Felucia - Jedi Temple

[Leena Kil]

Lena giggled softly at the man’s response. She exuded an air of calm as she helped the Mirilian to his feet, letting him babble. When he fell silent, Leena places a warm suckered hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Come with me friend.” she invited the younger Jedi to walk with her into the temple.

 

And with that, she set off into the temple, the younger Jedi in tow. Underneath the shadowy stone archways they walked, their feet clapping against the well worn stone floors. “Leena,” she said warmly, “Kil is such a disturbing name for a healer. Please just call me Leena. You seem to know who I am. I recall seeing you about the temple as we grew, but I am not sure we ever had any formal interactions. How do you find yourself these days? I am sure this nonsense with the Sith has more than disrupted your training regimen.” She pointed to the left as they came to a t in the hallways. All about them, people were moving back and forth, but Leena maneuvered them expertly through the masses, their path directing them towards the distant medbay and halls of healing. It was a place she had spent a decent amount of time during her training, a portion of the temple many young Jedi seemed to hope to avoid if not for the more serious bumps and bruises brought about by a strict training routine. But they still had a little ways before they got there and whatever it was Leena intended to show her fellow Jedi. “I must admit that I don’t know your name. I’m sorry. Tell me about yourself. Are you doing alright with all this chaos? The Sith have fallen back. We have a lot of work to do. If you are willing, I could sure use your help.”

[ObliviousKnight]

Something dark crossed Draygo’s pale-green eyes; her gaze flickered away and a ghost of fear lurked in her expression. “Yes. There were several worlds where they seemed to hold an unusual degree of influence. Yavin Four held some interest for Tzeentch. As for Slaanesh, I made contact with that creature on Vernza-Torrah. It’s an insignificant world in the Outer Rim, but he made that planet a home for him and his acolytes. It may still be populated. As for Khorne and Nurgle… my knowledge is limited. I never had the pleasure of making face-to-face contact with those two.”

 

Indeed, those two creatures seemed diametrically opposed the goals of the Jedi Order. Not only had they bestowed their attentions to the Sith Order, but several plagues had wracked the galaxy that seemed suspicious in hindsight. It was with some small amount of pleasure that Draygo reflected that her associates had been so effective in combating those outbreaks.

 

Risking a confrontation with Slaanesh was an unnerving prospect, and even the hopeful inquiry into her son only succeeded in bringing a forced smile to her lips. “No. None. He’s become somewhat withdrawn over the course of the war. I can’t blame him… but the last I heard was that he was on Ossus. I heard that from many Jedi. Various stories, all of which seemed successively improbable. Which are reminds me, if you weren’t already aware, Jedi can be the worst gossips that you can imagine.”

[Meku Simka]

As she continued to speak, Simka eased into casual conversation. It was not every day he could get to talk to a Jedi Master, after all. Most of those who supervised his earliest education and training were ranked Knights. There always seemed to be an invisible wall between the eldest and the youngest in any particular group or organization; that was also true in the Felucia Temple it seemed.

"Thank you, Master... Leena..." he answered slowly, shoulders dropping slightly as he considered the next part of her inquiry. Tucking his hands into the sleeves of his cloak and crossing his arms underneath, the boy followed the elder Master as she seemed to take him on a tour of his own home. Still, for some reason, Simka continued to follow her and to want to converse with her. Her presence, the Light, was like a soothing balm against the backdrop of the maleficent dark side remnants still lingering in the air. Or perhaps, there was something else.

 

There was something about this lady...

"My name is Simka Suume, but you can just call me Simka of course," he answered calmly after a bit of silent contemplation, before becoming distinctly uncomfortable once the subject shifted to his training. "I-I.. well, I haven't had much training lately anyways. I mean..."

He gulped, embarrassed to say it out loud. How does one go about telling a Master why none of the Knights bothered with trying to take him on as an apprentice? Even if it was largely due to circumstance, it was still humiliating...

Edited July 8, 2021 by Simka

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy inclined her head in a subtle acknowledgement of the Grandmaster’s soft rebuke. She was thankful for the kindness behind her eyes, even if there was ample reason for the rebuke. She had pursued her passions, and if somehow the Temple at Ossus had heard then her reputation was close to ruined. It had been an incredibly fruitful time, but it also had its own consequences and for that she let the sorrow show on her face. 

 

“I take your meaning well Grandmaster. I apologize for rumours that reflect poorly on your family, it was not my intention.” 

 

She straightened from her partial bow.

 

“Then I think I must find Vernza-Torrah and see if there are stirrings there as well?” Then after that maybe she could see Aidan. To see if there was something wrong. 

[Leena Kil]

“Well, things have gotten a bit w around here haven’t they? I came back to help with that nasty bit of homicidal darkness, toodled off to confront a Sith lord at some nasty old Sith temple, died, and woke back up to some mysterious invasion by the Sith. Fought off a witch here and then they all just vanished mysteriously back to the skies. I can see why your training might have lapsed.” Leena drolled on cheerfully as they walked. “There definitely might have been some disruption to your regularly scheduled training. Still, even then, I’d expect the instructors here see to it that some sort of education continued. You are all Jedi after all. You have a responsibility to the greater good, regardless of rank.” Leena left the statement at that to indicate that she would have hoped better from both the trainer and trainers. “There is plenty to be done, even now; for everyone to do.” 
 

The master Jedi fell silent as they reached the medical ward. The place was brimming with casualties from the brief but aggressive Sith onslaught. They piled against those who the Jedi were still helping to nurse back to health from the earlier bout of dark side shenanigans she had spoken of briefly. The pain and suffering seemed to radiate from the room; but with it came the energy of the healers and medics as they worked.

 

Stepping inside, Leena gestured with a serious look of determination on her face. “One not need be a Jedi Knight or even a medic to help here.” She turned and placed a hand on Simka’s shoulder, squaring them to look at one another. “But you Simka Suume, you are a Jedi. You cannot ever let doubt or fear stop you from doing what is right. Breathe in. Feel the energy of the living force. It is alive here. It moves. One must just feel it and allow it to move through them.” Leena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, drawing on the power of the living force, calling it, allowing it to soak into her very pores and wash across her soul. She exhaled, amplifying the goodness and light sided energies, sending it outwards in invisible radiating tidal surges that warmed the room and offered positivity to doubting minds, energy to weary hands and bodies, and encouragement to battle worn minds.

 

She opened her eyes and smiled at Simka, turning to look down the row of beds against the far wall where a man clad in a black body glove flinched against the restraints that held him to the bed. Pain radiated from the Sith soldier’s body even as the smell of burnt flesh and plastoids seeped into the air from the multiple horrid wounds that pockmarked his head, limbs, and torso. “That one is in pain. He is scared. Help him as best you can. Use the force as you can young Jedi, but moreso,” she toom her hand off Simka’s shoulder and pressed her palm to his chest, sending a trickle of light side energies from her to he with a jolt, “use your heart.” 
 

Leena doubted the young Jedi was a trained healer. In fact, she was banking that he was not. There were plenty here to help heal the man’s wounds. She hoped the young Jedi would help soothe his spirit; to calm him here amongst the Jedi, the ones he had been indoctrinated to fear and hate. He was but a soldier and by the looks of his wounds, probably one of the ones in the jungles that had laid waste to the village and escaped the certainty of death at the hands of her Squibian friends and their eclectic bit of weaponry. Who knew what sort of wounds those were that had been wrought on him in the name of battle or what it might take to cease further deterioration. 

 

“It is not the emblem one wears that makes a being good or evil. It is the motives of the heart and the actions of the hand and those can be changed by a kind word or act. He may feel lost. To the Sith he is worse than dead. Help him Simka. Redemption is yours to offer. I will be nearby if you need help.” Leena offered an encouraging smile before she moved off into the ward, pausing to offer a kind word or helping hand to any that felt overwhelmed before disappearing deeper within. “First things first. And now, robes.” She wanted to get changed into something more befitting a healer at work.

