Private Exploration of the Past

[Lenora Augustina Guinevere]

EXPLORATION OF THE PAST
TAGS: Eliz Krayt Ulrich
LOCATION: Onboard the Observatory-Class Space Yacht "Iron Swan", The Planet of Mancharakorkon; The System of Mancharakorkon.
RELEVANT LINKS: Mancharakorkon | Lenora Augustina Guinevere
OUTFIT: Suit

"This is certainly something of interest...ruins are a fantastic way to discover lost civilizations that have passed eons by now. I can only hope that the ruins aren't infested by treasure hoarders that will get in the way of my research." She muttered to herself; as she sat in a comfortable chair that was on the bridge of the Observatory-Class Space Yacht "Iron Swan" as it traveled through hyperspace. Lenora had recently been given a commission by the University of Scientific Progress & Astromancy to discover some ancient ruins dating from the Ancient Hutt Empire and whose records indicated that they had several settlements built on the planet before circumstances led them to abandon them to the native species. She was most interested in the native species itself; the Mancharunk. A strong species that could lift up to 5 tons if her sources were correct; they would do well in writing her report about various species in the galaxy in order to obtain her next level of certification in xenobiology. She adjusted her black boots on her feet; since today she was in a more proper attire than what she normally wore on a daily basis when teaching at the university and she perfectly understood that her soles would be sore by the time they got done and would need proper treatment. Silently
thinking to herself that she was glad that she had hired some extra support in her exploration efforts of this planet; having gone to the one person that she could consider trustworthy; oddly enough a hutt by the name of "Paranoda Mancheron Boggurobb" who recently moved into a large mansion on her homeworld of Spindle VI. Using his network and connections had allowed her to secure the support of two people to accompany her on this mission that might have danger. She would have picked them up before hand in her yacht on whatever planet that they may be on at this time.

The Observatory-Class Space Yacht was a luxury vessel that was designed by Paranoda Mancheron Boggurobb. Knowing of its spacious interior had made her decide to purchase one using her daily check that she got from her military father; and had transformed much of the ship into a library that held knowledge on various subjects and science textbooks that she had gathered from her travels. Although she had left the considerable number of guest quarters incase anyone wanted to come with her on these trips. Lenora was grateful that she did; because it allowed her to give each of her guest a different room that had a certain theme to it. The First Themed Room would be in a jungle atmosphere; with fake vines and plants on the walls to give the impression that one was within a jungle environment; The Second Themed Room would be much more science like; with chemistry sets and fake data on notepads around the room that gave the impression that this once belonged to a crazy scientist. She had given her guest a choice on what room that they wanted; and had helped put their stuff for the trip within their rooms. Before excusing herself and walking back to the bridge to read over the reports and information provided by the commission. She needed to know as many details as possible to keep her company safe during this trip and prevent hostilities' with the native species if they encountered them during their investigation of the major ruin location that she was provided with. As she sat there; the ship would have come out of hyperspace above the planet of Mancharakorkon.

Reaching over to the communication system; she would press a button to allow her silky voice to be heard loud and clear. "Attention Passengers; We have arrived above the planet of Mancharakorkon. Please collect your belongings that you need for this exploration and meet me at the command bridge for further details of the commission. Thank you; Over and Out." Lenora stopped the communication button; resting her hands on the comfortable chair's armrest. Making sure that she had everything for her adventure; and pulling her black with a gold trim cloak over her suit that she picked out from her wardrobe. Watching as the Observatory-Class Space Yacht would begin to inch ever closer to the planet's atmosphere; watching the technical readouts of the planet and the ships condition before proceeding to wait for her guest to arrive on the bridge.

 

[Ulrich]

Despite having immersed myself in the world of academia for nigh on fifteen years, I must profess to having had relatively little contact with other scholars. Having done all of my study in a remote fashion I suspect that many of my fellow graduates would be most alarmed if they suspected that I wasn't in fact the spoilt son of a Duinuogwuin lord as I professed to being. It gave me enough reason to not show up to classes in person, and really it was a lot closer to the truth than some of the other fictions I had concocted. I had received a doctorate in thanatology with a minor in history and a PHD in Parapsychology with a minor in anthropology. Fields that are very much applicable to the both my day to day duties, and the matter at hand.

