Grooming the Locals

[Vuthari]

Rowrakruk Spaceport
Kashyyyk

For Vu’thari, coming back to Kashyyyk could have been considered “too soon”. While there were some lessons learned and some friends that came out of the Life Day experience, there was also pain that came from it. Not only working with a group of Mandalorians running a slaving camp that he helped break up, but also the deep memories that the Jedi had done a good job of covering the surface up, came rising back to his consciousness...in full color. Upon touching the Life Tree, all of those memories were relived as if he were experiencing them again for the first time. Traumatic in every way, but it was also an awakening, understanding what had to be done for the sake of the continuing existence of the Jedi.

Duty…

It was the word that sprung to his mind. While it could be a burden and a heavy obligation at times, it also provided purpose and direction, but most of all an organized avenue for justice in an unjust galaxy…the Galactic Alliance.

This is what brought Vu’thari and Ayasha back here. As they strolled through the spaceport outside of Rowrakruk, those memories were at the forefront. He knew Ayasha could since his slight unease being here, but he took a deep breath and forced the anxiety to a simmer instead of a boil. They were here to meet one of Aurora Blackwood’s Padawans. They had been tasked by Commander Ion to see about a lost delivery of medical supplies that fell into the Black Forest, or more commonly known as, the Shadowlands. The reason they were called was simply that wookies did not go there. It was a place of dark legend and superstitution…and many wookies never returned from such a place. Vu’thari knew it would be dangerous, but perhaps that is why he was sent with two of the most experienced Padawans of the fledgling Jedi.

Landing the Equinox in the Black Forest was not an option, the tree cover was so thick, it could not hope to find a place to land. Not to mention, most couldn’t provide enough cable to make it down to the bottom of the massive wroshyr trees. So Vu’thari rented a trio of speeder trucks that could wiggle their way to the last known location of the medical supplies that the local wookies desperately needed.

The Jedi picked up three cups of caf, taking one and passing the other as they waited on Aurelian to meet them. Looking over at Ayasha, he sensed some unease, but overall, his padawan was an island of calm. Smiling, he said, “Enjoy this light while you can…not much of that where we are going…”

@Wolf
@Lazy Swordsman
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Aurelian Keth, Jedi Padawan, it was still almost too much to believe. The man had dedicated his entire life to studying the Jedi Order, to finding scraps of knowledge about what he believed was an extinct group who had once championed justice and compassion across the galaxy. He had risked life and limb for the slightest piece of lore, the faintest sign of fact in the stories. His obsession had drove him to lie to the University on Coruscant, to subvert his postgraduate funding for his true goals and, ultimately, caused him to go into exile and lose his family. He still hadn’t discovered exactly what had happened to his parents but the burnt out farm was evidence enough. The Empire didn’t tolerate disloyalty from it’s citizens, there could be no leniency especially in light of his mother’s similar actions during her days as an academic. Yet he’d never given up. The sacrifices had only driven him further. His belief that even simply learning their traditions and histories could bring a little light to a universe shrouded in darkness.

Then Aurora Blackwood, his Jedi Master, had walked into his life. At first she had simply seemed a rude and overbearing woman who had only arrived to find fault with his life’s work. Then she had shown interest, asking questions of what he had seen or discovered. The woman had opened his eyes to his own potential and led him into a much larger world. However even learning of his Force Sensitivity paled in comparison to discovering that the Jedi Order still lived, depleted and in hiding but still very much alive even if only thanks to the efforts of the few remaining Jedi Masters.

After that he had spent some time with the woman, she had opened his eyes and taught in her usual manner of pushing him towards the right path at the right moment without his realising it. It had all accumulated on Iktotch. After discovering hints of a secret, but ancient, Jedi Sanctuary from the earliest days of the Sith victory Aurelian couldn’t believe his luck, although he now knew it was the Force that had brought all the pieces together so that he would discover it’s location. With Aurora he had tracked down the Sanctuary, opened it even to his disbelief as the texts had said only a Master and an Apprentice attuned to the Light could do such a thing. When all was said and done he discovered that the journey had been his Initiate Trial, informal as it was. Aurora had then officially accepted him as her student, as a Padawan of the Order.

The thought still brought an utmost sense of joy that he could nearly cry. Aurelian knew how lucky he was, not only for being discovered and guided as he had been but because of who had discovered him. Originally he had thought the woman a little odd. The Jedi Masters in the old tales where just but severe beings garbed in hooded brown robes and speaking with an ancient mysterious wisdom. In comparison Aurora was a grouchy, critical and sarcastic woman who looked more like a beautiful socialite from a planet such as Coruscant than a wizened old sage. Since then he’d seen the truth of the matter. She had proven to be intelligent, compassionate and wise, only pushed him as far as she knew he could go. She had guided him so effortlessly in his beginning first steps into the Force that he had almost not even noticed her influence at all. The Jedi Master had perfectly drew Aurelian into opening himself to the Force despite his age and years of subconsciously blocking out it’s influence so as to avoid the eyes of the Sith while living on the Republica Capital. That wasn’t even mentioning the depths of her power as a master of the Jedi arts or how much she was supporting the Galactic Alliance without seeking fame or glory. He had only scratched the surface of the woman who was now his master, mentor and guide all in one but he had realised just how fortunate he was to be her student.

Aurelian’s snubfighter entered the atmosphere with a controlled descent. It was his first test of the ship’s flight capability and the trip had afforded him a chance to get used to it. He had scheduled the addition of the sublight booster in a few days but wanted to get used to flying the ship unmodified before then, although he had allowed himself the time to have the ship re-sprayed from it’s stock green to it’s own colour scheme. The Malla-Class starfighter had been constructed by KashyCorp so it had felt appropriate for it’s maiden voyage to be back home. He had plotted a course from Hoth to Savareen to stop at the base and check to make sure the ship was performing correctly on a mechanical level. Once the diagnostics had come back positive he’d travelled straight to Kashkyyk via Ruusan. He’d chosen Hyperspace routes that he was familiar with from his time co-piloting Ner’Giza’s freighter.

The computer as the small screen at the side of the control panel which provided Aurelian with minor navigation updates. It seemed the droid had located the landing co-ordinates and the Advancer Class Freighter Equinox was already present.

The scholar felt a bundle of nerves gather in his stomach like butterflies. This would be his first meeting with another Jedi Master. In fact it would be his first meeting with any Jedi aside from his Master, that he knew of anyway. Aurora had told him he would be meeting Jedi Master Vu’thari and his Padawan, a woman named Ayasha Waya. He really wanted to make a good impression on these other members of the… of his Order.

As his fighter landed near the Equinox Aurelian stepped out, stretched and rolled his neck, he liked his little ship but flying long distances was far from comfortable. The scholar had chosen to wear his usual armour, he might be a Jedi now but he was far from trained well enough to enter combat in nothing but his robes. Grabbing his vibrosword from the ships storage he fastened it to his waist. He’d come relatively lightly armed with only a blaster holstered over his right thigh and second blaster on the opposite leg. He’d left his rifle and grenades back on Hoth, he hated carrying that much weaponry to begin with and felt plenty armed as was. Hopefully this mission wasn’t going to be a combat one anyway although his last time in the Shadowlands hadn’t been the best. Aurelian shuddered at the memory and begged fate not to send giant spiders after him again.

It only took the man a few moments to find the two Jedi nearby. Aurelian held a hand up in greetings and smiled with a mixture of nervousness and warmth, they both perfectly matched the descriptions provided to him for the pair he was supposed to meet.

