After The Fire...

[Liuna]

Just outside the cargo ship, Liuna stood with her hands on her hips.

She watched as supplies were unloaded and then brought down the narrow path to the village. Though it had been months since the attack, the devastation was still quite apparent. The brilliant landscape of Felucia still suffered heavy black marks; even the ground was still dark in places. Here on the jungle-world, the Mirialan may have stood out due to her green-hued skin. But she figured that she was not nearly as colorful as some of the flora here, so in her mind she fit in.

Hefting a bag of rations, she made her own way down the path. Even from here, she could see that the village was still in various stages of being rebuilt. Eyes shifting to the right, she could see the burial mounds that had been formed to house their many dead. There were simple markers that marked each grave; the number was startlingly high for such a place. It was clear that their attackers had been cruel, ruthless and relentless. The new village elder was standing ready to greet the members of the relief effort.

“Greetings,” Liuna called as she approached the Felucian woman. “My name is Liuna, I was sent here by the Silver Services Corps. We are sorry that we were unable to come sooner, and the Grandmaster herself wishes to extend her regrets – she was unable to journey with us.”

The Mirialan knew that Grandmaster Kitra still had quite an affinity for this village, and had paid many visits to this place before. That was exactly the reason she feared returning in person, perhaps she had unknowingly brought this upon her Felucian friends. As a new member of the Silver Shadows, Liuna had ulterior motives for coming here. While the aid workers were busy, she hoped to investigate the source of the fire that had ravaged many villages here – and the nameless that had murdered the natives that lived peacefully here. Not only that, but there had been a somewhat recent attempt on Master Kitra’s life. Though the Grandmaster and her beau had escaped alive, they had few clues as to their assailant.

Offering the elder a respectful nod, Liuna began to walk. Her boots brought her further into the village, where she could see the fields that were now empty. What was once a precious crop of Nysilin plants was now nothing but ash and dust. Kneeling down, she let her gloved hand lift some of the soil.

“What a shame…” She said to herself, and pushed out a sigh.

Turning a glance over her shoulder, she looked back towards the village. With any luck, she’d be able to uncover what happened here.

[member="Silas Lastorm"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

He felt an unsettling and altogether unfamiliar sensation. Silas Lastorm felt trapped. He tried to suppress the urge, but it continued to rest in the back of his skull. It has been seven years since he stepped foot on Felucia, or had it been eight? It felt like another lifetime when he had lived on this world. Silas had never been sure if he would return, it held many great pieces of his life, but also terrible turmoil. The last day he had been on the exotic world, his herd had exiled him and set out onto the stars. Now he was not only heading back, but would be nearly next door to the people who had raised him. He didn’t want to go, he knew there was every chance it might stir up a great pain in him, but he could not in good conscious sit idly by while his “home world” needed aid. His growing feeling of entrapment was not helped by the cramped space he had found onboard a commercial freighter, filled with medical supplies and resources. He sat alone, hidden away in the cargo bay, hoping to find some peace.

The call came across the ship that they had touched down, part of Silas had wanted to see the planet in orbit, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Now, he picked up the faded blue robes he had brought and put it over his brown tunic and flipped his hood up. He was here to help, but wanted to keep attention and prying eyes away. He made his way through the durasteel hallways, keeping his gaze down as he moved through the rescue workers that had arrived on planet. He took a deep breath as he approached the doors, wondering what might await him on the other side.

As the door opened, an instant pang of heartbreak come across him. The bountiful world was burned, still showing scars of it’s dismay. The exotic fauna, the beautiful plants and trees he had communed with and raised alongside were charred remains. A swelling sense of anger rose in him, mixed with a twinge of regret. Would he have been able to stop any of this if he had only stayed here? Probably not, but the thought still lingered in his mind. The village has damaged, but bustling with activity as the rebuilding efforts were undergoing. He knew this village, he spent a great deal of time he when he was a child and his adopted mother came here to mend and heal the villagers and all forms of life. His own home was only a few klicks away. His eyes darted to see any Ithorians that might be around, fearing he might be recognized, but the only one he saw was wearing a Czerka uniform and seemed to be an offworlder, which he supposed he was now.

The life of the world reached to him in the Force, he felt it’s pain. The colorful trees of the mighty forest were all burned black, and Silas’ heart hurt. He saw a group in the center of the village, which seemed to be filled with other rescue workers. He saw a Zeltron male, a Mirialan female, and a few others standing in a group of humans. He slowly made his way, carefully keeping to himself, but seeking where he might aid.

[member="Liuna Ondizi"]

 

[Liuna]

Standing up once more, she shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared out at the expanse of fields. Just like the one she stood upon, the farmland that stretched out into the distance was much the same. Her lips pressed together into a frown. Without their crops, these villages would suffer immensely. Their livelihood was gone – for the season, and perhaps longer. The Mirialan wasn’t sure exactly how long these healing plants took to propagate and mature.