Though the space around me was a little confined for my liking I really couldn't complain too much. The vast majority of the universes sentient population were small bipeds of some manner or other. At least Professor Guinevere had thought to include relatively spacious portals by which those of non standard proportions might find entrance and egress. If the rumors on the holonet were true, the good doctor was in fact being sponsored by Hutt credits. With their love for palanquins and prodigious girth, it made sense that if any of these benefactors were to travel on the doctors personal ship high ceilings would integral to their comfort.

The room itself is a showy affair with décor reminiscent of masque in which the theme was science run amok. I wasn't really one to judge in such circumstances, thanks to my love of faux medieval architecture coupled with the more modern comforts of the digital age. It was perhaps a sign though that Professor Guinevere either had something of a wry sense of humor, or was as the rumors online went something of an eccentric. In fact, I was to some degree, banking on the latter. I made for odd company and some found my very particular set of skills to be.... disconcerting to say the least.

As I surveyed the various contraptions across the room I casually rolled tanzanite stone between my claws. Small to my hand, it was of prodigious size to most of the universe and likely worth a small fortune to the right collector. As I aged I could feel myself become more covetous of such things. Oral histories among the smaller races spoke of dragons amassing great hordes of treasures that they fiercely guarded, and it seemed the urge to do so was blossoming within me. This made up some of the reason why I had decided to go on such an expedition, but there was also a very real desire to learn about the planet that now stretched out before me.

Mancharakorkon was largely an enigma. Thanks to the asteroids that surrounded it , the boggy nature of its surface and the imposing stature of its native inhabitants the planet had mostly been avoided by later colonists. Of those that did live in the Outsider Settlement most are not researchers and if what I have heard is true the local Mancharunk are not exactly forthcoming when it comes to allowing anthropologists to go and observe their holy sites and places of residence. Well if those amphibians among the quick were going to be tight lipped then perhaps those among the departed would be a little less reticent with their secrets.

"Attention Passengers; We have arrived above the planet of Mancharakorkon. Please collect your belongings that you need for this exploration and meet me at the command bridge for further details of the commission. Thank you; Over and Out."

With the announcement from our team captain I deposit the precious stone in a pouch on the harness I have attached to my waist. There are six of these receptacles attached around my waist (each roughly the size of a campers bag) along with a set of black shorts that match the hue of my scales for the sake of modesty. In a quadrupedal stance I make my way from my quarters to the bridge before shifting to a bipedal stance so that I can stretch my neck. There waiting is Professor Lenora Augustina Guinevere. Relatively tall for one of her sex, and fairly attractive by human standards with silver hair and indigo eyes, that speak towards possible Echani or even Arkanian ancestry mixed in with her human forebears. Her clothes have something of the aristocrat about them especially the cloak that she has draped over her expensive yet practical suit. Military family , the importance of looking smart must have been drilled into her at a young age. Many academics who don't receive such discipline tend towards a less sophisticated appearance.

"Professor Guinevere, as my field requires very little in the way of physical instruments I have decided to pack light. Should we need to cart back samples I should be more than happy to facilitate their transport. I must confess that this is my first time in the field working with a team ,and while I have had some degree of experience with ruins, such as those found on Korriban it was not in an official capacity. That being said I think I shall follow your lead when it comes to the work at hand. "

I pause in my words for a second thinking about the third person on our expedition. Despite being no more than a child he's meant to be the
'security' for our mission. There's an irony to the lithe elfin boy providing security for two force wielders and doubly so when comparing the sheer size difference between us. He's also a Mandalorian , part of the martial-cult that lead a campaign of genocide and enslavement against my people the Basiliskans. One day I hope to repay the favor, but in the meanwhile I shall play nice. Part of my goal for this journey is to get away from the constant flames of war.

"Oh yes, have you had any prior contact with the natives doctor? If not, are there any interlocutors among the population that might help to smooth things over with the Mancharunk authorities?"

While nature had seen fit to grace me with prodigious size ,strength and the capacity for flight I was never going to be anything close to circumspect when travelling. The Mancharunk will know that we were here one way or another.

