signaled they were descending quickly began to form in her stomach.

"God I hate this." She said quietly. "Makes me feel like I'm going to throw up."

Aela closed her eyes and began to count in her head, trying to put her focus onto something else. Her fingers squeezed around the edge of the small metal panel, holding it so that she could at the very least keep herself steady. "Why did the galaxy have to lose hypergate technology."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie was not quite close enough to brace herself against or with anything. Instead, the moment the ship tilted and shook she was sent stumbling forward, off balance. A quick "Wo-ooah!" cried out as she tried to compensate for the sudden changes, though ultimately failing to do so. Her hands shot out to prepare herself for hitting the floor. A loud thud rang out as she went tumbling down, her hands hitting the metallic floor. Surprisingly she managed not to smash her face immediately after. Instead she simply laid in place, just in case the ship suddenly bucked again and sent her in another direction.

Perhaps it would have been wise to strap in like the original plan was, rather than pack to kill time.

Another series of vibrations rocked the ship as it descended. There was still hardly anything to hold onto, and Jamie felt it safer to not move, rather than to try and reach anything else in this predicament.

Hurry up and land for stars sake!

The girl shuttered her eyes, waiting for the touchdown or the crash.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Thankfully their wish was granted before long.

The ship banked, then suddenly jerked up. Aela nearly felt her mouth fill with Bile, the sudden stop bringing her stomach up through her throat. The ship shook one more time, and then finally came to a complete stop, a loud hiss ringing out as the landing gear pumped it's hydraulics. "I hate ships."

She said quietly.

"I really." Aela burped, her face twisting in disgust. "Really do."

They would have to find an alternative means of getting around, or perhaps never leave planets.

Either or.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie kept to the floor for another moment, just to be sure when she stood she wouldn't wind back up face first into the durasteel floor again.

Of course she wasn't nearly as airsick as Aela, who looked a bit green in the face by the time Jamie looked over at her. Another few moments and she feared the girl was going to be sick all over the place. And while Jamie was fine with space and air travel, she wasn't the greatest when it came to other people vomiting in front of her. It was one of those reactionary reactions where she would throw up at the sight of someone else doing it.

"Not the best of landings I've ever endured." Normally she wasn't face planted on the floor. "But not the worst." She had crashed several times, after all.

When the blonde finally stood back up she brushed herself off and called to Aela. "Come on, let's get going."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela nodded, slowly scooping up the backpack that she had been packing and strapping it into place. Everything else quickly followed and she watched as Jamie did the same, clips made slight clicking noises as they were fastened into place, both of the Jedi Making sure that everything was in place before quickly checking one another over. "Alright."

The Jedi Master said with a smile.

"I suppose we're ready then." There was more than a little bit of excitement in her voice. She hadn't done something like this in years. Hiking had always been something she enjoyed, being among nature and seeing all of the things it had to offer. It helped that Lujo was a world that she hadn't explored before. Sure she'd been here when the Alliance had first invaded the Sith, but she'd hardly gotten to see the world aside from the Sith Temple.

"You lead the way." She told Jamie as they waved goodbye to their pilot. "I have no idea where we're going."

It was up to her padawan this time, and odd thing considering she was usually the one to go first.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie shifted the bag on her back, centering the weight so that her shoulders didn't get tired after just a few minutes of walking. "Okay." She gave a nod and strode down the ramp of the ship. On her wrist was the WWG she had taken from her armor, just in case. It would take a couple of hours to reach the mouth of the cave, though it would be impossible to miss. The massive crater in the earth would give it away. Between them and that cave however was a thickly forested wood.

A small foot path gave the impression that a number of others had already made the trek themselves, making things slightly easier to navigate.

"This way" She beckoned as she began off into the woods of Lujo.

The temperature outside was warm, but not unbearably so like Dxun had been, and not nearly as humid. A ten minute walk wouldn't begin to pour copious amounts of sweat like back on the moon had. Jamie had never felt more disgustingly filthy in her life. A two hour long shower followed that trip when they had finally arrived, draining nearly all of the hot water in the pipes that day.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela followed after Jamie, her walk almost a lazy gait. Her eyes darted from place to place, as if she were trying to take in all of Lujo all at once.

There was a funny child like wonder to Aela in that moment, as if it were the first time she'd been outside in weeks. The idea of that wasn't too far from the truth, mostly since she'd been cooped up in the office back at SIS HQ, or she'd been on one mission or another. The only time she'd relaxed in months was their Trip on Vineta, and even then it had only been a single night. A single night that she'd paid a terrible cost for. Her head shook away the memory.

"I should do this more often." Aela said as they wandered won the path.

"All SIS agents should." She said quietly. "Work is too stressful."

Maybe she'd have to talk to the Boss-lady, though Aela doubted she could get her to instate mandatory vacations. The SIS was more forward thinking than most intelligence Agencies in the galaxy, but they were still an intelligence agency. If all spies were on vacation then there was no one to get information.

That would be the excuse anyway.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Suppose you could always just quit." She said with a snicker, her head turned partway back to look at both Aela and the direction they were headed. Jamie wasn't the best at not being clumsy, so she had to make sure she paid attention as best she could to not fall into some pit of death, or walk into a tree, or throw herself onto a lightsaber and die a terrible death.

If Aela was considering leaving the Jedi she was surely also considering the SIS. Jamie wasn't entirely certain what her decisions would be on either option yet. She still had time, still needed to talk to her mother. But in the end it would be up to her, regardless of what guidance she was given. Though she couldn't help but feel as if her mother's opinion held quite a bit of sway, much in the same as her own father used to have.

"Then you'd have all the time you want to vacation and explore."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I dunno." Aela said as they continued down the path. "I've thought about it."

That revelation would come as no surprise to Jamie, especially since she'd already guessed it.

"The problem is I don't know if I would be satisfied just going on vacation constantly." That might have sounded silly to some, but Aela had spent her entire life working towards a goal. That goal was the eradication of the Sith, stopping those that would do harm to others. The idea of it was a bit naive, especially considering her own family, but it was still a goal that she had been working towards. Even now with the Alliance she reached towards it, hoping to stop the First Order.

"I don't think I could ever just do nothing." She explained to Jamie. "That seems boring."

That was the crux of it.