Aspects of Light Creating Choices of Survival.

[Fyor Nayus]

Kashyyyk​

Shadowlands
Evening​

Deep, dank, and dark were hardly enough to describe the conditions you found at the lower reaches of Kashyyyk’s endless forests. Miles above, huge towering Wroshyr trees overshadowed everything, while down here everything preyed on everything else. Wookies rarely ventured anywhere near the Shadowlands, even the lower forests levels were sparse because of how dangerous they were, let alone this far down. Many of the plants were predators, and nothing was as it seemed.

Mysteries abound down here, much like the depths of coruscant, only older and less touched. A very long time ago, such places had been the haunts of a self titled Sith Lord named Raien Keth, now diminished but ever relentless, he had begun visiting the old sites of power in the forests depths. In one such place a clearing had been made, undergrowth was cut aside, several dead predators lay about, their scent a warning to others. It also drew other predators to feast on them, and served as a clever barrier to whatever was in that clearing.

A large bestial creature was feasting on the corpses, and above it a Katarn waited to pounce on the predator doing the eating!

A man sized hatch could be seen by a group of bushes, heading down. Well hidden, you might well miss it unless you felt the multitude of force signatures underneath. Some very feint in extreme distress, one or two pronounced, and if the hatch could feel more uneasy or antiquated than the forest itself, it would, because it had been there a very, very long time. Once upon a time, you might be forgiven for feeling this whole area had been lived in, even this far down, because it had hundreds of years ago. Now all that remained unconsumed by the forest, was that one hatch and whatever you might find stepping through it.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]
​[member="Armand Temi"]
[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Spoiler

I'll introduce any Sith if and when they are needed.

 

[Armand Temi]

Location: Kachiro City, Kashyyyk

Armand was on a quick trip to Kashyyyk to deliver some medical supplies to the Wookiee population on Wawaatt Archipelago. The Hapan doctor had been here one time before as a medic and occasional soldier in the Battle of Kashyyyk between the Galactic Republic and the One Sith. After he med-evacuated a group of Generals, he had left with his Republic allies. But since then had kept in touch with the most prominent of the Wookiee healers he had met.

So with warmth and good cheer he hugged Dr. Nagkabukk and reunited with his friend. Armand had brought his 2-1B surgical droid along with him for the trip and he activated the droid's translation function so he could converse with the tall, hairy doctor in Basic.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Fyor Nayus"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Cambrian Jedi landed at Kachiro City, Kashyyyk. It had been a long time since she had been back here. The previous battle left her feeling drained and her failure to secure the planet prior to the cataclysm of the Netherworld left a sore spot in her heart for the Wookies. But things were different on this visit. This time there would be no Sith, no imperial soldiers, nor the threat of further death and destruction. At least, that is what she'd hoped.

Exiting her starship she headed toward the city center, intent on meeting with the clan leaders to discuss the possibility of building a hidden Jedi Enclave somewhere on the planet. With the loss of a number of their sanctuaries, they would be in dire need of hiding holocrons in new locations that would be unknown to their enemies. The city was bustling, and she had some time to spare, so she would wander about the market district in search of the rarer items to gaze at.

[member="Armand Temi"] | [member="Fyor Nayus"]

 

[Niaana Ren]

Spoiler

Dropping her in early temporarily, to give you a link between locations, skipping Fyor this round.

Location:
Outskirts of the Market District.

Absence, a feint force signature, barren and unwilling to grow. Her aura to those with sense for such things was hollow, practiced emptiness, cultivated to an artform by others, a product of labored experiments. Dressed in brown and cream veiled clothing, apart from the thin face veil it was simple as a traveler of the forests would wear, strapped up with bags and other essentials. Even so she wasn’t welcome within the city market by many, and had to haggle on its outskirts with those wookies that were just greedy or blind enough to do business with her. Something was off about the way Niaana moved, almost slithering her steps from one stall to another, and her tongue, she held a hint of venom in each word that cut to hear.