 

[Lenora Augustina Guinevere]

EXPLORATION OF THE PAST
TAGS: Eliz Krayt Ulrich
LOCATION: On board the Observatory-Class Space Yacht "Iron Swan". The Planet of Mancharakorkon; The System of Mancharakorkon
RELEVANT LINKS: Mancharakorkon | Lenora Augustina Guinevere
OUTFIT: Suit

She had just made herself a cup of tea; while she was waiting for her guest to arrive per her announcement earlier on the communication systems. Softly bringing her hand up to her lips and drinking some of the hot beverage in the cup before putting it back down on the desk near her bridge chair that she currently resided on. Peering over to the tactical screen that showed the ships conditions and a complete scan of the planet's surface made her take out a small notepad and took some small but important notes in case she needed this information for later during their exploration of the ruins. She heard the small ding of the bridge doors opening and set the notepad down on the same table as her cup of tea; turning her chair around to observe the being that had just walked into the room. Looking interested in the fact that they had six receptacles attached to their waist; which was interesting to her because it would allow them to store many items that they may discover without having to worry about carrying cargo back with them.

She snaped herself out of this observation of the being who had just entered; and was identified as Ulrich the Basiliskan by her in quick nod. She had heard about the basiliskans by an old colleague of hers; who was very interested in the subject of the Ancient Mandalorian Wars and explained that the mandalorians had invaded their world in order to conqueror it for themselves. Although they had tried to defeat the mandalorians; there were many of the species who were unceremoniously degraded into mounts by the time of the New Sith Wars. But it would seem for Ulrich; that he is looking to raise the reputation of the Basiliskans again and Lenora could support that fully without judgement. Crossing her legs for a minute in her chair; she would listen intently with the words being spoken by Ulrich before responding in due haste.

"Packing light will better allow us the chance to avoid traps and other detection methods that the ruins might have in defense from intruders. As for your offer on carting back samples; I don't think that will be necessary for the time being. Although I will inform you if we do come across a sample that I would like documented and stored during our exploration. Working in a team has various pros and cons; I am just happy that you have decided to join us with your expertise and I will make sure that you are noted for your contributions when the work is done, and will send a letter of recommendation to various organizations if you would like to expand your studies to other subjects." She responded promptly with; her silky voice. Every word would be in a polite and professional manner that was befitting a professor of the University of Scientific Progress & Astromancy. Lenora noticed with a slight turn of her head; that ulrich had stopped speaking for a second and was about to ask if anything was wrong; when he started to speak again and she promptly listened again. "I haven't had any chance encounters with the natives species as of yet. They are normally a solitary species and avoid outsiders unless they happen to come upon them by accident. However; I am well versed in the language of the native species due to having a book on it; provided by our sponsor the Lorda of the Mancheron Kajidic. That should help us with any locals that we may encounter." She seemed to have almost a light bulb on top of her head for a few minutes; turning back around in the chair and typing on her command keyboard with a distinct clicking sound to indicate what she was searching for. The Words "Mancharakorkon, Alter Environment" would be listed and searched until they came upon some results. "Although something has intrigued be about them for a while now; their ability to use the surrounding elements and channel them into attacks and defense in battle. My first theory was that they used a crude but effective version of the ability known as "Alter Environment" but that takes a long time to use effectively without considerable disaster happening. Have you had any other logical explanation for them using these powers within the force?" She posted this question to him; wondering if he had any idea on how they used the power of the force to fight with elements.

To further show him; she clicked on the database to bring up a file on "Alter Environment" and explaining to him in detail about the applications of the ability. Such as manipulating temperatures to make it freezing sub-zero in seconds or blaster heat that could burn quite intensely. Vacate Areas of Air or increase the pressure of the air to burst eardrums and not to mention having the ability to make flash floods and earthquakes with having a mastery of this ability. She peered over to him for a second; before deciding to change the subject for just a minute. "Not to change the subject on you; Ulrich. Have you seen the other passenger for the exploration; I do hope that they aren't sleeping in.." She said to him; gesturing to the window as the ship would begin to enter into the atmosphere in the direction of the outsider settlement on the planet.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Tags: Lenora Augustina Guinevere | Ulrich

It was a damn Basiliskan. No, just just one. One his father had fought before. Eliz would never forget the tale his father told him. Of a dragon who could raise the dead. Scales black as night. A Sith, and an ancient foe of the Mandalorians. This was supposed to be a normal job. Go to a previously unknown world, keep the scientist type folk alive, make some credits. That's the only reason he was here. He needed credits.

