Ask Onderon A civilization that took a very peculiar form

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach cocked her head to one side. She had overlooked the distance they may have to travel and was pleased that Aska had thought of it. A speeder would be of no use in dense terrain and bikes might be hard to come by from a rental perspective.

“Good thinking,” she said, and wondered what passed as beasts of burden on this planet. They needed something capable of relative speed and also that could cover a lot of ground with relatively little rest. Her nose wrinkled as she thought of it. Knowing not only what mount – but what constituted a healthy specimen might take a leap of faith, and perhaps the Force might prove useful in this endeavour.

“Oh,” she added as Aska asked a question that Fiach had not considered. “Sorry, I never figured you’d not know – which makes little sense. A holocron is like a datacron. It holds information. In this case about the Dark side of the Force. But here is where the similarity ends. Sith holocrons do not like Jedi and will look to either repulse me – which could really mess with my mind – or entrap me and look to turn me. Which is even worse. Which is why they are so dangerous. Inside them is the imprint of a former Sith. A gatekeeper. Not exactly sentient, but an advanced AI that effectively does what it wants. And it will feed on negative thoughts and energy. So any disharmony will be amplified by it.”

They were back at the ship now. “Which is why I am so wary. Anyway, any guesses where we’ll get a good couple of rides?”

@Tulos

[OOC – I presume cell means phone – as opposed to you being incarcerated! LOL]

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska listened closely, though as she did she tossed her jacket at the bottom of the cargo ramp of Fiach's ship after pulling a much needed cigarra from her pocket and proceeded to light it. The humidity was starting to eat away at her sanity and she needed one now more than she had in days. As Fiach continued on describing what exactly a holocron was, Aska couldn't help but wonder if this task may perhaps be a bit beyond the pair. After all, this was her first hunt and the young Jedi was not a full fledged member of the Order. If a Sith holocron was an artifact of the dark side and a Jedi a user of the light, would this be enough? Would the two of them be able to prevail over these odds? Aska thought back to the Sith she encountered on Lothal and how he absolutely eviscerated the thugs that had ambushed them on the farmstead out in the plains and for a moment, a cold shiver shot down her spine. Taking a drag from her cigarra, she pushed these thoughts from her mind. She needed to focus now more than ever.

"I understand," Aska responded plainly. "Look, you gather what we'll need from the ship and I'll go track down a couple beasts and perhaps a cart to carry the supplies. Just make sure we have enough to last us a few days at least. We have no idea how long we'll be out there," After she finished speaking, Aska leaned down and plucked the pack of cigarras from her jacket pocket but stopped as she felt the weight of the lightsaber hilt tucked away inside. A Sith lightsaber. And now she was chasing after a Sith holocron. Closing her eyes tightly for a split second, Aska reached inside and pulled the hilt from the clothing and slid it under her belt before untucking her shirt and draping it over top. Opening her eyes again with a somber stare, Aska looked too Fiach. "Be ready. I have a bad feeling," With that, Aska slowly turned and made her way back to the market, taking one last draw from her cigarra before dropping it to the ground and stepping her boot down on it as she walked.



Away from the pair of women on the roof top of a multi-level complex, two men and a woman laid in the shadows as one the men followed Aska with the scope of his sniper.

"That's her. That's the schutta," The Sniper spat. The woman, a Rodian, pulled back and leaned against a piece of machinery on the roof as she span a knife in her fingers.

"You ready, Terrik? She kicked the piss out of you on Nar Shaddaa. I'd hate to see you get stomped on again," she joked. Terrik slid back from view and spit off the roof with a vengeful air.

"That Jedi kid is still with her, but they're splitting up. Vahl," Terrik called to the Klatooinian man.

"Yea boss?"

"Go distract the kid at the landing platform. Boola and I are going to make our move on that slimy bitch. We just need you to keep the Jedi away from us long enough for us to tear Aska's heart out," Vahl, a look of shock and despair breaking across his face, shuffled back slightly.

"Me?! Against a Jedi?! You're mad, Deadshot!"

"Don't question me you piece of gizka du-" Terrik began to counter before Boola spoke up, interrupting them both.

"He's right, Terrik. That Jedi held off five of my men on Nar Shaddaa by herself. You're not sending him alone. Besides, this is your vendetta. You go for Aska. Vahl and I will distract the Jedi,"

((I neither confirm nor deny anything lol))

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was no less a pragmatist here than she had ever been, and as they conversed, she shared, “The odds on us stumbling across a real Sith holocron are astronomical. Not that I’m taking the possibility lightly, but rather I’m not expecting to find one, that’s all.”