Master had sent her up for supplies, irritating that their pets needed such looking after, her warped mind had little regard for what she brought them to eat, or their conditions, only that it was edible so Master wasn’t displeased. Niaana bartered with the wookies with all the skill of a broken droid, that is to say, she didn’t. She simply glared at people icily from behind her veil, and eventually found one or two able to deal with her.

After the liquid food, parts to fix one of the bacta tanks were acquired, and several powerful sedatives were purchased from a particular angry wookie, who just wanted rid of her. The young Echani Sith had a way of making people feel ill at ease. She would have preferred to just take and cut, take and cut, so simple, but Master didn’t want her to play, maybe later. A wealth of vibroknives glinted wherever she walked, placed throughout her simple dress, that much was always on show. Apart from her unique combination of goods, the sheer number of knives was the only other notable thing that set her apart, that and that aura... faint but present.

Slowly Niaana began re-trace her steps, back downward through Kachiro, always moving, as if movement was something she craved when she was allowed her playtime, which was rare.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] | [member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Cambrian shivered but there would be no breeze to dance through the air. The shiver was cold, but not from the temperature. And there was darkness, though it was mid-day. Sith. She had grown accustomed to sensing their presence now, wretched things they were. And so the Jedi scanned the area, looking for the source of her discomfort. Certainly the wookies would not be so silly as to allow these villains back onto Kashyyyk after what had happened before. So why was this one here?

The girl continued to wander around, her mind reaching out towards the edges of the market to nail down where this person was. Where are you, Sith? As she drew ever nearer to the source she would lock her eyes on to [member="Niaana Ren"], a girl who appeared slightly younger, though a bit taller, than Sera. With silver hair and a pale complexion. An Echani? She looked like she was making purchases, though for what Sera couldn't tell.

For now the Twi'lek would simply observe her movements and follow in the distance behind her, keeping out of sight as best a pink twi'lek could.

[member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Armand Temi]

After Armand Temi and Dr. Nagkabukk finished unloading the supplies and then caught up over a stimcaf, he bid farewell to the furry giant medical worker and made his way to the heart of Kachiro. The Hapan was interested in visiting the fabled Wookiee markets as he collected antiques and was on the hunt for a special piece of jewelry for a Zeltron lady-friend. As he wandered through displays of bowcasters and ryyk blades, he eventually came to an area where pottery and jewelry were sold. He approached one of the merchants with his droid in tow. In Shyriiwook, the 2-B1 surgical droid asked if the Wookiee seller if she had any Naboo Night Pearls. The merchant barked and growled and a spirited round of haggling began between the two. Oh good, Armand thought. I've found the pearls that Leilani was looking for.

Suddenly he felt two Force signatures in different directions. One was extremely strong but also of a non-threatening nature. The other signature was much less strong but indicated a darker presence. Armand left 2-B1 to negotiate and began slowly looking around the market. He walked and perused various sundries so as to not attract attention but his eyes and ears were on alert for signs of these two Force users.

[member="Niaana Ren"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Niaana Ren]

Faint traces, breadcrumbs of unease were left by the acolyte, not strong, but disturbing to all who touched them. Hints of what was below, many voices calling for help, and for someone to free them! She carried all that, because she had spent years there, with nothing else on her mind, her repeating thoughts were of that place, faces, names, places. Hints of what she was heading towards. She was that place trapped in a shell, she’d gone beyond her bonds, no longer yearning for release. Anyone could pick up on this. Someone with compassion might feel sorry for her, at least if you’d never met her personally, and what she could have been!

Distance... rapidly increasing. Niaana had coiled and looped her way back to a transport lift, heading down the central stem of the cities main trunk structure. The Jedi might lose her if they didn’t follow, she didn’t blend in, but she was small enough and feint enough in the force that shadows beginning to surround her would mirror the shadowlands below. She felt like the shadowlands, and he felt like she was in a hurry to return there, that she belonged there.

“Below, to the ssss’hadow lands,” her voice took on a feint hiss, she was going all the way down, as far as their city’s lift would take them. It was a big transport platform with some dozen or so passengers. Other lifts followed it in rapid succession, the central stem was a busy place, with lot of activity up and down the city’s core.