But he had to work with.. That? A damn necromancing flying lizard?

He avoided the two for the trip. He avoided his room. Eliz made sure to find a place to keep to himself until he was absolutely needed, cause there was no way he was gonna end up having a pleasant conversation with this Ulrich. Or maybe he could, but he didn't want to try it. He wanted to get paid, not get into a fight. Yet he couldn't stay away for long. Even when he was called he kept his distance, listening from the doorway out of sight as the woman who hired him held a decent conversation with the dragon. He sighed as he rounded the corner.

He was mentioned. No hiding now.

"You should go to Kro Var. The Shapers there use the elements in a vastly similar way to what you're talking about. I dunno if it's the same thing, but it sounds similar enough."

 

[Ulrich]

"Have you had any other logical explanation for them using these powers within the force?"

I couldn't help the beginnings of a smile come to my lips as Guinevere inquired as to my thoughts on the matter. Had things gone differently for me this would be the sort of thing that I whiled away my centuries working on. It felt good to put my mental faculties to work, demonstrating them before a colleague who considered me something more than a Ragnos damned beast of burden. Did I have an inferiority complex? Of course who wouldn't when raised in my situation. Would I admit it to others? Gods no. Collecting myself I readied my reply.

"As to the location of our absent crewmember I didn't think to check. I'm sure he will be with us presently though as for all its spacious rooms there isn't exactly a huge amount of space to get lost in within the yacht. Regarding your second question I do have a number of theories. From what I have read of your papers Professor you take a more holistic view to the force, astromancy being a hybrid discipline that views all facets of supernatural research as valid. Some of our more reserved peers might balk at my suggestions somewhat. "

The words had no sooner left my mouth than the third pillar of our team decided to grace us with his presence.

"You should go to Kro Var. The Shapers there use the elements in a vastly similar way to what you're talking about. I dunno if it's the same thing, but it sounds similar enough."

As much as I hated to admit it the youth had a point to what he was saying. In fact it was an almost perfect segway into my own thoughts.

"I think the youth might actually be correct when he compares the Mancharunk to the Kro Var. In fact I suspect that what we are faced with here might be a case of Tireldi's paradox"

Tireldi's paradox , so called after the researcher who had formulated it, a shi'do anthropologist by the name of Xalman Tireldi, stated that with the stratification of rigid dogma, and a more scientific world view civilizations abilities actually decreased in what they could achieve via the force. A more advanced society would have trouble reconciling what could be done with the primarily spiritual and potentially limitless mental power and a mechanistic view of the universe. Under a paradigm in which the force was treated as magic one could much more easily perform feats that would tax those of a more 'enlightened' view. Tireldi had pointed to the Night Sisters of Dathomir as one example of this. Despite being formed from the corrupted teaching of a stranded Jedi master the sisters force powers had actually increased to eclipse many of their forebears even as their understanding of technology decreased. A nightsister was capable of manifesting spirits , teleportation and conjuring objects out of thin air , tasks far beyond the skills of most Jedi.

Tireldi was not without his critics in the academy of course. Many claimed that this was simply a play for the Shi'ido to normalize the practice of Sith sorcery and others stated that it was a direct attack on the legitimacy of the Jedi order. There was also a degree of nuance to this argument that some failed to grasp. Under Tireldi's theory a Jedi could still be more 'powerful' than a more primitive adept in that they could leverage more energy and channel more force through their midichlorians but were limited into more rigid applications of this energy.