Bad feelings? There was a faintly familiar feel to the sentiment and Fiach sucked up a deep breath. A Jedi planned for success and then planned for failure. Sure she had both sides covered, she closed her eyes – connected deeply with the Force – and felt relaxed once more.

As Aska departed to find their transport, Fiach threw a few essentials into a rucksack – you never knew when you’d be parted from your supplies – and then gathered the things they’d ideally need for their journey – shelter, rations, rope and some items to barter with, should the need arise.

She was ready very quickly and made the quick journey to the customs office, where she paid for an additional week’s stay. She avoided saying why. Over-elaboration was the fault of most liars. Better to just say you needed extra days and pay.

Heading back via one of the market stalls that sold fresh produce (she bought a handful of some thick-skinned but juicy fruit), she noticed two strangers near her ship. Technically they were not strangers – and it was not her ship – but the sentiment held. The man she did not recognise and wondered if she should, given he was a Klatoonian. It was the main reason she was drawn to the pair. The woman on the other hand she most definitely recognised and it immediately put her on her guard.

What to do next was an interesting conundrum. As a Padawan, she was used to being with her Master on such occasions and despite his tutelage, she invariably deferred to his judgement. And yes, she’d undertaken many solo missions – but with a clear brief and end goal. Sighing deeply, she made her mind up and simply walked over to the pair, who were skulking near the entrance to an alley – clearly awaiting her return – except she’d returned from a different direction to the one she’d left.

She smiled and coughed politely as she approached them. “How may I be of service?” she asked, sincerely.

The Klatoonian nearly jumped out of his skin but the woman held her nerve. “We’re looking for your partner.”

Fiach’s left eyebrow raised and then lowered. Given her lack of social skills and penchant for the truth, she knew the conversation would be awkward. “I don’t actually have a partner. I presume you mean the woman I was with on Nar Shaddaa? In which case, given you found my ship and me, I wonder why you have trouble tracking her down?”

The Klatoonian shuffled his feet – which he seemed to find most interesting, as he kept staring at them.

“Quit stalling and just tell us where we can find her. We don’t have a gripe with you, but we do with her.”

“We?” Fiach echoed. “That’s a good point, where is your boss?”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Six hundred credits?! You can pound sand at that price! You're worse than a pirate!" Aska raged but as the vendor remained silent and kept a fixed stare on her, she hung her head in near defeat and let out a long sigh. "Four hundred," she countered but the man knew he had her where he wanted her. Leaning forward, the Aqualish began to grunt in his native language.

"My master says he will not do four hundred. The jungles of Onderon are dangerous and the possibility of the dalgo being terminated on your expedition is high. He counters with five hundred," his protocol droid translated. Aska could feel the anger swelling but knowing she needed this man to play ball, she did her best to remain calm. She needed to try a different approach.

"Look, after our trip we'll have plenty of merchandise that we plan on selling here. You rent me the dalgo beasts now for four hundred credits, and I'll give you your kriffin extra two hundred from our profits. Six hundred in total, just as you asked," It was a lie of course. Once they returned to Iziz, she was of the mind to simply let the damn creatures free in the jungle once more. Aska began to believe that the man should consider himself lucky she didn't just put a couple holes in his chest here and now and take them for herself but as the Aqualish considered her offer, he nodded in agreement before rattling off more of his unintelligible words.

"Master agrees to these terms," the droid stated as the Aqualish brought the reigns of three dalgo over to her. Cocking an eyebrow, Aska began to reach out and take them from the man but stopped herself.

"I wanted two beasts and an anti-grav cart," she stated bluntly but before the Aqualish could reply, his droid interjected.

"Unfortunately, we do not have a cart. That is why my Master has offered a third dalgo as a pack-beast," Grumbling to herself at the extra mouth to feed, Aska waved her hand at the man and dropped a bag of credits on his table.

"There's four hundred and twenty five credits in there," she muttered. "If you can take the beasts to landing platform forty seven on the east side of the market square, I'd appreciate it. I still need to round up some more supplies," As the droid bowed and went on to carry out the delivery, Aska spun away from the beast trader and his pen and let out a soft growl. She was nearly out of credits at this point and was in dire need of a drink. 'Maybe Gram can hook a girl up with another glass of water before I take off,' she thought to herself before making her way towards the old woman's home.

Leaving the market square and ducking into an alley, Aska plucked a cigarra from her pack and went to light it when an all too familiar voice called out to her, causing her to flinch in response.

"Remember me?" Turning to see the man, Aska finished lighting the cigarra and quickly drew her pistol before pointing it at his chest.

"Deadeye," The tone of her voice was ice cold as she acknowledged him. "I see your eye is healing nicely,"

"Bacta sure does work wonders, doesn't it?" Terrik laughed as he touched the healing wounds before pulling his own pistol on the woman. "I think we have a dance to finish," Aska smirked with the cigarra in her lips, taking a draw and blowing the smoke upwards.