 

 

((The soldier is yours to describe and control through your post. He is secured to the bed so he cannot escape or cause too much issue. Feel free to develop the scene as you would like, diving into your character and actions and interactions))

[ObliviousKnight]

“Sarna.” Draygo finally allowed her amusement to break and her lips twitched in a small smile. “Between you and me, I am happy as long as the two of you are good for each other. The Order can amuse itself with their gossip, but I am firmly of the opinion that romance is generally a good thing. Besides, if you ever have the privilege of speaking to a group of combat veterans and have the opportunity to ask them what kept them motivated when things got really difficult… their answer probably won’t have anything to do with ideals. It’ll probably be something more… tangible. The people back home. Friends, a lover. A lot of them will tell you that it was the people next to them. Their buddies--or just the person they had the misfortune of sharing a trench with. So have fun when you can. Just keep in mind that a relationship should be a source of solace. Profoundly intense experiences tend to not make a lasting foundation.”

 

Armiena fell silent for a few seconds and glanced downward. She had perhaps overstepped her boundaries, but it would have done nothing positive for another Jedi Master--and the young woman that her son was seeing--to live in terror of her.

 

“Keep your wits about you on Vernza-Torrah. I suspect that there is something… off about the world. I visited it only once, and I behaved in a manner that I’m frankly ashamed of. I’ll be glad to have you back when you return.”

 

In the distance, a black robed Miraluka could be seen running towards the two Jedi Masters, clutching a stack of dataslates to his chest and sprinting in desperation to not be late with the reports that the Jedi Grandmaster had demanded.

[Kadi Silan]

Kadi's sleep was troubled. Her sleeping mind raced to sort through what she'd seen. The ruined villages, children shot in the streets, the helpless burned alive. Even now, sleeping in the midst of the Jedi Temple, she could feel it in the Force, echoing in her mind, clinging to any purchase it could find. She hadn't arrived in time to help them. She dreamed of the Sith that had perpetrated the horrid crime against life, tearing into the Force with her twisted energies, dominating the nature that Kadi took such lengths to preserve with impunity. She dreamed of Leena Kil, who had let that woman escape. Of her dismissal of Kadi's belief that that was not a woman would return to the light on her own. She could feel the darkness enveloping her, lashing out at her psyche as it tried to corrupt her. She'd put off her grief to finish her duties, and it was coming back to haunt her now, quite literally.

 

For only a brief moment, she felt Leena's presence, a surge of the Light side that she clung to like a lifeline. In doing so, however, it too began to corrupt as Kadi's thoughts and feelings on the day's events twisted, her opinion of the Jedi Master souring as she felt the light fade. She couldn't help it- in this strange half-consciousness, she wasn't present enough to truly combat this darkness, but there was enough of her exposed to begin affecting her thoughts and her emotions. Her anger pulled at her, tantalizing her with the promise of revenge.

 

She had failed as a Jedi. The deaths of those people were her fault for not arriving sooner, and now that the Sith responsible had escaped, it would be her fault when it happened again. She had failed the Order, but more importantly, she had failed the people.

 

She's always thought herself prepared. She had trained to fight a Sith since joining the Jedi. She'd always assumed that it would be as easy as the holovids had shown her growing up. But in the face of the power that a Sith could wield... Was the only way to beat them by drawing on the same power? Had all of her training meant nothing?

As the thought crossed her mind, she was pulled back to the Light like a rubber band, her psyche lashing out against the idea. No. It wasn't her fault that those people had died- She'd done the best she could. She had gone there to save them. She didn't give the order, she didn't pull the trigger. It hadn't been her choice to let that Sith go, and if they met again, she wouldn't make that mistake again. She didn't blame Leena, not really. It was the wrong decision to be sure, but she knew why it was made. The other Jedi didn't want to be responsible for killing the woman, for causing even more death. It was naïve, but that naivety was necessary for the Jedi to hold onto their roots as peacekeepers, not warriors or soldiers. Drawing on the power of the Sith would only make her one of them.

 

With these realizations, her mind calmed, and she found peace in her emotions.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

When she woke, she was in a bed in an unfamiliar room. She rolled over, rubbing her eyes as she sat up and looked around. She wasn't alone- there was another Jedi sitting at a worktable with a number of papers and parts sprawling in front of her. The other Jedi looked back, giving her a smile.

 

"Good morning! I hope you don't mind the change in scenery, you looked like you could use a better place to sleep than against a wall."

 

Kadi blinked, yawning heavily before responding.

 

"You didn't have to. I've slept out in the wilderness more times than I can count. I'm Kadi, by the way."

 

The other Jedi gave a smile and a shrug,turning back to look at her work. "Didn't bother me. Wasn't going to use the bed for a while anyways. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kadi. My name is Eisa. Feel free to stick around 'til you're awake, but if not, your saber is over there." she said, gesturing towards the corner of the room where Kadi's weapon was leaning against the wall. Kadi stood, walking over to where Eisa was hard at work on a device.

 

"What's this?" she asked.

 

Eisa beamed at her, clearly proud of her work "A shield. I saw another Jedi with one, loved the idea. Figured I'd give it a try in spars."

 

"How'd it go?"

 

"Great, until it shorted out and I took a training saber to my wrist. Working on repairing it right now. Hopefully I'll be able to tune out what caused it- one of the fuses shorted out when it was trying to disperse the energy. I just can't tell if the overload was due to faulty parts or..." she trailed off for a moment getting a thoughtful look on her face as she grabbed a device and began to tweak the wiring.

Edited July 11, 2021 by Mavanger

[Meku Simka]

Simka could only blink, silently, as the Mon Calamari trotted forwards a step ahead of him and continued to chatter. To say he was surprised by her eccentricity was an understatement. How coudl one die and be brought back to life as casually as she made it seem to have happened? She was pulling his leg, right? He tried to process all that she had been saying, and her jovial and carefree tone nonetheless made him smile.

 

Ultimately they arrived in the medical ward, and Simka flinched as he felt the Dark Side permeating the room, even if it was no more than vanishing remnant. Like a fish out of water, he instinctually leapt for the sea: he tried to direct his senses towards the overwhelming Light that was chasing away the Darkness instead.

 

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, the young Padawan stilled as the Jedi Master beside him continued to speak. It felt surreal; the way she was instructing him. For some reason, it felt so right, and Simka found himself absorbing her words like a sponge. He definitely jolted as he felt the rush of the Light, but the instant serenity it brought with it tempered him and he calmed, staring at the Mon Cala beside him with a wondering gaze.

 

Shaking his head silently, the Padawan then turned to the writhing Sith soldier before him. He resisted the urge to flinch again at the Darkness he felt emanating from the man. Still, he brought his hand up, palm facing the Darksider. 

 

Closing his eyes, Simka decided to just go with it and do as told. The Mirialan's chest rose and fell in meditation. He silently observed the Force, letting the Living Force infusing the medical ward caress him and whirl about his being. He heard it sing its silent symphony, but not through his ears, but his heart. Once he felt he had reached the level of Force immersion necessary, he opened his eyes, the aquamarine orbs now carrying a faraway look.

 

Simka took a step towards the soldier, a Duros, forcing himself with a quivering hand to stare into the patient's golden brown eyes. He felt it; the agony, the regret, the anger...

 

Simka closed his eyes and took in a couple of deep breaths, before opening them and speaking again. "This can end," he spoke up, surprised by the calmness in his own voice even though his thoughts betrayed him, "If you want it to. Let go of the Darkness."

 

The Duros growled at him, clenching his teeth and affixing a beastial snarl in Simka's direction. Golden eyes so vile it gave Simka goosebumps just staring into them. "You think you can turn me? You're nothing but a child."

