Ask Kashyyyk Beneath an Amber Moon

[Ana DAmico]

Theme​

Ana had never seen anything quite like Kashyyyk, but, then again, she had yet to see much of the galaxy. Most of her travels since her induction into the cult of the Sith Eternal kept her relegated to worlds near Bal’demnic, where her mentor resided and trained her. She relished opportunities to leave the dreary and bleak spire and go explore the galaxy; there were so many unique worlds and species she heard and read about but never actually experienced firsthand. That was why, when this opportunity arose, she took it eagerly.

Beegee did the majority of the work to get them to the planet, and with his help, they landed the Muse on a designated landing pad. She paid the dock officials for a day or so’s stay, as well as refueling costs, and set off to the place where she was to meet this as-of-yet mysterious benefactor. She contacted him through a friend of a friend, and, to her surprise, he’d accepted her request to meet. He tersely responded with a planet name and set of grid coordinates. With little else to go off of, she set out to Kashyyyk with her droid - nervous, yet excited.

It was already dark, and the three moons of Kashyyyk hung in the sky, casting a pale glow over the village. She was dressed in some finer leather boots with bantha hide pants and a cloth shirt with a thigh-length jacket over it, all either a darker shade of brown or simply black. Her lightsaber was concealed by the jacket, and she kept her vibroknife on the small of her back, just in case. Her raven hair was kept in a loose bun, with a few stray strands standing in stark contrast with her pale face.

Fires along the walkways cast long shadows that weaved in and out of the light, illuminating her path and constantly following the duo. A thick fog hung over the area like like an apathetic spirit, obfuscating anything beyond a few meters in a ghostly haze. Ana trusted Beegee to lead her to the meeting point so she could spend the rest of their walk in awe of the surroundings. Enormous wroshyr trees towered over them like primordial titans and the native wookiees darted in and out of the huts on their massive branches, going about their lives, occasionally pausing to look at the diminutive newcomer. She caught herself staring at the natives a few times, and quickly fixed her demeanor, not wanting to offend them in some way. They seemed quick to anger, and she couldn’t understand a lick of their tongue, so it was best to simply stay quiet, keep her gaze lowered, and pretend like she’d been here before. It was easier to avoid unpleasantries that way. They were quite high up, and she wondered if the natives would tear her apart or simply send her over the edge of the walkways like one might discard a cigarette butt.

She decided it was best to not entertain the thought.

After several minutes of walking, as well as a few more to backtrack when they took a wrong turn, she arrived at where Beegee said their contact would meet them. The platform was far less illuminated than the rest, and it seemed very out of the way of the rest of the village. A single torch lit what looked to be a rickety pulley-operated platform at the far end, and Ana deduced it to be an elevator of some kind, though rudimentary at best. She assumed her contact wished to meet with her alone, so she dismissed Beegee to return to the ship and keep an eye on it.

Warily, she stepped towards the elevator, looking around to see if the man she was supposed to meet had arrived yet. The wood creaked beneath her feet, otherwise the only sound was that of the distant creatures lurking in the night.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice carrying into the foreboding darkness.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had arrived on Kashyyyk several days ago and gained a sense of where he wanted to go and what he wanted to accomplish while he was here. It had been picked in part because of the danger it held in its lower reaches, and the isolation those dangerous areas offered.

It was a stark contrast to the time he had spent on Coruscant. Both were brimming with life, but in completely different ways. This landscape was far more primal, still evolving. It was untamed, unlike Coruscant where even the winds and rains had been tamed through technology.

The first two days he spent here had been spent exploring the under reaches, a far more preferable task than what he did the third day. On the third day, he slept. A rare occurrence these days for the young darksider who preferred meditation to rejuvenate his body. He hated sleep for the horrors it brought each time he closed his eyes.

It was now day four, and he had spent the last several hours aboard his ship, painting. He knew the time to meet this Ana D'amico was near at hand, but he had nearly finished. The last few strokes were complete, and he looked at the macabre creature on the canvas. It was too familiar in too many ways. An evil that wasn't just a part of the painted world, but a part of his mind and who he was.

He left it on the scaffold and closed the door behind him. Grabbing his lightsaber and outer robes, he locked the Nomad down and started the trek toward the tree-top location of their meeting. The night air was cool, and the fog was thick. Although the two visitors were somewhat irregular, they weren't planning to stay near the village long.

