Tranquility

[Jessica Cloud]

​

The Temple of Water
Tython

The Temple of Water was an Ithorian Conclave located high up in the mountains of the eastern Tython expanse. A quiet temple. Vast as it was impressive. Dug deep into the glittering dwarven halls of the mountain. A refuge from the world and a bastion of the gentle Force. Within it's lush green walls and carefully carved streams were the beautiful stone arts of the Ithorian Pantheon. Endless rooms within an endless expanse. A quiet place. A sacred place. Wet and green, and always echoing with the faintest of ancient, trickling magics. A labyrinth of crystal clear expression. All for the gardening Jedi mind.

Outside now. In chill mountain air. A large Jedi dropship came roaring over the blue horizon. It's dragon fangs slowly descending upon the gaping mountain entrance to the Ithorian hideaway. It's engines roaring with bright flame as it set down upon the white rocks of the tallest sky. Slowly churning it's way down into a gentle, calm landing. Hissing with it's foggy metal tongue and slowly lowing it's long walkway ramp out onto the stone. Another perfect landing. Another way all great stories begin.

Knight Cloud descended the ramp with trot, trot, trot to her long leather boots. Wrapped up and garbed in her fuzzy black trench coat, she looked every bit the Inquisitor she was. A tall, dark, and mysterious beauty. Ready and armed now. Stillness and smile. Just to have some fun. Behind her descended the lovely Lynn Petra of Zeltros. A pink skinned woman of endless youth and brilliant color. Her long blonde hair swayed in the crisp autumn wind as she daned to follow Cloud up the shallow steps of the Temple. Garbed likewise in her luxurious blue trench. These two women could not have formed a more complimentary team. Two regal Jedi women standing and strutting below the gaping and magnificent entrance of the great Ithorian redoubt. The wayward path. Into the mountain.

At the top of the stairs the two women turned and let their eyes fall upon you now. The hiss from the transport ship reminding them of two more companions yet to come. Letting the Force flow over the chilly white mountain rocks and letting the quiet autumn breeze take the long afternoon away. Both women awaiting your arrival now. Yes. Ready and smiling now,

For the grandest of adventures to begin.

.....

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens

 

[Jade the Protector]

Erin Trask stayed close to the walls of the Temple. To say she was nervous, was an understatement, no, she was terrified. While she had heard of these women, she had never met them.
Staying quiet, she edged closer to the doorway, closer to the ship.
"W-what b-brings you to the.....Temple....of...Water?" She managed to stutter out. Where were Jedi she knew? The one in the black clothing spooked her.
She wanted to dart back into the Temple and hide. Maybe under the water.

 

[Chuck Owens]

Deen Jacmin was never one to refuse an opportunity - especially when people depended upon him participating - so when a little birdie told him of a minor crisis deep into the mountains of Tython, he leaped at chance. However, he was concerned about the potential pressures placed upon him. He still struggled (though he scarcely admitted it to himself, let alone his peers) to master some of the most rudimentary aspects of the Force and this unpredictability unnerved him. He sat on the transport shuttle nervously chewing his fingernails, the clicking of tooth on nail filling his mind.

They touched down with grace and ease, and the first thing Deen noticed was the cold. He was wearing a thick woollen robe from collar to calf, with long leather boots and thick, movement restricting gloves. It never snowed on Dantooine and the Padawan was feeling the repercussions of that now. But he trudged on through the snow. He had a job to do after all, a job which wasn't going to wait on the snow to melt.

Deen's mind wandered to the mission itself. Its details were fairly sparce, but he trusted he would be educated at his arrival, which was soon approaching. He lower his hood, the wind whipping against his exposed head, to gaze upwards at the monumental structure looming over him. He had heard stories of this place, of its grand architecture and it's gentle serenity, but nothing could prepare him. Stepping inside, warmth flowed through him, and he immediately spotted his partnering Jedi.

Breathlessly Deen Jacmin ventured onwards towards the pools of warm water surrounding the three. Deen sat cross legged to the left of the smallest Knight after making his introductions to the posse. The place had a calming effect and Deen could feel himself drifting away on the gentle sussurus of the streams.

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Lynn gave a smile and nodded to Jess. The brunette Jedi stepped forward and gave a nod to all present.

"Welcome. Everyone is right on time."

