Private Critical Expedition

[Pom Stych Tivé]

Kashyyyk
​

Tag: Caen San Tekka​

​

​

Potions, a craft with requirement from start to finish so meticulous the slightest singular mishap effects the entire result. When she was younger and her skill only remedial, the required processes were simpler by far. She has since grown in her skillset. The ingredients must be collected and maintained exactly as prescribed, pruned and processed to painstaking detail. One tiny little gnat falls into the brew pot and the whole chemical balance is ruined. Collect under the wrong moon, or wrong constellation alignment, and the whole preparation is ruined. One mishap amidst a galaxy of criteria for collection, means to put off the potion, and thus all the other ingredients are wasted as well; their longevity just can’t hold up for another planetary alignment cycle to happen. The Nightsister travels the galaxy all over, trying to be under a particular star alignment, forcing the success of the situation before it would naturally occur elsewhere. Malsheem, home to Dathomir's Bone Temple, is sometimes brought into alignment.

Some things cannot be postponed to suit the natural order of the concept of Time.

She has a team of people on this one, scattered everywhere across the grid. What they must locate is difficult to determine. The witch would need to individually test the findings on her own to discover their suitability.

Requisition: 2 plants naturally grown in open jungle, from seeds which have somehow made an intergalactic journey, unintentionally grown. They must be cultivated before nightfall within the span of the third week before the end of the planet's summer solstice, which also must fall within a particular galactic timeframe.

Thankfully this detail omits many planets; but will those it does permit, satisfy her need. Some of the details she omitted, such as the need to uncover her objective within a certain radius of burial grounds. Nor did she enlighten her unwittingly participant about the non-negotiable magickal parameters which the Nightsister shall require of him. She let him believe this is going to be pretty boring and expedition.

* * *​

“I'm Sammi," she greeted him on the tarmac, her datapad tucked under her elbow. "Mr. Tekka I presume. I know this job will bore you, but the museum is investigating which plants have been established here by unintentional interplanetary means,” is the excuse this small woman fed her guide. It's going to be a long expedition, but all she hears is the clock ticking away. There is no way to halt it. This planet, is the ninth she will come to, that falls within the third week to it's solstice at this very moment in time. Two had resulted prosperous, but their findings had aged inappropriately to satisfy the requirements of the ingredients. Another had proved incapable of being used at all due to the planet's particular strain of bacteria.

The Nightsister arrived ahead of her hired botanist, seemingly just like an ordinary hiker in appearance. She hid her force signature to read as one with just a marvelous sense of intuition, or luck as the galaxy likes to define it. An electrostaff hung openly, slung over her shoulder, charged with enough shock-ability to stop a Kkorrwrot; but that would not be the extent of her protections. There would be alot of predators to watch out for. For the first time in her life, she had decided to educate herself on the safety and use of such weaponry, she forever deemed crude and unnecessary for survival. Even the Wookiees don't step foot on the surface after dusk. She did not intend to raise an alarm over her profession to her hired guide, when there is so much at stake, that she requires his willing participation.

"Thanks for arriving on time," she added. "We should have enough time to inspect some ground along the Hracca Glade and make camp before nightfall. Don't you agree?"
​

_____________

_____________​

 

[Caen San Tekka]

KASHYYYK

The Wookiee planet never failed to amaze, Caen thought to himself, as he touched down in the YT-2400 freighter on the assigned landing pad. From outside the cockpit, he spied the canopy that filtered rays of sun through, and the trees that were miles tall, with some even that wide. It was mind boggling to consider the sheer size of some of the flora. Still, Caen had been to Kashyyyk half a dozen times, and he was sad to say that most of the wow factor had started to wear off... but not completely. Not yet.

"Shouldn't be long, DeeBee," The rugged explorer said as he shutdown the ship systems and walked out of the cockpit. He heard the small BD-unit following in his wake, beeping affirmative. "I'm going to take some extra supplies for this one. Dipping into the personal stores of the ship. So I need you to organize a resupply manifest while I'm out, okay?"

The small droid beeped again, before it walked over to the ramp and activated the panel to lower it. While that happened, Caen stepped into the nearby storage area, and began filling a backpack - rations, water, climbing gear, portable tent, a shock net, emergency beacon and other similar items. It was far better to not be left wanting, in his experience. And soon enough the pack was... packed, and with a grunt, Caen shouldered the items. He hoped it wouldn't slow him down too much, but the supplies were important enough not to leave behind.

"Keep the ship locked unless it's the supplier, DeeBee," Caen said as he stomped his way toward the ramp. He started down, his heavy boots gripping the walkway easily, before he paused and glanced back to the droid. "Hey, hey, look at me--" The droid did. Caen raised his eyebrows and pointed. "--I mean it... don't let those Wookiee kids in again. They turned the inside of the ship upside down playing. Not happening again."

The droid whistled with something akin to a human eyeroll, then pressed the ramp button, which started to raise it. Caen quick-stepped the rest of the way to the landing pad tarmac, then half-jumped off the ramp, to land with a grunt. No sooner had the ramp closed than the explorer heard a young sentient's voice, to which he turned and looked at an attractive humanoid in hiking wear. She introduced herself, Sammi, and was the contact for the Museum that had reached out for the guide contract; she seemed well prepared, a datapad in hand, and had a plan to attack the trail they would take by a set time.