"If this is correct then the Mancharunk might be able to perform abilities similar to the Jedi alter environment with but a fraction of the power expended. Conversely we can't rule out the possibility that as an animistic culture, the Mancharunk are in contact with the genius loci of the planet and are in fact able to channel the power of bound elemental spirits. I should be able to confirm or deny this if I get a closer look at one of the piscine natives practicing their art. If I remember correctly you have no small measure of talent in regards to force usage yourself do you Dr Guinievere. Might I be so bold as to ask as to what sort of training you received and if it was with the Jedi order?"

I focused my attention on the Dr avoiding eye contact with the boy as much as possible. The way the child was looking at me almost suggested that he knew something about me already. Not totally impossible I supposed. After all the Mandalorians had put a bounty on my head for a while. I wondered if the boy knew anything about his own peoples sordid history and the many atrocities that had led them to where they were today? The problem with the dead is that they aren't nearly as far departed as many of the living suspected. Things left long buried could easily come back to haunt the unwary even if they were oblivious to the reasons why.
​

Lenora Augustina Guinevere Eliz Krayt

 

[Lenora Augustina Guinevere]

EXPLORATION OF THE PAST
TAGS: Eliz Krayt Ulrich
LOCATION: Landing the Observatory Class-Space Yacht "Iron Swan" on the Planet of Mancharakorkon; The System of Mancharakorkon
RELEVANT LINKS: Mancharakorkon | Lenora Augustina Guinevere
OUTFIT: Suit

The Ship would begin to make the landing procedures to the outsider settlement; opening up its landing gear to begin making preparations for a smooth landing. All the while; the professor would be typing more information into the computer to bring up some other information that they mind need for this trip. She stopped her clicking on the keyboard; when she heard that ulrich had decided to respond to her question; turning her chair fully to face the basiliskan. Sighing to herself that even he didn't know the whereabouts of the last crewmate that she needed in order for her commission by the University to be completed and earn her points with the University's Headmaster to carry on her teaching job. But she would wait for him to finish his speech; hearing about her past papers made her most interested because she thought that those papers wouldn't go very far and would be regarded as a failure among the more moderate of her field. Lenora was proud that someone else understood the core concept of the term "Astromancy" and decided to respond promptly to his inquiry. "You are correct in your assumptions based on my previous research in the field. Astromancy is a hybrid discipline that does indeed focus on all facets of supernatural research and pushes them to be validated through proper research. However; there is a more defined and elegant version of my research; as you know the force exist in practically every organism in some form and it manifest itself into two basic but different forms; the Undefined Force and the Defined Force. The Defined Force is all the abilities known to be held by force users such as pushing and pulling using the main field of telekinesis to accomplish this and most of the time only a force sensitive can accomplish the teaching of this refined force into a variation of mastery. However; the undefined force is far different because it is a general term for all abilities not linked directly to the force proper in some manner and doesn't work in the same way as the defined force does. Astromancy in my field combines those two different forms into one solid structure; that says that anyone who has the force within themselves can train themselves given enough time to acquire force powers even though they don't have enough midi-chlorians to be spotted by the jedi or sith for recruitment. Although I will have to agree that our colleagues in the field will simply right this off as a folly goal" She stated very scientifically to him; befitting a professor of the General Studies of Astromancy. She turned her head; when she heard the speech by their third crewmate that had decided to join them now; pondering over his suggestion that she should observe the shapers of Kro Var; who use a similar ability as the mancharunk. Although he did explain that they might not be the same and she had to agree; since she had gotten a paper from her colleague on the shapers of kro var in a previous expedition. She would respond promptly to this suggestion.

"The Shapers of Kro Var are an interesting force order to be noted. Although they have the force within themselves they manifest their powers through natural elements like the Mancharunk Natives that you are about to see once we land down inside the spaceport and begin our investigation of the ruins. However; they are known to use the power of the dark side to accomplish this as no other jedi can effectively use this power without suffering immense dark side corruption. However; the mancharunk appear to have no dark side corruption to them; while they use this ability. So I will have to assume based on that; they are using something entirely different in that regard." She responded to him; focusing on him for a few seconds to simply observe him before splitting her attention to both of them to focus on what they were saying. Lenora turned her head over to the basiliskan had to say in response to the other crewmate's suggestion. She had heard of a Tireldi's Paradox before from many of the books that she was given; when she had just started her career as a scholar for the University of Scientific Progress & Astromancy. Although; it was a possibility in regards to her pondering over their unnatural ability to react to the elements without the proper training that made her think that it was now a proper answer. Pointing to the nightsisters would be dangerous and illogical period of thinking for this time; because although they were powerful indeed they simply couldn't match the considerable power of a trained jedi or sith that had been training for a long period of time to overpower their opponents on the battlefield. Although they had useful spells for such things as teleportation; manifesting spirits and a host of other things that could be useful on a daily basis but she noted it down anyway on her notepad for later pondering.

