Hidden In The Sands

[Aela Talith]

Jakku
[member="Lee Novastrider"]

There weren’t many places in the galaxy that Aela truly detested. She had lived most of her life in harsh environments. Tropical Island, thick jungle forests, even a world entirely covered by massive Volcanoes, but she found that Jakku was one place she had little to no desire to ever visit again.

This place carried a heat that simply couldn’t be described.

The air felt like it had been drained of all moisture, the sun baked, and everything around them seemed either fallen apart or in some other state of decay. In her desert robes Aela stood quietly besides the ship that they had used to get here, three members of the 5th Legion unloading things onto a nearby speeder as they prepared to head deeper into the desert. A frown pulled at her lips as she tried to loosen her robes a bit.

Jakku was a new kind of hell, the kind that she really didn’t want to experience. ”The ship is just over that Ridge.”

Aela pointed to a nearby cliff.

They were here to recover an artifact, supposedly a Holocron that had been left here ages ago upon a crashed Republic Cruiser. A simple mission really, save for the fact that they had intelligence that the cabal she and Jamie had discovered on Bastion was also on Jakku. It complicated things, and that was part of the reason why Jamie wasn’t here.

Aela had sent her padawan on a different mission, tasking her apprentice with finding out more about the leaders of the Cabal. Aela hoped to draw the groups eye onto her, allowing Jamie to collect what they needed in secret.

That was the plan anyway.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Heat didn't bother Lee, he was more excited at being out in the field and not spending his days filled with adventure and romance novels. He had hit the on site gym a bit harder and the soreness of building his strength was starting to wear off. Desert clothing with a bit of armor placed in the important parts kept him safe. Canteens of water were strapped to his back. Lee didn't expect to be out on the field this soon, despite what the Marshall had said to him. Most of the time higher ups said things like she said to just offer hope.

Aela kept her word and here he was. Once again, Aela gained favor with the soldier. Brown eyes narrowed as he focused on the ridge she pointed out. It didn't seem too far, but the desert liked to play tricks on the eyes. Lee turned his attention towards the woman beside him as she loosened her robes slightly to attempt to get cool.

"Stay covered, better to be hot than to look like an ancient Sith." His primal thoughts kicked him in the back of his head, but his survival brain overrode everything.

"If we keep a steady pace we will get over the ridge in no time, make camp and you can uh lose the robes to stay cool?" Not really paying attention to his own words, he began to help the other SIS agents unload the ship. They were taking too long, pulling each crate one by one. Using the developed strength and a bit of unknown help of the force, the man grabbed two large crates and loaded them onto the speeder. [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

She paid no mind to Lee, not being rude but rather because she was lost in her own thoughts. A map was in her hands, and her eyes were keenly studying it as he spoke, Aela only catching the tail end of his words.

An eyebrow perked for a moment, but her attention was quickly returned to the small map in front of her.

Jakku was by all accounts a graveyard. Over the centuries dozens upon dozens of starships had crashed all over the planet, the ridge that they were passing over was just the beginning of what amounted to a very large and very old repository of starships that had been here since the decline of the ancient Sith Empire. All sorts of ships were contained within, most of them having been stripped bare.

She wondered briefly if what they were looking for was even here anymore, after centuries of looting, robbing, and scavenging she somehow doubted that most anything was intact. The frown pulled at her lips, and then she turned towards the others as the last of the crates were brought onto the speeder.

”Let’s get moving.” The two soldiers nodded, and then Aela gestured to lee. ”Take the bike and see if you can’t scout ahead.”

He had been eager to do his job back on Sullust, now was the time to prove himself. ”I doubt we’ll run into anything here, but better safe than sorry.”

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lee finished packing the speeder and adjusted the bandana around his neck. Keeping certain spots on his body covered he would avoid getting burnt. His already tan skin would just get darker and become uneven. The man wouldn't pout about that out in the open, but he did secretly plan to make sure he evens out on one of the many days of lounging around.

The Jakku heat was getting to him. He rolled up the dark sleeves and exposed his forearms, they too would now have a funny looking tan line. Either way, as long as something comes from this he'll deal with his choices of exposing his arms.

Once more orders were given, he chuckled slightly seeing the woman's frown. She seemed so miserable in this heat. Forcing a pout on his face he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am I'll venture out and find an oasis for you." Shaking his head he moved to the speeder and shot off into the distance.

Everywhere sand was, ships and other massive machines littered the area. Lee had no idea where they were going to find this artifact, also he didn't really understand the importance of it. Shaking his head he found a good clearing on the middle of he massive mechanical graves. Pulling out a small radar, he did a scan of the area and it came back negative.

