Cadomai Prime: Now Here Going Somewhere

[Tyl Ro]

Cadomai Prime
the village of Ucratta, on the surface, several klicks outside the Capital city of Brella
Medical facility: staff living quarters

The Kaminoan sat on a thick fur carpet that covered a stone floor. Her legs were crossed in her best imitation of the popular human-like sitting posture. The position would probably look a little awkward to any human that saw it though. The woman's ankles sent her feet protruding outward quite a bit further, incapable of tucking them underneath her knees. For Tyl, though, she had learned to adopt the imitation of this sitting position long ago as simply a necessity of learning meditation processes from fellow Jedi. Few of the elder Knights and Masters had ever seen a Kaminoan, let alone interacted with or taught one. How were they to know what sitting positions were best suited towards her body structure? Or for entering the deep mental states of meditation? Imitating the posture of her peers or seniors had been simple due course. A challenge at first, but one that became routine after a time.

Sitting in the middle of her frigid room with nothing but her form-fitting undergarments to cover her, Tyl had given herself a new challenge: using the Force to maintain her body temperature.

Tyl had been on Cadomai Prime for a few months. And while her species originated from a world that was cold and wet, Kamino was no Cadomai. The frigid temperatures even permeated the quarters provided for her by the medical facilities. The frail-bodied Kaminoan had little body fat to buffer the cool temperatures. For several weeks she had kept herself quite well bundled while moving outside. Even inside, Tyl made sure to wear layers. Her body began to adapt to the climate, and the seasons were beginning to change, so Tyl had come to challenge herself.

She felt the blood coursing through her body, her heart pumping, valves contracting and loosening. She felt the cold air trying to permeate her skin. Some who meditate in freezing climates do so in an attempt to put out the thought of cold from their minds. But not Tyl. She wanted to feel the affect that her techniques had, to know that she was achieving her goal.

There were plenty of ways to generate heat, but raising her body temperature was not her goal. That was a great way to come down with an illness, not keep oneself from freezing. Instead, she focused on her blood flow, maintaining the pace of its crawl through her veins. The Jedi allowed it to flow through her capillaries to the very reaches of her extremities, rather than back off from the cold. With just a small amount of added friction within her bloodstream by increasing her blood pressure, Tyl could maintain her body temperature against the cold attempting to creep its way in.

She felt flush against the cold air. Her technique was relentless. For awhile, the Knight could maintain the process without concentrating. But eventually her body would fall back to a normal routine and she would have to return her attention to the technique. After more than two hours, she began to tire. Sweat beaded across her body and began conflicting with her temperature control.

Tyl broke her focus. After a few moments in her suite's 'fresher, the Kaminoan was clean and reclothed in her winter attire. A few moments after that, she was on her way towards her research facility.

[member="Shia Karn"]

 

[Shia Karn]

The cold was a change from the hot deserts of Neelgaimon, Shia bundled herself up in cold weather gear and pressed onward towards the nearest settlement. She had traveled across Cadomai on one her salvaging runs, only to come up empty-handed. This was the second time this month she hadn't found anything of value, and unless she did so soon she'd be evicted and forced to live life as a refugee.

A nearby research facility stood alone at the top of a peak overlooking the small village below, but she had no interested in staying with Snivvians again. They didn't like strangers; especially not off-worlders.

Approaching the facility, only a klick away, Shia's eyes gazed upward at its mass. Clearly whomever controlled the research station had went to all lengths in its design. What was it for? She wondered.

Hopefully they were at least hospitable. She couldn't afford being refused entry; not again.

[member="Tyl Ro"]

 

[Tyl Ro]

Ucretta Medical facility
Main research laboratory

"No, no, no. This goes here. That goes there! Got it?"

Tyl was unperturbed by her research partner's consistent buggering. Harlan Novil, the squat, Snivvian, geneticist had an overly particular way of doing things. Often, his operation involved contradicting himself at every juncture about details that were inevitably inconsequential. Tyl simply acknowledged Harlan's quirk with a slight nod and continued with her work without another thought. Despite the two having worked together for months, and Tyl's typical passive dismissal of Harlan's tick, he always managed to keep it up at a surprising quantity.

Still, it didn't bother her. The Kaminoan's patience was boundless. Though there was a reason Harlan had previously worked alone. And why he had chosen such a remote location for a research lab so far away from the other Snivvian scientists on Cadomai. Neither of those were his choice.

After her partner's interjection, he waddled off back to his station and Tyl returned her attention to her work. A series of blood samples were being examined, rotating from one to the next under her magnification device. A full-color holo of the sample was projected next to her. With one hand she operated the holo, moving the image around for inspection, while using her other hand to shift from one slide to the next.

Originally, Tyl had sought Harlan out for tutelage. Despite many finding his personality insufferable, and subsequently found himself out of work as a result, the Snivvian was a top-class geneticist. Even among Snivvians, known for their research into the field, Harlan's knowledge was beyond any other Tyl had ever encountered.

