Hush Now

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu looked at her and once they had their packs of equipment and everything else there and ready to go it was time to head out. Opening the ramp when it touched the white sandy beach as the water was lapping at it. Matsu moved around and turned to see the thick green of the jungle around them as it was growing on the rocks that were going high above them. All around actually as it made for the area they were in more like a secluded beach you could see a wealthy person owning or having their homes built on. Matsu was walking and the air itself was cool, a breeze there that was coming off of the ocean and there were the signs of small fish in the water that were in different colors.

They were rather pretty in the semi shallow waters that they could see, there were others places when she walked around checking it all for the two of them. "This all looks fairly normal, ideal even." The air was clean and it was like fresh sea air. Or something else, it looked beautiful under the swirling skies that were in differing shades of purples, reds, pinks and even touches of orange. It might not be perfect, it might not be normal but the nebula was there and it was making the planet nice and warm while the distance did give it a coolness. It was an almost ideal and wonderful temperature you could be in before she moved away towards the jungle with a nod of her head seeing Sorel.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel hoisted her pack on her back and stood at Matsu’s shoulder. Once the ramp opened, Sorel saw how pretty the area was. The sandy beach contrasted markedly to the dense and green jungle that bordered it. Sorel had never been on holiday but suspected this was the sort of place people paid a lot of credits to visit.

There was a breeze and with Sorel’s bracelet on, it was hard to tell if it was cool or warm – her body temperature was regulated by the piece of jewellery. The only thing that looked out of place was the sky. It was as if there were a sunset of vivid colours, expect the sun was high in the sky. This was clearly a factor of whatever was colouring the atmosphere. But here on the ground it did not impact visibility at all.

And with a nod to match her Master’s, Sorel followed her into the treeline and off to explore.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Looking at everything that was there the jedi master took in the sights and the beauty before she was moving through the area. Testing out her senses here when they stretched out towards the interior feeling the people but something else as well. Matsu started walking and. "There is people but also something here." She was curious now as this world seemed to be teeming with life compared to others. The massive sight of the trees was there for her to enjoy as was the different trees. It looked like there was some fruit in the different ones. Some looked like and even when she could smell it was sweet. Matsu moved up grabbing one as the skin was soft but the small fuzz on the outside looked rich and delicious. She took a second one for Sorel to examine before using a small blade to slice a piece off and the interior was creamy almost as she looked it over. "Well it doesn't look bad." Her finger touched it and scooped a little while walking when she sniffed it, then licked it tasting it was sweet and kind of tangy on the back of her throat.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel felt that the atmosphere of the place suggested they moved at a slower than normal place. The beauty of the landscape and the whole vibe of nature meant there was a languid feel to the planet. Here at least. So she matched her Master’s pace – not looking to speed her up or slow her down and going with the flow.

And her Master was right. There was something about the planet that was different. Perhaps with this much life it was an abundance of the Force. Not precisely a nexus but rather an abundance of energy. The Force existed in all living things and here there was no shortage of flora and fauna. Perhaps this is what her Master sensed. Or maybe it was something else.

“You’re brave,” Sorel said as Matsu tasted the fruit. “I’d fight a Rancor or face a swoop-gang, but I wouldn’t eat an unidentified fruit.” She remembered the time she went to Dagobah. The person she met there explained that most people died from things they could not see. Beasts represented a small amount of kills by percentage. Most died in the swamps from bacteria or innocuous looking plants. She didn’t doubt her Master’s judgement, just knew she wouldn’t do it herself. Unless she was starving of course.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu was looking at her and provided a small raised eyebrow when she was cutting another piece off with a grin. "Maybe, but so far there is nothing bad about it. The taste is sweet and has a little bite to it. Very squishy though with some of the things I have tasted and seems more like something you would add to other foods." Matsu was walking and there was a lot here now as the jungles paths led towards ruins and it was a very beautiful temple that was inverted. Almost like an amphitheater itself for people to sit in but most of the rows were small terraces of trees and gardens. Stone steps to lead them down towards a large section of stone that was steaming. The waters in there or it looked like waters. They seemed to have more of a pale pink purple glow as Matsu was walking and looking at it. The feeling fo the force got stronger while she pointed and spoke. "Well whatever there is from the force is there. It looks there were some people here recently." Not to recently but there were signs of people who had been around giving them some idea.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. She was often cautious – perhaps as a consequence of her curbing her natural confidence that, at a younger age, had spilled over into arrogance.

They continued to walk and there was a well-worn path that they followed that brought them to a set of old ruins. It was an inverted temple – Sorel had seen a good many in the history books and wondered how the architectural style happened to manifest itself here. By chance or had someone introduced the locals to it?

And then she realised that the sensation she’d felt at the beach was stronger here. She looked down at what appeared to be a stream of lilac and pink. It seemed to be liquid, but from this distance it was hard to tell. And she heard her Master’s observation about signs of life – albeit not recent.