Pressing a small comm on his ear he radioed back to [member="Aela Talith"] "Everything is clear up here boss, not picking up any sign of life besides you and the others." For some reason her grumpy mood made him want to poke at her, "Alas I couldn't find you any shade, don't melt please~"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

She frowned. "Then apparently you weren't doing your job."

Aela jabbed back through the comm.

"Within the ridge." She said simply, a small smile perking at her lips. "There will be a series of caverns, not to mention the ships, they'll all provide plenty of shade."

The speeder had come to a halt at the top of the cliff which overlooked the graveyard itself. The sight before them was quite...well staggering. There were hundreds of starships, dozens of capital ships, fighters, frigates, all sorts of things that would have seemed impossible. Half of her wanted to take a picture of it all, the other half was dreading searching through the ship for any signs of what they were actually looking for. A frown pulled at her lips and then she shook her head.
"Get back here." She had no doubt his sensors had come back negative, but...well it didn't feel right.

They knew that the Cabal wanted the artifact just as badly as them, knew that they were going to come here, so where were they? Back on Bastion the group had not been at all subtle, in fact they'd practically thrown their presence in Jamie and Hers face. So why was this so different? "On top of the southern ridge overlooking the graveyard, you'll find us there."

They would make camp in one of the caverns and operate from there.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lee looked up towards the clear sky and sighed. He had hoped she didn’t notice the caverns that were lingering about the place. In all honesty, he was hoping that they could just use the dead ships as shade. The caverns provided the best shade, but also allowed for something to be living there and possibly not be in the mood for guests. His gloved hand rubbed his temple as he listened to her. Aela’s little smile echoed over her voice as she mentioned the caverns and the matter of fact about the ships providing shade. Lee shook his head and before he spoke, she ordered him to come back.

“Aye Aye, I don’t like the cavern idea, but if you think it’s the right choice than fine. Before you go in at least let me and the other two check them out.” The ridge Aela and the other two agents were wasn’t too far from where he rode out towards. He checked the gear and then headed towards the ridge. As he rode past the dead ships, he slowed down. Something had caught his attention, the bike slowed to a stop just a few hundred yards from the rendezvous point.

Once more he scanned the area and nothing came up, but flickering shadowed figures moved rather quickly. He didn’t like it and decided he would talk to Aela once he arrived at the ridge. They needed to set up camp and get a decent scan of the perimeter. The movement could easily be animals or other junkers looking to strip what they needed. The bike returned to life and he headed towards the ridge. Arriving, he climbed off of the bike and tossed the helmet aside. Sweat clung to his brown and the ends of his short dark hair.

Footsteps made a beeline towards Aela, where he stood and saluted. “Old habit.” Shaking his hand he looked over his shoulder towards the graveyard. “I saw something, could be animals or locals. I don’t like the feeling of being here. The Caverns were too covenant and the fact that there’s literally no one here but us...doesn’t feel right.” Lee frowned as he tried to get a good grasp of what he was feeling.

“Tell me I’m wrong with this bad feeling in my gut.” [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

”You’re not wrong.” Aela said with a shrug.

She knew there was someone else here, how they were avoiding scans or why they were hiding she couldn’t say, but they had intelligence that the Cabal was already here. Aela knew that, she counted on it. There was no way Jamie could do her job if they didn’t draw the organization's eye, and the only way to do that was...well to be a bit foolish and give their enemy exactly what they wanted.

The tactic wasn’t very subtle, but it was the nature of spy work.

”They’re here.” Aela said with a smile as the other two soldiers unloaded two crates, popping them open to reveal some canvas tents as well as sleeping bags. ”Likely they’re waiting for us to find the artifact, or just the right ship.”

Lee would have been briefed on the situation beforehand so he would know what Aela was actually talking about when she referred to ‘they’ and ‘them’. The two other soldiers, one an older man who appeared to have lived many years of his life doing the soldiers work, and the other around Lee’s age, gave her an emphatic nod as they agreed with her assessment. ”They figure it’s easier just to take it from us.”

It was an assumption, but probably one that was correct.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lee somewhat wanted her to seem worried and another part of him sought out her calmness. At least he got the latter, the former would put him into overdrive to hunt down whatever was out there. He knew about these Cabal, he had been briefed and she had mentioned them enough on the trip getting here about them. A hand went to his chin, he felt the scruff that was lingering from the day as he pondered her words. “So they’re waiting...why haven’t we gone after them…”

He paused and his eyes narrowed at her for moment. “Unless you’re possibly going to set a trap for them?” Lee wanted to find them and stop their threat before even finding the artifact. If he could eliminate them, it would buy them some time for the artifact. The darn thing could be anywhere in this graveyard, heck it could be anywhere on this planet. Fingers scratched at his chin as he thought quietly.