It wouldn’t be long before her footsteps took her off her lift, dropping to a walkway, and then the descent further and further into the predatory, foreboding darkness below. She wasn't slowing or stopping for anything or anyone, a trait she had taken from her Master. Wild calls and animal voices were abound down here, a dangerous place, her animal-like movements fitted right in.

[member="Armand Temi"] | [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Armand felt he was losing the weaker Force signature so he picked up his pace towards it, his long legs striding now down the marketplace streets. The Naboo Night Pearls may have to wait. He picked up more clues that beings - humans or aliens were in trouble somewhere on the planet. They were trapped or enclosed.

And just like that... it was gone. Armand Temi turned his attention to the stronger Force signature and sent out a mental signal to the Force user. "I sense danger here in the market. Do you?"

With his own Force powers, he tried in the most nonthreatening way to read whether the stronger Jedi was light or dark. The Twi'lek would feel him probing her mind gently, a cilia of questions gracing her psyche. "Will you find me?" he asked, knowing she would be able to pinpoint him much faster with her more advanced use of The Force.

[member="Niaana Ren"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek watched as the girl got into a transport and headed for the darkened Shadowlands beneath Kachiro. What is that girl doing? As she hopped up into another of the transports she made clear her destination but felt the presence of another Jedi. Her eyes closed and head dipped down, asking the transport driver to hold for a moment. She heard the unfamiliar voice echo in her mind for a moment, confirming her own suspicions as to the Sith's presence here. The transport shuttles, come. Quickly. Sera would hold the shuttle until [member="Armand Temi"] arrived, before following the Sith down below.

Sera could sense her presence getting more and more distance the further she descended. If Armand didn't move quickly, they may lose the trail. Although unsure of what the Sith was truly here for, she was inclined to discover whatever plans were in place. A Sith is never present without some form of horror trailing quickly in its' wake.

[member="Niaana Ren"]

 

[Fyor Nayus]

Deep In the Lab

Eyes opening, bleary vision, the lorrdian was weak, like someone who hadn't been able to move, except briefly, for several years now. “Another fine mess Fyor, calculating the odds at getting out of this one, at over a million to one.” Speaking to himself had become a necessity, it had been a lonely few years! He’d almost escaped recently when Sith boarded a friends ship, but stayed behind to give the others time to escape.

And he wasn’t alone.

There were at least 6 force signatures coming from the hatch and laboratory below, as well as some regular civilians and a stronger, older Sith presence at its core.

6 Signatures, six lives in the balance, force users, all unconscious except for Fyor, some in great pain, some twisting and turning or suffering other ailments. Not much more than this could be felt, and if their image would reach anyone at this distance, it would be faint traces at best. Voices? No not this far away, only whispers shouting for help or release.

Fyor himself, [member="Natalya Selanne"] who seemed to be putting up quite a fight to stay conscious, wildly thrashing around in her enclosed bacta tank in severe pain.

And four other unfortunate souls:

Trapped to a table of sorts, Fyor's electronic devices had been stripped, so he was all but blind, no visor assisting his vision, if only he had a brandy, or a cigar, but no not even the small luxuries! Typical Sith, he coughed painfully. He couid sense the other bacta tanks around him, tubes were everywhere, robotic parts, people locked away. At least nobody was screaming today, that always made for a better day.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Niaana Ren]

Towards these force signatures, a virtual nexus and gathering in the force, because her Master never liked hiding, or the weakness it implied. Barren of her own feelings, she could feel the emotion welling up as she closed the distance, dodging predators that would either reach for her leg, or stalk her in the bushes.

Some predators she cut, some she stabbed, and others she toyed with for a while. Today was delicious. She closed to that suffering and torment, she fed off it, lapping at it like an exquisite banquet. Her only form of feeling at all was given to her by others. In another life Niaana would have been the most powerful empath and healer you’d ever meet, but in this one, her fate had been very different.

A fate she was returning to eagerly, leaving a trail of corpses in her wake, and a knife or two embedded, she had plenty more. She wound her way, skipping at times, creeping at others, this was her home. The shadows that coated her now all but masked her from view in the force, it was the beacon of the hatch and laboratory below that shone out through the shadowlands.

