Ask Stirrings from Ruusan

[Astra Ara-Nur]

Astra Ara-Nur felt the disturbance in the Force before the Council even had the chance to summon her to their chambers. It had come to her as she meditated, sinking beneath her skin like cold penetrating a wet suit. Almost at once she knew her ability to sense this disturbance would cause the Council to select her for the mission to investigate it—and she was right. But this time they ordered her to take her Padawan with her. It was high time he saw field experience.

As her starship punched out of hyperspace above the planet Ruusan, her eyes fluttered open and settled on the young Echani boy in the co-pilot's seat next to her. By every accounting, he was still a boy, not even seventeen standard years old. The crop of pale hair that marked his Echani heritage made him look younger still. But none could doubt that the boy was becoming a man, his training reaching its apex. Soon, he would be every bit the Jedi Knight she was; but, until then, she was content to continue teaching him everything she knew.

"Land there," she said, pointing to where the trees spilling over the hills in front of them peeled away into a wide gorge. The settlement there, on the cliff's edge, was cleverly disguised by the thinning trees, but Astra could sense the hum of life in the Force, and, if her Padawan was paying attention, Thelian should too. "And remember what we practiced. Not too sharp on the turn."

She trusted Thelian to pilot the ship these days, and was even grateful for it. With him at the controls, she could more easily probe the situation through the Force, and obtain some awareness to prevent being blind-sighted. That preparation was even more vital on this mission, if her suspicions were true. Astra did not want to believe that the AMS virus, which had suffered a considerable loss upon the creation of the vaccine by MorataCorp, could have mutated into something worse.

But then, such was the ways of the dark side.

"How are you feeling?" Astra asked while her pupil worked. "This is no small assignment, Thelian. I hope you have meditated thoroughly on what is expected of you." @Altaris

 

[Thelian Lsai]

When Thelian Lsai had received word that he would be accompanying Astra on this latest expedition, the Echani boy could hardly contain his enthusiasm. It hadn’t been so long ago that the Hapan woman had plucked him from the slums of Coruscant and brought him to the Jedi Temple, the boy having since then immersed himself in his training. This rare opportunity for field experience would be a test of that training.

Mounted behind the controls, Thelian kept his steely eyes fixed ahead of him. It hadn’t been the first time the Echani had piloted the ship before, the job very quickly becoming something in which the boy both performed well at and thoroughly enjoyed. There was an unmistakable thrill and sense of freedom that came with flying a ship, as if all the duties and restraints on the boy’s shoulders melted away the moment they punched into the air. The circumstances of Thelian’s life up to this point made it was a sensation he craved at every opportunity.

Even while engrossed with his current task, the subtle hum of life through the Force was not lost on the Echani – the gentle sensation brushing against his psyche. “I feel.. Nervous. Excited.” The Padawan spoke candidly as he brought the Nubian starship towards the planetary surface, touching down into the wide gorge where his master had pointed. Flying had come almost naturally to the Echani, but landing? Well, that had taken significantly more practice. To his credit, this time proved to be significantly more smooth than previous attempts, albeit still laced with a plethora of minor mistakes. The ship lurched forward a touch more than it should have when it made contact with the jungle ground, but at the very least Astra was not thrown from her seat. This time.

“I have, master. I will not disappoint you." He nodded confidently, slowly rising up from the controls of the ship. The boy was dressed in his standard Jedi robes, ornate lightsaber tucked away on his hip. “..What do you believe it is we will find here?”

@Mockingjay

 

[Astra Ara-Nur]

Astra tarried a moment in answering her apprentice's question. She had suspicions of what they might find, but she sorely hoped she was wrong. The galaxy was beginning to grow accustomed to AMS, even beat it. But already she sensed vibrations of change in the Force, a steady reminder than nothing in the galaxy ever remained static. The next wave of change would come from Ruusan.

"I'm not certain," she confessed. "Which is why we must keep our minds open to the possibilities. Something unsettling is brewing on this world, and it is our job to uncover what exactly it is."

She nodded for the boy to follow her. They exited the ship together, boots sinking into the mud of the damp creak bed. Above them, the live she had sensed still thrummed; but now that she was outside, she could sense something empty lying just underneath it. Her eyes followed the length of the creek until they fell upon a section that had been carved out of the cliff by centuries of weather, a cave that ran underneath the village above.