From what she understood, some of the Felucian population had evacuated after the fire. The Silver Services Corps had provided transport to a new home to those that wished it. But those that remained now were the most stubborn. As Grandmaster Kitra had told her, the members of this village refused to leave. They would rather face death again than abandon their home.

Turning her dark gaze back towards the village, she noticed a lone figure coming down the path.

Liuna’s eyes narrowed slightly. Brisk steps brought her back towards the village, where aid workers were now working to help repair some structures. However, there was one hut towards the edge of the settlement that had been left untouched. Though it was in very poor repair, it was still standing. Based on the account given to her by the Grandmaster, this was the hut had she had stayed in the night prior to the attempt on her life. This village had certainly seen its share of bad times. Death had swept through here at the hands of the mercenary sent to kill the Grandmaster, and then the villagers had been terrorized yet again as the fire ravaged their land.

The newcomer hadn’t spoken up just yet, so Liuna made her way over to greet him. He didn’t look familiar, and his clothing did not match the uniforms worn by most of the service members here. This place wasn’t terribly well-known to off-worlders, as she understood it. What were the chances that some random man would come strolling through?

“Hey,” She said, stepping into his path. “Lost your way? Or is there something I can help you with?”

[member="Silas Lastorm"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Silas kneeled down, placing his hand onto the ground. Closing his eyes, he felt the earth beneath him even as the Mirialan spoke. The charred grass crumbled under his hand, splintering into tiny ashes that floated into the air. Silas knew the ground was warm from the sun resting on it, but he felt like he could still feel the fire. The blaze burning in his mind. It's fire burning deep into his belly. The earth was scarred, yet he could feel the scars which ran deeper. He opened his eyes, looking at the woman standing above him. His knees ached as he rose back up, and then his features became warmer as a wistful smile came across his lips.

"I know these lands too well to ever be lost in them." There was a tenderness to his voice, like a child remembering a fond memory. The woman looked younger than him, though carrying herself with a maturity that was intimidating. Her voice was kind, though there was a sternness to it. Silas supposed she had a right to being suspicious of a mysterious hooded man. His eyes wanted to drift to the weapons at her sides, but he was only aware of them as he continue to look in her face. There was a fire in her spirit, one that was both apparent and appealing, though she masked it with a coolness that Silas felt sliding up his spine.

"And I don't need help." Silas' arm billowed in his coat as he placed a hand on his chest, "I've come to help." His smile let a hint of sorrow slide into it. There was no denying the bittersweetness of this return, but he would aid Mother Jungle and his home whatever the cost. "I've learned how to build, though not very good with mechanics. If they need to help with construction, I spent some time working with a crew on Sullust. I've been blessed with the skills of healing, herbology, and the places of nature commune with me. I may be able to heal the land in some small ways." He supposed that he sound strange to the woman, it was a sentiment often shared about Silas. He was never quite sure what to say when his mouth opened, which is why he often kept it shut. When it was open, there were plenty of words moving around in his head that would come falling out. No telling if they were going to be the right ones or not. "Whatever you need me to do, I suppose." He reddened, feeling self-conscious. They were professionals, he assumed from their uniforms, and he would only be in there way. "If you even need help." Now he was just rambling. Was he nervous? He supposed he had plenty to be nervous about.

"Sorry." He supposed honesty would be better than idiocy. "Haven't been home in a long time, and it's in quite a different state than I left it."

[member="Liuna Ondizi"]

 

[Liuna]

Liuna’s brows slowly lofted. Head canting to the side, she watched curiously as the stranger knelt and touched the ground. The way he closed his eyes spoke to some sort of connection to this place, perhaps this was some way of communing with the land itself. As he stood to his feet once more and smiled, Liuna let a small flicker of a smile appear on her face as she waited for his answer.

Listening closely as he spoke, she noted the slight softness to his tone. The Mirialan found that her eyes needed to travel up to meet his now, as he was much taller than she. Her dark eyes took in his features, quietly appraising him. He had quite a striking appearance, made even more so by the brightness of his eyes. The man seemed fit, and as her eyes continued to travel, they were looking for any sort of weaponry that might pose a threat. But there was nothing troublesome displayed in his demeanor.

As always, she had not forgotten that appearances alone could be quite deceiving.

She blinked a couple of times when he mentioned that he had come to help. Well, now… maybe there were still decent people out there wandering the galaxy. And it seemed that he came equipped with experience that could prove helpful indeed. The flush that found his face did not go unnoticed, nor did his nervous rambling. Liuna finally flashed him a grin that held a bit more warmth. She waved away his apology and turned to glance at the village.

