Caverns of Old

[Felicity Skye]

Space above Onderon

“Okay, Coming out of Hyperspace in Three… Two… One.” The Jedi announced, her hand sliding the hyperdrive accelerator back. She hadn’t noticed until then but the ship hummed a little louder while traveling through hyperspace. While that wasn’t bad, neither was it good. “Maybe it’s time to get this old girl serviced.” She observed half-talking to the ship, the other half to Verana, a Jedi Padawan of the Praxeum. A padawan that she felt would have a most promising future, even after just a bit of interaction. It was the reason behind Felicity’s invitation; to have the padawan accompany her on a relic hunt.

So far the hunt seemed promising. Their information gathering session in the Black Market on Zeltros had went well. Verana seemed a bit tense then, but Felicity didn’t press her on it. The girl was young and had seen a lot, Felicity figured she’d talk about what had bothered her when she was ready; whether it was just the unfamiliarity of the experience or something more. Aside of that business the only bit of awkwardness they shared was the silence on the trip up to this point. Felicity figured she’d do well to ease the tension before they faced the true dangers of this mission.

“Hmmm… Take the controls for a minute, Verana?” Felicity left her seat and plugged her personal datapad into one of the ship’s terminals. “I’m transferring a series of coordinates into the navicomputer. If the Onderonian Government contacts you tell them you want to land in the Highlands Mountain Range. I’m going to whip up some lunch. Any requests?” She asked walking the very short distance to Stinger-Baby’s custom kitchenette.

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

The act of sitting in a ship’s cockpit made the girl freak out. She had made Felicity aware of this while making a point that she also wanted to push against it. The fear had to be overcome. The more time Vera spent with the Praxeum the more she realized that space travel was something she had to get used to no matter how terrifying it was, and that meant taking any measure possible to push it. She took a deep breath and nodded her head when asked to take the controls. It was just to make sure things went as they were supposed to. No ringing bells and alarms, no pulling out of hyperspace too late or too early.

“Cup of tea?” The fear was there and lingered in the way she spoke, but the girl pushed herself still onwards. “A-and maybe something meaty.”

Her attention shifted back to the controls and the incomprehensible symbols that littered the dashboard. She had memorized not the descriptors of the buttons and switches but rather the location of them. She couldn’t read and she tried her best to hide that. Her wide open eyes glanced at the controls and she couldn’t help but curse under her breath at her own stubbornness.

And then the red shiny diode began to beep with a beckoning beep after beep after beep.

“Oh shoot.” Vera scrambled to remember what Felicity had said. “... This one, I think.”

Her finger pushed against a button and the external lights turned on.

“Nope!” She turned the headlights off and pressed another button. Cockpit lighting. “Not it!” She panicked and turned it off. Eenie-meenie-miney… “You.”

She pushed the button.

“Onderonian Landing Control to Stinger-Baby. State your business.”

Vera sighed in relief and grabbed at the microphone.

“Uh, Stinger-Baby to Onderonian Control, we are here on a personal errand and would… Errr, like to land in… Onderonian Range Government? No! Wait, I meant the… Highland Mountain Range.” She leaned away from the microphone and glanced at the device in horror.

“Clearance… Granted.” The man on the other end seemed uncertain judging by the tone of his voice. “You are granted platform 2B. Be careful on the approach. Over and out.”

Vera leaned back in her seat with a sigh of relief before she realized that meant she might have to be the one to steer the ship into harbor.

“FELICITY!” She called out. “FELICITY, WHERE IS THE DROID?!”

“I HAVE NEVER LANDED A SHIP BEFORE!”

 

[Felicity Skye]

“Onderonian Range Government,” Felicity repeated with a tiny chuckle. Sometimes other people’s mistakes and misfortunes were funny and she couldn’t help but poke fun as she set the kettle and made her way to the food synthesizer. It was morning on Onderon so breakfast seemed appropriate, and as for the idea of something meaty Felicity knew just what dish to synthesize. She scrolled through the synthesizers catalog and set it to synthesize two punky muffin sandwiches with the works; poached gorg eggs, thick Klatooine paddy frog sausage, and jerba cheese, all served on a pedunkee mufkin.

As the food synthesizer processed the request Felicity walked back to the cockpit. Just as Verana began freaking out. “Oh, Sweetie. I don’t have a droid,” She informed calmly. “But the good news is there’s a first time for everything.” She said attempting to freak the young girl out and support her all at once. Felicity could be a bit of joker depending on the day.