You wanted to see me, he said, as he arrived at the agreed meeting place. He had an idea of why she had come, but he wanted to hear it from her mouth. To look at her when she said it, and feel the intent in the Force.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana called out once, then twice, but nothing answered her. For a moment, she thought she had been led astray, deceived into coming to this world for no reason. Dejected, she turned to leave. Before she could make her turn, a man’s voice called out to her from nearby, causing her to jump. She was already on edge on this unknown world, and her nerves seemed to get the better of her. Her venom-green eyes peered through the fog and observed him; he was tall - at least a foot taller than she was, perhaps, though the darkness often played tricks on the eyes. There was a certain irregular handsomeness to him; he had sharp, angular facial features and piercing eyes like, perhaps, those of a serpent. He wore robes which concealed his body, which she understood the intent behind, but it disconcerted her nonetheless.

She took a step back, sizing him up, her mind unshielded and bare as this distraction took hold. A pang of anxiety gripped her and forced a moment of hesitation before she spoke. Would she sound needy? Desperate? Who was this man, aside from a friend of a friend, who accepted her request to meet? She did want to see him, but now, when finally the moment had arrived, she doubted her intentions. This would be the first step on a path she was unsure of, but lusted after. She had a taste, a mere inkling, of the Dark Side. It was an alluring vice, and once she had felt its liberating presence, she wanted more.

”I did,” she finally said, her voice quiet at first. He’d never respect one who was meek, uncertain, so she needed to feign confidence, perhaps aloofness. Ana cleared her throat and shifted her weight, standing a bit more straight, before continuing. ”Melkor Damask, my…” she paused for a moment, loathing the word ‘master,’ ”Mentor... is busy with things greater than I.” She needed to get to the point before he grew tired of her. Concision, that’s what Melkor taught her when he first offered her salvation. Get to the point, or people will grow tired of you. That was followed by a series of analects assigned to her on the nature of the Force and what the Dark Side was, but one could only read so much. She needed to experience it.

She inhaled quickly and sighed. ”I want to know more,” she finally admitted, ”The… Dark Side, it’s… liberating. A freedom that teases me. It haunts my dreams, plagues my thoughts. Every waking moment it calls to me, but I'm assigned to reading old texts or evaluating the worth of useless trinkets.” She took a step closer, inhaling and exhaling deeply, her mind swirling with uncertainty, fear, desire, envy… all things the Dark Side used to corrupt. She was obsessed with the occult, with uncovering ancient artifacts, but she had yet to become fully ensnared by the Dark Side's profane grip. Even now, what little bit she tasted of it had weaved its way into her paintings, and she quickly noticed the distorted images she occasionally created on canvas. It unnerved her, but left her more and more intrigued each time.

”I want you to teach me how to embrace it. How to use it for myself,” she finished, looking up at him from where she stood. This was the moment she had awaited. She wasn't sure if he'd accept, so she braced for rejection, silently praying to herself that this would not be the case.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was already intrigued, which was a step in the right direction. He had a general idea of why she was here, and he also knew what the process would require him to do. He didn't look forward to it, but he knew its necessity. His own mind was filled with a dark monster that lived in the recesses of his soul. He hated it, but he knew it was necessary. He also knew it could easily consume him. But for this... what he had to do... he needed that fiend.

His own master had been well known for his ability to break down students, teaching them to hate - in many cases hating him - and embrace the dark side. So Talak knew how to do it to others, but it was a process he hated. It was a process of cruelty and abuse. It was something he couldn't be himself when he did.

As the predator looked at her now, he realized she was much different than what he had expected, and she was surprisingly unsure of herself. While she tried to hide it, it all but screamed to him in the Force. That was something that he would have to beat out of her first. But beyond that he saw other things. He saw potential and desire. She had the taste of the dark side, and she didn't just want to sample it again, she wanted to drink it in. He knew that it would consume her mind someday, and he was going to help it.

He didn't interrupt her as she spoke, and for a moment afterward he said nothing.

You think the tasks assigned to you are beneath you but in the breath before you told me your master... he put the emphasis on the word because he could sense that she disliked it ...had things more important than you. Which is it? Are you important or are you a waste of time?

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana held her breath for the moments of silence following her request, gazing at Talak with uncertainty and apprehension. Before her thoughts could run idle with questions, he finally spoke up. His words dripped with venom, and his question stung her. She hadn’t thought about what she said, and now he was calling into question her worth, using that word to describe Melkor. She’d deliberately chosen to avoid calling him her master, why, then, had this man ignored that? She hadn’t considered that he was able to sense how she felt, and every pause in her speech was an open invitation to feel her emotions.