 

However, even the Duros was surprised by how vibrant Simka's aquamarine eyes were, as if they were piercing deep into his soul. "I have neither power nor intent to turn anyone," he voiced calmly, directing a palm in the direction of the Duros Sith soldier and attempting to emanate a placating, serene aura, hoping that the writhing Duros would reach for the tranquility like a thirsty bantha towards a moisture pit. "I merely wish to end your suffering, and if you want to, we can do it. Together. There is no going back for you, is there? But you can make the right choice here, and," Simka reached out into the Light again, finding the right words to say, "And ensure a better future for yourself, at least."

 

The Duros attempted to answer but then screamed in agony as a jolt of pain shot through his body, before a single tear escaped his right eye. "... Help... me... I-I don't... know... how much longer..."

 

Simka glanced at Leena and nodded at her before bringing his palm closer to the Sith Soldier's chest. "Say no more," he began to channel whatsoever he could of the Living Force, the Light and Life that permeated the galaxy and bound the Universe together, into the writhing man. He knew he could not do much in terms of actual healing - that he left to the Jedi Master qualified for such - but the Light he channeled into the Darksider fought off the dark clouds of the Bogan surrounding the Duros, having a considerable effect much to his surprise. The soldier's screaming quietened, and the tension lines on his blue-skinned forehead eased somewhat. Simka even saw the golden tinge in the Duros' otherwise normally red eyes to begin to fade...

 

"T-That... better..." the Duros choked out. "... Please, help... more..."

 

Simka turned to Master Leena at that. He had helped tranquilize the man but he could not actually heal him...

Edited July 16, 2021 by Simka

[Leena Kil]

Leena smiled as she moved back amongst the medical ward in her fresh healer’s robes. Splashing some water on her face and dousing her burnt arm in bacta salve leant an aura of freshness to the weary healer. Here, amongst the sick and injured, she was in her element.

 

Making her way through the ward, Leena caught the glance of young Simka as his charge howled in pain. She offered a soft look of encouragement and nodded her head to encourage him before turning to a nearby patient, a human. She did not know what side he had been on. Truth be told, she did not care. Here in the medical wing, all were equal. The presence of armed soldiers milling about was a distraction, albeit, an understandable one. 
 

Offering the man a warm smile, Leena spoke soft encouraging words as she enveloped herself in the force, turning it and her concentration to a razor’s edge. Honing her sight to a molecular level, Leena picked up a laser scalpel. Carefully, with the precision of a well-oiled machine, she began to separate the dry burnt and deadened cells from the healthy about the wound on the man’s leg. She was entirely focused and her body was complete attuned to the healing guidance of the living force.  It was a calm warm breeze guiding her motions, a presence that could be felt throughout the ward, a warm light that stirred the soul.

 

The man’s wound would heal and with the removal of dead and decaying flesh, his leg would be saved. As she finished, Leena’s vision returned to normal and she sighed. Such a task was taxing in it’s infancy; but a skill that made her an even more competent healer for the masses.

 

Leaning back on her heels, Leena surveyed the ward. Everyone was busy. Sloth was nowhere to be found. She locked eyes with Simka again. The look in his eyes seemed to plead for help. She had thrown him into the deep end and he had swum beautifully, the Sith soldier having calmed significantly.

 

Weaving her way through the crowded bay, she made her way towards Simka and his patient. As she drew up by his side, Leena probed the soldier’s identity within the force, offering a knowing nod to the man. “There is no indoctrination to be had here friend. Only the freedom to choose life for oneself. Lie back, my friend here and I are here to help you. You have been through an awful lot.” Reaching out with both hands, Leena cradled the man’s head between her suckered palms, tendrils of force power gliding from their connection and snaking through the man’s complex mind. Touching the nervous control center of his mind, Leena willed him into a state of unsensing unconsciousness, his mind detached from his body in a floating state of ethereal existence. “Sleep,” she cood warmly, barely above a whisper as the man’s eyelids flickered and closed, his body accepting the painless state she encouraged. 
 

Leena waited several minutes more before removing her hands, finally  turning her warm eyes towards Simka. Her jovial smile was gone. Here, she was all business, warm and compassionate, but professional in a way only one who was deeply in touch with the ebbs  and flows of life and the force could be. “Well done. The force can be a terrible weapon, but it also can be the best medicine. In this way, we stand absolutely against the ways of the dark side. You helped him and while you are not a healer, per se, you have started him already down a path to healing. The body can sometimes be it’s own enemy. Fear redoubles it.” She gestured to his wounds as she spoke. “He has been through much. Much of it brought on by his own choices. Of that, we do not care. We are not judge and jury here. Life is precious, even those of the Sith. Think back to the most basic lessons you have received in healing young Simka, how you drew the force in to accelerate healing and to purge sickness from your own body. If you can do that, it is but the next step to offer that to another. Draw upon the living force, not just within yourself, but from within your patient, me, those around you. The light is present everywhere; one just need find it and draw on it. This is the basis of healing. Wounds do bot mend instantly, we encourage the natural healing one’s body already possesses. Feel the force, Simka, use it to urge your patient’s body to mend and I will assist you.” 
 

Leena turned her focus back towards the unconscious soldier, the force welling about her like a mighty surge of tidal power. Her presence filed the ward as she moved within concert of the force itself, a puppet to it’s divine will. She focused on the soldier, directing life and light into the man, strengthening his wounded form, encouraging life and regrowth along his veins, nerves, and muscles, driving foreign dangers before it line a cleansing tide alongside Simka’s healing hand.

[ObliviousKnight]

“Janen--walk with me.” Draygo began to prowl the perimeter of the landing pads and watched as the garrison, muddy, exhausted--but mostly alive and unwounded--returned to the valley and began to set up their bivouac. Collapsible, temporary tents were beginning to pop up all over the jungle floor. “What do you have for me?”

 

“First, this, from the Healers with Master Kil’s compliments.” The Miraluka held a small cryogenically-sealed cylinder in his hands. He was clutching the freezer unit as though it was a bomb that might detonate at the first careless handling. “She understood that you required samples of the contagion for safekeeping… and… presumably studying. For neutralization, of course. Please?”

 

“Yes,” Draygo murmured, holding her left hand out and accepting the burden. It was surprisingly heavy, considering that the cylinder was barely larger than the average soldier’s canteen. The external metal, painted on all sides with black and yellow chevrons to indicate its biohazardous nature, was warm to the touch--exactly the same temperature as Felucia’s balmy weather. That was a good sign, as this indicated that its hermetic seals were functioning. In theory, a containment chamber could survive atmospheric re-entry from orbit--the metal would be a little bit toasted and dented upon impact, but its contents would remain enact. Even the freezer unit would remain functional. “They go on the first ship to Chandrila. The Survivor’s Foundation has a semi-permanent outpost just outside Hanna City. Now, our people.”

 

“Few casualties, thank The Force. Some heat stroke cases, some of the weaker patients… did not survive transportation. All sections reporting in, thirteen dead, eighty wounded or infirm, twenty-two haven’t reported in yet.”

 

“Dispatch Sentinels into the jungle to look for them.”

 

“Unfortunately…”

 

“It should have been much worse.”

 

“Yes. But the evacuation protocols were very confused. The transports were scattered in their exit routes. Some managed to make their coordinates for Nar Shaddaa, the others to Ossus, and… a large portion to Lehon. What’s there?”

 

“It’s a pleasant world. Lovely beaches, minor outpost, some strange sensor anomalies in orbit.” Draygo pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted in frustration. Some of the evacuation pilots had likely panicked in the crowded airspace and escaped by any available hyperspace vector, no matter how impractical. Someone was going to need to corral all of those noncombatants to a world where they would be useful. She blinked hard….

