A mesa named Ben…

[Corvus Raaf]

“Yes, he’s a local. He speaks quite good Galactic Basic but with one or two little idiosyncrasies. But best not to pick him up on them. He can be a little sensitive. And no, it’s not Connor by the way. And talking of him,” she smiled , “Have you seen him lately?” Corvus finished her drink.

“And what’s wrong with being a kid every now and then. And given I’m the little sister of this outfit, I’m quite within my rights.”
She knew of Taeli’s offending milky top-lip deposit and decided to say nothing. As a blue-milk connoisseur, she knew she’d be in a similar situation but for some reason just didn’t care.

Corvus took them outside and rented a speeder. It fitted them both comfortably and if you overlooked the sand on the seats and in the foot-wells, it was perfectly serviceable.

She rubbed the flaking paintwork. “They don’t build them like this any more.” There was probably a reason if she looked hard enough.
“Now, some groceries,” she said and led them into a local shop. “What should we buy..and..what can you cook?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Oh, I need to go see him again," Taeli said, her face going all sappy for a moment before she remembered who asked that question and blanched. "I saw him just before I joined the Order, we went and fought some zombies on Odacer-Faustin because some crazy Sith doctor thought it was a good idea to mess around with the Sickness."

"I have milk on my lip don't I?" Taeli said, wiping her mouth as they left the establishment to rent their speeder and sighed as she saw the blue smudge on her sleeve. "You could have said something! Gah, oh well, not like I'll be frequenting that cantina as much as you." The speeder was a bit sandy, but perfectly serviceable and it fit both of them well enough. Taeli started to think maybe she should have brought some sandals instead of boots, sand was blowing into them.

Oh, we should make something light to eat, something that is nice and moist. Hmm, some fresh fruits and vegetables would be good, oh! I could make a nice light soup my mother taught me to make when I was a teenager."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“Zombies eh? Sounds like fun, and I get the feeling you’ve been a good influence on him.” There was no hint of playfulness in her voice; she seemed to genuinely mean it.

But Corvus had to smile at the mention of stray blue milk. “So do I, I just know it, so we’re even, right?”

As they made their way around the store, Corvus purchased some salad and watched as Taeli chose vegetables. “Soup? Is that hard to make?” Her culinary prowess was evident and she wasn’t looking to hide it.

Having stocked up and placed the food in bags to keep them fresh despite the intense heat, Corvus checked the time. “Given we have a speeder and the time of day, I recommend we go straight to my home now and settle in. Tomorrow we can focus on seeing the locals, yes?”

Corvus took the controls and pointed them towards the outskirts of the city. “But one little stop, eh? The old Lar’s homestead – although I warn you, it’s somewhat commercial now.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"I've been trying, I might have needed to ummm kick his shebs a bit, oh and I ripped that Sith magic out, but he finally listened and well . . . um . . . I need to actually see him again once I get a spare moment," Taeli replied as they finished their purchases and took their groceries to the speeder. Connor had been wandering slowly down a dark path, and Taeli had been glad she had helped pull him out of that darkness.

"That sounds fine by me, I want to see this ranch you made for yourself in this dust ball of a world. Sorry, I much prefer somewhere like Chandrila or Naboo to retire to if it ever comes to that, Miss Kenobi," Taeli said, teasing her sister a little at the end

"How exactly did they turn the old Lars homestead into a commercial venture?" Taeli asked. "Shouldn't that have been preserved as a historical site? I would think it would have been given the legendary figure connected to it."

Then again, she looked at all the tombs and ruins she had explored. People didn't have a full appreciation of history like her or other researchers apparently.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“You gave him the right sort of attention and that means so much. My time with him tends to be rushing around finding or fighting things. I kind of take him for granted, rush into things and expect him to just be there. I’ve never invested any real time in him. On reflection, who knows where he’d be if it weren’t for you.”

She negotiated the speeder through the outskirts and finally they hit open sands. “Miss Kenobi? That has a nice ring to it. Mrs. Kenobi sounds even better.” And she laughed as they sped across the featureless terrain.