Stepping up to Vu’thari he held his hands towards the Twi’lek with his palms facing inwards leaving some space between them. “Kei’nata tun Olma’nabsilai Vu’thari.” he said politely and with great formality. The traditional Twi’leki response would be the same phrase in return while placing their hands either between or outside Aurelian’s own depending on the level of respect they wished to show.

Aurelian had spent over a year on Ryloth working with the resistance there. Through his friendship with Ner’Giza and her uncle Tan’erca he had been adopted into the Twi’lek’s family and wider Clan. As part of that he had learnt their peoples traditions and their language, he now spoke Ryl about as well as you could without having lekku, which was to say not flawlessly but well enough to get by.

Once Vu’thari had responded in whatever way he deemed appropriate Aurelian would turn to give a respectful bow to the young woman and speak with a smile. “And I’m honoured to make your acquaintance Ayasha.” He would resist the urge to call her Padawan, Aurora had hammered into him that he needed to be cautious when speaking of Jedi affairs and Aurelian didn’t know the area well enough to be sure that they were secluded.

@Wolf
@Mithias

 

[Ayasha Waya]

Kashyyyk was a myriad of mysteries from the Life Tree to the Shadowlands. The wookies that inhabited the planet were a very religious and superstitious bunch that reminded Ayasha much of her own people. She had spent a good portion of the journey here researching the culture and she found it fascinating how there were so many parallels. The woman had felt a great deal of anxiety when she first heard that she and Vu'thari would be traveling back to the place they first met, to the place where so many wonderful and terrible things had happened. Their time at the Life Tree had opened up old wounds and created new opportunities. The duality of the situation did not escape the padawan now as she roamed the spaceport beside her Master.

Since the day she had crawled aboard Crix's ship and was ripped from everything she knew, the woman had pondered the meaning of each event that had led her to the Life Tree. It was there that her stars had changed and her calling had been realized. It was there that Vu'thari felt her strong connection with the Force. It was there that the mantra she had repeated her whole life came full circle and she knew that she really had been made for so much more. This was a special place, the place from which her future was birthed...her own personal genesis. Moreover, this was also the place where she left her past behind. Kashyyyk had bridged the gap between all that had been and everything that would be.

Vu'thari collected three cups of caf and passed one to Ayasha. She looked up at the twi'lek and smiled while her hand brushed his as he passed her the beverage. Though these interactions no longer caused tension between the pair, the young woman could not help but acknowledge the intense fluttering that came rushing back to her gut. She glanced down at the caf and their hands before pulling the cup toward her other hand just above her waist. “Thank you,” the padawan whispered while returning her gaze to the path before them. It seemed like so long ago that Vu'thari had asked her to consider taking up the mantle of responsibility carried by the Jedi.

In the time since, the pair had endured their fair share of battles. They had been battered and bruised together. They had conquered personal struggles together. They had saved one another in both a literal and figurative sense. Their relationship touched places far deeper than the typical bond shared by a Master and padawan. They really knew one another. Ayasha was grateful for Vu'thari. She appreciated how patient he was with her, though she had come to him knowing very little about life in this wide open galaxy. He worked tirelessly with her to develop her natural strengths and tendencies instead of imposing a mold upon her abilities and forcing her to fit into it.

She loved him.

Duty called however, and just as she always had, the young woman exchanged her dreams for the burden of responsibility that rested heavily upon her shoulders now. “Enjoy this light while you can...not much of that where we are going...” Vu'thari's gentle voice interrupted Ayasha's thoughts. She was thrust back into the moment and shifted her mind to focus on the mission at hand. “Just like Galtea. The canopy is so thick, it's a wonder my people were not dreadfully pale,” the caramel skinned woman shot a lopsided grin in the twi'lek's direction.

It was true of her home planet. The better portion of the surface of Galtea was covered in thick forests. Had the woman not seen sunlight at the rare clearings, she would have believed like many that the expansive canopy was in fact, the sky above. It was taught that the trees extended to eternity and it was in the thick branches out of sight where the gods made their homes. In spite of proof to counter this old way of thinking, most of the tribal elders and aged members firmly held to this belief. Though danger lurked in the area known as the Shadowlands, Ayasha was prepared.

Hidden beneath the padawan's black tunic secured with a thick belt rested the lightsaber that had once belonged to Vu'thari's grandfather. The young woman wore it with pride as she hoped it would bring honor to the twi'lek's memory. Upon her right thigh clothed in slate leggings rested the holster that held the blaster pistol given to her by the pink skinned alien early in their training. Her black boots completed the ensemble, the tops of which rested comfortably just below her knee. The woman's waist length coal colored hair which typically hung loose at her back was secured in two thick braids that rested over the front of each shoulder. “SawDip made mention of my 'lekku' this morning,” Ayasha laughed through the words as she thought of the astrogation droid. “He said they look better on me.” The woman's lips formed a broad smile upon her beautiful face.

The conversation and lighthearted moment were cut short just then as a man approached the pair. Ayasha immediately recognized the face from the information that she and Vu'thari had received about the other padawan that would be joining them to complete the task they had been assigned. Aurelian Keth was a student of Jedi Master Aurora Blackwood, one of the five that would help rebuild the Order. The woman studied her fellow student's face and decided that he was likely only a few years older than she. Ayasha pondered how it was that this man had come to be a padawan of the fledgling Jedi Order. She wondered what his story looked like and how it may be similar to her own.

For the sake of respect, the young woman looked to Vu'thari to allow him to speak first. In many ways, she had been his shadow and in most cases, she regarded herself as less than the twi'lek. Ayasha lifted her cup of caf toward her lips and began to draw in a long gulp of the liquid as Aurelian extended his hands and gave a long and formal greeting in a language the padawan was only recently introduced to. The woman paused and peered over her cup as her brows raised in surprise. She lowered the beverage from her lips and glanced at Vu'thari with a chuckle, taking note of his hands that were busy holding a cup of caf in each.

The Jedi Master had taught Ayasha to be suspicious and careful in every setting, even in places where the risk was low. While she was relieved that her fellow padawan did not address Vu'thari with the formal title of Master in this wide open space where any set of ears or eyes could jeopardize the cause of the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance alike...she was concerned with the obvious detachment displayed in his formal greeting. “Don't do that, it's vaguely Jedi and far too formal. You're an old friend, play along,” the accomplished mentalist was not only a natural empath but seemingly a natural telepath as well. Her words slipped into both the Jedi Master's mind as well as the mind of her fellow student.

Ayasha smiled and took it upon herself to “fix” the situation quickly. With a grin upon her face, she stepped into the man's personal space, slipped between his hands and wrapped one arm around his neck while holding her cup of caf out to the side with her other. The forced hug would have looked like nothing out of the ordinary except for a moment shared between friends. “Good to see you again, my friend! It has been too long. How have you been?” the woman's words were warm and cheerful as she pulled away from the stranger and returned to her place beside Vu'thari.

“Here, we thought you could use a cup!” she added while swiping one of the beverages from the twi'lek's hand and passing it to Aurelian. “And I'm honored to make your acquaintance Ayasha,” Aurora's student added. The young woman resisted the urge to shout over his words but instead pushed his arm and laughed nervously. “You have always been such a kidder. Seriously though, how have you been?” she added while tilting her head slightly to the side and linking her arm around his while walking away from the place they had been standing. As if social situations were not already awkward enough for the Galtean native, add in someone not as paranoid as she and Vu'thari and multiply it by infinity.


