Ask Chandrila Korriban The Lost 43

[Alicia Drey]

The Lost 43

Skyldeve Riglsta - Markri Cowbonn - Robecale Hendbuc - Musdon Godethor - Dalrog Primgoo - Chebra Barllife - Aniaile Beadhia - Maemon Parhpill -
Serlyd Hewecha - Joshgera Parimars - Emilpra Legjaye - Scotshel Estlock - Seamarc Douudel - Nathjarr Gerwee - Rylcam Odhawain - Corbnic Winspol -
Jason Drey - Nichola Drey - Samjoel Carhayc - Jahedw Goldchar - Raymgian Satble - Kentdalt Cullmil - Jorjuan Hassott - Ezeqjoha Founewb -
Trisluc Safstu - Alerah Vowebar - Gregkar Washpale - Josejor Daugude - Briali Jouril - Sarkate Shacmoa - Haliangi Pincayl - Kalymon Revefenn -
Jordwalt Brahanb - Lanefran Bardholm - Brygra Colgray - Petekeag Kittcud - Joromar Astlstov - Maramir Garmul - Lereli Drewsow - Clidyl Stankins -
Jarisa Ruffrits - Demeell Belwes - Kenbarr Wooldoar

In loving memory of the lost.

~
​

C H A N D R I L A ;

In the shadow of a mountain, found on the northern peninsular of Kalist exists forty-three graves. Other then the old nearby prefabricated garrisons and the remnants of a ship these dug holes are the last vestiges of the worlds first and last colony of Human settlers. They hadn't settled on Kalist by choice; and as those first days of being stranded planet-side- their guide lost to them in the barren wastes- turned into weeks, and then weeks into months, and then months into twenty-six long, tedious, hopeless years the colonists dwindled in number until at the end there was only one daughter left behind to dig the last grave.

The first three months that they had settled on Kalist had gone without incident. Sent by the Hanna Institute of Sciences to conduct a survey of the planet to determine whether or not the world could be terraformed the Chandrilians and their Jedi guide had been unaware that once they had landed on that inhospitable rock they would never get off it.

When Jorel Ruffrits hadn't received word from his sister Jarisa two weeks after the survey mission was meant to be completed he became worried. In the initial planning stages of the mission Jorel had known that the team would lose contact with Chandrila once they had entered the Deep Core due to the interstellar anomalies that existed within that region of space. The team would need to clear the Deep Core somewhere near Fresia before a message could be sent back to Chandrila that they were safe and returning home.

When the team had initially lost contact with home and no word had been sent during the first three months since their disappearance Jorel had not been worried. After all they had expected that he would lose touch with Jarisa and therefore planned accordingly. They had estimated that when the survey mission had been complete it would take two standard Chandrilian weeks for them to clear the anomalies- such as black holes, background radiation, or remnants of supernovas- before contact would be re-established.

When the team had neared Fresia before taking the Fresian Run down into the Deep Core they had tested it to make sure. That had been the last time he and the relatives of the other scientists, engineers, and analysts that had joined the mission had heard from them. That had been twenty-nine years ago. He had just christened another anniversary since he had lost Jarisa (and the others) just a month ago. As he sat there at night sometimes- realizing that they were on the precipice of thirty years since the team had been lost- he knew that the guilt was still there. Almost three decades of loss meant that he had learned to live with it better then he had in those early years. But the guilt never went away.

Jorel was retired now. His former colleagues in the institute were either deceased or retired like him too. He had no sway anymore in Hanna, and with the reputation of his tragic involvement with the Lost 43 Jorel had quickly lost any influence with the people who could put together any rescue effort. He had tried, of course. Every year on the first day of Chandrila's third month- the anniversary of the disappearance- Jorel would write a letter essentially begging the institute to parlay with the Republic and/or the Jedi Order to launch a rescue mission.

He had never received a response. Attempts at meeting with the board in person had been stopped at each turn. He had never understood why.

This year it had taken him just shy of over a month to draw the courage to write his 29th letter. If he had anyone to talk too about it then he might have confessed that he was running out of things to say. What more could you say or do to convince these people to do the right thing? But this year was different. In happy circumstance and fortune Jorel had one last contact in the Hanna Insitute who had told him about a Jedi who was coming to Chandrila for reasons he did not know.

Whatever the reasons were for Master C'renic Tel Illo's visit to Hanna City Jorel could not pass at the opportunity to try one last attempt to send word to the Jedi:

Dear Jedi Master C'renic Tel Illo,

My name is Jorel Ruffrits. I am a former member of the Hanna Institute for Sciences. As a Doctor in agriculture I served in the institute for 21 years until I retired almost a decade ago due to stress and ill health. I am an old man now Master Jedi and I believe I will soon join my sister- Jarisa- in the afterlife. I have no doubt that my sister passed away a long time ago alongside her colleagues and friends that became synonymous with the Lost 43. Perhaps you have heard of them?

In my old age and after many attempts to contact a member of your Order I have run out of things to say that I have not said already. I am writing to you for help, Master Jedi. Before I pass on I want to know what happened to my sister, my former colleagues and our friends whom I sent into the Deep Core 29 years ago on an ill fated mission to a region of space called Kalist. The story was quite famous for a few weeks at the beginning when we realized that the survey team had not made contact at the agreed upon time but as the decades have passed I fear that I am the only person who still cares about the Lost 43.

Please meet with me at my home here in Hanna City. I know you are on Chandrila- for reasons I am unaware of- but whatever it is that has brought you to my homeworld I beg of you to meet with me so we can discuss the Lost 43 in person. A member of your Order- Jedi Master Briali Jouril- was one of the 43 members of the survey team. I should have been with them if not for an injury which had prevented me from joining the mission. My place was taken Ray- Raymgian Satble. My guilt that Ray took my place on that cursed voyage cannot be understated.

Please help us.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Jorel Ruffrits.

@Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru’s reasons for being on Chandrila weren't exactly secretive, he was still trying his hardest to ease some of the new tensions between the Jedi and the galaxy after the disaster of Kashyyk which was why he was so confused to get mail. He was staying in a modest room while on world and he sat on the provided bed reading the letter and using his datapad to make notes for further research. The title master did make him chuckle enough to get over the fact his full name was used. Not that it was taboo the Jedi simply was embarrassed to have such a long name from his families culture. Before he could reply he needed to do research and first came the review of the incident they referenced and that alone was easy enough to find articles, stories and interviews all there about the tragedy.

Next he set up his communicator setting up a private link to his ship to bounce his signal all the way to Yavin getting in touch with the archives master system “Query” he said clearly using the automated system for this search “Master……Briali Jouril” the pause coming to check his notes and then he listened for a time as the archives automated system would dig and search. Finally a ding “Archives loaded, read aloud or transmit?” the system asked and he rapidly answered “Transmit” and then after a few moments waiting for the data to move through the ether his datapad dinged and he had an edited version of the entry. For safety many of the lost Masters deeds and activities were censored but as he looked through he found the entry he wanted which in turn proved to be the last. That the Order was reached out to to provide someone who could navigate the anomalies of the deep core. And that was it, presumed lost.

