Faction Message in a Bottle [Open to THR & All Jedi]

[Katarine Ryiah]

Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh


​

Night lay heavy over Naboo, warm and breathless, the kind that usually carried music and waterlight and laughter drifting up from Theed below.

Tonight, it carried blood.

Katarine Ryiah staggered up the long marble stairs of the Shiraya Sanctuary one step at a time, her body moving on instinct alone. Every breath burned. Every muscle screamed. Her boots slipped against stone slick with dew and something darker.

She was barely holding herself upright.

James Terran's weight dragged against her side, his arm slung over her shoulders, his body limp and frighteningly cold despite the humid air. He had been frozen for centuries, centuries, and whatever miracle had pulled him free had left him fragile, hovering between life and death. His breaths were shallow, uneven, more memory than motion.

Katarine looked little better.

Blood streaked her sleeve and matted her hair, not all of it James's. Her hands trembled violently as she tightened her grip on him again and again, refusing to let go. Her skin was pallid, drawn tight over sharp lines that hadn't been there before. The drugs still burned through her system, leaving her vision swimming and her connection to the Force distant, muffled, unreliable.

She was starving.

She was injured.

She was breaking.

It had been over a year since she'd vanished after the operation on Lothal, over a year since the galaxy had swallowed her whole. A year of captivity. Of silence. Of endurance measured in heartbeats and sleepless nights.

A year she had not survived unscathed.

The Sanctuary loomed above her now, its pale stone catching the moonlight, serene and unforgiving. The Jedi Temple steps stretched on longer than they should have, each one a trial she no longer had the strength to pass.

Her knee buckled.

She hit the stone hard, pain flaring white-hot through her side. James slipped from her grasp, his weight finally too much, and she dragged herself forward anyway, fingers scraping uselessly against the steps.

"So close," she whispered hoarsely, not sure if she was speaking to herself, to the Force, or to someone who might still be listening.

Her strength gave out.

Katarine Ryiah collapsed at the foot of the Temple steps, her body curling instinctively toward James as darkness rushed in to claim her. The night swallowed her whole, bloodied, broken, but home at last.

 

[Vodet]

As a ranking member of the Council, it was part of his new job to remain on Naboo a fair bit. Jared Starchaser returned to help handle the Kattada Enclave which gave him a sense of peace when he was away. And Vodet was always wanting to help the most by being seen being a Jedi. Not just letting others hear of his exploits from afar.

He was older. And nowadays he was more a teacher and a Consular than he was a warrior. But that old flame was there. Deep inside.

He had been called to the Temple for some emergency. As Waybinder he knew most of the Jedi the galaxy over. A role that was filled by many others but for now? It was his. And a lost Jedi returned? It was something he needed to hear.


And of the word was true, something he definitely needed to know.

 

[Phy]

Naboo
Tags: Katarine Ryiah , Vodet

Droid Body​

Phyla had taken the words of Phillip Slate to heart when he said that the Sanctuary's sights looked different at night. He was right, of course. There was a liveliness to the evening hours that was lost on the morning, from the shimmer of the night sky above to the croaking of nocturnal frogs. Yet no sooner as she hovered around the exterior of the premises lost in thought did she find a sight that really upset the calming mood. Two individuals lying on the floor. Both bloodied and withered, one conscious while the other was not. A mechanical whir escaped from her artificial form like a sigh as she quickly reasoned that there was a new purpose for being here.

One that required urgency.

"Oh dear," the Shard muttered to herself, levitating over to the scene.

The one who had been conscious quickly fell out of it. Now they were both the same, on the floor and motionless. She tried to think about her uncle Jalen Kai'el , the sorts of things he did when there was a medical emergency...

Her hand moved to check for pulses. They had beating hearts, that was a start. The man was significantly colder than the woman, which was not good at all. He was at risk of hypothermia and pneumonia if he remained like this. The two of them needed to be quickly whisked off to the medical wing. It was a shame that she was no good at Force healing, not yet at least. This was a good wake-up-call to practice.