"If it's a dance you want," Aska began before pulling the trigger of her weapon and watching the blue bolt of energy fly forward before smacking into the energy cell of his own weapon. As the smoldering pistol fell from his hand, Terrik grimaced at the useless piece of steel before returning his stare to Aska. "Then let's do it right," she finished before tossing her own weapon to the ground beside her before motioning for the man to attack.

 

[Fiach Dubh]

The woman simply shrugged. Fiach was hardly an expert on social interaction and clues derived therefrom – but the Force most definitely set a small alarm bell jangling at the response.

“You can’t tell me you came all of the way here, to find us and were able to pinpoint me and not her. And furthermore, you can’t expect me to believe that your boss is not in the thick of the action. He didn’t strike me as the hands-off type. This is too personal for him to want you to do all of the work for him.”

Again the woman shrugged and the Klatoonian remained silent.

Fiach’s eyes narrowed. “What if I say I don’t know where she is?”

The woman’s face remained impassive. “Then we’ll keep asking until you tell us.”

Fiach’s nose wrinkled. “The funny thing is, I don’t see you as the asking type. Sure, we’re in relatively public view, but your style isn’t to be polite about this. You’ve not threatened me or attempted to use force against me.”

The woman smiled – a facial expression that came across as more of a sneer.

Something did not add up for Fiach, but she did not know what. She had no intention of leading them to Aska – but if she did nothing, they would simply wait here until she showed up. But there was more to it than that – but she had no idea what that something was.

“And what’s wrong with him?” She jerked a thumb at the Klatoonian. “He takes deep and silent to a new level. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was nervous. Which feels wrong, given you’re supposed to be the ones doing the intimidating.” She was probing now. A Jedi’s training was not all about using the Force or waving a lightsaber around. In part, she was taught how to manage diplomatic conversations and she was also schooled on detective work. Which is why she decided to shut up.

A few moments passed and the Klatoonian shifted his feet and the woman simply fixed Fiach with an icy glare. Finally, she said, “We can wait all day.”

This was the piece of information that finally settled it for Fiach. They did not come across as the patient types and their previous encounter plus the current hounding suggested that they wanted revenge – and for it not to be served cold. “Yes…” she said out loud. “You can, can’t you. But if you can, why not wait for my companion to show? Why approach me and then take a passive stance. Your intentions are clearly not to extract information from me, are they?” She faced the Klatoonian now – if there was a weak link, it was surely him. “Shall I use the Jedi Mind Trick on you?”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Terrik advanced ahead with his arms up to defend his torso, moving quickly to Aska's right hand side before feinting a shot to her ribs then quickly pulling back. Predicting that he was going to prod her reactions, Aska stepped back to her left and jabbed a punch towards the man's jaw. Connecting with her target, she proceeded to push upwards with her right palm against his chin as he recoiled from the shot to the side of his face. Stunned, Terrik was now unable to defend against her following side step to his right knee. While the maneuver made a connection, the man had managed to slip away well enough to prevent the attack from doing any damage to his knee.

"Surely you can do better than this, Deadeye," Aska taunted as the man put distance between them. "You move like a pissed off teenager. No method of planning, just open assault," After she finished speaking, Aska closed the distance between her and her attacker and grabbed at the back of his jacket and tightly gripped the collar. As she began to attempt to throw him backwards, Terrik spun with all his weight and broke her grip before following up with a quick shot with his right hand towards Aska's cheek. Able to move her head to avoid the brunt of the attack, Aska still caught the last two knuckles of his fist to her face.

"You fight well for a simple dock worker, I'll give you that," Terrik replied as Aska recovered from the chin shot. "Or was that all a lie?" Aska laughed slightly before spitting a small amount of blood on the dusty alley.

"Yes and no. I was raised to wipe sleemos like you from the galaxy but chose a simpler life," Turning to face the man directly, the woman kept herself at the ready for a surprise attack. "Then you had to come along and stoke the wrong fire,"

"I just wanted to prod something, one way or another," Terrik taunted with a wink. A disgusted scowl broke across Aska's face before she leaned in to swing a right shot for Terrik's kidneys, but the man dropped his left arm in the way and deflected her attack before leaning in with a right swing of his own. Mimicing her foe, Aska's left arm dropped to block his move before she leaned in hard and gave the man a sharp headbutt to his nose. Blood began to pour down his face as he stumbled backward, and Aska let out a heart laugh as she ignored the pain in her own forehead.

