Lost and Found
Silver Jedi Order Space
Kashyyyk: Night-Time
Descent into the Shadowlands
As Aurelion tossed the pack over his shoulder T1 gave a very worried series of beeps, boops and distressed waddling as Aurelion glanced at him. A single torch alighting the single wooden elevator the Wookies had crafted expressly for this reason.
"Aurelion+Going=Crazy!"
"Aurelion+Lightsaber=None!"
Aurelion grimaced slightly and closed his eye, both in response to what T1 was saying and the fact that those Dark whispers, the entire reason behind his descent, were now much louder than previously. Now they were not only whispers, but he could feel his heart beat faster and would catch his own lips silently repeating the murmuring they called to him with. Whatever this darkness below was..... it was impatient and desperate for something to latch onto. Aurelion was.... unlucky enough to be the one it had chosen. Sighing softly Aurelion glanced at the little Astromech and gave a sad expression. "Listen, T1, I'm sorry... I-I just... I have to go. I can't get these voices out of my head and.... wh-whatever is down there.... it wants me to find it." T1 paused and silently 'stared' at Aurelion before giving a very quiet, disheartened 'whoo'.
Aurelion was able to work a few more minutes in silence before he nodded, prepared the elevator to descend, and glanced at T1. "L-Look..... T1....... I'll be fine a-and..... and if I die then.... well.... you can find someone else. You're a... a good friend...." T1's optical sensor flickered at this, and the little astromech rolled forward, lightly bumped into Aurelion's leg, and stayed there. Aurelion blinked, then smiled softly, and kneeled down to hug the little astromech. "Just..... wait at the Silver Rest for me okay? I promise I'll do my best to be back soon." The little astromech swiveled it's head in a bit of a nod, before rolling back, and watching as Aurelion began to descend into the inky darkness below.....
Aurelion sat, cross-legged, in the center of the platform. Doing his best to meditate which.... for some reason.... came easier to him now than any other time he had tried. Even with others helping him. All around him to his sense the darkness glittered and hummed, shining like a sleek oil sheen with the beautiful pulses and rhythms of desperate life, clambering and clawing for dominance and survival. Like the flitting of stars amid shining darkness. Those cracks and fissures that constantly permeated his fractures psyche begin to fill and swirl with that starry blackness. The cool, primal reassurance of an ageless darkness settling into his sense and Aurelion gasped, squirming at this sensation as he felt as if his skin was being coated in a soothing, viscous fluid.
As this happened the whispering grew louder, the sensation to his senses and psyche intensifying before... with a gasp, his eye opened and Aurelion found himself on the forest floor of Kashyyyk. His position having changed without him even realizing it, so that he was facing not the usual path the Wookie warriors tread, but an old, overgrown path thick with vines, foliage and the calls of creatures in the night. Aurelion glanced around, the torch attached to the wooden platform being the only light source at his current disposal. Thus, as he stood up, Aurelion removed a torch from his pack and lit it with the one on the platform. Sharing the light between them and taking a deep breathe, primal fear gripping at his heart, even as his legs began to carry him forward. Step by step, until he began to wade through the foliage.
It wasn't all that long before Aurelion stepped out from the path of tall, scratching grass to a small quagmire. Water and suctioning mud gripping at his boots with a wet, viscous pull that made him grimace. Aurelion could hear many large and likely dangerous creatures moving through the Shadowlands around him, Their howls and cries of primal fury and dominance carrying over the darkness and making him jump in his boots as he heard them. Even so..... those voices pulled him onward. The darkness beckoned, whispered, coaxed every step from him. On and on he trod over the quagmire, struggling through every step and glancing side-long, pausing, and humming as he saw what for a brief second had looked to be some sort of rock. Kneeling down, Aurelion instead noticed it was.... some sort of droid? Spherical in shape, rolled up in on itself, with crab-like legs and what looked to be two blasted attached to two arms that unfolded from it's frame.
Rubbing away some of the grime, foliage and abundance of moss that overgrown what Aurelion did not know was a long-abandoned Droideka, he briefly began to fiddle with it's aged, weathered wiring. Murmuring to himself "Ya know.... I've seen T1 do this sort of thing it shouldn't be too ha-..." Aurelion yelped as he connected two wired, sparks flying, as a shield materialized for a brief moment around himself and the Droideka. Only for the old droid's circuits to fry and short-out, causing the wavering blue-ish shield to wink out and for Aurelion to stand up, wipe his hands, and hum. Deciding to step away in case the droid explode, Aurelion continued on his way, only to see other various droids of differing designs littering the ground. Mostly buried in moss, collected in piles and stripped apart by curious creatures, and..... at the end of this path... some even utterly crushed and flattened.