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

Rowrakruk Spaceport
Kashyyyk

“SawDip made mention of my 'lekku' this morning. He said they look better on me.”

Vu’thari chuckled as he took another sip of his caf. The little droid was certainly taking to her. He responded with a grin, “Well, for once, SawDip is right…they do look better on you.”

Looking around the spaceport, there were much less people traversing its walkways as compared to the Life Day events, but it was still enough for Vu’thari to be wary. Looking over, he saw a human male approach from one of the docking bays further down. Watching as the human approached, Vu’thari was surprised at the traditional twi’lek greeting he received…but then he said “Master”. The Jedi thought that the poor human had no idea what it was like to live in Nar Shaddaa or on Sith-occupied planets. Although Vu’thari knew that the five Jedi “Masters” were all very different, raised as Jedi in very different ways, it only took one sentence to see exactly how different the training really was. In fact, he was only mildly surprised at how quickly his apprentice took control of the scene. She had more than enough practice of this on Dunari’s Rest, so watching her put those skills to work was truly a marvel. The Jedi felt her voice…

***Don't do that, it's vaguely Jedi and far too formal. You're an old friend, play along***

Her mental abilities were emerging as her most accomplished area of training. In truth, Vu’thari was quite certain her intuitive command over telepathy and sensing emotions had already eclipsed his own. Following his apprentice’s train of thought, he returned the formal twi’lek gesture with a smile and chuckled with a cup of caf in each hand. Immediately, he gave the man a hearty hug after Ayasha took one of the cups from his hand. Although the sequence of events was not planned, it seemed as natural as the wind on leaves.

“Good to see you again, my friend! It has been too long. How have you been? Here, we thought you could use a cup!

Ayasha and Vu’thari steered themselves down the terminal with Aurelian, like the three of them were old friends from way back. Often, the pair would look around, making sure they were not being followed or watched. While it was borderline paranoia, it had kept the Jedi safe for over five years on Nar Shaddaa, the heart of Imperial Hutta.

They were headed to the northern section of the spaceport. It was there they would pick-up their speeder truck rentals. This took the trio outside and into the mid-afternoon air where the foot traffic was nearly non-existent. The northern side of the spaceport was nothing but more forest and The Black Forest. As such, few people had affairs on this side of the spaceport. A beige furred wookie trotted up to the trio and roared with a smile. It was both frightening and kind at the same time. Its universal translator kicked off as it started speaking, in a mechanical voice, “You must be the CloudCrawler party? Your rentals are ready to go. Enjoy your dead wood collection. Try to avoid The Black Forest.”

Vu’thari gave a wide grin to the wookie and said with quite an excited tone, “Of course! Thanks for this, Grindolt. We are excited to see what we can come up with—and we will avoid the creepy places!”

With that, Grindolt waved, turned and headed directly over to his own speeder. It seemed the trio was the only item keeping him at work. As he left the three with their speeder trucks, they were now very much alone.

Vu’thari looked over at Aurelian with a genuine smile, “Apologies, Aurelian. I have lived in Imperial Hutta for the last five years. I am a bit more guarded than most when it comes to our identities. I have seen firsthand what happens when our kind are discovered…”

His smile had begun to fade, but it perked up as he looked to the two humans, “Enough dark moments. It is a pleasure to meet you, Aurelian…”

@Wolf
@LazySwordsman
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurelian Keth]

If they thought that speaking directly into his mind was going to put Aurelian at ease they where wrong. He glanced around with a mixture of shock and suspicion. Aurora had used telepathy on him before but that was different, it had been warm and personal but this was a stranger and an intrusion. Aurelian was a naturally calm individual, he found it easy to let go of his emotional hang ups, was difficult to offend and when he was offended he forgive swiftly. It was also this forgiving nature that meant the scholar tended to accept… oddities in another’s personality.

And this pair certainly where odd.

The man allowed Ayasha to push his hands down while returning her sudden hug. He did the same when Vu'thari approached after which he took the offered cup. He allowed, for a brief moment, his worry and confusion to show on his face before it was replaced with a friendly smile. “Cheers.” he said in a strong rural accent. Aurelian had learnt to feign accents long ago, it had come as a side-effect of trying to lose his own Outer-Rim hick tones while living on Coruscant. Normally his voice was that odd mixture of Inner-Core crispness with an undercurrent of the thick, almost drawling, pronunciation used on Orron III. For now he forced himself to use his native accent, as he did so infrequently anymore, as he responded. “I’m grand, couldn’t be better. How’re you lot getting on?” he almost grimaced at his own words. He’d worked hard to lose the traces of his origins and he’d never really been one for the local slang of his homeworld.

He glanced at the pair, smile still on his lips, he had followed along with the girl’s odd response only because the Jedi Master hadn’t intervened. Aurelian had spent years on Coruscant hiding his true studies from academics and even Sith alike. He had spent years deceiving the University, reallocating his research funds and when found out the scholar had been on the run for quite some time, alone and never staying on any planet for too long. His parents had been killed for his crimes. “Alec Korr” as he had been known as, still was known as in some places, he’d avoided Imperial entanglement due to his cautious nature. Now, as a Jedi Padawan, his Master had hammered such caution into him. Aurelian had always considered himself to be overly cautious but compared to this duo he was a candle next to a bonfire.

However what he was seeing here wasn’t caution. It was outright paranoia and it worried him. To be so dominated by fear, so emotionally unbalanced as to allow it to drive your every action, was dangerous for even normal people. For a Jedi? Half-trained or Master it was a terrifying prospect. He hoped he was wrong of course but this first interaction had not been reassuring. For example Ashaya’s belief that his greeting was “vaguely Jedi” was worrying. To take a traditional Twi’leki greeting, used no doubt tens of thousands of times a day, likely far more, and then link it to an organisation that was believed to be basically extinct for centuries simply due to a showing of respect? Well that was worrying. That was viewing the world through a lens of dread. More than that they were on Kashyyyk, if there was a planet that appreciated tradition then this was it. He had considered his greetings before arrival and even in hindsight he genuinely didn't believe he'd made a mistake... again another worry.

The response had implied a troubling mindset. Instead of dealing with it as if he was an acquaintance they’d met over the Holonet or through another friend, taking the greetings in stride she had responded with trying to force an ill-fitting “illusion” over their meeting. It was almost as if it was an inflexible response coming from a pre-planned scenario that had to be followed. It all felt… unnatural to the scholar although perhaps it didn’t appear so to an outsider. Like Aurelian she was a Padawan, he could understand such imbalance from those so early on in their studies as they but the fact that her Master had seemingly agreed to it… that’s what worried him. He would have to discuss it with Aurora later. Perhaps she could better help him understand or perhaps it was something that needed to be addressed. The Order would never be reborn in the shadow of fear; it would grow twisted and misshaped if it tried. Fear was the path to the Dark Side.

Once they began to move Aurelian followed the others with a casual smile on his face as he casually surveyed his surroundings. As usual he was cautious but he was only cautious. After all Kashyyyk was beyond the borders of Imperial Space although it unfortunately lay almost precisely between Imperial Republica, Imperial Hutta and Old Empire territories. He believed the civil war would come here soon and he hoped the Wookiees weathered it well. They where a strong peoples however. He believed they where strong enough to withstand anything, it was simply unfortunate and depressing that they might have to.