He was difficult to read. Normally, she had a pretty good feeling about someone’s disposition, but with him it was noticeably absent, save for the uneasiness she felt around him. Ana shifted her weight around her feet idly as he spoke, not daring to take her eyes off of his. When he had finished posing his question, she quietly exhaled, realizing she’d been holding her breath for that short while. She clasped her hands in front of her body, idly running her top hand's fingers over the other hands’. A nervous tick.

”He-” she said quietly before clearing her throat and speaking louder, ”He’s not my master. No one is.” She felt the need to correct him, likely against her better judgment. ”I waste my talents in a dark spire reading when I could be out there,” she said, gesturing ambiguously around her, ”Doing something… more.” She frowned, bringing her hands back in and closing herself off.

”And... I had to have been important enough for you to come out here and see me. It'd be a waste to just walk away now. I’ll prove it to you I’m- that I’m not a waste of time.” She raised her hands somewhat, spreading them apart in almost a half-shrug. ”What must I do?” she asked, furrowing her brows and looking into his snake-like eyes, ”Is there some test you want me to complete? A trial?” She was desperate and both of them knew it, but the tantalizing allure of the Dark Side was too much to simply resist when she was this close to feeling it once more.

 

[Talak Rand]

At first her words were weak, but she seemed to catch herself. There was offense or hurt in her words, but there was also determination, even desperation. She wanted it, and it seemed as if she would do anything to get what she was after. That was a good start.

She was right about one thing. If he had to leave after all this and coming all the way out here, he would have been quite annoyed. But, no, he didn't think that was going to happen.

Hm, he grunted quietly to himself in thought. One thing she said stuck with him above anything else. She spent her days locked away in a tower, but she wanted to be "out there." He wondered if she really understood what she was asking for. He wondered where she fell on the spectrum that was the "Sith Eternal."

He moved toward her, through the mist until the two were far closer. There were some things that shouldn't be spoken loudly in public. You're a Guardian of the Eternal, he said. What do you think we do "out there?" he asked. He wanted to know if she had the fortitude, though he thought he already knew the answer.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana’s hands curled into fists as Talak approached, wary for what he might do. They were alone, obscured by the darkness and the fog, yet he closed the distance between them, nonetheless. He spoke low, keeping this conversation strictly between them in the event someone was eavesdropping. What did she think they did “out there?” A hell of a lot more than she did in Melkor’s dark spire, that’s for sure. She had to tilt her head back a little more to look at him now that he was closer, and suddenly the height difference was much more apparent. As soon as he finished posing his question, she retorted, her tone quiet but hurried.

”We’re the forces of change,” she said, shaking her head, ”These worlds, this galaxy… all of it is a beast, apathetic and slothful. The ones who came before us,” she said, looking around the dense blanket of fog before returning her focus to Talak, ”They had the tools to restart the cycle. To them, we’re just children playing with fires left behind by titans.”

She brought her hands back in and rested them left over right, in front of her, again rubbing her fingers together idly. What was it that this man wanted to hear from her? That she was bored? That she desired to delve into the ruins of the ancient Sith to uncover whatever profane teachings they left behind? That she desired, more than most things, to have a purpose in something greater than herself? This interrogation, she surmised, had to be some kind of test.

”We’re restrained by our ignorance,” she admitted after a short pause, ”There are things out there. Things far darker than we know, but to have even a glimpse of the knowledge the Sith had...” These were partly the words of Melkor and partly her own convictions, her own obsessions with uncovering forbidden lore. They could do nothing to continue the growth of stagnant societies without reviving the lost knowledge of the Sith. Sitting in some tower and watching trinkets collect dust was not how they would bring about this radical change. She wanted more.

”We need to know what they knew, feel what they felt,” she concluded, ”I need to. And I can’t… won't ever know if I don’t start searching for it.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak listened as she talked about what she wanted. She idolized the Sith, it seemed. There was no doubt that they had a grasp of the Force that even Talak admired, but they were pawns of the Force. They didn't see what the Force was truly after or what their role really was. They had fallen out of favor with the Force for a reason.

Nevertheless, there was a great deal to learn from the Sith. That seemed to be where her interests lay, and she seemed to have the resolve. He wondered if she had the fortitude to do the truly horrible things, though. The dark side would be the means to make those decisions, but for that she would need to begin training.

A breeze blew over the treetop village, sending a chill down his spine as if in response to his musing about the darkness. It caused him to reach out to the Force again, feeling the world around him. It was drenched in violence of its own. It was the perfect place for this training.

Hm, he said again to her answer, giving no indication whether or not her answer was what he was looking for, but at least the interrogation seemed to be over, and the oppressing sensation that seemed to gather around them lifted.