“Master, there is a strong feeling here. Not the Force but like the Force. Or maybe the Force but in a way I’ve not experienced before. And given the structure and the stream are here, I am wondering something, which is the cause and which is the effect? Where these built because of the force or is the force here because of the building?”

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu was watching her when she walked down into the area. Seeing the trees and the plants, the signs that people had been here before she scented the air and she knew the scents. They were faint and off in the distance before the waters came into view. Standing near them while they seemed to bubble with something in there under the surface. She wasn't going to scoop at it but brought a small datapad out and a vial to collect water samples. "It is not hot but it is bubbling and it looks like the sky." She was curious though couldn't and wouldn't recommend drinking it directly when the computer was working on it. She was seeing what was around all of them here when there were other things around them. "The force is different here but it isn't dark, if anything it feel light and warm." The waters in the vial she could feel as well when it came up. "The liquid is mostly water, with properties I have not seen before. Based on these I think it might be one of the main draws on the planet itself."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was captivated. The sky was coloured but it seemed much like a regular sky. But the water was something else again. The bubbling effect she could now see up close was not because it was hot and some result of underground volcanic activity, but an entirely different reason.

She had no solution to the situation in mind, but suspected her Master would be able to fathom out the answer in time.

The initial data analysis gave some answers but in truth more questions. Clearly the water was different. Different from the sea even. And she was somehow sure, even though there was no scientific evidence, that the building was here because of the strange water and not the other way around.

“The Force,” Sorel said quietly – almost reverently. “It never ceases to impress. First I learned to understand it. Then White Current. And now this…” Her voice tailed off as she looked around. “Like the Force but not the Force. It deserves a life-time of study, surely. As long as the locals allow our people to come here and research it of course.”

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu looked at Sorel and yes this needed study but she was looking around. There was one thing you should always look for when encountering something that has signs people use it or do stuff with it. Look for instructions. She could see it while bringing all of it up and there was stone with carvings and Matsu was looking it over. The figures and images telling a story.. maybe. "It looks like the worship around the waters here, giving their dead to it." She looked while pointing and they were carrying a person with others seeming to be crying to the pool. Then putting them into it as their bodies went away. "Then they would disappear and this looks like a mother." She was looking at the woman with a bulge in her stomach and it was in the pool then holding a baby as they showed there were more across the planet itself. "So the dead and the creation of life comes from these waters which have places across the entire planet." Matsu backed away a little and had a look on her face. "I have no idea if it is healthy for a river to be it but it might explain the unusual properties as well as why the water is strong. Life and death are what it is used for."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel followed Matsu’s explanation and took it all in. “I wonder if the water is in some way connected to the Force. What I mean is that when we die, we know we join the Force and midichlorians are present in our blood from birth. Perhaps the water here is similar conceptually. The dead add are placed in the water to add to its ‘power’ and births occur her for a similar reason?”

It was little more than conjecture, but it was at least a hypothesis they could test.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She looked at her padawan well former padawan and Sorel had an idea with it that she could work with. GOing over them as she was collecting images so they could look at them. "Possibly, usually jedi when they die are burned as their body is just an empty shell. Their ashes left to scatter to the winds. If they do something similar where the bodies themselves are left to dissolve into these water adding them to it like a stream. Then the children are born here. It could make them into something of a conducting loop. Each generation making the connection and influence stronger as it flows." The idea of a loop and cycle could explain why it has been not seen for a time. THe works they do here when Matsu was looking over some of the things. "Maybe the samples will give us some more information but we have all of this to look over and through." Matsu was seeing the plants around them as well when she was collecting samples from the soil. "The soil has the same trace elements of the water, it is like the wintrium on Klatooine. In the planet itself maybe? Means it could be in the people."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was pleased her idea, however stretched in terms of concept, was being taken seriously. In science, you worked with what you had and tried and tested hypothesis until you came across the truth. Failures were therefore not failures, just a line of thought that demonstrated what wasn’t the answer and was therefore seen as something that would take you closer to the truth.

Sorel nodded at her Master’s thoughts. “It sounds much like the Force as we know it. It exists in everything that is living – and stronger in some than others. Perhaps this natural aspect of the planet is similar, but more bound in nature, given the composition of the soil?”

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu was looking at Sorel as they had a theory, no real way to test it out but she was wanting to see what they might be able to do. The fruit itself and the air of the planet was all there. She took some of the fruit from the tree itself while looking over it. "Perhaps, we do not know for sure but we will be able to discover all of it." Taking a moment to look at the fruit though as she offered one to Sorel to look at and there were different things. The plants here and around looked like most of the places they would be able to see, able to see how it developed. "If the soil is infused with it and force enhanced then the food might be beneficial to the ones on the world. Eating, drinking the force would have benefits and dangers."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel took the fruit but chose not to eat it yet. First, she listened to her Master and took a few moments to fully understand what she was saying and her train of logic.

