Private Cat Got Your Tongue

[Miri Nimdok]

Sanctum of the Exalted, Odryn

The Sanctum was supposed to be the holiest site on the entire planet, but it had long since fallen to ruin. An explosion had destroyed the original building thousands of years ago, and it was never rebuilt.

There was a certain haunted quality to the atmosphere of the place which Miri was able to sense even from a distance. She approached the location with caution, slowing her speeder bike almost to a crawl. As she drew near, the feeling of not being alone only intensified. There was definitely some sort of presence or presences here.

Luckily, Miri wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Parking her bike, she swung her leg over the side and stood, checking her equipment one final time. In a purple leather jacket and work clothes, she looked like any other thrill-seeking adventurer—save for the lightsaber clipped to her belt alongside the rope and extra ammunition. Not that she planned to use it for anything except cutting things, mind you. It was a powerful symbol that could deter others from crossing her, and that was usually all that she needed it for.

Finding everything in order, she headed inside, her attention focused on avoiding any traps that might be lying in wait for an unlucky treasure hunter…

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Yeah, this was a mistake.

Master Yenna had encouraged him to gain more experience in the field, and the idea of an artifact hunt was quite exciting to him. The chance of getting mauled by another Sith Lord seemed a lot smaller too on a trip like this, so he came to Odryn with a lot more confidence. But after traveling through its jungles and rough terrain for a few hours, he began to quickly realize that he wasn't very well-prepared for this at all.

It wasn't just the lack of tools and equipment to traverse the jungles, but also the fact that he felt presences up ahead. Nobody was supposed to be here. Despite the urge to turn around and head back to the shuttle, he pushed forward though, and soon found himself staring at some remnants of an old structure. Unless he somehow stumbled on some other ancient ruins, he figured he had found the place, and made his-

Before he could take another step forward, the sound of what seemed like a whip crack drew his attention down to his feet. A wire of sorts had snapped and before he could respond to it even with his Jedi reflexes, a rope wrapped around his ankle and yanked him upside down off the ground so fast that his lightsaber and datapad fell to the ground below him. So there he was, hanging upside down from a tree and without any ideas to get down that didn't involve him hitting his head.

Man, he wished he could scream right now.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

She found the Sanctum's outer grounds surprisingly intact. There were signs that an attempt had been made to rebuild, but the project was never fully completed.

Her examination of the exterior of the building was interrupted by a strange noise nearby. Drawing one of her pistols, she went to investigate, cautiously peeking around a corner.

There was a young man dangling upside down from a tree, his belongings in a disarray on the ground below him. A quick appraisal of the scene revealed a broken trip wire. He must’ve triggered it by accident and been strung up by his ankle, left to hang there as helpless prey for the local wild animals.

Since he was still alive (and presumably struggling to free himself), she approached him cautiously. Among the items that had fallen in the grass was a datapad… and a lightsaber. Was he a Jedi, like her? What a wild coincidence.

Her eyes wandered back up to the hanging man, meeting his gaze. It occurred to her then that she had been staring at him and the surrounding area for over a minute, without so much as saying a word.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but you look like you could use some help,” she said, admittedly a bit amused by the situation. Holstering her weapon, she unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and held it up as if to cut him down. “May I?”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

He was panicking just a little bit.

As far as he was aware, this place was long-abandoned so the idea of people helping him out here was barely a thought on his mind. If anything, whoever placed this trap would be the first to find him, and they likely didn't set it up because they're excited at the idea of a Jedi coming here to find ancient artifacts. But much to his surprise, he felt a far more calming presence approach him from the Sanctum.

Moments later, a woman stepped into sight, and after a quick look over, he spotted the lightsaber on her belt. He felt a huge sense of relief and offered a rather awkward wave in combination with a sheepish smile but... she just stared at him and the items that were in the grass below him. He blinked, clearly a little surprised. She wasn't just going to leave him here, was she?

Luckily, his answer came as she finally began to speak, but it also revealed a problem. Without the datapad, he couldn't type a message to show her, and telepathy was no option. Even from afar, he felt how strong her mind was — she'd have to actively let him speak into her mind for it to work, and he suspected that just going for it wouldn't be a good first impression to have her open up.