“When night falls, I’ll head out - see what I can scout. If I come across their camp, I’ll take them out.” Looking at the other men that were with them, he figured if anything attacked the camp at night they would be able to handle it. Even then, the woman leading this little group was also a Jedi with several tales of her abilities. Having him out in the night would provide them some more intel and hopefully the elimination of the threat. [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

”No, you won’t.” Aela said shaking her head. ”That would be stupid.”

This area was foreign to them, they had some scouting reports, a few ancient maps, but in truth they knew little to nothing about Jakku. Couple that with the fact that they had no back-up and no real way of getting anyone off-world quickly aside from a miles long trip across the desert, going out alone in the night would be foolish beyond all belief.

”We’ll all be staying here.” There was no rush. The Cabal would wait for them to get the artifact, or at least until they were in a more compromising position. The cavern provided decent protection against assault, and even then she doubted they would have to worry about such things.

”There’s no need to rush. We’re here to get the artifact, not eliminate the enemy.” The latter would come naturally no matter what, she thought, but they had to be patient. Rushing into things would just get you killed, especially in such a foreign place. She frowned for a moment and looked around, gaze shifting for a few seconds as she looked over the Graveyard of starships.

”They have the advantage right now.” She continued, knowing that they were out there somewhere. ”We won’t be playing into it.”

Better to lure them out.

 

[Allyson Locke]

"You're a frustrating woman." Lee spoke after giving some thought to her words. She was correct in her line of thinking, but Lee was antsy and needed to do something beyond the sitting and waiting. He always hated the first days of a mission. It was always filled with setting up and situating one self so that every vantage point was known.

His nose twitches and his fingers followed as he pinched the tip to avoid a sneeze. Sand was terrible and even though he didn't dislike planets like Jakku, he hated sand. In his frustration he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I'm not a fan of letting them have the advantage. What are we going to do when they attempt to ambush us?" Despite them knowing that the Cabal would ambush and attempt to take the artifact, it didn't make any difference advantage wise.

"We know nothing about this place beyond what intel was gathered before. Not even my quick scan was enough. Just let me poke my head in a few dead ships and toss up some cams or something." Lee folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "At least give us some sort of chance to further figure them out. I don't like being a sitting duck waiting for the predator. "

She was frustrating and stubborn, but he would continue to push the issue. In the end it was for the groups safety. [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

If Aela seemed at all worried she didn’t show it, neither did the two other men. What Lee said made sense in a way, but it was also only taking in a small picture of the situation. They weren’t here to fight, they were here to get the artifact, by all accounts, so far they were right on track to do just that.

”And what exactly would you do by yourself, alone, in the dark when twenty of them show up and ambush you?” there was no bite to her tone, just simple logic. Going out in the dark, alone, would be foolish beyond all belief. Aela was a Jedi Master, and even she couldn’t take half a dozen trained soldiers by herself. There were limits to what one could do, and Lee was no Jedi Master.

”Kill as many as you can?” She suggested. ”Heroically die warning us that the enemy is here? Get captured, interrogated, and at best give up no information save for what they already know?”

She didn’t want to be mean, but he wasn’t thinking. ”Going out in the dark is foolish. I chose this cavern specifically because I know we can defend it. We have auto-turrets, sensors, and a portable ray-shield. If they decide to ambush us here, which I doubt, we’ll be fine.”

Aela wasn’t a fool.

”It will be the same tomorrow night, and the next, and however long it takes us to find the artifact.” Her voice was stone now. ”When they come for us, and they will, we will be prepared, but we will not prepare anymore by going out in the dark of night on a fools errand.”

 

[Allyson Locke]

Apparently, Lee couldn't take orders or suggestions either. He was used to thinking of quick solutions, things that gave him that small quick advantage. The bigger picture was something he never worried about, when it came down to it - he survived till the next day. Then everything would start over again.

Quelling the temper he felt in his chest, Lee took in a deep breath. Maybe she was right in this instance, she was a Jedi and they were usually smarter than the average folk. Even then, if they were so smart they wouldn't get caught in traps. His mind continued to play over the possibilities and once he realized they all ended the same he stopped pushing the issue.

"Fine then, in the briefing it was vague as to what the artifact we are looking for does and where it's possible location is." Moving to her side for he most part he scanned the cavern. She made a good choice and his gut told him he should trust her, but he did barely know her.