He processed this for a time sitting there reviewing the information and the letter, the Order had been so busy with so many aggressors and the chaos of late that this master must have been lost and then simply been forgotten. That fact alone was worrying and so he typed up his reply

Dear Dr. Jorel Ruffrits.

I am sorry for your loss and that you’ve carried this burden for so long. I am however forever grateful that you have brought this to my attention. I want you to know that this information and meeting you have become my top priority while here. I ask a day so that I may arrange replacements for my absence from the commitments I made and I will be meeting you first light tomorrow morning, I hope this is not an inconvenience to you”

With warm regards
Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Alicia Drey]

N O W H E R E ;

The space station likely had some name or designation with a series of letters and numbers to distinguish it at some point. But now it was simply a lot found in the middle of nowhere. A place where vagabonds, criminals or the occasional Imperial could be found hiding away on some business or another. For Alicia it was the beginning of the end of a long journey to Chandrila.

Navigating the Hydian Way from Korriban into the Core was a challenging proposition. For one it was a long, arduous trek. Even with interstellar technology readily available in the Empire- capable of transporting a lone Sith across the stars along such vast distances- it would take several weeks to arrive planet-side on Chandrila. There was also the issue of actually getting on the world itself but Alicia had decided to tackle that problem when she got there.

Nowhere (as she was calling it to herself) was located somewhere between Taanab and Tirahnn. She had boarded the station a day ago after fetching a ride via smuggler from Gwe'nee. They had met over a game of Subacc in some dingy bar Alicia had forgotten the name of.

Using the dark side she had coerced the smuggler- a Neimodian transporting foodstuffs- into continuing the game with her until he had racked up a considerable amount of debt which she had then used to coerce him into giving her ride to Taanab. However, when they had arrived on the station to deliver goods the Neimodian had given her the slip and left before she could continue her journey.

Now she was stuck.

Her adventure to Chandrila thus far hadn't been a complete failure, however. She had won a significant amount of credits from the smuggler; enough to barter passage with the right individual. The constellations told her that from nowhere to Chandrila was a standard four day journey. To find the right pilot to bring her to the planet and get her planet-side was an issue that she would have to find the answer for next.

@Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Clearing out his schedule proved to be a lot easier then Maru had been expecting. Though he wished he had a padawan who would have been free to sit in on some of his talks. He wrote up reports to take his place in meetings to be read instead of an in person testimony and he explained his actions to the Order feeling that this new mission to locate a forgotten master took priority, at least for the moment.

He spent his new found downtime reviewing the information he could find about the disaster staying up late reading articles, documents, reports and everything that he could find on this. It looked simple at least it was such an ambitious project they had suggested but it looked like the project had the funding and a motivated crew. Getting the Order to agree to send a master to act as navigator was no small task, but then again it must have been before all the chaos of recent years where masters were not kept so busy.

After the sun had gone down he had to call it a night as well shutting things down, not before scheduling a taxi for the morning. He wasn't much of a morning person but he had promised the good doctor he would arrive at first light so he settled down for the night.

The alarm woke him up before the sun did and after a quick shower and a cup of caffa he was out in front of the building waiting for his taxi. He was wearing a more traditional attire then usual, after all he had been planning to attend meetings while on planet and now those plans had changed but his wardrobe had remained the same. A tan tunic with matching pants and a cloak draped over his back tall enough to conceal his saber strapped there to his back. The design he had gone with meant wearing it on the hip wasn't really an option like so many other Jedi.

The flight across the city was relaxing, traffic was already bustling as this side of the planet woke up and soon he arrived at the doctor’s residence and after paying his driver, making sure to tip generously he moved to ring the bell to let them know he had arrived.

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D R I L A ;

In the records that the Jedi Order relayed to Maru about Briali Jouril he would be surprised to learn that she was in fact not a Jedi Master. Jouril had been a Human female- native to Chandrila- who at the time of the mission launch in 119 ABY was at the rank of Jedi Padawan. Indeed conflicts of the day had meant that the Order had not been able to dispatch an actual Jedi Master to attend the mission but seemingly hadn't told neither the Hanna Institute nor Jorel Ruffrits.

The mission itself had been submitted to the Institute by both Doctors Ruffrits and his sister a year before mission launch. It had been approved by the then sitting president and passed onto a committee in the Republic who had then passed on the request for Jedi presence during the mission.

The Order had then dispatched Jouril. She had sent three communiques back to the Jedi Temple (that the Order was located at at the time) which were updates on her mission. The first was that she had arrived on Chandrila and had met the entire team. The second on the night before launch from Chandrila. The third was her last communique at Fresia before the entire survey team had disappeared along the Fresian Run. There had been no issues.

After the survey teams disappearance had been leaked to Chandrilian media it had been a major news story for three weeks. By the entire of the news cycle the story had cycled out save for a few pieces in the years that followed until finally people stopped talking about it. The Lost 43 had been forgotten and by today nobody even remembered who they were or what the story was.

Except seemingly for three people: Maru C'renic Tel Illo, Jorel Ruffrits and Alicia Drey.

~

Jorel answered the door. A tiny old man he greeted Maru with a toothy smile. "Finally. Someone answers my call. Please, come in Master Jedi." Gesturing inwards he turned from the door to lead Maru into his home. A nearby protocol droid hung deactivated near one of the walls. Smaller droids were performing various tasks of cleaning. Jorel deactivated them so there would be no noise while he met with the Jedi.

"You must have questions. I'll try my best to answer."

@Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru dipped his head low in respect when Jorel opened the door and he couldn't help a small chuckle when he called him a master and he followed him inside, he took a moment to admire the home and after being guided to a seating area he sat down carefully. He had seen the way the diplomatic core had moved and was doing his best to mimic their mannerisms but it was hardly his gift. "Before we continue I should mention something" he admits smiling warmly.

"I'm only a knight, the title Master is flattering but I feel you should know there is a slight distinction." He explained holding his hands out as as if offering the apology. "But I will add that as a Knight I had the freedom to research the matter that you messaged me about" then he adjusted himself pulling out his data pad. The information on Briali Jouril however was locked so not to accidentally reveal the fact that the would be master was really a Padawan. He felt that this man had suffered enough and to add more worries about this expedition would only cause him harm.

"I looked into what our own archives had about this endeavor and of course the data that was shared and posted all those years ago but I am running into a small gap" he explained tapping the device to bring up one of the last messages that had been sent. "Even if Master Jouril were to navigate these anomalies of the deep core they would have created at least a basic flight path of where they were going" and with a tap of his fingers brought up where the last communication had been sent from. "We also know at least roughly where they were going but with the fact that objects in space are constantly moving I'm afraid a search would be incredibly dangerous without some frame of reference" he paused a moment to think of a proper analogy.