 

A storm. No, a hurricane, with heavy rains and winds so powerful that the rain came in almost at the horizontal. She was shivering, despite the balmy weather--soaked from her hair to the inside of her boots. Lightning was forking down from the clouds and rendering sand to glass mere meters from her boots. A smile twisted her lips…

 

“Grandmaster?”

 

“I… think I need to go to Lehon. I don’t have time to explain. Jaden, I need you to get our people back to Ossus and Felucia as soon as possible. You have my authority on this matter. Beg, bully, threaten to sic the Grandmaster on anyone who complains. Now, I need to go, right now.” Leaving a somewhat gobstopped Miraluka behind, Draygo jogged across the slick landing pad towards her starfighter. Tossing her portable comms unit onto the control boards, she began to don the oxygen mask and began to record a message for her former Padawan.”

 

“Genesis, it’s me.” That would be obvious; Armiena was staring directly into one of the unit’s hololenses. “The contact that asked you to meet was deployed to Naboo and is bogged down. I’m dispatching reinforcements your way. I need this to be perfectly clear: the Bothans know exactly what is coming for them if the Sith manage to occupy their world. Genocide. Pogroms. An utter rape of their planet and its resources. They are facing the kinds of horrors that you typically read about in history lessons. They know them already. They will be motivated to defend themselves. Defend the cities if you can, but be ready to wage a guerrilla war if necessary. I cannot stress this enough: the Sith must be halted at Bothawui for as long as possible.” Draygo let out a long sigh and took a couple of deep breaths to allow her tension to dissipate. It was very likely that she had just ordered her Padawan to sell his life on Bothawui.

 

“I’m glad to hear that you’ve found a potential student. Indeed, he sounds nothing like the child that I met on Felucia, who had gotten himself into a world of trouble because he stole a priceless pontite crystal from our facility on Dantooine.” She allowed the fond smile that teased at her lips to make its appearance.
“Let me offer you some advice, Jedi to Jedi. Master to… potential Master. There will never be a good time to take on an apprentice. You will never be ready for the challenges that every student will offer you. But it is absolutely essential that we take every opportunity that we are given to pass on everything that we’ve learned--not just about The Force, but about being alive, being a good man. I think that you have some very interesting experiences that you can offer that will help this young man.

 

“May The Force be with you. I hope that I will be able to meet you there. Draygo out.”

 

Armiena pushed sweaty hair out of her eyes and blinked hard. Hopefully, she hadn’t just ordered her former Padawan to die. A second manipulation of her comms unit dispatched a transmission to several reserve units throughout the galaxy, sending orders to reinforce the garrisons at Bothawui--as well as to any Jedi who were not otherwise deployed. Six of her Wolf Spiders were similarly in range and acknowledged the redeployment. That, for the moment, was all that could be done.

 

By the time that the messages had been sent out, the whine of her starfighter’s sublights reached an urgent whine and a heat haze began to rise from their nacelles. Lifting off from the duracrete pads with one-handed awkwardness, Draygo’s ship soon left the system and began to race towards whatever purpose The Force had waiting for the veteran Jedi.

[Meku Simka]

Background Theme - The Force Theme Extended

 

Simka let out a breath of relief once Master Leena finally got back around to assist him. As she took over healing the Duros from the inexperienced Hopeful, the latter could only watch the literal Master work in absolute amazement. The way Master Leena used the Force and the way her presence felt in it was more amazing than what Simka could describe in words. He listened intently as she spoke, absorbing her instructions like a sponge. Simka had never been interested in the healing aspects of the Force before this, but now, he had to admit they were certainly no joke.

 

The Hopeful followed the Master's instructions to letter, closing his eyes and withdrawing deep within himself. As the Master instructed, the Hopeful recalled his earliest lessons. His aunt's guidance, opening his mind and body up to the Force for the very first time alongside his crèche-mates. How he had opened himself up to the endless ocean of light, letting it gush down into his own self like an ethereal waterfall and cleanse away his woes and ills. Simka now reached out for that same light, letting it fall into him. This time, however, with a few deep breaths, he removed himself from the equation. Instead of falling into him, he let it flow through him, becoming a conduit and channeling the revitalizing flow through both his hands into the anaesthetized Duros' injured body.

"Whoa," the Mirialan gasped. The flow of the Force filled Simka with renewed vigor, even though he was only a conduit instead of a recipient. The spiritual residue bequeathed to the Mirialan a newfound surge in vitality. More than that, Simka experienced a profound euphoria, a feeling of total bliss that could not be described in words. A superlative serenity, affixed in the deepest chambers of his heart, one that reassured him that what Simka had just done was something beyond. Beyond the wars, the politics, the divided allegiances, the sectarianism and all the conflicts and discontent that plagued the Galaxy, what Simka had just done was something...

Irreproachable.

Immaculate.

 

Pure.

 

As the Duros' body mended itself and the Hopeful innately knew it was time to withdraw, Simka turned back towards Master Leena, mouth slightly agape. He stumbled backwards a bit, as the euphoria from acting as a conduit of the Living Force settled down, suddenly feeling awkward and... bereft.

 

"T-That was, I..." he quietened, simply staring at Leena, seeing her in a new light. Pure unadultered amazement sparkled in his pristine aquamarine eyes as he continued to stare at her. This is what she did, what she experienced, every day?!
 

"... Incredible."

Edited July 23, 2021 by Simka Suume

[Leena Kil]

Leena turned to look into Simka’s eyes, warm and compassionate. She offered a brief smile of happiness. “Well done.” 

 

Her face turned serious again as she directed the Jedi back to their patient. “He will heal, but even with the aid of the force, it will take time. You have done well. It will give him time, you have shown him the road to freedom; he needs to be the one to accept it.” 
 

Waving over a duo of more traditional healers, Leena relinquished the patient to them, leading Simka towards a wash basin where she cleaned up. Once done, she waived the younger Jedi to follow her out of the ward. As the doors closed behind them, leaving them alone, the Mon Cal turned to Simka. “The force is a beautiful thing, but I would give it all up to not have any of these people lying there.” she explained in brief touching on the joy of the living force and how it felt to channel it’s healing power, sobering it with the reality of the pain and suffering felt by all within. “Remember that each patient in there is possibly suffering the worst day of their life. Regardless of how we feel, of how glorious the touch of the force is, some here will die today, tomorrow, or soon. Jedi, healers, and medics need to remain calm and professional. Think how you would feel if you looked over and saw people working on your battle buddy and if they were jovial and your comrade at arms died.” Leena paused, not intending to reprimand the young Jedi, only warn him. She thought for a moment before reaching out to squeeze Simka’s arm. “As Jedi, we are always learning. Even me. You did well in there. I expect to see the same effort from you in all our endeavors. We have other business to attend to and much to learn. Gather your gear, we’ll work on some other aspects of your training before we reach the Grandmaster.” Stopping Leena eyed Simka’s training saber and blaster. “Maybe grab some power cells and a crafting kit. We’ll see if we can get that saber up to snuff as well. I’ve got to notify my handlers so they don’t get worried. I’ll meet you at docking platform 6. We’re going to ride in style with a supply transport.” Smiling at Simka, Leena turned and made her way off into the temple.

 

She would be at the ship when Simka got there. A sleek freighter loaded with supplies for the Lehon Temple would, along with a small group of other Jedi, would see them there safely and quickly as soon as Simka was ready.

[Kadi Silan]

Kadi strolled through the Jedi Temple with ease. With time, her injury had healed, though her leg remained scarred, and she still had a slight limp from the pain. Nothing permanent, but enough to keep her confined to the Temple until it was healed. Normally, this would have distressed her greatly, but thanks to her blossoming friendship with Eisa, she didn't mind the brief respite from the wilderness. Juro's restlessness itched at her, but she soothed herself by working towards a full recovery, and she soothed him by giving him free reign over the surrounding wilderness, hunting as he pleased (except for people, of course). Today she was on her way to see the other Jedi. She loved the wilderness, and she enjoyed the time she got to herself in it, but she had conceded days ago that she could also enjoy the company of others and of the Jedi Temple without it compromising who she was.