Come with me, he said, and began walking briskly across the wooden village. He glanced down and saw the cracks in the village's wooden floor leading to an inky black void beneath. He'd be glad to be out of here and onto the surface soon.

Did you bring weapons? he asked. He really hoped she did, but if she didn't, he wasn't going to give her any. That was her loss, but the creatures on the surface below wouldn't go any easier on her.

Within moments, they had made it to one of the Wookiee's massive wooden elevators leading down to the shadowlands. It looked archaic and creaked as they stepped on board, but at least they were on their way down now. As far as he was concerned, they couldn't make it onto hard ground again soon enough.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana shivered as the cold breeze blew past them, her muscles involuntarily tensing up. It was a foreboding wind, and tonight, beneath the three moons of Kashyyyk, she knew she would not leave this place the same. Talak grunted again after she had stopped talking, and she wasn’t sure what it was he was expecting. Her lips curled downwards in a frown momentarily before he began moving swiftly towards the elevator, beckoning her to follow. She had questions, too many questions, but this was not the time to ask them. She was glad he had decided to accept her request – at least, that’s what she thought – without subjecting her to further interrogation.

She followed suit, needing to half-jog to keep up with his longer stride, and looked up at him as he spoke to her. ”Yes,” she answered curtly, feeling her lightsaber bounce gently against her body as she moved. There was also the vibroknife, but it was a last resort weapon. She was never one to rely on her lightsaber, instead preferring the Force as a tool, but she never went anywhere without it if she could help it. She knew nothing of this planet, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

The pair stepped onto the wooden elevator. Its sturdiness seemed dubious at best, and doubt filled her mind about whether or not the primitive natives of this world trusted their own equipment. The wood beneath them groaned in protest upon being disturbed, but it held firm for now. The descent began, and, for a short while, Ana was quiet. She could barely see into the darkness ahead, and the deeper they went, the more oppressive it became. She knew they called these the Shadowlands for a reason, but it was difficult to prepare herself for how abyssal this place seemed.

The elevator moved slowly, but steadily. After a few minutes of silence, she turned her head and looked at Talak, studying the side of his face for a moment before speaking up. ”What’s waiting for us down there?” she asked bemusedly, unsure of how he planned to fulfill her request. She very well could have walked into her death here, and she didn’t even know this man’s name or what he planned on doing once they had reached the surface. If he answered her or didn’t, she would turn her head back and look out at the massive bases of the wroshyr trees, in awe at how primal this world was compared to Serenno. She could barely make out a few figures darting about around them, but it wasn’t clear if they were prey or predators.

After some time, the elevator finally completed its descent, and for a moment the two sat in near-complete darkness. In the distance, predators growled and hissed, and Ana suddenly felt like a thousand eyes were watching her.

 

[Talak Rand]

The winch for the elevator looked crude, but the ropes were as thick as a Wookiee's arm. They certainly wouldn't be snapping easily, which was some little reassurance as they continued into the abyss.

Each was left with their own thoughts and the creaking of the wood as they descended in silence before it was finally broken by Ana. What was waiting for them down there was a question that was difficult to answer. He had no idea what sorts of monsters or creatures they may end up facing, but one things was for certain.

He moved over and took hold of the railing, peering over the edge. Even with the Force enhancing his vision he couldn't see to the bottom or see what awaited them down there. Wookiees didn't often allow others into the shadowlands, but the Force had a strong influence over the... oh, you know.

Dangerous things, he answered. It was both cryptic and as honest as he could be. Whatever awaited them down there would be a test. That was precisely what he needed from her. He needed her to tap into the same primal energy that pervaded the floor of this world. Where everything was a simple as predator and prey.

When they reached the bottom, that sensation of being surrounded immediately sunk in. Reaching out to the Force was almost dizzying there was so much life down here and the world felt so vibrant. But all at the same time, it screamed like a warning to stay away. The air down here was much colder and stiff. There was no wind or breeze to move it through the trees, and the foliage was dense.

He reached back and pulled the lightsaber hilt from his belt, pushing into the undergrowth until they were far enough away from the elevator to activate it and begin carving through the foliage.

Eventually, they reached another clearing and he stopped. They were away from the world and all civilization. It was just the two of them, in the dark, surrounded by things that could kill them. He pulled out his small holoprojector with his free hand and hit a button. An image of a creature appeared in the typical blue tint of a holoprojector.

You're going to find and kill one of these, he said. Katarns were notoriously dangerous creatures in a jungle filled with dangerous creatures. It wouldn't be an easy task, but he had confidence she was up to the task. If she wasn't, then she had no business "out there" anyway.

