Mining Our Own Core...Tosis

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

/// Confidential Message ///
/// Deliver To: Jedi Master Karr ///
/// Subject: You've Won A Trip To Bel'demnic ///

Master Karr. I understand with the recent events and shifting of Republic territory that we are currently in control of a critical resource on the planet Bel'demnic. I would ask that in the interest of the Jedi Order we visit this location and undertake an operation to extract a bit of this material to enhance our ability to engage our enemies who are already implementing this in their equipment. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours, Sera.

After sending the message to the Kel-Dor, she headed toward the hangar and prepped her ship for the trip. I should really invest in a droid or two...Slowly, the girl began to pack a number of belongings for the trip, including consumables and necessary cargo. She wasn't entirely sure where [member="Kian Karr"] was, given his secretive nature among the Jedi, so she didn't have a clear estimate on the time it would take for him to get back to her, or where they would meet, so she felt it best to prep while she had the opportunity.

 

[Kian Karr]

Gnost Dural
Eastern Training Room - C Deck

Kian ducked down, sweeping his leg in a kick and smiled beneath his mask when he felt the leg connect, sending Jedi Qual slamming down on his back. Kian couldn't press the assault though, as his apprentice, Soli Baris, fell upon him in a sudden barrage of slashes and kicks, pushing Kian to retreat back. The duo were beginning to really mesh together in their attacks. Several weeks before when they first started doing this training sessions, Kian had had little trouble beating the two, as they practically tripped over each other. Now, however, Kian found himself struggling to hold his ground. Soli's aggresive and energetic Ataru and Jedi Qual's creative Niman now complimented each other nicely.

Just as Qual was gaining his footing again, the datapad began to chirp indicating a message was incoming. "Saved by the comm?" Kian said deactivating his lightsaber and strolled over toward the bench.

"You wish!" Soli said and knelt down to rest for a moment while Qual rubbed his rump and chuckled.

"You guys are on your own for a while." Kian said glancing at the encrypted message. Kian left the training room to the sounds of the renewed training between Soli and Qual. It wasn't long till he made his way to his private quarters and sent off an encrypted message in response.

/// Confidential Message ///
/// Deliver to Jedi Seraphina Shel'tah ///
/// RE: You've Won a Trip to Bel'demnic ///

Interested. Rendezvous at the provided coordinates. Look forward to hearing more.

Kian,

/// encrypted coordinates enclosed ///

Kian sent off the message, and then put in the order to bring the Gnost Dural to the rendezvous coordinates.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Boy was Kian fast! Almost as soon as she placed her data pad down the man had responded in kind. It seemed he was eager as she to obtain the material. The coordinates provided would be memorized and the message securely erased from the data pad. She concluded the business of prepping her ship and then proceeded to take her leave. It seemed that lately Nubia was her home, with her focus on restoring the shipyard to its' former glory and readying a new fleet for the Republic. However a trip like this would be hard to pass up. Any advantage against their enemies would have to be grasped, lest they continue to be one step behind at each encounter.

It would take some time to reach the coordinates provided, given its' distance from Nubia and primary space lanes, so she half expected to be arriving to their meeting place after [member="Kian Karr"] had already made it. His location was always unknown, but he was always seemingly nearby. He had a way about him of being where he was most needed.

 

[Kian Karr]

Aboard the Gnost Dural
Coordinates Unknown

Kian's eyes were closed as he sat quietly in his personnel meditation chamber aboard the Gnost Dural. Kian was a patient man, so the waiting wasn't so troublesome, but Kian was having trouble focusing his mind and that was troublesome. Recent events had splintered the galaxy and the Republic had lost a great deal of territory. Now, worlds that were once Republic were Sith, and worlds that were not Republic had fallen into their hands. The recent expansions have taken up much of Kian's time, to the detriment of his Shadow duties.

Taking in a deep breath, Kian fell deeper into his meditation. Seraphina would arrive soon.

Kian saw shadows......dancing shadows like those cast by flames. A single figure stood among the shadows but their features were obscured. Tendrils of smoke reached for him....reaching for his throat.

