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Car'a'Carn & zigbigadorlube
This is a private roleplay for Car'a'Carn and zigbigadorlube. "Jedi Master Follnor Sexton was sent on a solo mission to Danboolag, a planet comprised of wetlands and forests, to explore a recently discovered temple that is believed to house ancient jedi texts. It has been a month since the council has heard from Master Sextion and they fear he has gone missing. A group consisting of two masters and their padawans has been selected to investigate Follnor’s disappearance and, if necessary, complete his mission. But when the padawans get separated from their masters and discover that they too are lost, they must find a way to make it on their own." |
Zig's Profile:
Name: Cora Minar Age: 14 Gender/Race: Female, Kyoorine Appearance: Cora is a humanoid of petite stature. Like the rest of her race, her skin is pale and her hair white. Opaque eyes are her most distinguishing feature however, colored like the arctic waters of her home planet. She wears grey jedi robes and wields an icy blue lightsaber. Bio: On the icy planet Ryorine, infants are cherished as jewels, raised not by one mother, but many. Cora’s birth however, came as a disappointment to her tribe. It was quickly discovered that her unusual eyes were in fact sightless. As she grew however, it became apparent that the young girl possessed other gifts. She could point out the best fishing spots, predict vicious snow storms, and even hold her own against other boys of the tribe. Word of the gifted child soon spread to neighboring clans, sparking tribal wars over her possession. A particularly greedy man succeeded in capturing Cora and without consulting the rest of his tribe, sold her for a high price to a group of slavers. After weeks aboard the slaver ship, Cora’s rescue came in the form of a jedi knight who recognized her potential and brought her to the temple for training. With a calm acceptance unusual for a six-year-old, Cora quickly found her place in at the temple. Her strong connection to the force enhanced her other senses and she found strength in what others considered a disability. She excelled in courses that targeted awareness and mental abilities but found saber battles a challenge. One year ago she was chosen by a jedi master to continue her training. Personality: If Cora could be described in one word it would be “calm”. She feels she has been dealt her lot in life and prefers to take things as they come without stressing over the outcome. She feels a closeness to the force not often experienced by padawans her age but despite this connectedness, has a certain detachment from others. Cora prefers to keep her handicap hidden and moves in a deliberate manner so that it is not always apparent that she is blind, even in battle. She is not incapable of lightsaber combat but rather lacks the necessary aggression and commitment to the sport. Cora’s master has been working with her to improve upon these skills however. Useful links for future reference: |
Name: Sol Cage
Age: 13 Gender/Race: Male, Chiss Appearance: Sol has mainly humanoid characteristics, the only distinguishable difference being his blue skin and glowing red eyes, providing excellent low light vision. Sol may be young but due to his species accelerated emotional and physical maturity, he appears to be in his late teens when compared to a human. Like most of his race, his hair is jet black and he posses a tall, lean, muscular build. His Jedi robes are dark brown and light tan. His Light Saber is bright white in color. Bio: Sol was born aboard a ship to his mother and father after they were exiled from The Chiss Empire for (unfounded) accusations of treason. Soon after he turned 4, A violent pirate raiding party boarded their ship. Sol's parents were quick to hide him in a concealed smuggling locker before the pirates found and killed them along with everyone else on-board, leaving Sol to drift through space, alone. Alerted to the situation by a distress call from the ship, a Jedi Knight was dispatched to resolve the situation. She was, however, too late to stop the pirates. Standing amongst the dead of the entire ship, the Jedi felt one faint spark of life. Searching the ship, she found Sol in his hiding place and took him into her care. Sol was taken back to the Jedi Temple by his savior Knight and found to have potential in the force upon testing. While not as strong with Sensing and Control abilities, It was quickly apparent to his teachers that he was gifted in the areas of physical manipulation of the force. Sol's skill with the Light Saber soon grew to such levels as to be able to best some of his teachers in practice by the age of 9. With additional training, Sol was soon one of the most powerful students of force manipulation and a gifted Saber Dualist. Never feeling a connection with any of the Jedi in the temple who taught him, Sol remained without a Master for many years. Meanwhile, in the intervening years of Sol's training, the Jedi Knight who had rescued him was raised to the rank of Jedi Master. Recognizing the connection Sol shared with her, the Jedi Council saw it fit to return Sol to her care and so placed him under her instruction at the age of 11. Personality: Due in part to the tragic events of his youth, Sol is a very quite person, speaking only when he absolutely must, preferring not to bring attention to himself. Always with his hood up, his face in shadows, he can seem unfriendly at times, but if someone can get past those barriers, they will find that he is a fiercely loyal and protective friend. Sol is calculating and calm for the most part, but when situations galvanize him into action, he often has problems with rash decisions and thoughtlessly facing challenges head on with all the force and aggression he posses, much to his Master's chagrin. He still has much to learn about the force. In particular, his lack of skill in the areas of Force Sensing and Mental Control are a source of constant frustration for his Master. |
Cora had sat in silent meditation for the duration of their short trip. Moving at light speed, it took their small craft only a few hours to reach it's destination--Danboolag, where Jedi Master Follnor Sexton was last known to be. It would be their job to find him, dead or alive, and finish what he had been sent to do. A shift in the aircraft's speed alerted her to their imminent arrival and she allowed her senses to slowly pull out of the quiet place she had been in to focus more readily on the mission at hand. She felt calm despite the lack of information regarding their target though it vexed her how a capable jedi master might botch such a simple mission. 'Do not hasten to make judgement,' she quickly chastised herself. It was possible that Master Sexton didn't need their help; perhaps communications had shorted leaving him unable to make contact. It was just as possible however that the jedi master had met an unfortunate end. It wouldn't do for her to be overconfident in this mission, lest she befall a similar fate.