The Jedi Knight had been looking for an escape from the war and conflict that seemed to pop up at every turn in her tenure with the Republic and Jedi Order. She simply could not justify the amount of bloodshed that took place. Tyl's logical mind could make no sense of the necessity of it. She moved from medbay to tent to makeshift bunkers and any number of medical facility where her skills as a healer and doctor could be put to use. But no matter how many she helped save, more would return.

On one of those missions, a bacterial biological weapon had been put into use. Tyl attempted to cure all those affected but was unsuccessful. Somehow, Harlan had heard about the bacteria and came to help. After quick work, he had reverse engineered an antibacterial solution that prevented the bacteria from propagating within the body or from being contagious. In short order, the weapon had been neutralized, and Harlan left as quickly as he had come. Tyl had figured that if she could learn from this Snivvian, she could save more lives in the future.

That reasoning had been an excuse. An excuse to escape war. And Tyl had known it to be so.

"The samples have been sorted and are being analyzed by the computer. I shall buy food while I wait. Would you care for anything?"

"No. No, no." Harlan shook his head emphatically. Tyl bowed briefly and made for the door. Just as the door whished open in front of her, Harlan turned around. "Yes. Filla bread with roast nerf. The bakery down in the town. You know the one?"

Tyl smiled and nodded. As the door whished closed once again behind her, she gave the empty hallway a little chuckle, wondering how many times the order would change before she brought it back.

[member="Shia Karn"]

 

[Shia Karn]

Shia approached the facility, this time she could see it in greater detail as she neared it. Surely the way in was only a short distance away... Right? Her hazel eyes narrowed, squinting due to the light reflecting off the snow. Bringing a flat hand to her forehead, she used it as a visor, clearing her immediate vision. Her figure would likely have been seen by anyone standing watch at the front of the research station. Her orange coat was hardly the most camouflaged uniform for this cold world.

"What's next?" She muttered to herself, trying to piece together what she'd do the moment she approached the building. From where she was from, hospitality wasn't given easily. So she didn't expect it to be any different here. Hot or cold, any world which had an extreme climate usually meant those who lived there were less giving than the paradise worlds.

Still; it wasn't as if she had any options. Certainly there was no turning back.

[member="Tyl Ro"]

 

[Tyl Ro]

The lithe, Kaminoan woman walked calmly through the snowy walkway from Ucretta to the medical facility. The weather had been warmer lately, though warmer for Cadomai still wasn't in a temperature range most species would consider "warm." Still, the increase allowed for a more relaxed commute to and from the little town, which was a fifteen minute walk down a rocky-hill path for the long-legged Tyl. As short as that distance was, there were many times during harsher weather when she had opted to take an enclosed speeder instead.

The village was incredibly small and existed solely thanks to the research laboratory, sitting above on an outcropping. The village was easy to miss, laying below, shielded from the harsh weather by hills on all sides. Many of the rock-carved buildings were residences, clustered close together with their collective roofs emitting heat waves blurring the visibility just overhead. Most of those housed employees of the facility, while the rest housed the business owners of the small, indoor markets and eateries that fed the town. A few other shops dealt other necessities but everything else was shipped in by speeder directly from Brella as necessary.

Work in Ucretta was a seasonal affair. During the trying winter months, the village was almost entirely vacant, save Harlan Novil and only the most necessary of staffers. When summer came, still a far cry from relative "warmth," workers would flock in from Brella, bringing new knowledge and new technology. Though mostly, they were just borrowing Harlan's own work to use for themselves. Though, in the medical field, Tyl saw no shame in "stealing" methods or information or drugs, whatever they may be. Physicians were in the field to help those who were sick, not gain wealth or notoriety. She knew many pursued the latter, but she was wholly unaffected by that greed.

Yet, she hadn't met any of those types on Cadomai. Tyl had arrived to study from and eventually partner with Harlan just as the winter season began. There were less distractions, and she focused solely on the work she and Harlan had set themselves to accomplish. With the temperature rising, she knew that the village would soon come alive with presences.

Her hands were crossed in front of her, each stuffed up the opposite sleeve to seal in whatever body heat she could. A small bag of foodstuffs hung from that sleeve-circuit. Her well-padded coat fit her form snugly, even up the length of her long, slim neck and to the flared out hood for her head. After having been to Ilum several times, Tyl recognized some two basic ideals. To think that one didn't need protection against the harsh cold was a bravado unbefitting of a Jedi. Also, while discipline could go to many lengths to cancel out the cold, there was no shame in admitting a need for protection.

Tyl didn't pause as she reached the top of the hill, despite seeing a similarly bundled figure, looking up at the research station. Rare were the instances when anyone unfamiliar arrived in Ucretta, but the cold was great motivation to keep moving. The figure was standing on the wrong side of the facility from the entrance. The Jedi reached out but could sense no trace of ill will or danger from whoever was standing there. Tyl removed a hand from her sleeve and waved to the person, hoping to grab their attention. Her soft voice would not have carried far in a hallway let alone outside. She signaled to the figure, pointing out the door in the front of the rectangular-ish spire of a building and then entered herself.

[member="Shia Karn"]​