The Padawan let Vu’thari deal with the Wookiee, just taking the few moments to look around as he waited.

When the Twi’lek returned and addressed him Aurelian give a warm smile in response. “I understand to a degree. I was on Coruscant for years studying what I then believed to be an extinct organisation, studies that where not approved off. Then I spent many following years on the run until I found a home on Ryloth.” The home hadn’t lasted for more than a year but that had simple been because both he and Ner’Giza had left to seek out the greater resistance movement against the Empire. They had both needed purpose and perhaps the Force had some role in all the coincidences that led to his current place in the greater scheme of things.

Aurelian put aside his concerns around the earlier over-reaction and decided to simply focus on the mission. They had a job to do after all. “So where to first?” he asked brightly.

@Wolf
@Mithias

 

[Ayasha Waya]

Ayasha could not shake the feeling that Aurelian was beyond taken aback at the botched greeting and way in which she and Vu'thari had quickly redirected the situation. Fear was not the motivator in their actions, survival was. It was imperative that the Jedi and Galactic Alliance alike remained hidden until the time was right. That time was not right now. Early in her training, Vu'thari instructed her to never refer to him with the formal title of Master. She could count on one hand the times that he had referred to her as his padawan and those were moments in the privacy of a ship or the twi'lek's apartment on Nar Shaddaa.

The young woman had been taught early on to remain guarded at all times, even in the most comfortable situations. One slip up could result in sudden death. Ayasha's mind reverted to a time not too far in the distant past. “What will happen when you ignite that weapon right now or somewhere else?” Vu'thari had asked of Ayasha as she held his lightsaber at the onset of their training. The padawan had in fact flicked the switch and the weapon had hummed to life. At the time, she did not understand what could have happened. Now she knew. Vu'thari had explained that though nothing had happened there where they were training, that might not have been the case elsewhere. He had gone through the scenario of word getting to the Empire of a 'green laser sword' being seen on the streets... “The Sith would come enmasse...to hunt you, capture you or kill you.”

A growling wookie interrupted the woman's thoughts and she smiled with a polite nod in the direction of the creature. These were things that she was still growing accustomed to. The idea that sentient beings stretched beyond the scope of the typical human had been one of the first oddities about this wide open galaxy that Ayasha was learning more about with each passing day. The myriad of species and languages that inhabited a plethora of planets was enough to make the padawan's head spin. To think that it had existed all this time and nobody on Galtea knew it. They were not alone after all, and that was both terrifying and reassuring.

The universal translator spoke in mechanical tones as it relayed what their new furry friend was saying. Vu'thari graciously thanked the wookie and with that, the creature waved and took off on his own speeder. It now appeared that the trio was alone and there were no prying eyes or listening ears nearby. The twi'lek shot a genuine smile at Aurelian before explaining the reason for his perceived paranoia. “I have seen firsthand what happens when our kind are discovered,” the Jedi Master concluded. “I understand to a degree,” the man began to detail how he had been studying what he had believed to be an extinct organization. Ayasha concluded that he must have been referring to the Jedi. She was surprised to learn that a bit of research had him running for his life until he made his home on Ryloth.

“That explains the greeting,” the woman thought to herself. While she could appreciate the display of respect for her own Master, she knew that there was a time and place for such things and a Jedi within the fledgling Order could not take even the smallest chance at revealing their existence. Ayasha was surprised that another student could be so careless in his conversations and actions. She thought that he had almost as much training under his belt as she did, but now questioned what he had been learning. Was it possible that his Master had assumed he knew better than to announce his affiliation to the galaxy? Had she taught him the danger in this?

Ayasha sighed, knowing that it was not her place to question the training methods of a Jedi Master. Aurora would impart her knowledge and wisdom onto her students in the manner she saw fit, just as Vu'thari was teaching his students in his own way. “Enough dark moments. It is a pleasure to meet you, Aurelian...” the twi'lek added, pulling his padawan back into the moment. The young woman nodded and gave a polite bow of her head in the direction of her fellow student. She was not one to judge too quickly and knew that if the trio would have success on this mission, they would have to work well together.

“Sorry for the confusion,” the caramel skinned woman began with a smile upon her face. She looked Aurelian over for a moment as silence fell between the three. This was the longest she had been in the presence of another human Force user in some time. She was curious about him and was disappointed at their unfortunate start. “I too live on Nar Shaddaa. Vu'thari and I must take precautions you may find extreme in order to remain safe.” “Alive,” was the word she finished with in her mind.

Ayasha's eyes moved from the face of her fellow padawan to their surroundings. Though guarded, she was beginning to feel more at ease in their mostly remote location. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Aurelian. I have done a bit of my own research and learned some about you before our rendezvous,” the woman smiled with a hint of mirth dancing behind the golden orbs of her eyes. “I think that the three of us will work well together.” The padawan shifted her gaze to Vu'thari and she gave the twi'lek a wink. “So where to first?” Aurelian spoke the words that came to her mind. She was pleased that he was ready to get down to business. “What would have us do?” Ayasha added with her signature tone of optimism.


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

Rowrakruk Spaceport
Kashyyyk

Vu’thari could sense the confusion and concern in the padawan in the act within the spaceport. But this was how he trained Ayasha—and she responded how she was taught. There was no fear, anxiety, or panic in their actions...none at all. It was simply a scenario that needed a different narrative for their security, so action was needed. In truth, the twi’lek had no idea what the other Jedi Masters were teaching their padawans, but perhaps it was not the finer arts of discretion. With Kashyyyk situated snugly in the strip of neutral territory wedged between Imperial Republica and the “Old Empire”, there was no doubt agents here on a planet that was clear about their resentment of Sith. The Life Day events exposed a dark underside to Vu’thari, full of Sith slavers in their midst on the wookie planet. Speaking to a “slave race”, calling a twi’lek “Master” was bound to raise undue attention if the wrong operative heard it. Vu’thari considered the matter yet another reminder that not all Masters trained their Padawans like he did. He would certainly respect Master Aurora Blackwood’s methods…but caution her about her apprentice’s zeal in greeting the twi’lek. Regardless, Aurelian handled the charade well and there was really nothing more to say on the matter.

“So where to first?”

With the trio left to their own devices, Vu’thari pulled out his shoulder bag and pulled out his navicomputer. Looking it over, he explained, “I pulled up the best path we could take to the Black Forest. Each of us will take one of these speeder trucks, so that we can bring back all the supplies…if they are still there. If we get them, we will take them to an area away from the spaceport and have SawDip bring the Equinox around so we can load the gear. This area is marked on your maps. Following that, we can return the speeder trucks here."

Flipping through the screens, he added, “I have an approximate location where we can begin our search, right on the southern edge of the Black Forest. My hope is that we will not have to go too far in, but I am not optimistic…”

Scrolling up the terrain map he was viewing, he added, “I will send this route to both of you. I have marked rendezvous points along the route in the event we get separated. Aurelian, send me the channel of your comlink so we can be patched in. In truth, there is no telling what will be there waiting for us, but be mindful…the Shadowlands are not a hospitable place."

With that, Vuthari tossed a passkey to Aurelian and Ayashsa for each speeder truck, "Warm-up these repulsors, grab your gear and we will leave as soon as we are ready…probably the next 20 minutes."