"Its like trying to find a needle in a haystack but inside the haystack are a bunch of angry Nexu" he joked with a small sad smile.

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D R I L A ;

Jorel nodded as Maru explained the distinction between a Jedi Knight and a Master of their Order. He flashbacked to his interactions with Briali Jouril in those few days they had been in the company of each other before she had left with Jarisa, Ray and the others on the team he had put together for the expedition into the Deep Core. He realised then and there that was only the second time in his life he had met a Jedi.

Then a second realisation came up on him: this Jedi Knight who had invited into his home was a lot older then the younger woman he had met with all those years ago. She had been small- almost the same size as he was- with black braids to match her brilliant dark skin with a much longer piece of hair hanging from the top corner of his head that he had found odd at the time and still found odd now all these years later. But as he hadn't commented on it back then he wouldn't do so now with this Jedi.

They had much more important things to discuss.

"Ah yes. We constructed a flight plan from Chandrila to Kalist using data provided by the committee and what had been provided to us by Master Jouril." Jorel gestured for Maru to follow him. Leading him into a much larger room the old man cleared the top of what first looked like a desk. But when Jorel powered it up Maru would discover that it was a holographic emitter that was now displaying the flight plan put together 29 years ago.

"The route from the Chandrila system towards the Fresian Run was rudimentary in comparison to the rest of the flight," Jorel explained while controlling the emitter. A symbol appeared on the map which indicated the survey teams ship. "It was the Fresian Run that was the issue and why we needed Master Jouril's help to get to Kalist. Not much is known about the Run. Even now, all these years later, we don't know all that much about it."

"I've tried to contact the Fresians to provide any details that they hadn't provided the first time but they never responded so all I have is the telemetry from thirty years ago." Jorel moved the map to pinpoint on the start of the Fresian Run. A wide array of lines appeared that led to different star systems. "All these routes to words like Coruscant, Anaxes- all the Core worlds. All safe and well documented. We even have safe routes to Ixtlar if you ever wanted to go."

"The problem is that even in this day and age we do not know all that much about the Deep Core. Nobody has really spent the time to properly document it and lay the spaces of travel that would be safe. The main reason for this, I suspect, is because there isn't much reason too."

"There is nothing commercial- at least of known value- for someone to properly charter this region of space. All the systems we know well- like Chandrila, for example- still do the job. We provide fauna, foodstuffs and so on still that sustains the nearby systems of the resources they need from us, and in return, we get the latest technological advances, protection and all the other things our allies provide."

"Perhaps there is some system in the Deep Core that could provide the alusteel Anaxes needs for it's shipyards or the foodstuffs Coruscant needs for it's mega ecumenopolis. But there is no desire to see if there is because worlds like Chandrila already do that for them and there certainly hasn't been any known attempts by anyone living in the Deep Core to make contact."

"You combine all of this with the facts that we do know about the Deep Core and you can understand why we knew the mission to Kalist was dangerous. All those stellar phenomena- like black holes, supernovas, the other anomalies we don't even know about- which we all know is there- means that nobody wants to take the risk..." Jorel paused his explanation to take a deep breath. Tears wormed their way into his old, sunken eyes.

"Well, nobody except for me, my sister and my best friend. He was called Raymgian Satble. We called him Ray. We wanted adventure... and to save the world. All these threats we would hear about in the news back then have only got worse after all this time. Back then we had an idea: what if there was a second Chandrila we could evacuate too? We've all heard about the tragedy of Alderaan. How the Alderaans founded New Alderaan after their world was destroyed by the Imperials. It might have happened a century ago but if that could happen back then then it certainly could happen now. I just..."

Jorel cleared his throat and eyes as he re-gathered himself. "I- we- wanted to do something great and good. I never thought it would end with me losing all those people. But then I had no idea things would go that wrong. We were well funded. Reassured by the fact that the Jedi Order had sent one of their best. There was no reason to expect any of this."

"You have to find out what happened, Master Jedi. I will help you. I've been preparing for this day for thirty years. We can find the Lost 43."

@Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru followed quietly and then he looked at the maps curiously and he looked following the trail they led up until that finally blip where beyond it was lost but he could see the pattern, they were keeping a steady path. This was going to require a lot of processing power from the achieves computers but he was forming an idea already.

The deep core was such a fascination to him as well, in this ever expanding truly infinite universe many explores sought to go beyond the known maps into the uncharted void. But the core, the inferno of collapsing stars and blackholes it was closer by comparison but the dangerous of that place. It was truly an ambitious project no doubt but he didn't voice that aloud, it was admirable to see what they wanted to accomplish.

As for the Padawan it was becoming so easy to see why they had agreed to this. This was a pathfinding mission, and so many of the Padawan he had gotten to know would have jumped at this chance like they must have all those years ago. He was quiet for a time letting the doctor speak and then when he turned to Maru the Jedi offered a kind smile and nodded in agreement. "I think you may have given me the last pieces of the puzzle I needed" he said gesturing to the map "May I have a copy of this? The achieves computer should be able to plot the course they were most likely to follow after that last point...after which it becomes just a matter of getting a ship" he promised

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D R I L A ;

"Of course." Jorel cleared his throat before turning around to find a datastick. He sliced the stick in and uploaded the telemetry that he had been provided as a younger man. When he finished the upload he handed it over to Maru and confessed: "I have to admit that you being here does make things a little better. To have gone all this time with no response from the Institute, the old committee members in the Republic or even your Order- until now- I had lost hope. But now I have a little bit now."

"I am thankful for that."

~

N O W H E R E ;

Alicia raised her wrist and slid back her sleeve to check the time on her chrono. She had re-set the device shortly after boarding the station to match the time being told here. 22:06 hours, nowhere time. Nodding to herself she lowered her sleeve back over the watch and looked up. A ship had docked two hours ago for fuel and it's Captain was somewhere aboard Nowhere.

Surprisingly the Captain was Yin'chorri. During her tutelage under the late Dylus Syn' Alicia had been taught a many different things about various species that had naturally immunity to the talents of Sith. In this way he had been preparing her for instances where utilizing her abilities in the dark side were wasted efforts. In the case of the Yin'chorri she had learned that they were a species of sentient near-Humans who could not be coerced or persuaded with the Force unlike the Neimodian Captain she had used to get here from Gwe'nee.

They were also notoriously difficult to speak with which made them good at their work when it came to transportation. So many other people could be tricked, coerced, manipulated- a half dozen different ways for the criminal mind to try and take their cargo, ship or credits. But a Yin'chorri was more likely to tell such an individual to kark off and were difficult to intimidate. Perfect for the line of work that this particular Captain was into.

Alicia navigated the hallways of the station with her face concealed beneath the hood of her Sith robes. She located the ship she was looking for: it's name was the Rolf-mangir. She gathered that it must have been named after something on Yinchorr but whatever it was she hadn't a clue. Dylus' lessons on the Yin-chorri had focused more on their natural defenses against the Force rather their customs or their homeworld.

