Faction Peace in the Jungle (Barrier Knights)

[Barrien Siegfried]

It was a calling that ultimately lead Barrien to Dagobah.

Hard to explain, but he'd felt an urge to go there for some time. Perhaps it was the Force calling him to another place where a great Master had spent their time, just as had been the case when he'd gone to Odessen. Something to learn, perhaps? Each new world that he visited brought something for him to know, something for him to pass on to others. Why would this one be any different? He'd started the Barrier Knights because of a need, so perhaps that need was being represented in something upon the world of Dagobah. Some great knowledge to be discovered?

The shuttle pilot wasn't really keen on landing on the planet. Storms ravaged it and kept it in a perpetual cloud cover. He was told that flying into that was a risk, even with modern gauges and telemetry. Barrien understood, but it didn't change the fact that he needed to get down to the planet. In the end, the pilot wouldn't land, so Barrien settled for taking an escape pod. It would make it impossible to leave, but he had a feeling that everything would work out in the end. The pilot thought he was crazy, of course, but he'd been paid and who was he to question some Jedi on a mission? Let the fancy space wizards do whatever they want, right?

The pod crashed down on the edge of a bog. When Barrien climbed out the muck soaked up to his knees, but he was able to reach the solid ground without too much trouble. His boots didn't look that great after, but they still functioned. After feeling out with the Force, he discovered a draw towards a particular location. Dagobah appeared to have a nexus, and one powerfully steeped in a sense of evil and foreboding. Something terrible must have happened to create it. It seemed a likely enough spot to start his adventure on the world, so he set off towards it. Not knowing what he would find didn't bother him. Even death wouldn't bother him. Such was the nature of the Force.

Little did he know that this trip was fated to spawn something greater.

STaCLO Xeno

 

[Xeno]

Dagobah
Tags: STaCLO , Barrien Siegfried ​

Xeno had been on the planet Dagobah for a week now. He had been drawn to the planet for reasons he could not describe any further than the will of the Force. Despite the storms and thick vegetation, he had found a place to safely land his vessel, the Unification. From there, with no concerns that some scavengers may pick his ship apart, he set off towards a cold feeling he had felt on the planet. Xeno found himself at an abandoned hut, which sat on the edge of a particularly dark nexus point. Xeno had been raised around the darkness. It took little for him to deduce that something unfortunate had occurred in that place. The structure that sat on its edge was rather dilapidated, having been almost completely reclaimed by the swamp, though it seems that the hut had been relatively integrated with nature to begin with. Alone in the swamp, Xeno lay in meditation, contemplating on what dark thing may have created the nexus. Xeno was brought up in the presence of evil. He had done terrible deeds in the name of a blood-thirsty coward. He was quite familiar with the effects that unnatural deeds had on the galaxy, even if they went unnoticed. Now, Xeno had a new goal. The Sith assassin was dead. All that remained was a broken man, one who would spill no more blood. In a way, the nexus acted as a warning, an outcome that Xeno felt he now must prevent. Whatever the terrible act was, he knew he had to ensure that another like it could never be formed again.

Xeno's meditation was broken. He could hear the faint sound of something mechanical off in the distance. Soon, there was a presence in the Force, one comparatively lighter than the nexus. He was no longer alone.

 

[STaCLO]

For a while now STaCLO had been on Dagobah. Originally also drawn by the darkside nexus. It worried him over the potential harmful effects it may have on the natural order of the planet. But upon discovering it I felt little concern for it now. It was just something of a ‘quirk’ on the swampy planet, one of many. Instead the shard droid hybrid found exploring and trying to care for the stagnant environment to be a much more engaging endeavor for him.

The planet and its ecology was very new to him. There was very little information on the planet in star charts both old and new. STaCLO found the wetlands to be very hard on his mechanical body. But he had no desire to up and leave the lush planet just yet. However, he sensed something lately. Newcomers? Pilgrims? Lost Field Researchers? He wasn’t sure yet, but he sensed individuals close to the Nexus which he himself was not too far away from. With the planet steeped in the darkside thanks to the Nexus. And twinkles in the Force that weren’t of Darkside origin were of note to STaCLO.

