Black Lagoon

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

The world was large and they had been working to find and explore it, with some hard work the padawan raised an eyebrow while she was thinking about some of the things there. Her hands going over some of the new equipment for exploring they had been working with many of the things. Orihimes attention went to some of the supplies as she checked the field rebreather just in case they would need it. The two could use them along with the rest of the gear as the skyfall jeep was being brought out. Some of the divesuits were there in case they needed them but she wasn't certain.

"I know we have done a great deal but this is the city, or what we think is a city from space.... The jungle has overgrown it and there is evidence of structures in the desert. All of the work we can do and it is just fun to get out here and be with nature after everything that has been exciting. She loaded up the pack with more things securing it in the jeep while looking over some of the things. "We also have some nice things here that you can use. My mother has been hitting the research tables and those Jet robes she helped me make will come in handy."

They could have them for protection as some of the safest robes in the order and came with plenty in way of features but more she touched the jeep she had learned how to drive and the ultra lightweight frame was synthweaved with crystals so that force users could empower it and make it more durable for scouting or combat... Also well she had seen her mother focus the force energies through one to use for powers with augmented precision before heading off. It gave them more to work with as well when she took the drivers seat looking at her friend.

"Alright I will drive and you can be my navigator, we'll roam around having some fun here and get to for a change hopefully from the excitement as we get to explore the remains. It doesn't show many lifesigns on the world We should be able to just explore and find what we can on the planet." She shrugged while there was the equipment packs for them to get access to and she was pulling out of the ship's cargo bay. She was reaching out with the force to feel the world as the presence of the force on it was still there and it was calming.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was in many ways a traditional Jedi. Simple robes and a saber were what she’d used for so long. But she also had a hankering for technology — and her Master and also her best friend had introduced her to both practical and useful approaches to things that didn’t stop her being a Jedi yet ensured she stayed alive for just a little longer.

She was excited to go exploring and jungles always threw up interesting things — especially when you added ruins into the equation.

“OK,” she said, “you drive and I’ll keep an eye on where we’re going.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

That was the spirit and looking out over things as she climbed ready to go there was the sense of adventure and the heat. Oh yes the heat from the jungle like area when she pulled out letting the holographic display show everything they were doing as it mapped the area ahead. She could see a small path maybe the plants were not as heavily grown or thick with flatter ground as she drove the jeep forward. They had all of their gear ready to use and primed to explore the vast sections of overgrown city. There was a look in her eyes though while Sorel could be in the passenger seat well that gave them a few things to work with and on. She was building up some of the speed before the skyfall came out of the trees and there was a small ridge they could turn down into the remains of a path. It was terraced and winding going down towards carved white marble pillars for a large gate. "Whoa this is a little bigger then it looked from space."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was wearing the bracelet her Master had gifted her. In sub-zero temperatures it was invaluable but was just as useful when things got hot and steamy. She'd been practicing in inhospitable climates without it, in case she became too dependent on it - but right now she was glad she was wearing it.

As they travelled, Sorel used her normal vision and regularly switched to Force Vision. At this pace, it was a different experience but through practice and perseverance she was able to see further an through denser materials.

And like Orihime, she was surprised at the size of the gates - they were colossal and much larger than she had expected. "Well you have to admit, they look grand."

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Grand and quiet." She couldn't hear anything, it was like the world itself was sedate and focused to much on nothing... It was uneasy, not from darkness but seeing something like this. A city where people lived, a civilization and there was nothing there but emptiness. It was like walking around on Lehon seeing the Rakata temples and cities, they were great and vast but gone, or worlds where people had been wiped out from the galactic plague without a chance to recover. Orihime started taking the path down as they got closer to the gates and she could make out the large walls going around the city. The same stonework for it that was used in the building before she pulled through seeing the streets. Black marble almost with tiny raised pathways on the sides. SOme of the buildings and shops were open and exposed while others were still holding dust and plant covered panes of glass. "I have not seen cities this empty, or this old everything is reclaiming it."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded in agreement as they walked through the city. "You're right. I have seen deserted temples aplenty. Places abandoned or partially destroyed - Jedi places of learning left for safety reasons. In a sense they seemed quite normal, even in that state. Like they were resting, or sleeping. But an entire city?" She shook her head and her body gave an involuntary shudder. "It feels in some way wrong."