Felicity took her seat in the Pilot’s chair and looked intently at Verana sat in the Co-pilot’s. “Okay. All jokes aside. You can do this. It’s easy, it’s instinctual. Relax yourself and you will see that.” She paused thinking of a way to best explain why some Jedi had proven talented pilots. “The same way you use the force to help you wield a lightsaber, is almost the same way you can use the force to pilot a ship. Extend yourself, fly slow, and keep evasive maneuvers in mind, especially in the mountain range. Once we arrive at our destination the hard part is over. You extend the landing gear and disengage the repulsor engine slowly. Then it’s breakfast time.” Felicity couldn’t have laid it out any simpler than that. There were others in the Praxeum with more formal training that could have outdone her, but Felicity learned piloting by doing and felt it was important others did the same. Study and Simulation would only get one so far.

“And if anything goes wrong, I’m right here. I’ll take control of this old girl and we’ll be having breakfast before you can say How much do I owe you for the damages, Felicity?” She smiled cheekily. Again poking fun but also hoping to ease the padawan’s concerns. Humor was a good coping mechanism and social tool even for Jedi of the modern era. A lesson that many would do well to learn in such grim times.

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

“I- I was- am- freaking out.” Vera offered as Felicity recited her mental typo. The girl looked out the window again and the planet as they approached. Her teeth gritted and she’d turn away as if instinctively trying to find something else to stare at. The re-entry was the worst, and the feeling after it even worse. She always felt that kick in your gut that made you truly believe that you were crashing and plummeting to your death.

Hands wrapped firm around the controls. A deep breath went in through her nose and out through her mouth. Focus, she could do that. The jedi had shown her how to do that. She could do that. Absolutely. Just fine, she was great at that. She gave the wheel a pull towards her and the ship began to even out. Even still her attention began to avert from the window and her eye twitch from the sensation that they were crashing.

Yet… Wait, no, they were flying now. Just a straight line. She almost rose in her seat to look out the viewport to make sure that she was seeing the right thing here. Actually, that was exactly what she did before she sat down again. A small sigh parted her lips but the worst part had not come to pass yet.

She let the force guide her almost as if on instinct. That was what Felicity said, right? Vera’s breathing was stable, controlled, but the emotions running rampant on her mind was far from it. But perhaps the fear was good, it meant she was doing something worth doing. That was what the others always told her. Vera, if something was worth doing you should always be a little scared to do it. Only, the girl was not just a little afraid in this moment.

Her arms moved almost as if on their own. Up ahead the mountain chain was in view and she held her breath at its ever so slow approach. Or rather, the ship’s slow approach, but since Vera was piloting it was easier to just…

Actually, maybe she should just trust the force on this one.

The girl closed her eyes and turned to the left, narrowly missing the cliffside. The louder hum of the ship forced her to open her eyes and Vera almost freaked out once more. But, she had to focus. The platform was in view and she slowed down, hovered above the spot that was designated for them.

Eyes wandered across the dash.

“Uh, landing gear.” She said and almost missed the big one with quite literal text saying ‘Landing Gears’ before she began her attempt at reading. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, it was just that she was bad. She tried to play it off as her being uncertain what to do next, but the reality was she read the biggest text she saw.

El. Ay. En. Dee. Eye. En. Gee.

Lan-ding...

Yeah, that had to be it. Vera pressed the button and sure enough a loud hiss called out through the ship that made her jump in her seat and look back into the rest of the ship before she calmed down and looked out the window again.

Down.

That had to be…

Push the stick forward? Nope.

Vera evened the ship out again before remembering the one lever Felicity had worked with on their departure. Maybe if she just pushed that one the other way…

The ship touched down against the landing pad. Hard.

But hey, at least it was a landing. The girl looked at Felicity with an ecstatic look, her lips splitting open in a bright and wide smile. At least until her nerves came back and it changed to pure horror. Her hands grasped at her temples and she let out a shriek, and then a laugh, and then a scream, and then another laughter.

“I did it!” She laughed. “BUT OH MY GOD!” She screamed. “THAT WAS FUN!”

“BUT I COULD HAVE DIED.”

“FUN.”

“DIED.”

“EMOTIONS!”

 

[Felicity Skye]

“Oh to be young again.” Felicity mused at the insane ball of adolescent energy sat next to her. She would’ve plugged her ears to stop the smattering of laughter and screams from invading her brain but she was too busy being proud. Verana’s success was hers. Felicity crossed her legs and reclined in her chair; with her hands like a pillow behind her head she waited for the chaos of the teenage mind to die down before saying anything.