"Care to shed more light on this artifact and why they want it as well?" [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

"It's a holocron." At least he had finally shut up about going out at night.

The other two continued to set up the equipment, the auto-turrets being the first thing to pop up and then the shield generator next. Aela assisted with unloading some of the cargo, using the force to lift the heavier boxes and stack the crates in an orderly manner. They would use this place as their base-camp for the next few days, searching the surrounding ships for what they were looking for. It would take time, she had no doubt, but in the end it would be worth it.

"Crafted by Jedi Master Beruk Nadir." Aela continued as the crates set down. "He was a powerful and influential member of the Jedi Council during the height of the Galactic Cold War some Fifteen Thousand years ago. His holocron is said to contain information on several secret hyperlanes throughout the galaxy, not to mention a wealth of knowledge on the force itself."

Beruk had been a Besalisk, living several centuries long. The Jedi Master had learned much in his time. "It's the hyperlanes that make the Holocron so valuable."

She finished unloading the crates and turned to Lee.

"With them, someone could sneak and entire fleet across the galaxy." She didn't really have to detail why that would be bad. "It's part of the Cabal's plan, of which we know precious little."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Holocrons. He remembered hearing about them several times when he was with the Jedi Order. Of course he never had access to them, but he did understand their importance. On the other hand, he did have access to datacrons, which were useable apparently by everyone. Knowledge was so important to Jedi, he wondered why the Cabal would even bother with it. Shrugging, he easily understood the importance with the hyperlanes. If the Alliance was able to get a hold of the Holocron it would help allow them to spread their influence. Which meant, he would be able to venture out farther to unknown worlds.

“I understand why you’d want all of use there when we find the holocron.” It was important and he was realizing the bigger picture. “I’ll do my best not to question much of your judgement.” Pausing, he felt a smile pull at the corner of his lips. Every inch of his body ached for combat and longed for when they do find the holocron. “The Cabal do you know any more about them? The briefing was rather quick and I only know essentially what you need us to know.”

Lee scratched the side of his head. “You seem familiar with them. Are they associated with the Sith?” The Cabal could be apart of anything, he even wondered if they were like the cultist that he had grown up with. Looking over his shoulder he noticed the older agent struggling with a heavy crate. He stood and walked over, a pat on the man’s shoulder Lee lifted and set it aside. Smiles were exchanged and he looked back at Aela. “That should be everything. Was there more that you needed done for setting up?” [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

”We don’t know much.” Aela admitted. ”Jamie and I first discovered them on Bastion.”

That had been an interesting mission, one that had gone completely awry but still somehow succeeded against all odds. Her padawan had nearly died, and she had stormed an entire fortress by himself. For a moment Aela frowned and then shifted slightly, looking around the camp as everything slowly came into being. Their camp was cozy, comfortable and well defensible, something that they needed.

”We’re not sure how far their reach goes, nor do we know exactly who is involved save for a few High Families on Bastion. We captured a man that would should have given us more information btu so far he has been...less than forthcoming.” That had been a frustration. Jorg had promised secrets, but now that he was within Alliance the man had completely sealed shut.

”That’s another reason why we’re here.” Aela said as she sat herself down on one of the empty crates. ”The Cabal will be paying attention to us, giving Jamie, my apprentice, time enough to gather some more information.”

Hopefully she would be able to get something.

They knew that the Cabal operated all around the galaxy, and if Jamie could get even just another tiny snippet it would all be worth it.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lee knew he should relax, but there was a thrill to what they were doing. This Cabal thing seemed to run a bit bigger and deeper than what intel had brushed over. He watched as Aela finally sat down, the camp was put together and it was finally time to relax and prepare an attack plan to find the holocron. Lee dragged a crate closer to him and he sat down on it as well. There wasn't a reason to stand at attention.

That was one thing that Lee came to realize about this place. Everything was relaxed and they reacted instead of actively going out and getting themselves in a pickle. He thought hard on the matter, but still the concept of being 'human' didn't click. More thought and understanding would have to happen before he grasped it, if he ever did.

"Jamie?" It was a name he had heard thrown around, but now that he understood her to be Adela's student he accepted the person and filed the name to the back of his mind. "Her speciality is intel gathering? Covenant." It really was and that made him feel a bit more comfortable with the situation.

"Is she a marshal as well?" Deep down though, Lee wondered what was so different about this Jamie that allowed her passage into the Jedi training. He needed to discover a change or a pattern so that he too could enter. His mind was full of curiosities about the Jedi - in the end he assumed he would have to be one to eradicate the Sith. [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

”No.” Aela said simply. Jamie was barely a padawan of the Order. Her apprentice had not quite fit neatly into the structure of things, though they had at the very least managed to make it work. None of the others seemed to mind much, even though technically speaking Jamie fell outside of the Order. It helped of course that Aela was somewhat eminent within the New Jedi Order, having quite a bit of influence.

