At It Again

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=14pt]Rattatak[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Approaching Surface[/SIZE]


Matsu had only been to Rattatak a few times, and all of those visits had been on business most would find less than pleasant. Back when Nemene Talith had seen fit to hold rulership over the planet, its surface a veritable battleground of force-users pitting themselves against each other for sport or blood, it had been a place promising the metallic scent of gore for entertainment. She’d been present to watch the torture and experimentation on a young togruta, one of the first times she’d allowed her mind to open wide enough to feel the flavor of someone else’s anguish as she’d had some of her lekku removed. (Not like hair – this never grows back. Gone forever.) She’d always had a hard time empathizing and feeling someone else’s despair had made understanding a little easier, but it was still only through touching someone else’s mind or a deep personal connection to another that she felt such knew the concept of ‘feeling sorry’.

Empathy was a strange concept.

But regardless, they’d landed only a short while ago. The routine was becoming old hat and she came armed to the teeth but she had a few interesting ideas in regards to capturing the birds after reading up on them, particularly their need to eat frequently. Capturing an animal that could fly without harming it was tricky, but with that information in tow she thought she saw opportunity.

But then again, she was traveling with Ike – the woman always had a plan of her own to offer. “At least it’s not giant worms this time,” she said quietly, her customary sarcastic comment at the beginning of one of their hunts. (When do they get their own sitcom, the bright light and the black hole, Matsu Squared?)

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

This was a dangerous world at times, the gladiator style arena for fighting and constant threats could prove many many problems. Matsu was sitting there as she held one of the tranq guns provided by the beast hunters. IT was what she needed while checking the belt and holding her new satchel over her shoulder. The quick shot arrow launcher would come in handy and the microdarts could deliver more punch to some skin from the palm shot. She had gotten her researchers to make some at least for handling the diverse wildlife on Shri-Tal. Nothing to bad but she had ideas for getting the birds and a net launcher. That could come in handy with its tougher netting.

"Yes a nice change of pace from huge worms." Matsu had herself armed to the teeth as well while she stood there and was working on her belt, the protective casing for it and the way it worked with her future armor she was planning. The ideas going through her head at the large paycheck from the worms she hadn't spent on equipment... then there was even more from smaller jobs she barely even thought about. That brought a smile to her face while she presented the palm shot. "It fires micro darts with compressed gas, won't have the range but it has some punch for animal hide. We tested it on rancors to see if it can make them sleep."

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Reaching out, she took the palm shot and turned them over. “Rancors? I’m starting to believe that there isn’t anything that seems a challenge to you,” she quipped with a laugh.

Rattatak was an arid planet devoid of the usual environs one might imagine a bird calling home. There were few trees and certainly no expansive forests, but Matsu had landed them close to a mountain range. She could have picked the canyons as they were equally as opportune, but a less safe place to hunt from. She could just envision one of them moving too close to the edge and falling over. The mountains were prime hunting for the huge birds, air currents to ride and vantage points to observe prey.

“I’ve got the nets if you’ve got the shooting,” she said, lifting the thicker roping with a telekinetic wave, tracing a pattern with her finger as she tested the heft and movement of the netting. She could play a mean game of catch.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

She thought about it for a moment and... well when it came to things she wasn't one to stand down or give up which made it all the more fun as she stood there taking all of it in and looking at the planet. The arid world something that could dry your sinuses quickly and she was speaking as she moved. "Rancors are... easier and you should always want to test yourself otherwise you can't improve and learn. It is how I have learned all these years." It was a questionable to some ideal but she preferred working towards being a stronger and stronger jedi. Slowly though holding the palm shot she was looking at what they could do and just had a smile.

Matsu gave a nod to that while she held the sleek net launcher her cousin had gotten her while she thought about what to do. "That can work, with some work and focus I think I'll be able to meet them in the air should they get up to high. She was thinking about her flight lessons with the silver jedi and had a small gleam in her eyes for mischievous behavior, she aimed for it to work well as her hand was pulled back into a tight ponytail and secured under her bodysuit for it to be out of the way while she secured the quickshot over the top of her hand moving. "Lets do this and have some fun. Never know what is going to happen on jaunts like these."

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Matsu was often surprised when reminded about the trials Ike had gone through, the fluctuation of her connection to the Force. She supposed it was only natural to want to test her own limits as she regained more and more control, enjoying a rediscovery with the kind of zeal Xiangu could identify with and appreciate. They moved on fairly quickly, adventure on Matsu’s mind and she knew her companion’s on much the same. It was evident in the set of her face and the zeal with which she tied her bun – a snap of an elastic that echoed in Matsu’s mind.

What Matsu wanted was a little break from the monotony, from something other than dull red rock with dull red grass and dull red clouds. It was almost like being blindfolded, looking through fabric so the world was painted all one color.

She would have liked to see just one little flower to pluck and hand to Matsu, a silly gesture but even Xiangu was capable of that.

However, she had landed close enough to the mountain range that their walk was short and in no time it seemed they had fallen in to an unspoken agreement to hush when the call of what could only be a bird floated through the currents in the breeze. There was almost no cover save for a pile of rocks that would barely hide the two of them, and no reason for one of the creatures to appear until…she spotted a herd of small, furry creatures. Matsu had no real skill when it came to animal friendship, but she understood the principle behind controlling minds better than most in the Galaxy. With a gentle push she lifted the group of prey and placed them closer to the mountain’s sloping base, pressing an idea of staying put over the group.

