Private Descent

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen was still a terrible pilot. He had thought that abandoned stretch of land near the Mesharra templae on Chalacta would have left no observers of his shame. Any grace in his shuttle landing was provided only by his on-board computer. However there was already a vessel sat in the empty landscape. One that had brought Romi Jade here. Jacen scanned the area quickly from the shuttle. No life signs nearby. The Force provided just a faint tremor of a warning. His console reported that the engines on the other vessel were still warm.

"Curious," he mused as he made his way down from the shuttle. The temple was said to be entirely of alien design. For a few moments he had started to suspect he was going to be finding the corpse of the owner of the other vessel, discovering where they had become trapped.

For the first time in years he wore a lightsaber at his belt. Not because he felt the need to defend himself or identify himself as a jedi. It was a practical matter of carrying a tool that could cut through almost any material.

The actual opening to the temple was almost entirely obscured. He wouldn't have found it if the Silver Jedi had not explored the site before. A small hatch led to a lift of some alien design. They had provided him with a rather unpleasant piece of apparatus for this journey. From a pouch in his belt he pulled a small petri dish of cloned Sharuka bio-matter. He touched the odourless green gel to what looked like a control panel and the lift started to move. He was afforded a view of the smooth shaft cut from the rock on the way down.

Eventually it came to a smooth halt and the door slid open. He found himself in a wide open chamber. Alien glyphs of a kind he had never seen covered the walls.

"Hello?" he called out. There was another here already, he could sense them.

They would not be the only ones for along. Just minutes from Chalacta a shuttle of Sharuka warriors emerged from hyperspace. They would see the trespass on their temple as a grave offence.

 

[Romi Jade]

She'd gone on ahead, not really sure how deep she'd gone before she froze. Pressing her palm against the cool material used to build the temple, she wasn't even quite sure what she should be looking for but she was hoping to sense something . . . whatever it was, it wasn’t here, maybe more would reveal itself the deeper she went. Rubbing her palms briefly on her jumpsuit to dry them, something had suddenly caused her sense to flare . . . and as she waited, she heard it again.

"Hello?" he called out. There was another here already, he could sense them.

The soft, distant whine of an air currents whipped through as if the entrance had been breached.

"Company?, Finally." she muttered to herself, giving her surroundings a quick scan. Nothing was visible yet, but the sound was definitely coming closer...and she was moving towards it.

She hit a corner, walking the curve before peeking around and seeing a bulking frame of a older male -- he didn't seem that old.

Lightsaber

She followed through, pulling the entirety of her frame around "You're not a Sith are you?" she paced a bit, stopping somewhere in the middle -- a few feet away. "Because if you are...then you've made my job so easy..." she teased a bit, shifting her weight before swaying a bit in her stance.

"But...I don't think you are..."


Jacen Voidstalker

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Jacen slowed to a halt when the young - but not too young - jedi blocked his path. She might not have been a jedi. The old orders of the galaxy hadn't truly recovered during his self-imposed exile. There were Wardens and Judges and all manner of Force wielder across the Galaxy. The First Order might have collapsed under the weight of their own beaurocracy and infighting, but the Sith were still bound tight to their emperor.

"I'm not a sith, no," Jacen replied. "I was once a jedi. Well, I was a jedi on two occasions, but that doesn't matter."

Jacen gave a shrug, a casual smile and stepped as if he was going to walk past her. He hadn't been anywhere more fascinating for years. In truth, he hadn't been anywhere that wasn't Mos Espa for years. He idly scratched at his light stubble. He had shaved for the first time in a year too, his skin recovering from the sand blasting winds.

"Is that the giant chasm that you can't cross without using the alien tech to summon a bridge?" he asked.

 

[Romi Jade]

Heh.

Nowadays -- you didn't quite know who was from what sect or order. She mostly did her own thing anyway, freelancing was a better position for her.

She didn't get any ill intent from him, truly. She casually stepped back and out of his path, trailing him after a few steps.

"So then what brings you here then? Exploration?" She paced until she came upon his person, sidestepping from behind him.

"Are you working with the Silvers too? Or did Peace send you?"

"Is that the giant chasm that you can't cross without using the alien tech to summon a bridge?"

"It is." Her head motioned forward, throwing her locs over her shoulder. She glanced over, "You've got such tech?"

He was peaking her curiosity...

"Romi Jade by the way..."


Jacen Voidstalker

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

The corner of his lips betrayed his amusement. Jacen had never been particularly good at holding a stoic expression. There had been no real need to hide what he felt from people for a long time. He hadn't been around people much at all.

"Jacen Voidstalker," he replied. He turned to face Romi and gave a half bow. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm not working for the silver jedi exactly, but I was passing through this way and this..." he waved his hands towards the ceiling. "...sounded cool."

The Jedi Marshal who had led a campaign against the One Sith and cut a swathe all the way to the core before disappearing from the Galaxy. And he was here because it sounded 'cool'.

"Don't know who or what Peace is and if by tech you mean 'a weird jar of sharuka bio matter' then yes. I do. Kind of wish I didn't."

He left the question of why she was here exactly for the time being.

 

[Romi Jade]

"Voidstalker..." she lingered on it a bit. "I've heard of the name before." She took his measure -- he's seen battle before. Maybe he'd done work with the NJO in their prime.

"Ah. I see now. Just so happened to pick it up then...seems like we were in the same boat then."

"Don't know who or what Peace is and if by tech you mean 'a weird jar of sharuka bio matter' then yes. I do. Kind of wish I didn't."

She lurched forward in a giggle, "That's fair. Peace is a new Jedi space station housing some members of the order. You should check it out some day Voidstalker" She motioned with her head, "And great, yuck, but great. Where did you get it?" she questioned.

Jacen Voidstalker

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

For someone who was supposedly valuing his anonymity Jacen felt slightly miffed that she didn't know his name very well.

"Well, I did lead the charge into the Core to remove the One Sith alongside Aela Talith..." he offered, hoping to see at least a small spark of recognition.

"Got this from the Silver Jedi and whilst it's...yuck...it should..."

Jacen touched the plate to the bridge controls. At first nothing happened and he gave a deflated sigh.

Suddenly there was a hiss. Several bronze panels floated up from from the depths of the chasm and formed a bridge. Jacen regarded the floating plates with suspicion.

"You want to go first?"