@Wolf
@LazySwordsman
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Aurelian focused on Ayasha as she spoke to him and he smiled pleasantly as the other human when she spoke. “It’s fine… I’ve been reminded on numerous occasions that I could do with, ah what was the phrase… “lightening up” I believe was the politest way to put it.” he told her in a voice tinged with mirth and his eyes gleaming with mirth. Aurelian was a nice enough man to get along with but even he recognised that he could be overly formal; it was a self-defence mechanism when dealing with strangers to try and alleviate some of the awkwardness he felt.

There was of course another reason for Aurelian’s reaction, one that the scholar wasn’t fully aware of himself although recently he’d begun to come close to the revelation. Up until this point Aurelian had only knowingly met one other Jedi, Aurora, and she was an enigma hiding her emotions behind an exceptionally confident front. Beyond her all of his knowledge of the Jedi came from scraps he’d learnt over the years, ruins he’d explored, texts he’d uncovered and stories he’d convinced others to tell him. The problem with such things was that after five centuries the tales had made the Jedi into superhuman beings. Aurelian’s own obsession with them had made them grow even bigger in his imagination. He was coming to the realisation, albeit shockingly slowly, that the Jedi where just people.

The shattered of his “larger than life” mental image or not Aurelian was exceptionally excited to be on Kashyyyk with these two today. As an initiate Aurelian had not been introduced into any other Jedi, a precaution he approved off after all what would have happened if he had not made the cut? He’d have known too much. Aurelian strongly believed that only members of the Order, and a trusted few outsiders, should be made aware of the greater Order. It was a necessary risk for a Master to reveal themselves to the Initiates, to train them and test them but not endangering the wider organisation made sense. After all who knew what form the wrath of a bitter rejected former-student might come in.

Both of these two where, as such, special to the scholar. Vu’thari was the second Jedi Master he’d ever met. Ayasha meanwhile was the first other student he’d ever spoken with, someone just like him. It was thrilling really. Of course due to the secretive nature of the Order and it’s ties to the Alliance there was the chance he had in fact met others but unlike this duo they hadn’t revealed themselves.

Raising an eyebrow he smirked slightly. “Oh have you?” he asked with a touch of amusement, some surprise and even a feeling a little flattered that he’d been considered significant enough for anyone’s attention. “I have to admit I’m at a disadvantage then. I didn’t even realise who I’d be meeting here until just before my departure.”

With that he turned his attention to the Jedi Master. He listened to the man and nodded, the small satchel that was slung around Aurelian’s shoulder contained a few essentials, some water and food to name a few. It also contained his little NV5 handheld navigation device, pulling it from his bag he woke it up from standby mode so that it would definitely receive the updates from Vu’thari.

Nodding at the Jedi Master’s request he tapped at his comm-link to transmit it’s channel to him. “That sounds like a good plan. I’ve been to the Shadowlands before… I really hope we don’t run into the spiders.”He said with a shudder as he recalled the trek to the Life Tree. Giant creepy creatures with too many legs and eyes for him to ever be comfortable around.

Catching the passkey Aurelian moved over to his assigned speeder truck and taking his vibrosword from his belt he threw it into the passenger seat of the vehicle along with his satchel. Climbing up into the driver’s side he started the speeder before leaping down and walking over to the others again. “I’ve already got everyone from my tiny ship.” he said with a chuckle. Stepping closer to the other two he spoke in a lower voice, although keeping his tones natural as to not draw attention from passerbys. “Is Vu'thari and Ayasha alright or would you rather...” he trailed of with a questioning look. The scholar used to go by Alec Korr all the time, only telling others his real name if he trusted them and the location. It was only very recently he'd began going by Aurelian more often. He wondered if his confidence had anything to do with the progress of his training? Regardless he wanted to make sure he didn't accidentally offend the pair.

@Wolf
@Mithias

 

[Ayasha Waya]

When Ayasha informed Aurelian that she had done her own research on her fellow padawan, he met the admission with a smirk. “Oh have you?” he said with amusement as his tone. The Galtean native thought it rather important to know all she could about the one that would be working with her and Vu'thari. The twi'lek and human had accomplished several missions together and the trust they had for one another was the key to their success. Ayasha found it a challenging notion that she trust a complete stranger with her life. “I didn't even realize who I'd be meeting here until just before my departure,” the man added flatly.

The woman could not help her curiosity and wished there had been more time to socialize before they were off on their quest. The fact that she was now just inches from another human being with the ability to wield the Force just as she was simply captivated her. Since embarking on this journey, Ayasha had spent most of her time with Vu'thari and SawDip, which she would not have changed for the galaxy...but sometimes she missed human interaction. Granted, the twi'lek was close, but their differences pushed them about as far apart as their similarities drew them close.

In many ways, even without possessing an extensive knowledge of Aurelian, it was their shared humanity that created an instantaneous bond. Ayasha caught herself staring at the man and she averted her eyes quickly. It was not for his appearance that she was enthralled, but for the fact that she had only ever encountered one other man with such pale skin! Her thoughts briefly returned to Crix and she wondered how the smuggler was doing. It had been quite some time since they parted ways here on Kashyyyk and she had not heard from him since. It was that very smuggler that played a large part in changing Ayasha's life forever, as it was through those strange circumstances that she became a Jedi.

The padawan shook her head as her gaze shifted to Vu'thari who was well on his way to explaining the mission ahead of the trio. She nodded occasionally as the twi'lek described how it was that they would retrieve the supplies and haul them back to an area away from the spaceport. The Jedi Master flipped through the screens on the navicomputer and began talking about an approximate location where the trio would begin their search. “My hope is that we will not have to go too far in, but I am not optimistic...” he added while speaking of the Black Forest.

Ayasha was about to speak when something Vu'thari added caused her to pause. “I have marked rendezvous points along the route in the event we get separated.” The young woman's eyes grew wide as she looked at her Master in disbelief. The stories she had heard of the Shadowlands were enough to make even an experienced warrior tremble...to think that they would not face this together after having taken on the galaxy side by side stirred up the anxiety within her chest. Ayasha took the anxious thoughts captive and pressed them down, embracing the endless peace that lived within the flow of the Force.

“In truth, there is no telling what will be there waiting for us...” Ayasha remained calm as she drew in a deep breath and nodded. Whatever it was that they would encounter, she was confident in her training, in herself and in the Force. She knew that if they were separated, she could take on anything that came her way because Vu'thari had molded her into a warrior and he believed in her. The twi'lek tossed a key to both of the padawans and instructed them to warm up the repulsors. “Grab your gear and we will leave as soon as we are ready...”

The woman did just as she was asked though she already had everything she needed. The next few minutes would be agony as she waited for them to head out. In this situation, Ayasha wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. She was not looking forward to discovering what might be lurking in the Shadowlands, though she was sure that the trio could handle whatever came their way. “I'm ready whenever you and Aurelian are,” Ayasha smiled warmly at Vu'thari. “...please don't let anything happen to me,” she slipped her voice into the Jedi Master's mind, careful to guard the private thought from Aurelian. She and Vu'thari had promised one another transparency, and though Ayasha was putting on a brave face and taking control of the anxiety within, there was a part of her that could not get past the possibility of finding herself alone in the Black Forest. Without Vu'thari. Just as much as she relied on him being there at her back in times of danger, she also wanted to cover him if things went sideways....not that he necessarily needed her.


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

Rowrakruk Spaceport
Kashyyyk

“Is Vu'thari and Ayasha alright or would you rather...”

Vu’thari put a hand on Aurelian’s shoulder and said quietly with a smile, “I appreciate your discretion, Aurelian. Call us by our names if you wish.”