The whine of landing gear told her they were nearing the surface and sure enough, moments later she felt the craft touch down. Unbuckling her safety harness, Cora stood and exited behind her master. Outside, she was immediately greeted by the planet's warm, wet climate. The air was hot and humid, unlike her chilly homeworld, and the smell of damp earth assailed her nostrils. No doubt the others had already guessed the planet's terrain from the color of it's atmosphere but the young padawan tried not to let this bother her. Instead she focused on the task at hand. "What would you have us do, master?" she asked when she felt the other two members of their team beside them. Master Kir Ginn looked out at the marshes. No temple could survive built upon such a watery base. In the distance however he could more sense than see a large forest. That would be a good place to start but first they would need to scope out and secure the area around the ship. This was Cora's first group mission and it would be wise to give her a chance to work with another padawan. "Cora, you will work with Sol. Investigate the nearby area and report any anomalies." Kir looked to Sol's master for confirmation that his orders had been acceptable before sending the padawan's away. Cora nodded at her master's orders but did not move until he gave the signal. Instead she focused herself on the boy that was to be her partner. Though they were around the same age, Cora had never spoken to him. She had heard of his prowess with the lightsaber but knew little else about him. From his breathing, she could sense that he was taller than her but she had a hard time picking up on his other features just yet. It would be interesting to work with another padawn outside a classroom setting but she was also a bit apprehensive. Once her weakness was discovered, Sol would no doubt take the lead, assuming her to be incapable as many others had. ((When you have something to say not dealing with your character (like what I'm saying here), that's considered OOC (out of character) speech, and you should differentiate it from the rest of the text somehow to avoid confusion. The most common way is by putting it in parenthesis but you can really do it however you want. Don't worry about formatting your posts with specific colors, etc. unless you want to and only write as much/little as you want. I want you to find your own pace, not feel pressured into copying mine. ^_^)) |
Sol was excited by the prospect of searching for the missing Master Sexton. He conjured up all sorts of scenarios from dangerous swamp creatures to Sith Assassins. Whatever had happened to Master Sexton, Sol was eager to get to the bottom of it. Recently, he and his master, Jedi Master Mallie Marek, had not done much more than routine visits to the outlying systems of the galactic republic. He figured it probably had something to do with that time on Dantooine when he charged into an underground club that featured Kath Hound fighting, saber blazing, only to get caught by... Well... He thought, No need to relive that experience again... He felt his face flush with embarrassment and was instantly glad for the concealment of his hood.
Sol's silent revere was broken by the sound of his master's voice, "Concentrate Sol! You need to focus on your sensing exercise." Shaking off his thoughts of the past, Sol gave his master a sharp nod, acknowledging her instruction. Being partial to remaining silent, he often interacted with only a simple nod or a shrug of his shoulders unless he had to give a verbal reply. "Ahh. We are here. We will continue this exercise later, Sol. Right now prepare for landing." Sol made his way to the cockpit, straping himself into the chair behind Master Marek. The planet was a large ball of green and blue in the view ports of the ship as they came in for a landing, and Sol took the time to admire the beauty of it. Master Mallie Marek sat in the co-pilot seat next to Master Kir Ginn as he brought the ship in for a landing. While both she and Master Kir Ginn held the rank of Jedi Master, she was relatively new to it and so often deferred to Master Ginn's judgment. She trusted the other Master's intuition and felt reassured by his presence on the mission. After all, little intelligence was known about what happened to the missing Master Sexton and she felt uneasy from her sense of... She wasn't sure what exactly it was but there was something off about the whole situation. Master Kir Ginn had set the ship down in a small clearing bordered mostly by swamp. Sol unbuckled his harness and followed after everyone exiting the craft. The color and hue of his skin and eyes became noticeably more vibrant as he breathed in the hot, humid air, the oxygen rich atmosphere causing the reaction. The other padawan, Cora was her name if he wasn't mistaken, spoke to her master asking for instructions. Master Kir Ginn spoke then, ordering Cora and he to secure the area around the ship. Sol looked to his Master and found her nodding in agreement. He felt a slight rush of excitement at the order and he began surveying their surroundings. His first impression was that of the planet Dagobah, only less dank and not nearly as dark. One bit of the marshy swamp looked as much alike as the next, however, and he soon turned his attention to the girl standing next to him. The first thing he noticed were her striking, solid arctic blue eyes. Sol couldn't help but stare, they were so chilly and intense. Finally realizing what he was doing, he quickly redirected his gaze, hoping that Cora hadn't noticed his ridiculous behavior. Sol also noted she had a small figure and pale skin, topped off by her bright white hair. Her ready stance gave him the impression of strength and alertness. Altogether a likeable enough person he thought, as he waited to see if Cora would take the lead in their scouting mission. ((*feels like he wrote too much* Well that's basically what I had you look at earlier except I fixed that bit about godmodding near the end (I hope) And I've been reading some of your other RPs which is really helping out but I still wasn't exactly sure where to take it from the end of yours so I thought I'd just end it where I did. Also I didn't want you to have to read a book! :XD)) |
Master Kir gave both padawans the signal to begin their search when Master Marek nodded in agreement. While the padawans surveyed the area, the masters would make sure it was secure. As far as the records showed, Danboolag had no official settlements but that didn't mean it wasn't home to a hidden group of smugglers or a pack of ferocious beasts. With this in mind, he set out in the opposite direction of the other pair and called on the force to enhance his senses as he examined the nearby area.
