Exploring

[Raph]

The Warden; Hyperlane to Tatooine

He typed slowly into the main console, setting a course for Sorethu, while looking over what little the Order had on the planet. There wasn’t much of it, to be honest. Largely temperate, monsoons were fairly prevalent, and there was a largely sentient species resembling the Canidae… He sighed. It was going to be a difficult assignment, in other words. He was to explore, on foot, a good few square miles, as well as to fly around the planet and analyze the land. Map the amount of settlements and examine their level of technological and societal advancement.

He walked back, away from the bridge of the ship and sat down in the Warden’s meditation room. Slowly, very slowly, he’d been releasing his anger, releasing his sadness. Each day was something new, a new adventure, a new training, a new meditation. He allowed the peace and Force to flow around him, through him and into him and back out of him.

Tatooine was fast approaching, and after that was one more jump, but… Still there was so much work to be done. Why…did he feel this need to be perfect? To strive for perfection, in and of itself? In the end, he was a singularity, as was everyone else, whether they understood it or not. Everyone, everything was a singularity that had divided itself so many times. The Force was the truth, odd as it was to have to admit. He didn’t have time to ponder over everything, but there things that he was beginning to understand. Bonds, such as the one that he still shared with Kathea, were real things, true parts of the Force. But it wasn’t that they were formed, as all things and people and creatures were connected…it was more that they were strengthened until thoughts could be shared.

Rising from his meditation, he noted that that had been, perhaps, his greatest error. Not the way that he’d felt for another sentient being, sith or not, but that he’d allowed himself to become attached and then continued forming attachments. One thing he’d had to realize was that letting go of the attachment, didn’t mean that everyone he’d come to care about would disappear, nor would his feelings for them change but that concerns for them would no longer clutter his mind. He’d been far too foolish for far too long. What he’d been working on was differentiating attachments with simple friendships. There was a distinction.

He walked to the bridge, pulling the ship out of hyperspace suddenly. Tatooine. Beautiful planet it was. Too bad it was ruled by Hutts. He turned his ship in the direction of Sotheru. One thing he hadn’t been considering, however, was the secondary objective in his mission to this planet. Apparently they’d sent someone else previously and that they’d been killed shortly after arrival. Could’ve been any number of things, but they wanted him to find out. He sighed, closing the datapad. At the very least, the Warden had a kolto tank onboard; with any luck he wouldn’t have to use it.

[Raph]

Sotheru wasn’t what he’d been expecting, nor had the Order known everything about the planet. He’d seen a fairly large settlement, sensors having revealed a canine like species, but there’d been a very humanoid one as well. He’d left his ship on the closest side of one of the moons before taking a single shuttle to the planet’s surface. While scanners showed the growing settlement to be the largest one, on this side of the planet, there were several smaller ones, and he opted to land near one of these. The smaller ones were easier to speak with, usually. The less propriety and dignity he had to keep up, the better.

His binoculars scanned the village. Pointy eared humans… Weird. He felt them before he heard them, through the Force and without it.

“Ret’haria! Val shora cal!” Not basic. Most likely couldn’t speak it either. Calmly he focused in the Force. Their language coming to him slowly. “Your weapon! Drop it now!” He lowered the binoculars, setting them on the ground and raising his hands. “Who are you?! Where did you come from? Turn and speak!” The male voice was panicked, they were afraid. He turned slowly, not making sudden movements, tapped his own chest and then pointed to the sky. “Do not lie! Where did you come from?!” He held up a hand, pulled off his dataslate and drew a starship on it before showing it to the man, now threatening him with a…bow and arrow? Wow, lack of technology. “…a… A dragon?!” He lowered the weapon a bit and stepped forward, inspecting the picture. “You came here on a ferocious beast!” Kairos removed his helmet, staring at the man, who stared right back. “Your…ears…are round!” Then the man laughed, causing Kairos to turn pink. He tugged on Kairos’s arm. “Come! To the village we’ll go, and find those that speak with spirits.” Though confused, Kairos nodded and followed.

It was…strange, being in a place like this. The people were very happy, despite the lack of major technology; the laughing in the village and shouting hurt his ears. The man introduced himself a Kyuc but couldn’t understand Kairos. “Nyah!!” The young man shouted out a name, when they’d reached the center of the village and Kairos put his hands over his ears. A young woman came running and looked first at Kyuc and then at Kairos, questioningly, until Kyuc explained that they couldn’t understand Kairos but that he could them. Nyah nodded, as if she understood right away.

That was when it happened… He could sense it from her, as well. She was sensitive to the Force! She turned to him with a smile. “I know that you are well, and since I couldn’t understand you normally I thought this would be more…efficient?”