Sensing the young man, he could sense the human’s desire to do the right thing. Looking over to his Padawan, she said, “I'm ready whenever you and Aurelian are.”

***Please don't let anything happen to me.***

Looking over to his Pawadan, his calm washed over her as he spoke.

***You will be fine. You are ready for this. Flatten your fear, Ayasha…***

Looking over to both of the Padawans, the twi’lek said, “Let’s get moving…and stay together. They have a ‘lightly’ worn path we can follow for the first leg close to the border of the Black Forest. We will decide from there how far to the take the speeder trucks in. Let’s get moving…”

With that, Vu’thari walked over to the speeder truck in the front, started the ignition, and waited for the other two to start. Once all three speeder trucks were started, the Jedi hit the accelerator and eased out onto the path leading away from the spaceport and towards the Black Forest. They had over an hour of driving before they would reach the border. He keyed the communications within the speeder truck that was synced to the other three and said, “Ok, we have an hour of driving. Stay close. Good jokes are welcomed…”

@Lazy Swordsman
@Wolf

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Aurelian gave the Jedi Master an appreciative smile. It was very important to him that this went well, that he made a good impression of the other members of the Order no matter how weirded out he’d been during their initial interactions. Perhaps it was because Aurelian had never really felt that he’d belonged in the Twi’leki Nercanthi Clan, before that he’d not seen his family since he’d been kicked out of the University and the warrant for his arrest had been issued. Perhaps it was because it was his obsessive pursuit of Jedi lore, history and philosophy that had led to the downfall of his life due to provoking the Empire’s wrath for such “forbidden” studies. Perhaps it was the fact that clinging to those studies was all that had helped him kept him walking forward, kept him alive while being all alone in the Galaxy while jumping from planet to planet and feeling too afraid to stand still for too long.

He drove the thoughts from his mind, he’d considered such things many times since the day he’d met Aurora but this wasn’t the place for such considerations.

Glancing at Ayasha he grinned and nodded. “I’m ready.” he replied. “Lets hope it’s less infested than it was on Life Day.” Chuckling he glanced at the other two Jedi, a Master and Padawan. “But even if it’s not we’ll be able to handle it.” he added with confidence. Last time he’d been a scholar who was decent with a vibrosword, a hardened warrior woman who was no fun to talk to and a literal child, a fourteen year old boy. Three Jedi seemed a lot better odds, even if two of them weren’t only partially trained. He believed that Ayasha was probably more trained than he was, she seemed far more intimate and familiar with her master than Aurelian was with his. If he had to wager a guess he’d say that she spent a lot more time with her teacher than he did with his.

With a wave towards the other two he ran over to his truck and leapt into the driver seat. As soon as Vu’thari’s speeder took off he followed as swiftly as he could. They drove down a “path”, if you could call it that, as they made their way behind in the direction of the Black Forest. At the mention of jokes Aurelian cleared his throat over the comm-link before speaking.

“Alright there are two Mandalorians scouting a jungle, one gets bitten by a snake through a weak spot in his armour and collapses. The second calls command saying “Come in, come in, my partner has collapsed and I think he’s dead.”. So command replies with “Stay calm soldier! First make sure that he’s actually dead before we proceed.” The communications line goes quite for a minute before the sound of blaster fire can be heard. The second Mandalorian finally responds saying “Alright, now what?”.”

Grinning at the terrible joke he continued “No? Alright how many Imperial Internal Security Bureau agents does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” he waited a moment before revealing. “Two! One to screw in the lightbulb and another to accuse the first of disloyalty.”

Aurelian snickered, they where the woeful ones told to him by Ner’Giza, she was a fountain of such things. “Well I suppose they weren’t good jokes.”


@Wolf
@Mithias

 

[Ayasha Waya]

A deep calm washed over the young woman as Vu'thari reassured her that she was ready for this mission, even with the possibility of being separated from him in the process. “Flatten your fear, Ayasha,” his voice touched her mind gently. The padawan smiled and continued to push the anxiety away, bending it to her will to remain centered and focused on the task at hand.

“Let's get moving...and stay together,” Vu'thari began before explaining about the lightly worn path that was available to follow to the border of the Black Forest. Ayasha nodded and followed her Master's lead as he hopped into the speeder truck at the front and fired it up. The young woman climbed into the vehicle behind him and waited for Aurelian to hop into the truck at the rear. “Okay, we have an hour of driving. Stay close. Good jokes are welcomed...” the twi'lek added and Ayasha could hear his smile through the vehicle's communication mechanism.

The trio took off down the path that Ayasha had to squint to see at times. Her eyes took in everything on either side of the speeder truck as they traveled toward the Black Forest. Not far into their journey, Aurelian keyed up the comm and began telling a long story about Mandalorians. The young woman listened through till the end and then looked around for a moment, waiting for the punch line. There was silence for a long moment as the padawan replayed the highlights of the story in her mind.

Suddenly Ayasha burst into a fit of laughter. She had completely missed the point of the joke until the moment had long since passed. The padawan wiped her eye that had teared up as she drew in a deep breath and hoped that neither Vu'thari or Aurelian had noticed her incredibly delayed reaction. Her fellow student began with another joke, this time something far shorter. She did not get it. Not in the slightest. “Well I suppose they weren't good jokes,” the man admitted after his short stint on the comm.

Ayasha cleared her throat and keyed up the comm to have a go at this new and surprisingly fun game. “An Ewok strolls into a bar and says to the tender, 'I'll have a whisky and....soda.' The bartender says, 'Sure thing – but why the little pause?' After a moment, the Ewok says, 'Dunno, I've had them all my life!'” The woman could not get off of the comm fast enough to hide her amusement at her own crack. Truth be told, she had been given several terrible puns by SawDip. More and more, the woman wondered if the little droid really was as emotionless as she and Vu'thari had assumed.

“Why do doctors make the best Jedi?” the padawan began again, leaving a moment of silence for her fellow student and Master to ponder the inevitable pun. “Jedi must have patience,” she concluded with a chuckle. “Okay...one more,” the woman smiled as she thought of her final quip. It seemed rather appropriate to their location and so she began with a grin. “How do you unlock doors on Kashyyyk?” Ayasha's grin transformed into unstoppable laughter as she relayed the punchline. “With a woo-key! Get it? Like a wookie!”


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

Outskirts of the Black Forest
Kashyyyk

Vu’thari listened to his Padawan and Aurelian with mirth. The bad jokes were flying, but they brought a smile to the twi’lek’s face and it made the time pass quickly. To the Jedi, it was important to see those Jedi in a place of joy. They were already embarking on one of the bravest, most dangerous endeavors in history—topple the Sith Empire. Being the realist that the Jedi was, he knew these times would be few and far between as this effort progressed. The forest gloom was growing and the shadows were getting longer. Speeder lights were turned on at this point to illuminate their path. Vu’thari contributed his own “good” jokes as they progressed deeper and deeper into the forest.

“Why was the droid angry?”

After a pause, the Jedi revealed, “People kept pushing its buttons.”