Kian's eyes snapped open as his datapad alerted him to the approach of a vessel. Seraphina had arrived. Kian shook the fogginess from his head and rose to his feet. Kian wasn't gifted at reading the future and he rarely if ever had visions such as that. He would need to discuss it further with the Council, with those more skilled.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

As Sera's ship exited hyperspace and approached Kian's, she began to gather her things and engaged the docking procedures. As the ship came to connect with the Gnost Dural she would step into the airlock and onto the ship. She would wait just inside, as she had never been aboard this vessel in the past, nor did she wish to intrude on anything he may be in the middle of. She figured he would know she was here by now, if not by a proximity alert than by her Force signature.

Even still, her mind would quietly reach out towards his to alert him that she had boarded. Master Karr, I am here. I hope I've not kept you waiting for too long. This location wasn't terribly close."

She'd never been on a mining run before. As a matter of fact, the only harvesting she'd ever really done was on Ilum for crystals. So this would likely prove to be a new item to check off of her bucket list of things to do. The benefits of this resource would be immense. Finally being able to have a bit of risk removed from engaging Sith was entirely worth the trip and time spent to excavate the material from wherever it lay in wait.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

The Gnost Dural was manned by some of the best Republic soldiers the Republic had to offer, namely due to the secretive nature of the work they did. As such, when Seraphina docked, a Republic officer, flanked by two Republic soldiers met Seraphina at the air lock. Saluting respectfully, the officer stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Hello ma'am." He said, straightening his uniform and clasping his hands behind his back. "I'm Lt. Rabo, we have a few basic security questions and a quick security sweep that we must conduct before you are given access to the Gnost Dural. All standard procedure, rest assured. Master Karr waived the security sweep of your vessel." Lt. Rabo said and waived the two soldiers forward. Both men carried hand-held sweeping devices, designed to sense any recording devices that might have been planted on Seraphina. It was a monotonous but necessary precaution. Security was always on heightened alert at the vessel of the Shadows. As soon as the scan was complete, Lt. Rabo motioned Seraphina forward into the larger hangar.

Waiting patiently at the other side of the security checkpoint was Jedi Padawan Soli Baris, his hands crossed over her chest and a broad smile on her face. The young girl bowed deeply toe Seraphina was she approached.

"Greetings Knight Shel'tah. Master Karr has spoken very highly of you. I take it this is your first trip to the Gnost Dural, so I'll be your tour guide." Soli said giggling. "I can answer any questions you might have. Master Karr is waiting in the conference room."

"Shall we proceed?" Soli asked turning slightly away toward the turbo lifts at the far end of the hangar.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera tilted her head ever so slightly yet courteously toward Lt. Rabo. "Of course, Lieutenant. I am happy to see Master Karr takes extensive precautions to protect himself and those who serve with him. You're welcome to sweep my ship if you'd like, even if cleared." Once the men had finished she proceeded inwards and bowed to Soli Baris. "It is very nice to meet you, errm...I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Sera nodded to the girl, turning to walk with her towards the conference room.

"How long have you studied under Master Karr? If I may offer some advice, take great care to heed your master's teachings and guidance. He is one of the finest Jedi we have, and one I look up to most." Smiling as they continued towards the meeting room she would inquire further. "Will you be joining us on the excursion?"

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"My apologies," Soli said leading them from the hangar and into the main courtyard that all the other hangar bays fed into, "I'm Soli Baris." Before them was a large room with several turbolifts and numerous doorways leading into different areas of the ship. This place saw the most traffic on the Gnost Dural and today was no different. In the center of the room was a small garden and some benches at the center of which was a tranquil pond with three waterfalls running into it. Before the garden was a large stone statue of a katarn. This had been put in place after the Gnost Dural joined the Jedi Academy Network as it symbolized the house name, Katarn.

"Master Karr has long taken an interest of my training and even helped set me up with my current master, Jedi Knight Qual." Soli said cutting across the throng of people and heading toward the furthest turbolift. "I was never all that gifted as a student. My skills with a lightsaber are mediocre, my command of the force is limited.....but when it comes to the work the Shadows do, I've found I have a rather unique set of skills." Soli said smiling brightly. Soli was one of Kian's greatest assets in intelligence gathering and keeping secrets.