She wasn't lacking in telekinetic strength at least. Phy mustered up her focus and reached out through the Force, easing the two individuals up into the air. They set adrift on gentle, unseen hands. Then the shard carefully guided them up the steps and towards the entrance, bringing her into the path of the newly arriving Vodet .

"A Master," Phy observed, a bit of relief coming to her. "You wouldn't happen to be any good at healing, would you? These two are in critical state."

Someone more qualified to handle this than her, she hoped.

 

[Lars Tursen]

It was safe to say that Lars had not expected his night to involve tending to two Jedi on death’s doorstep.
​

The Kel Dor had arrived at Naboo the previous day on summons by the Council, tasked with charting the mysterious world of Okarthell. He had been in the process of packing his bags to board a shuttle en route to the Republic’s frontier when he had felt it. A tremor in the Living Force, emanating from in front of the Temple. An echo of pain came through the tremor, reminding Lars of a bogwing he had once found with its wings torn into ribbons, alive but gravely weakened.

Lars sprung into action, rising up from his chambers and grabbing his personal medkit from within one of his travel bags. He rushed down the halls of the great temple, anxious to follow the tremor to its source before it was too late. Seconds later, Lars heard the footsteps of other Jedi rushing around and behind him, panic in their voices as they too realized what was on their doorstep.

Bursting through the open front gates, Lars was presented with a grisly scene. A pair of Humans lay unconscious atop the Temple steps, an organic-looking being and an android tending to their blood-stained bodies. Both of the victims bore a presence in the Force, albeit a weak, wobbly one smothered by something flowing inside their bodies. They were fellow Jedi, but none the Kel Dor recognized. He recognized the first of the caretakers: Jedi Master Vodet, a member of the Council, but the android was entirely unfamiliar to him. Regardless, Lars reminded himself, the specific identities of the victims and the android were irrelevant in the moment. The two human Jedi needed urgent aid, and Lars alongside the other Jedi on the scene would provide it.

He noted that the android Jedi was more directly tending to the pair, moving with the practiced fluidity of someone used to treating injuries. It was towards them that Lars addressed first.

“These two are in critical condition, but with the right treatment, they can be brought back to a fully healthy state.” remarked Lars. “I can stabilize their condition, but I will need your help and the guidance of Master Vodet to restore their health."

"Even for Jedi, blood loss is not easily reversed. For that, my first aid kit will be better than the Force alone. You can use it while I rid their bodies of what is polluting it."

Without further hesitation, Lars placed his medkit just in front of the pair and kneeled down, placing one hand atop the female’s stomach and the other atop the stomach of the male in her arms. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and willing the Living Force to imbue itself into their bodies. Within the Kel Dor’s psyche, long roots extended from a tree far above, winding their way down his arms and into the bodies of the unconscious pair before him. His hands began to emit a faint, grassy green glow which gently crept its way into the two humans. Slowly but surely, the foreign substance inside them was purged from their bodies, simply vanishing into nothing as the Force absorbed and then dissipated the liquid.

What was left was a pair of badly wounded Jedi free of contamination but still dangerously low on blood and possibly hypothermic.

Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Vodet | Phy ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Another lonely day, with no one here but me, oh


​

Soon, two healers arrived at the horrific scene, moving with practiced urgency as they assessed the fallen. One of them, an elderly woman who had served in the Temple for decades, spoke first, her voice calm but firm.

"Get them to the hospital wing immediately. If we act fast, they may still make a full recovery."

As preparations were made and the bodies carefully lifted, Katarine stirred. Her vision swam, the world reduced to shadows and light. She reached out weakly, her fingers closing around the arm of the nearest figure, a Kel Dor, if her blurred sight could be trusted.

With the last of her strength, she pressed a holorecorder into his hand.

Then the darkness took her, and she slipped back into the oblivion of unconsciousness.

---

The holo message was encrypted with an old Jedi code so that only those trusted could open it. Once opened it would say:

"This is Jedi Master Katarine Ryiah. I am transmitting an urgent warning to the Jedi Council.

I have just escaped a dark cult that is actively harvesting the energy of Jedi. Dozens are being held captive, drained and used as living batteries to fuel the cult's brutal will on the planet Cattamascar.