Vu’thari gave a soft chuckle at his own joke and continued with another, “A Jedi and a Mandalorian named Ro were eating in a restaurant. The Mandalorian was having a hard time biting into the steak he was eating. He looked at the Jedi and asked, ‘How do you eat this stuff?’. The Jedi looked over and said, 'Use the Forks, Ro…'”

He could hardly laugh at his last joke, but gave a small chuckle anyway. Looking down at the navicomputer, Vu’thari could see that they just entered the Black Forest. The path they were following did not continue into the Black Forest. Vu’thari picked his way through the trees with the speeder truck, ensuring the pair were still following him and slowing down when he got too far ahead. They weren’t far from the suspected location of the medical supplies by the time Vu’thari stopped the speeder truck and said over the comlink, “We better go on foot from here…”

@Wolf
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Aurelian Keth]

As they progressed further into the forest the communications where alive with bad jokes. Aurelian chuckled in his speeder while listening to them. It was nice to have this light hearted reprieve. He had spent every waking moment doing something and rarely got to relax anymore. It was always one thing or another. From his Jedi training to his personal research to the combat training he had to keep up with, piloting training and missions for both the Galactic Alliance and it sounded like soon the Star Squadron would be getting deployed for its first assignment. Between all of that Aurelian had barely had a day to himself and the few leisure moments he had tended to be interrupted in some way or another.

Listening to the other Padawan and then the Jedi Master contribute their own jokes after his Aurelian shook his head. “Oof!” he said in joking tones. “And I thought mine where bad.”

Slowing down it became obvious that their route was going to be hard going and the speeders would be incapable of travelling onwards much further. Coming to a stop behind the Twi’lek’s speeder he heard the Jedi Master speak and responded. “Understood I’ll just grab my things.” he responded.

Grabbing his bag and sword the man leapt from the speeder. Fixing the blade to his belt he walked over to Vu’thari’s trucker and rapped on the side to show he was ready. Then the man simply stood with his hands clasped behind his back waiting for the others.

 

[Ayasha Waya]

The gloom from the forest was growing all around the trio and the path was quickly disappearing beneath them. Ayasha's eyes searched the shadows as she tuned into her surroundings and stretched out her senses to feel everything with the hope of detecting whatever may be waiting for them before it was too late.

The woman's mind was pulled from her thoughts as Vu'thari started up with his puns. Though they were just as terrible as the jokes that she and Aurelian had told, they did make her chuckle. As the Jedi Master's voice trailed off, it had become clear that the trail had completely vanished and the trio was now well within the Black Forest.

There truly was something evil that lingered within the air around them. Ayasha could not place it, but she was not naive to spiritual matters. The young woman had grown up with the firm belief that the things done in this life would leave a real and lasting imprint in the unseen realm. It was like walking into a room after harsh words had been exchanged there. The anger and sorrow left a disturbance in its wake. In places where violent acts had occurred, the ramifications were far greater and lingered longer.

The speeder truck in front of Ayasha stopped and Vu'thari's voice came over the comlink. “We better go on foot from here...” the twi'lek said. “Understood, I'll just grab my things,” Aurelian replied quickly. The young woman saw her fellow padawan leap from his vehicle and make his way up to the Jedi Master's. He knocked on the side of the twi'lek's speeder truck as Ayasha stepped out into the eerie air that draped itself over everything, dead and alive.

“If we stick together, it will be safer...” the padawan spoke quietly as her eyes strained to search the darkness. A constant battle now raged within her as she repeatedly pressed down the anxiety that threatened to rise up from within. A warm breeze kicked up from somewhere far within the spooky depths, carrying with it a feeling of overwhelming dread and death. The hair on Ayasha's arms and the back of her neck bristled while she turned swiftly to survey the area from which the nefarious breath blew.

Several yards away, the sound of sticks cracking beneath the weight of someone...or something could be heard. Ayasha's hand came to rest at the top of her thigh, torn between fetching her blaster pistol or the lightsaber hidden beneath her tunic. She felt her heart pounding in her throat as a cold sweat began to form upon her forehead. The forests on Galtea had never frightened her though they were full of their fair share of predators. “There is something wrong with this place...” the padawan whispered as she took a step past Aurelian in the direction from which the sounds had come.

It was becoming increasingly clear to Ayasha why it was that the wookies avoided the Black Forest at all costs. Their fear had stretched far beyond superstition. The woman wondered what dangers lurked within. She felt as if the the small group was being watched. Swallowing hard to push past the lump of anxiety that continued to push upward from her gut, the padawan turned to Vu'thari as he climbed out of the speeder truck. “We have to make this quick,” her golden eyes met his emerald pair with a sense of urgency. “I sense something...something very dark here. It almost feels like....” she paused before turning back to fix her eyes on the dense forest ahead.


“...a trap.”


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

The Shadowlands
Kashyyyk

“ It almost feels like…a trap.”

Vu’thari could not help but agree with this Padawan’s feeling. Aurelian had his gear together and fell in as they marched out from the speeder trucks. Fortunately, as the twi’lek was updating his navicomputer with location information, the medical supplies did not seem to be too far…at least in the grand scheme of things. The trio began picking their way through the shadowy trees. Luminescent fungi provided sinister illumination along the areas between the massive trees. The wind howled as it floated through the branches high above the trio. The sounds of nature had a supernatural tone to them. For many minutes the trio made their way through the trees, when suddenly most of the insects around them went quiet.

Vu’thari could sense something not quite right. Looking ahead of them, the trio could make out a quadruped’s silhouette that seemed from the distance they were at that the shoulders of the quadruped was about shoulder height. It seemed to be staring at the trio of humanoids, “blocking” their path some 20 meters away.

Katarn…

The twi’lek knew the creature, or at least thought he knew what was in front of them, due to his studies on this area and the shape of the silhouette. But he could not recall if it was a pack creature…

“Ohhh…I think that is a Katarn up ahead blocking our path. Dangerous predators. I hope it is alone…”

​

As if responding to the twi’lek’s words, the katarn began to ramble quickly down the path towards the trio. But at the same time, there was fast movement to the right and to the left of the trio, branches breaking as something heavy charged from both sides. Four total katarn charged the three humanoids with an eerie silence…

“Ready yourselves!”

@Wolf
@LazySwordsman
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurelian Keth]

As Ayasha approached he turned to frown at her. She seemed worried believing something was amiss. Even as she spoke Aurelian realised she was correct. Something about their surroundings felt… not wrong exactly. Whatever he was sensing felt natural enough but a primal sort of aggression seemed to be coming from the trees around them. His hand slid down to the hilt of his sheathed sword while wondering what it could be. It was animalistic… it was…

“Well this is Kashyyyk.” he said softly while he turned his gaze upwards just to make sure something wasn’t about to drop down on top of them. “Any planet where wookies are a prey species is going to be filled with all kinds of dangerous beasties.” he added lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood although he would estimate that he was on-edge just as much as the other Padawan appeared to be.

Katarn?

Hearing Vu’thari say the world brought to mind the image of the large and terrifying reptomammal creatures. He knew they supposedly came in different sizes, a larger tree dwelling breed and a smaller subspecies without climbing ability. However he couldn’t recall anything else about the species. He’d only given the topic a cursory read just before his visit to the shadowlands during the pilgrimage. He was no zoologist after all.

It also appeared that the Katarn wasn’t going to give him time to consider as it came tearing down the path towards the Jedi trio. Drawing his vibroblade he activated the weapon and let it hum softly as he prepared for the animal to reach them. Until the force whispered in his ear.

“To the sides!” he called out. It was likely the others had sensed the approach of the rest of the Katarn pack but he give the shout just in case. Only a bumbling amateur didn’t communicate with his allies during combat and for all the Padawan hated fighting he had gained an unfortunate amount of experience in that area lately. Just as he shouted the rest of the Katarn broke from the treeline.