"Hmm..You might be right in regards to the channeling of bound elemental spirits. There are still a great many things that we don't understand in this universe and the power of individual societies are still evolving. You are correct in the assumptions; that my power in the force itself is highly advanced for my title of professor. As to my means of acquiring my training; you will find it interesting that I wasn't trained by either the jedi nor the sith, but acquired my training from the University where I work. We have specialized teachers working with force sensitive people on my homeworld; in regards to that they teach the students all manners of force powers that you aren't going to be focusing particularly in either the jedi nor the sith because of their wide variety of applications. If you want; you can come to one of my lessons because I so happen to be one of those specialized teachers." She stated to him; turning back to look out the window as the ship would land inside of the Outsider Settlement and lowered the ramp to allow them to exit. So; she adjusted her suit and draped cape over shoulder and began making her way down after excusing herself and walking past them into the inside of the settlement dockyard. Waiting for them to follow her so they may begin to investigate the ruins located on the planet.

 

[Ulrich]

I feel the cool wet freshness of the planets atmosphere hit me as the yachts landing bay opens up allowing the planets atmosphere to flood into the previously sealed ship. While the journey wasn't unpleasant as such affairs went there was always something invigorating about the natural air when compared to the recycled flow of a spaceship. Following the professor I take my first steps from the ship and out into this new world. In truth it is far different from any I have visited before. Neither the desolate blasted rock of my birthplace Mandalore , nor the deserts of Korriban or the countless urban sprawls of the populated worlds were anything like this endless sea of swamp and marshlands, crawling with insects and small amphibians who I could even now sense in the foliage.

If I were alone I would take to the wing and survey this world from above or perhaps take a deep breath and plumb the depths of the waters to see what lurked deep beneath. But Professor Guinevere has brought us here for a reason and there will be plenty of time later to indulge my fancies. Besides this, I don't speak the native language and smaller species tend to have unpredictable reactions to say the least when faced with one of the draconic races. Better that Lenora or the Mandalorian Eliz take charge in that particular situation. Humans were a ubiquitous species and I knew from the public records that the Mancharunk had some experience with Lenora's kind. I wasn't exactly sure what Eliz was given the ear,s but it was doubtful that the Mancharunk would consider him to be much different than Lenora given his status as a primate.

Lenora's statements on the defined and undefined force were interesting. It was the sort of thing that the more 'orthodox' members of the academy would absolutely despise but in my own very practical experiences I could see that it had merit.

"I have to say that I agree with your classification of the defined and undefined force Professor. I rather think that certain facets of my own discipline, post mortem communication or as it is colloquially referred to necromancy confirms your ideas. While Midi-chlorians clearly do indicate some correlation between and individual and their potency in the force there is an element to this that cannot be linked to purely biological facets. After all when a spirit or shade such as a poltergeist manifests its powers within the material realm it cannot utilize Midi-chlorians, lacking as it is a physical body entirely. As all of us, save for certain aberrant species such as the Yuuzhan Vong, possess an inner spirit or psyche we should be able to touch on this abilities. Alas as you mentioned certain influential figures in the academy will not accept this line of reasoning, married as they are to the old Midi-chlorian essentialist doctrine."

I wonder how much of this the boy Eliz is taking in. Despite his martial leanings he clearly has at least enough of an education to be acquainted with the a relatively obscure group of force users such as the shapers. Perhaps this was due to the Shapers reputation as force wielding mercenaries , a profession that the hated Mandalorians excelled in. Either way it wasn't a good idea to write the lad off entirely. Even if he wasn't taking active part in this conversation it would be best to make sure I was circumspect about what I said. After all I did those beskar clad fools would so dearly love to put me six feet under for a number of reasons.

