Private Journey to the Past

[Jonyna Si]

Jonyna smiled, nodding. "Let's get moving then."

The first leg of their trek was mostly uneventful, the clearing leading to a dense undergrowth, Jonyna several times having to get out her lightsaber to clear impassible tangles of roots that were strong enough material to even resist her saber's cuts without a hefty swing. "...this stuff would make good armor." Jonyna noted as she kept her ears open. Even as they walked, the sound of the jungle reverbed through the air. A bird's call could be heard echoing through the canopy, causing Jonyna to stop, waiting for some sort of response, but none came. A growl escaped her lips, leaving the Cathar frustrated.

As they walked, Valery Noble had the chance to find quite a few new species. A mushroom the size of a person that seemed to smell like fresh cut grass. Berries that glowed a vibrant orange and practically oozed with energy from the Force. A family of some sort of lemur-like creatures that swung by with six arms.

And finally, a centipede the size of a landspeeder that crawled over a bit of brush, and roared at the two with a sort of clattering sound that caused any nearby fauna to flee in horror.

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

"You think the locals might use it?" Valery asked with a smirk when she mentioned the thick vegetation making for some good armor. But there was far more interesting about this jungle — from mushrooms and berries to animals she had never seen before. Still, she hardly deviated from their path, and she definitely didn't touch anything.

Those berries had the Force flowing through them, but they could also still be poisonous.

"...I don't like that one bit," Valery commented when she finally spotted the centipede. She wasn't so girlish that she'd run away screaming, but if she had a choice between dealing with it herself and making Kahlil Noble do it for her, she'd definitely call him over to purge the disgusting bug.

"How much further do we have to go?"

 

[Jonyna Si]

"If I'm remembering the trek correctly, we should be-"

Her thought was cut off as the sound of a shrill whistle rang through the air, a brightly colored set of feathers swinging in the trees above them.

"...I guess now's the time to test the theory that they're using the wood as armor." Jonyna muttered, as more bright red feathers approached from above, one finally landing at ground level. In front of them, a male of what looked like a Rishi, but definitely wasn't. The bird-person had wings that doubled as hands, claws extending from the tips of their wings as the one that approached them stood on it's knuckles, turning it's head like an owl, and letting out a series of squeaks and caws, clearly speaking some alien language. Jonyna took the chance to extinguish her lightsaber, lowering herself to present a lower threat. As she did, Valery Noble would sense that there were plenty more in the canopy above. The two had been tracked, and now the locals were wanting to inquire about their new visitors...

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

The whistle forced Valery to stop in her tracks as well, her eyes scanning the area around them until she spotted the man. He looked somewhat similar to the Rishii, but there were some notable differences as well. He sure didn't feel as peaceful as the bird-people of Rishi, which Jonyna had already warned her about earlier. Noticing that Jonyna lowered herself, Valery did the same, but she didn't shy away from eye contact either.

If they were to find a peaceful solution, she wasn't going to do that on her knees.

"I don't know if you can understand us, but we're not here to cause trouble," Valery said, making sure to keep her weapons away on her belt. "We're just here to find something we lost," she said carefully before she glanced at Jonyna for a moment. She really hoped they wouldn't attack, but Valery was more than ready to defend herself.

 

[Jonyna Si]

The bird-folk tilted it's head, letting a series of chirps out.

"...there has to be someway we can communicate with them..." Jonyna muttered, keeping eye contact with the bird. She scrunched her snout for a second, before pointing to herself, then to Valery Noble "Friend."

The bird stared for a moment, and opening it's mouth, this time the word "Friend" coming out, in exactly Jonyna's voice.

"...that's weird."

"That's weird."

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery snorted.

It immediately made her feel bad, but hearing the bird-folk mimic Jonyna both in words and tone was just way too funny. It forced a stupid smile onto her face as well, but after a few seconds passed, Valery composed herself and looked at the locals with a soft smile. Something told her that they weren't going to get aggressive anymore, so she stood up straight and dipped her upper body into a respectful bow.