Finally they made their was to where the old Lars homestead would have been. There was now a small museum, coffee shop, gift store and fast-food drive-thru. “I’m not fussed about fries, are you?”

Reflecting on what this site could look like if properly preserved, she looked at her sister. “In truth, my home is more in keeping with what you’d probably expected to see here.”

And with that they headed off to Corvus’ little ranch-to-be. “So sis, what’s the attraction of Naboo or Chandrila. Come to think of it, I’ve never been to the latter. Wasn’t there a Jedi tomb there?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Taeli actually felt pain race through as she saw what had been done to the Lars homestead, real physical pain. There was absolutely no respect for the history of the actual site, regardless of whatever was contained in that museum. This was just . . . oh it was simply infuriating for a lover of history like herself.

"That is a karking tourist trap," she hissed, her eyes narrowed at the fast food drive thru. "Nothing but a tourist trap. My mind is not accepting what I'm seeing, but I'm still seeing it . . . that is an abomination."

As they sped away, she grumbled under her breath and started to muttering about buying that area out and properly restoring it for people to actual understand what the place was like. Luckily, her sister's question jarred her out of her grumbles.

"If you call an entire crevice with various shrines and buildings a mere tomb," Taeli responded. "It was more of an underground Jedi city in honor of those that had fallen or wanted a quiet place to meditate in remembrance. But I like Chandrila and Naboo because I'm a stickler for beautiful architecture and natural areas. I like the sound of flowing water and the smell of grass and flowers on the air. This is just too gritty and sorta barebones for me."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Of course there were gaps in her knowledge, and the tomb of the unknown Jedi Knight was one of them. She made a mental note to ask her sister about it some time.

And she smiled. They were so alike in many ways but so different in others. Their taste in planets for example. For Corvus it was mostly practical. Out in the desert there were few animals. Which meant few emotions and she could let her guard down.

In an area of natural beauty that was predominantly green, she would have been overwhelmed by the volume of animals that would simply be going about their daily business but at the same time filling her head with their sentiments.

She considered one more detour but decided against it. Night was drawing in and they’d better get indoors soon.

Soon they saw it on the horizon. Visually similar to a traditional moisture farm, but without the moisture vaporators. It looked immediately rudimentary but comfortable.

She opened the door in the domed exterior and led them down a flight of stairs to a circular hallway with six doors leading off it.

The first was master bedroom, the second was another bedroom, identical except the bed was a single. The third was a living area and a large mural on one wall depicting Coronet City at night. The next was a kitchen with all of the modern conveniences and then there was a bathroom for guests to use. The largest of the rooms was the final one and appeared to be a workshop, fitted out with apparatus for repairing droids, crafting sabers and had a storage area for training sabers, remotes, stun blasters and the like.

The room also contained a communications array and the control panel for moisture vaporators. Each of the rooms were identical and painted a magnolia and the floors were limed wood – with virtually no decorative furnishings.

Corvus opened a small safe and took out a small leather journal, wrapped in a protective cloth. She beamed and handed it to her sister. “Apart from my sisters, the most valuable thing I think I have.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"For as sparse as the furnishings and decorations are, I think it suits you quite well, sis," Taeli said as Corvus gave her the tour of the place. It was functional and actually comfortable. She also couldn't knock the view of the sunset, but then Tatooine's sunsets were one of the only reasons to ever visit the planet. The mural was a nice touch though, and something she could appreciate. She could sing and act, but painting had always . . . well her parents would say how proud they had been of her paintings from art class . . . then they would suspiciously disappear. For good reason though, and she never complained as she didn't really enjoy painting too much.

Curious what her sister could be getting out of the little safe in the workshop, she became even more curious as she was handed a very old leather bound journal in a cloth and Corvus said it was the most valuable thing she had besides her sisters.

Carefully opening the front page, Taeli's head whipped up as she read the owner's name.

"No way! How the bloody feth did you find this journal?!" she asked, her eyes bugging out but handling the journal even more carefully now.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus’ beaming face wouldn’t return to normal. She was in danger of it splitting in two if it continued any longer.