"I should have killed you on Nar Shaddaa. I won't make that mistake twice,"

 

[Fiach Dubh]

There it was again – that nagging doubt. And, as ever, there were no details, no checklist to work with, just an uneasy feeling.

Fiach’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the Klatooine. The fact he had been unable to keep eye contact since they’d met up spoke volumes to Fiach. He radiated nervousness, but she could not ascertain the why or the wherefore. But something did not add up and standing around was not going to make things any better.

As she stood patiently, awaiting the Klatoonian’s response, her sense of disquiet grew to a danger threshold and she shot a glance sideways to see that the woman was pulling a blaster from her belt. Fiach reacted instinctively and threw out a hand. Channelling the Force, she was able to Push the weapon out of the woman’s hands and it clattered into the narrow alleyway behind her.

Fiach turned to face her would-be assailant. “Really?” Fiach said, as she gave the woman a serious Jedi-like scowl of admonishment. “The question is, where you looking to intimidate me, or shoot me? Given your apparent stealth, I’d say the latter. Which is entirely at odds with the conversation we’ve had up until now…correct?”

The woman said nothing and simply stared into Fiach’s eyes with a defiance that suggested that she was in charge and not the Padawan. And given Fiach’s apprehension was not going away, she wondered if the attitude could be entirely justified.

As Fiach stared back into the woman’s eyes, she saw the Klatoonian’s reflection – and it was now his turn to draw a weapon – in this case a blade. Definitely an assassin’s tool. Fiach’s right hand extended towards him and her saber hilt jumped from her belt to slap into the palm of her hand and ignite with a snap-hiss before deactivating. She put it back onto her belt - and all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

In fact, but for the fact that the Klatoonian’s hand tumbled to the floor – still gripping the blade – a bystander might be forgiven for believing nothing at all had transpired.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Blow for blow, the fight between Terrik and Aska had begun to feel as though it was dragging in to nearly an hour but in truth it was merely five or six minutes. Still, it was evident that both of them had begun to feel the physical drain. Spitting blood from her mouth as she put some distance between her and Terrik, Aska slowly began to step backwards to where she had stood as she shot the blaster from Terrik's hand.

"We aren't finished yet, schutta!" Terrik exclaimed as he wiped the blood away from his now re-opened wound under his eye that Aska had delivered back on Nar Shaddaa. "This ends with only one of us leaving this alley!" With that, the man dove at her in an attempt to tackle her to the ground but a quick side step granted the man near flight as he soared passed her and slid on the dusty ground. As this took place, Aska began to scan the area for her blaster. She did still have the lightsaber safely tucked into her belt but brandishing a glowing red sword wasn't something she felt prepared to do. Not now. Finally, her eyes lit up as the SE-45 came into view. While Terrik quickly regained his composure, Aska shuffled over and lifted the weapon before turning it on him once more. Once he had spun to face her only to meet the stare of the barrel meters away from him, it was Terrik's eyes that lit up once more.

"You could have just left me alone, Deadeye," Aska began, breathing heavily.

"It's Dead SHOT!" Terrik interrupted as he took two steps backwards. Aska just chuckled softly and reaffirmed her aim at his chest.

"Deadeye, Deadshot... It makes no difference to me," Squeezing the trigger again, another bolt of blue energy erupted from the pistol and slammed into Terrik's chest. He fell to the ground, clinging to life as he gasped and began to drag his fingers across the smoldering hole in a vain attempt to assess the wound. Moving over him, Aska pointed the blaster directly between his eyes. "In the end, you're still dead," Her voice was ice cold as she spoke the words before pulling the trigger once again. She watched as the life faded from his eyes and much to her amazement, a smile began to crawl across her lips. Gone was the woman who wailed at the death of Dur'Agu on Coruscant. Killing for vengeance finally awoke the last piece of her dormant DNA. Aska was finally truly reborn.

"Hey! Did you hear that?! Blaster shots!"

The voice broke Aska's silent gloating. Holstering the weapon, she leaned down and plucked the medallion from around Terrik's neck before rushing away from the scene. She needed to put space between the body and her. It was time to return to Fiach and get into the jungle before anyone figured out what was going on. Yet something still nagged at the back of her mind... The young Jedi may be in danger as well...

 

[Fiach Dubh]

“Now,” Fiach said to the woman, as she continued her conversation as if nothing at all had happened. Even the whimpering from the Klatoonian did not faze her as she focused entirely on the woman, her demeanour clearly demonstrating she was all about business right now. “My patience is unlimited, but I do not believe in wasting time. In fact, I find it entirely unsatisfactory. Clearly you have an agenda and it is not to gain information from me, but instead to detain or even kill me. And I can surmise that the why is all about Aska. Not that you are looking for her but instead have found her and want to keep is apart.”