"There."

As they approached, Astra noted the rent clothing littering the ground around the cave's mouth—shredded, as if by a beast, but no immediate signs of a dead body. The stench drifting out of the cave was putrid, like rotted meat. Without a doubt in her mind, their first lead would be inside. But they had not come to Ruusan as a pair so that Astrid could solve the case quietly on her own.

She looked sideways at Thelian. "What do you make of this? An otherwise healthy village above, yet old, tattered clothing strewn about the mouth of this cave in the ravine below. The smell?" Astra winced, inhaling again. "Like human waste and something... else. What could this place be?" @Altaris

 

[Thelian Lsai]

The Padawan followed closely behind as Astra, idly tucking his hands into the deep pockets of his robes as they made their way to exit the familiar Nubian-Class ship – soon thereafter greeted by the humid air of Ruusan. He took a few moments to pause and take in the sights of the unfamiliar planet all around him before he continued on in the direction Astra was moved.

In the time since he’d begun his training with the Hapan woman, Thelian had started to learn to pick up on the thrumming heartbeat of life through the Force, very quickly tracing it back to the village that loomed above them. After the vast emptiness of space that had surrounded them up until this point, it was a sensation that was even more pronounced for the boy. More importantly, though, the Padawan was able to detect the distinct absence of that thrumming coming from the cave ahead – an unnatural void that was nestled amongst the life that teemed all around.

Following his master to the mouth of the cavern, silvery eyes were immediately drawn to the sight of tattered clothing that littered the ground. Rather than simply being discarded, the garments looked as if they had been shredded and torn during some kind of struggle, though there was a distinct lack of bodies or even blood that might’ve further alluded to that possibility. Curious, the Echani squatted down in front of the cave’s mouth, pinching the shredded clothing between his fingers and lifting it up for closer inspection. Silvery eyes then flicked ahead towards the cave. It was at this point that the smell hit him.

His nose crinkling at the putrid scent, distaste clearly painted across his face. It was not unlike the persistent odor that clung to the slum of Nar Shaddaa and Corsucant’s lower levels, making it disgustingly familiar to Thelian.

Silvery eyes flicked from the dark cave back to Astra, considering the question that had been posed to him. It took the boy a few seconds to come up with a response. “It is strange.” He finally admitted. “The tattered clothes, the smell… I thought maybe the infected might’ve been responsible when we first arrived, but if that were the case, wouldn’t the village above have come under attack at some point? Perhaps there is more the locals can tell us that we don't know?”

He paused for a moment, his eyes moving back to the cave and narrowing slightly. He jutted his chin forward. “It feels.. Empty. Devoid of the life all around us.” It was unsettling to say the very least, and yet Thelian knew that likely meant their path would inevitably lead them further into the cave.

“Whatever it is we’re looking for, it’s coming from here.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Astra Ara-Nur]

Astra wore a tight smile. "Very observant. And very close. The infected are responsible for this, but there is a reason they haven't attacked the village." The smile faded, and the Jedi Knight crossed her arms over her chest. "That reason is because the villagers sent them here. We're looking at a quarantine zone. The ravine keeps the afflicted down here, where they eventually succumb to their illness and turn."

Astra's gaze traveled the length of the cave's mouth, searching for movement. The smell of rot infesting her nostrils undoubtably belonged to the dead. But why hadn't they come out yet? Could they not detect the presence of fresh bodies the way their counterparts on other worlds could?

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Padawan," she continued. "We should speak with the villagers up above. We'll return here after to give the cave a proper look. But I want you to do something for me while we're up there. Be mindful of anything that looks out of place or suspicious. Inform me immediately if you see something."

She led them both away from the mouth of the cave and peered up the steep walls of the ravine. Normally, she would have had him park the ship up closer to the village; but this mission was training as much as it was an investigation. And since their initial snooping hadn't netted them any physical exercise, the ravine wall would have to serve that purpose instead.

"But first," Astra said, "a little warm-up, yes? This ravine is a physical metaphor for the steep challenges you will face on this mission and on your Jedi path. And like those challenges, only the Force can provide a way out." She winked at him. "See you at the top."

