Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Do You Hear Them Calling?

It had seemed quite some time since Upari had been able to rest. With their recent training and regiments, Ultimatum and Upari had found free time to be a luxury only recently rediscovered. The galaxy was always in a constant state of change, and it was difficult to maintain a definite course of action because of this. Now though, the duo had managed to enjoy some downtime. They had decided, after some deliberation, to visit one of their newer acquaintances, @Chaca.

Their last interaction had been quite impressive, though neither Ultimatum or Upari wished to have another adventure like that. Both would have readily admitted that the exploration of Byss had not been the worst time. Indeed there had been more dangerous adventures. Thus they came, they wished to learn more about the Cathar who had been such a strange discovery on the world of darkness. Perhaps there were other things that they would learn this day, other secrets that had escaped his notice. Knowledge could be found anywhere, and Chaca stood as a most exciting vector of knowledge.
 
Gatalenta - a welcome change from being on the surface of Byss. Though similarly beautiful to byss in ways, Gatalenta lacked the dark-side corruption that made byss so notable.

Chaca was glad to be on Gatalenta. The environment was much more suitable to his comfort, and the locals tended to be warm and welcoming. He was even able to barter some supplies from them, and get assistance from them in exchange for his aid. It was one of the locals here who had sent out the transmission to Ultimatum, inviting him to this planet.

The force-sensitive droid had intrigued Chaca to say the least, and it interested the youthful Cathar to spend time with his new friend. It seemed the two could learn from one another, and Chaca was always interested in sharing any knowledge he had. Though he had no use of the force himself, Chaca seemed to have some instinct in how the force worked. Meeting a droid who could use the force opened Chaca's mind to a whole new world of possibilities, and he found himself excited and curious to what Ultimatum could tap into.

Spotting the droid, Chaca stood up on a fairly tall rock and waved an arm, grinning wide to see that Ultimatum had gotten the transmission and found his coordinates. Chaca chose a location that would at least distance them a little from town. No need to alarm or possibly endanger others while experimenting in the force

"Hiya Ultimatum! You found the place. Guess ya got my transmission?"

He shouted from on top of the rock, leaping off afterword to slowly approach the droid. Chaca seemed much more content, much more at ease than he had on Byss.


[member="Ultimatum"]
 
It was not a particularly long walk to the location that the coordinates given to him, once had landed on the planet. It was not too surprising that for all the droid's traveling the galaxy he had not yet come to this world. Ultimatum doubted that he would see every planet in a sentient's lifetime, perhaps four but certainly not one. Upari had been far more at ease on this planet, a sign of the strength of the corruption that had been present on Byss. There was a safety here, a greater calm and protection than had been known on Byss. Perhaps [member="Chaca"] had chosen this world because of that very fact.

Ultimatum gazed up the rock, his eyes adjusting automatically to block out the glare of the suns that streamed past the form of the Carthar. "Indeed I did, Chaca. I am glad," if in fact a droid could be glad, "that you have found a new world to live on. You seem more at peace here." The robot did not mention that it was also free of any Rakata influence, another point in its favor.

As Chaca dropped from the stone and approached, Ultimatum looked down to the smaller sentient as he queried, "What can I do for you?"
 
Chaca smiled widely as he looked up at the droid, the small anomalous cathar quite glad to see Ultimatum. The droid's direct to-the-point inquiry made the boy chuckle a little.

"I guess ya probably realized that I called you here for more than just a visit"

The small ivory felinesque creature said, gently looking back over his shoulders toward the hills before turning his attention back to Ultimatum

"There is an imbalance here. Creatures are acting unnaturally... Attacking. Fighting. The disturbance seems to be centered around an old Jedi temple near here"

Chaca pointed back toward the rolling green jungle like hills.