 

She knocked softly on the door, like she always did, and waited patiently. The other Jedi had clearly lived on her own for a long time, and always tried to do a quick clean of her messy room whenever Kadi came by. It really served as a workshop more than anything, Kadi mused, as she heard the other woman from inside.

 

"Come in!"

 

Kadi pressed a button on the panel, walking in as the door hissed open. She gave a soft smile to the other Jedi as her face lit up.

 

"Kadi! I'm glad you came- I wanted to show you what I'm working on." Eisa motioned towards the work table, smudged and dirtied with the work the Sentinel had been working on. "It's a special long range tracker- It'll link up to the other Jedi and basically act like a little locator. That way, if something happens while you're out and about in the wilderness, we'll know where to find you. If we know... I think I can-"

 

She stopped, looking at Kadi sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess it's not quite done yet. It's for you when it's done now."

 

Kadi chuckled, finally able to get a word in past the rambling of the other Jedi. "Thank you, Eisa. Though, if I may, why for me? I'm sure there are plenty of Jedi who aren't constrained to the Temple right now who could use something like that."

 

Eisa froze for a second, glancing over. "I mean, yeah, you're right. If it works, I might make more, it's not like I dislike the work. I just... I dunno, I'd be pretty upset if something happened to you before that happened."

 

Kadi blinked, a blush rising on her face. She felt the same way, but she struggled as she spoke to properly relay that sentiment. "Thanks... I have Juro, though. He provides me with more protection a lot of Jedi have. Make sure you stay safe too."

 

There was a moment of awkward silence before their conversation resumed. They spent the next few hours talking about a variety of topics- from Kadi's experiences out in the wilderness, to Eisa's constant tinkering and creating of new pieces of technology. Occasionally, the conversation would drift into darker territory- Naboo, Felucia, but it was often kept hopeful- they were both Jedi, after all. Kadi had faith in the Order, and she had faith in their ability to protect. They were outnumbered, so they could only protect so much without over extending and losing even more. It wasn't a pleasant truth, but they would be able to do so much more once the Sith were on the backfoot. Once they could start to rebuild. Their conversation tapered off, and they sat in silence for a long while, Kadi resting against the wall with her eyes closed, listening to the soft sounds of metal against metal as Eisa tinkered and modified the device as she drifted to sleep.

[ObliviousKnight]

The comlink that the Jedi Grandmaster had loaned Kadi Silan chirped as the Jedi Knight dozed, alerting him of a brief message that had been dispatched to him.

Spoiler

 “Silan, redeploy to Lehon. Half our meds on Felucia evacd here. Just have a feeling that something is about to hit.”

 

[Kadi Silan]

Kadi woke to a chirping from her clothes and a weight on her side. She yawned, looking around as she blinked groggily. She was still against the wall, and Eisa had abandoned her place at the worktable and seemed to have opted to sleep against Kadi's shoulder. She smiled softly- It was a nice feeling, but one that wasn't destined to last as the commlink continued to chirp. Kadi had to shift to reach it, a movement that woke the girl sleeping against her side with a groan. Kadi frowned at the message- Lehon? It was a beautiful planet, from what she heard, though she'd never been herself. She was torn on the order- On one hand, she was glad to be able to visit, and she'd been cooped up in the Jedi temple long enough. But as she glanced over at Eisa, her heart dropped. How long would she be away? Would the other Sentinel be there when Kadi returned?

 

"What's wrong?"

 

Eisa's words brought her out of her thoughts, and Kadi gave her a sad look.

 

"I'm being deployed. Master Draygo wants me on the way to Lehon immediately. She thinks something is about to happen."

 

That earned a raised eyebrow from the other Jedi. "You have a direct line to the Grandmaster?"

 

"It's a long story, and not anything nearly as impressive as you're probably thinking."

 

Eisa frowned for a moment, then grabbed her hand, pressing a small device into it.

 

"Well, if it's just a feeling, then there's a chance that it'll just be a quick errand. If it's not, then you're a very capable Jedi. I'm sure Master Draygo wouldn't call on you directly like this if she didn't have confidence in your abilities. Either way, keep this with you. At the very least, we'll be able to stay in touch while I help the refugees here."

 

Kadi nodded, pulling away from the comfort of their place on against the wall as the pocketed the communicator. They exchanged their goodbyes, and Kadi took her leave.The pain in her leg was completely gone, though the scarring would likely remain for the rest of her life. A healer could have prevented that, but they had been stretched so thin already that she couldn't even be bothered to think about asking them for assistance for the vain purposes of preventing scarring. It didn't take long for her to reach the Jedi in charge of their supplies, and she was informed that Master Kil had already prepared a freighter with supplies, bound for the same system. She no longer harbored a grudge for the Jedi Master as she had the days following the incident- such things that were held close and left to fester were potent gateways to the Dark Side. She still felt that the Mon Calamari was wrong, but there was little to be done about it now, and certainly not anything that brooding over it would accomplish. She boarded a transport after several hours, once more coaxing Juro into an uninhabited cargo bay. It made him uneasy, something that she couldn't discern whether it was his, hers, or both. They broke for atmosphere, and were shortly on route to the planet of Lehon.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Mavanger

[Leena Kil]

Leena made good time winding her way through the familiar halls of the Jedi Temple. She would not be as familiar with the one on Lehon, having only visited it a handful of times early on in her training. Here, there was a sense of peace brought about by the familiarity of it all.

 

With several warm embraces from her Squibian companions and a promise to take care of herself, Leena shoved the supposed ‘communicator of longest range secrecy’ forced upon her by her friends into her robes before she set off. She would miss the furry rodents. In as much as they carried different views of the galaxy, they were very much her friends and the closest thing she felt to comrades in arms. If anything happened to her, they made it plain that such a breach of contract would be viewed with displeasure and reparations would be swift.

 

Back at the loading docks, Leena noted the last of the supplies being carted aboard along with a few remaining Jedi stretching their legs before finding their tight bunks within. Leena offered warm smiles to them. Some she knew. Some she did not. They were all Jedi though and in that, they shared a kindredness of spirit.

 

Once Simka arrived, Leena made sure he had found the few items she had asked him to and they boarded. As soon as they were safely nestled in their seats, the craft departed with all due haste for the temple at Lehon.

[Meku Simka]

Simka felt an otherwordly delight well up in his chest when Master Leena congratulated him, and he absorbed every word she said. He hadn't at all been prepared for the impromptu lesson he had certainly received, but it had already become a fond memory for him. Deep down, he began wishing that Master Leena would take him on as a full-time apprentice. It was a childish aspiration; no Knight had yet wanted to take him on, so how could he even expect that from a Master?

 

'... in all our endeavours.'

 

Wait, what?

 

"Are you saying--?"

 

The eccentric Jedi Master cut him off, enlisting the equipment he should bring along with him. Hours later, when Simka was ascending the boarding ramp of the freighter in the wake of Leena Kil, having ensured that he brought the stuff she had instructed him to bring, he was still mentally reeling from the implications that he was Master Leena's Padawan or something and that he eas going off world for the very first time.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Simka Suume

[Leena Kil]

The escape shuttle from Lehon, along with her escort and a smattering of other escaped Jedi vessels broke from hyperspace into the calm stillness of space above Felucia. Not all transports and craft had gone to the same coordinates, an effort to ensure that they did not all meet some sort of ambush at the other end. This group had been tasked to Felucia. For Simka, Kadi, Juro, and Leena, it was a return trip.