Nodding, Sorel closed her eyes and connected to the Force. She felt it flowing through her. It felt slightly different to usual, no doubt in some way linked to the planet itself. But she could not explain exactly how it felt different and certainly could not explain precisely why.

Then, when she was centred, she took a small bite of the fruit. As she swallowed, she focused on the Force that was in her every cell and coursing through her veins. And she concentrated on sensing how it would change – if at all – as she swallowed and then began to digest the fruit.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu was looking at her while she gave a look to Sorel when she was walking around the different fruit trees. She had a few other ideas but then paused as she heard it, her head going up and the small procession that was coming to the lip of the temple itself was there. Ornate colors, golds, reds, deeper blues and it all looked beautiful with the ones who were wearing them. Matsu moved as some of them were coming down and their armor looked a mixture of advanced with the materials being form fitted and displaying a section of an energy shield that encased them in a faint purple layer that shimmered. The primitive parts were the leather like sections but Matsu was looking at them where they were Atrisian.

Her mind was working on some of the things and she knew the atrisian's had been brought out to these areas of as slaves of the taung. Bringing with them a great deal of their own beliefs but the Go Nagai which she could see influenced in the outfits. The ornate and regal looking beauty of their outfits as well as the symbols provided her a few ideas. "ALright I think we can confirm there is life here on the planet." Matsu said it more to Sorel but she could see they were able to understand her as their words came out and it was old Atrisian with the language she had heard from the likes of San-Ji-Yan who had been speaking for the silver jedi. She knew a couple of words but the language was a mixture of the two and there were differences between the others.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

No sooner had Sorel spoken and tested the fruit than she was aware that they were not alone. A small procession was heading towards the temple. Whereas the surroundings were a verdant green, the clothes worn by those coming towards them were all of the other colours of the rainbow – and they were vibrant shades too.

And she was aware that they also wore armour and as importantly were protected by an energy shield. She wondered if this was ceremonial or for a more practical reason. But she held her tongue regardless as she wondered what effect – if any – the fruit would have, and also was curious to hear what her Master might venture by way of an explanation.

Sorel smiled at Matsu’s understatement – it was fair to say there was sentient life here. And she was aware that the strangers heard her Master too. As long as they weren’t coming here to offer ritual sacrifices, Sorel figured they were safe. But the trouble with alien cultures is that you take things for granted at your own peril.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Sorel was doing a lot as the beings were coming over to join them but they didn't seem hostile. More confident, highly confident it seemed though as she could see them, see more of them and the box that they were bringing with them in the procession was going down the stairs itself towards the small pool while more of the people were coming. Her Nagai was novice at best and her old atrisian while good still needed some work. "We are explorers." Matsu said it while she was looking at some of the things. To see it all here though they seemed welcoming to all of them as two pointed to their sabers then towards the sky with Matsu getting a few ideas before they spoke. 'Yes welcome welcome, we have been expecting your arrival for years.'

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel watched the procession, fascinated, and picked up what her Master was saying – whilst all the time looking at body language and picking up on any warning signs the Force might be sharing. Since her run in with kidnappers that managed to supress her Force abilities, she’d spent more time learning non-Force techniques to deal with situations. Hand to hand combat was one, and reading situations through body language and an understanding of neuro linguistic programming was another.

But it was their hosts words that shocked her. Did they mean they were expecting ‘someone’ to visit, or them specifically? She shot Matsu a glance that shared her surprise at the comment.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Matsu was listenign to them and mulling the words over as she thought about it. They should be expected... though was it in general of we're expecting people here or specific as in we were waiting for the two of you. Matsu was curious as they all seemed to be working with each other though as she stepped off to the side with Sorel being joined by them. The being seemed to be looking at all fo them giving some smiles and laughing a little. "What we mean is, we foresaw that we would have visitors and not the our normal servants." Matsu was looking at them while she moved arou with Sorel speaking. "well this is new to me, I don't know if that is a compliment or insult that we are not here as servants for them?" She said it with that small amount of humor though there was a good amount going into the things when she provided some new information seeing how they were putting the case they were holding over the pool with others beginning to chant.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel had a sense on unease begin in the pit of her stomach. It was not a major concern, nor the Force warning her that she should be particularly wary – but the feeling was there none the less. The explanation was straightforward enough, but the sensation didn’t abate.

She nodded at Matsu’s words and smiled politely at the locals before the chanting started. The term ‘cult’ sprang to mind and she kept a watchful eye over the colourful throng – and a wary eye over their surroundings. She also wondered how sensible an idea it was to have eaten the fruit. Only time would tell.

“I guess we stick around, Master?” she said softly as she kept up the external pretence of being entirely unconcerned.

[member="Matsu Ike"]