She disappeared into the undergrowth, shadows consuming her, with naught but corpses to follow, unless they were eaten before the Jedi got there. Closer... calls of the wildlife, were overshadowed by calls through the force, a beacon, a light, and a horrid wailing behind it to those who dare listen for long enough.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Armand Temi"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Armand heard the mental call from the other Jedi and broke into a run. Up ahead he saw the public transports and like breadcrumbs he followed the Force signal from the Jedi until it took him to one of the shuttles. He was momentarily surprised to see a pink Twi'lek as the source but he quickly jumped in beside her and said, "I'm Armand Temi, Jedi Padawan. My former Master was Graxin Rade of the Ession Reformation."

The transport shuttle lurched into gear and began heading towards the Shadowlands. As they followed the road, almost immediately the light, airy space of the marketplace was replaced by the dim gloom of the forest, clogged with trees which blocked out the sun high above. "I sense an extreme danger to beings nearby," said Armand.

[member="Niaana Ren"] [member="Fyor Nayus"] [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera nodded to [member="Armand Temi"] as he climbed in and the transport went speeding down below. "I am Knight Seraphina Shel'tah." She thought for a moment regarding his old master. "I'd heard of Master Rade, but never had the opportunity to meet him and his whereabouts now are unknown it would seem." The darkness crept closer and closer the further away from the city they got. As they reached the bottom Sera tossed a credchit at the driver and lept out. "The shadowlands would not be so unpopulated with civilized species if not dangerous, however I sense the other danger as well. We should move quickly."

Pointing towards the trail of mutilated beast corpses Sera assumed this would be the most likely lead, with the Sith's faint force signature disappearing into the ether, the beasts would lead them like a breadcrumb trail. "Come, lets follow these....tracks. They will surely lead us towards our destination. Be mindful of the beasts this Sith didn't kill, as they are just as dangerous Armand."

[member="Niaana Ren"] | [member="Fyor Nayus"]

 

[Fyor Nayus]

Outside the lands around them were perhaps as they expected, stalking their quarry, stalking them, and stalking other stalkers. That was the way of it down here, you either were a predator or you were eaten.

Two such predators, Doashim were stalking them nearby, it’s call perhaps all too familiar for a twi’lek, the conditions down here dark enough that it had apparently flourished. Shuffling behind, and around, the black skin of another was dimly visible in front.

The two Jedi were apparently being led into an intelligent ambush, red eyes and black horns sticking out of the undergrowth, these quadrupeds were fast, lethal and they had the position on the pair. Just one more step… they could perhaps feel the tension.

…

Crack... a twig broke, something moved.

...

From nowhere a huge snake, a deep green Anakkona chewed straight through the first Doashim, panicking the other, and sending waves of smaller animals scattering from the forest floor. Animals that had wanted easy food from those corpses.

[member="Armand Temi"] | [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

As the Cambrian Twi'lek walked slowly through the brush and overgrowth of the forest she felt the eyes watching her every move. Predators of all kinds searching for their next meal. She would not be a willing morsel however. Gathering a bit of energy through the Force she would focus that on her legs to give her a radical boost to her speed and agility. She'd heard of the beasts that dwell in the Shadowlands, and was surprised that the Sith girl would come down here, unless there was something of great importance.

As she followed along the trail left by the girl she paused for a moment, scanning the area. It was at that moment that the wood fell silent. The calm before the storm. A few moments would pass before the silence was ruptured with the sound of a cracking branch and the strike of the massive snake attacking its' prey. Quickly realizing what had happened and the discovery of the the second Doashim as it fled. Leaping up with a great bit of distance provided by the Force she landed roughly 15 meters forward and began to run further along the trail, glancing back to be certain that the massive snake was still enjoying its' catch.

[member="Fyor Nayus"] | [member="Niaana Ren"]

 

[Fyor Nayus]

Outside the Lab

Seraphina was truly being covert and graceful, an impressive display! No alarms had been tripped in the lab yet, she was nearing the entrance hatch, with all the killing and confusion above things had been drawn away. If she could see or more likely sense it through the force. The entryway was covered up in undergrowth, a gold hatch leading down. Gold Rakattan and Sith runes lay across the surface, a tight fit, and a ladder down to the first floor of the lab would greet her if she was brave enough to continue into the belly of the beast.