“There are several ways you could help here, no doubt the locals would appreciate it, too.” She noted aloud, “But there might be a way that you can help me.” Motioning for him to follow, she began to walk towards the edge of the village, where the jungle came to meet it. “This is my first time here on Felucia,” Liuna said with a sidelong glance to her new companion. “But since you already know this place, we might make a good team.”

Pausing momentarily, she realized that she should probably provide some kind of introduction.

“I’m Liuna Ondizi, by the way. I’m here with the Silver Services Corps, it’s a humanitarian aid group connected with the Order of the Silver Jedi.” She stuck out a gloved hand for him to take, “And you are?”

For now, she would withhold her true connection to the Silver Jedi – she didn’t want to blow her cover just yet.

[member="Silas Lastorm"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Silas' jaw wanted to drop, part of him flushed with excitement and surprise. Though Mother Jungle had been wounded here, she still moved in powerful and mysterious ways. Silas had spent years now searching the galaxy, what he was looking for was unknown to him, but the Force was always present, always a steady hand guiding him in his journey. He had been considering finding a place where he might come to understand it better, where the secrets of the Force might become known. Perhaps this was the will of the Force, to bring him back home so that he might find his next path.

He calmed his mind. That was not why he was here and he was getting far ahead of himself. Rather than allow himself to try to make a connection to the Silver Jedi, he had learned long ago that it was better to let the spirit of the Force guide him. He would find his destiny, perhaps this stranger would be a part of it or perhaps not.

"Silas." He grasped her hand, the corners of his mouth forming comforting smile lines. "I will be happy to help anyway that I can." He let down his hood, thinking that he was safe from recognition for now and it would be better to not rile any suspicion from Liuna. "Especially if it may aid Felucia and the Silver Jedi."

[member="Liuna Ondizi"]

 

[Liuna]

As Silas grasped her hand, she gave his palm a firm squeeze before letting go. “Good to meet you, Silas.” The Mirialan said with a brief nod. “And we can get started right away, if you’ve no objections.”

Stepping into the jungle was like venturing into some kind land from a storybook. There was a full array of interesting and colorful plants. And though they had a bit of shelter from the sunlight, it was still fairly hot and humid. Her index finger tugged at the neckline of her shirt, but it did little to offer relief. Her boots fell lightly on the ground, careful not get tangled in vines or tripped up on roots.

“So,” She started, turning a sideways glance at Silas. “A high-ranking member of our Order was attacked here. It all started back in the village. From what I understand, a mercenary brought in squadron of soldiers to help get the job done – they wreaked havoc on the locals.” She began to explain, eyes narrowing just so. “The target fled into this stretch of jungle, troops and the mercenary or bounty hunter pursued – so I’m hoping to find some clues left behind.”

While she lacked the force-sensitivity that might have made this task all the easier, she did have sharp eyes. But she was glad to have someone along that did have experience with Felucia. Even the smallest detail might give way to a bigger development.

“You said before that it had been a while since you’d been home,” Liuna said, her eyes scanning the ground as they walked. “You’re originally from here?” She let her gaze shift to find Silas for a moment.

[member="Silas Lastorm"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

When he had come home, he had not expected what felt like the start of a some adventure. He had not come to Felucia to find the Jedi, yet one of their associates was now bringing him along some quest. Now, they moved through the jungles, the giant colored plants sliding across his skin like they had when he was a child. He noticed her adjusting to the humidity and smiled. He lived most of his life here and he still never got used to it. As she spoke, Silas' eyes had moved all through the jungle and landed on Liuna. His eyes were drawn to her frame, but he swatted that focus away. When she started to speak, he could feel her stare when she looked over to him.

"Is the attack related to the fire?" In Silas' attempt to hide from the major players of the universe, the Jedi, Sith, and the like, it also meant that he spent most of his time in the dark about current events. He could keep track of every smuggler he's ever seen or worked with, but remembering the news was a chore. Angrer flared in Silas' mind for a moment if that were true. If an attempt on a Jedi Grandmaster had cost so many innocents so much, and truly hurt Mother Jungle, that would be another blow. "I suppose it doesn't matter." He let those thoughts go. "What matters to you, is finding out what happened out here in my jungles. Come with me."

A massive bulbous plant extended towards the sky, a red wall of flower reaching twenty feet eye. Silas approached, sliding his hands between the folds of the giant petals. He looked back at Liuna, then nudged his head for her to follow. Inside, the pair rested in the middle of the giant flower, and now they could see the yellow thorns the size of a human leg that rested inside the flower. "Ionrais, or the devour flowers. We used to climb them when I was little." He grabbed a hold of the first giant thorn and hoisted himself up. "We ought to be able to get a good vantage from up there." He continued upward, pressing forward. He could feel the Force strongly on Felucia, it was a densely powerful world and it was so familiar to him. He could sense he was where he needed to be. This ally, this aid of the Jedi had a destiny which intertwined with his. He needed to be here with her now.