So that left him with one option... frantically pointing at his datapad and himself, hoping to show her that he needed it. Luckily though, the question that followed was easier to answer with just simple gestures. He nodded several times in a row and held his hands above his hand to brace himself, but deep down he felt that all of this probably made him look a bit stupid.

First impressions were hard.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Rather than a verbal answer, she received a series of gestures in response. Seeing as it was unlikely he was attempting an interpretive dance, she took his nodding and pointing to mean yes, please cut the rope.

Another Jedi might’ve used telekinesis to hold him in place and keep him from falling on his head, but Miri’s connection to the Force was fickle and untrustworthy. Instead, she took hold of him with one arm while she used her other hand to cut the rope. A blast of purple plasma energy, and the cord was burned away, singed embers falling to the ground.

“There you are.” She set him on the ground. “Just sit here for a moment. Let your blood start flowing again.”

She was wondering why he wasn’t talking, but perhaps he would once he was freed. And if he still didn’t talk then, well… she wasn’t going to talk much either, so it would be a brief interaction altogether.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

He seemed relieved that she had gotten the message, and also surprised that she took hold of him with one arm while the other moved to sever the rope. Kyell was almost a foot taller than she was, but it didn't seem to matter — with surprising strength, she gave him the support he needed for a careful drop. He caught himself on his hands, and when advised to sit, he did so for a moment before he crawled over to his datapad.

His face was still red, probably both from having been upside down and embarrassment, but he quickly began to type away and held the datapad out so she could see its display: I can't speak, but thanks for the help, the first message read, which came alongside a sheepish smile. Having gotten at least that off his chest, he ran a hand up through his hair, took a deep breath, and continued to type to explain himself.

I can try telepathy but your mind is pretty tough, and I didn't want to pressure without asking first. Kyell now began to climb up to his feet and dusted off his jacket and jeans a bit, his eyes scanning their surroundings to make sure nothing else was going to flip him around or embarrass him even more.

Oh uh, the name is Kyell, by the way. Are you a Jedi? he typed while he gestured at her lightsaber and looked for his own, using it as a decent excuse to avoid eye contact and get himself calmed down first.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

The young man went for his datapad rather than his weapon, much to Miri’s relief. What she didn’t expect was for him to type out a message to her.

“I see,” she murmured. “Is it because of an injury or defect, or do you just… not like talking?”

If the latter, she could sympathize.

The next part of his message drew a snort from her. “Telepathy would be much more practical. Here.” As he stood up, she gently placed her fingertips against his face in a certain pattern. It was a Benandanti technique used to focus their telepathy.

It was as if the gates to her mind opened up, but he only had access to a single room in that well-fortified fortress where he might receive any messages she sent him.

“There.” She released him. While he stumbled around looking for his lightsaber and avoiding eye contact, Miri tested out their new telepathic connection. <Yes, I am a Jedi. My name is Miri. Are you a Jedi, Mr. Kyell?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Not like talking? If only. That would have saved him a lot of trouble and embarrassment along the way, but alas. He looked at his datapad and typed only a single word to answer her question —he didn't particularly feel like going into it all that much. Defect, it read and after showing it, he blinked at the snort that followed.

It wasn't about his disability though, but seeing her lean in to press her fingers against his face still got him to tense up. The twitch in his facial features probably showed he was a bit uneasy about physical touch, but he quickly understood what she was trying to do and relaxed his shoulders again. Her almost impenetrable mind opened up, still secured but with a pathway for him to communicate, and he thanked her with an appreciative smile.

His body then turned, and right after he grabbed his lightsaber from the ground, he heard her voice inside his mind, got startled, and dropped the weapon again after it bounced between his two hands a few times. Without looking at her, he leaned back down, picked it up, and slowly clipped it to his belt.

<T> "Just Kyell is fine, and uh, yeah," he turned around and offered a still somewhat embarrassed smile. The advantage of typing messages was that his tone and awkwardness at least weren't so apparent. <T>"I take it you're here for the Sanctum as well? Maybe..." there was a pause as he looked over at the building, <T> "...it would be best if looked together? There could be more of these traps."

