Private Jungle Boogie

[Soldane Talon]

Jutrand...​

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The academy was often patrolled at night by a variety of specters, the most notable being the Prefects. Students and facilty working alongside the Sepulchral to protect the students as much as keep them penned in. There was, of course, an unspoken rule that they could steal, sneak, or do whatever they wanted so long as they weren't caught - but that didn't mean it had to be easy.​

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Soldane was under the cover of one such escapade, searching for a path unmarred by guards until he could get to the Bibliotheca, the home of the more restricted Sith datacrons at the academy. He'd only just made it past Rank 12, before he stepped past the threshold of the Bibliotheca's entrance hall. It smelled musty, even here, but it was a welcome sensation when the thought of ritualized Sepulchral knowledge lay just beyond. His next step was met blindness as a bag was ripped over his head and he was restrained, faster than he could react, tighter than he could resist.​

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It had to be Praetorians then. With hands bound and head covered, he was wisked away into the bowels of the Academy...​

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---​

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Rhelion Prime​

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The cave was cold on the skin, made Soldane shiver with a desperate hope to warm himself. He groaned as he came awake, mindlessly rubbing at the bruise a needle had left in his neck. With his other hand, he pulled the bag away from his head and tried to get his bearings - but it was never easy to come back from being kidnapped. Your life is so full of continuity that when you're faced with being in a place you don't remember ever coming to, it desperately seeks some rationalization to the madness.​

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Like it was somehow his intent to arrive here.​

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Soldane groaned as he brought himself slowly to a standing position. There was two crates near the mouth of the cave, and harsh, humid, suffocating wind blew in, forcing Soldane to squint, cover his face from the dust, and look away. That's when he noticed Matteo Guo-Yian - only just awakening himself from their mutual problem. Of course it wasn't enough to kidnap one student, they had to do two...​

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"You up?", Soldane asked rather callously.​

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He rubbed at his shoulder, desperate to get the strain out of his muscles. The least they could have done was give him a pillow.​

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"Looks like we're stuck together. You're Matteo, right?", he said, kneeling near a pile of rocks across from him. He scrounged through them until one was suitably sharp enough to serve as a weapon. He studied it for a few moments, a little dissapointed at its prospective edge. Might as well just use it as a cudgel, he thought.​

 

[Matteo Guo-Yian]

Soldane Talon

Matteo had been caught in his sleep, but he hadn't been in his bunk, which meant that his Master was behind it.

The last thought on his mind was to remind himself to thank her for the attention.

He woke up in discomfort. The rocky ground prickling into his back, his mouth tasting of cotton balls from the drug they had administered. Matteo groaned and rubbed his brow before his eyes snapped open. He wasn't alone. Whoever it was, was powerful indeed. He couldn't stop himself from licking his lips.

It had been a while since he-

Eyes got familiar with the low light and he came to realize he recognized the other figure.

"I am now." Matteo said curiously. "And you are Artemis' brother." By this point he knew Artemis' real name, that she was Luna and that Luna was his own Master's mother. But he barely had any interactions with Luna's brother, he didn't know if Luna had shared that Matteo figured things out. He didn't want to get her into trouble.

"Funny how the first time we exchange more than two words its when we get kidnapped together." Bemused as he finally got off of his ass and slowly stretched.

"I don't feel any life around the cave. You?" That could be problematic. Matteo wondered if Srina had known how far his mingling with Force Drain had become.

Would she have allowed this mission if she did?

 

[Soldane Talon]

Soldane's aura did seem powerful, at first, but under scrutiny it was far more wrong than right. Where Artemis still held the natural affinity offered to them by their genetics, their tutelage, their journey - Soldane's was clearly altered. Synthetic impressions of sigils were rife in his vicinity, the sensation of a whisper across the threshold that seperated them, not in Soldane's tone but anothers. It hurt to look at him through the Force, hurt to have to witness whatever had been done to him.​

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"Artemis's Brother.", Soldane repeated quietly as he finally settled on the semi-sharp rock now held tight in his grip.​

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"Riven.", he corrected.​

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"No, I don't feel any life.", he said before motioning to the cave entrance, to the two boxes waiting for them.​

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"I imagine any supplies we might be offered, and the way out of this, are likely in those."​

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'Riven' moved towards the entrance of the cave with a relatively relaxed gate, but there was a tension in his steps. Either as a result of Matteo Guo-Yian behind him, or a distrust in their collective senses as to if they were truly alone. When nothing jumped out to greet him, he loosened the grip on his rock and took a glance outside.​

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They were high on a cliff face, overlooking miles of jungle. High enough to look down on the canopy, it explained why they hadn't sensed any life near them. The damned 'life' was dozens of meters beneath them, through a harsh climb on a vertical wall. The tri-suns of the system above them rotated wildly around one another, raining their heat down upon them both.​

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For a moment, Soldane remembered his physics class - one of those suns was going to get jettisoned out of the system in time. It explained why they were moving so quickly, and likely meant the day night cycle of this world was altogethered messed up. It was surprising life could sustain itself at all, usually it took only a few thousands years for the 'Three Body' problem to even resolve itself...​