"I would be delighted to attend your classes Professor. Having done all my previous work through distance it would be a wonderful experience to finally walk the hallowed halls of academia. Having someone who is open to a wide variety of disciplines is a pleasant change and should be most informative. Now if only those at Boolan Murr possessed the true spirit of inquiry then Dr Harris might not have been so eager to deny me a place in her expedition to research and combat Brynification."

The last remark was rather petty on my behalf, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't annoyed at that particular snub. No point in stewing over it however. Rising to my hindlegs I stretched to my considerable height attempted to pierce the veil of mist that surrounded us with my vision.

"Do we have a particular ruin location picked out for initial examination doctor?"

I enquired. I assume that Lenora had landed us relatively close to our first archeological site.

Lenora Augustina Guinevere Eliz Krayt

 

[Lenora Augustina Guinevere]

EXPLORATION OF THE PAST
TAGS: Ulrich Eliz Krayt
LOCATION: The Outsider Settlement; The Planet of Mancharakorkon; System of Mancharakorkon
RELEVANT LINKS: Mancharakorkon | Lenora Augustina Guinevere
OUTFIT: Suit

Lenora would stretch her legs a little before looking back at the Observatory-Class Space Yacht "Iron Swan" waiting for her companions to follow. The Outsider Settlement was the only area on the planet that foreigners were allowed to stay and the mancharunk enforced that with heavy resistance. She watched as Ulrich would follow down from the yacht; looking interested in what he had to say in response to her "defined and undefined" view of the force. Lenora listened intently to the words coming from him; noting them down inside of her head for later to use in her response. She had to agree with him on some fronts more specifically his view that the idea of the midi-clorian was outdated because of the shade or spirit such as poltergeist being able to manifest with powers without having a physical body to have midi-chlorians in the first place. Which gave her a unique perspective on the matter; something she had to write about in her science journal when she went back to her homeworld of Spindle VI. "You do present a point; my friend. I will have to study more into the unbiological side of the force when this expedition is over. Documenting this exchange in my scientific journal which I will study and give to my students so that more may know of your knowledge regardless of which side of the spectrum you are on when it comes to the force." She stated in response; beginning to walk a bit to the entrance of the outsider settlement hanger, ready to begin her and her companions adventures. "I'm glad that you will be joining us; although my class isn't that large. They are some of the most open-minded people that you can find and will gladly accept your presence there. Speaking of the Boolan Murr; I was recently selected to participate in that scientific expedition to research and combat the Brynification. And once my research is completed; I'd be more than happy to lend you my papers for you to study and gain the knowledge on it."

Walking a bit more and opening up the blast doors that were on the entrance to the dockyard that they were in. She would dig into her pocket and bring out an old fashioned map of the ruin location with their exact coordinates and location marked on it with various colored ink and dotes on it that represented different things that might be of interest to them. Looking back at ulrich; she would proceed to speak to him in regards to his question on the current ruin location that they were headed. Turning the map of the planet to him; and showing him the large red area that made up the Southern Tribe Mancharunk's Terroitory with an X at the location of the ruin of the Ancient Hutt Empire. "Indeed; I have the exact location of the ruin. However; they are located deep inside of the Southern Tribe Mancharunk Territory; know for being bigger in size and some up to 20 ft in height depending on their diet and how active they are in the community. Not to mention that they have naturally resistant skin like hutts that allow them to tank blaster bolts and slug rounds like they are candy; however we have speed on our side when it comes to land but we are outmatched in the swampy waters of the planet itself in my opinion. They will be a danger for us; but we should avoid detection by taking less noticeable routes where our sent can't be tracked easily with their powerful fish-like senses that allow them to sense things in their environment like a force user would be able too." She said in response; fully walking out of the dockyard and into the market of the outsider settlement. They would need many things supplies before they could go outside the settlement walls and into the unforgiving swampy landscape that was Mancharakorkon. "Our best chance to gain as much information as we can is to visit my contact inside of the One-Eyed Cantina; the tallest pyramidal shape in the entire settlement and a quality hotel if you ever needed such luxury on your travels. They are a Kubaz; that should point us in the right direction and how to avoid the Mancharunk Patrol Groups that often are outside of the settlement and are looking for people trying to exit. However; I'd be on your guard because they are unpredictable." She would state to them both; after the second guest of their company would have followed them. Moving forward in her boots; she would make her way over there to the one eyed cantina through the market place filled with criminals and mancharunk alike but in lower numbers compared to the outsiders and foreigners that often came here to hide away.