"I think you can probably get me in the temple. After that, I want to try to stop whatever is causing the disturbance. We might find some stuff worth keeping along the way... Maybe even some data"


[member="Ultimatum"]
 
The droid gazed over towards the jungle. It appeared to be a wild place, full of plants and, apparently, aggressive animals. Ultimatum could not recall having entered a jungle before; it would be a new experience as far as he was concerned. That alone would be enough to cause him to want to go. The Jedi temple only exacerbated his desire.

"That is intriguing and definitely a proposal that I find most appealing. I am prepared to leave whenever you are." As a self-contained droid, Ultimatum didn't have any need to resupply or recharge, for several days at least. He could not say the same for [member="Chaca"], whose organic nature did lean itself to requiring more maintenance than himself. But if the Cathar was ready to go, then ultimatum hoped to start immediately.
 
Chaca grinned at the droid, finding himself rather pleased with how quick and decisive he was. That was certainly an advantage that droids had over organic life, quick logistical calculation. Chaca silently wondered how such things would factor into force use. Simply being around Ultimatum was quite interesting for these very reasons.

Chaca would make his way into the jungle, slowly at first and keeping a careful eye on Ultimatum to see if he could get an idea of how he moved most comfortably in the jungle. Chaca would naturally try to lead Ultimatum along a path that was optimal to the droid, the small cathar boy being somewhat a natural to the jungle.

He seemed to find it rather easy to climb trees and leap over obstacles, his claws and agility keen for this environment.

Crouching on a tree limb, about 10 feet above Ultimatum, Chaca stopped and looked out, his mouth falling open. He almost looked nervous as he looked around

"Ultimatum? A-are you picking up anything that way? Do your sensors see anything.... B-big?"

The boy asked, now lowering his voice just a little, and pointing his finger into the woods. His heart began to pound in his chest.

A little over a thousand yards ahead of them, in the direction he pointed, a massive scaled beast wound through the trees, a grinding sound heard around it as it's rough hide brushed through the forest and around trees without the slightest hint of gentile intent.

Its head lifted above the tree line for a moment before dipping back down and slithering again. It seemed to be traveling cross-ways of Chaca and Ultimatum, perhaps unaware of their presence yet




[member="Ultimatum"]
 
It was no mean feat for the droid to keep up, even with [member="Chaca"] taking his time and carefully leading the droid through the easiest spaces. This droid body was not designed for traversing trees, and therefore he remained on the ground for the sake of safety. This proved difficult as the terrain was uneven and shrubs and rocks continued to create different steps that required continuous recalculation on the droid's part in order to maintain a steady pace. Fortunately, unlike an organic who would have been continually looking up to keep track of Chaca and therefore taking their eyes off the ground, Ultimatum had sensors that could read both the terrain and the movement of the organic above, allowing Ultimatum to look either way and not be too badly affected by it.

When at last the Cathar stopped, Ultimatum took a few moments to come to a stop and then crouched down to avoid easy detection, as if a silvery droid could hope to blend into a green jungle. He listened and then put his sensors to the task of searching for a large organism in the approximate area. He began with a basic close range, about ten-meter scan, which brought up no creatures even close to Ultimatum's inner body in size. Then he stepped up the sensor power, and it increased to about a hundred meters, again it did little to help. Pushing it much further would decrease its effectiveness at exact location, though if the thing they were looking for was sufficiently large then perhaps it would matter little.

Upari tugged at Ultimatum's mind, shifting the droid's attention to the Shard. "Perhaps the life of the creature will be more visible through the Force. We've done it once before."

"We can give it a shot, though the proximity to Chaca my add complexity to the attempt." Ultimatum nonetheless followed the idea and focused his mind into Upari's mind. The two brains became one for a moment and in that time Ultimatum could see the world through the Force. The world appeared in a form completely alien to the droid. No longer did it have the distinct shapes, sizes, and colors. Now the surroundings were glowing and interconnected through the Force. In the distance, a great light could be seen, and Ultimatum guessed it was what Chaca had seen.