Slicing into a nearby terminal Alicia searched it's manifests until she found the Yin'chorri's ship. It was a 3-Z Light Freighter. Fast, light and manoeuvrable it was a ship of legal origin seemingly used for the transportation of passengers rather then cargo. This could be it. If Alicia could convince the Rolf-mangir's Captain to bring her to the Chandrila system then, after several weeks of travel since departing Korriban board Verse Tillo's ship, she had found her way back to where it had all started.

@Maru C'renic Tel Illo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru was true to his word setting up a stronger connection back to the achieves to upload the telemetry data he had received and instructed the systems to attempt to predict the course that the ship would have followed. Factoring in the make of the ship and the supplies at the time it would be able to hopefully predict the most likely course the ship would take. Thinking ahead he requested a ship from the Order as well, planning this to be a solo flight he requested a smaller ship just a small single seat ship with space for an astromech droid and hyperdrive capable since he was going to making jumps

The plan was simple, he would upload the results of the data to the droid who would be able to act as guide computing the data in real time to lead him once he entered the deepcore. The only part of the trip he wasn't thrilled about was that in such a small ship he was going be stuck for hours on end unable to move much which was not ideal but he would just have to make due. It would take a few days for both the data and the ship to arrive. During the down time he would speak with the kind doctor learning more about the crew and his family.

Finally with an alert that the ship had landed and had been refueled and restocked for the trip Maru took one more air taxi from his lodgings to the landing platforms, it was a busy day with ships taking off and landing and he figured the port authority would be eager to have the landing pad cleared so he hurried to make arrangements to get flying.

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

N O W H E R E ;

Captain Ta'kux Kruzath of the Rolf-mangir approached his ship in a drunken stupor. In the morning he was due to bring the ship back to headquarters on Corsin where he expected to act as transportation and guard for another client. He expected to find the briefing for his next journey when he arrived planetside later that day but for now all those thoughts were gone out of his mind. It had been a good night and he longed for sleep with the Rolf-mangir acting as his home away from home.

Alicia quietly watched from the shadows of the hangar bay as the Yinchorri approached his ship. Attuning her senses to the living Force and focusing her mind upon the Captain she narrowed her eyes upon his movements as he stopped by the doors that led into the ship. From this distance a normal-average Human would never be able to see the code that the Captain was putting into the console that would open the ship. She couldn't neither.

But what Alicia could do was follow the intricate movements of the Captain's hand as he worked his fingers sluggishly across console. Much to her surprise he entered the code correctly the first time and disappeared behind the closing doors soon afterwards. She could tell he was drunk by the way he had entered the hangar bay and had expected him to make some mistakes trying to gain access too his ship. But it seemed that Captain Kruzath was well practiced enough that his inebriated state hadn't affected him getting aboard.

That was to her advantage. There in the darkness Alicia waited until an hour before the Rolf-mangir was scheduled to leave the station. Having sliced into the station's mainframe earlier she had loaded up the ships pre-flight plan that had been uploaded to the station's control. In this way the ship would be fully maintained and fuelled for it's journey back to Corsin. But Alicia had other ideas for it's next destination.

Sneaking up to the doors of the Rolf-mangir Alicia copied the hand movements of the Captain and entered the code that would give her access to the ship. A light ping indicated that she had put the code in correctly. Memorising the code for later on she snuck aboard the vessel and waited for the doors to close before navigating her way through the small ship to one of the adjoined rooms where she planned to hide.

Lowering her breathing and heart rate with the Force Alicia slipped herself into a quiet meditation in the rooms far corner in the shadow of some of it's furniture. This way she would not be discovered by the ships internal sensors when Kruzath inevitably performed his pre-flight checks before take off. There time seemed to pass incredibly slow to the Sith. But she had learned the art of patience a long time ago. She had needed that quality in order to survive on Kalist.

The rhythm of the ships engines vibrated through her as she felt the ship beginning to take off in what seemed like an eternity later. But alas- as she re-opened her eyes and adjusted them to the room- she knew that the ship was in transit. Rising slowly back up to her feet Alicia found a curved Lightsaber blade appear in her left palm. Yellow eyes burned through the dark room to it's exit.

Murder now occupied her mind.

@Don Bongo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

While he wouldn't admit it outload Maru was grateful for the astrodroid for company, mostly because if he had no one else to talk to during this trip his sanity may not have survived but also because flying a ship, at least in populated zones had so many damned rules and regs and the droid was helping him with most of them. He enjoyed flying but he preferred to just be allowed to open the throttle and just enjoy himself but this was still a mission one way or another.

He opened up his data pad while sitting there in the ship waiting for port authority to clear him for take off, sending one last message to the good doctor that he would be taking off. His ship would need one refueling after he left the planet to make sure he had full fuel and supplies once he got to the edge of the deepcore. The flight path was programmed into the droid but that would still only provide a general clue in the direction to go. He had warned the doctor that he may have to go into and out of the deep core a few times until he picked up the trail but if luck was on his side it wouldn't come to that.

Finally his headset chirped to life again informing him that he was clear to take off and which path to follow out and he replied respectfully, sent his message and then took control flipping a few switches and dials feeling the ship warming up and humming with power. Soon he was airborne and with a little help from the droid he was angled properly and he was pushed into his seat as his ship fought against the planets gravity for a few moments as his small little craft arched through the air.

He watched as the sky shifted and turned, the stars revealing themselves and he always loved the view from so far above but there was no time to simply enjoy himself. "Alright bring up flight path and lets get going" he instructed the droid his hands and it began plotting the first of a few jumps it would take. A few seconds later his ship accelerated and then was gone slipping into hyperspace

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

T H E R O L F - M A N G I R ;

The scent of blood stained the air and walls of the Rolf-mangir's helm. Congealed blood- almost saturated by the colour of black- clung onto Alicia's robes, hair and skin. Some of it was hers. In the bleak canvas of space the ship drifted in the region between worlds while the Sith looked on with an empty gaze that was reflected in the window before her. It had been her first murder. Whenever the opportunity had arisen on Korriban (and those opportunities had been plenty) she had never gone through with it. She had always opted for mercy to a point that Dylus had always questioned whether she had the stomach for it.

But you aren't asking anymore, Alicia thought to herself when her mind fell on her late Master. If she knew the man well enough then she guessed that he would have been proud of her. In particular he might have found the reasons behind the murder and the chosen tool to be a little impressive. Instead of opting for her curved Lightsaber Alicia had used the Vibroblade instead. It was a messier kill- and the Captain had given her quite the fight- but in this way when the Rolf-mangir was discovered alongside it's dead Captain nobody would suspect a Force-user.