Then the black clad woman turned to Erin,

"The Jedi Council of Tython brings me. As does the Force. So listen now. And listen well."

Lynn stepped forward and spoke with a new flowery tone,

"I fear, that two Jedi Padawans have gone missing in these caves now. Indeed. They have been gone for almost six hours now. Stealing out of their bedchambers early in the morning and making their way here. Here. High up in the eastern expanse."

Jess nodded.

"Our two fugitives are Cathar adolescents. Their Masters are offworld and I suppose it falls now to strangers to mark their return. Funny that though?"

"Oh?" Lynn smirked.

"I didn't know Cathar knew how to swim? Hehe."

"Oh my. Scandalous darling. Hehe."

Jess giggled at the thought of two very wet pussy cats. Oh dear. What a strange adventure? Finally, Cloud stood up straight and gave a wave of her hands to all present,

"So? I guess we've got two stray little kitties to find. Well... Who's with me?"

.....

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens

 

[Jade the Protector]

"I suppose so, my lady." Erin made a bowing motion, trembling.

 

[Chuck Owens]

A group of hardy adventurers, coming to the rescue of young Padawans high in the mountains of Tython. It wasn't entirely what Deen expected. Neither were the other Jedi he would be working with. Most Jedi were serious, stone faced, stern, which would be true for Knight Cloud on first impressions, but Knight Petra was smiling and Knight Trask seemed scared. It was altogether refreshing, seeing this sort of variety, a difference from the cold attitude of the majority. Hopefully Trask would loosen up in time, especially in the presence of such tranquility.

A few concerns cropped up while receiving the debrief.

"I am too, of course, I was just wondering... How big are these caves? And are they in any real trouble? What creatures lie in wait? And if there are things in there, why are we sat around? They could be in danger!"​

By this time, Deen was on his feet. Maybe he wasn't as calm as he thought.

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Jess and Lynn gave each other another knowing glance. Oh boy. Here we go again.

Knight Cloud shook her head as if disappointed in the obvious. Then she glanced at both Erin and Deen in turn,

"Good heavens you two? Let's not rush things. Introductions please. Introductions. Where are our manners?"

"Indeed." Lynn chuckled. The blonde Zeltron nodding to Jacmin, "And no, good Master Jedi. These far caves are not dangerous at all. No more so than any Jedi Temple I might imagine."

Jess turned to eye her companion. Were they thinking the same thoughts too? Through their Force Bond, Jess could already guess at Lynn's reasoning. The Zeltron continued,

"I expect we'll find nothing more than two love-lorn Jedi songbirds who thought to elope from their duties for a day. Escaping from the prying eyes of the Jedi Temple and come all this way just for some rare moment of intimacy. A reprieve. So to speak."

"Oh? Were the Cathar Padawans of differing sexes?" Jess quipped.

"No. But only you dear Jess would jump to such conclusions. Tsk tsk. We Zeltrons learn early that gender plays little part in who our emotions will eventually fancy. Even..."

"...Amongst the Jedi. Yes. I'm familiar." Jess scowled.

That was a lesson that hit just a little too close to home right now. But let the mere fancies fade. They had business to attend to.

"Ahem. Speculation aside for a moment. Let us dispense into introductions, yes? I am Knight Cloud of Chandrila. This..."

"Knight Petra. Of Zeltros. Wonderful to meet everyone."

Both women gave a nod of their heads in greeting. Hoping that Erin and Deen might do likewise and present both name and title. Allowing civilization to play it's merry part in their grand adventure. After all? It would be ridiculous to set out upon the Ithorian Conclave without at least knowing each other's names, now wouldn't it?

Jess gave a wave in kind,

"And you two would be..?"

.....

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens

 

[Jade the Protector]

"Knight Erin Trask." Erin answered. Her monkey lizard chattered, sitting on her shoulder.

 

[Chuck Owens]

Deen took a step back, a little embarrassed and somewhat apologetic.

"Of course, I forget my manners. I am Padawan Jacmin, of Dantooine, but you can just call me Deen. I'm not a fan of titles, honestly."​

The Padawan bowed his head in respect.

"It's an honour to finally meet you, Knight Cloud, Knight Petra: your reputations precede you."
​

And they did. Deen knew all about their work on Citric IV and Chandrila, and his enthusiasm was poorly masked.