"Kian," Soli said breaking from the title and stepping onto the turbolift, "didn't give up on me. For that I'll always be thankful." She said nodding along with Seraphina's advice to heed Master Karr. "I'm afraid I won't be joining you on the mining expedition however. My master and I have an assignment to see too in One Sith space." She said smiling mischievously and entering the code to bypass security and send them directly to the top floor, where Kian was waiting.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera bowed her head with the confirmation of Soli's name. "It is an honor to meet you then, Soli." Sera marveled at the beauty of the Gnost Dural. It was a spectacular and serene sight. No wonder Kian liked it so much. As Soli spoke of her talents and faults Sera simply smiled. "Each of us have our own unique traits, talents, and gifts. One must find and choose their own path. It seems Kian helped you find yours, and stuck by you in that journey. That is a victory in and of itself."

So it would appear that it would be just Kian and Sera embarking on this journey together. All the same it would prove to be an eventful excursion, and hopefully a fruitful one. Sera was quite eager to get her hands on some of the Cortosis on the planet. The Sith were getting more and more dangerous with each passing day, and they would need to step up their own armor and weapons if they hoped to keep up with the changing times.

"I see. Well, I wish you luck and good fortune, Soli."

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Soli smiled warmly at Seraphina but remained quiet for the ride up. Once the turbolift stopped at the top level, she turned to Seraphina and bowed respectfully once more as the doors slid open.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Jedi Shel'tah." She said waiving her out of the turbolift. "Kian is waiting just ahead." She said and pressed the button to return down to the lower levels. "May the force be with you." Soli added as the doors slid closed.

​

​

"Hello Master Jedi." The Rodian said bowing his head. While Kian was sure the Rodian male meant Kian to interpret it as a sign of respect, something told Kian that the man was mocking him in some way. It wasn't surprising though. Kian had done some digging on the businessman before reaching out to him. What it revealed was a past of mostly honest dealings mixed with the occasional fraudulent behavior. But Zer was the person to contact on Bel'demnic if you wanted something done.

"Hello again Zer." Kian said, his voice monotone. "How have you fared?" Kian asked folding his arms over his chest.

"Very well, very well indeed." He said smiling, "I've secured you two guides who can take you to the caves and help you mine the ore." He said running his hand over his rough face. "But I am afraid the price has gone up." Zer said shaking his head apologetically. "Unforeseen expenses!" He declared as if it was out of his control.

Kian chuckled and shook his head. "I think not." He said leaning forward. "We had an agreement on price and you will honor it." Kian said, making it clear there was no bargaining to be done. The Rodian stopped for a moment and considered Kian. For a split second, Kian thought that the man would call his bluff, but then Zer laughed and declared.

"I was only joking. I will see you soon." Kian bowed his head this time and cut the transmission. Turning toward the door, Kian felt Seraphina approaching and he hit the switch to open the door and met her outside in the hallway.

"Seraphina." Kian said cheerfully, "Please come in. I just secured our guides when we get to Bel'demnic!"

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera smiled and bowed as Soli ushered her out. "Thank you, Soli. May the Force be with you." As the doors to the lift closed she turned back and wandered over toward Kian. As he exited and greeted her she tipped her head down and greeted him in turn. "Master Karr. It is good to see you." She followed the Kel-Dor in and nodded as he informed her of the news.

"That's fantastic! Hopefully that will make things a bit easier when we get planet side. I trust you didn't have to go through too much trouble to acquire aide?"

Taking another look around the interior of the ship she was truly impressed. "You have a pretty wonderful base of operations here, master. I am entirely impressed with what I've seen. It's no wonder you prefer the shadows, look at the amenities!" She giggled at herself quietly. "So, shall we go over the logistics of the operation? I'm not entirely certain of what exactly we'll need when we get to the surface."

Her finger lightly tapped her chin a few times while she found herself lost in a bit of thought. "Will the guides be able to assist in equipment we may need? Or is this kind of old fashioned, pickaxe and mineshaft type of work?"

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian shook his head and chuckled. "Kian!" Kian said, not forcefully but in a tone that made it clear he wasn't taking no for an answer. "No more of this Master Karr business." Kian lead Seraphina into the room and settled into one of the conference seats, indicating that Seraphina should join him.

"The Gnost Dural was a joint effort. The Republic Military and the Jedi created this ship." Kian said glancing around the room. "I'll admit I feel at home here, and it provides all the comforts of the academies when abroad. I'm afraid not many Jedi visit, with the exception of the Shadows. We've gained a reputation of being a bit paranoid." Kian said chuckling again.