Spinning to his right Aurelian saw another of the creatures come crashing out of the treeline towards them. As the one of the beasts reached him and leapt at him the Padawan brought his blade to bear. Stepping aside at the last moment Aurelian tore his blade along the creatures side as it leapt at him. The creature passed harmlessly by as the vibroblade ripped down the Katarn's entire body. Spinning around he brought the sword up and cut down hard onto the top of the beasts head finishing off the severely injured beast. ♦

With his attacker dead Aurelian turned to look at the others while drawing his heavy pistol he checked on the others to see how well they where faring.

@Wolf
@Mithias

 

[Ayasha Waya]

As the trio continued to trek through the inky darkness of the Black Forest, Ayasha's eyes searched high and low. She would not allow herself or the others to be caught off guard by anything that could be waiting in the shadowy depths for its next kill. The more that the padawan thought of it, the more she realized how very different this land was from the forests on Galtea.

She knew the predators that resided in the thick woodlands of her home planet. There were none that she was unable to defend herself against. Some of the larger creatures had watched her for as long as she had watched them and they decided she meant no harm so they left her alone. In her native language, the woman's name meant “little wolf” and she was known as a friend to the packs that shared the forest with the Amayi people.

There was nothing familiar or comforting here.

“Well this is Kashyyyk,” Aurelian said in tones just above a whisper. He did make a good point. Wookies were a fearsome bunch themselves but here...they were prey.

With every step toward the last known location of the supplies, the trio moved closer to what Ayasha supposed was inevitable danger. Off in the distance the sound of twigs cracking under the weight of something large could be heard. The padawan stopped and held her breath as she reached out with the Force to see and feel what could have been the source of the sound. “We're surrounded,” she whispered as a large beast began to take shape ahead. As Vu'thari gave a name to the creature, the hairs on Ayasha's neck and arms stood on end.

“Ready yourselves!” the Jedi Master shouted as four katarn barreled toward the trio. Ayasha had done some extensive research on Kashyyyk and the Black Forest in particular. She had read everything she could find on the datapad while journeying to the home of the wookies. There had been information regarding these creatures and others that lurked in the woodlands, but the padawan was less than prepared to meet these beasts face to face. This particular predator was known to track their prey for long periods of time before choosing the ideal moment to strike. Clearly, that moment had come. “To the sides!” Aurelian called out while tearing into one of the animals with his vibroblade.

Ayasha's hand slipped beneath her tunic to retrieve the lightsaber that Vu'thari had so graciously lent her. She was proud to honor the twi'lek's grandfather by carrying and using the weapon that had belonged to him. The woman's thumb flicked the ignition switch and the bright green blade hummed to life, and just in time too. One of the katarn leapt into air and with claws extended and teeth bared, ready to make Ayasha its next meal.

The padawan pulled the lightsaber across her body in a sweeping motion from left to right, slicing across the beast's belly. The katarn fell hard and groaned, but it was hardly ready to give up the fight. The creature charged at Ayasha but she had been backed into the broad base of a large tree. Her eyes searched for a way out but there was none. The beast was nearly on top of her as she ducked and drove the lightsaber up through its chest. It fell away as she dove to avoid being crushed under its weight, but the woman would not leave this fight unscathed.

Just as Ayasha was was rolling out of the way, one of the katarn's clawed and barbed appendages came down hard and tore across her left shoulder. Her tunic ripped open and revealed the gash beneath. Thankfully it was not deep enough to cause a great deal of concern, but the sting was incredibly unpleasant. The woman groaned in pain as she stumbled to her feet and held the lightsaber in her right hand. She pushed the discomfort aside and prepared to defend her friends from these menacing animals.


@Mithias
@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Vuthari]

The Shadowlands
Kashyyyk

Vu’thari planted his feet in the ground and waited for them to come to him. His lightsaber slid from the twi’lek’s hidden pocket and with a deft flip of the wrist, the weapon was ready to be ignited from an inverted grip. Allowing the Force to flow through him, the Jedi felt his limbs relax and the world around him seemed to slow. His primary goal was to make sure that the two aspiring Jedi survived this encounter. The katarn that blocked their path was sprinting towards the twi’lek, bearing its interspersed razor-sharp teeth with its open maw.

He watched as Aurelian dispatched one handily with his vibroblade and watched him pull his blaster pistol. Ayasha dispatched another, but its huge claw tore into her shoulder before it went still. Seeing that his padawan and Aurelian were not in imminent danger, Vu’thari turned his attention to the two remaining Katarns. The one that was in front finally got close enough for it to leap at the stationary Jedi. At the last second, the twi’lek darted forward, then dove low onto his shoulder, rolling underneath the pouncing predator. The lightsaber came to life, glowing green. As it ignited, it immediately pierced the katarn in the neck and it continued down the underside of the attacker’s belly. The unfortunate katarn was unable to do anything to stop the agile Jedi. With a one-foot deep gash that traveled from its neck to its tail, it hit the forest floor dead in a heap.

The last katarn was waiting for the Jedi Master as he came out of his roll and charged, anticipating where the twi’lek would land. With his lightsaber just freed from the first katarn, Vu’thari reached his hand out as the katarn sprinted toward him, redirecting the large creature with a forceful blast of telekinetic energy, slamming it into a nearby tree. It took the creature off its feet, but it was slowly getting back up.

The green glow from his lightsaber dissipated as the Jedi turned off his weapon. He stood calmly, staring at the creature and then back to see what it or the two aspiring Jedi would do next…

@Wolf
@Lazy Swordsman
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Although he didn’t see the entire engagement itself the scholar did notice the wound that Ayasha had taken as once he did so Aurelian darted across the clearing towards the other Padawan. He reached her just as she began to get back to her feet. Looking at her torn tunic and the gash beneath he wasn’t sure how bad it was at first glance but it clearly hurt. “Are you alright?” he asked sounding concerned.

Turning his attention to Vu’thari he saw the Twi’lek ignite his emerald blade with a bit of envy. He was the only Jedi here without such a weapon! ‘Serious time Aurelian. Childish concern over not having a toy later.’ he silently reprimanded himself.

Vu’thari moved with the sort of skill one would expect from a Jedi Master. He dispatched the first with obvious skill as his blade took the beast through the throat and ripped down through its body. The second tried to pounce on him but a burst of Force Energy blasted the Katarn into a tree. The animal didn’t appear wounded but it seemed a bit groggy as it got back to its feet.

Alone the animal was no real threat to the trio of Jedi but it didn’t seem ready to back down. Whatever primal instinct drove the beast it’s aggression was not ended. Aurelian stepped forward and raised his pistol. It was relatively new and very potent but he hadn’t bought it for the damage it could cause. Flicking it to the setting he wanted he fired the gun at the creature. A ring of energy shot forth from the weapon and struck the beast in a flash of blue light. The animal tipped over unconscious just as it began to steady itself as soon as the stun bolt took immediate effect. ♦

“No point killing it if we don’t have to.”

Sighing with relief that it was all over Aurelian returned the blaster to its holster. That would be the animal unconscious for quite some time. Taking a cloth from one of the pouches on his he deactivated the vibrosword. Rubbing the blood and gore from the weapon he put it back into it’s sheath once it was clean.

Focusing on Ayasha he nodded to her. “You should treat that, I have some medical supplies in my satchel if you would like.”