 

[Ana DAmico]

They were invaders to this foreign land, there was no doubt about it. The Shadowlands were inhospitable and cruel, and she remembered reading that only the bravest or most foolhardy willingly ventured down here. A cold chill ran down Ana’s spine as they stood on the elevator platform for a moment. She unconsciously reached out with the Force to try and sense what was around them, but the resulting sensation was almost overwhelmingly powerful. This truly was a place rich in both life and death, and she understood why Talak had chosen this place for her training. It was primeval and raw, much like the baser emotions that the Force used as a gateway to the Dark Side.

Her mentor drew his lightsaber without a word and began to push through the dense foliage and she followed suit, raising a hand to protect her face while the other one pressed ahead to clear the path. Once they were out of sight from the elevator, he ignited it, and the gentle hum of the weapon stood in stark contrast to the oppressive ambience of the jungle around them. A red glow suffused the area as he carved the path ahead while she trailed close behind, keeping an eye out for anything about to pounce on them. With how dark this place was, though, she figured anything that wanted to eat them would do so before they even realized it, so she reached back and unclipped her lightsaber from her belt, holding the weapon cautiously.

Once they had reached the clearing she stopped and looked at Talak, her eyes darting to the holoprojector he now held in his hands. She observed the creature, studying it, while he gave her the task of hunting one down. She’d seen an image of the creature before, but she knew nothing about it, save that it was a nightmarish predator in these parts. She considered, briefly, questioning what, exactly, hunting one of these would do for her or what he’d be doing while she was gone, but she decided it was better to hold her tongue. He’d come all this way for her; she figured it was best to not antagonize him with a million questions. Instead, she simply nodded and replied with a terse ”Very well,” and stood by in the event he had any further words for her. If he didn’t, she’d look out into the jungle around them, then back at Talak.

”I’ll… er, be back soon,” she said before picking a direction to go and walking towards it. Once she was out of sight, she paused, looked around, and then sighed. ”I hope.”

She ignited her saber and began to cut through the underbrush with ease, making a clear path for her back to where Talak would, hopefully, be waiting. In the meanwhile, she could feel the presence of a dozen other creatures nearby, but she didn’t know where they were or, more frighteningly, what they were. While she pressed on, her eyes looked skyward towards the trunks of the massive trees, hoping to catch sight of one of the predators before it decided to strike. This place was incredible, and she wondered how long the natives of this world had survived in such an unforgiving environment. Her musing was cut short when a nearby bush rustled, causing her to stop and square up to it, keeping her lightsaber in a defensive stance.

She wasn’t sure who the predator was in this scenario anymore.

 

[Talak Rand]

He watched her eyes studying the hologram, and used the chance to study her while she was distracted. The most obvious thing to note was that she was short. She didn't look like much, but he knew better than to judge someone by their size. The old Jedi Grandmaster was reputed to be a little frog, apparently. She was also attractive with a pretty face that suggested she was perhaps only a few years younger than he was, and her eyes betrayed an eagerness and desire to learn.

Below that, her emotions betrayed that she was still wracked by that uncertainty that he was going to pull out of her. Her entire being was a grey in the Force. Not dipped into the red-streaked black of the dark side. This place would elicit the bright red of fear and perhaps even anger, and once it did, the grey would be tinted to black by the subsequent actions she took. Cold-blooded killing had a way of changing the canvas of the soul.

She began to walk away, and he knelt down into the undergrowth of the jungle, letting his mind fall into meditation. He was no longer just here in the jungle, but had transcended. He was now a part of the jungle. Every leaf and tree, every insect and predator were laid bare before him. He could feel the massive spiders high above their heads in their wicked webs. He could feel the small, lizard-like creatures moving through the trees, keeping watch over their nests as the Guardian carved her way through vines and bushes. He could feel the small swarm of insects just ahead of the Guardian, and he could feel her. Every emotion and even the occasional thought.

And he could sense the first streaks of red. She was realizing that she was both predator and prey in this jungle, just as it was in the wider galaxy. She would either learn to harness those emotions or she would be subdued by them. Moreover, she would understand the dangers they faced even on "civilized" worlds.

This is the natural state, without warning his mind would ring out in hers. Take away "society" and "expectations" and you won't find a place where nature is more true to the Force's cycle.