Looking to the Cathar, Ultimatum saw him through the Force, a void more definite than outer space. Then his sight returned to normal, and Ultimatum let that memory lock away for now. He spoke, pointing in the direction of the thing he had seen, "There is something that way, very large. Do you know of anything about the local fauna?"
 
Chaca's eyes scanned forward, silently crouching on the branch below his feet. His eyes weren't telling him much, but the boy's large round ears were telling him quite a bit as they swivelled and moved on his head.

His ears cocked toward the beast in the distance, taking in the sounds of it with greater displeasure by the second. It definitely sounded huge. It also may be hungry... If it was predatory. He hoped it wasn't. But even if it was herbivorous that didn't necessarily make it less dangerous

Chaca looked at Ultimatum, smiling a little as he could seem to tell that the droid was reaching out with the force to gain understanding about the creature

The force energy around the creature emanated confusion, fear, and aggression. It didnt seem hungry, but it certainly felt agitated, if Ultimatum could detect such sensations from the distance

When Ultimatum looked to Chaca, the boy returned the gaze with intrigue. Though the droid didn't emote, it still seemed that Chaca could instinctively feel that Ultimatum was now using the force to sense out and truly "see" Chaca for the first time

Finally seeing Chaca for what he truly was, the sight would often be confusing. Absolute blackness sat at the center of Chaca's position, like a shadow shaped like the small cathar. It was as though a black hole sat only meters from Ultimatum. At the edges of the blackness, an array of colors tugged, moved and swayed like waves of fluid. The colors fluctuated and faded, intensifying and detensifying into silvers and whites as well. This layer of color was fleeting and thin, just at the edges of Chaca's form. A few feet out from him, a hazy effect would seem to exist, like the waves of heat over a desert highway. This wavy area was likely the area of effect where the force seemed to null out around Chaca.

Chaca sat calmly on the branch, letting Ultimatum have a long look unhindered. He trusted Ultimatum, and valued something that the droid valued as well - understanding...truth...knowledge. He wouldn't hinder study, even if for this moment the subject was himself

The young felinesque male shook his head as he was asked about the fauna

"I don't know enough... This seemed kinda urgent, and nobody else seems to be able to do anything about it, so I didn't have time to learn much about the life here."

Chaca said softly, doing his best not to allow himself to become fearful of the massive beast now having stopped, and seeming to prod about in its current position, possibly foraging.

"I think it may be a hill wurm. If it is, then they are... usually... plant eating. But if its angry or anything, it may be best for us to try to sneak around it or hide from it"



[member="Ultimatum"]
 
Ultimatum felt a moment of vertigo, a sensation unknown to the droid until that moment. He did not realize that his mind had been so firmly attached to Upari's. The Force was warped around [member="Chaca"], and it was influencing the Shard. The droid managed to control his reaction and maintained his position.

With the possibility of an answer, Ultimatum replied, "Better to be on the safe side then. Let us take a longer route if you know of one."

The droid took a moment to contemplate this companion, a Cathar as a wound in the Force. The organic had a definite knowledge for having lived on Byss, a world of little civilization. Perhaps it was a testament to the sentient that he had so well adapted to the society in the greater galaxy. He wondered if his knowledge expanded into the field that he affected. He decided to ask on that, "Have you learned much about the Force, beyond the effect you have on those who call upon it."

--------

Upari spent a few moments regaining his center before focusing his Force to away from the Cathar. The Shard turned its attention to the great beast, probing its mind gently, carefully, so as not to be noticed and not aggravate it. Upari wanted to get an idea of how it thought, to read its mind and perhaps gain an insight in how to manipulate it.
 
Chaca nodded and smiled quickly as the Droid agreed that the best course of action at this point would be evasion. For two drastically different forms of sentience, Chaca and Ultimatum paralleled in a lot of ways, something that Chaca valued grately about his droid friend. Ultimatum often had a logical nonconfrontational demeanor, much like Chaca. Chaca preferred noncombatance.. and though he would defend himself if needed, he preferred to evade.. live... And let live.

"I think we may be able to give it a few moments to wander out of our path. Or..."