The Lightsaber and the injuries that it could inflict upon it's victims were often clean, precise and left evidence that for the trained eye could tell the difference. Hundreds of years ago, at the height of the Old Republic, such wounds would be suspected to have been dealt by that of the Jedi for at that time they were the only known wielders of the Lightsaber blade. It would have been a rare kill to discover then and strange given the fact the Jedi were known peacekeepers but given the evidence it would have been unmistakable.

But now the Galaxy knew of another sect of Force-users who also wielded the Lightsaber in the form of the Sith. It was easier to suspect them because of their reputation and deeds. Given the recent Sacking of Kashyyyk and the massacre that it had entailed this sentiment would have been quick to assume. Alicia knew that if she had used her Lightsaber to murder the Captain then a Sith would have been the prime suspect. But with a blade it was less clear. Yes, the Sith could use such weapons but so could anyone else. Therefore her act was concealed by the machinations of the dark side, and if it went to plan then nobody would really know who killed Captain Kruzath.

How is that for subtle?

Alicia smirked at the memory of the Nautolan Sith she had met on G'wenee as she climbed out of the pilots seat. With a flick of her wrist she levitate the Captain out of the helm towards the area of the ship where food and water were being refrigerated. Concealing the body inside the room she turned to the shelves to select which rations she wished to eat and a bottle of purified water.

Returning back to the helm she ate and drank while programming the ships navigational computer to set course towards Chandrila. Engaging the auto-pilot she leaned back in the seat to admire her dirty hands. They were still covered with blood and now the remnants of her meal. She imagined a beast admiring the aftereffects of it's work and felt something rising inside her. It raised it's snout to the Galaxy in which it inhabited to bask in the glory of death only to lower itself back into the inner recesses of her mind upon the realisation that she was not proud of what she had done.

Alicia was satisfied that the Captain was dead- not because she enjoyed the kill itself- but because it fit into her plan to get planetside on Chandrila. Therefore whatever exhilaration she felt in the moment of the kill soon gave way to something calmer and more focused. As the ship slipped into hyperspace she exited the helm for a second time to find somewhere to clean herself.

@DonBongo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

The Jedi wished he had asked for just a slightly larger ship for this adventure, he didn't enjoy sitting still for long periods of time. His usual forms of meditation were gardening or saber work so to sit quietly in a small cockpit was going to be a test of patience. It only took an hour before he gave in and challenged his droid copilot to a game. It was then he got a vicious reminder of why he wasn't a fan of droids.

They were just too good at games, with the droids encyclopedic knowledge base Maru couldn't keep up in his games of trivia. When shifted to some light gambling he was reminded that droids had no real tells or give away just using pure logic to make their bets. He was able to do decently with chess though without space for a board they had to make do visualizing the board in his head. The trip was punctuated with drops back into real space while the droid calculated the next jump and then back into hyper space.

In a moment of bitterness he had lapsed into silence after using yet another game to the droid and Maru was playing with a puzzle box when the droid chirped at him announcing they would be making one last drop into real space before they would be entering a Deep Core. Maru sat up doing his best to stretch and typed up some information getting an update on the ship. While they had an idea on how far into the Deep Core this trip would take he figured it would be safer to fuel up and restock.

A quick scan and he found the same station that the expedition had both checked in at before they dove in and while he felt it might be in slightly bad taste he decided he would fuel up there as well and send word to the doctor about his arrival. He sent out a message requesting a landing pad and then took control of the ship guiding it as he was directed grateful to have something to do.

It was funny in reflection that he chose to focus his thoughts on how he would get back at the droid, a way to at least delay the tension he felt about this mission, this wouldn't be an easy flight but this was his role as a knight he needed to find out what happened not only to the Order's Padawan but to the poor crew as well.

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D I L A S P A C E ;

Chandrila was an important world for the Republic. It's exports of foodstuffs were vital not only too it's own economy and that of the Republic but also due to the basic necessities that kept urban civilizations such as Coruscant going. Without food or water how could the Core continue without Chandrila itself? There were of other other systems, worlds- civilizations within the Republic that could fill in should anything happen to the Chandrilians and their home but such considerations could only be made in place of an emergency. Suffice to say everyone in the Core needed Chandrila and she needed them for protection. It was the standard bearer which epitomized the philosophies that the Republic were founded upon.

With importance came targets. It was as such hourly scouts surveyed the space surrounded Chandrila to check for anomalies. Anything abnormal- ranging from suspicions of cloaked ships (which sat right near the top of dangers to Chandrila's security) all the way down to an out of place asteroid- were looked for as they made they made their way around the system in search for anything out of the ordinary. It was on that particular hour that they had come across an 3-Z Light Freighter drifting in space with nobody aboard save for one deceased occupant.

First they had tried to hail the Rolf-Mangir. But there had been no response. The next stage was to scan the ship for any detection of life. But they found nothing. The ship contained no turrets or any visible sign of weaponry. No explosives or readings which suggested that it's engines were rigged to explode at a latter time. No distress signal or any attempts to call for help. There wasn't even a single indication that it had been attacked or boarded. For all pretence and purposes a ghost ship had drifted into their space and that raised a lot of questions that would have to be answered.

Orders were eventually relayed to the scouts to bring the ship into one of the stations orbiting Chandrila. It was in their remit to get to the bottom of what had happened to the ship and it's occupant for the scans had shown a body floating in their with the anti-gravity stabilisers deactivated. Towing the Freighter into the station the scouts exited their fighters to meet up with the crew assigned to get gain access to the ship.

Usually they found nothing so it was not everyday that they found something as odd as this. In an obtuse, odd way they were excited. This was certainly more interesting then finding nothing.

~

The dark side of the Force flowed through Alicia like an inferno. White, hot, blood curdling rage ran through her veins like venom. Head bowed in concentration, eyes closed and with the Force she was at work keeping herself alive. One standard day ago Alicia had deactivated most of the ships systems and sent it on a collision course to Chandrila once it had entered the fringes of Chandrilian space.

It was a gambit. If there were no means of detection then the Rolf-Mangir would be burned up in the planets atmosphere if it should get that far; or- due to war time measures- it would be destroyed upon detection by the planets defensive systems if it were considered a threat; or there was every possible chance that as it drifted through space towards it's intended target that it would crash into some interstellar phenomena- such as an asteroid, comet or long lost piece of debris merely floating along until it came into contact with the ships hull.

In order to get planetside Alicia was inviting catastrophe into her life. There was every chance that the planet itself was guarded by a member of the Jedi Order- a well trained Force-sensitive who could feel her presence in the dark side- and who could consequentially order a multitude of things that would result in death or capture. Everything relied on the façade that Alicia had constructed in order to deceive any of those who would discover the ship on course for the planet.

During the days that she had spent traveling along the rest of the Hydian Way towards the Core Alicia had meditated deeply on the subject of how to get to Chandrila. She was not a resident of the Republic. The ship itself was not expected in the system. It's Captain had been murdered by her hands. There was a war currently being waged between Republic, Sith Empire and a number of dozen, smaller entities across the Galaxy. Perhaps in peacetime she could have rocked up in the system unexpected and coerced her way planetside. But such possibilities were impossible in the current circumstances. She would need to deceive them in other ways to get onto the planet in search of answers and revenge without detection.