 

[Ulrich]

It seemed that Professor Lenora had indeed been diligent when it came to her perpetrations. It took me a few seconds to jog my memory on what exactly Kubaz were. Not one of the more common species that I had encountered in my day to day existence. If they didn't resemble the ancient plague doctors of yore they might have slipped my mind entirely. From what I had read of the Mancharunk , and there wasn't an awful lot of literature on the species , especially when compared to the more common races but the average specimen grew to around six feet in height. This southern variant were of a size that would make tangling with one a challenge, even for me. It did make sense though, aquatic creatures could vary wildly in size based around both their environment and their status within the group hierarchy.

Looking around the settlement I started to get a better picture of the locals. Rough looking sorts for the most part. Perhaps descendants of the more early settlers whose forebears had arrived on corporate business. Whatever their profession they could have fit in nicely on Nar Shaddaa or Mos Eisley without anyone batting an eyelid. What was turning out to be quite interesting was the relative lack of attention that the Mancharunk were paying to me. I had expected some degree of fear or even hostility but it seemed that the piscine natives didn't hold much in the way of fear , worry or even awe when faced with something that many would consider to be a walking piece of folklore. Perhaps this had to do with their mythology being so integrated with the Hutts. Stories of dragons which feature nearly everywhere else were replaced with gastropods who had visited them via their sky ships.

The settlers and ner-do-wells of the area were not so impassive about our presence. The usual cutthroats were a little perturbed to see not only giant winged reptile, but also a Mandalorian openly wearing beskar striding through their home. As we neared our destination - the One Eyed Cantina a group of figures began to make their way towards us. A rough looking bunch, mostly made up of Wookies all sporting designs shaved into their fur that marked them as outcasts and traitors to their clans on Kashyyyk. If I had to guess, I would say that this was a crew of pirates who were on shore leave. The leader of the bunch , a tall obsidian furred male a little over seven feet in height chose to approach Lenora. In one hand he held a chain that was connected to a rather abused looking trandoshan. The smaller reptile was missing both an arm and an eye and if one looked closer they could see that the chain itself was connected to some kind of metal ring which had been speared into the flesh bellow the creatures scales. The other hand was empty but a vibroblade hung at his belt and the traditionally crossbow of the Wookies was visible strapped to his back. Opening his mouth the leader spoke to Lenora

"WEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHG GGGGGGGRHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR GHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

Lacking the ability to speak the ursine primates tongue, I had no idea what it meant. Thankfully the Trandoshan acted as an interpreter.

"Captian Wrrryyylyg wants to know how much you want for your creature? He thinks he can make a better use of it than using it to simply carry things around."

The trandoshan pointed to the carry belt that I was wearing.

"If you ain't willing to part with the beast for credits then the captain is more than willing fight you little Mandalorian over it."

The Wookie motioned derisively to Eliz before saying something more in his guttural tongue.

"RRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG WWRRRRRRRRRWWWEEEEEEE RRRRRRWWWWWWWWWWWW"

The rest of the wookie crew seemed to find this very amusing and gave what I suspected was their species version of laughter, though it sounded like a Bantha with a chest condition. Once again the Trandosan slave translated.

"The captain says that his ass fur is made of sterner stuff than you little Mando. His kind rely on fancy armor because they blow over in a strong breeze"

Well this was shaping up to be an interesting turn of events. Sure I could open my mouth and show the pirates that I wasn't a beast at all, but this was an interesting opportunity to see how Lenora and Eliz dealt with the situation.

Lenora Augustina Guinevere Eliz Krayt