 

Leena had spent some time resting, trying to recover from the expenses the battlefield had taken on her mind and body. The loss of her lightsaber, while something more trivial to her than most Jedi, was still a blow she also felt. What time she did not spend recovering herself, she dedicated to helping others recover. She helped coordinate and lead the few healers and battlefield medics aboard, forming teams led by the most knowledgable regardless of rank. Assisting them were those able and willing to offer comfort and aid, even if it was simply changing bandages or dolling out rations at mealtime. 
 

Once on the ground, Leena helped offload the sick and injured to the more advanced halls of healing within the temple. They too were already busy still assisting in the recovery of this world

from the attempted Sith incursion.
 

As teams moved to help those in need, and refugees from Lehon in turn stepping in where they could, Leena smiled. It was the first time she had smiled since they had escaped Lehon. There was a peace here. A sense of progress and purpose intermingled with the natural flow of the living force as the world recovered. Here, too, lives had been lost and turn apart; but Felucia stood as a testament to the goodness of the force and the tenacity of the Jedi who served it. She felt a tear coagulate in her eye before blinking it to the ground. This could be, would be, Lehon; just as soon as they got it back.

 

Leena hurried back aboard the ship to ensure that Kadi was taken out. Once assured that the naturalist and her companion were safe and unsepersted within the halls of healing, she had other tasks to attend to. It was not an easy rask convincing her fellow healers that the hulking spider-line creature was a necessity, but it had been done.

 

Leena had sent Simka off to get changed and take a break. Such an excursion was a hard one for her, a Jedi Master, much less for him, an apprentice on his first mission. He deserved a break. And so she stood, on the walkway outside the temple where it abutted the jungley overgrowth. She inhaled the heavy earthen air, seeking the salve that it offered her ragged soul.

She closed her eyes and in a flash she saw the hulking Sith warbeast that circled their retreat licking his chops hungrily. Instantly, the Jedi’s eyes shot back open and she shook her head to clesr the visage from it. Know cking off her boots, Leena leapt down and dug her fishy webbed feet into the soil, feeling it’s moist warmth radiate upwards. “Life.”

[Kadi Silan]

When Kadi woke, she was in one of the many patient beds. The first thing she felt was pain. The next, was warmth. When she opened her eyes, she saw why. There was a familiar Jedi asleep next to her, her head resting on Kadi's left arm. She smiled softly- the hospital room had, in however long Kadi had been unconscious, devolved into a mess of scattered parts, half finished projects, and a commandeered table to hold tools. The nervous energy was visible to her even without use of the force. It was strange, having someone that worried about her. She'd been a hermit since becoming a knight- Living mostly in the wilderness, with just plants and local wildlife keeping her company. She tried to move her other arm, and hissed in pain as her shoulder exploded in fiery pain. It was enough to wake the sleeping Eisa up, and she was met with a bleary-eyed smile.

 

"Miss me?" she quipped through a pained grin, motioning with her now free hand at the room around her. Eisa chuckled, shaking her head.

 

"If you think this is bad, you should have heard the stories of the medics who brought you in. Took them half an hour just to get you away from your Acklay."

 

Kadi snorted. "I bet they freaked out. I wonder what Master Leena told them to let him stay."

 

"I have no idea, but he didn't follow you here." There was a comfortable silence for a moment, and the Jedi guardian rested her hand on Kadi's, her face falling. "What happened on Lehon? I haven't been able to get much out of the other survivors, but you talk in your sleep. Was it... Was it like the Sith attack here?"

 

Kadi inhaled sharply- The Felucia attack had crippled her mental state for weeks, left her riddled with nightmares and horrors. It had been Eisa who had helped her through it. Had taken Kadi out to see the people she had save, so talk to the refugees that might have died if she hadn't fought the Sith.

 

"No. In some ways, it was better. I held the line. People got to safety, and I played a part in it. The battle won't haunt me..." Kadi trailed off as she thought of the Nightsister, of the cursed life that had led her down the path of darkness. She would meet her again, she was sure, but it haunted her nonetheless.

 

"But?"

 

"I killed someone. A Nightsister. I held her as she faded- felt her pain through the Force. We spoke. She didn't choose the path of Darkness, it was forced on her. I tried to help her, tried to convince her to come with me, to learn the Light, but she declined. She died in my arms, and I wept. I... I don't want to kill people. I don't want to kill the Sith, or their lackeys. I just want to protect the people."

 

The other Jedi sat beside her on her bed, pulling her close and stroking her hair. "Remember what you told me about the Sith you fought here? That you could tell you couldn't turn her? Sometimes, all you can do is kill someone. But your heart is in the right place- If you never want to kill someone, then you'll be much less likely to hurt people when there are other options. Some are so far down the path that they can only find the light in death. Others, like the Nightsister, need that compassion, that honest pain, to know that they can be saved. Those are the people you need to focus on."

 

She was right. Of course she was- Eisa had been her rock since their meeting. She felt so at ease, so comfortable around her. She didn't know why, but frankly, she didn't care. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the other woman's chest. She could hear the heartbeat beneath the fabric and the skin. A calming Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. She could feel Juro in the distance, too. Off hunting again, and healing as well. She was glad- pain and violence were no stranger to him, but it was good that it didn't seem to leave a lasting effect.

[Leena Kil]

Leena woke with a start. Sitting upright in her bed, the Jedi Master was soaked in sweat as her light sleeping sheet clung to her body in the still of the dark night. She had to blink several times and strain her eyes to try and focus on something, anything in the room. There! The outline of the doorway and her robe hanging in the shadowed outline against the pitch black of her room. She focused on it, forcing herself to slow her brearhing, to allow the force to flow through her, slowing her heightened biological response of fight or flight.

 

It had been a dream. Just a dream. Hadn’t it? It felt like something more. It felt so real. The force seemed to hum with invisible activity all about her as it fell from it’s crescendo with her waking.

 

Squeezing her eyes together, Leena swung her feet out off the bed. With a moment of hesitation, she lowered them to the floor and breathed a sigh of relief at the cool worn stone they found beneath her. The ancient Felucia temple surrounded her, not that dark never ending nightmare.

 

Reaching over, the Mon Cal flicked on the lamp. Warm yellow rays of light bathed the familiar room where the Jedi had spent the last several months. From here she had ventured out to aid in the rebuilding of this world after the failed Sith invasion. Maybe that had been the cause of this nightmare.

 

As she sought to reassure herself with this idea, Leena knew it was not true. It had not been Felucia in her dream, but somewhere else, somewhere distinct and yet unknown, clouded with darkness. Shaking her head, Leena looked to the chrono, she needed to be up in an hour anyway. Slipping out of her soaked sleepwear, Leena changed into the brown robes of a Jedi; earthen tones, easier to keep clean than Healer whites when out in the jungle.

 

Grabbing some breakfast, Leena set about her day helping the people of Felucia alongside her duties as a Jedi Council member and Master Healer. She couldn’t shake the dream though. It lurked in the back of her mind, sharp images of a far off world haunted by darkness, all day.

 

That night, the dream returned. It was accompanied by shadowy beings that seemed to vanish with a glance. The Jedi spent another restless night.

 

And so it was for the next week. Each night she was haunted by dreams of this place, void plains, a still lake of black water, the choking clouds of darkness pressing in from every angle, loneliness - a pressing feeling of being utterly alone. Each day, she kept about her work, stealing away free moments to search the annals for some world that might match her dreams.

 

After a week, the dreams changed, a daunting presence, foreign as it was shrouded in mystery, appeared in her mind’s eye. Immediately, the Jedi reached for her lightsaber only to find that it was gone. A wicked laughter filled her mind as a skeletal hand reached out,  pale blue green crystals held within it’s hand. Leena lunged for them. Each time she did, the presence retreated; always pulling back just out of her reach. She chased the dark wraith all the way into the sky, into space until she could see the world beneath her. Even here the darkness was choking.