An idea had formed in her mind. Guided by the dark side and immersed in her own beliefs in the Sith Code Alicia had come across a plan that would get her to the planet. But it was not without risk. In order to make the ship look like it had been abandoned and lost she could first need a way to conceal herself from detection. So when the Rolf-Mangir's navigational computer told her that they had just entered the outer edges of the system she had dropped the ship out of hyperspace so it would float towards the planet carried by the exertion of being brought out of sub-space without use of it's stabilisers.

At the velocity in which the ship would float Alicia had calculated that it would take a standard day before the ship would be in range of the planet itself. It did not matter if it was discovered by the authorities on the edge of the system or close to the planet. So long as it was discovered- in the manner that she desired- then the risk of burning up in the planet's atmosphere would be prevented by whomever found the ship.

But the main trick fell into how Alicia wanted the ship to be found. In her mind she imagined an abandoned ship floating in space with it's Captain deceased. No visible signs or markings suggesting that it had been attacked. No life signs indicating that the sole body (floating in it's cargo bay) had been it's only operator. With no way to hail the ship or communicate with it then Alicia deduced that it would be taken somewhere to be investigated. With any luck that would be on Chandrila itself.

In order to conceal herself from detection Alicia had forced herself into the refrigerator. With the Force she had slowed down her heart rate but kept herself warm so that the freezing temperatures would not kill her. Drawing on the dark side and her anger she could keep the cold at bay while simultaneously deceiving any scanning attempts that would have detected her without use of the Force and the refrigerator. But if there were a Jedi, or a well trained Force-sensitive, then her ruse would be up. She could trick technology but not those who were Force strong who would be able to sense the use of the dark side within the ship regardless of what scanners were telling them. They would know someone was on board.

Her plan was crude and it relied on a lot of things that were out of her control. It invited catastrophe on many levels. The ship itself might not have been found, for example. With the ships life systems deactivated the coldness of space had crept in that was capable of freezing her to death if not for the lesser cold confines of the fridge she was hiding in and her rage that was keeping the cold at bay. The ship could have been destroyed upon entering the system and she would have died with it. A single crash into rock or debris that may litter the system could cause the ship to break apart leaving her stranded or dead from the impact.

Yet Alicia was a follower of the dark side of the Force. To traverse it's inner workings and understand the power of the Force she would have to walk the fine line between life and death for the latter was her ally. Having surrendered herself to the dark side Alicia had subsequently made it her property. It was through guidance of the dark side that such a plan had come to form in her cunning mind that it became the only way for her to reach Chandrila undetected.

It was at that line of death, where the cold had set into her bones, and the rage of the dark side seemed to be leaving her that Alicia heard voices outside. They were Human that she could tell but were conversing in a language she did not understand. Her frostbitten eyes slowly opened and took several moments to adjust themselves in the cold dark. Hands shaking- both from nearly freezing to death, and the way she had not moved in almost a day- reached out to the door ahead. With a push she opened it a few inches to peek outside.

As the Chandrilians spoke in the next room over Alicia saw that nobody was in the cargo bay anymore. She gingerly climbed her way out of the fridge (that had been barely big enough for her to crouch into) trying her best not to make any noise. Every fibre of her being hurt. She was weak from the exertion of the dark side that had been used to keep her from freezing to death. If she were discovered then it would be very easy for her to be taken. All her plans- the journey to Chandrila- and her possible future laid in those precious few minutes that she climbed out of that fridge and into the dimly lit cargo bay.

Using the fridge as support she took a few minutes to stand there and get her bearings. Her breath escaped her in small clouds that rose and dissipated into the air. Her eyes found one of the transparisteel windows where she could see outside. There were no sun light- no indications that she was on Chandrila. It came to her that she must have been taken elsewhere unknowingly by the Chandrilian authorities who had discovered the ship. She could hear the voices still talking outside in their language and it was there that she deduced that they must have taken the Rolf-Mangir to find out what had happened too it.

I need to move. But movement did not come to her legs. It was taking everything she had to stand there and not fall over. Before I am found. I must move. I need to move. Forcing one leg forward a few inch Alicia nearly screamed. Agony was settling in to the point that her bloodshot eyes found tears in them. As they ran down her face they felt like knives scrapping her frostbitten, damaged face. Pain mixed itself with anger as she drew upon it to make her move.

With every little step Alicia moved closer and closer to the transparisteel window ahead. It took her several, agonizing minutes to get near it. Ever so slowly- frustratingly so- Alicia wormed her fingers to open it. A soft click created an indent in the lower window where she could fit her fingers in to prize the window open. She peaked outside the window and saw nobody in what seemed to be a cargo bay. Somewhere in the distance she could hear a droid moving around on it's bipedal wheels as it wheeled around somewhere near the ship and the window she was stood against.

Somehow Alicia mustered the energy to climb out through the window. It took all her strength to not only get her through the window without making enough noise to alert the Chandrilians in the next room but to softly lower herself to the ground. The dark, crimson blood of the Rolf-Mangir's Captain cracked, splintered and fell off her in miniature specs reminiscent of blood as she slowly crept away from the ship towards a pile of crates ahead.

There Alicia fell to her back and sprawled herself on the ground in tears; shaking from the exertion and pain that wreaked her body. There she laid- staring up at the ceiling above- trying her best to focus her mind back into a meditative state to will the pain itself out from her like an open tap spraying water into an open bath.

@DonBongo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru ran into a slight issue with the refuel and restocking from what was the essentially last stop station before the deepcore. Being so near the edge of a dangerous length of space it reminded him oddly enough of the outer rim and he attempting to haggle for the cost of fuel and rations. He was being overcharged and from the way the massive Besalisk was lifting himself up from behind the counter overlooking the hanger Maru was about to be threatened to make the payments.

The Jedi heaved a sigh and tried diplomacy one more time "Look, if you charge me that much I wont be able to refuel on the way BACK" he said again "So if we do half of your asking price now, I stop by to refuel again and you get the rest of the money....everyone wins!" he said warmly and despite his frustrations his smile and tone were both practice the same techniques he used on grumpy children back at the temple.

"Or, you pay it all now and we don't throw you off the station and take the ship for scrap, Jedi" the last word dripping with venom and malice and as Maru glanced he saw some of the support crew grabbing tools and approaching. He had forgotten that right now being a Jedi wasn't going to win him any popularity contests.

As much as Maru wanted to concede and just give up the credits he needed them for the return trip. "Look I'm trying to be civil here" Maru said softly but even as he spoke his left hand slid slowly to his side and then behind his back where the curved hammer extension of his saber was waiting and he looped his thumb around the cool metal. The leader gave a quick nod and Maru sighed again "I tried" he warned as he sensed the wrench wielding goon behind him. Maru moved far faster then any of them were expecting tugging his saber from his back but he didn't bother to ignite it he simply ducked allowing the heavy swing that was aimed for his head to swing over.