And just like that, Astra called the Force to her and leapt onto the ravine wall, falling back on her own training as she began to climb. @Altaris

 

[Thelian Lsai]

Thelian had been fairly confident in his hypothesis, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t delighted by the confirmation and praise that came from his master – especially given this was his first opportunity for field experience. The padawan’s silvery eyes briefly brightened, and his lips turned upwards with glee to meet the tight-lipped smile that Astra wore.

The more she explained the situation, however, that glee slowly faded and Thelian began to feel more and more uneasy. The Echani had heard of the strict quarantine measures that some planets overrun with AMS had to implement - and while sending the infected into isolation until they succumb was unfortunate, he knew it was a necessary reality of the pandemic. That wasn’t what made him uneasy. If what Astra was saying was true, why were they alone in the ravine? Even if the infected wouldn’t have been able to make it up the steep cliff-face, there was no logical explanation for the infected staying within underground. From everything he understood of the virus and those afflicted by it, Thelian would’ve expected where they were standing to be overrun with the decaying monsters.

Instead, the ravine was eerily quiet.

Thelian did not protest leaving the mouth of the cave for the time being, very pleased to put that uneasiness in his stomach aside. When Astra spoke, he nodded affirmatively. “I will keep my eyes and ears open, master. If there is anyone who knows what might be going on here, it’ll be the villagers.” He didn’t know that for certain, but the Echani seemed confident enough with his assessment.

When the Hapan woman suggested a bit of physical exercise, silver eyes flicked ahead to face the vertical climb ahead of them. Rather than lingering on the mysteries of the cave, Thelian looked visibly pleased. After the long flight from Yavin IV, the opportunity to stretch his muscles was a welcome one.

“I will try to keep up.” He did not miss the wink from Astra, glancing to her out of the corner of his eye and flashing an equally playful grin.

Without another moment to delay, Thelian bent at the knees slightly, calling upon the Force to coalesce around his body. Like a loaded spring being released, the Echani then sprang towards the ravine wall only moments after Astra, landing with his feet planted against the vertical surface while both hands found purchase in a small outcropping. He used it to pull himself up, springing to the next outcropping a few feet above. It began what would be a steady climb to the top, the Echani consistently trailing just a few steps behind the Hapan woman.

Thelian arrived at the top not long after Astra, leaping up over the edge and landing gracefully a few steps away. While the playful grin on his lips hadn’t yet faded, there was a slight sheen sweat now glistening against his pale complexion. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the padawan gestured just ahead of them, towards the entrance to the village. Ramshackle walls surrounded the perimeters of the settlement, though the gates had been left open for them to walk right through. The pair could see a handful of men stationed atop the walls, silently watching them like hawks as they approached.

“Shall we?”

@Mockingjay

 

[Astra Ara-Nur]

Astra smiled at her Padawan as they bounded over the edge of the cliff and onto solid ground. With the Force in her lungs, she hardly felt winded, but she was impressed by how unfazed he seemed to be. It was a good sign that the young Jedi had managed the climb with little signs of fatigue. Already, he was growing potent with the Force. In a short few years, he would be a capable Knight, unneeding of her guidance.

The village they had come to was not much to look at; yet Astra had long ago learned not to only take in the galaxy through the eyes set into her skull. The Force was a third eye through which the galaxy could be viewed with so much more nuance. When she looked through it now, she felt again the darkness hiding just beneath the surface of this world. It was stronger here, sending a chill up her spine.

They were close.

Above, a handful of men watched them with guarded expressions. Astra felt a familiar emotion wafting off of them like a bad odor. Fear. She matched their suspicion by exuding an aura of calm and letting that pulsate out through the Force, hoping it would bring some calm to the gate guardians. It was ineffective, to say the least.

"We don't want your kind here," a bald man with the gnarly tattoo of a loth cat across the right side of his face said. The tattoo looked homemade, instead of applied by a professional, as they would on a more developed world. "Your kind brings trouble."

"We want no trouble from you," Astra said sternly, waving two fingers through the air. The Force surged from her very core, carrying with it calming sensations meant to make the men more pliable. "We heard your village was in trouble. We've merely come to see if we can render aid."