Organized. Good.

"Oh, hey," Caen said with a nod. He offered a smile, as he adjusted the straps on the backpack. "Yeah, Caen's fine. Good to meet you. And don't worry, I know true boredom... try watching growing patterns of crystals on Ilum for several months, then get back to me."

Like his companion, Caen was dressed for the thick forest weather in light but durable hiking gear. Granted, he also had his lucky leather jacket on over the shirt, and his blaster in holster strapped to his right thigh. But essentially the same. However, unlike Sammi, Caen did not have an electrostaff, which he now second guessed about having - it was true that the Hracca Glade had some dangerous fauna.

"Yeah, I think we should make Hracca Glade before nightfall. Judging by how much day we have left, we should arrive late afternoon?" It wasn't so much a question, as the estimate was accurate enough. Sammi looked physically fit, there was no reason to suspect they would have a slower pace. "Have you organized campsite supplies? I've brought a portable tent, just in case... but if you have a four-star hotel prepped, just say the word and I'll dump the tent."

With a smirk, Caen motioned to the exit of the landing area, which would lead to the city and eventually the hiking trail beyond that.

"Shall we? After you..."

SOMETIME LATER...​

The trail wasn't the hardest one Caen had been on.

Thankfully.

There were some difficult obstacles here and there, mainly to do with crossing the expanse between the giant trees, though the downward portions were the easiest. Going downhill was always the easiest part. One thing that made Kashyyyk very different from other hikes was the fact that most of the paths circled or wove through the giant tree trunks themselves; lots of caved out passageways, hollows through wooden tunnels, rope bridges that had seemingly bottomless drops into darkness, that kind of thing.

To help pass the time, and to get to know Sammi a bit more, Caen spoke up:

"You mentioned unintended interplanetary seed dispersal... that doesn't seem to be a very common event, right?" Caen glanced over to his hiking buddy, eyebrows raised and genuinely curious. He knew a bit about plants, had re-studied basically every source of information on Kashyyyk's plant-life in preparation during hyperspace, but if it came down to identifying plants that weren't native... it could prove complicated.

"So, Sammi, do you work for the museum that's funding this expedition, or have you been hired on like me? What's your area of study?"

Pom Stych Tivé​

 

[Pom Stych Tivé]

Kashyyyk​

Tag: Caen San Tekka@​

At the comment of the tidiest of tasks one could ever be charged with, the undercover regular gal who is currently going by the name Sammi pursed her lips together as a smile attempted to produce. She is not about to reveal her true nature based off just happening to be able to think of about eighty-five thousand more tasks that could be far more boring than watching a crystal grow. But what he said, implied he had not the ability to force it to grow faster by way of magick or the Force, a plus for her. "I am glad this experience with me shall not be your worst yet," she stated in reply.

"I brought along breathable camouflaged hammock pods, infused with charcoal to hide our scent from the beasties. We can sleep suspended among the trees." She carried them tucked tightly into their tiny pouches, hung off of a draw string cord. She knew quite a bit about avoiding becoming something's lunch due to having been raised on Dathomir. She carried in airtight containers quite a bit of acquired provisions as well that would assist them in warding away aggressive beasts when necessary. The Nightsister held up a satchel of such a ward for him to view, before tossing it towards him. "An herbal concoction able to turn some species into pups again. If you get cornered, just let them get a quick a sniff and hurl it away from you. If they are ensnared good, but I still recommend running whether it works on them or not." She carried a small dart gun with cartridges of nerve suppressor along, just in case.

Anything she could share that would not exactly give away the true nature of her craft, she would make small talk of with him. Her intent was to come across as an experienced pharmacognosist. As they made their trek headed towards the edge of explored civilization, her guide inquired about the interstellar exchange of seedpods. "Your track record for being able to spot delicate details among any terrain has caught the interest of your benefactors. Our objective is of critical concern to delicate ecosystems. Certain bacteria and plant seeds have been discovered to survive interstellar travel. Scientists are exploring the possibility that some star systems today might have been wiped out due to the introduction of invasive species long ago. They could have been dispersed through meteors striking the atmosphere, as well as a result of space flight." She hadn't yet revealed to him what he might perhaps deem as the most disturbing aspect of her intentions, to explore the burial grounds for such invasive deposits. She certainly believes he could stomach it, but the aspect itself might raise questions. Her necessary acquisition lies in far more than simple plants. "The presence of intergalactic plants go hand in hand with the introduction of alien bacteria. Technically, I am requisitioned by the museum in search for the existence of both criteria. One of my purposes is through the museum so they may determine the future course of the planet, identify its true history, and on another hand for scientists to make a determination as to how far they may allow the natural course to progress before they need intervene."

Collecting a sample, and pretending to study the decaying process of a corpse which has been affected by such bacteria from such surrounding plants…let's just save for later her excuse as to why she pretends to study such a strange topic.​

_____________

_____________​