The Awakening of Crutiae

[Andreus Makaryk]

"What, so you think I'm a medic?"

Andreus shook his head in mild confusion. He hadn't expected that. Not at all. He'd only had one crash course in healing; he didn't think his skill at it was terribly notable. The padawan had no previous background in anatomy; the only experience he had resembling a medic was pretty much healing himself. Now that he thought about it, Andreus supposed that he had healed himself from some particularly severe injuries before...

Though the padawan still didn't quite understand how his senses on the ground would be that much better than those of two Jedi Knights, surprisingly he could find nothing in Cat's reply that seemed to undercut it. The lack of backhanded "compliments" surprised Andreus, for he had just been sure that Cat thought him worthless for anything other than possibly serving as the mission's meatshield (for Andreus would be quite good at that). The pilot didn't quite know how to respond. Perhaps Cat simply remained ignorant of his own words, rather than intentionally driving Andreus deeper into cynicism and despair? Cat was barely older than a teenage kid, after all, and if he had yet to learn about the hazards of opening his mouth before thinking of what to say, perhaps that would explain a lot.

Andreus needed to think on this. He still wasn't sure of his participation, but now he would need to at least consider it. He also needed to start initial approach in a few minutes, and therefore he needed to clear his mind.

He didn't say he would re-evaluate his hardline stance. Not at all. But for the next few minutes, he wanted peace and quiet, nothing more, nothing less. His voice still seemed broken and resigned.

"Cat. Halo. Please exit the flight deck and fasten seat belts for approach. Cat, please direct Apollo to do the same. I do not need the distractions while I land."

 

[Prancing Yawn]

Glad we're landing, the Knight thought to himself.

"Will do."

Cat walked back into the main cabin area, blowing some air between his lips. His thought's priorities were in the mission ahead. Dealing with the Dark Side was always serious business, and this was certainly a serious mission. Whatever this former Jedi was doing in the catacombs of Trandosha was no good -

- well, duh, he thought. He buckled himself into a seat and closed his eyes. He would meditate until they landed.

 

[Padmé]

The only female Knight on the mission to Trandosa had been quietly listening to the two male Jedi exchange words. She merely uttered a word herself, as the chance was never presented to her. Bottom line was the two men appeared to have solved their issues, and that made Knight Lamb more at ease.

A few minutes after the men exchanged words, the pilot scooted the two Knights back to their seats- albeit harsh. At any rate, Lamb sat back in her original seat, and closed her eyes. The mission ahead is one that will most likely take a toll emotionally and physically, for the moment Haloburner will use the time to clear her conscience, focus and align her mind with the will of the Force.

 

[Andreus Makaryk]

At last, Andreus Makaryk had some semblance of peace. Neither Cat nor Halo would molest him--he could focus his attention upon landing, and clear his mind in the process at long last.

He began slowing the light cruiser for approach, a process that would consume nearly a third of the total flight time on this short hop between Kashyyyk and Trandosha. Actually, given that Andreus would not land at a spaceport this night, the landing sequence might well take longer--perhaps equivalent to the entire length of the flight otherwise. Like Kashyyyk, forests overgrew most of Trandosha, and to make it even worse, mountain ranges punctured the prime landing zone for the mission area. Andreus would have to find a clearing large enough--and flat enough--to accommodate the light cruiser at his controls. Reaching out with the Force to sense the weather a thousand nautical miles ahead of him, he discovered yet another problem. Thick, unforecasted fog. The padawan could not discern precisely how thick it was from so far out, but he knew it to be instrument conditions. Only without benefit of a spaceport's navigation instruments for his ship to lock onto...no instruments.

No, an astromech would not be able to do this. Andreus Makaryk found himself with an unexpectedly newfound appreciation of just why he had been sent on this mission.

There would, unfortunately, be delays.

Even the best pilots had to execute missed approaches. No, the cruiser could not land on a clearing with a thirty-degree grade. No, it couldn't fit into a clearing of only about sixty meters. No, that nice, flat mesa above the treeline simply wasn't big enough; the nose gear would overhang it by some ten meters. All of this would have been readily visible for miles upon miles in clear, daytime skies. At night, in thick fog, well away from navigational beacons, far less so. Even the Force revealed a paucity of viable landing spots; three missed approaches, and three go-arounds later, finally, Andreus managed to settle the cruiser down with a thud upon the fourth.

The pilot quickly ran down the shutdown procedure. As destiny would have it, the inclement weather of all things had finally convinced Andreus of his use. The padawan decided to unbuckle his shoulder straps, stand up for a stretch, and take in the reassuring thump of his lightsabers against his thighs as he stepped out of the shut-down flight deck.

 

[Prancing Yawn]

Cat's eyes slowly opened out of meditation as a light rumble shook the ship. They had landed.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Cat walked through the cabin to where Apollo was sitting, said something to him, then walked back to a wall. Pressing a button, the exit ramp of the Consular slowly lowered into the dirt of Trandosha. Already, Cat could feel ripples in the force as they walked out onto the soil of the planet.

"The Dark Jedi is already here."

((Alright, so should we have Thorn post now detailing the catacombs, etc.?))

 

[Thorn]

The Dark Jedi had just reached the place that held his goal, the place that he had sought for the last year. Looking at the catacombs entrance, nothing but a cave in the side of a mountain, he began to wonder if this was truly was the location he sought.

As he walked in the ground transitioned to the cold brown stone, and the light became absent. Deciding to use his lightsaber as a light, he reached down to his black robes, grabbing the hilt, and activated the blade, flooding the area with a red glow, illuminating the tombs that were part of the walls. Using his senses with the force, he began to feel hints of the dark side permeating the place with the source deep within the tombs. Maybe, just maybe this was the home of the weapon he sought... and if not, maybe there was something of even greater worth to the man. Deciding to find out, he continued onward.