Private Homecoming

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Dathomir. Everything led here... or, led back to it. Maybe. It was beginning to look like the red planet was indeed his place of birth. The Flickerfox descended from the scarlet azure, docking gently on the crimson surface. Ace's eyes lingered on the landscape that lie outside of the cockpit's viewport.​

​

Valery was meant to be here with him, but duty called her elsewhere. He understood and there were no hard feelings. Maybe it would be better for him to do this alone anyway.​

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As he took everything in, it all tugged at a sense of familiarility within him. The sky, the rock formations, the colors. All of it. His shoulders rose unnaturally high, then dropped low. Ace hadn't felt like this since the day he'd learned who his father was. Butterflies fluttered around in his stomach, he was so close to the truth... or at the very least, learning more about his mother. That was if he'd be able to find the Vinorl Kastan.​

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All he knew was that the Jedi was on Dathomir, coming here when he took the Barash Vow. There was a chance he was either dead or no longer on the planet but... the Force, it was like a warmth in his chest. Reassuring. As if to tell him 'you're on the right path'. Gently, he placed his palm over his chest and smirked. Ace would find Vinorl, the Force would guide him. As it always did.​

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The Flickerfox's docking ramp lowered and he descended it. His black boots pressed into the rocky surface of the crimson planet. Now, that he was actually here - the familiarity, the resonance... it became stronger. Like his very cells were reacting to this place, or the planet was calling to him.​

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Nyxara​

 

[Nyxara]

The ship cuts through the red sky, descending with a low, steady rumble. Dathomir's surface rises to meet me jagged ridges, valleys drowned in mist, and clouds of crimson dust whipping in the wind. I guide the vessel toward a flat stretch of rock, solid enough for the landing gear, and the engines fade into a deep, dying hum.

The ramp lowers. Heat rolls in immediately, carrying that bitter, metallic tang unique to this world. My boots crunch into the fine dust, the grains clinging stubbornly to the folds of my coat. I crouch, place my palm against bare rock, and murmur a few clipped words in the old dialect short, practiced, a habit more than a ritual. Just a way to mark that I'm here.

I straighten, adjust the belt at my waist, and move forward. The ground changes from brittle stone to dark, springy soil as the forest rises ahead. The first trees are tall and warped, bark the color of dried blood, their branches reaching upward before knotting together to form a dense canopy. The red light breaks into shards here, spilling in thin, shifting beams onto the forest floor.

Inside, the air is cooler but heavier, thick with the smell of damp earth and resin. Roots twist across the ground in uneven tangles, forcing me to step carefully. Vines hang low, brushing my shoulders, some swaying despite the stillness. I hear a distant cry sharp, guttural before it fades back into silence.

I keep moving, weaving between trunks, my steps steady. The forest watches, but I don't slow. I came here for Dathomirian metal, and I know exactly where to find it.

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace hadn't moved yet, he just lingered in place before lowering his head, glancing down at the lightsaber attached to his hip. Something was different, like he was tuning into some kind of frequency it emitted. Carefully, he unclipped the lightsaber and let it rest in his palm.​

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He scanned its skeletal design, the hilt was cold at first. Then warm. Like the metal remembered his touch - or remembered being here. Then the thought occured to him, was the lightsaber or... the Kyber crystal's connection to Vinorl stirring?​

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Ace closed his eyes and let his awareness sink into the metal. He didn't expect answers, just a nudge. And the Force gave one - South.​

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He clipped the lightsaber back to his belt and moved. The landscape shifted with every step, dry stone giving way to dark, springy earth. Trees rose crooked around him, their limbs knotting high above to blot out the sky. Shafts of red light sliced through the canopy like broken glass. The air thickened. Damp. Resin-heavy.​

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Then came a sound. A cry in the distance that cut off too soon. Ace stopped, hand brushing the hilt at his side. It wasn't a threat. Not to him. But it meant something else was here. He pressed forward. The Force shifted, no longer tugging, but humming.​

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Then he saw her. Just ahead, between the trees, a figure moved with practiced ease. It wasn't Vinorl, but she looked Dathomiri. She walked with purpose, like someone who belonged here. Whoever she was… she was heading somewhere with intention.​

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Nyxara​

 

[Nyxara]

The path narrows, roots and stones weaving together as if to push back unwelcome steps. But the south calls to me, and I move forward without slowing. The metal I seek never shows itself on the surface: it sleeps, buried in the fissures, fed by the soil and the blood of this world.

The silence is heavy, broken only now and then by cries too distant to identify. I hardly pay them any mind. Dathomir is alive; it likes to test the patience of those who claim to know it.