He could see in his mind the massive spider scurrying along the tree above her. Looking up, she would catch merely a glimpse of movement before it was gone, but she would have a lingering sense of it nearby.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana kept her lightsaber held defensively, holding her breath momentarily as whatever was hiding in the bush came out. She half-expected some foul predator to come lunging out of it at her, teeth and claws ready to rip into her supple flesh. Instead, a small primate skulked out of the foliage, gave her a nasty look, then clambered on top of a root and scurried skyward. Ana sighed and lowered the lightsaber, mentally kicking herself for being so paranoid. This was the first time she’d truly been sent on her own into the foreboding darkness to hunt something that very easily could kill her, and the sense of uneasiness and fear floated at the top of her subconscious.

Talak’s voice disrupted her thoughts, informing her about the sheer primitive nature of this place. Indeed, it was nothing like Serenno, or even Bal’demnic. It was a hungering beast unlike anything she’d experienced before, far older and far more dangerous than any civilized society. The creatures that lurked in these depths had done so instinctually for eons and would continue well beyond her visit. Where civilization lent itself to social stratification and corruption, nature existed solely on the cycle of eat-or-be-eaten. This place embodied the purity of the structure of nature and served as an example of what the Sith Eternal pushed for.

Her eyes scanned above once more, wary for tree-clinging predators. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she reached out beyond her physical self to see more. She ignored the minor primates, the lizards and the insects, and instead felt for things larger, hungrier, than everything else around her. A profound sense of dread filled her body as the faint signature of the massive spider made itself apparent, and her eyes caught only the barest glimpse of its movement before the darkness swallowed it whole.

She instinctively recoiled from this sudden sensation. A cold chill ran down her spine and goosebumps lined her skin. She might have been hunting a katarn, but everything else around was hunting her. Warily, she stepped forward, continuing on her trek through the darkness, lightsaber held ahead of her as she sliced through the underbrush. How am I supposed to find this thing? she thought, projecting it beyond her mind in the hopes that Talak was still listening. She could wander through the woods until she was attacked, sure, but that would merely spell her doom.

She carved her way forward a while more before coming to the edge of a great clearing. Unbeknownst to her, the soil below was stained deeply with the blood of unwary creatures, and a certain aura of death pervaded this area. She sat at the edge for a moment or two longer, feeling uncertain about stepping forth from the relative safety of the jungle. She could still feel those thousand eyes upon her, watching, waiting for one misstep. Fear certainly pervaded her mind more than any other emotion, battling with her intense desire to learn, to know that which made the ancients so great. Her chest heaved a few times as she inhaled deeply and exhaled, calming herself. ”Kriff,” she huffed, stepping into the clearing. She kept her lightsaber raised, eyes watching for anything striking at her from above, senses spreading out beyond such mere physical sensations as sight or sound.

If she wasn’t going to find it, she was going to present herself on a silver platter for it.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak didn't move from his position at first. Even as he let his mind pervade the jungle around him, it was deeply unnerving. There was the predator's way underlying everything, but he noted how all malice was lacking. It was simple survival.

He knew that Ana hadn't yet found the target, and he wondered if she had a plan at all. Regardless of her success, he had a plan of his own that had hatched in his mind. This test was about many, many things, and hunting the beast was only a single part of it. As she continued into the clearing, he rose from his kneeling position and began to move through the forest.

It was dark, and even with the Force's underlying guidance, it was difficult to evade the roots and stones that protruded from the ground. Even following the path that Ana had cut through the forest it felt as though the vines and branches clung to him like a living being with every step.

It took him a surprisingly short time, however, to reach the clearing she had arrived at, and he could see the spider now falling from the jungle above. It launched itself at her from above, spewing a glob of webbing as it fell and slammed downward with one of its long, spear-like legs. Talak did nothing to interfere but moved further into the shadows so he wouldn't be seen by either combatant.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Dangerous things.

Ana cursed the day she reached out to Talak for help. She took sitting in a nice, dark spire reading ancient tomes massively for granted, and now she found herself in one of the galaxy’s most unforgiving places hunting what was, essentially, a predator in a jungle full of predators. This is the natural state, he called it, but so far all she’d experienced was a profound sense of dread and anxiety wandering around a shadowy environment with nothing but her lightsaber as light. She could have not accepted this, could have just returned to her ship and been safe, but no, she needed to know more.

Well, this is what curiosity got her.

Her preternatural senses warned her before her eyes did, and she dove out of the way of the glob of spider webs as the giant weaver descended. Its legs pierced the ground where she was standing just moments prior, and she had to thank the Force for alerting her before she became yet another blood stain in the soil. Ana scrambled to her feet, igniting her lightsaber again and facing the spider.