"How would you recommend we get started? When were the pair last seen, for example?"​

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Cloud and Petra were both taken aback when Erin mentioned her rank and title. Most of the Knights they knew were paragons of leadership and invincible magic juggernauts. Not... Small timid creatures who hugged the walls for safety. Still? Never judge a book by it's cover. Perhaps Trask was simply another dark secret waiting to reveal itself. Such is the life of light and chaos. Business as usual.

Jess rubbed her chin and turned to Padawan Jacmin,

"Our Cathar pair was last seen entering this very Temple. It's... not much to go on, yes. But it's better than nothing. And, Tython has a way of guiding it's Jedi patrons to their goals anyway. Trust in the Force and we shall experience more success than many could ever imagine."

Lynn nodded likewise,

"Indeed. Perhaps sisters it would be wise to let our youngest member take the lead here?"

"Oh?" Jess turned.

"Well. Let's ask him, shall we?" Petra smiled and gave a happy wink.

"Very well. I suppose a simple scavenger hunt would be too simple for all of us combine? Ahem. Padawan Jacmin? I suppose from now on that you will be in charge. We shall follow you and Knight Trask now. Lead on. And we shall lend assistance as we are able."

Jess and Lynn both stepped aside to allow Erin and Deen their due diligence. This mission was a piece of cake on paper. Find two lost Padawans in the Ithorian Conclave? Ha! ...Child's play.

Petra clapped her hands,

"Knight Trask. Oh yes. You too dear. Round up those lovely shoulders darling. You and Deen here are going to be the heroes today. We'll just follow your lead. Lead on darling. Lead on. ...Chop chop."

The next room was their's to imagine and their's to conquer.

.....

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens

 

[Jade the Protector]

Erin nodded and walked to the next room. She looked around for any signs of the Cathar pair. She thought she saw a flash of fur by a door near the back. Yet, when she got to that door, it was gone.

"I saw someone go this way. They seem afraid." She said with a nervous wobble in her voice.

 

[Chuck Owens]

Deen turned to Knight Trask, bemused: they made a bizarre team. Although the girl was technically his superior, the height difference conveyed the opposite as Deen towered over her. This mismatch of physical appearance mirrored the difference in personality of the two Knights opposite, one a dark and serious Jedi and the other, blonde and cheery. The way the latter worded her statement made Deen feel uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. In fact, their very presence made him feel uneasy, as if there was something more to this 'straight forward' mission. But for now he set these troubles to the back of his mind. He was here to do a job, which he would complete to the best of his abilities.

Casting his mind back to his training, he remembered a technique to read the room using the Force, to search for life hiding in the corners. He focussed on this memory, squeezing his eyes shut and sending forth waves of disturbance, each ripple taking another push of energy. Pulse, pulse, pulse. Three responses immediately. Silence. The gentle trickling of water. And then, from somewhere else entirely, a faint ping, barely noticeable. Deen reached out further, concentrating on replocating that response, but his concentration was broken by Knight Trask's sudden movement. He rushed to her side in an instant.

"Well what are we doing, let's go!"
​

The Padawan rushed off down the corridor, eyes peeled and patience dashed.

 

[Jade the Protector]

She nodded and walked into the hallway. She saw a young Cathar and raised a hand. However, before she could speak, a force wave pushed her against the wall. "Oomf! Hey, I want to help ya!"

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Jess and Lynn where proud that Erin and Deen jumped right to the task. But they were quiet startled when Knight Trask was pushed aside by a young Cathar's technique. How rude!

Cloud raised her hand to solidify the situation but Petra caught her wrist and shook her head. Tsk tsk tsk. Sending a subtle message through the Force to her companion,

~ No Jessica. Let these ones handle it. There is no danger here. ~

Jess frowned but understood the motion. Let Deen and Erin lead.

~ Very well. ~

Private conversation aside. Cloud and Petra simply stood a near ways off and watched to see what the others would do. They did not immediately use their magic to end the ker-fluffle.

 

[Chuck Owens]

Deen spun at the commotion, rushing towards the sound. He had to duck under the doorway and as he raised his head up the dark shape of Knight Trask flew past him. He wheeled around to come face to a face with the trembling Cathar and raised his arms up to show he wasn't a threat.

"It's okay, it's okay, we are here to help."
​

He dropped to one knee to reach the Padawan's height.