“It’s a long story and it involves Connor. We independently got a request to help out a Hutt whose baby was being held ransom. We initially expected the One Sith but it was a low-grade gang that were simply using their name. Anyway, we returned the baby and our ‘reward’ was a set of coordinates and the clue that it was for Obi-Wan’s Holocron.”

“Of course we both know it doesn’t exist – but when I saw the coordinates, I was amazed. They were these coordinates.” She pointed to the ground. “And this is built on the site of Ben’s old place. The dome outside is mostly original.”

“Anyway, we found wells out back that must once have been drilled for water. Near the bottom of one of them we found this, hidden in the wall.”

“It talks of his arrival here, his conversations with Qui-Gon, his flirting with a local woman and…making a Holocron. And towards the end he gave a clue as to its location. So that’s our next stop, to see which variation of the possible answer to his riddle is the true location – assuming it’s still where he left it of course.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Of course it involved Connor, he always did seem to end being dragged into situations by the two sisters. If it wasn't rescuing Huttlings, it was fighting hordes of zombies and Sith soldiers in a ruined Sith academy trying to stop an insane Sith doctor messing with something that shouldn't be messed with.

The grin on her face couldn't be wiped away either, this was a huge thing and they both knew that.

"So what's the clue?" Taeli asked, carefully turning each page as she looked through the journal. "I always enjoy a good treasure hunt, and something this important to the Jedi should be found. The knowledge it could impart to everyone would be invaluable."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"On the face of it the clue was straightforward, except anyone who really know him, would know it's a false clue, I mean..." She stopped talking. "Perhaps I should read the clue."

Carefully, reverently, she found the place in the journal. The speed with which she found it suggested she'd read it regularly.

Reading out loud she said, "I have finally decided on a place to keep the holocron for safe keeping. It was simple really. I was eating a peach and it reminded me of a time long-past."

"Which suggests Stewjon and his his brother. There are enough popular references to the fact. Except he never had a brother. He confided in Qui-Gon that it was actually Farseeing and that it was Anakin's step-brother he saw in his dream-memories. So is it linked to the Lars homestead, Stewjon or perhaps somewhere else? I was wondering if there was a fruit shop in Anchorhead called Owen or something?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"No I suspect it has to be something not too obvious," Taeli said, looking over the passage. Her knowledge on Obi-Wan was not nearly as extensive as her sister's but if there was one thing the Jedi Master was known for, it was he always did the practical thing. "He wouldn't have much connection to Stewjon as he was brought into the Jedi at the proper age and he wouldn't leave it at the Lars homestead. Owen Lars and Obi-Wan didn't get along, at least from records from what Luke Skywalker said."

Thinking about it, she wondered whether what time he was thinking of.

"Do you think maybe he's talking about Siri Tachi or the Duchess Satine?" she asked, referring to the two women that were attached to Obi-Wan's story as potential romance options.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus screwed up her nose. “The fruit reference is directly linked to Owen. But it makes no sense. Unless...”

She looked to her sister. “Listen, he was eating a peach and remembered a time long past. A clear reference to his brother. But there was only one person he considered his brother and he said as much. I think the time long past was then. ‘You were my brother Anakin; I loved you.’”

Now she was getting excited. “Of course Mustafar is a big place, so he wouldn’t just hide it anywhere. He needed somewhere safe. Somewhere it couldn’t easily be found. And that planet was home to an old Jedi Enclave – and if legend is to be believed the Chu-Gon Dar cube. If you put something in it, you could manipulate the Force properties. So you could hide a Holocron in plain sight as it wouldn’t give off a Force auara…”

“I mean it’s not perfect but it’s a good start.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Which Jedi was crazy enough to establish an enclave on Mustafar?" Taeli asked, her face and voice giving off a feeling of incredulous surprise. "You know what? Nevermind, clearly someone had a vision and they couldn't resist making it so they would do the will of the Force. I suppose it is a good a place as any and apparently there were stories from spacers that a Jedi Master's spirit that matched Obi-Wan's description appeared there during the Galactic Civil War."