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Odd.​

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Without another moment of consideration, he used the force to lift both of the crates and bring them back. One was clearly marked with Matteo's name, the other with Riven. Passing off the one that wasn't his, Soldane sat it down and opened it. Within was a canteen, a days worth of hard tack, and a knife. At least he could ditch the rock, which he did so with concern.​

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Beneath them was a set of orders.​

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Your target is Lord Cinaris. Turned rogue after Darth Empyrean became Emperor, Lord Cinaris has ordained himself a Sith Warlord on the edge of the Blackwall. He holds a reasonably well armed fortress at the attached coordinates. Kill him, then steal his ship, and return to Jutrand.​

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The least they could have done was give him a GPS, he thought. How many times were they going to school him on trivial things? Guess he'd have to make an impromptu Sextant... How annoying.​

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"You don't happen to be skilled in Prophetic Foresight or Geospacial techniques are you? Maybe projecting your senses into orbit so you might figure out where 'Lord Cinaris' sleeps?", he asked with a dry intonation, but there was a quiet desperation in it. Matteo could save them hours if they were lucky.​

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Matteo Guo-Yian​

 

[Matteo Guo-Yian]

Riven and not Soldane.

So either Luna hadn't told him that Matteo figured it out or he was continuing the charade for alternative purposes. Either way, it was not up to Matteo to question this and he would not get Luna into trouble by springing a potential bait.

"Riven." He simply said and then accepted the crate. His contents were remarkably the same. He pulled the knife out, testing the edge and found it to be sharp enough to cut through flesh without even having to try very much. "No, I am not skilled in either." Which, right about now, he was starting to regret.

Matteo had been focused on the martial skills. When he hadn't been focused on those, he was studying esoteric force techniques that... also gave him an edge in a fight.

Then a light head tilt.

"I am quite skilled in life-detection though." That was a bit of a misdirect. What Matteo was really specialized in was Force Drain. But while others simply sapped some strength from their opponents, Matteo had already left dry husks behind. Accidentally, but that didn't matter. "If this Lord has a sizeable army and a fortress to call his own..."

His brows furrowed there.

"If you lend me some of your strength, I believe I could pin-point it. It would have the highest concentration of strength and life after all."

Soldane Talon

 

[Soldane Talon]

Soldane thumbed at the edge of the knife before deftly sliding it into his waistband. He glanced back at Matteo Guo-Yian , considering his offer, then offered a flat, disinterested response;​

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"No."​

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It wasn't so much that he doubted the man, so much as he didn't trust him. A Sith was powerful in their own right, and giving his power to another was an affront - but also came with caveats. If Matteo so desired, given the skill, he could invade Soldane's mind. He could drain power from him permanently. He'd only just met the man, at least in anything more than passing, and he wasn't as interested in finding out now of all times that Matteo had secret sympathies for the Jedi and this was his way to escape.​

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"Don't take it the wrong way, I'm just reserved.", he offered, like it was an excuse - but it was clear that Soldane didn't trust him. Not yet at least.​

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"If we can get to the Jungle below, I should be able to craft a sextant. The coordinates in the paper -", he said motioning to the note in his hand with a quick shake of it, "- are relative to our position, else they'd be useless. Once we have our position, we should be able to surmise the position of Cinaris."​

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He folded the sheet and slid it into his collar, as he'd likely need his pockets for actually useful things. Still, having tinder wasn't the worst idea in a humid, green, hellscape that will doubtlessly test their mettle. In the next moment, he slipped the knife back from his waist, cut up the remains of the bag that was on his head, then tied up his hair in a ponytail, testing it for resilience with a few shakes of his head before motioning towards the mouth of the cave.​

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"You can climb right? Not afraid of heights? If you are, I have bad news.", he said as he walked to the mouth of the cave once more. He peered over its edge, taking full grasp of the climbing face they were destined to trek. It was vertical, and nearly sheer. There were a few hand holds placed about, but their difficulty was at the edge of what the Academy provided in its internal climbing gyms. Getting down was not going to be easy, even with the Force.​

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The worst part is that the cliff disappeared beneath the canopy of its nearest trees. It made it so neither of them could tell just how far down beneath the canopy they still had to descend - who knew how tall these trees actually were. Knowing their luck, these would be no different than the altogether massive flora on Kashyyk or Endor. He sucked his teeth at the thought of that.​

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"How familiar are you with jungles, Matteo?"​

 

[Matteo Guo-Yian]

Matteo didn't think it likely Soldane Talon would accept his offer, so he wasn't very disappointed. It was probably for the best. His hunger wasn't as bad yet, but once he was latched onto him and began to drain his strength? Matteo wasn't entirely certain he'd be able to stop. He would never be able to face Luna if he accidentally killed her brother.

"It's fine. If things were reversed, I wouldn't have accepted the offer either." Matteo said quite frankly. "So a sextant will have to do." He hadn't followed the cartography lessons that well.