”She’s only a padawan.” Marshall’s were usually Masters. ”But I trust her to do what needs to be done.”

Jamie had enough experience, and enough knowledge to know what to do if things went awry. The mission she was on wouldn’t get dangerous anyway, at least according to their current intelligence. She shifted her weight slightly on her perch, moving to look at the graveyard at starships as the last of the camp was quickly set up.

”You’ll meet her eventually, I suppose.” Most of the 5th legion had come to know Jamie, not a surprising fact given that she was Aela’s apprentice.

The two of them were rarely parted, and for good reason. Her padawan was incredibly head-strong and stubborn, something that required quite a bit of...well guidance.

 

[Allyson Locke]

She continued to look out into the graveyard of ships. Lee followed her sight as she stared. Her attention on the conversation seemed to be there, but she seemed to be elsewhere. Lee took in the sight of the ships, it amazed him that so many ships found their demise here. In each ship there had to be some sort of story.

Lee looked around him, after being able to pull himself away from the graveyard. The camp was nearly done and he felt somewhat bad that he didn't fully help the other agents. He has spent his time arguing and attempting to keep the Jedi woman company - though he figured she could care either way. Maybe she just kept him company in the end.

"It would be nice to meet this Jamie, especially since she's your apprentice." His gaze stared at the Jedi once more, her featured had changed for just a moment and then he remembered who she was.

"How many more graveyards like this are there on the planet? I find it interesting how everyone one of these ships found its final resting place here." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A chuckle echoed and he shook his head. "We are going to be here for awhile...aren't we?" [member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Lee Novastrider"]

Aela nodded, Jamie was in an odd way, a part of the family. The 5th Legion were a tight knit group, and many had already come to accept the young padawan as part of the team. She was sure the same would eventually happen with Lee, if only because that was the natural way of things, it would take time though.

”You’ll meet her.” Aela said as she looked towards the other two Soldiers. They were busy setting up tents, four of them of course, Aela would have offered to help but she knew well enough from lessons of the past that they would just shoo her away and say something like ‘not for Jedi to do’. It annoyed her, but she didn’t press the issue too much.

”There are several other sites like this all over Jakku.” She knew the planets history well, like most worlds she visited she had read all she could on Jakku before ever getting anywhere near here. ”The planet is prone to sandstorms, and unfortunately its status as a graveyard world makes it valuable for salvage. As such, every few centuries a battle will be fought here, ships would crash, and new graveyards would be formed. The sandstorms accent that by shutting down ships as they crash.”

It was an odd sort of cycle, one that refreshed itself every few centuries.

She frowned for a moment as she looked off in the distance towards the sunset. Cold began to snap, though in her armor she barely felt it. ”Likely.”

Aela doubted they would find the artifact within a day.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lee listened, but continued to stare at the graveyard and the setting sun. The heat that had greeted them when they arrived was soon gone. He felt his skin tingle with small little bumps telling him of the drastic temperature change. Vigilant he remained as he did his best not to show his dislike of the cold. There was a bit of hope that with the heat disappearing, the Jedi woman would feel more comfortable. Then again, after meeting some Jedi - they never really found comfort in anything.

"That's good. She sounds interesting." Poor choice of words, but then again he doubted the woman beside him would even pick up on it. She ignored his previous stumble, would probably ignore this one. He groaned inwardly at the sound that they were going to be here for awhile. The artifact was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. A large hand ran down his face as the realization set in. "You say there's a lot more of places like this? How do we know for sure if this location is the right one. Don't remember intel saying anything like that?" Brown eyes locked on the Jedi and an eyebrow arched. "Unless you feel it...or something like that."

The force and its whispers would forever confuse Lee, he had the gut feelings and quicker reflexes, but that was it. He was unaware on how to control them, everything just happened.

Cold was setting in and he knew it was time for rations. Standing he moved towards the other two as they finished the tents, he helped and they were done that much quicker. At least now everyone could enjoy what they were given in peace. Holding another order of rations he made his way back to [member="Aela Talith"] . "Here, the others are eating and thought you would want to as well." Trying out this human thing, he tried to make a joke that he read in a book - attempting to tailor it to the situation. "Unless Jedi don't eat - then it means more for me" a forced smile as he assumed it would go over well. The man was attempting to be friendlier and trying to play well with everyone here and in the 5th Legion.