 

Yet through it all, something seemed to beckon the Jedi to the planet. A darkness that needed cleansing.

 

Waking again coated in sweat, Leena was at her wits end. She was exhausted. Her work was suffering and she was nowhere closer to knowing where this dream was coming from or beckoning her to.

 

With a heavy sigh, Leena grabbed her long range communicator. Maybe the Squibs would know something.

 

She couldn’t ask any other Jedi to give up their duties. Not with the order stretched as it was. Her second message was to an old friend, maybe the Remnant had a few assets that could be diverted to help her. Without her lightsaber, Leena welcomed a contingent of whatever soldiers might be spared. Their presence was, in a way, comforting.

[Kadi Silan]

Kadi's recovery seemed to crawl on. The days became weeks, and the weeks became a month. She'd refused treatment beyond what was needed for her to heal naturally, insisting to save the supplies in case the Sith struck again, but the fact that her recovery was her own fault did little to alleviate the anxiety. Eisa had been her go-to to keep herself busy. She always felt herself drawn to the other Jedi when she had free time- It was a quiet peace that she found there, sitting quietly as she listened to the tapping and clanking of the Sentinel's tools. But she was still a Jedi, and she'd been called away to held with the organization of Nar-Shaddaa's defenses only a week into Kadi's recovery.

 

Her next bet had been the wilderness, to head out with Juro and spend the remainder of her recovery in the comfort of the wilds, but the healers refused to authorize the excursion if she didn't get proper treatment, so she was stuck here. She had spent some time with the younger Padawans, teaching what she could about the natural order, but even then, she still yearned to do something. So when the opportunity came for her to join a group of aid workers on a trip to Kashyyyk, she volunteered. From what she had heard, it was a beautiful planet, though it had been ravaged by war. She was looking forward to seeing it firsthand; Even with the damage it had supposedly sustained, it was a whole planet of trees, wildlife, and nature. From what she understood, the Wookies were a relatively nature-loving race, so she was hoping to find something untouched by industry and urban sprawl, similar to Felucia.

 

Getting Juro there was her only concern- It was only after a long thought that she decided to leave him here.He had done well at Lehon, but Kashyyyk was a foreign locale- feeding him would be difficult, and giving him reign to hunt in an area that didn't usually hold Acklay was just asking to upset the natural balance. And so, as she boarded the ship to leave for Kashyyyk, she was truly alone for the first time since she'd joined the Jedi Order.

[Zeris Mons]

*Encrypted message arrives addressed to Leena Kil's comm code*

The hologram of a woman in a flight suit and overcoat, sitting on a bar stool and smoking a half-gone cigarra, flickered and danced with subspace interference.

 

"Client." She jerked a thumb at herself in introduction. "Zeris Mons, mercenary. Reaper Joe traded me your info. You still need Core transport, I'm available. My resume is attached." A list of successful bounties and jobs scrolled next to her image. "60,000 credits for round trip. 10,000 for each extra passenger. Price negotiable." She paused. "10% up front. Not negotiable. Call back if interested."

[Leena Kil]

Leena tried to content herself with her work about the temple and surrounding villages; but her mind remained troubled. All she could do now was wait. Meditate as she might, focusing her mind in the force, Leena was still troubled by the dreams. They continued to morph with each materialization and yet she still did not know where these dreams were leading her. Her soul, though, felt pulled from this place. Her mind distracted and unable to focus fully in her work. 

 

So when her comm chimed, Leena jerked in surprise upsetting the boxes of medical supplies she had been cataloging and stacking in a storage closet. Pulling her comm out with more than a hint of hopeful annoyance, she played the prerecorded message.

 

An unidentified woman materialized above the receiver, a three dimensional holovision of someone Leena had no recollection of ever having met or interacted with before. The Mon Cal scrunched her left eye in confusion as she watched and listened. It seemed odd that this lady would know Reaper Joe, much less that Leena needed to go towards the Core. Even Leena did not know where she needed to go. The request for payment was very mercenary in nature and not something Leena was used too. All in all, the thing seemed very strange. Maybe this was some sort of trick or trap. Maybe her Squib friends were in trouble.

 

Leena easily shook off the last idea. Even now, a few Squib could be found about the Temple and if their more reckless brethren were in trouble, the Healer knew she would be one of the first to be alerted. She had saved them as often as they had helped her. The Squibs and Leena had a very odd yet symbiotic relationship. As such, outsourcing her latest request seemed even more odd, unless . . . perhaps they had found something about the world she sought; something that scared even them beyond the temptations of untapped wealth.

 

Setting the comm down on a nearby counter, Leena began to restock the boxes. She was still awaiting a response from the Remnant, and so it would not make much sense to jump into this unknown situation blindly. So she stacked, and pondered. Once she was done, she had an idea. Sending the resume off to an associate of hers, she figured a check into this Zeris Mons might yield some answers.

 

Meanwhile, she carfully tried to craft a response. It was simple and once she looked it over, sent it back to the corresponding frequency code.

Edited October 27, 2021 by Leena Kil

[Zeris Mons]

*Encrypted response to Leena Kil's message, originating from Mon Cal"

 

Zeris' holographic image saw her walking down a crowded street surrounded by Quarren and Mon Calamari.

 

"Salvage rights acceptable, plus 6,000 up-front. Reaper Joe's planet coordinates enclosed. Meet you soon. Ship is The Crate."

 

____________________________

 

The rusty, weathered Nu-class attack shuttle that entered realspace around Felucia had seen better days. Rusty brown and streaked with corrosion, the Clone Wars era attack shuttle looked more like a museum piece than a military spacecraft. However, as the ship banked and set itself in orbit over the lush planet, its smooth movements hinted at retrofits and modern upgrades that belied its appearance.

 

Zeris chewed the end of a cigarra, left unlit to not give the ship's filters extra work.

 

Her scanners filtered through readings, and slowly Zeris got a picture of what she was looking at.

 

"...Jedi...

 

...Hmm..."

 

She broadcast an encrypted message to the surface, directed at her client's comm code 

 

"Client. Zeris here. Requesting landing coordinates."

[Leena Kil]

Leena nodded at the response and then promptly hurried off to investigate these mystery coordinates. What she found was startling to say the least. Byss. A world shrouded in as much mystery as lack of accessibility. If this Zeris was good enough to get them there and back again, she might be worth the exorbitant sum she had originally asked for.

 

____________________
 

Clearance was quickly given for the ship. It was, in fact, expected. Leena had seen to that much. A landing pad several kilometers from the temple, adjacent to a ramshackle customs office and surrounded by a pop up settlement of Felucian refugee resettlers waited. It was like something out of an b-grade adventure holovid set deep in uncivilized space.

 

As the ship settled, a lone Jedi stepped out of the office onto the landing pad. He stood just off from where the ramp would descend. Curious local onlookers peered through the trees with wonder.

 

“Greetings traveller.” the middle-aged Iktotchi greeted Zelis with a distinctly unemotional, entirely dull voice as he held up a scanner. The ship was scanned in an instant and the Jedi’s datapad gave a readout. “I see you have come for the healers. Funny, you do not look injured.” He shrugged his shoulders, brushing the idea away. “Not any of my business anyway. Let’s see,”  he stared down at his datapad, “do you have any highly contagious maladies, non-local flora or fauna, items expressly forbidden by Rebel Alliance, Imperial Remnant, or Jedi Order laws, orders or mandates or any other items of potentially toxic, dangerous, or questionable nature that you wish to declare?” 
 

Without even looking up from his pad, the Jedi held out a thick clawed hand. “Papers please.”