At one time this was part of a much larger lab structure, now decaying, with plantlife growing through the walls, the bunker seemed like tight cylindrical tunnels about 7 foot high. More inscriptions were below, the memories of many such horrid experiments recorded, at the self-titled Sith Lord Raien Keth’s hand. Minds had broken, spirits had broken, causes had been corrupted, and slave labor used frequently. All of this darkness could be felt from where she was walking into. [member="Serian Loria"] had put a stop to the slave labor bringing some respectability to the once city above, but that was a different time and a different age.

Now all she might find were dark golden tunnels, crumbling in different directions. While the laboratory, and the screams she would hear were coming from further below. What looked like vaults were on the upper level, though what was in them was unclear.

Fyor In the Lab:

Pain ahead was magnifying as Fyor felt himself picked up in the force, his body unable to move, slowly inserted back into his tank. Whatever tests that were being run on him were done. Mercifully he had lost the ability to see anything without his visor, so long in bacta he had no idea what had befallen him, or what state he was in. Still that hadn't broken his spirit!

“Thank you so very much for your grand hospitality…. I must say I truly believe we are becoming quite amicable friends… ” His voice was quickly cut silent, respiration device reclipped to his mouth, the Jedi felt himself floating in the bacta. A tank which was locked and soon sealed, like the rest of the tanks in the room. Once a lifetime ago like the Jedi above he had been in the republic temple, he missed those times, for one look at Coruscant he would give... the rest of his life. The rest of this, gladly.

The keys for their tanks lay about somewhere… she had to hurry, some of the life signs were already slipping!

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

As the Twi'lek landed into the soft mossy grass beneath her after one final leap she made note of the trail of bodies and footprints having ended. She scanned the horizon, side to side, and back behind her carefully. There was nothing. Certainly a Sith that young was not able to mask her trail quite so easily, so she must be somewhere. She looked up through the grand stems of the trees around her, but there was still nothing. Sera looked down and scratched the back of her head, thinking of how she could have lost the trail.

That's when she saw it, the bit of glare reflecting off of the gold hatchway surrounded by the filthy overgrowth that had dulled the shine. So that's where you've gone. Passing her hand over it she lifted the hatchway using little more than the will of her mind, in the event that the hatchway had been set as a trap. When nothing jumped out, exploded, or clicked, she peered over and down into the hole. It was dark, if nothing else, with a simple ladder that led down into the depths of whatever, or wherever this ended.

With a puff of her cheeks she sighed and began to quietly descend the ladder. How do you get yourself mixed up in this kind of thing constantly? As she reached the bottom of the dwelling she noted the aged architecture and immense plant life that had been reclaiming the structure for what looked like generations. This was certainly a wonderful hideout, but the real question was why? What could they be hiding down here? At least there was a bit more room to maneuver down here than the cramped ladder entrance.

While the Twi'lek shuffled through the corridors, examining the structure, the markings, and whatever she could find on the ground, the shouting of pain and distress would tear through the chambers, alerting to her that she needed to make her way further into the complex, and down to wherever these helpless beings were kept to discover the cause of their distress. She found herself sprinting through the tunnels and various rooms, getting lost a number of times as the winding pathways and numerous dead ends due to collapses constantly brought her back to the first chamber. It would likely take some time to properly navigate through to find where she needed to be, but she was ever persistent.

[member="Fyor Nayus"] | [member="Niaana Ren"]

 

[Fyor Nayus]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] 's persistence and quiet approach would pay off again, through the force, luck or just her determined will. The force perhaps had wanted her to find this place, to end this suffering or bring balance, because she would spot that same Echani Sith she seen before, ducking down what could only described as a hole in the floor. How did you get back up? That was the kicker, this was a one way trip for anyone not skilled in the force, jumping, climbing or otherwise nimble of foot.