"The business man I contacted, a Rodian named Zer, has set us up with two guides, both of him will aid in the digging. They have the instruments needed, our job is to retake the mine." Kian said running a hand over the small terminal embedded in the table. "It seems the locals don't like outsiders and Zer has angered a small tribe of them." As Kian spoke a pink and black splotched humanoid reptilian appeared in the holoprojection.

"These are Kon'me. They are the native species to Bal'demnic and they don't like outsiders." Kian said folding his hands in front of him, his fingers building a triangle in front of his face. "They overran the mining operation and have set up a camp there."

Kian turned his head sideways for a moment and eyed the Jedi Knight for a moment. "How do you think we should proceed?" Kian asked, curious if his and her ideas were similar.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera nodded at Kian's request, a sly smirk crept across her face as she responded to him. "Ok, Master." Taking her seat she listened to Kian's words. "It is a beautiful ship, I must admit. Though are you sure many Jedi do not visit....Because it's hard to find?"

A soft bit of laughter would come from her before she regained her composure and focused on the predicament they were in with regard to the mining operation and the natives. Bal'demnic was their world, and they didn't like off-worlders visiting, let alone taking their planetary resource. This posed an issue, especially if they had hurt or killed those already there.

"Well. Perhaps we can reason with them. Offer to pay them through some manner other than credits perhaps? There has to be something their people could use in exchange, no?" She tapped her finger against her chin a few times, trying to think of any other alternatives to obtaining the ore. "Otherwise we could simply ask them up front what it would take for them to allow us access to the mines for a brief period. Surely this can't be something so sacred and cherished by their people that they are willing to throw away any type of exchange to take up arms against us."

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"I agree." Kian said nodding along to Seraphina's words. "This is there world and we don't want to push them aside to rob them of their materials." Kian was eager to get his hands on the cortosis, but if it meant breaking faith with the local populace, Kian would leave empty handed.

"From what I've read of the Kon'me, I'm not sure they will bargain." Kian said running his hand over his antiox mask like it was a beard. "They come from an aggressive, tribal community. It has been my experience in the past that cultures such as this will often only deal with those they consider their equals and outsiders such as us are 'beneath' them." Kian said finishing the statement by tapping his talon on his mask and leaning forward.

"We may have to fight them before we can bargain with them." Kian said shaking his head. "We will know when we get there, they will put forward a champion."

With that Kian rose to his feet and turned toward the door. "I suppose we better get going if we are going to make our meeting. We can take your ship. The Gnost Dural will be......somewhere." Kian said chuckling.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera nodded to the Kel-Dor's words. "Agreed." She would not stoop to stealing materials from another people. That was far below anything she would have ever considered as an option. That was the way of the Sith, and she wouldn't have it. However there would always be other ways, without having to circumvent their way of life or laws that would just as well get them what they needed, be it bartering, traditions, or negotiation.

"If they won't bargain, and insist on some type of traditional champion versus champion fight, I suppose that would be acceptable, no? I'd be willing to handle that for us if you'd prefer. I'm limber and quick."

Sera laughed and shrugged at the Gnost Dural's intended locaiton. "Alright, let's get going then. Fair warning though, my ship is a lot smaller, and less serene than yours, so don't be too disappointed!" She walked with Kian back toward the hangar and bowed to the guards once more before boarding. With everything prepped she released the docking hatches from Kian's ship and added the coordinates to their destination into the navicomputer. It wouldn't be long before they reached Bel'demnic.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

A little while later.....

Bal'demnic wasn't an ugly planet, but nor was it a particularly attractive one either. The planet was an oceanic world, covered in clusters of islands that were no more than massive rocks jutting out of the water. Kian walked down the boarding ramp of [member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]'s ship and felt the temperate breeze. They were on one of the largest islands on Bal'demnic on flattened portion of the rock used as a landing pad. As Kian walked down the ramp he could see the Rodian contact, Zer, ahead of him talking with two large Kon'me.

"That is our contact." Kian said over his shoulder to Seraphina and began to make his way toward them. As he neared, the rather fat Rodian turned toward them and extended his arms outward as if he was going to hug them.

"Welcome to my home!" Zer said smiling broadly and bowing to them both. "I hope the trip here was an enjoyable one."

"It was Zer, thank you." Kian said turning his attention to the two Kon'me. "Are these are guides?" Kian asked eyeing the towering, bipedal reptiles behind him. Each man appeared to be about seven feet in height and heavily set. They were covered in scales and had fat, pointed faces.