Silas didn't want to answer about his origins. He was too close to his people, too close to reopening new wounds. Right when this new, exciting development in his life was taking over. Then, Silas considered that Liuna had no reason to trust him, yet she had just shared what seemed like a great secret. That was a degree of trust which Silas would not take lightly.

"This is where I'm from, but not originally." Silas continued climbing up the flower. "If you're up for another good mystery, maybe one day we'll figure out where that is." He took a moment to stop on a thorn, taking a moment to breath. He looked around and his strange surroundings, happy to be home once again. "I was raised on Felucia. Brought up by an ithorian herd. The Nature Priestess was my guardian, sort of became my mother too, I suppose." Once they reached the top of the flower, the thorns cleared away. Silas stepped down, the top of the flower was so large that it barely buckled under his weight. Once Liuna joined him, he sat down close to the edge, hanging his feet off the side. "That's the village there." They hadn't travelled too deep into the jungle, but the details of the village were hard to make out. "We can start looking up here." Before looking for clues, he looked out onto the horizon. The scars of the burnt forest resting on the bottom of his frame of vision. "You'll need to keep your people out of the northern mountains. Rancors like to occupy the caves at their base. Down south is where you can find some gelagrub, temperamental bugs but can be used for cheap transport. Help get your supplies around. Speaking of, there is a alcove nearby. You can send a team there, right? Nysillin grows there, it's a healing herb. It will help the people. Just watch out for the Felucians tribes there, they can be rather territorial. Niango is southwest, past the large lakes. A few fuel stations to the west." He was rambling at this point, but he couldn't seem to stop. He was never quite sure what would happen any time he opened his mouth, and this time it seemed to refused to go back to being shut. "I've heard rumors of a shaman to the east, some dark user of the Force. Corrupted by the land, an exiled Nightsister. That old song and dance." He said with a smile. Silas wasn't sure if he believed those stories, but it seemed to paint an exotic image that Felucia deserved. "And there is an ithorian tribe a few klicks north. If you have spare food, they could certainly use it. And any technology that may help their holonet connections, they don't get much of that here. Or much of anything." He supposed the least he could do was try to help out his old herd. He sat in silence for a moment. Embarrassed by his excessive rant. Not sure what to feel or say, but he dangerously reopened his mouth once again. "I suppose that proves I'm from here." He laughed.

[member="Liuna Ondizi"]

 

[Liuna]

As Silas beckoned, she followed along just a step or two behind. Approaching the towering plant, Liuna’s eyes shifted skyward. Her palms pressed against the exterior of the large bulb, still staring in wonder. Catching sight of Silas again, she slipped between the giant petals after him. “Karkin’ hell,” the words slipped out in a quiet tone. “Never seen anything like this before.” She blinked at the large thorns.

Watching as Silas began to climb with ease, a sly smile found her lips.

Well now, this might actually be fun. Jumping up, she grabbed hold of a thorn and then stuck her boot against another to hoist herself up. If her companion hadn’t had a head start, she might have suggested making it a race. However, she had to remember that she was here on business. No matter her rather serious dealings here on Felucia, there was still a lively spark inside that was difficult to tame. As Silas began to speak, she upped her pace – athletic arms, legs and core worked to catch her up.

“I’m always up for a good mystery.” She responded between breaths.

Pulling herself up and over the edge, she found herself atop the large flower with Silas. The tall plant barely moved or swayed with the weight of them. Her eyes widened slightly, it was surreal. Unlike the Felucian native, she did not sit comfortably on the edge with legs dangling, but took to a knee. “The village – got it.” She said, head turning as he indicated the direction. Liuna listened as Silas began to paint quite the picture of this place, complete with rancors and gelagrubs. A brow arched mischievously.

“Someday, I think I’d like to see a rancor in person.” She mused aloud, and continued to listen.

Bringing her backpack to the front for moment, she snagged a pair of macrobinoculars from inside. Shifting the shoulder straps, she situated the pack into place once more. Bringing the binoculars up to her dark eyes, she gazed through.

“Mmhmm, proof enough for me.” She agreed, a grin visible on her face. “And we can definitely send some supplies up to the Ithorian tribe. We are here to help, after all.”

Scanning the vibrant landscape, there certainly seemed to be a path traveled by the fire. The scortch marks on the ground and the surrounding flora was still fairly clear, though it had been some weeks since the event. And she understood that Grandmaster Kitra had been here sometime before, still working to piece together the timeline she figured that only a few weeks might have separated the assassination and the fire. Just as she was about to provide further explanation to her companion, something caught her attention.

“Take a look at this!” She pipped up, pointing into the distance. Bringing the binoculars away from her eyes, she offered it up to Silas. “There’s something out there.”

It was stark and white – perhaps some kind of armor. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to fit in here.

[member="Silas Lastorm"]