It was a better start point than Stewjon or here on Tatooine, although that give her an idea of something she wasn't going to wait around on doing.

"So when are we leaving to go track this thing down?" she asked, smiling. "I want some time to learn more Jedi techniques and I want to buy out that stupid bloody tourist trap that is called the Lars homestead now. That place needs to be restored for history's sake."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Double post whoops

 

[Corvus Raaf]

“Jedi Master Chu-Gon Dar actually,” Corvus said. “And we can cut short our trip here and go look for it now, or we can carry on and take in the sights. I leave the choice up to you…and by the way, what technique would you like to learn next? I mean we’re here right now and we won’t be going anywhere tonight.”

She smiled at her sister’s enthusiasm and already started to formulate their trip to Mustafar in her head. Connor would have to come too – it was only fair. But could he cope with two Raaf sisters? She chuckled to herself before realising what she was doing.

“Sorry…silly thought. Don’t mind me.”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"A trip to Mustafar might require a little planning," Taeli said, her brain already wondering what they would need to do to explore that world. A treasure hunt into an abandoned enclave on a volcanic world did sound fun though . . . dear Force, she and Corvus did have the same definition of fun.

"I have no idea what else I'd like to learn," Taeli mumbled. "There's so much I don't know yet, and so much I want to learn it's hard to choose the next thing. This might be a little embarrassing to ask, but maybe you could teach me how to make a Force Barrier? Praelior never taught me, and it was something I could never pick up from others."

She wanted to learn Healing soon too, but that would require injuries to heal. Maybe during Mustafar she would be able to learn it.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded. Force Barrier was a Ability she'd learned not long after jumping out of the window of a skyscraper to save a Senator's life. It seemed a sensible thing to do at the time.

And of late the Ability had suddenly become more popular.

"Yes, I can teach you Barrier," she said rummaging in a draw for some props. "And you can learn Deflection too. The former is about creating a bubble, the second is about a more focused shield. A smaller area, less power required to hold it."

She suddenly pointed a blaster at her sister. "Just kidding," she said and put it down rather than away. In her hands she now held some soft rubber balls. "We start with these, so you get the feel for something hitting your barrier and having to call on the Force to replenish it."

"So, to start with, call the Force to you and imagine pushing it out from your body, as if you're making a suit of armour with it. As you push out further, it tends to form a bubble naturally. Some imagine the bubble is a solid, others that it's more fluid. It's what works for you, the result is always the same."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Nodding, and after being a Sith for so long, a blaster wasn't going to intimidate her during training. Flashes of fighting monsters with a lot of teeth and claws filled her mind for a second as she thought about Praelior's training methods. Yeah, a blaster was the least of her concerns.

"Okay, Master," she said, a smile on her lips as she addressed her sister.

Calling the Force to her, politely and all that, she began to gather it up inside her. Once she felt it had reached a certain point, she visualized something like a personal shield generator, a shimmery field that would surround her, and slowly pushed the Force outwards to surround her. Pushing it more, she kept the flow of the Force constant until she felt like she was surrounded by a bubble.

She had no idea how strong the barrier actually was, as a novice at the technique it probably wasn't too strong yet, but she hoped it would at least take a few hits.

"I think it's decent," Taeli said, looking over at her sister and the rubber missile that would be getting hurled at her.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded her approval. “Good work my Padawan.” She was clearly making the most of having no barrier up to keep out extraneous emotions.

“Now there are two aspects to consider. The first is that when you’re hit, you’ll feel it through the Force. And when it’s weakened you’ll have to replenish it through the Force. For Padawans it’s usually an early lesson and a real strain for them. I expect you’ll find it easier because you can draw more and for longer. But it’s still an odd sensation.”

As she started to throw rubber balls at her sister she talked. “Of course it keeps all sorts out, gasses, liquids, you name it. And of course things in too. Place a bubble over someone else and you either protect or trap them.”

After a half dozen throws, Corvus used a little Force to speed the balls up. “How does it feel?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]