[Zeris Mons]

The front of The Crate unfolded into a ramp, and Zeris Mons walked down. Her eyes took in the people as her metal feet sunk into the dirt and undergrowth.

 

Refugees. Scared but...hopeful. Then her eyes landed on the Iktotchi, and her body froze.

 

The Echani saw fighting as more than an art or a discipline. To them it was the purest form of communication, and anyone trained in their practices learned to read people by their motions, their stances, and their stride. This man was not an ordinary customs officer. His whole body sang of training, discipline, and an inner peace most people never even approached. There was an awareness to him, as if he was listening to a broadcast only he could hear, funneling it to the back of his mind as he dealt with the puerile and mundane.

 

A Jedi.

 

Zeris held still for several moments longer, the impulse to attack the man and see what a warrior of legend could really do almost overwhelming her. A dreamlike expression fell across her face, and her servos whirred to a higher gear.

 

Then she relaxed, senses regained. This was definitely not the time or place, and if there was any golden quality to bounty hunting, it was patience.

 

After the Jedi had finished his questions, she held up her arms, revealing their metallic nature.

 

"Cybernetics. Combat grade. Weapons under Galactic Alliance law." She then fished out her datapad and called up a series of files and handed it over. Displayed were all her various identification forms. Her various bounty hunting licenses associated with different law enforcement groups across the galaxy. Her work visas for a dozen different major systems. Her permit for the limited use of combat gear issued by the Galactic Alliance (when that had mattered). Even a holocopy of her old citizenship ID card from her childhood on Arkania.

 

She said nothing more, and waited. Her was a passive mask as she finally lit her now thoroughly chewed cigarra.

[The Jedi Order]

The bored looking Jedi pressed several buttons on his console. The sentinel glanced up from his outstretched hand to the tensed woman before him when she did not immediately hand over her documentation. She was stiffened, as if mentally preparing for battle. The Jedi shot her a sidelong glance, raising a single heavy eyebrow, daring her to try what she was thinking.

 

And then, she relaxed, declaring her limbs and legal-ish weapons. While the Galactic Alliance was no more, theirs were a good standard to still carry for the most part. If she was lying, well, that would be dealt with if the situation arose. 
 

Taking the datapad, the Iktotchi mindlessly transferred copies of licenses and IDs, eyeballing them briefly as the system checked them against whatever files the Jedi had access to. A pleasant ding and he handed the pad back just as a younger human male, markedly late teens with a padawan’s braid and chin stubble came down the worn path through the trees. His white robes stood out against the dark greens and browns of the world around him.

 

”This is Padawan Larka.” The Iktotchi gestured to the new arrival. “He will escort you to the Temple’s healing center. Please be advised that weaponry is strictly prohibited in that area.” The heavy-browed Jedi looked at Zeris with a bit of amusement twinkling in his eyes as he nodded to her mechanized limbs. “Please enjoy your stay.” With that, the Jedi turned and made his way back towards his ramshackle office.

 

”Heya!” The padawan greeted Zeris as he sized her up. “Come with me.” He smiled gesturing back down the worn path he had just come from, turning and starting to go back. As they walked, the young Jedi eyeballed the woman’s mechanical limbs, his curiosity getting the best of him as they arrived at the outskirts of the sprawling ancient stone temple. “You do not look terribly injured, except for well,” he gestured to Zeris’ limbs. “Why are you here? Do you want to see if the Masters can regrown your limbs? I’ve never seen it, but have heard it can be done; even for species that could not normally regenerate a lost arm or leg.”

 

Walking into the shadows of the yawning Temple entrance, the padawan waived Zeris over to a bank of lockers. “Any weapons you have should be locked up here.”

[Zeris Mons]

Zeris waited patiently as she walked beside the talkative apprentice. When his chatting stopped, she responded laconically.

 

"Client," she shrugged. "I'm meeting them here." She gave a small smile. "No healing required."

 

When the padawan brought her to the lockers and asked her to relieve herself of her weapons, she gave no visible emotional response. Instead, she extended both of her arms. With a sching, twin cortosis alloy blades sprang out, extending a full foot from her wrists. Then with a click and a pneumatic hiss, the blades jutted jumped forward another few inches and fell away from her arms. Her mechanical hands rotated at the wrist and caught the falling blades.

 

She opened one of the lockers and stowed the blades.

 

"Good enough?"

[The Jedi Order]

The padawan nodded as he watched. “That should work for me,” he responded, shrugging his shoulders before he locked the locker. 
 

Turning to look at Zelis, he motioned deeper within. “This way.” He led the way down several winding halls through several musty stone corridors and prefabricated durasteel walkways and stairways before they arrived at a sealed doorway that blocked the entirety of the stone tunnel, an original of the ancient temple. Able to be sealed in a moment to prevent the spread of contagions, it doubled as a state of the art security system. The padawan stopped to regard Zelis one last time. “Wait here.” 

He slipped through the doorway, sealing it behind him, leaving Zelis alone in the stone cobbled hallway.

 

A few minutes later, a red-skinned Twilek garbed in sterilized gown and gloves stepped outside alongside Apprentice Healer Larka. “Zelis Mons?” she inquired pulling her gloves from her hands with a snap before extending one in a handshake. “You are here for Master Kil.” It was a statement of fact, revealing the fact that the rogue’s presence was known and expected. “She is not here. If you wish to find her, I believe she has been offering aid to the residents of Tik’ta Village about 14 klicks north of the Temple. They were hit hard by the Sith. If you are going that way, we have a shipment of supplies that could be taken that way. Apprentice Larka can escort you back to your ship and arrange for the supplies to be ferried to it. If you will excuse me, I need to return to surgery.”

 

 

[Zeris Mons]

On 10/28/2021 at 9:53 PM, The Jedi Order said:

A few minutes later, a red-skinned Twilek garbed in sterilized gown and gloves stepped outside alongside Apprentice Healer Larka. “Zelis Mons?” she inquired pulling her gloves from her hands with a snap before extending one in a handshake. “You are here for Master Kil.” It was a statement of fact, revealing the fact that the rogue’s presence was known and expected. “She is not here. If you wish to find her, I believe she has been offering aid to the residents of Tik’ta Village about 14 klicks north of the Temple. They were hit hard by the Sith. If you are going that way, we have a shipment of supplies that could be taken that way. Apprentice Larka can escort you back to your ship and arrange for the supplies to be ferried to it. If you will excuse me, I need to return to surgery.”

 

Zeris shook the woman's hand, keeping her grip light out of courtesy and common sense.

 

"Master Kil?"

 

A Jedi Master would certainly be a first for a new client. It also explained why Sith involvement was a danger, though beyond that Zeris still knew little about the job.

 

That excited her.

 

"Alright."

 

She turned back to the Iktotchi apprentice. "Come on. Let's go."

 

______________________________________________________________________

 

The Crate touched down at the edge of Tik'ta village. The old shuttle settled into the greenery, and after a moment the roar of the thrusters cut out. The bow of the starship opened into a ramp, and a moment later Zeris emerged touting two large, bulky crates, one on each shoulder. Either metal crate alone would have been a full load for a grown man, but Zeris hefted them like they were plasticlear food containers. Her feat of strength was a testament to her training as much as her cybernetics. While her arms and legs could take the load easily enough, her core and torso were still meat. Incredibly well conditioned meat, but meat all the same. Balance and poise were second-nature to her, drilled into her bones by the Echani.

 

Zeris set the crates down so fast a casual observer might have thought she dropped them, yet her graceful and controlled motion barely made a thump as her cargo settled into the mossy dirt.

 

She ignored the stares of the villagers as she pulled out a fresh cigarra, lit it up, and took a long puff.

 

Finally she met their eyes.

 

"I'm looking for Master Kil!" She hooked a metal thumb at the boxes. "Got supplies for the village."