Not that she'd have any trouble with them, but he preferred not to end up like that again.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

That flinch when she reached toward him didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, she came close to backing away and not establishing the link at all after seeing his reaction. But he quickly relaxed into her touch.

Just like Dad had taught her, she eased up each finger as she built the connection, like the parts of a lock or the unfurling petals of a flower, until only her palm lay flat against his cheek. She felt him smile against her hand before she let go.

Watching him drop his lightsaber almost immediately after picking it up, Miri’s brow furrowed with concern. “Are you all right?” she asked, speaking aloud this time. Perhaps she should lay off the mentalism for a little while, let him get used to projecting his thoughts out to her rather than having it be a two-way street.

Sure enough, he began to send her his thoughts. She quickly realized that his odd behavior had more to do with nervousness and embarrassment than constricted blood flow. Well, that made sense—he had been caught in a trap when she first arrived. She’d probably feel pretty humiliated too.

Miri hadn’t even noticed that he was avoiding eye contact. She was doing much the same, though she was far less agitated than he was.

“I am here for the Sanctum,” she echoed him with a nod of her head. “And I’ve no doubt that there are plenty more traps inside the building. They probably aren’t as tame as this one, either. So… yeah. Better come with me, Kyell.” She paused. “Wait, why are you here? For the artifacts?”

If he was some base treasure hunter just looking for loot—and there were plenty of Jedi who were like that, unfortunately—she wouldn’t be very happy about it.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Now that he wasn't stuck in a trap, had recovered his items, and was able to communicate, Kyell finally began to feel more at ease. His heart stopped pounding as fast, his face regained its natural color, and his body seemed relaxed, <T> "I'm alright, thanks again," he said with sincere gratitude in his tone, both because she freed him and because she helped him set up this link. He still struggled to form those mental bridges with others on his own, so this prevented a lot more stumbling around.

Walking back over, he finally made eye contact and did his best to appear more like himself — still a bit awkward, but no longer a complete fool.

She then confirmed she was here for the Sanctum as well, and with an invitation for him to come along, he felt a lot more confident about this little mission he had accepted without the help of his Master, <T> "I appreciate it, and... sort of? Not to keep any of them or sell them, but to study what remains here. My Master has an interest in these things, so I'd like to map them out for her," he said before he turned in the direction of the Sanctum.

Despite having stepped into a trap only minutes ago, he moved ahead a little bit. Not because he was confident that he'd be fine, but asking her to walk in front like she was some kind of shield against traps felt weird, and it'd be too embarrassing.

<T> "What about you?"

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“Oh, good.” Miri’s relief was unmistakable. Though she had called herself a treasure hunter in the past, she didn’t hunt for treasure for personal gain. She did it out of a scholarly interest and, to a certain extent, for the thrills.

“Did your master send you here, or did you decide to come here on your own?” she asked.

Now that she knew what she was dealing with, Miri began to warm up to Kyell. Which is to say, she insisted upon going ahead of him so he wouldn’t wind up in another trap.

“Me?” She reacted as if she weren’t used to people asking her questions about herself. “I’ve been doing this sort of thing all my life. My father was an archaeologist and historian. He took me with him all around the galaxy, hunting for relics…”

Pausing, her eyes narrowed at something in the distance. From her belt she produced a device that looked a little like a boomerang. Throwing it, she struck a panel on the floor right in front of the entrance to the Sanctum.

The weight on the panel triggered something. There was a rumbling from within the ruins, then a large log swung down and through the archway like a battering ram. If they had been standing on top of the panel when it was triggered, the log would’ve hit them with enough force to throw them backwards several feet. Bones certainly would’ve been broken by the impact.

Miri waited until the log had fallen still before approaching, retrieving the boomerang device and scanning the rest of the entrance. “That’s how I learned how to spot traps and disarm them.”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "This will probably sound uh...stupid, after that whole trap situation, but I decided to come here myself," he admitted before he noticed her taking the initiative to take lead on this little adventure. It was definitely a good idea, and he wasn't too prideful to step aside for someone with more experience either. "My master has been very busy lately, so I figured it would be a nice surprise, and give me a chance to learn something new."