Her heart sank when she realized how massive it was. This was no mere house spider, but rather an apex predator in a land where few things were dangerous enough to hunt them. Venom dripped from its mandibles and it adjusted its position menacingly, sizing up the diminutive cultist in front of it. Ana really hoped that, if she survived this encounter, the rest of her strategy might work out. Spiders bled, right? She was certain something of this size had to be good eating for the beast she was truly hunting, and hopefully the scent of fresh blood would draw out her quarry. But first, she needed to live that long.

The giant weaver darted forward astonishingly quick and Ana had a mere fraction of a moment to respond. She instinctively gathered the Force to her and jumped upward and over the spider as it lunged and thrust its forelegs where she was previously in an attempt to impale her. Ana landed to the rear of it and turned around, thrusting her lightsaber at its abdomen right as it turned. Her lightsaber seared into it, but it wasn’t deep enough to kill, only to enrage, and the spider reacted violently by charging at her once again.

Without much time to think, Ana dove to the side with a yelp, clinging onto her lightsaber for dear life as she slid in the dirt and scrambled to her feet, swinging her lightsaber wildly at the spider to ward it off for the time being. It chittered at her and skittered around, kept at bay by the red blade, but she knew her moment of safety was nearing a close.

Her heart beat hard enough to burst out of her chest, and her eyes grew wide with panic. Adrenaline pumped through her body and kept her tense and on edge as she came face to face with her first true life-or-death encounter. Talak, who would be witnessing this bullfight from the darkness, would easily be able to see the brilliant red streaks of fear permeating her being, almost like a small beacon of terror in this accursed forest.

 

[Talak Rand]

There were many parts of the training process that Talak hated, and this was one of them. He didn't like putting people through pain or even death, but he also recognized the necessity. If the Sith Eternal didn't have the dark side flowing freely through them, they would never be able to accomplish what the Force had for them. In order for them to reach that point, though, there had to be pain and hardship first.

He could feel that fear building inside of her now, and that was her first step toward the dark side. The primal emotions of fear and anger were ingrained deeply in ever single person, and it was those emotions that would feed her power in the Force. In doing so, she would find the power she needed in order to defeat the creature.

Or else she would crumble under her own fear and be slain.

The spider continued circling, one might even say "skittering." It hissed and flailed its front legs around in a fashion meant to intimidate other creatures of the jungle. It was difficult to see what was going on exactly, but Talak could see the wild swinging of the glowing blade that stuck out against the rest of the darkness of the jungle.

Then the creature leapt again. Both legs sweeping down on her and hoping to overwhelm her outright, paying little heed to the lightsaber between them. It was the predator here, and it didn't know to be afraid of the much smaller human down in its realm.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana knew the spider wouldn’t be kept at bay by her lightsaber for more than a moment or two. It was an apex predator, what would some glowing blade do to stop it from getting its next meal? Its fangs shuddered violently as it chittered at her and flailed its front two legs, forcing her to take a step back out of fear of apprehension for its next move. She half-expected it to shoot another glob of webbing at her or, even more terrifyingly, be signaling to another such predator behind her ready to go for the kill.

It leapt again towards her and Ana took another step back over the rough terrain, catching her heel on a thick vine and causing her to trip backwards right as its legs scythed down. She barely managed to move her legs together enough between the two legs to avoid total impalement, and the spear-like leg sliced clean through the outside of her thigh, leaving a sizeable gash. Ana panicked and screamed, dropping her lightsaber as the sudden sensation of pain and the threat of death overtook her mind. Whatever thoughts she had were wiped instantly and replaced with pure, unadulterated fear and anger.

She continued to scream, thrusting her hands forward as the raw emotions took on a physical manifestation and used her body as a focus. Sparks of blue energy flew forth from her fingertips as the spider began to rear back to attack again, slamming into it and throwing it backwards enough to get her out of harm’s way. The creature shuddered violently as the lightning arced through the air and electrocuted it, coursing from its simple head to the abdomen, the attack lasting only a second at most. Her screaming was replaced by hurried panting as the spider convulsed on the ground, its many legs splayed outward uselessly. She dragged her hand along the forest floor, clawing for her lightsaber and eventually grabbing it in a handful of dirt. The adrenaline helped her ignore her pain for the time being, and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

With panicked haste, she lurched forward and activated her lightsaber, grunting in pain as she slashed at the stunned creature’s head. She cried out again, bringing it across in a backhanded slash over it, and repeated the forward-backward motion of slicing it apart for several feral, unrefined swings, each time growing more and more exasperated. When she was done and certain it was dead, she backed off and deactivated her lightsaber, chest heaving with labored breaths.