Cora felt rather than saw her master's signal and took a few steps in the direction of the nearest section of swamp. She could hear the rustle of reeds and sense the ripple of water as it moved freely in the warm breeze. Repetitions of these faint noises told her there was more than one pool nearby and she was careful to extend her senses to the fullest to determine the solidity of the earth at her feet to prevent treading upon unstable ground. Sol was nearby but unmoving. She could tell he was facing her and imagined she could feel his gaze upon her but couldn't be certain. Not unnerved by his silence or the possibility that he might be staring at her rather than the scenery, Cora spoke up, "Do you see something?" she asked, her tone serious though the question sounded sarcastic in her own head. Behind her she could hear the footfalls of her master heading in the opposite direction to presumably do a search another area. Turning her senses back to the young man before her, Cora waited patiently for Sol to respond to her question. his response would determine their next course of action. If he had spotted something she hadn't, they would stop and take the time to investigate it. If there was nothing of interest, she would suggest they move on. ((Don't worry about length, just write as much as you want to. If it isn't a lot, that's fine, if it ends up being a book, well I'm used to that too, LOL! I didn't see any modding so you're good. I forgot to mention one more part of the definition on godmodding though--having your character know things that haven't been revealed to them. You didn't do it or anything, I just wanted to let you know.)) |
Sol glanced back at Master Marek and Master kir as they walk off in the opposite direction, still absorbing the last words of instruction his master had given him. "Remember to extend your concentration to all that is around you. Be mindful of the force my young padawan." He nodded to the receding figure of his master and turned back to the task at hand.
Cora had taken a few steps forward towards the swamp. Trying to remember what his Master had been teaching him on the ship, He stood and took a few deep breaths to calm his mind. Closing his eyes he reached out with his feelings, trying to increase his awareness of his surroundings. He still needed much more practice becoming attuned, but he felt a small increase to the sharpness of his senses. Gazing out at the pools of water running between thick clumps of trees, Sol scanned the swamp for anything out of the ordinary. A moment later something tugged at the edge of his senses What is that? He thought, It feels... Strange. As he focused his senses on the disturbance, Cora's voice broke through his concentration, "Do you see something?" she had asked. Sol looked back to Cora, tensing up as he felt a flush color his face. Does she mean the disturbance I just felt? He thought, Or did she actually catch me when I was staring at her a moment ago? Either way he wasn't exactly sure. Hoping it was the former, Sol nodded and raised his arm pointing off to the swamp that was to the left of them. |
Cora couldn't see the Sol blush but did feel the other padawan tense up at her question. That was all the response she needed. Figuring he hadn't spotted anything, she was ready to suggest that they move on and as such was surprised when he answered in the affirmative. She could sense the movement of his head and arm through the force and followed the line of his finger to another pool of water to their left. Reaching out with her own senses, she touched upon that area. There was indeed a slight disturbance. Cursing herself for being too distracted with Sol to notice it earlier, Cora tried to redeem herself by leading the way over to the pool.
As she approached, the sensation grew stronger and she was able to pinpoint the exact location of the disturbance. Unfortunately for them however, it seemed to be located beneath the surface of the water. Whatever it was, it was most likely pressed into the mud at the bottom. "I think it's underwater," she stated, though Sol may have already picked that up on his own. Cora didn't envy going for a swim in the murky waters of the marsh but if it lead them to Master Sexton she would do it. She waited to see what Sol had to say before rushing into things on her own however. |
Sol followed Cora as she walked off in the direction he had pointed, thankful that she had taken the lead. His sensing abilities weren't very strong yet. He knew what he had felt was in this direction and that it was close but beyond that he couldn't pinpoint it. Sol noticed that they were walking toward a pool of water that looked much more dirty, and full of muck than those around it. His sense of the disturbance grew stronger as they approached it. He looked around when they stopped at the waters edge but he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Sol was about to start walking around the perimeter of the pool when Cora spoke "I think it's underwater," She said. Well, that would explain why there's nothing to see, thought Sol. He mentally chastised himself for forgetting his Jedi training. His master was constantly trying to get him not to rely on his eyes so much.
Sol took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the pool. He could feel it now, something there on the bottom. Whatever it was, it wasn't too deep down, but he didn't fancy a swim in filthy water to investigate. No... He thought, Why swim to it, when I can bring IT to us? Sol extended his arm, palm toward the pool, fingers spread. This was something Sol did extremely well. As long as he could sense something was there, he could move and manipulate just about anything he wanted to with the force. Bringing his power to bare, Sol focused hard on the object at the bottom of the pool. His face was set with determination as the water began to stir. Ripples chased each other across the surface of the water, quickly turning into a mass of bubbles as the object rose slowly out of the water. What looked like a large hunk of metal at first, quickly materialized into the wing and fuselage of a Z-95 Headhunter starfighter. Sol gasped, nearly dropping the ship back into the murky waters. Quickly he brought it over onto solid ground and gently let it settle onto it's landing skids. He was stunned. Could this be Master Sexton's ship? There was only one way to find out. |
As Sol did his own analysis of the object submerged beneath the surface of the water, Cora too reached out her senses again in an attempt to determine more about the nature of the disturbance she felt there. She was distracted by Sol's movement however until she realized what he was doing. As the object was released from the swamp's hold by Sol's actions, bubbles rose to the surface en mass. It almost sounded like the pond was boiling with the force of air escaping from whatever was being dredged to the surface and Cora realized for the first time that the object was far larger than she had first perceived.