And he already learned that he was way too inexperienced to handle this alone.

Kyell then briefly paused when she seemed surprised at his question. But for him, listening had always been much easier than expressing himself. Not just because of the obvious reason either - it was also his personality. So when Miri explained more about herself and her interest in this kind of work, he listened with a genuine smile.

<T> "Wow, that sounds...pretty amazing," he looked at her for a moment but turned his eyes to the sanctum when she pulled out a boomerang looking device and tossed it. A mechanism was triggered and the trap that sprung as a result looked intense, and capable of causing great harm. He was really glad that she had taken the lead now.

<T> " I doubt these were placed here a long time ago, so I wonder who did," he continued while he followed her to the entrance, "If the creator is around somewhere, we'll have to be careful."

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<T> "Wow, that sounds...pretty amazing."

“It was,” she agreed wistfully. “But Dad felt pretty guilty about it, especially when I was put in danger because of his work. He didn’t have much of a choice, though. My mother was missing back then, so it was just the two of us...”

Trailing off, she cast a sidelong glance at Kyell, wondering why she was telling him all this stuff. He was just really easy to talk to, she supposed. A good listener.

“You’re right,” she said with a small smile. “If they were that old, some other wise guy besides us would’ve triggered them already. So they must’ve been set up recently.”

Facing forward, she resumed the trek through the ruins. Crossing the threshold brought with it a chilling reminder of that weird ghostly presence she’d sensed earlier. The air felt several degrees colder inside the Sanctum compared to outside.

<Do you have any idea what we might find here?> she asked. Telepathy seemed more appropriate now, given that the Sanctum was as silent as a tomb.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "I can't imagine what it must have been like for him, for you both," he said with an honest tone, "But I'm sure he'd be proud to see you on these adventures alone now," he continued with a brief smile before his eyes focused on the entrance of the Sanctum, and especially the trap she had neutralized. It was just an early warning sign to him that made it impossible to be relaxed. Each step could possibly be their last, and his experience with these types of mechanisms was limited, so he wasn't quite sure what to look out for.

The one ally that would normally warn him, the Force, felt different here as well. It was much colder, darker even, and it clouded his already weak senses. He would have to place his trust in Miri and her experience.

<T> "The records I read mentioned dozens of artifacts, if not more. But..." he stopped as they got closer to the entrance and briefly closed his eyes as something from within the Sanctum hit him. With how strong Miri's mind was, he didn't know if she felt it too, but it was dark and invasive. <T> "There used to be dark side artifacts here, stored in nullification resin to shield people from them." he continued.

<T> "You're feeling it too, right?" he then asked, hoping it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. <T> "I uh... have a feeling some of them might still be here."

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri let the subject of her past drop for the time being. There were other, more important matters at hand. Namely, Kyell’s revelation that the Sanctum held some Dark Side artifacts.

<Well, now that you mention it, I’m starting to get that vibe.> She spun around slowly, looking down every corridor. <I don’t think those artifacts are in nullification resin anymore. We wouldn’t be able to feel them if they were.>

She had some experience with Dark Side artifacts, but as her father had instructed her, the number one rule when handling such relics was to avoid handling them at all. They were a danger to everyone they came in contact with.

<I have some resin aboard my ship,> she said. <A fair amount of it, anyway. I doubt it’ll be enough for whatever is in this place…>

She trailed off as she heard a faint rustling sound coming from down the hall to her right.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

The artifacts no longer being held in the resin seemed logical, and for a few seconds, he just accepted that answer while he kept moving and looking around the area. But then he thought about something and stopped to look at her with a more fearful expression on his face, <T> "Those artifacts can't get out of the resin themselves." That was probably a bit too obvious.

<T> "What I mean is, whoever did might still be around."

Almost exactly at that moment, the faint rustling came from down the hall, drawing his eyes that way seconds before another sound came from the opposite hallway, making it seem as if something or someone was circling around them. Hearing it move, Kyell jumped up a little and felt his face quickly burning from embarrassment.