Below through the floor, you could easily see the black clad Echani entering perhaps what was the only clean silver door in sight. Niaana typed in a small sequence of runes on the door pad, which in symbolic, but incomprehensible rakattan amounted to the numbers 1…3…7… and was that 8 or 9? Looked like the 8 key? Niaana entered and the door shut.

A rounded metal door, who knows what she would face her inside? That depended how careful Seraphina was. There were a lot of force signatures inside, at least one Sith. If she listened to the force more closely, there was one stronger Sith signature a long distance away, but they were distracted, and there was more than one room likely, because the force signatures were very spread out. If she was really, really observant she’d notice a camera control at the far wall. The camera pointed inside the lab, showing a mess of equipment, bacta tanks, experiment tables, Jedi locked away, no Sith in immediate view, but the suffering of the faces in those tanks to someone with compassion might appear unbearable.

Fyor was conscious, he was hurt, blind without his implants, but he was the lucky one. For a brief second inside his locked bacta tank, he wondered if someone was outside the door… the mind could play tricks on you when you were locked away as long as he had been.

Was she brave enough to take the last step and risk everything for those she hardly knew?

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera caught a quick glimpse once more of the Echani girl as she punched in a code to enter what looked like a large vaulted room before she disappeared behind the door. The Twi'lek's eyes snapped shut, extending her mind out toward the Sith apprentice, doing her very best to disguise her presence to the girl as she telepathically skimmed the forefront of the woman's mind for the pattern of numbers or symbols she had only moments ago entered to gain access to the room. While Sera was a gifted Force user when it came to matters of the mind, she could never be entirely certain as to whether or not her targets felt her presence. It would all depend on their level of training, and connection to the Force.

With the pattern of the code now in hand Sera hopped down to the entryway and quickly tapped in the sequence of symbols. The door slid sideways and granted her entry into the large dimly lit room. Inside she felt the presence of a number of individuals, some light, some dark, some potent, some dull. The varying distances of the signatures and the layout of the area made it difficult to directly tell where each one was coming from. Now was one of those times where she had wished she had something of a cloaking device, or had learned Force Stealth. Anything to better mask her presence here than quietly stumbling around in the dark. Who knew if there were sensors or alarms scattered about.

The Jedi slowly crept around deeper into the compound, and while she made note of a terminal along the wall, decided the risk to using it may be too great, as it could be tightly controlled through security precautions. Instead, she tread quietly through the corridor, further down. Voices could be heard, though faint and incomprehensible right now, it led the way toward where she would likely find the signatures she had felt.

[member="Fyor Nayus"]

 

[Raien Keth]

Darth Surtr’s Laboratory

Past the dark metallic entrance way, dim light blue lighting greeted her, with panels inscribed with fluorescent lighter blue symbolism across the gold surface, languages that were yet to be known, told, or remembered. Despite the metal updates and new equipment in the entrance area, this was an old chamber, very old inside, built on the wishes of an ancient Sith meditation sphere. Further in the suffering here was unimaginable, what had been done in this place to bodies, minds and souls of Echani Sun Guard, loyal men sent mad for Sith wars. It was rife with the darkside, and the deeper you went the more you might feel it.

Black flooring had scattered equipment, wiring or parts underfoot. There were six chamber to hand, small archways which contained a bacta tank. Each tank was securely locked and fastened in place, run by its own life support power unit. There were other empty chambers or those that had gone dark, their fates already sealed. The lock on each surviving chamber was tied to the life support unit of each, simply cutting through the lock might work or it might not, depending on the condition of the person inside.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] would by sheer luck or chance, stumble on her first key card, discarded on the floor, but now she had a perilous choice, did she use it and get a person out, or did she wait until she had all six possibly risking exposure and discovery? Perhaps one of the jedi could help her? Perhaps they would panic and draw attention? The card would fit any lock, and then be used up.

Black clad, motionless of mind and body, Rakattan fire runes burning across his robes, somewhere deep in the back of the facility with his sister Kiara Keth’s body locked away, an ancient Sith Knight knelt, deep in his meditations at the heart of this place. The perpetrator of these experiments, as yet unaware of her intrusion, so deep was his concentration on his farseeing. As to where Niaana ren was sulking about… who could say.