"While you are crafting that thing, I can see if there is anything to hunt. The tack is fine, but if we can get some meat in, I wouldn't mind." Especially if they were dropped farther than a day's worth from the target. Somehow Matteo doubted they'd have dropped them right next to their target. No, the purpose would be to force them to cooperate and survive until they got to their target.

When Sol asked about his dynamic with heights, he frowned and carefully glanced over the edge.

"Feth. Don't think they left us any rope or whatever either, huh?" Then a shrug. "I am not afraid of heights, but I don't think the ground below is gonna care if we lose our footing."

He began to pack up his share of the goods as well. Guess it was a good thing they had used a bag over his head instead of a blindfold. That would have been awkward.

"Can't say I am an expert. But my family took us touring to Yavin when I was younger. Visiting the temples and such." He slung the bag over his shoulders and glanced to Sol. "I know how to find water, food, hunt. I have had to climb too. You know, the usual jungle survival." Then he stepped back towards the ledge. Trying to gauge the best way to start the climb.

"Judging the height, it would be a best if we find a place to rest. Some crevice, some outcrop. Even with the Force... I am skeptical we can make the full climb without a moment's rest. You should follow the trail I am using, some of the rocks can be slippery or crumble. Best to not risk too much. Ready?"

And unless Sol had more he wanted to do, he'd pick a particular spot... and begin the descend.

 

[Soldane Talon]

Soldane didn't offer much more, but he squatted down and watched the path Matteo Guo-Yian made with quiet regard. He was a better climber (descender?) than he expected, but he was used to being let down at this point. The Sepulchral had done nothing but let him down since he arrived to this world, so it would have been little surprise if Matteo had turned out much the same. After a few moments of just watching the fellow Sith struggle down the cliff face, Soldane soon followed - each hand placement and foot ledge following Matteo's perfectly, if not slightly faster since he wasn't trailblazing himself.​

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There was the added benefit of the Force in their trek. His hands didn't have to hold so tight, and his grip was more assured - simple things like holding one's self to the a glass pane for hours made one carefully more acquainted with the world of holding on. Having become an agent of the Sepulchral, Soldane had been forced to do that more than once - in a bid to assassinate or survive a trial. Right inbetween the harsh rituals that tore apart and rebuilt his soul...​

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His grip faded for a moment at the thought, but it was only a momentary hesitation. He groaned as his fingers flexed tighter, carefully pulling him closer to the wall but not quite close enough for comfort. A bad time to look down, he guessed, and instead chose to look up - but that wasn't entirely better given they were half way up a mountain range.​

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He couldn't wait to get that damned Wayfinder and escape this God's Forsaken Empire. Just for a little while, before someone like Darth Carnifex or Srina Talon tried to hunt him down. Just to be without expectation... for a little while.​

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Focusing back on his task at hand, he continued until they found a small outcropping. It wasn't exactly 'comfortable', but enough space was allowed for them both to sit on painfully jagged rocks. It wasn't even in the shade, but the Suns were past their apex, and the temperature was starting to come down at least. That didn't mean the rock felt any better on the fingers.​

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When Soldane found his spot sitting next to Matteo, he sighed loudly. They were only a few dozen feet from the tree canopy, and could easily move to scaling their branches and vines. That'd at least be much easier, if not less difficult on the hands.​

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Taking in a few breaths, Soldane looked to Matteo to see his condition.​

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"So... you know my sister. Good intentions I hope?", he said with a raise of a single brow. Not the best place to be asking such a question, given they were both carrying knives on a proverbial and literal cliffs edge, but when had Soldane had time to master the art of conversation? Better to just ask now, than later.​

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Matteo Guo-Yian​

 

[Matteo Guo-Yian]

Matteo's eyes were closed and he was leaning back against the ragged sharp outcrops of rock behind him.

Seemed Soldane Talon was made of stern stuff. Not a complete surprise, because his sister was much the same. The biggest difference was that Lunaria Talon was still feeling her way around. Sol seemed to have figured it out already, that you needed to be hard, and couldn't allow any softness around you.

Then he asked the obvious question.

So obvious Matteo was surprised anyway, because he didn't think he would go there. Not here and now. Baffled he opened his eyes and watched the fellow Sith for a moment.

"She is my best friend. In an academy where everyone is set against each other like vipers, she is the only one I trust. I'd give anything to keep her safe, including my own life to seal it."

It was dramatic, it was overblown and slightly theatrical.

But Matteo delivered it in that calm and steady voice. No rush, no rise in his tone, he just closed his eyes again and went back to gathering his strength for the next climb. "My Master, Srina Talon, has taught me that while you must be ruthless in the pursuit of your objectives, you must identify allies and friends early... and then keep them for the rest of your life. However short or long that might be."

Loyalty... was a value Matteo already had, but was only reinforced by the teachings of the Echani.

And yes, he certainly name-dropped Sol's mother and underlined that connection to shake the Sith's balance.