"I have spent half a lifetime alone and should be used to silence - yet it seems oppressive here. Wrong. I can't explain it. What's the story?"

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She tried to think of something but there wasn't anything, they had found this world with the navigational project. It had resources and showed the ability to support life but there were no signs or readings. The probes themselves hadn't found much in the way of what happened just that there were structures on the world that looked like cities. "I don't know, this world hasn't even gotten a name as far as I know. It is just a designation." She could feel the world and the sight of it all as she went.. it was strange. Different but she felt uneasy because it looked like these places had been a monument to their lives. It being just empty and quiet without something of them was eerie before she moved. "Maybe we'll find something but i am not certain. THe structures look like they were made for slightly larger beings." She was looking at the stair walkways that were a large but the stairs were made large so she needed to stretch and lift her leg up higher.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and pondered. "Not sure if I like that answer. I'd be a lot happier if I knew why it was deserted. I mean, there's no obvious sign of destruction. Did they flee? Or was there a plague that claimed all of their lives? Or slavers, or..." she stopped speculating. "Maybe we'll find clues as we look around. I mean, did they leave stuff behind or take it with them? That would be a big clue."

As she walked, she looked around, recording every detail to memory, looking to build up a picture of what might have happened.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She had to agree that it would be nice to see what they could find as she looked at some of the buildings. Carved stone with glass that was mostly covered in dust as she couldn't make out the language on the glass but it looked like a drug store. Her hands going to the larger doors opening it up as she could smell the things that were lingering. "We'll find answers hopefully, who knows maybe they kept really good records." She could see some of the things there while moving to her belt and getting the hand axe. Opening it up as she hooked it under the one bar and lifted to unlock the door prying it opened with some strength. The large city almost seemed to echo the sound of the metal and stone scraping on the ground. Inside there were dozens of bottles that smelled rotten with the scents of old and aged while some things shifted becoming dust in the air. Exposure to the air changing it before she coughed a little.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The whole experience felt odd to Sorel. Abandoned buildings were one thing. Recently abandoned were also something she could take into her stride. But this was awkward to deal with. She followed along behind into what appeared to be a store and the smell was initially overwhelming.

As she acclimatised, she looked around, searching for clues as to why the store was untouched - yet abandoned. She was also wary not to touch anything — as until they understood what caused the abandonment she wasn’t going to risk contamination.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at Sorel who was being careful and mirrored her, they didn't know what had happened but nothing seemed wrong... mostly the whole empty thing was wrong but you could look past them. There was also the sound or lack of in this case. Everything seemed so quiet like you could hear a pin drop or were waiting for the right moment. She went behind the counter and there were piece of metal as she lifted one up with the force. Marking on it and a hole in the center to indicate what they were worth maybe... the etchings seemed different as did the sizes but the hole was uniform so you could almost make a necklace. Some more interesting things she was find were the pictures on the walls. Not faded but they were showing crystals that were found from the sky. "Looks like something crashed here maybe, we might be able to find them or it could be a place to start. Maybe a space borne sickness."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The silence continued to be deafening and uncomfortable. She watched as Orihime searched the room. She wondered if the pieces of metal were some sort of credit system, the markings perhaps denoting value?

She was roused from her thought process by the mention of a potential airborne virus. “Would the bracelet your mother gave me protect me? I mean, who knows how long a virus could lay dormant and be reactivated?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Yes it would, it creates a shield of purified air for toxins and to protect from acid rain. So we should be safe but the bioscans should have picked up things maybe.. I think." she was looking over some of the things while she picked up a few of the other stuff checking it. It looked like a jar that had been used for something while she sniffed it and the old rot of flowers gone was there along with just dust. The padawan was moving with most of her attention on some of the larger parts they had in the back as it looked like racks of pots. "I think this might have been like a flower shop, maybe potted plants." She was looking at it and there was dried shriveled things in soil but not much else to see. Bags of dirt before she moved some of them and went out the back door revealing an alleyway leading up the streets and connecting to more gates. She could at least see through the gates something a little ways away. "It looks like a square with some statues."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel felt relieved. She had taken the bracelet for granted and was glad that they were likely to be protecting them — but that they shouldn’t be taking their situation too lightly.