Fiach was never going to see if she’d struck a chord with the woman through her natural social relationship skills, but through the Force, she’d learned to sense emotions and was learning to interpret them. Right now, she sensed fear, frustration and something else that she could not fully understand.

But, despite her lack of natural empathy, there was nothing wrong with her eyesight. She could see the woman glancing around, clearly taking in their surroundings – no doubt seeking options for fight or flight. But before Fiach could see which the woman would choose, she fell forward as the Klatoonian blind-sided her. Maybe her action in defending herself from his blade had initially shocked him but ultimately galvanised him into action. Whatever the reason was, she had underestimated his ability and desire to act.

As she hit the dirt, she rolled over to her side – and just in time as the woman had pulled a hold-out blaster from a pocket and fired it at the spot that the Padawan vacated a split-second earlier.

Fiach’s response was again to activate her saber and deflect the next bolt towards the Klatoonian. It hit him square in the chest and he slumped to the ground.

Fiach deflected another bolt and as soon as she did, she leaped high in the air, Force assisted, and landed some five metres away from the woman. The Padawan was now drawing a crowd – so sadly had no chance of remaining incognito. Not that anyone was going to intervene, but by the same token, she had to take their safety into consideration.

The woman clearly had the same idea and fired her next shot into a wall above the small crowd that had assembled. Fiach immediately threw up a Force Barrier to protect the people from falling debris and when she turned back to face the woman, she saw she had gone.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

The sound of her feet slapping the concrete below with every racing step was almost as prominent to Aska as the sound of her heart beat pounding in her ears. Each breathe she took felt like she was inhaling acid but she couldn't stop. The gnawing feeling that Fiach was still in danger wouldn't dissipate and spurred her forward as well as the fact that there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that Terrik's lifeless corpse had been discovered by now and authorities would soon be on their way. In a matter of mere minutes, everything that had been piecing together perfectly was now falling apart.

And she loved it.

The adrenaline pushed her on as she slid around the corner of an alley and back out into the busy street of Iziz before forcing herself to slow her pace and attempt to mingle with the crowd as best she could though her dirty muscle shirt and bruised face likely hindered her effort. Bringing her hand up along the cheek that was aching the most, Aska brushed her fingers through her bangs in an effort to keep the bruising covered, though a small boy with his mother took notice despite her efforts.

"Mommy, that lady got in a fight!" the boy screamed as he tugged at his mom's sleeve, though much to Aska's delight, the mother remained focused on the fruit stand before her.

"Don't point, Kisak. It's rude," she scolded as she blindly wrapped her arm around his neck and shoulders before tugging him closer. With a sigh of relief, Aska continued on to the docking bay but the pleasure of almost being back was cut short by the sounds of blaster fire and screams.

"Oh hell no," Aska whispered before breaking into a sprint back towards the ship and her Jedi co-hort. Fortunately, it didn't take long before she burst into the landing pad, blaster drawn and bore witness to the young Fiach with her lightsaber ignited at her side. Amazed, Aska watched as the Jedi slowly moved an outstretched hand and floating rubble following suit before she dropped it on the ground and examined the second doorway to the pad.

"So much for no killing," Aska joked as she stepped over the dying alien species with a burning hole in his chest. "We need to get out of here, kid," she continued as she pointed to the three dalgo just outside the doorway she had entered through. Grabbing at some of the packs of supplies Fiach had gathered, Aska threw them over her shoulder and flipped her jacket over top before nodding her head backwards to their rides. "Like, five minutes ago. C'mon," she hurried before rushing over to the dalgo beast and leapt in to it's saddle. Tossing the equipment packs on the third creature and grabbing it's reigns, Aska kicked it's sides with her heels and they began to gallop towards the city gates.

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach raised the hood of her cloak and clipped her saber back on her belt. It would be hard to simply melt into the background – and no easier to explain what had transpired to the authorities. Being a Jedi did not carry the sort of respect and authority it once did. And in any case, a Jedi was expected to abide by the laws of the land. Murder was murder – but self-defence was permissible and forensics would show the Klatoonian died from his own blaster bolt.

Fiach was still musing her next steps when Aska arrived, with three dalgo in tow. She was about to comment on what had happened here and then on Aska’s physical appearance but surmised they each had a similar story to tell – and the time to tell it was not now.

Fiach’s left eyebrow raised at the mention of no killing and nodded at the assertion they needed to vacate the area swiftly. She took Aska’s lead and put a small bag onto the back of the beast she would ride before mounting it. Although the third pack animal carried the majority of their resources, it made sense to the Padawan to carry a few essentials in case they lost the third dalgo.

“What’s his name?” she asked as she turned to Aska, just as her companion kicked her beast into a gallop, so Fiach followed suit.