Hopefully, they'd pick up on her just wanting to greet them.

"Are we allowed to pass?" She asked as she pointed between herself and Jonyna, before gesturing for the jungle behind the locals.

 

[Jonyna Si]

"Are we allowed to pass?" The bird repeated back, before tilting his head, approaching the two slowly. He spread his wing-claws out, as if testing Valery Noble . He let out a caw, before scampering back.

Those above them seemed to eagerly watch for a response.

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery blinked and briefly glanced at Jonyna, "Does he want me to...?" She turned to him and stood tall, but also began to spread her arms out wide, as if she was trying to mimic his movements the way he had been copying the things she said. It had to look convincing, so her confidence was definitely there at display.

But would this work?

She really hoped it wasn't some kind of challenge, because she didn't feel like fighting these people. As armed and skilled as they might be, there was no doubt in her mind about who would win that clash.

 

[Jonyna Si]

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The bird seemed to back off, being much shorter than Valery Noble , the birds above them cawing loudly as a result. Whatever ritual had just taken place, Val had won. The bird climbed the tree behind in, retreating away from the big scary jedi lady. Instead, another bird came down, looking much older than the others. He seemed to approach Val, before pulling a small axe out and presenting it to the jedi master. IT seemed to be made of the same wood as the trees around them, and a head made of what looked to be some sort of volcanic glass.

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery had no idea what was happening beyond the fact that she won. Or, at least, she had made sure the locals were no longer interested in trying to harm them. The figure who had approached her was now leaving, and in his place, an older local appeared to present her with a weapon, or perhaps a tool. "...Thank you," Valery blinked and weighed the axe in her hand before she looked over her shoulder at Jonyna.

This was already a wild day.

"We'll uh, be on our way." She smiled and gestured for Jonyna to start moving with her again. "Not a word about this to Kahlil Noble ." If he knew she had mimicked a bird-person, she'd never hear the end of his teasing.

 

[Jonyna Si]

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"Scout's honor!" Jonyna chuckled as they kept moving. After about another half hour of dredging through the jungle, a looming sight came into view. A mountain, covered in green, but still shooting into the sky at a steep incline. "That's our target. The cave should still be-" Jonyna was cut off as suddenly an arrow rang past Valery Noble 's head, Jonyna having to pause as she looked down, trying to process what just happened...

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Even as Jonyna talked to her, Valery barely registered her words — she felt a tremor of danger in the Force and pulled her head aside just in time for the incoming arrow to miss. her fiery gaze narrowed immediately, and one hand quickly drew a lightsaber, while the other went for a blaster instead.

She set it to stun, and turned around, hoping to track the source of the arrow by following the path it must have taken. Whoever had decided to attack them would be dealt with swiftly.

"Use the trees for cover!" Valery called out while she did the same. "Who is out there?! We're not here to cause trouble!" She then yelled even louder, hoping that maybe this could end without a fight.

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Silence. Jonyna had taken cover as instructed, but there was no response. No more arrows, no more attacks. Valery Noble couldn't even feel anyone out there. The Cathar flicked her ears, listening for some sort of movement, but none came.

"...I think we're clear." Jonyna said, poking her head out, scanning the area for whatever fired the arrow, only to spot it up again. "...that was set up to fire automatically..." She pointed over, to a small bow that had been hidden away in a bush. Walking over, the cathar pulled back the bush to see a small mechanism that had been hooked up to a tripwire. One that Jonyna had set off without knowing...

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

"You think the locals made these?" Valery asked once she realized it was a trap. "I wonder if it was made to kill animals or if it's to keep people out. Since the arrow flew passed my face, I'm betting on the latter though — there aren't exactly a lot of animals as tall as I am." She chuckled and turned her gaze back into the direction they were heading originally.

"So there might be more of them."

She looked back at Jonyna and offered a gentle smile, "Traps are hard to sense, but you can focus on pulses of danger in the Force. Let those warnings be your guide, and an arrow like this won't hit."