Reaching out with the force, Cora added her strength to Sol's when he nearly faltered and together they directed it toward land. It was easy for her to pick out the object's metallic feeling and that, combined with the knowledge of it's size, helped her determine what the object was: a ship. The exact model remained unknown to her however. If she tried hard enough she would be able to map out it's contours and other properties to determine it's exact make but it was hardly worth the effort when Sol could easily see it for what it was. Technology had never been her strong point. "Good job," she said with genuine appraisal. She would never have been able to lift something that of that size on her own. Kir Ginn had often told her that the weight or largesse of an object didn't matter with the force but she still found it difficult to overcome what common sense had taught her in this regard. Maybe Sol could give her a pointer or two if they had some spare time. At the moment however, it was more important to examine their discovery. Approaching the ship, Cora reached one pale hand out to touch the underbelly of the ship. It was coated with mud and grime from the marsh water, "It's been down there for a while," she summarized. |
Sol dipped his head in acknowledgement of Cora's compliment. However it hadn't been all him. There at the end when the shock of seeing the submerged starfighter had broken his concentration, Cora had jumped in and helped keep the craft out of the water. He swept his arm toward Cora in a gesture that said, You helped too. Honestly, Sol was shocked to discover that he had lifted something as large and heavy as a one man starfighter. His master had always been impressed with his ability to lift and move large objects with the force. But never had he attempted to move something as big as a starfighter. As he moved to bigger and bigger objects in training, the large size and weight had always made him lose his confidence, preventing him from moving it. His master always told him that things like that didn't matter to the force but he didn't yet have the mental discipline to always be able to ignore it.
Walking over to the ship with Cora, Sol did a quick visual inspection of it. On either side of the hull was the symbol of the Jedi Order so It was definitely from the Academy. He also noticed that the front of the ship had a few dents and scrapes in it, likely from a less than smooth landing. The Left side laser cannon was missing from the tip of the wing as well. Circling around to the back, Sol inspected the engine units. There were four in all and they all appeared to have suffered no damage from what Sol was thinking was probably a crash landing. As he came back around to the front of the ship he heard Cora say, "It's been down there for a while." He nodded in agreement seeing the healthy coating of mud and grime. Done with his inspection of the ship, Sol decided to check in the cockpit. Stepping up into a foot hold on the side the main fuselage, he inspected the canopy but found no damage. Sol pressed the release mechanism to open the cockpit but nothing happened. A puzzled look crossed his face. The fission engines should be providing power to open the lock but it seemed as though the ship's entire power system was offline. Easy enough bypass, Sol thought, remembering there was a manual release lever on the other side. He moved over to the opposite side, careful not to slip on the grime coating, and located the manual release lever. Well that's not gonna do any good, he thought. The lever was completely bashed in and unusable. He was starting to feel a little frustrated. Sol looked over to Cora, letting out an exasperated sigh, and rapped his knuckles on the canopy, raising his hands in defeat. |
Cora felt Sol confirm her statement with a nod but the other padawan refrained from offering further details. No doubt he assumed she could easily see what he did with no explanation necessary. This was both a relief and a source of frustration for Cora. She was happy that he hadn't yet discovered her secret but that also left her longing for answers. Determined to figure out what he was seeing that she could not, Cora emerged herself in the force and allowed it's natural presence to invade her and fill in the gaps of her senses. At first all she could feel was the strong lifelike presence of green algae coating the outside of the ship but as she dove deeper she began to feel the outline of the ship. Further inspection indicated some damage, in particular gouges in the hull and something missing from the left wing.
Satisfied with what she found, Cora let her senses return to normal without knowing that she had missed one vital piece of information from her inspection--the insignia of the Jedi Order. Her senses worked in an almost tactile manner that weren't easily lent toward distinguishing colors or other features marked by a particularly strong presence of a natural element though this was possible during the sessions of the utmost concentration. Her master had begun to help her recognize some elements of color and decoration but the process was very tiring and almost always required a sterile environment. Sol was moving about somewhere overhead and from his location on the ship, Cora deduced that he was trying to access the cockpit. The other padawan seemed to be having some difficulty however as she listened to him slide across to access something on the other side of the craft. Whatever he was trying to do didn't seem to work either however as the young padawan gave an exasperated sigh and rapped his knuckles against the ship. It took Cora a moment to realize that Sol hadn't been hitting the ship out of frustration but was rather indicating his intent. The canopy wouldn't open and it seemed he was asking her if there was anything she could do. Falling back into a concentrated, force-driven state, Cora inspected the engines. They were giving off power but that power wasn't going anywhere meaning there was a short in the line somewhere preventing the necessary electricity from reaching the cockpit. It was a relatively simple matter for Cora to direct the necessary energy to the cockpit long enough to release the button using the force. As she triggered the release, the canopy hissed open to allow Sol access to the cockpit beneath and Cora cut off her concentration, allowing the energy in the ship to fall dormant once again. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she waited patiently as Sol examined the interior of the one-man fighting ship. |
Sol had to wait only for a few moments after Cora turned her attentions toward the engines, before he felt the ship come alive with a subtle, humming vibration. Wondering how exactly it was that Cora could so deftly sense the inner workings of the ship, he heard the powered release switch pop it's lock, the canopy swinging up on it's hing to reveal the interior of the cockpit. He was impressed by her sensing ability with the force. He had never seen such skill in any other padawan their age, or older for that matter. Sol thought about his own poorly developed force sensing skill, promising himself to ask Cora when they had time, if she might be able to help him with his training.