As she drew level, she shouted across to Aska, “Is our haste to make up for lost time, or to evade someone?”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

The three dalgo moved with grace through the edges of the streets, which was made far simpler as the civilians of Iziz began to filter home as the day began to shift towards evening. Still, despite the near liquid movements of the beasts, each impact with the ground jostled Aska in her saddle and irritated the bruises on her ribs and thighs. It was a pain she needed to push through, however. They had been fortunate in avoiding any security as of yet but until they were outside of the city's walls, they were in jeopardy of being detained until things could be cleared up. If they even could be.

"Can't it be both?" Aska shouted back to Fiach as she watched the dazzled and confused faces of the civilians that they passed. "Let's just focus on getting out of the city and we'll go from there," Which didn't take long. Soon, the dalgo pushed through the gates and out into the Onderonian jungle and while she didn't slow her mount's pace, Aska was awe struck as she gazed out into the landscape. The descending sun fluttered in between the massive leaves and branches of the wildly exotic looking flora, the odd small flying creature launching from the plant life as they were disturbed by the women's advance. The humidity, the pain from her wounds, even the task at hand faded away as Aska took it all in.

After about an hour, Aska brought the dalgo to a stop on a tight path that twisted deeper into the jungle. She had been watching the passing flora as best she could with the limited light and after spotting a small clearing off the path, she knew she had found where to make camp for the night. Once she had gotten her beast as well as the pack mule brought into the space and tied to a large tree trunk, she made herself busy preparing a fire and unrolling her bed spread. Fortunately, the night remained clear and stars began to sparkle above. Pulling a can of preserved stew from one of the pack bags, she opened it slowly and took a whiff of the meal. Turning her nose upwards, she set the can on the grating over the small fire and waited for it to heat, her attention now back to Fiach.

"So... What happened?" she asked coyly as she plucked a cigarra from her jacket.

((Not the best but it's something))

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was not a natural rider. She’d never even had the need to travel anywhere on anything that wasn’t mechanical before she joined the Order. And even then, her experiences have been few and far between. But she had the benefit of the Force and so was able to form a bond with the beast that carried her. It didn’t necessarily make the journey smoother, but she could sense its intentions to turn and slow as it thought them, thus making her travelling relatively comfortable.

Fiach smiled at Aska’s response. She found her companion pragmatic and saw this as a huge positive in their relationship – given Fiach was similarly disposed. And she nodded at the comment they should simply focus on making the city limits before letting up. So she pushed this thought gently to the dalgo that carried her and it raised its pace slightly, ensuring the other two followed suit – and this speeding up their exit.

Before long, they’d made it outside and the urban sprawl gave way to a striking landscape that was devoid of people but none the less hazardous due to the overhead branches and tree roots the dalgos had to negotiate.

Finally, Aska dictated that they stop as the path ahead grew narrower and with many tight turns. Wordlessly, the two got to work, setting up camp and Aska started a small fire and began to cook a meal. Fiach initially cared for the dalgos, ensuring they were watered and fed, before taking a rudimentary ration pack from her back and began chewing on the contents, mouthfuls alternated with sips of water. For Fiach, food was fuel and no more – and flavour and texture were unimportant to her. She needed energy and the ration bar gave it…pure and simple.

Finally, she took a seat by the fire and turned her attention to Aska.

“I don’t know for sure, but I suspect we were approached when apart deliberately. The woman from Nar Shaddaa and a Klatoonian – the one you saw with a hole in his chest – approached me and asked where you were. But as the conversation continued, it was clear they were stalling me. Then they attacked and unfortunately the Klatoonian died as a result of his own blaster fire. The woman made her escape. What about you?”

Fiach described the episode in a very matter of fact way, as if reciting the contents of a shopping list.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Pulling from her cigarra, Aska pulled the spoon from the pack beside her and stirred the warming stew as she listened to Fiach. Surprise was the farthest thing from her response. It was clear to her that the pair of thugs that had interrupted the Jedi's preparations were brought here by Terrik, much as he had done on Nar Shaddaa. Still, it was less than half of the crew he had dispatched after them the first time. The only explanations that Aska could consider was that his followers either considered travelling to Onderon for a vendetta was simply not worth the risk or that the pair he had brought here today were simply more skilled and held more faith from him. Recalling the incident on the spire roof, Aska realized that the woman Fiach had spoken of was the Rodian they negotiated their escape with. Boola.