"Look, my name is Deen, I'm a Padawan too. Please, you have to trust me. Where's your friend, little guy?"​

 

[Jade the Protector]

The Cathar trembled in fear. Erin saw familiar scars on the poor thing. She saw that The Cathar felt cornered, wait... what was that mark around its neck? "I-I-I..... sorry... master....I don't want...please don't punish me!" The Cathar cowered against the wall. "She's.... by the.... pools.....not far from here."
Erin came up and knelt down slowly. She showed him the marks on her. "Easy, I know what you went through." The Cathar looked at her with wide eyes.

(So.. I cannot allow myself to be nice? Nope, guess not. And, so, I'm playing the Cathar?)

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Jess and Lynn could only shake their heads and shrug as to what they were seeing. Maybe finding the other Padawan would help them make sense of all this. Hopefully. Until then, I guess they were just along for the ride at this point.

.....

*ooc: You're a writer now Jade. You're not just Player 2 in a video game. This isn't like DnD or WoW or League. You're an author. A writer. Together we are sharing the story. Like three people writing a book together. So, yes. You can write the Cathar. You can write everything. The only thing you can't write is my character(s) and Chuck's character. That's it. That is the only limit to your creativity. So, yeah. Enjoy. Skies the limit.

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens

 

[Chuck Owens]

Deen could see that Trask could empathise with this young Cathar, so he decided she was better suited to calm him down. They had just come from the main pools, so Deen doubted she was there, which meant he had to make his way down to the lower levels. He cast his mind out, sending the same pulses through the temple. He confirmed one of the blips as the first Padawan, but there was another. As he descended the haphazard staircase, he could hear faint whimpers coming from below. This had to be the right place!

 

[Jade the Protector]

"Chuck, be careful, they were both slaves for a time." Erin said to the much taller padawan. "Not sure who their master was, but he or she wasn't nice." The Cathar shivered, looking at Erin before engulfing her into a hug.
"Don't take us back, please." The Cathar whimpered, huddling into the Jedi Knight.
"It's over, you're free." Was all Erin said as she rocked him.


The other Cathar huddled in a corner, near a pool that was heated naturally. She saw the tall figure and involuntarily whimpered. Was it their master? Had he caught them and come to punish them?

 

[Jessica Cloud]

Once again. Jess and Lynn could only shrug at the events thus far.

Apparently, Knight Trask was convinced that these two Jedi Padawans were experiencing some type of relived trauma. Slavery? Well... It wasn't impossible. But... The mental fortitude required of even the smallest Jedi Padawans was leaps and bounds beyond this sort of behavior. Indeed. Most Younglings found to suffer from this level of mental inconsistency were sorted out early into the Service Corps. Never even allowed to become Apprentices and Padawans. Especially since the mental health of every single Jedi magi was considered paramount to their future service in the Order. No. This just didn't add up. Slaves didn't become Jedi. I mean... A mentally unfit Jedi was far more dangerous than even a Sith Knight. Just think of what they could do with their Force Powers if they snapped? No. This just wasn't right. Somebody had made a mistake.

Jess turned to Lynn as they proceeded downwards in pursuit of Padawan Jacmin. Unconvinced thus far,

"Well? What do you think Petra?"

"I think poor Knight Trask is terribly torn up about something. Did you notice her reaction to that Cathar girl? ...I think Knight Trask has been emotionally compromised by our mission already. Traumatically so."

"What? You think... You think Knight Trask was a slave?"

"Is, a slave dear. I think Knight Trask is a slave."

Cloud couldn't even parse that thought. How could that be? Was the Jedi Order of Tython really this broken?

"Jess dear."

"Um, yeah?"

"Let's just keep this slavery business between us, yes? We still haven't discovered what caused these two Padawans specifically to run away yet? They could be acting, or drugged, or under the control of some new Jedi spell. Remember Jess. This mission isn't over until both of those Padawans are back at the Jedi Temple. Safe and sound."

"Right. Sorry. I shouldn't muse. You're right. Let's find the other one and go home. We can investigate what caused them to run away later. We still have plenty of time."

"Excellent. After you dear. I do believe Deen was about to show us something."

Both women had made up their mind then. The recovery of the Padawans was still their highest priority. This strange 'slavery' business? Would just have to wait.

.....

@Jade the Protector @Chuck Owens