Chaca looked down at the droid pondering for a moment before continuing his statement

"How connected do you feel to the creature... through the force? With your connection I might be able to teach you to redirect the wurm elsewhere through willing it to do so"

The boy said softly, crouching down upon the branch, ears still perking up to monitor the wurm. If they would need to suddenly flee or move, Chaca wanted to be ready

Ultimatum's next question caught the young feline-like creature off guard, and he actually had to think for a moment how to respond to such a query. It wasn't that he wanted to leave Ultimatum in the dark or anything; it was more a challenging thing to explain, as he himself only had scraped the surface of understanding

"That is kinda difficult to answer..."

Chaca pondered for a moment, wanting to tell his friend what he knew. But the truth was a confusing thing for a creature like Chaca. The force influenced his life more than could ever be realized, and somehow instinctively he understood that. But gaining a logical understanding of what, why...and how.. he was what he was... That was something that had eluded Chaca.

"It's kind of a funny thing. The more I learn about the force.. The more I realize how very little I know. Ive learned enough to know that of the infinite possibilities... The infinite realities and infinite energy forms present in the force, my mind has only managed to grasp a tiny fragment of what there is to understand."

Pausing, Chaca reflected for a moment before continuing.

"My memory is kind of strange. I only remember bits and pieces of my life, mostly recent. So, when I "know" something...I really can't be certain if its something I already knew in my mind, or if its something I have just received in the force."

The boy looks off for a moment, reflecting on the various visions and bits of information he seems to receive from within

"The force contains the collective knowledge of all life - and the force itself controls the knowledge we have access to. The force always allows that which will maintain balance. Even the greatest masters in the universe.. Both dark and light side users... Only tap into the tiniest bit of the infinite potential in the force. Balance is always maintained in the force; and though dark and light both think they tip the scales at times in their own favor, truthfully the balance has never been lost."

He paused, monitoring the wurm before continuing

"The force creates beings in the center; neutralities that are not taken by light or dark - not consumed by the nature of either side. My instincts tell me a great many things that I don't feel I would just...know or remember - I think my instinct is my connection to the force.
I'm not entirely sure why the force seems to dull around me... why I can't use it...and why others can't use it when they are very close to me. My only conclusion...the force wills it for my purpose. I think I may be one of those very neutralities I spoke of."

He thought for a moment, trying to explain in a way that would make sense. Chaca felt a little hesitant about telling others that he was uncertain of his very own nature. It made him seem even more hazardous to be around. But Ultimatum seemed more accepting and logical, so Chaca answered truthfully, and thoroughly as he could

"For example. I can't do it myself, but somehow deep down inside I know how you can connect to that wurm through the force. I'm not sure why or how.. But I know how to do it, and I feel I could explain it to you if you want to try it".

He said gently, hoping at this point he made sense, and didn't sound like some sort of crazed individual citing words of false prophecy


------------


It seemed that the wurm didnt realize, or respond to being probed by the force. The inside of its mind was rather agitated, containing fear, uncertainty and even rage. Something stirred this great beast up. Upari would probably be able to tell that the massive forest creature was usually not a dangerous wurm, primarily feeding on plant life. It would only -usually- attack if provoked or threatened, but otherwise would usually disregard small life forms for the most part.

But something was different today, within the creatures mind. Moments after connecting to the creature, Upari would probably feel the very source of the beast's torment. A wave of aggression and fear would wash through the beast, coming seemingly from the direction that Chaca and Ultimatum were heading. It was most certainly a dark-side energy that was effecting the creature.


[member="Ultimatum"]
 
Ultimatum had little difficulty comprehending his friend, the Cathar's points were clear and Ultimatum had been forced to discern worse in the past. The droid believed that he understood what Chaca was trying to tell him. He had incredible knowledge, for being a person with seemingly no connection to the Force. His knowledge surpassed many Jedi Ultimatum had met, which was reasonably few in all honesty. Nonetheless, there was a form of view that was so different from most Force users in general. Perhaps he had a wider view of it than most, by lacking the Force he was more able to observe it. That impressed the droid, he had expected [member="Chaca"] to know something about the Force, maybe some understanding from the opposite side, but he had surprised him.