"And the Rodian escaped? Well, maybe that isn't going to be a problem," Aska began as she butted the cigarra out in the damp soil beside her. "They came with that useless sack of trash that you prevented me from snuffing out back on Nar Shaddaa. He came and confronted me too. He uh," Aska paused for dramatic effect with a small smirk. [color]"He won't be causing any issues any more I'm gonna bet,"[/color] Reaching for the stew with her jacket wrapped around her hands, Aska pulled the bowl away from the flames and nestled it into her cross-legged lap. "Since Deadeye is gonna be taking a bit of a dirt nap, Boola will likely return to Nar Shaddaa. There's nothing in it for her in taking us out,"

 

[Fiach Dubh]

There was something about the way that Aska referenced the Rodian’s escape that set a warning alarm in Fiach’s mind. Not in the way the Force did, this was subtler and she wondered if the woman would become a thorn in their side as their mission continued. Worse, would she return some time later to trouble Aska – when Fiach was no longer around? She also wondered if Aska’s words were based upon logic – or perhaps wishful thinking. It was not something Fiach ever did, but she was aware that others often thought in a way that reflected hope as opposed to facts.

“None the less,” Fiach said, “we should keep one eye over our shoulder as we press on. There are almost too many moving parts for this mission now, but we can’t complain about the hand we’ve been dealt, nor can we walk away now. There’s too much at stake.”

She finished off her ration bar and made herself comfortable. “I don’t think we need to keep watch tonight. The beasts are going to act like guard dogs and if we throw the Force in for good measure, we should not be sneaked up on. That was we can both be rested and get an early start tomorrow. We have plenty of ground to catch up, although I’m hoping we have the element of surprise.”

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska nodded as Fiach made the point that despite Terrik and his partner being eliminated they still needed to keep a wary eye out for the Rodian woman. She did feel that Boola no longer had any worthwhile investment for intervening in the hunt but the woman also didn't strike Aska as one to simply give up on a task she had set her mind too. Time would turn out to be their ally or foe, it seemed.

"You're 'force' is going to keep us safe?" Aska scoffed. If the jungles of Onderon were as dangerous as she had heard, these dalgo likely would act up in self preservation and in turn would alert the two women to the threat but there surely were far more vicious monstrosities lurking in the shadows. "If you're that confident in that, you go right ahead and get some shut eye. I think I'm gonna keep watch for a bit,"

Hours passed by and the sounds of the jungle grew with the enveloping darkness, as did Aska's boredom. Her eyes began to feel heavy as she sat around the fire, of which she stoked from time to time as she added logs to keep the embers and flames alive. She had spent her time pondering how the inevitable encounter with Kiriena would play out and every scenario always ended with Aska succeeding in her task. She felt so strongly about her prevailing that she knew there was no way for her to fail. Yawning, she leaned back against the bag behind her and listened to the snapping of the burning logs, allowing herself a moment to shut her eyes.

"Come to me,"

"This path is not yours but I can show you your way,"

"The Jedi... She is not your ally..."

"Rid yourself of her, child,"

Snapping awake, Aska's breathing was heavy as she felt the cold clammy sweat enveloping her. The sun had risen and was beginning to peak over the horizon, light spilling in between the foliage of the surrounding jungle. She raced to grasp what she had just heard, though the words began to slip away and all she could remember was a very foreign language that sounded more like gibberish than anything she had ever heard before...

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach smiled at Aska’s scepticism. She was, by and large, used to it – even from people who had witnessed the Force in action. But she accepted it was one thing to see physical manifestations of it, and quite another to believe in passive facets, especially ones that might determine life and death.

It was a sign of Fiach’s development that she was willing to go to sleep and trust in the Force. This was in part due to her success with Soresu – a lightsaber Form – that in its purest sense allowed the Force to dictate your actions. And naturally, her ongoing training that now permitted her to connect more deeply with the Force.

“Good night then,” she said and settled down to sleep. There was no point in labouring her belief and she just hoped Aska would be rested enough in the morning. She also held her tongue on the logic of staying awake ‘for a while.’ You either kept watch all night, or not at all.

Fiach did not sleep well. Darkness kept invading her dreams – although by morning, she remembered none of it.

The dalgo woke her – they were clearly hungry and this strong emotion invaded her sleep and she opened a bleary eye and saw the dawn.

“OK, I’m coming,” she said as she rose and walked over to their living transport. “And good morning,” she added, shooting Aska a glance. “Sleep OK?”

 

[Aska Ryun]

Groaning, Aska pushed herself to her feet and quickly ran her fingers back and forth through her hair as she forced herself to shake the voice from the back of her mind. While it seemed so vivid and clear, as though the voice was being whispered directly into her ear, the inability to remember what was said would gnaw at her for at least the morning, she knew. Regardless, as Fiach began to cater to the dalgo's needs, Aska watched carefully and couldn't help but wonder what had truly brought Fiach here. She claimed it was simply 'the Force' guiding her actions but that was something Aska couldn't understand. She chose her own path so why would a Jedi be any different? How could some mythical energy dictate their life?