“Okay. Time for breakfast, Lunatic.” Felicity pointed out. “Go grab the food from the synthesizer and also synthesize two drinks. Meet me outside. I’m fine with whatever.” She ordered casually before getting up herself. She walked over to the exit hatch, opened it, and extended the small ramp. She then reached up into a compartment above it and pulled out a collapsable table/umbrella/chair set, one of the many odd products her father’s corporation had invested in. She set up the set right outside of the ship and on the platform.

As she waited for Verana to come out a Bith, who was the Section’s Landing Pad Manager, approached with an offer for fuel at quite the bargain. Felicity paid him the credits for the pad and the fuel and watched as two plucky Xexto sprang into action for the other side of the ship. The Xextese would be audible when Verana came out, but the focus would be on Felicity and the Bith Pad Manager. “I was wondering if there was anywhere in the mountain range where we would be able to acquire some form of mounted transportation?” Felicity asked in Basic. “Yeah. We actually have a couple Tee-muss we rent out here. Not many come to the mountains intending to walk. I can give you a deal if you want to rent them for the day.” He replied. “And if I want to keep them overnight?” She posited. “It’s gonna’ cost a cute credit but you look like you’re good for it,” He said looking at the pristine state of the ship and then back at Felicity. It was evident she’d grown up with money by the way she carried herself. It was something she couldn’t erase even with her Jedi training.

“Half up front, half when you return?” He offered his hand for a shake. “I think we've come to an accord.” Felicity took his hand. As the Bith departed to retrieve the Tee-muss Felicity looked to Verana. “Have you ever been to Onderon before?” She asked attempting to make some small talk before she discussed the day’s plan. She also didn’t hesitate to dig into the food.

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

A wide yet lopsided grin spread on Vera’s lips in the end as the hype died down. Her chest jumped with a chuckle at the lunatic remark and she got out of her chair to follow Felicity out of the cockpit with a few lingering shakes that made her balance all the more uneasy as they separated. Felicity made for the ramp and Vera made way towards the kitchenette to make some kind of drink for the two and gather the food.

Grown ups liked caf, right? Vera squinted at the many letters on the big box in front of her that seemed to be the food or drink synthesizer. It took her awhile, but with time she would figure out that this box was in fact what she wanted and she filled them up with a cup of whatever beverage Vera had decided to pick for them. Felicity was an easy choice, but as far as Vera went she wasn’t quite sure what to do. On one hand her curiosity made her want to understand the selection on this machine… But on the other that meant spending another ten minutes trying to read text that was beyond her.

She pressed a random button and hoped for the best.

Some kind of… Red juice? She shrugged and placed it on the tray along with the rest of the items. Her mind and eyes (if anything) focused quite intently on the two beverages on the tray as she made her way through the ship and out towards the table set up by Master Skye.

Half up front, half when they returned? Vera perked her brow as she took her seat by the table and looked up at the Knight as she took her seat.

“I haven’t, no.” Vera said and took a big bite out of her breakfast sandwich. “I’ve noht don-”

She averted her eyes for a second and swallowed the bite in her mouth. Her throat cleared and she tried that once more.

“Sorry,” She apologised for speaking with her mouth full. “I’ve not done a whole lot of travel until very recently.”

“The Silver Jedi was only just starting to send me on missions when I met Alden on some small farming planet in the outer rim.” She frowned for a second, it was a strange circumstances that had brought Vera to the Praxeum in the end. “Before the Silver Jedi Order, I used to live on a planet called Kiara. We were isolated until maybe a decade ago. I grew up having to hunt and fish for a living or me and my family would starve.”

“From what I have heard from others about this planet, there are tribes who live the same way here. I find that very interesting.”

 

[Felicity Skye]

“Quite,” Felicity agreed with the girl’s sentiment. “Maybe we will encounter one such tribe in the Highlands. Last time I was here I was able to spend some time with a famed Beast Rider, so I’d say anything is possible.” She added assuringly. “He could recount eras lost to most historians thanks to his people’s oral traditions. And that is what I call interesting.” She continued after taking another bite of her sandwich and another sip of her caf. There was a hint of mint in her caf which made Felicity feel both cool and refreshed. A good thing, considering they were about to head out into the harsh Onderonian sun.

As breakfast finished and the patio set was packed away the Bith had arrived with the duo’s mounts. Liking a challenge Felicity took the grumpier of the two. Through the force she established a connection with the beast as best she could. “Alright, Grumpy. Forward.” She ordered from her saddle with the animal begrudgingly accepting her order. “You’ll like me soon enough.” She whispered as she pet the back of his neck. Felicity looked toward Verana to see how she was faring.