If you are receiving this message, time is already running out. By the time you arrive… it may be too late."​

Vodet Phy Lars Tursen

 

[Vodet]

Vodet was more than happy to be of service. The elder Yinchorri was moving and the Shard approached. “Healing? I know a thing or two.” And maybe have forgotten more than some ever knew. That was the better part of age, the knowledge and even knowledge lost. Vodet nodded. Seeing the two, he could sense the issues, the life force shifting, and shivering. The currents weaker than he hoped to see.

Stepping closer, the Yinchorri crouched down to survey the pair, looking up to the Kel Dor. He recognized the Knight in passing. Lars was a capable Consular. And from what Vodet recalled, knowledgeable about biology.

“Of course, Knight Lars. Sh— Phy, right?” She… they? Were a stone, but sentient. An interesting species.

Vodet took a breath. “Please help focus with lars. We will use him as a conduit, and us the batteries.” It was more of a technical expression than Vodet preferred, but it would work for now. Reaching out, to Lars and the pair, the feeling of a warm breeze or warm current were encapsulating them. He continued this as he followed to the hospital wing.

Lars Tursen Phy Katarine Ryiah

 

[Phy]

Naboo
Tags: Vodet , Katarine Ryiah , Lars Tursen

Droid Body​

“Of course, Knight Lars. Sh— Phy, right?”

"Yes," Phyla affirmed.

She telepathically lowered the two down so that they could be worked on by Vodet and the Kel Dor. Focus. She could do that. In fact, she was very good at focusing herself. It came naturally with her nature as a shard. Individuals from the Temple were quick to arrive and prepare gurneys for them to be moved. As they did, the woman seemed to wake and hand something to the Knight before she slipped out of consciousness.

"That device," Phy chirped. "What did she give you?"

 

[Lars Tursen]

Lars picked up the recorder before the medics took the woman away.
​

Along with the other two Jedi on the scene, the Kel Dor followed the medics into a proper operations room. The vitals of the two victims had been weak but steady since Lars had first laid hands them, and now that they were receiving proper medical care their survival was all but guaranteed. Still, he knew he could do his part to speed up the process as Master Vodet had encouraged.

Lars placed his hands on the heads of both unconscious humans, careful not to obstruct the nurses applying bacta injections into their arms and torsos. Having already connected with their bodies beforehand, the tree inside Lars spread its roots with greater speed and efficiency. By itself, Lars’ healing abilities were no substitute for modern medicine. When the two combined however, the healing process would be sped up, bacta coursing through the bloodstream at an accelerated rate.

Trusting Master Vodet and the android Jedi to assist Lars in his focus as the former had promised, the Kel Dor temporarily took his hand off the woman, the healthier of the two victims. Reaching down into his pockets, he withdrew the holorecorder the woman had given him in her brief moment of lucidity. It was locked behind characters of ancient Jedi text, practically indecipherable to anyone not well-acquainted with Jedi lore.

Fortunately, Lars’ credentials as a Consular were genuine.

In just under twenty seconds, he had broken the encryption, revealing an ominous message.

"This is Jedi Master Katarine Ryiah. I am transmitting an urgent warning to the Jedi Council.

I have just escaped a dark cult that is actively harvesting the energy of Jedi. Dozens are being held captive, drained and used as living batteries to fuel the cult's brutal will on the planet Cattamascar.

If you are receiving this message, time is already running out. By the time you arrive… it may be too late."​

Lars repeated it aloud for the other Jedi to hear. Immediately, he was struck with a sense of dread. Cattamascar was far from the Republic, making Master Ryiah’s warning all the more urgent. Worse yet, the Cattamascar system was within a pebble’s throw of Sith Order space, giving the dark cultists an easy source of allies more than willing to sponsor the torture of Jedi.

“This,” replied Lars to the android. “This is what she gave us.”

“I advise we proceed very carefully here.” urged Lars. “Cattamascar is right on the edge of the Sith Order’s empire."

Tags: Katarine Ryiah | Vodet | Phy ​