A shiver crawls across my skin. Not really a threat… but a presence i am not alone here, he is affiliated by the force. Someone else treads these grounds, guided south as well. My fingers brush briefly against the hilt at my side, a reflex, before I release it. No need to rush.

I lower my hood, letting the red light filtered through the branches touch my face, and I keep moving, alert. The metal will not vanish. But the one walking behind me… he may turn out to be far more interesting than expected.

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace saw the woman pause, just for a moment. She felt him, or had seen him - that much was clear. Ace didn't hide, he merely took a few more steps closer. Whether it was because he wasn't afraid or sense no intention of harm was unclear.

His hands remained loose, left hand not even hovering over the hilt of his lightsaber. Ace didn't want to startle or appear as a threat. The sound of his boots shifted the soil, and his silhouette slipped into view through the dense crimson light.

Now with her hood lowered, he was able to get a better look at her. Pale skin, pale hair - she was definitely Dathomiri. And if that wasn't proof enough, the way the Force pulsed around her felt different too, a little darker, more raw but not undisciplined.

Finally in talking distance, Ace raised his palms - displaying he was not a threat.

"Sorry about following you." He said, voice measured "Figured you knew your way around."

His dark brown eyes flicked toward the path ahead, then back to the woman. Lowering his hands, he continued speaking.

"I'm looking for someone. A Jedi. Goes by Vinorl Kastan?"

His tone conveyed that of a question being asked, maybe she'd have some information. Ace didn't expect a yes but, it was worth a try.

Nyxara ​

 

[Nyxara]

---

He moves forward without rushing, no hidden angles, no intention to spring a trap. His hands remain visible, a simple gesture but enough to show he hasn't come here as an enemy. When his face finally emerges between the streaks of red light, I see him more clearly. Human features, marked by the fatigue of travel but steady. Nothing that suggests an ambush.

I watch him in silence for a few moments, my fingers brushing absentmindedly against the buckle of my belt. Strangers on Dathomir don't last long if they haven't learned to keep their distance. Yet this one chooses to reveal himself. That alone is enough for me to lower the tension in my shoulders, just slightly.

"A Jedi, huh…"

The word slips past my lips with a faint frown.

"Sorry. Never heard of him."

I start walking again, stepping over a thick root, my eyes fixed steadily southward. The ground grows heavier, darker, but my steps know where to go. He follows, still keeping only a few paces between us, and that persistence makes me speak more than I usually would.

"I'm not here for men."

The words fall flat, neutral.

"Dathomiri metal. That's what I came for. You don't find it on the surface. It sleeps deeper."

A silence stretches. I hear his steps behind me, steady, giving no hint of sudden intent. So I slow deliberately, turning my head just enough to catch a better look at him. His eyes are locked on me, steady.

"So tell me… why follow me? You think I know my way…? You're right, I do. I'm not lost. I was born on Dathomir. What is it you want from me? Help finding the Jedi you mentioned?"

In truth, why not. I've got nothing to lose, and if the Force put him in my path, maybe it's for a reason I don't yet understand. I'll take the risk of working with a Jedi. My daughter would surely be furious if she found out but she isn't here, so that works out just fine.

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace didn't respond right away. He simply kept walking carefully behind her, terrain thickening and darkening beneath their steps. The tension in his chest eased, his instincts had proven him right after all. She wasn't about to strike.

"I don't want anything from you." He answered, tone flat. "Just figured you knew the land better than me."

He stepped over a gnarled root, eyes sweeping the terrain ahead. Then back to her.

"I was born here, but this place may as well be a random planet. I'm looking for answers."

It was a strategic volunteering of information, maybe she'd feel less tense knowing he was, in a way, kin. If it didn't work, no problem. This wasn't anything too telling about him anyway, him being born on Dathomir was as important to him as name etched in stone on a building he'd never entered.

"This Jedi, Vinorl. He has them."

He let the words settle, then glanced down toward the soil for a moment. It was beginning to feel like the Force was at work here. Like earlier, when he felt the reassuring warmth in his chest before disembarking. Maybe their paths aligned, or maybe following her would lead him to Vinorl.

Ace's palm rested on the hilt of his lightsaber momentarily, the warmth it emanated continued to pulsate. It seemed that he was indeed still on the right path.

"Dathomiri metal." He said, shifting the focus "What's so important about it?"

Nyxara ​

 

[Nyxara]

I don't slow my pace, but I hear his steps keeping rhythm with mine, steady. There's no tension in his voice either, no threat, only that controlled flatness that leaves little room for hostility. Behind his words I sense restraint, the kind of caution that weighs every move. When he admits he wants nothing from me, I spare him only a brief glance over my shoulder. He walks with care, but not with the heaviness of an intruder.