He jabbed the saber backwards, the long staff handle as dangerous as a blade as it made contact with the mans knee and Maru felt a crunch followed by a scream as his attacker pitched forward, propelled by his own momentum from the earlier swing. Reaching up Maru grabbed the wrench and spun launching it catching one of the rushing attackers in the head laying him flat. The other hesitated and that was all the Jedi needed leaping towards him swinging his saber around his body to generate force only to crack him over the side of the head.

Looping his hand into the ring at the base of the saber he squeezed hitting the hidden trigger and with a screech the blade ignited and even facing away the blade was at the throat of the first attacker who had tried to rush up behind as Maru has dealt with his help. "So" Maru said softly keeping the blade steady as he turned to face the larger man. "Half your asking price now, the other half on my way back" he repeated and the poor mechanic nodded though not so vigorously as to stable themselves on the energy blade.

"Half is good" he agreed and with that Maru turned off the blade and looked over the damage. One broken leg and two concussions but nobody was dead so all in all not his best but not his worst. As Maru put his weapon away the cowed hanger master spoke up "Its going to be a bit....you laid out the crew I need to call up my other workers" to which Maru simply nodded and went to go sit on the wing of the ship to keep an eye on them while they worked.


@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D R I L A S P A C E ;

Alicia was not sure how long she had been laying there. It may have been only a few minutes, half-hour or hours might have passed her by. She had been completely oblivious to time and her surroundings. It was only when an odd numbness set in her extremities that she begun to stir from the ground. The pain from almost freezing herself to death within the Rolf-mangir's refrigeration unit and the aftereffects of the freeze were still present. As she pressed a hand down to start lifting herself into a crouch she had to grind her teeth in concentration to not make any noises (like a groan or a gasp of pain) and it took her a couple of minutes longer then it should have to rise onto the heels of her feet.

Alas she made it into a crouching position behind the crates she had hidden herself behind. For the first time since escaping the ship- seemingly undetected by those who had boarded- Alicia reached out with the Force to feel her surroundings. She could hear the heart beats of the nearby investigators who were still on board the freighter which she used to guess that not that much time at all had passed since she had snuck out.

What now?

The question appeared before her like an epiphany. Focused on trying to keep the pain at bay she had forgotten why she had even hurt herself. Realisation crept back in. Alicia was crouching behind a few crates, on board a space station that she had snuck onto, in the heart of enemy space and the only thing stopping her from crossing the lines into catastrophe was the fact that she had merely not been seen yet. As fear now started settling in Alicia unhooked the curved Lightsaber she had been given by her first mentor, Dylus Syn, when she had begun studying the dark side.

Hands shaking from the effects of frostbite and the adrenaline that was now coursing through her Alicia took a moment to clean the chunks of ice that wrung themselves around the hilt of her weapon. It was just her Lightsaber and the dark side that she had to use to protect herself now. It was either get off this station, or be caught and left to the mercy of the Empire's enemies for they would see her as nothing else but Sith should she be discovered.

It dawned upon her then and there that the actions of other individuals and the Empire they claimed to serve left herself at the bane of the Chandrilians, the Jedi and the other states of the Republic- perhaps even those other entities in the Galaxy- who were at war with the Sith. That she would have to navigate the avenues of not being detected to avoid capture, imprisonment or death because other Sith were waging a war she wanted nothing to do with disgusted her. But the nuances of politics and the philosophies herein of the Empire and their enemies were quickly put aside once she had finished cleaning her blade.

Survival was much more important in the moment. Averting her gaze up from her new cleaned Lightsaber to her environment a pair of bloodshot eyes searched the walls, ceiling or floors of the hangar bay. Just above the Rolf-mangir Alicia spotted a pylon that she could climb towards one of the ventilation shafts. But I wouldn't know where I am going, Alicia thought to herself as she considered it. Climbing through that could lead me anywhere. It certainly wouldn't be safe... but then hiding here isn't safe neither.

It was at least a plan. Gingerly Alicia rose to her feet while keeping her wits about her. The crew on board the freighter were conversing. One was even laughing about something in their native language. She looked around again and saw nobody. Not even a droid to see her. As quickly as her injuries would allow her too Alicia made her way back to the ship and stopped near it's landing gear.

Hooking her hands onto the frame of the ship she begun her careful ascent upwards with each rung or part climbed done in a manner not to alert the occupants inside. When she climbed on top of the ship Alicia positioned herself in it's center and looked up. A normal man or woman would not be able to jump that high. Perhaps there was some alien out there who could do it naturally but certainly not a Human. In particular Alicia was a small woman in comparison to others of her age. It may have had something to do with malnutrition growing up on Kalist with the other lost.

But Alicia had something that others did not have: the Force. Gathering herself with her powers Alicia imagined launching herself into the air towards the pylon she had spotted on the ground. Suddenly she was in the air and her arm latched around it before she fell back towards the ship's roof. Her muscles protested in agony as she hung there for a few seconds but she managed to persist. Launching both her feet around to latch onto the pylon too Alicia begun navigating it towards the ventilation shaft.

When she was at the edge of the grate she reached out a hand to open it. But it would not budge. Her eyes scanned the access port and she realised that it was locked. Unhooking her Lightsaber back from her belt Alicia activated the blade and cut open the grate with the tip of the crimson beam. When she was done the metal casing fell onto the ground below with a loud clatter. Quickly she deactivated her Lightsaber and climbed into the now open shaft. Pressing her back and legs up against the walls she hung there on a vertical ledge. If she were to let go then she too would drop to the ground.

Thoughts of giving into the taxation of her injuries and the fatigue that was setting in from the climb were burned away with the dark side of the Force. Carefully, but as quickly as she could manage, Alicia begun ascending the shaft. The noise of the hangar bay were covered by her climb. She did not know if the people that were searching the Rolf-mangir had come out to see what had caused the noise or if they had seen her when they had looked up. But that didn't matter right now. All she had to do was keep climbing up until she could find something to get on top of to rest.

As she reached the top of the shaft she found it splitting in two directions. It was windy up here with the wind coming from the right to left. She could faintly here the propellers of a fan somewhere close by and realised that she was now somewhere inside the stations life support systems. Deciding to follow where the air was blowing too (rather then from) Alicia finished climbing and collapsed into a tunnel that led to the left.

It was there that she gave into her fatigue and fainted.

@DonBongo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

Maru didn't get a chance to explore the station after causing such a commotion. Instead he sat on the wing of his ship pretending to play with a puzzle box and keeping a weary eye on the replacement technicians who refueled and resupplied his ship. While he wanted he had the droid send a few messages, one back to the Order to inform them of his location and intentions again, keeping a track of this would help should he go missing as well. The other was to the doctor to let him know he would be setting out soon for the same reasons. It took hours before finally he had been given the all clear and he paid as promised, fully intending to honor the rest of his word to resupply again on the way out.