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Jonyna nodded, taking the free lesson as a lesson learned as she kept going, her eyes scanning the ground as she did. "I dunno. The locals seem...too friendly for that. Could be, but why would they-" She was cut off, pausing as a massive scar in the mountain ahead became visible. A cave large enough you could probably fit a small cruiser through it with a bit of effort, even if the overgrowth of the trees seemed to have covered up a good portion of the entrance. It caused the Cathar to take a moment to catch herself, deja vu overtaking her, causing her to shutter. "...right. There it is. If we're careful, we should be able to miss any more traps along the way..."

The rest of the walk, the sounds of a the jungle were much louder. Maybe that was because after the trap, the two were more acutely aware of their surroundings, but it almost felt like things were getting louder as they got closer. Jonyna had a hard time sensing her way ahead through the Force with all the life around them, and more than once she had to pause, remembering her way through. She was starting to develop a headache at the noise...

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery perked a brow when Jonyna stopped mid-sentence, but understood the second she spotted the scar in the mountain. Just like when she visited her old Enclave again for the first after coming out of stasis, Jonyna was lost in thought for a moment. This place held memories close to her heart, so perhaps it was going to be a little difficult for a while to be here.

"Let's go take a closer look, hm?" Valery asked with a kind smile, as she stepped forward and placed a supportive hand on Jonyna's shoulder. Together with the Cathar Knight, she then started moving towards it, but also noticed the increase in sound. It didn't bother her as much, but Jonyna seemed to develop a headache.

"You okay? If you need a moment, just tell me, alright?"

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Her ears flicked, the cathar shuttering as she took a moment, before she paused, looking to Valery. "That's....not the jungle. The noise it's...artificial. Like it's on a loop or something."

She couldn't pin down where it was coming from, but as they got closer, she could feel it. The noise was coming from somewhere. But was getting to the point of overwhelming to the Cathar. Her ears could only take so much, she had to stop. Whatever was out there, Valery Noble would have to take care of it before they could move forward.

OF course, that was when Val was overcome with a desperate sense that danger was about to hit her in the face. Perhaps she should-

The sound of rapid blaster fire filled the air. It came from all directions as they hit the mouth of the cave, from the trees, from the cave itself. Someone had ambushed them.

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery frowned as it seemed to overwhelm Jonyna, and placed a hand on her shoulder to start guiding her along. Standing still wouldn't get them away from the noise, but going back was also not an option. She knew that this was far too important to the Jedi Knight to turn back now. But right as Valery approached Jonyna, she felt a tremor of danger in the Force. Without wasting a second, she drew her lightsaber, and deflected a bolt that would have otherwise killed her.

"Ambush!"

A second lightsaber ignited, and with both blades synchronized, Valery kept them both covered, just in case Jonyna was too overwhelmed to do the same. "Come on, let's push into the cave!" Inside, they wouldn't be able to surround them, so they likely stood a better chance at defending themselves.

Especially with Jonyna not at full strength.

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Rushing into the cave sounded like a good idea, until suddenly...

BOOM!

A series of charges went off at the top of the cave's mouth, causing a landslide that blocked off the entrance finally, and causing Jonyna to reel in pain at the noise.

Now the two were in the dark, and Jonyna could finally take the time to settle her aching head...

But still, Valery Noble 's sense for danger was going off like a fire alarm. Someone had them at the barrel of a gun, even in the cave...

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers
Tag: Jonyna Si

Valery gritted her teeth and raised her shoulders to brace herself when the explosion echoed through the cave. The entrance collapsed almost immediately after that, leaving the two Jedi in the dark. Luckily, her Keshian eyes were able to see decently in the absence of light, so she had no trouble finding Jonyna even without a lightsaber providing them with some light.

"You okay?" Valery asked now that Jonyna finally had a moment to recover.

"We can't sit still here for too long, we're still in their trap. I can feel it," she said, before raising her blade to defend herself if necessary.