“Keep close and mind the cliff faces, Verana. It’s a long way down once we get off the pad, and it’s a long way to our destination.”

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

The rest of the meal was downed with the proper respect for etiquette and rules one would expect of a child her age that hailed from the mystical concept of civilization. The red juice had a very pungent flavor. It bit your tongue with a bit of a sour yet sweet flavor that had a slightly grainy texture to it. Though whether that was a simulation of the real thing or if it was actual pressed fruit was beyond Vera.

The stories about the beastriders fascinated to no end, and the girl would hope that with some luck they would meet said people for the chance to get to know them herself. The culture was similar to the one she had grown up with, yet she had the gut feeling that it was almost anything but. Vera’s people weren’t nomads after all. Beastriders, the name, made it seem like the others were.

Regardless, as Felicity packed the table and chairs back into the ship Vera would approach her mount and reach out to let it sniff against her hand and get a feel for her. She tried to reach out for the creature’s mind and spread another sense of ease and form a connection between the two before she finally approached the steed in full and gave it a stroke along the side of its head.

“I know, I know.” She sighed. “I hate walking the distance as well, but me and my friend need you and your friend.”

The hand moved on to stroke against the top of its head instead.

“That makes you and your friend the most valuable members of this group, you know.” Vera looked at the one Felicity had named ‘Grumpy.’ “We’ll be gentle, I promise.”

The steed knelt down to ease Vera on top of it and with a gentle pat against its back she told it to set off after Grumpy.

“You’re a master of encouragement, Master Skye.” Vera snickered. “I will try my best to avoid falling to my death.”

 

[Felicity Skye]

A smile of amusement crossed Felicity’s face. The chipper way in which Verana had answered her grievous warning put it there, and there was no taking it away. The young Jedi’s enthusiasm was infectious and Felicity being the excitable woman she was succumbed to the adolescent energy easily. “Please do.” Felicity responded as she felt Grumpy tug his own reins. She let them fall loose in her hand with the message that he wasn’t fond of them. And with that the journey began.

At a steady pace the duo and their trusty steeds navigated around cliffs and over ridges, through tunnels and passed way stations. They seldom took breaks only stopping to stretch, and allow the Tee-muss some rest and water. The sun was out and they traveled through sweltering morning heat. Felicity had forgone the usual pilot’s jacket and all black look for something white, flowy and with a minimalistic approach to skin coverage. With all the time they traversed the mountain range next to none of it was met with silence. Verana had next to no knowledge of Onderon and Felicity had by comparison a wealth of it, so she regaled the young Jedi with all she knew.

Felicity talked for hours about culture and society, but most importantly history. The history of Onderon and how the Jedi had impacted it. It was a topic she had researched well and for a very long time. The stories of Arca Jeth, The Qel-Droma Brothers, Tott Doneeta, and Nomi Sunrider and Thon. It was something she was passionate about and she talked about it in length. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she had bored the padawan to sleep but she couldn’t help herself. It was one of her favorite stories of old and thought there was much to be gained from it especially for the Jedi in the modern era, who after the gulag plague seemed to repeat the past.

Eventually night came and the Tee-muss could travel no further. They were in close distance of their destination but they had to stop for the night. Thunder sounded and heavy rains were sure to come. Felicity hopped off of her mount as they had reached a once settled, now deserted plateau. She didn’t say anything but hoped that Verana would follow suit, leading their Tee-Muss under an old but still intact tarp that would keep them clear of the rain.

“Verana, let’s take a look around before we set camp here. You never know what dangers lurk in the dark.”

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

It was always hard to feel the sensations of an animal that worked hard not to let strain get to them. Once the cold of the mountains changed for unbearable and humid heat there was little that Vera could think of but to shed some of the layers she had on. The jacket fell off into her pack and so did the fur wraps around her shins. Exposed arms rejoiced at the warmth when the mind cursed the humidity. It was perhaps a bit warmer than Vera was used to, but the time she had spent on Kashyyyk had gotten her used to it. Sometimes it was unbearable, though most of the time bearable once you had gotten acclimated.

And the stories that Felicity told Vera had the opposite reaction that one might have expected. If anything Vera listened to what the woman was saying with a wide-eyed enthusiasm that seemed rare even in the students of the Praxeum. Vera might not have been able to read but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a story any less than other apprentices would. If anything it made her all the more appreciative of them.