His attention coming back to the problem at hand, Sol's eyes swept around the interior and quickly found the cause of the ships power problems. The main power relay that redistributed the power from the engines to the rest of the ship, was completely fried. If they were to learn anything from the ships computers he would have to replace it. Located under the pilots seat, Sol reached into the cockpit head first, contorting into an uncomfortable position to get at the unit. He quickly removed it from it's mount and uncoupled the wiring harness, then wrestled himself back into an upright position. He jumped out of the cockpit, down to where Cora was standing and handed her the shorted out unit. Lucky for them the power relay was a model common to many ships, including the on they had arrived in. Sol held up his index finger to Cora, indicating that he'd be back in a second, and trotted off back toward their ship. Stepping inside, he made his way to the spare parts storage in the back of the ship and began rummaging through them trying to find a new power relay. Locating one near the bottom of the compartment, he grabbed it and a small set of basic tools, just in case there was something else that needed fixing, and headed back to where he had left Cora with the other ship. He held up the new power relay for Cora to let her know he had found a replacement, then stepped up into the cockpit. Getting back into his awkward upside-down position, Sol reconnected everything and set the unit back in it's mounts. That ought to do it, He thought, Now lets get the power back on. Bracing himself with his right hand, he reached behind the unit with his left to switch the circuit breaker back on that tripped when the old unit fried. Ahhgg.. I should have hit this before I put the unit back in, He thought, getting annoyed with the difficult switch. Shifting his his right hand to better position himself, his grip on the brace he was holding slipped, causing him to fall head first into the foot well. He let out a grunt of pain when his head made a loud thump against the metal floor plate, his legs sticking up comically in the air. Now in easy reach of the switch, Sol reached over and flipped it angrily. His head hurt and he was none too happy with the stupid uncooperative ship. Reaching his arms up above him, he grasped the edge of the cockpit getting ready to pull himself out. Twisting his head to the left, he was about to pull out of the blasted foot well when some small object, wedged under a control panel, caught his eye. Sol grabbed it then struggled back into a sitting position, wishing to no longer be stuck upside-down (really wishing to no longer look foolish in front of Cora). Rubbing the lump on his head, Sol made has way back down to Cora and handed her the object he had found. |
Cora could hear the rustle of fabric as Sol shifted to remove something from the cockpit. A minute later he jumped down from the ship’s controls to hand her something heavy. The smell of burnt plastic assailed her nostrils and she struggled to identify the object in her hands. Before she was able to however, Sol motioned for her to wait backtracked to their ship, presumably to retrieve a replacement for the burnt-smelling thing he had given her to hold. The part was cool to the touch and easily identified as mostly metal with some plastic components. She had no idea what its exact purpose was, but given the nature of the craft’s malfunction she could safely assume that this burnt out unit was the culprit. The young padawan amused herself with guessing the object’s contours and how its components might normally function until a rhythmic clinking noise informed her of Sol’s approach.
In Sol’s hands she sensed an object very similar to the one he had given her. Though Cora was able to sense the inner workings of machinery, she was almost completely inept at fixing mechanical objects and was relieved that the other padawan seemed to know what he was doing. Things went smoothly at first. She could feel the object slip into place under Sol’s guidance but annoyance surfaced a moment later when something else gave him trouble. A resounding thud and a grunt evoked pity from her but Cora kept quiet to save the boy any further embarrassment. After a long moment in which she heard nothing but the rustling of fabric as Sol struggled to extract himself from the ship’s clutches, the younger padawan reappeared unharmed, save perhaps his pride, to present her with yet another curiosity. This one was as mysterious as the last however. "What is it?" she asked, perplexed. |
"What is it?" Cora asked. He was pretty sure he knew what it was. Master Marek had shown him one once a few years ago as a special treat. Sol was grateful that Cora had refrained from laughing at his rather ridiculous display in the ship. He wasn't sure if it was because of that or perhaps something else, but for some unknown reason, Sol heard himself utter a short sentence to the girl. "It's a Holocron," He said. It was the most he'd said out loud to anyone in a long time. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to say that. It was almost involuntary. Wishing to forestall any further questions from Cora, Sol reached over to fiddle with the device in her hand. It was in the shape of a small cube where all the corners had been cut off. It wasn't very big, able to fit easily in the palm of Cora's hand. Letting the force flow through him, he felt and worked a small triggering Crystal inside the device, then touched a button on one of the main sides. Sol waited for something to happen... But nothing did. Maybe I didn't trigger it properly? He thought. If the Holocron was Master Sexton's and if he had stored any data or recordings in the Holocron, It didn't look like Sol was going to be able to get them out. Perhaps Master Marek or Master Kir could figure it out.
Abandoning the Holocron for now, Sol shrugged and moved back to the ship to check the computers. The system powered on perfectly thanks to the new power relay. Running through a quick diagnostic test, Sol found that other than the dents and the missing Laser cannon, The ship still was still fully functional. He wondered if their Master's would want to bring it back with them when they returned to the Jedi Temple. Sol started looking through the computer's data banks looking for any information about the ship or where it came from. Already he could see that they were disappointingly empty. It was possible that when the power relay had blown, the resulting surge had wiped the databanks. The only thing left were the coordinates of the ship before it had jumped to lightspeed bound for Danboolag. That's odd, Sol thought. Those coordinates belong to the planet Ziost but... That's a Sith world. Troubled by what he found in the computers, Sol powered down the ship and climbed back out and walked over to Cora. Once again, words came unbidden to his lips, "The ship came from Ziost." He tried to conceal the look of surprise that came over his features at the realization that he had once again spoken when he hadn't intended to. He wasn't sure what was going on with him but it definitely wasn't normal for him to speak so much to someone. Not sure if they should go take the Holocron to their Master's or to continue the scouting of the surrounding area, Sol waited to see what Cora would decide. |
’A holocron...’ Cora thought, trying to recall any instances in which she might have heard of one. The term sounded familiar but she couldn't place where she had previously heard the term spoken... Cora was so absorbed in the mystery of the object that she barely noticed that those had been Sol’s first words to her. When Sol began to fiddle with the cube perched on her outstretched hand, she allowed that question fade to the back of her mind for her subconscious to work on while she focused intently on what the other apprentice was doing. Cora could feel the force flow through the padawan beside her and into the device where she could sense a crystal not unlike those contained within a lightsaber. The boy then touched a slight protrusion on the outside of the object and seemed to wait expectantly for something. Cora waited too but after a long moment passed it became apparent that nothing would. Was the object malfunctioning or had Sol miscalculated something? Without knowing more about holocrons, the white-haired padawan couldn’t be sure.