Whether it worked remained to be seen, but they seemed preoccupied enough with the sparse vegetation she’d placed them near. Bait in place, all they had to do was wait where they couldn’t be seen.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Matsu walked with Matsu and was taking in the sites of the entire world as she focused on the creatures, on the area around them and was pushing her senses outwards to have them detect the creatures if they appeared. Thee smaller creatures that Matsu was moving and directing had her eyes flicking over to them as she paused and reached out. One hand rising as she sifted and sought, she wanted to touch and probe their brains to slowly imprint they were friendly, she was reaching out and her fluctuating powers had been getting retrained with the silver jedi. The small pets she had met and gotten served to teach and train her.

Then the creatures were there as Matsu heard the sounds above, her eyes looking up with a palm shot in her hand as she expanded her senses with an exhale before she was raising her head up and searching the skies. She moved around looking with the force at the prey, then at Matsu while she breathed in deeply pushing the force into her body and focusing on the air as she expelled it through her body to send her up higher into the air. Lips moving in a chant as she focused the spell to touch the walls. She felt the grip of the spell holding her in place while holding the palm shot at the ready for the beast to fly at them. "Almost time to begin."

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She felt a sense of weightlessness, the amount of time she spent around Matsu making it easier to sense when she was working with the Force. She gave Ike her space, a precious commodity around a woman who’d trained her entire life thus far to penetrate the minds of others. But regardless, she still felt traces and tugs of her power manifesting itself as she tested her returning abilities.

When the Valrain appeared from the dip between two bluffs, Matsu was astounded. Dark side or not, she would always feel a little wonder, always have a little bit of that childlike awe for the beautiful and unique. They were magnificent creatures with wingspans almost twice her height from how it appeared from that distance. They soared on the almost constant currents ballooning over the mountain range, not flapping their wings once, silent and deadly as they eyed their furry little prey below and calculated their killing dive.

"It's all you," she said softly. Xiangu would wait until Ike hit them with the darts, the chances of her making a hit astronomically higher with the help of the Force. And then she would do her part, securing their pay day and the two huge birds soaring towards the ground.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Matsu gave a nod of her head as she hovered in the air and focused. Her mind going blank as she saw the creature and it was larger, the wings not pumping or giving indications but she still moved. Pushing the force behind her as she zoomed forward and locked her eyes on the creature. Throwing hands out and up to go up higher while it noticed her making a sound almost like a screech that Matsu rolled with. Her palm shot at the ready while she barrel rolled and tucked her legs into her body. The twist in the air to right herself so she would be above the creature and coming down with gravity and the force while she threw her momentum forward propelling herself. The palm shot coming up and firing when she was within range getting two darts one in the wing and one in the back. Matsu was moving still reloading quickly before she fired again landing on the creature and shifting the momentum and gravity with the force to drop them like a stone on a cushion of force energy. She didn't rise up just waiting there for a moment and reaching out with the force to try and calm the creature.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Matsu waited as Ike broke cover and went for it, smiling at the acrobatics as she met one of the birds mid-air. She waited, watching Matsu soothe the bird as the darts quickly took hold, offering a cushioning blow of her own as it began to fall so it would not hit the ground with a sickening crunch. Once Ike was clear she tossed one of the nets over the first downed bird, holding it to the ground before rushing forward as the tranquilizers took perfect hold to make sure the net was not holding any of the birds’ legs or wings in an awkward position.

In the time it had taken to fell one bird, the other had circled around with what looked to Matsu like anger in the hard flap of its wings and the determination in its gaze. Raising her hands she directed a current of force push just as the huge creature was aiming its talons to claw at her, sending it careening off to the side and in Matsu’s direction. She lifted the second net, already having it prepared - the tactic had worked once, it could work on an angry Valrain too.

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Matsu looked at the beast and had a nod of her head as she watched. She had almost expected lightning to crackle from Matsu's fingertips but there was a push as she watched chewed her lower lip a little. Looking upon it all moving quickly and reloading, she slid the net launcher from her side checking it and all five nets were loaded up before she was moving off backwards and looking up. Matsu moved quickly letting her eyes track the creature while she jumped backwards taking aim and squeezing the trigger as the gas expelled from it sending one net to get the creature from the front. She was prepared for Matsu to take it up and work hard as she used the force to soften and slide across the ground on her back.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

It was partly because she didn't want their payday hurt and partly because she had a respect - imagine that, a respect - for something so untamed and magnificent that Matsu did not turn the birds in to a roasted dinner with a slew of lightning as they swooped.

With one down and one to go, Matsu watched as Ike popped a net in to the air, grabbing it with the Force and throwing it over the now violently struggling bird. If it weren't for her life-long training in telekinesis the struggling would have been too much, a massively impressive effort from the large bird to get out of the netting almost dragging Matsu over as she leaned back and tugged on the Force almost like there was a real rope in her hands. Letting her power flow through her, she gave one massive yank so huge it dragged the creature to the ground, letting it exhaust itself within the net.

By the time both birds were bagged and lying still in surprise, she let out a loud laugh. "How was that more exhausting than the Exogorths?"

[member="Matsu Ike"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

Matsu looked at her and at the birds as she spoke with a large grin on her face. "Well the worms do let us sit down and use controls... these ones we had to chance and work for... Still more fun then I thought possible. We are doing better each time I think catching these things." The credits also weren't such a bad thing as she stood there at the ready looking over them. A job well done in her mind and the beast hunters build would have a nice new addition for their buyer.