She was afraid and angry. Afraid of dying alone in some dark forest and afraid of how she felt when her emotions had taken control and manifested themselves. She was angry that Talak had put her through this, angry that she had been so stupid to agree to wandering the Shadowlands alone and woefully unprepared. More than anything, though, she was angry that she had gone through this ordeal and hadn’t even found her true quarry. This was just a single creature and it wasn’t even the one she had been hunting.

Ana stood there and panted for some time, staring at the spider corpse, trying to come to grips with the first life she had taken. After a while, her body began to register the pain in her leg, and she looked down with a yelp and quickly reached down to press against the wound and stop the bleeding. ”Shit,” she hissed, looking around the clearing, ”Shit shit shit.” This was a bad place to be bleeding, and her body felt drained from this encounter. She wondered how long her cruel mentor would wait for her down here before simply leaving her to die in the darkness, and that overwhelming sensation of loneliness, apprehension, and fear began to creep back up on her. All she wanted was a chance to lie down and catch her breath, but that would only spell her demise.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but this wasn't it. He could feel the fear and anger pulsing through her and altering the Force around her before it leapt out of her fingertips in the form of blue lightning. Flickers of blue lit up the entire clearing and Talak's eyebrows rose in surprise. Interesting.

She through herself into a rage, ripping into the monster's head with her lightsaber, all her primal energy and darkness flowing through her. This place had done its job even better than he could have hoped, and she had taken her first steps. He was almost inclined to tell her to throw in the towel on hunting the katarn, but that wasn't acceptable either. In the field, things didn't always go as planned, and you couldn't just quit when it got hard.

However, he did decide it was time to change up the plan. He emerged from the shadows as she still stood there, panting and bleeding.

You first taste of the real Force, he said quietly. Everything else was an imitation and fell short of the real power that the Force offered. This was what gave them the chance to accomplish what the Force had for them and overcome any hardship. With the Force as an ally, they could overcome even the fiercest predator.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana lifted her hand from her thigh, inspected the blood, then quickly planted it back on the injury, groaning to herself and wincing in pain. Her heart still pounded painfully in her chest and her breathing was staccato, almost ragged, as she sought to catch her breath. A lot was going through her mind right now, and it was difficult to focus on any one thought. She was afraid, angry, hurt, confused, and a slew of other emotions at an intensity she hadn’t experienced before. The spider behind her was well and thoroughly killed, but it had left a lasting mark on her; while there was physical pain, the wounds on her psyche and her soul were far more sinister. It was only for a brief second, but the overwhelming power she experienced felt good.

There was a rustling in the underbrush on the edge of the clearing and Ana swiftly brought her lightsaber up and activated it, pointing the tip at whatever emerged from the shadows. To her surprise, Talak stepped forth, and a tinge of anger flared up inside her. ”St- stay back,” she rasped out between breaths, keeping the weapon leveled at him. The whites of her eyes were visible, and her hair hung loosely around her worried face with dirt and small twigs intermixed in its black strands. She certainly looked markedly different than how she did when she embarked on this little hunt.

Ana took a step back and bumped a leg into one of the monster’s many legs, causing her to jump and look back for a second before returning her focus to Talak. She remained slightly hunched and limped in a circle, keeping the weapon pointed at him to ward him off. ”How… how long were you following me? Did you- did you know this would happen?” she demanded, feeling the hot blood dribbling through her fingers and down her hand. She feared this place, feared what else lurked in the darkness; her muscles remained tensed, her skin felt cool and clammy, and a bead of sweat traced down her head, causing her to blink away the sudden salt in her eye. Her body was preparing her to fight or flee again, unsure of what Talak intended for her.

 

[Talak Rand]

As soon as he emerged from the bushes, she had her lightsaber pointed at him, and he immediately took note. It hadn't really been the reaction he expected, but it was far more interesting. Before the fight with the spider and seeing how wounded she was, he had intended to attack her and test her. He had foregone it after seeing her state, but now everything was changing. His head tilted to the side as if evaluating something.

This precisely, no. But something similar: the odds were in favor, he answered, slowly pulling his lightsaber from his belt and holding it in his right hand. The blade hissed and cut a blood-red swath through the darkness and manufacturing a whole new web of shadows.

A duel then, he said, his tone not fully portraying whether or not it was a statement or a question. In her state, a duel wasn't wise, but he wasn't going to give her time to talk her way out of it.

He lunged forward, his body half obscured by shadow and swung the blade up diagonally from his own lower left side to the upper right. It was aimed to chop through her ankle if she wasn't careful. He didn't anticipate she would have much trouble defending against it, even in her wounded state, and he was ready for the inevitable counter-attack.