As Sol returned to the confines of the ship, Cora pondered the question she had let simmer in the back of her mind. After a moment a spark of recollection hit her--she had heard the term used in reference to the Jedi Archives. There had been a section in the library that housed them, and if her assumption was correct, then this holocron likely contained important data. Without access to it however, they would have no way of knowing it’s contents. Cora was taken by a momentary sensation of frustration but quickly pushed it away. They had time to search for other clues and perhaps the masters would know more about activating the device than Sol did. Almost as if on cue, the other padawan returned from checking over the ship to give his report. ’Ziost?!’ she thought. The sector containing that planet was known to be territory of the Sith. ’What is a Sith ship doing on Danboolag?’ she asked herself before realizing there was another possible explanation. What if Master Sexton had defected and come to steal the Jedi texts on behalf of the Sith? There were too many uncertainties at the moment to make any concrete conclusions and so Cora forced herself to step back from the situation and not allow any one piece of evidence to weigh too heavily on her mind. The picture would become more clear once more pieces of the puzzle were found. Even so, it was not without some trepidation that she did so. The possibility of an encounter with the Sith put her on edge. She had yet to face warriors of the dark and worried that she would not be equal to the task. She could fight well enough, but could she face a Sith, who’s sole existence was based on aggression, and live? Cora found she already missed the reassurance of having her master by her side but refused to give into the nervousness growing in her chest. She would prove to her master that she could handle herself. ”Let’s keep looking,” she said, pocketing the holocron. ”Keep your guard up though,” she added, without a hint of any of the nervousness she felt. |
Resuming their search of the area, Sol walked along quietly, thinking about his two outbursts moments ago. He was generally a very quiet person. There were times when he spoke to his master but unless there was a great need to speak, Sol was always silent. It wasn't that he wanted to keep his thoughts or feelings hidden from anybody. He just preferred to be on the periphery of peoples notice. Being a jedi attracts enough attention, he thought. There was, though, one other reason why he often remained silent. The day the pirates had attacked the ship he lived on and killed his mother and father. The memory of it often came to him in nightmares waking him out of a sound sleep. He remembered the experience all too vividly. lying curled up in a cramped smugglers compartment, he had heard the sounds of battle and death raging outside. He could still hear the screams of the people on board the ship as they were slaughtered by the pirates. lying there, after the last screams had died out, for what seemed like an eternity as the pirates looted the ship, he had barely dared to take a breath least he make any noise that might alert the them to his location. He hadn't even let himself cry. He hadn't uttered a single sound for what seemed like days until the compartment was opened by the Jedi that became his Master. Ever since that day he had carried that silence with him. So why is it he pondered, That after all these years, I should feel such an impulse to speak whenever I'm around her?
He was still pondering the question when a sharp tug at his senses brought him to a halt. What was that? he thought. Something was here, and that something was very alive. He focused on the feeling but still he could not identify the source. He began searching the landscape with his eyes, listening intently for anything out of the ordinary, all the while cursing his lacking sensing ability. There was nothing but swamp and trees. Sol's eyes settled on a rather large, white, knobby tree stump with 8 symmetrical roots coming out at regular intervals around the base. It was the only thing out of place in the swamp. Sol started walking towards it but stopped in shock when he saw the sump lift itself off the ground on it's legs, revealing a wicked looking stinger attached to its underside. As if that weren't enough, no fewer than 5 eyes opened on the trunk beneath the legs, glowing red. Mouth agape, Sol stared at the stump as it began walking toward him. What was it Cora had said just moments ago? Oh yes, "keep your guard up." Well so much for that, he thought. Sol cursed himself for not paying better attention as the Spider looking creature advanced on him. Spider... Wait a minute! he thought. He knew what this was. He had read about them when studying the planet Dagobah. It was a Knobby White Spider! He just wished he could remember if they were dangerous or not. His question was answered when the creature crouched down then using it's legs like giant springs, jumped up off the ground straight at Sol, It's stinger aimed right at him. Leaping out of the path the Spider, Sol just narrowly missed being crushed by it as it crashed into the earth. Quickly rolling to his feet, Sol started sprinting towards Cora. The thought of heroically defeating it single handedly never crossed his mind. This creature was way to big for him to deal with on his own. He yelled to Cora as he ran full speed, the Spider chasing along after him, "CORA! Help!" |
Unaware of the deep thoughts running through Sol's mind, Cora slowly wandered the area looking for a clue that might be able to pull things together in a way that made sense. Her mind was restless with nagging questions however. What was a Sith ship doing on Danboolag? And hidden in the swamp no less? Did the damage to the vessel indicate a crash landing or a skirmish? And what did all of this have to do with Master Sexton? Realizing that she wasn't focusing on her task, Cora began a simple meditation exercise to calm her thoughts and push aside questions to which she had no answer. Taking a deep breath she called the force to herself and bathed in it, allowing it to clear the restlessness within her spirit. Feeling refreshed now, Cora allowed the force to radiate out from herself in search of something out of the ordinary but was interrupted with a yell that made her blood run cold.