"I'd have slept better if this damn planet would cool down. Even just for a minute," she complained before reaching into her jacket and pulling a cigarra from the rapidly depleting pack. As she lit the tabacc, she raised her gaze towards the tops of the trees and could see her desire was about to come true as storm clouds swelled on the horizon. Flashes of lightning spotted the storm and before long, a low rumbling of thunder could be heard echoing across the landscape which was soon followed by the sound of rustling from the foliage. The smaller creatures were beginning to hurry off into cover and as the dalgo began to grow skittish as well, Aska knew they needed to push on and find better cover. "We'll have to worry about feeding ourselves later," she began as she pulled the holomap from her jacket and cast the display upwards. The co-ordinates of Div and his team were still at least a days ride to the north and this storm would undoubtedly slow them down once it hit but surveying the map, Aska traced her fingers along a row of small mountains that would line the eastern side of the path they would need to take.

"Depending on how fast that storm is moving in, I think we might be able to make it to this ridge here," Aska pointed the section of mountains out to Fiach as she took a long drag from the cigarra. "If we ride hard and we get there in time, we should hopefully be able to find some cover. A cave or rock outcropping. Anything is better than being in the open, I'd think,"As she spoke, Aska couldn't force the whispering language from her mind. Each syllable rang in her memory though she could no longer understand it. Rubbing the side of her face with one hand, she was soon met with the forceful nudge of the snout of one of the Dalgo, catching her off guard. It's low, flat tongue covered the width of her face and left half of her head of hair soaked with it's saliva. "Ugh!" She vocalized as the affectionate assault broke her train of thought.

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach felt refreshed after her sleep and from what she could sense from Aska, the same could not be said for her travelling companion. Fiach was aware that, back in the Academy, there were Padawans that were not ‘morning people’ and she wondered if Aska fell into this category, or if she’d overdone the sentry duty and was simply tired. The heat would not have helped of course.

Fiach fished into a pocket and pulled out a protein bar. She threw it to Aska. “It’s relatively tasty and has all the essential nutrients in it – and you can eat it on the go, unlike the ration packs you have. And make sure you drink some water – you’ll dehydrate more than you realise in this weather.”

She made sure the dalgo were fed and watered and then saddled them up and – one-by-one – connected with them through the Force, sending calming thoughts and images through to them. It was basic, but it should stop them being as skittery as the average jungle creature when a storm approached.

And then Fiach stood bolt still. Thunder! She would gladly face any number of pirates or ravenous beasts but thunder? She took a deep breath and then spoke to Asks, as slowly and as calmly as she could.

“I…don’t…do…thunder.” She proceeded to chatter to herself, clearly aiming to block out the noise of the storm, but every time a flash of lightning was visible, Fiach stiffened.

She simply nodded at Aska’s plan and mounted her own dalgo – clearly keen to get away from their current spot and under shelter as soon as possible. Ideally somewhere where you couldn’t hear thunder.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Catching the candy bar, Aska looked over the foil wrapping as Fiach prattled on about details of survival that she already knew from her virtual expeditions back in the Coruscant labs. Still, as Aska turned her back and mocked Fiach's lecturing while fixing the saddle of her dalgo, she did find that she had to admit that the young Jedi had proven her worth on more than one occasion since they had encountered on another on Nar Shaddaa. While she still held certain doubts of what Fiach was doing in her company, the woman knew she needed to give her some credit... Despite her somewhat annoying and stodgy behaviour.

Finishing the ration bar as she secured her last pack on the saddle of her mount, Aska pulled herself into her seat and slowly stroked the creatures leathery neck before looking to the horizon. The storm had began to move closer and the swirling darkness of the clouds had already begun to dominate the edge of the mountain range that was their goal. Just as she was about to spur her dalgo into action, Fiach's words finally registered.

"Wait a minute," she began with a smirk as she turned in her saddle to face the Padawan. "Let me get this straight... You're fine with getting shot at, you literally killed some freak back in Iziz and you're training to be a Jedi... But thunder is what frightens you of all things?" Aska tipped her head back slightly as she bellowed in laughter. "You're one weird kid, you know that?" But as soon as the words were said, the sky lit up for a split second and cast momentary shadows of their surrounding before an explosion of thunder could be heard. Cringing from the sheer volume, Aska could hear the final creatures of the jungle scurry into their dens and the rain began to softly fall. It wouldn't be long now until the storm was going to be above them. "Forget I said anything... Let's get moving," Aska did her best to conceal the fear in her voice but she knew quite well that she had failed.