"They are." Zer said turning two them. "This is Be'der," He said pointing to the orangish-brown colored male, "and this is Xice." He said referring to the other, which was a dark green.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Kian said and received nothing more but a terse grunt from them both.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Once the pair had landed on Bal'demnic Sera secured the ship and followed shortly after Kian on to the surface to stand aside of him as they were greeted by Zer, nodding to Kian. Her head turned as they were introduced to the guides that would be taking them to the mines, and despite their wordless grunts towards Kian's introduction, Sera in turn bowed to all three she had just been introduced to.

"Thank you all for meeting us, I am Seraphina."

The two were disinterested in their presence, but thus far had not been violent or necessarily unwelcoming. They tolerated the off-worlders, but Sera had no real way of knowing how any of the others may feel about their presence, or their intent on being on the planet. Time would tell, as the pair waved them on and turned to begin the trek without a sound, uncaring as to whether or not they followed or boarded their ship and left. It would certainly be an interesting day if their entire interaction with the populace would be through guessing the intent of their grunts and silent movements.

"If you don't mind me asking while we are on our way Zer, how did you come to live on this world? Isn't this primarily a Kon'me planet?"

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

"Very much so." Zer said chuckling as he lead them away from the spaceport and toward an awaiting speeder. "In fact they hate me here, which is why I stay mostly to myself and let my Kon'me associates do all the work." He said glancing at Seraphina and winking mischievously. "My compound is safe and as long as I don't ruffle any....scales....they leave me be."

"However, you two they probably won't be so nice about." He said chuckling again and swung open the door to the speeder.

"Be'der and Xice are going to take you to the mines. I'm going to stay where it is safe!" Zer said chuckling that irritating laugh of his and turning away walking toward a far more secure speeder not far off. Kian watched him go and shook his head in amusement.

"Charming isn't he." Kian said to Seraphina as he hopped into the speeder and slid over to accommodate her. The two Kon'me slithered into the front seat and the speeder sunk down under the weight of the two massive reptiles. Within a few moments they were off, the wind pulling Kian's hood from off his head.

"It won't take long to get there." Kian said viewing the map on his datapad and then leaned forward.

"Thank you both for taking us." Kian said to the Kon'me, being polite as well as testing the atmosphere between the four of them.

"We're being paid." Xice said glancing back and then turned back to staring out the viewport. Kian leaned back and shrugged at Seraphina.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera nodded and climbed into the speeder aside Kian. "Opportunists are never too far away when there is money to be made. The galaxy is ripe with his kind, whether or not he believes it." A quiet bit of laughter escaped her lips as Kian shrugged his shoulders in response to their lack of interest in speaking to either Jedi. "I don't think they care much about us one way or the other. Money seems to be their only concern." The Twi'lek sat back in the seat and relaxed, enjoying the view and awaiting their arrival at the mines. Kian stated that it wouldn't take long to arrive so hopefully this excursion wouldn't be a big 'to-do' after all.

Several minutes would pass before they reached the maw of the caves. Within would hold the Cortosis ore that they were here for. The two Kon'me turned back to them, nodding as if to gesture to get out. "Here are the mines. Be weary of the others. They won't take kindly to your presence on our world. And do not take more than you need. We will not be joining you inside." Sera looked towards Kian, allowing their minds to touch, rather than speak directly. Some guides...They won't even come in. I don't like this.

[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian considered the words as they exited the speeder. He couldn't say he felt anger or aggression in the words, just ambivalence. As he stepped away from the speeder, Kian glanced at the entrance of the cavern and felt several presences just inside. As he approached, a large....very large Kon'me stepped out and stood in the entrance way.

"Greetings." Kian said raising a hand in greeting. The Kon'me's response was a snort and he thumped his chest aggressively. Kian considered the large reptile for a moment and then glanced into the cavern opening, where he could sense the eyes upon them. Turning back too Seraphina, Kian whispered.

"Looks like they put forth a champion." Kian said, assuming they were like many other tribal cultures he'd experienced in his time as a Jedi. "Good thing I have my own as well." Kian said placing a hand on Seraphina's shoulder and gently shoving her forward toward the Kon'me.

"Try not t hurt him." Kian whispered as he folded his arms over his chest and smiled wickedly.

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]​