The fact that he says he was born here catches me. A detail that echoes, though he speaks it as if it holds no real importance, a fact tossed into the air. Yet I feel it in the way he moves, in the weight he carries: Dathomir has left its mark, even if he refuses to claim it. The Force calls him, and it's likely what brought him back.

I let his words linger. The name he repeats, Vinorl, means nothing to me, but the Force weaves its threads around him all the same. Maybe he speaks the truth. Maybe he really is being guided. Either way, for now, our steps follow the same path.

When he mentions the metal, I turn my head slightly, as if to measure how serious his curiosity is. The forest thickens around us, and my boots scrape against the denser ground, marked with dark fissures. My gaze settles briefly on the strap at my belt, then back to him.

"It's an extension of the Nightsisters,"

I finally answer, my voice low.

"Used to forge a blade, a bow, or any other weapon… one that can withstand your lightsabers."

I let a silence stretch, then add,

"Your Jedi I don't know him. But if the Force brought you here, maybe it wants you to find more than just one thing."

My eyes shift forward again, my steps slowing just slightly.

"You seek your master. I seek the metal. So why not search for both, together?"

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Her words about the metal stuck with him. Not just what it could do, but what it meant. An extension of the Nightsisters. Weapons that could match lightsabers. Ace wondered if they were at all like Beskar, or Cortosis.

He was surprised at the offer of working together. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't... but a Nightsister 'tour guide' was better than nothing. The ashen haired rebel shrugged his shoulders, then nodded, agreeing. Falling in line with the woman as they treked into the unknown.

"Name's Acier." He said, introducing himself.

After introductions were made, Ace walked in silence with her for a while. Allowing Dathomir to speak. The deeper they went, the more the forest changed. Ace slowed, gaze tracking the now unnatural patterns threading through the dirt. He could feel something now, some sort of pressure. It wasn't crushing or painful, but it felt dense. Like something buried was drawing energy inward.

Finally, he spoke "How will you know when you find it? The metal."

The soil darkened as they moved, splotched with ashen streaks and deep gray undertones. It felt soft underfoot, and a few scattered stones showed signs of fractures. He crouched near one of them, pressing his palm lightly to the earth.

Something had passed through here. Not recently, but not long enough ago to be forgotten. He stood again, eyes scanning the path ahead. There was a clearing further on, overgrown and foggy. He could make out certain shapes but was unsure as to what.

Nyxara
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​

 

[Nyxara]

He held my gaze, and a brief smile tugged at my mouth.

"Nyxara Thrynn."

Silence returned between us. Dathomir didn't need words to make itself heard; the fog clung to our clothes, every step dimming the light a little more. When he asked how I'd know about the steel, my eyes dropped to the dull veins running through the soil.

"It's like kyber crystals a Jedi or a Sith doesn't pick one because it shines brighter than the rest. They feel it's the right one. Same for us. The metal… you know it when you're standing on it. No ritual, no trick. It just clicks."

I said as we walked

Drawn by a line of fractured stones, I slowed down, brushing a fingertip over one of the cracks. The fracture stretched forward, as if something beneath had forced the rock to split. Following the direction, a darker patch appeared behind the curtain of roots. Not just a shadow—an opening.

Crouching, I pulled the vines aside. The gap was narrow, but passable. A cooler draft seeped out, damp and carrying the smell of earth that hadn't breathed in years. The ground near the entrance gave a little under my hand, soft but stable enough.

Straightening again, I glanced at Ace.

"Looks like a cave or mine. Doesn't seem like much from here, but if the steel's buried anywhere, we've got a shot deeper in."

I shifted to the side, holding the roots open so he could see for himself.

"You want to take point, or should I go first? Are you interest to find another metal, for you ? If you are dathomirien, your power can be awaken, by a dark ritual. My daughter lyssara, follow a ritual for unlock her potential. Maybe, that's can work for you."

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Nyxara expanded on Dathomiri metal, its properties and similarities to Kyber crystals. He didn't say anything, but his expression showed that he was attentively listening. From the way she described it, it sounded like more than just metal. It sounded... sentient. Interesting.

Ace stepped closer, ducking slightly to see past the curtain of roots she held aside. The air that drifted out hit him like a cold whisper, his gaze tracked the cracked stone, the faint shimmer in the dirt. Yeah. Something was down there.

He glanced at Nyxara when she asked who he wanted to go first. For a moment, his eyes flicked away as he pondered their options - listening to her expand on 'awakening his powers'. Ace smirked, huffing through his nose before responding.