Wheeling on the spot, Cora placed Sol somewhere ahead...and he wasn't alone. The young padawan cursed herself for not having noticed the disturbance sooner. She had been far too caught up in questions that for the moment lead nowhere. "Sol!" she called out as she focused on the menace that was quickly approaching. It was large. She could feel the pounding of it's strong legs drumming through the force and making the ground beneath her tremble. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead; Sol knew he was no match for it alone but Cora worried that even together they might be outmatched. She quickly gauged their options: they could stand and fight and risk being outmatched, try to double back in hopes of finding their masters, or try outwitting the creature somehow. Cora wasn't certain she liked any of those options but they would have to try something. Using the force, Cora lifted a handful of fist-sized rocks into the air on either side of her and focused on her target. Flinging her arms out before her, she directed the projectiles forward with as much force as she could muster. Her shots bent around Sol then came together just in time to connect with the spider. One shot missed completely and all but one bounced off of the creature's wood-like body but one lucky rock managed to strike it dead in the eye, causing the arachnid to let out a sharp screech of pain and anger. |
Sol was running as fast as he was able but the Spider was still gaining on him. He was still some distance off from Cora when he saw fist-sized rocks float into the air around her. A second later they were zooming across the ground, headed straight for him. Sol's eyes widened in surprise as he thought, She's shooting those right at me! What is she blind?! The stones where almost upon him but dodging would put the Monster that much closer to catching him. Trusting that Cora knew what she was doing he ran right at the rocks hoping they wouldn't hit him but instead the Spider. Just at the last second the group of rocks split around him, passing his shoulders and head by centimeters. Sol breathed in a sigh of relief as he heard the rocks impact the body of the spider behind. The rocks sounded a dull thunk as they hit the creatures thick hide but at least one had to have hit something important as the Giant Spider stumbled, letting out a terrible screeching sound, and momentarily veered off course.
Sol was thankful of Cora's good aim as he gained precious ground before the spider resumed it's chase. How are we going to get rid of this thing? Sol thought as he tried to work out a plan of action. They could try drowning it but he wasn't sure if the swamp pools were deep enough. Perhaps they could squish it under a falling tree? There was one big enough to work just behind Cora but he wasn't sure if he could reach it before the Spider overtook him. What they needed was a bit of time... A thought struck Sol and he reached into a belt pouch taking out two small grappling hooks and line. I don't know why I didn't think of this before but a little bit of rope should tangle up this spiders legs for a few minutes! He thought as he started swinging a hook over his head. Using a stump left from a fallen tree as a vault, Sol twisted in the air as he jumped back towards the Spider and threw the line, hooking it around one of it's legs. Landing on it's head, he loosely wrapped the line around it's knobby body then threw the other hook to catch a leg opposite the first. Then, taking up the rest of the line, he threw it into the path of the Spider's legs and jumped clear. Looking behind him as he ran back to Cora, Sol could see the spider stumbled to a halt, quickly getting tangled in the line. He came to a halt beside Cora, bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "That's not going to hold him for long. We need to think of something fast." He said in between gulps of air. "How do we get rid of this thing?" |
Cora wasn't surprised when the spider resumed the chase. Her actions had slowed it momentarily but that wouldn't be enough. Still, she was satisfied that Sol had at least managed to gain a bit of ground and thus buy them a little time. Her mind whirled, the rock trick might work again but no amount of tiny hits would stop the creature for good. Cora's ears picked up the whistle of Sol's hook in the air. She was impressed when the younger padawan's boots resounded against the wood-like back of the spider as the result of some quick acrobatics but was thoroughly disappointed when he jumped off without finishing it. The beast was momentarily entangled but the agile creature wouldn't be held for long in the mess of twine.
Sol's footsteps came to a halt beside her; his labored breathing drown out the noise of creaking rope. "Why didn't you kill it while you had the chance?" she asked, her voice calm rather than condescending as if she were merely curious as to his reasons rather than exasperated by the missed opportunity. They would have to think of something else now and her mind turned about the problem as she waited for Sol to catch his breath and answer her. ((So sorry for taking forever. It's not great but it's something. V_V)) |
It's true I could have killed it while I was on top of it, Thought Sol. He could have made quick work of it with his lightsaber. But when he thought about it, even though it was trying to kill him, he didn't much like the thought of ending it's life if he didn't really need too. After all it was just a simple creature and it had been him who disturbed it in the first place. There had to be a way to lose the spider without having to actually kill it. Not feeling like he wanted say everything he was thinking to Cora, Sol instead said, "I don't like killing things if I don't have to," And left it at that.
He could have sworn he remembered reading that they were peaceful creatures. Perhaps I disturbed something around it's territory that provoked this response? He thought to himself. Giving voice to his thoughts, he turned to Cora and said, "I must have done something to provoke it but I don't know what." The rope tangling the spiders legs was still holding for the moment giving them precious little time to work out a plan. "We could go back to where I found it and see if there is something there...? He left the quesiont hanging not sure of what they should do. ((Well not my best work either but... It'll have to do for now I suppose :sweat:)) |
"Understandable," Cora replied neutrally in response to Sol's reasoning. She appreciated his honest answer and it was one she could respect, though it would make their task more difficult by far as the creature seemed very determined to see them dead with it's many beaded eyes, save the one seeping blood.
Cora was attempting to think of ways to sedate the creature when Sol piped up with a possible explanation for the spider's sudden attack. Cora pondered this possibility. If Sol was right about provoking it, then further aggressive action against the monster would only make it more likely to attack. Sol's plan wasn't a bad one but Cora wasn't sure what that if they found something that it would actually help deter the spider's death wish for them. Still, there wasn't much else for them to go on so she agreed. "Okay, but let's make this quick," she said. Without bothering to spare a glance back at the spider, she sprinted off in the direction that their encounter had begun and extended awareness out around her. So far she felt nothing but she hoped she might be able to pick up on something if Sol steered them closer as she wasn't quite sure where exactly the chase had begun. ((Nah, it was good. Sorry for taking so long again. >.<)) |
Sol ran after Cora, matching pace with her as they ran back to the place he first encountered the Spider. "It was over there," He said point off a little to the right of where they were running. He recognized the landscape there was familiar and he could see where the earth had been turned up by the Spider's gouging legs. What could have possibly adjitated the Spider so much? Sol thought. It's not like the thing had eggs or offspring as the thing WAS the offspring of a Gnarltree. Perhaps there was something here that possesed an aura of the Dark Side of the Force...