The story of Nomi Sunrider caught her attention especially and the Ulic Qel-Droma story too with how they interweaved. It was fascinating to find in a sense that most of the things that the Jedi now did was the same thing that Jedi did millenia ago. Maybe not the exact same, and maybe not just the good parts, but as it were it meant that Vera herself — at the very least — knew what not to do. She made a note to ask about more Jedi stories later when they had time.

As they arrived at the abandoned base Vera gave the area a careful glance. She nodded her head to agree with Felicity that it would be for the best to check the area before they set up camp, but not before extending her presence in the force to check for the signs of life that she had adapted her mind to on the road.

“There doesn’t seem like there is any dangers in our immediate area.” Vera said and opened her eyes to dismount from her tee-muss. “A lot of critters, but I don’t sense any predators.”

“But uh, maybe we should do a sweep just for safety.”

“... After you, Felicity.” Vera smiled at her traveling companion. “You’re the master here after all.”

 

[Felicity Skye]

Felicity smiled back at the young Jedi. “I sense them too.” She continued as she too reached out to the force. “It’s peaceful… for now, but that can change quickly here. The mountains can be just as wild and savage as the jungles. Maybe more so if you take into account the beast riders. Not all of them were like the man I once knew.” Felicity said taking the lead. “I’ll take care of the sweep. You start setting camp and mind the Tee-muss.” She ordered, handing the girl a Luxury Plastent and Standard from her bag. “If you hear wings flapping, duck and run for cover. And if you can save the mounts, do it.” The Coruscanti Jedi suggested before patrolling the cliff face, the road’s bend, and the brush of onderonian bamboo. As she walked back to camp she gathered a couple loose stalks that were weak enough to fall over, yet still strong enough to use as training weapons. Felicity figured her & Verana could pass some time training if they cared to.

So as she walked back to camp, bamboo stalks in hand, she could feel the winds of Onderon start to change. The day was hot and still but night would become cold and gusty. She picked up her pace as her hair tossed around fighting the wind. Her steps were labored against the strength of Mother Nature’s gusts. She wondered how Verana was dealing with the weather. Plastents were usually remarkably wind resistant if set right, it was fully possible that she was completely oblivious to the change.

As Felicity approached the camp she could see them in the night sky. Their visage illuminated by the moon. Beast Riders. Flying through the air on the backs of several Ruping. The flapping of wings was inaudible. Inaudible, because they didn’t have to fly, all they had to do was glide. The beast riders in view were clever and used the tail wind to travel. Felicity tried to run but the gusts were strong. Bad for her and good for the beast riders. Felicity couldn’t tell if they had noticed the camp until their mounts had took a bit of a dive. The Ruping were trained to do so with their superior vision. Felicity wouldn’t be able to get to Verana before they had arrived so instead she cleared her mind and attempted to connect to the adolescent Jedi’s. “Verana, run or hide! They are coming.” The connection only lasted a second on Felicity’s part but it was enough to deliver her message. Now it was up to Verana to act until Felicity could reach her.

[member="Verana"]​

 

[Verana]

[member="Felicity Skye"]

This was a far more complex structure than anything Vera had ever had to rely on. The plastent was pretty and all that, but there was just something missing for the young girl. She had half-prepared for a situation where she had to build a shelter out of branches, leaves and other means but this was perhaps as equally good of a cover. It was definitely going to be more comfortable, but that hardly meant much to someone who grew up in a place where some nights had been spent under the cover of the stars and the tickle of grass.

And then there was the weather which might have been a bit more warmer than she was used to, but by tying her hair up into a knot and letting the armless tunic do its work she found a sense of calm in face of the warmth. While the tent was up she remained outside regardless. There was a greater peace to be found there, at least for her. She grabbed at the knife on her belt and grabbed a nearby piece of wood to start whittle and carve it into something smaller and a bit more, well, pretty.

Verana, run or hide! They are coming.

The girl quirked right up at the mental intrusion and looked to the sky only to see the beast riders come right for her. She dove to the ground, crawled away across the ground and did little but watch as Grumpy was snatched right off the ground.

Vera turned around on her back and looked on as the rest of the riders took to the ground.

They yelled something but Vera couldn’t understand it. It seemed like orders from the way their hands motioned around the area though. Their leader stepped off his mount and began to approach the tent. Vera remained on the ground, staring at him as he approached and caught sight of her.

“Outlander.” He called for her. “State your business.”

Vera panicked.

“You are encroaching upon our territory. We have taken your animals as our due payment for any damages caused. Now,” He stepped up before her. Or rather towered above her, really. “What are you doing here?”