“Oh, uhm, yes. I’m just surprised I didn’t know that you were sensitive as well.” His surprise must’ve been apparent as she chuckled a bit.

“Many of us can commune with the spirits. Your gift is rare here, but not so rare that no one can sympathize. So where are you from? Another village? Or…” She stared at him for a few moments. “Or from elsewhere? Another continent, perhaps? I’ve never seen rounded ears on a Yulshvian before.”

“That’s because I’m human and not from this planet. Pretty common, where I’m from.” He poked his ears with a finger. “I came here on a ship.” He held up his dataslate and her eyes seemed to light up suddenly.

“You came here on a dragon?!” Her whisper was of disbelief and he nodded slightly. “…just like the other one… a metal monster.” She took his hand, face growing more serious. “Come with me. You must meet the Elder One. He has true understanding of communion.” And away she led him, confusion plastered on his face.

[Raph]

The one known as Nyah half dragged, half led, Kairos up an enormous flight of stairs carved into a mountain. Apparently this mountain was a holy place for spirit communion, which was why this village was built here. For years it had been a place of peace, coexistence and congregation, though she wouldn’t explain what had caused such a drastic change. After speaking, in hushed tones, with two guards at the entrance, before ushering him inside. Inside of this cave, behind a large curtain, sat an old man, wrinkled but his eyes were alert.

“Nyah…tells me that you come…from the sky.” Kairos nodded as he sat down. “I see… I see…” He spoke slowly, very slowly, and Kairos was almost reminded of Vandar. He watched as the man rose with a surprising youthful step and walked around the room. “A month ago…several men arrived from the sky. All were imposing, but one stood out. The spirits around him were angry, restless and vengeful. He demanded to know if we’d seen anyone in robes, and when we said that we had not, he drew a blade of red fire and threatened that he would kill us all, if he discovered we were lying. We told the truth, but he was still upset, cutting one of our homes as he left… Shortly after their arrival the Gounar grew in strength…” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I know that you aren’t here to listen to me… You have a different purpose. You’re here for a reason…”

Kairos nodded. “I’m a member of the Jedi Explorer Corps. I’m here to learn about the planet.”

“That is why you came, but not why you were called here, I feel…” He walked around the room, gathering things. “Sit. Calm your mind. Think back through your past.” And as Kairos knelt down in meditation, the old man, who’d been mixing things as he went around the room, handed something to Kairos. A bowl with a strange concoction and as he sat, he made a gesture to drink from the bowl. Giving a light shrug, Kairos downed the contents of the bowl in one go and coughed. It was like…a powerful alcohol. “Now…think… back………” Kairos’s eyes closed and he thought back on everything.

When he awoke, there were several other figures moving about in the cave, and it was much darker, the old man moved to his side with surprising speed. “Stay down… Your Order has a great deal of connection to the spirits… You dropped into such a deep trance that I was afraid that you wouldn’t awaken…” Kairos laid back down. “Your crucible…has been pain and suffering…and healing. You haven’t lost yourself to it. You are trying to heal…” The others in the room seemed to be almost panicking, but he silenced them with a hand. “Unlike the warlord… you are bettering yourself.” Kairos looked down to himself. He’d been stripped of his shirt and had been painted with a golden reptilian creature along his chest, along the scar his uncle had left. “For now, I think you would benefit from something that our people do when they have come of age. I could sense such sadness from you and longing for something. Rise, dress yourself and come with me.” Kairos did as was instructed, and followed the man deeper into the mountain, wondering what this was about now.

[Raph]

Solar Lance; Edge of Republic Space

Kairos stared at his datapad for a moment. Kegg Bloggadeen’s Discount Hyperlanes… That sounded good. He’d heard of the guy, but hadn’t had his own ship before so he’d never had a reason to visit. Now, though, he had a reason. It was a pain in his rear end, but Nar Shaddaa was gonna be the best place to get this part. Thankfully it was only three jumps to get there and, once he got this new module and installed it, then he’d be able to make that jump in half the time. To make things even better, changing the ID of his ship from Aerlson’s Lance to the Solar Lance removed the Republic tag. He was gonna be flying in as a merc, but given his current attire, he didn’t think that’d be much of a problem. He already knew jedi weren’t too liked in the Outer Rim, so he’d just have to be careful.

“Pilot, identify yourself.” Huttese. Perfect.

“Carneth Urnsey, captain and pilot of the Solar Lance. Just comin’ in to check if there’re any new jobs.” His reply was much more deep and coarse. “Don’t want no trouble, pal.”