"Ain't no trouble here," the bald man replied. He wasn't resisting her, per say, just unusually adamant.

"Then you won't mind us taking a look around." Phrased as a statement, not a question.

"Mayhaps we should let her look around, boss," suggested another man, this one wearing armor that was clearly too small for him, almost like he'd plucked it off the corpse of a smaller man.

The bald man grunted. After a moment, he spat into the dying grass at their feet. "Fine. But their ain't much to see."

A moment later, the great gates of the settlement began to creak open. Astra glanced back at her apprentice with a knowing look. This is how you handle a situation delicately, it seemed to say. When the path was clear, Astra led the two of them through the gates and was immediately struck by how desolate the streets were. The whole village was a ghost town, no one in sight.

"Something is very wrong here," Astra said to her apprentice. "Let's split up and search the streets." As she gave the suggestion, she tilted her head up, the distant, sour-sweet smell of rot coming from somewhere nearby. "Call out immediately if you discover something. Don't fight on your own." @Altaris

 

[Thelian Lsai]

For a few short minutes, Thelian walked shoulder to shoulder with Astra as they approached the entrance to the village. While nothing about the way he carried himself portrayed him as being nervous per say, the Hapan woman would likely note the way his silver eyes never broke contact with the men on the walls, alongside the distinct tensing of his jaw. The padawan naturally had his guard up, and the reaction they received from the men on the walls did not help to ease the tension.

"..Our kind." He whispered, a frown tugging at his lips. Despite Thelian's personal biases for the order, the sentiment from the tattooed man really wasn't hard to understand. War between the Sith, Jedi and their allies in the FWA had brought bloodshed and devastation to dozens of worlds across the galaxy. It was natural that citizens might be skeptical of their presence - or at least, that was the Echani's train of thought. The thing that gave him pause, however, was the distinct sense of fear that radiated off of the men. Were they afraid of the Jedi themselves, or what they might find?

He watched as the less-than-polite man disregarded them and spat at their feet, eyes narrowing slightly but otherwise manifesting no outward reaction to the gesture. Silver eyes slowly drifted from the walls to the grass, lingering upon the ground for a few seconds. The padawan noted the way that unlike the rest of the lush forest, the fauna around the village seemed to wither and die, as if afflicted by some terrible disease. It was unsettling enough for Thelian to glance towards Astra, very subtly jutting his chin towards the withering plant-life.

Of course, it wasn’t just the physical that was strange about the village. Like Astra, Thelian could sense the faintest traces of darkness that lingered beneath the surface, brushing against his consciousness and eliciting a field of goosebumps across his forearms. While muted and less vivid than it must’ve been for Astra, it was nonetheless a sensation that had progressively grown stronger since they left the ship. It’s origin, however, remained a complete mystery to the Echani.

Thelian observed in silence as Astra managed to pacify the men and the gate began to creek open - briefly smirking in response to the knowing look she gave him. As they finally made their way through the gate and down the main thoroughfare, the Echani's smile faded and he finally broke the silence, speaking in a near-whisper tone. "Before, I believed the villagers might know some general information about the situation. Now, I believe they are hiding something." His brows furrowed a bit, taking note of the complete lack of people. "They are afraid of something - maybe even us being here - and the smell has only gotten worse."

He was very clearly perturbed by the prospect, but it wasn't enough to deter him from their course. The Echani nodded affirmatively when Astra suggested splitting up, noting her additional instructions not to engage without her. "Yes, master." With that, Thelian turned his silver eyes back towards the path ahead of them. Once they reached the next crossroad, Thelian spun on a heel and turned down the new path - moving in the opposite direction as Astra in hopes of covering more ground.

Alone within a darkened alley, Thelian closed his eyes for a moment. He drew upon his training to expand his consciousness through the Force all around him. He reached out, attempting to grasp at something - anything - that might hint at the direction he ought to go. He also allowed his nose to guide him in what he hoped was the right direction - following the sweet-sour smell wherever it was originating from. Thelian had come to the conclusion that there was nothing good that was going to come from his search, but at the very least he hoped it might shed further light on what was happening on this planet.

@Mockingjay