With the logistics done he got into his ship and after being cleared he took off heading back into the void of space, it took one short jump before his ship hovered on what would be considered the line marking the Inner Core. It didn't look any too different from the rest of space if he was honest but he spoke to the droid “Bring up the flight path data” and after a moment on his displays he had virtual markers of potential paths to follow.

Then he took a few deeper breaths and leaned into his seat eyes closing. While he preferred to focus his powers inwards this was one of those times that he had to focus his will out. He gathered the force into himself as he had so many times before, as second nature as taking a breath but rather then allowing it to build up he released it with each exhale. Each breath out he sent out a wave and each pulse reached further then the last and he could just begin to feel the slightest indications of things out there in the darkness. Gravity that was denser then it should be, objects and debris flying around like missiles, the barely contained energy of stars ready to burst.

It took focus to maintain this extended focus and to control the ship, already sweat starting to work its way down his face and he spoke simply and bluntly to the droid “Isolate the first path” and the extra lines on his screens faded leaving a single beacon to follow and he took the controls. A moment later his ships engines ignited and he started following the line into the unknown, his droid working overtime to calculate the path to follow, their location, and of course the trail they would have to follow should the first path be a dead end.

@Exulae

 

[Alicia Drey]

C H A N D R I L A S P A C E ;

Glimpses of the present. A star exploding into supernova. Flashing lights revealed debris of planetoids swirling in the dust off the black canvas where the perimeters of life were never fated to exist. In the back of it all the oohs and jolts of an astromech talking it's tongue to someone. Dots working it's way on a computer terminal and an unfamiliar voice-

A pair of golden eyes awakened in the darkness. Air brushed softly against her face. In the darkness of the ventilation shaft realisation begun to dawn upon the Sith who was laying there. I must have passed out. Rolling onto her front Alicia licked her dried mouth and lips. She must have been laying there for hours. There was only so much the Human body could take even to those who possessed the ability to command use the Force.

If the immediate thought of quenching her thirst wasn't prevalent in her mind Alicia might have considered the limitations on her physical vessel disgusting. But like a wounded animal her instincts for survival rid her of all thoughts of the perfection she sought as a follower of the dark side.

For a few minutes she allowed her to rest there and think. Initially her idea to climb into the ventilation shaft had been born out of a desire to keep herself from being caught and to that end she had succeeded. Despite her injuries and exhaustion she had realised that she was in no fit state to get off the station. There was a chance that she would have to fight her way off, or if she was to use the dark side too it's fullest extent then she would have to be strong in order to utilize her power in the Force to deceive or coerce her way to Chandrila.

Neither of these things were probable in the several hours she had spent in the shaft passed out but out of sight from the stations security. As she thought about it she realised that she had been incredibly lucky up until now to have not been discovered. It was common knowledge to her that shafts such as these were often accessed by droids making their way through the bowels of stations such as these performing tasks for it's sentient hosts. She imagined a droid discovering her passed out here and alerting one of the Chandrilese to her presence. It would have been protocol.

To make her way planet side- without assistance from anyone else- meant that such a plan in the first place was audacious. She had underestimated the tasks in of itself and it had cost her a lot to reach this stage. To have left it down to sheer luck that she hadn't been discovered at this point- and thus putting her life or freedom in jeopardy- was a mistake that she would have to learn from later.

Gingerly Alicia navigated her way back down the shaft towards the access port she had climbed in through. It was a long way back down. The grate that she had cut open seemed narrow at this distance. Putting aside the idea to jump down she first reached out with her senses (through the Force) into the hangar bay below but felt no-one down there. Drawing back on the dark side she carefully begun to navigate her back down to the open grate. Her muscles protested at the exertion of the climb but she persisted and only when she reached the grate did Alicia finally allow herself to drop through the hole.

Drawing on the Force Alicia broke her fall a few inches from crashing into the bottom. Rather then falling to her death she collapsed onto one knee and then sprung back up to her feet as if she had just jumped off a low wall rather then several meters down. Brushing down her robes and allowing herself to recover briefly from the exertion of the drop Alicia turned to survey the hangar bay.

The Rolf-Mangir was gone. The bay itself was now empty. As she looked around Alicia saw the entrance was open and could faintly hear the commotion of other sentients in the horizon. As she begun to walk across the bay towards the faint traces of noise from the outside she found herself thinking not of escape but of the visions she had encountered while she had been passed out in the shaft.

It had been premonitions in the Force but she did not understand the source of it. In her life she had had moments where she had been able to faintly tell what was about to happen before they did or possessed insight into what others were thinking by spotting mannerisms, behaviours or tones in speech that others who were not Force-strong would miss. But she had never had visions such as these before. She briefly considered if they were visions at all. Perhaps they were memories surfacing during her delirious state or her imagination racing while she had slept. But neither of these considerations felt right.

As she finished her approach to the hangar bay entrance Alicia peered around and saw several kiosks and open-front stores where people were shopping, conversing or standing around. She saw Rodians, a Neimodian, and other races that she had heard of but hadn't seen up close before. What she found most peculiar were the Humans. She could tell that they were Human but they were unlike any of the others she had met during her time as Dylus' Syn's Apprentice on Korriban.

They look like me. Pouting her lips for a moment at the realisation that they were Chandrilese Alicia's eyes fell upon a kiosk which appeared to be selling refreshments. Thirst once again put aside her thoughts about anything else other then quenching it.

@DonBongo

 

[Maru C'renic Tel Illo]

"Well......this is not how I figured this adventure to go" he says aloud hair gently floating as small containers from his opened snacks had created. His first path had proved a challenge as he flew a few hours along the possible flight path but even with the extended detection range he hadn't found a planet. The ships scanners providing additional senses to assist but nothing that would be habitable and had begun to revert course back to the start point when a small meteor moving faster then he had imagined had punched a hole through the back part of the ship hitting a few components. The ship had listed to a stop and for the better part of an hour Maru was stuck there the artificial gravity the ship had provided had been a struck component along with the engine control.

Finally the droid gave a few celebratory beeps and all the drifting bits fell to the ships floor as gravity returned. "Finally" he muttered hands taking the controls. The ship roared back to life as he quickly adjusted and began his course back to the start point. Now he was watching even more closely realizing just how dangerous this mission would be, he was hoping he would find something of the expedition but with maneuvering in the deep core was difficult even for a knight. He worried that unless the Padawan had been skilled enough to handle the ever changing environment.

The droid alerted him that they had returned to the start point and Maru heaved as sigh rubbing the back of his neck adjusting himself in his seat before hitting the controls and the displayed path shifted into a new direction and he took a moment to center himself before pushing on the controls sending his ship along its next course. "Needle in a haystack" he thought to himself

@Exulae