As Aurelion closed his eyes, now embracing the 'hands' of this darkness with familiarity, he found himself stepping to the right and beginning to trek through where a path simply did not exist. Opening his eyes just in time to have to clamp a hand over his mouth to avoid screaming, as some sort of spider-like creature hung from the branches above, it's guys and organs being used to hold it aloft while it seemed massive bites had been ripped from the unlucky creature. Aurelion's eye widened in fear and, stepping around the creature, he continued to walk. His arms and legs now shaking as he failed to realize just how much of a warning this sign truly was.
As Aurelion finally felt as if the voices were becoming satisfied, that he was nearing his destination, his eye finally fell upon what he could... FEEL was calling to him. Some sort of.... device.... a platform almost. That was strangely untouched by the surrounding foliage despite how.... ancient it looked. Aurelion cautiously approached this device, marveling at it. His hand brushing over the eerily clean and moss-free interface, only for what he had perceived as a platform above the interface sprung to life, and whirried to activation. Glowing blue emitters ancient in design humming to life as a single, holographic being of an alien race Aurelion did not at all recognize appeared before him. When it spoke it's voice was mechanical, like that of a droid, as the hologram image's eyes bored into Aurelion.
"Stasis Ended. Life Form detected. Determining Parameters. Initiating neural recognition..... Primary Neural Recognition Complete. ERROR: No existing match found. Force Sensitivity detected. Initiating Neural Matching process...."
Aurelion stepped back, not liking a thing this machine had just said, though Aurelion could feel a... pressure on it's mind. Not intrusive, but one that seemed to be taking his measure, and he blinked as it continued to speak.
"Begin socialized interface. Awaiting Instruction. Greetings. This terminal has not been accessed in quite some time."
Aurelion fidgeted in place, holding the torch aloft, even as the light from the hologram radiated out into the forest of the Shadowlands. "Oh umm.. yes... h-hello. It's.... It's nice to meet you."
Even as Aurelion greeted the hologram he couldn't help but noticed the large amount of destroyed, cut in half, crushed and disabled droids all around him. as it responded. "Greetings one... Aurelion Nova."
Aurelion blinked, tilts his head, and looked back at the hologram. "H-How do you...." Aurelion jumped in shock as something else brushed his senses. Something dark but.... wholly different from the machine before him. He turned, scanning the darkness as best he could with the light of the single torch, biting his lip and calling. "H-Hello? Is um.... someone there?"
Juno
Kashyyyk: Night-Time
Descent into the Shadowlands
As Aurelion tossed the pack over his shoulder T1 gave a very worried series of beeps, boops and distressed waddling as Aurelion glanced at him. A single torch alighting the single wooden elevator the Wookies had crafted expressly for this reason.
"Aurelion+Going=Crazy!"
"Aurelion+Lightsaber=None!"
Aurelion grimaced slightly and closed his eye, both in response to what T1 was saying and the fact that those Dark whispers, the entire reason behind his descent, were now much louder than previously. Now they were not only whispers, but he could feel his heart beat faster and would catch his own lips silently repeating the murmuring they called to him with. Whatever this darkness below was..... it was impatient and desperate for something to latch onto. Aurelion was.... unlucky enough to be the one it had chosen. Sighing softly Aurelion glanced at the little Astromech and gave a sad expression. "Listen, T1, I'm sorry... I-I just... I have to go. I can't get these voices out of my head and.... wh-whatever is down there.... it wants me to find it." T1 paused and silently 'stared' at Aurelion before giving a very quiet, disheartened 'whoo'.
Aurelion was able to work a few more minutes in silence before he nodded, prepared the elevator to descend, and glanced at T1. "L-Look..... T1....... I'll be fine a-and..... and if I die then.... well.... you can find someone else. You're a... a good friend...." T1's optical sensor flickered at this, and the little astromech rolled forward, lightly bumped into Aurelion's leg, and stayed there. Aurelion blinked, then smiled softly, and kneeled down to hug the little astromech. "Just..... wait at the Silver Rest for me okay? I promise I'll do my best to be back soon." The little astromech swiveled it's head in a bit of a nod, before rolling back, and watching as Aurelion began to descend into the inky darkness below.....
Aurelion sat, cross-legged, in the center of the platform. Doing his best to meditate which.... for some reason.... came easier to him now than any other time he had tried. Even with others helping him. All around him to his sense the darkness glittered and hummed, shining like a sleek oil sheen with the beautiful pulses and rhythms of desperate life, clambering and clawing for dominance and survival. Like the flitting of stars amid shining darkness. Those cracks and fissures that constantly permeated his fractures psyche begin to fill and swirl with that starry blackness. The cool, primal reassurance of an ageless darkness settling into his sense and Aurelion gasped, squirming at this sensation as he felt as if his skin was being coated in a soothing, viscous fluid.