<T> "Maybe going back to your ship to get some resin is a good idea...?" he looked at her with a sheepish smile and lowered one hand closer to his lightsaber while he moved around a little. But a careful look probably revealed the light reflecting from a metal wire less than a foot away from Kyell's leg.

And of course, he was seconds away from hitting it.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri had been busy wondering if nullification resin could degrade over time, but Kyell pointed out the more likely answer: someone had deliberately removed it.

The rustling grew louder, surrounding them. Kyell jumped, and Miri did much the same. She started to back away, reaching for her pistols, only to spot a gleaming tripwire—right in Kyell's path.

"Hold it!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm to stop him. Her cry sent whatever was causing the rustling into a frenzy. Now it was Miri's turn to go red in the face.

"Out! Now!"

She practically dragged Kyell along as she ran back the way they had come. The thing or things making the rustling noises were in hot pursuit—and they were the ones who would trigger the tripwire. She heard a sound behind her like arrows whizzing through the air, and felt an animal's pain. Some kind of rodents, maybe? Were the traps meant to deal with an infestation?…

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

"Hold it!"

Kyell froze the second she grabbed his arm, and while that would have normally freaked him out, the tripwire he spotted only an inch away from his leg instilled a lot more fear in his mind. It was way too close for comfort, but he was given little time to panic over it, as he felt her tugging on his arm to pull him back in the opposite direction.

With her in front, he ran back the way they came, but it became obvious that they weren't alone — something behind them triggered the wire, and after the sound of arrows releasing, there was a jolt of pain in the Force, followed by a loud, high-pitched shriek. If it was some kind of rodent, it definitely wasn't small... it would have gone under the tripwire if that were the case.

<T> "They're closing in!" he exclaimed telepathically, as he felt a dark danger approaching. It wasn't just behind them anymore, but to their sides as well, and even the path ahead no longer felt safe. When they finally spotted the entrance, the reason why became evident. A pair of very large and angry rodents jumped down, their bodies and minds infused by a dark presence they had felt even before coming here.

Seeing this, Kyell used his larger stature to not-so-gently shove Miri down a corridor on her left side, hoping to keep her from running into the giant claws that were being swung their way. <T> "The hell are those things?!" he called out, clearly with some fear in his tone. The way out was blocked, and another one of those creatures was getting awfully close to Kyell.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Giant rats.

Why did it have to be giant rats?

Miri pulled her pistols—but before she could fire a single shot, she was shoved down a corridor by Kyell.

<T> "The hell are those things?!"

“Giant rats,” she replied, twisting out of his grasp and opening fire.

The blaster bolts burned through unprotected flesh. She emptied both her clips into one of the rodents before it finally fell down dead and smoking. Tough bastards. Luckily they were only dealing with two… so far.

While she scrambled to reload, she wondered if Kyell would need help dealing with the other one. Hopefully he could at least fend it off for a few seconds.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Either he was overreacting to the giant rats chasing them, or she was just a lot tougher — from his perspective, she hardly seemed phased by the incoming mutants, which made him wonder if his shove to help change directions had only made things more difficult. Regardless, Miri balanced herself and drew her pistol to fire back at one of the rats, which dropped dead after several rounds had pierced through its thick skin and flesh.

There was, however, a second rat coming in fast, and this time Kyell knew it was his turn to contribute something.

He drew the hilt of his lightsaber into his hand, but wasn't fast enough — the rat jumped on top of him, knocking him against the ground, and clawed at his chest. The sharp nails tore apart his jacket and sliced through the shirt underneath to cut his skin. But despite the pain, he forced himself to keep fighting. He couldn't just keep making a fool out of himself.

Snap-hiss.

A purple blade ignited underneath the beast's belly, killing it instantly and leaving its dead body to rest on top of Kyell. After shoving it aside, he got up to his feet and tossed his jacket to the ground before looking down at his chest, <T>"It stings... I'll have to clean it later," he turned to look at her, then shifted his eyes to where they were.

<T> "I don't think that's the last of them. Do you think we can stop them somehow?" he asked while the adrenaline was still suppressing the pain, and effects of blood loss. Luckily, it wasn't too bad of an injury or they would have been in a lot more trouble.