She glance around. Most of the things here had turned to dust, so were most likely organic, which fitted the likelihood of being a flower shop. Sorel didn’t frequent shops as a rule — she had no money after all — so the concept of buying flowers when they were growing everywhere seemed odd, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a viable business proposition.

She followed Orihime through the back of the shop. “Statues? Last time I made an observation about them, I made a bit of a fool of myself, so I’ll reserve judgement on them until we’ve taken a good look.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

She had done much the same but you never knew what you might be able to find on the planet as she was pushing at the gate ready to work on some of the things. Finally it gave away and she could get it opened going down and towards some of the different things they had there, statues were not people more shapes maybe... she was guessing and looking overr them as the light shined off the centers but the metal was covered with rust. "They are nothing I recognize.. unless the locals were sphere... you don't think they could have been floating spheres do you?" She siad it both as a joke but there were stranger things in the galaxy as she looked closer seeing the buildings were over looking a wash. "This might have been good for rain if there was run off to prevent flooding." She could see more and starred turning back around before covering her eyes. "THose are gemstones." She was pointing to the massive sphere while looking at it. She had thought glass but with the quiet she could feel the force radiating off of it. "Maybe hypergems given the size."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel wasn't sure how serious her friend was being, but chose to answer her question in earnest. "I can imagine spherical creatures, but I can't imagine they'd have a need to build all of this."

Despite jumping to this quick conclusion, she kept an open mind to the possibility none the less. "OK, for my next stupid question...what are hypergems?"

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

That was hard to explain, they were gems that formed in gas giants... but they were four dimensional and prolonged viewing of them were supposed to drive you mad cause your brain can't comprehend it.... At least that was the information in the books. That is kind of like how it says such a thing in a book but then you see it in real life and it is very different. "They are rare and special gems that form in four dimensions. The only one the jedi have encountered before was with the black suns leader hundreds of years ago and he used it to drive others mad who were weaker willed them himself." She wasn't certain of the rest but averted her eyes while taking some images with an image caster so the stills could be seen but not the real thing. "Might want to be safe but if they have them it could be a clue... maybe. I know my mother found one and locked it away in one of the orders black vaults."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel had limited knowledge of four-dimensional objects. She understood the theory — at least at a superficial level — but had no practical experience. She wasn’t even sure she fully understood it as it was explained to her. Gems she knew. Gas giants she understood. But how exactly they were four-dimensional and why you could potentially be affected by viewing them was — quite simply — beyond her.

“I’ll leave this to you,” she said, “A little knowledge could be very dangerous on this occasion. But I can understand how they might be valuable and worthy of study. Do they have a practical purpose?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Junko was looking at her and gave a nod a sshe thought of something. "Ah wait this is why my mother made this." she was waiting for a moment and withdrew the tome from her thigh sheath. The red cover and jedi symbol on the front was nice and pretty but opening it up it was not a normal book. A projector and display screen as she held it towards the gem with a computerized voice speaking. "A hypergem, an incredibly rare and valuable diamond formed in the heart of a neutron star. They are known to cause madness in species or cause death to those resistant. The beauty of watching it as it can reach into higher spatial dimensions with the multidimensional lattice is to much for most brains to comprehend when they are only able to think in three dimensions." Orihime looked at it on the display while she was looking around again. "Hmm so I wasn't completely right but they do make people go crazy... maybe if there was a way to resist that there could be more of an application for them but.." She let it trail off, that it was on display could mean nothing or it could mean something. They'd need to investigate more of the city.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel moved closer to Orihime, keen to see the book she produced. When it was opened, Sorel received a pleasant shock — the book was not a standard flimsi variety but was instead something of a holographic record.

The description of a hypergem was very useful and although not entirely explaining the concept of seeing in four dimensions, the explanation that those unable to comprehend the fourth dimension would be most at risk, she felt it was a warning worth heeding.

“Beautiful but deadly. Nature seems to enjoy that particular conundrum,” she said, clearly finding the concept humorous. “In summary, best left alone for the experts. We should find something less deadly to entertain us, I believe.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]