"That is an intriguing view, I must admit it is entirely new to both of us. What brought you to that conclusion?"

Upari almost asked a question through the Force, before remembering that this Cathar would not hear it, the Shard sent the message through to Ultimatum, who then voiced it, "How did you learn all this? Upari says that he'll learn whatever you have to teach him. How can he connect with the wurm?"

-----------

The Shard began to try and worm his way into the mind, carefully trying to sink into the upper thought process. That was where he discovered the anger and fear. Upari did not claim to be an expert in organic psychology, but he was certain that most herbivores were not normally aggressive unless acted upon by something else. However, the location of this influence was buried deeper within the creature's mind and Upari was uncertain if he wanted to push too much further. These sorts of powers had ways of backfiring in most fantastic, and dangerous, ways so he was being extra cautious.
 
Chaca paused for a moment, pondering Ultimatum's inquiry. Thoughtfully he reflected before finally speaking

"How do any of us come to any conclusions? Experience and intuition I suppose. I have felt things through the force... Through my unique connection within it. The culmination of all the knowledge from all things exists within the force. The force reveals to each of us what it is we need to know to be who we need to be. Even you, and and Upari. Each of you exists, for the purpose of being exactly who you are."

Chaca's tail wrapped around the branch to steady him as the boy reflected on his understanding within

"Some things are fated, like you and Upari coming together. But, shared experience accounts for the rest of existence. What you choose to do, of your free will as a sentient entity... As well as Upari's choices, will effect the flow of time forward and alter the courses of experience for others. Your fate, the coming together of you and your shard companion...that was fated by the choices of sentience before you. Actions of those who lived before you both brought you together...And your choices will alter the course of others' fates as well."

Chaca smiled a little, his eyes closing. He shook his head, thinking about the wurm as an example to Ultimatum and U pari

"The wurm...it blocks our path. Or does it? That is for the free will of 4 sentients to decide. Me, you, Upari, and the wurm itself. What will be the wurm's fate? Your feelings are your ultimate connection to the force. Don't believe that you don't have them, simply because you were created technologically, rather than organically. You have very real intents .. Things you want , and things you dont want. You have desires for the existence around you. Those are your feelings. Do you wish the wurm harm? Or do you wish it away from us in peace? Your choice is your feeling...and also your intent"

He opened his eyes and looked forward, the wurm actually beginning to crawl back the way it had originally come from. At least it wasn't approaching them yet, seemingly unaware that they were here discussing its very fate

"Many don't understand this. But I think maybe you could understand. There is no light side... There is no dark side. There is only intent. All things fall under a balance of service-to-self, and service-to-others. Most beings are somewhere in between, with beings that consider themselves "light side or dark side" being on one end of the spectrum or the other. Jedi believe that they are the light ... Because they are primarily service-to-others. But... There is always balance.. For within their service-to-others, there is a self ... The "self" being the Jedi order in its entirety. When viewed as a whole, there is service-to-self there. The dark side is the opposite... Taking a primary "service-to-self" role for their individuals, and a collective service-to-others within their organization."

Chaca paused, trying his best to explain the core concepts that seemed almost foundational within him. It was easy for him to understand, not as easy to convey

"Service-to-others ... The light side... It is especially powerful for connecting to another mind. From what I know of you, you don't wish the wurm harm. Am I correct? That is the light side... Service to others. The "other" in this case is the wurm. Your intent can be felt by the force. Focus on the mind of the wurm, feel your intent for its safety, and wish it in the direction away from us"


----

The wurm paused in its movements as upari started to delve into its mind gently. It seemed almost counteractive to the other force that had first been driving it, and now it slowly stopped before turning back the direction it had come from

[member="Ultimatum"]
 

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