Sol glanced back behind them as they kept running to check on the tangled Spider. It was gone! He searched with his eyes for a moment more, not daring to stop, but saw nothing. Blast it! Why hadn't he payed more attention? "It's gone!" He shouted to Cora, an uneasy feeling rising inside him. "Can you feel it?" He hoped Cora with her superior skills could sense where the knobby monster had gone off to. The spot where he had first run into it was just ahead. He kept his eyes and his senses sharp for anything out of the ordinary. If they could just make it there before the Spider showed up, maybe they could find some clue that would help them defeat it. ((lol no prob. It was my turn to take a while this time :sweat: Sorry about that!)) |
Sol's gesture helped steer them in the right direction and Cora veered to the right to approach the spot. Senses fully extended, she began to scan the area even as she sprinted across the scarred surface of the earth without faltering. Something tugged at the edge of her concentration and she struggled to pinpoint the source. There was definitely some sort of disturbance nearby, of that Cora was certain, though she was having some difficulty locating the source.
Scrambling over the deep gouges in the soil, Cora was so focused on her goal that she nearly lost her balance and had to take a moment to pull her concentration away from the disturbance to find the ground beneath her feet before pushing forward. The sensation was growing stronger with every step she took and Cora could feel she was nearly there when Sol's shout rented the air. Gone? Cora felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise and stopped mid-stride to focus on her new goal. Sol was somewhere close behind her and the disturbance just ahead but the spider wasn't immediately apparent. Worried that they might not have much time before the menace reappeared she shouted back to Sol, "I can't feel it but there's something else just ahead," she said, pointing to indicate the location, "Try searching there while I look out for the other." Cora did her best to silence the drumming of her heart caused not only by physical activity but also the sensation of nervousness that was beginning to set a pit in her stomach. ((Sorry for the delay. V_V)) |
Sol nearly ran into Cora when she stopped running though he managed to stop just before he knocked her over. Sol frowned when he heard her say she couldn't feel the spider. How can a giant spider monster just disappear? He heard her volunteer to stay behind and watch for the spider. Not wasting a breath to reply, he ran on past Cora in the direction she indicated. The amount of trees began to thicken near the area where he had first discovered the knobby spider. It was difficult to differentiate where one tree ended and where another began. Slowing his pace to better concentrate on his surroundings, Sol began scanning the environment for something out of the ordinary. There was nothing he could see except for trees, rocks, bushes and the occasional pool of swamp water.
He was so focused on on his surroundings that he forgot to pay a little attention to where he was putting his feet. Sol stumbled and feel over a large rock in the middle of his path. He avoided injury by remembering to roll through the fall, then sprang back to his feet. Idiot! Pay more attention to where you're going! he thought to himself. He quickly glanced behind at Cora to see if she had noticed his tumble. He hoped she had been looking in another direction. Forgetting his embarrassment for now, Sol stopped to look at what he had tripped over. It was a large rock, roughly 2 feet long by a foot wide and half again as tall. The odd thing about it though was it's shape. Instead of looking natural and lumpy, it was perfectly flat and square though the edges and corners had been worn down. Looks like this things been here for a while, he thought. Looking around the immediate vicinity, he noticed other blocks of stone similar to the one he had just tripped over. Some were lying flat, but others stuck out of the swamp at odd angles as if they had been thrown by some large explosion. The stones began to increase in number and size as he moved forward in the direction Cora had pointed. Though he felt nothing but unease so far, it looked like Cora had been right about her feeling. The random stone blocks began to appear in clumps and roughly arranged patterns now. They had to be ruins of larger structures that no longer existed, slowly being swallowed in the growth of the swamp around them. Sol started to feel a faint pulsating energy that was tugging at his senses. It was starting to get hard to focus on anything else other than it. He walked on into the ruins, drawn on into it's depths, the pulsing feeling growing stronger with every step. Ignoring the the half caved in buildings and archways around him, he walked directly towards a large dark doorway in the middle of the ruins belonging to a building that seemed to be untouched by time. Free of decay and plant growth it looked as though it had been built yesterday. Tall and sharp, made of a dark charcoal colored stone, it looked more like a temple than anything. Sol paused in front the temple still feeling the pulsing feeling pull at him. Apprehensive to enter the darkened structure alone, he remembered he hadn't yet called back to Cora about what he had found. Ignoring the pull he felt, Sol turned around and started to shout for Cora. "COR...!" His voice broke and died off as he came face to face with a half dozen bright red eyes. The giant form of the knobby spider loomed above him. While he had been distracted by the intense feeling from whatever was in these ruins, he had completely missed the spider sneaking up behind him. Trying to remain calm, Sol quickly looked around for an escape route. It looked like the only options besides running away were to stay and fight, or seek shelter in the temple. Fearing that whatever lay inside the temple might be worse than the spider, Sol decided to try and get around it and go find Cora. Seeing an opening to the left of the spider Sol darted through a large flat topped archway next to the spider. Quicker than he could react, everything when from bad to worse. Having misjudged the speed of the spider, it quickly whipped around towards Sol, kicking it's legs through the archway at him and sending the giant top stone tumbling towards him. Sol turned around just as the massive block smashed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and crushing him against the ground. Gasping for breath, Sol cried out for help as fear began to tighten it's grip on him. "Cora! Cora help! Cora!" He gasped. She must be too far away to hear me. he thought, struggling to reach his lightsaber that was just out of reach. I've got to move this block! I have to concentrate! He thought desperately. Sol closed his eyes, trying to push the fear away and concentrate as the spider slowly advanced on him, it's giant stinger glistening. He was running out of time to do something. ((SORRY! It's a book >.< I didn't mean for it to be so long but I kinda got on a roll and... well yeah...)) |
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