"I think I'm good on that. 'Dark' and 'ritual' together doesn't sound all that appealing." It was dry, and half joking.

The Force was already a mystery to him, something he was still learning and understanding. Now there was talk of dark rituals to unlock his 'true potential'? One thing at a time. And with that, he had his answer for another question.

"I'll follow you. You know what you're doing."

He wasn't here for any metals or to unlock more power. He just wanted to find Vinorl. Ace would follow Nyxara through the roots, now unclipping his lightsaber - one could never be too careful. If some sort of unsavory fauna wanted to pounce, he'd be ready.

Nyxara ​

 

[Nyxara]

I slip through the roots first, pushing them aside with one hand to pass. Once behind, they close again like a living door, cutting off almost all remaining light. The air shifts instantly: colder, heavier, thick with moisture and a metallic tang that catches in the throat. It's not welcoming, but I'm used to this kind of atmosphere.

Without slowing, I tilt my head slightly toward him.

"It's dangerous, I won't deny that. But my daughter went through the same thing. She also stood with one foot in the Force and another in Dathomir. She followed this rite and came out of it whole. She's fine. The ritual doesn't directly put her life at risk. The choice is yours"

My tone stays neutral no pressure, just a statement.

My first steps into the passage send small stones rolling under my boots. The ground is uneven, sometimes soft, sometimes cracked as if something had split the rock from within. The walls glisten in places, black and scored with deep fissures. I brush the surface with my fingers not to steady myself but to feel. Dathomirian metal hides in these fractures, and it isn't spotted by sight alone. It resonates, however faintly, like a buried heartbeat that seeps through the stone.

A darker recess catches my attention. I crouch, run my fingers along a shard set into the wall. Too dull, too cold. Nothing unusual. Rising again, I move on. Every meter deeper makes the silence heavier, broken only by our steps and the echoes they stir. Behind me, Ace stays close, saber ready, cautious as ever.

The further we go, the clearer the sensation becomes. It isn't within reach yet, but I know we're getting closer. Pressing my hand flat to another fissure, I close my eyes for a moment. A muted vibration runs up my palm, distinct enough that I know it isn't ordinary stone. It's here. Hidden, buried, but undeniably present.

I open my eyes, steady my breath, and state simply:

"The metal is close to us. We'll find it if we keep going. After, we going after your Jedi. If the force send you here, i have a good news for you, he probably don't so far we thinks."

Then I move forward again, guided by that faint resonance anchoring itself more strongly with each step.

Acier Moonbound

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Dathomir

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27

Ace followed her deeper into the passage, his steps careful, lightsaber low but ready. He noticed the shift in the air - its cold, metallic taste, and the way sound dulled.​

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Nyxara spoke again. About her daughter. About the ritual. But he didn't answer this time, not because he wasn't listening. It was because he didn't trust his own curiosity not to show in his voice.​

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Ace's gaze swept the walls, noting the shimmer, the cracks. Every few steps, he felt it: a faint tug. It didn't emanate from his lightsaber, it was somewhere deeper.​

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Nyxara paused, pressing her hand against the stone. Her voice was quiet but certain - she'd said the metal was near and after? They'd find Vinorl. It seemed that the pair both agreed that the Force indeed had a hand to play in this encounter.​

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Stopping behind her, he let the words settle in the cold air. Something had changed, there was no spark of hope on his face but his posture shifted.​

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"Good." He said simply "I'm not leaving this planet until I find him."​

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He stepped forward again, matching her pace, eyes sharp in the dark. As they descended the tunnel, it continued to curve and the walls grew narrower. They passed a split in the path, one side descending into a flooded shaft, the other narrowing into a crevice barely wide enough to slip through.​

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They took the latter. The passage forced them sideways, squeezing between stone slick with condensation. Ace exhaled slowly as he emerged into a pocket chamber on the other side. It was small but just wide enough for them to move freely again.​

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Ace could feel the faint thrum again. Not from the Force and not from the lightsaber. It was... different. More localized. Ace wondered if the Dathomiri metal was in here, he would leave that to Nyxara however.​

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His own curiosity made him wander. Something had caught his eye, something tucked beneath a fallen slab in the corner of the chamber. He reached for it and pulled it free. A container of some kind: hand-welded, old, scratched nearly smooth. There was no insignia or formal markings. Just a faint line of letters in Aurabesh, too weathered to read in full. The last few still visible.​

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...norl​

Ace stared at it, expression unreadable. This definitely wasn't a coincidence.​

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Nyxara​