As this happened the whispering grew louder, the sensation to his senses and psyche intensifying before... with a gasp, his eye opened and Aurelion found himself on the forest floor of Kashyyyk. His position having changed without him even realizing it, so that he was facing not the usual path the Wookie warriors tread, but an old, overgrown path thick with vines, foliage and the calls of creatures in the night. Aurelion glanced around, the torch attached to the wooden platform being the only light source at his current disposal. Thus, as he stood up, Aurelion removed a torch from his pack and lit it with the one on the platform. Sharing the light between them and taking a deep breathe, primal fear gripping at his heart, even as his legs began to carry him forward. Step by step, until he began to wade through the foliage.
It wasn't all that long before Aurelion stepped out from the path of tall, scratching grass to a small quagmire. Water and suctioning mud gripping at his boots with a wet, viscous pull that made him grimace. Aurelion could hear many large and likely dangerous creatures moving through the Shadowlands around him, Their howls and cries of primal fury and dominance carrying over the darkness and making him jump in his boots as he heard them. Even so..... those voices pulled him onward. The darkness beckoned, whispered, coaxed every step from him. On and on he trod over the quagmire, struggling through every step and glancing side-long, pausing, and humming as he saw what for a brief second had looked to be some sort of rock. Kneeling down, Aurelion instead noticed it was.... some sort of droid? Spherical in shape, rolled up in on itself, with crab-like legs and what looked to be two blasted attached to two arms that unfolded from it's frame.
Rubbing away some of the grime, foliage and abundance of moss that overgrown what Aurelion did not know was a long-abandoned Droideka, he briefly began to fiddle with it's aged, weathered wiring. Murmuring to himself "Ya know.... I've seen T1 do this sort of thing it shouldn't be too ha-..." Aurelion yelped as he connected two wired, sparks flying, as a shield materialized for a brief moment around himself and the Droideka. Only for the old droid's circuits to fry and short-out, causing the wavering blue-ish shield to wink out and for Aurelion to stand up, wipe his hands, and hum. Deciding to step away in case the droid explode, Aurelion continued on his way, only to see other various droids of differing designs littering the ground. Mostly buried in moss, collected in piles and stripped apart by curious creatures, and..... at the end of this path... some even utterly crushed and flattened.
As Aurelion closed his eyes, now embracing the 'hands' of this darkness with familiarity, he found himself stepping to the right and beginning to trek through where a path simply did not exist. Opening his eyes just in time to have to clamp a hand over his mouth to avoid screaming, as some sort of spider-like creature hung from the branches above, it's guys and organs being used to hold it aloft while it seemed massive bites had been ripped from the unlucky creature. Aurelion's eye widened in fear and, stepping around the creature, he continued to walk. His arms and legs now shaking as he failed to realize just how much of a warning this sign truly was.
As Aurelion finally felt as if the voices were becoming satisfied, that he was nearing his destination, his eye finally fell upon what he could... FEEL was calling to him. Some sort of.... device.... a platform almost. That was strangely untouched by the surrounding foliage despite how.... ancient it looked. Aurelion cautiously approached this device, marveling at it. His hand brushing over the eerily clean and moss-free interface, only for what he had perceived as a platform above the interface sprung to life, and whirried to activation. Glowing blue emitters ancient in design humming to life as a single, holographic being of an alien race Aurelion did not at all recognize appeared before him. When it spoke it's voice was mechanical, like that of a droid, as the hologram image's eyes bored into Aurelion.
"Stasis Ended. Life Form detected. Determining Parameters. Initiating neural recognition..... Primary Neural Recognition Complete. ERROR: No existing match found. Force Sensitivity detected. Initiating Neural Matching process...."
Aurelion stepped back, not liking a thing this machine had just said, though Aurelion could feel a... pressure on it's mind. Not intrusive, but one that seemed to be taking his measure, and he blinked as it continued to speak.
"Begin socialized interface. Awaiting Instruction. Greetings. This terminal has not been accessed in quite some time."
Aurelion fidgeted in place, holding the torch aloft, even as the light from the hologram radiated out into the forest of the Shadowlands. "Oh umm.. yes... h-hello. It's.... It's nice to meet you."
Even as Aurelion greeted the hologram he couldn't help but noticed the large amount of destroyed, cut in half, crushed and disabled droids all around him. as it responded. "Greetings one... Aurelion Nova."
Aurelion blinked, tilts his head, and looked back at the hologram. "H-How do you...." Aurelion jumped in shock as something else brushed his senses. Something dark but.... wholly different from the machine before him. He turned, scanning the darkness as best he could with the light of the single torch, biting his lip and calling. "H-Hello? Is um.... someone there?"
Juno