“No, I getcha Urnsey. Dockin’ bay fourteen.” He shut off his comms and sighed. So far, so good. Hutts rarely cared for ID, and bounty hunters cared even less for it, specially in Hutt space, so he’d had to craft only light documentation.

As always, the planet was loud and it was bright and there were too many people, but keeping his rifle slung over his shoulder, he made his way through the crowds and into the shop he was looking for. Thankfully, it wasn’t that busy, and the Rodian, after a short exchange in Rodese and basic, handed over the part for a pittance of what a brand new one was. Even better the thing looked and even seemed completely brand new. Thanking the shopkeep, Kairos began to make his way out with his new part, when suddenly a group of mercs walked up in front of him.

“Can I help ya, guys?”

The modulator in his helmet kept his voice deep and more gravelly than normal, yet the man in the front’s eyes narrowed. “So, why don’tcha tell me, Cloud-9, why’d ya turn your back on us during that Kel Savar job, eh? Now what? You runnin’ with the Republic? You ain’t been around this sector in…kriff knows how long.” He slowly drew a pistol, levelling it at Kairos’s chest. “You’ve got a lotta nerve comin’ back and showin’ yourself.”

“I’m gonna guess you found a half decent slicer. If you found out that I was back.”

The man thumbed to a svelte Cathar woman behind him. “Reejaa here is damn good. So, you gonna answer my questions or are we doing this the old fashioned way?”

“I will tell you this: I give you one chance to surrender. If you do, then I won’t have to hurt any of you.”

The laughter and still levelled blaster told Kairos all he needed to know and so, with the reflexes he’d developed on Viscara, he dashed around a nearby column, as blasterfire lit up where he’d been and he readied his rifle. “C’mon Huri! I know you’re smarter than this!”

One

“Am I now? You know me so well, do ya? Ya know why I want you dead, then?”

Two

Are you sure you’re strong enough to take it for yourself?

He shook his head. “Distractions…” he muttered as he held his rifle tighter. “It would always be easy to snipe their heads, give in to that and just take them down.” The blaster fire slowly stopped. “But…that would be the easy thing to do.” Without a second’s hesitation he popped around the former, four shots going out in rapid succession. The biggest member of the crew, Uyshi, had both his shoulders blasted through so that he couldn’t use his gatling laser, and then went Huri’s left arm, cutting off his pinpoint blaster fire. But the Cathar was gone.

There was a sudden blast of air above him and to his right, and he turned in time to catch her, though she pinned him to the ground and kept trying to get a claw swipe in at him. He moved his head each time, before curling inwards, boots hitting her stomach and kicking her back and over him, rolling to his feet as he did. While she was quick enough to rise when she landed, she was only fast enough to get the butt of his rifle to her face, knocking her unconscious.

He turned, once more, firing a round a togruta’s leg, taking her out of the fight and then finally turning back to the last member of the crew. Razhia. She was lethan, like Nex and Vilnia. She gave him a wry smile and he groaned inwardly. They’d had a light thing…back when he was in the crew. He’d never gone as far as he had with Ali but… He was sure if he’d have asked, she would’ve. “What’s it been, cloud-9? Six years?”

“Seven. Look, Razhia, you’re pretty and all, but I’ve gotta get going. So, we have two options. One, you just let me walk away and drop your knife or two I can take you down the same way that I did them…” There was a moment where determination seemed to flash in her eyes, a quick burst of speed, as she sliced at him, dodging just at the last second to avoid a fatal cut, but nonetheless getting cut in the process. She spun her knife a bit as he grunted.

“Mm… You look cute like that, my dear… How many cuts can you evade like that though, I wonder?” She wasn’t going to back down was she? No…there was something off about her stance. “…regrettably, I will not be able to find out.” Once more she spun her knife and slid it into her holster, walking towards him. “Do not worry… Your secret is safe with me~” Her lekku reached up and patted his helmet and seemed to very lightly push his chin up, before he pulled away. “After all this time you are still adorable. Go, then. I will see to these idiots. Just know that I do this for you, nothing else.”

He wanted to stay, wanted to ask her so many questions but he knew that he didn’t have time and needed to get going. Giving her one last glance, he turned and rushed off, back to his ship. That was why they’d never worked out. She was crazy! He’d nearly forgotten. He rushed up the ramp of his ship and got into it, opening up the hyperdrive and jamming the new computing module into place, after removing the old one.

As the Lance came to life, she practically purred. He punched in the coordinates for the autopilot to get back to Republic Space and then to head back to Viscara, calculating in the jumps that would be needed and when, then he walked towards the kolto tank he’d installed, holding his side. He slowly undressed, typed in the amount of time needed, and got in. It was gonna be a flight and a half back. He’d used up a great deal of the day already…