As he began trudging his mechanical legs through the knee high water and mud he began to make a ticking noise with his vocabulator. Soon after a squawk came from the trees and a avian creature flew down before landing on STaCLO shoulder as he continued pushing through towards the Nexus. It was a Jubba Bird, a native species to Dagobah, one that he’d managed to befriend in his time here. The Jubba Bird would hum a pleasant tune as it hitched a ride on STaCLO’s shoulder.

Barrien Siegfried | Xeno

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

As he walked, making sure to stay on the dry ground, as dry as there was on Dagobah, his senses detected the presence of other attuned individuals on the world. This came as a bit of a surprise to him. He hadn't expected to find other people there. The planet was mostly desolate, and it had no major population centers. To find others there could only mean that he was right about the Force wanting him there. Perhaps these people were individuals that needed his help. Or, perhaps, they were potential allies? Time would tell, but he had to find them first.

His hands remained empty as he traversed the jungle. Empty hands were less threatening. As he had no intention of fighting anyone, it seemed a good idea not to make it happen.

The Nexus was not more than a strange spot in the jungle. Dense overgrowth closed it off. He was tempted to go in when he reached it but decided against it. One of the other presences he felt was nearby, just out from the center of the Nexus. The other was approaching still, but definitely intent on reaching the same location. He had no doubt that soon enough he would be mired in conversation, and that was alright with him. He hoped that they were the reason that he had come to the world. He also hoped that at least one of them had a way off of the planet since he didn't have one. Would be hard to leave without a ride.

He sat down just outside the entrance to the nexus proper, his back turned to it. Great evil had made it, but it could not affect him if he did not allow it. A light glow surrounded him as he touched the tips of his fingers together in an inverted pyramid, closed his eyes, and waited.

STaCLO Xeno

 

[Xeno]

Dagobah
Tags: STaCLO , Barrien Siegfried ​

The presence Xeno had felt had drawn near, enough for him to distinguish that there were at least two others with him. In the distance, bordering on the entrance of the Nexus, a faint light had begun to shine from beyond the foliage. As he had suspected, the individual in question was not of darkness in nature. Xeno was not much of a social individual given his past, but he became overwhelmed by a sense of duty to meet this individual. Perhaps it was his own curiosity. Perhaps it was the will of the Force. Regardless, Xeno knew a sign when it was in front of his face.

The ex-assassin rose to his feet, his boots caked in dry mud. He had not moved for some time now from the mossy surface of the boulder he perched himself upon, remaining in meditation. He casually slid down the rock, dislodging his vibro-sword from the ground before it (he had done so to avoid being tempted to enter the Nexus). He sheathed the blade, making his way towards the distant glow.

Xeno soon found himself coming across a brown-haired man clad in armor. He had assumed a meditative state before the entrance, a noticeable glow emitting from his body. It was almost immediately clear that this man was strong in the force, stronger than average at that. The man seemed to be around his own age, if not a bit older.

"Drawn here by the Nexus as well?" Xeno asked. He kept it brief. He was not a man of many words.

 

[STaCLO]

With one foot after the other STaCLO trudged through the swamp. I the direction of the Nexus. It felt rather nice to feel the presence of others who didn’t feel like they were aligned with the Darkside.

From a short distance coming from around a tree the mechanical being could see the two newcomers. He did not know who they were, did they even know each other, or were they not together either. STaCLO himself looked like a droid in big, raggedy clothes that were covered in the swamp’s filth. Likely showing that he’d been here from some time as mossy vegetation had begun to grow on his shoulders. Standing on one of them was a native Jubba Bird who squawked at the two unfamiliar individuals spreading their wings and flying off STaCLO and into the dense canopy above.

Eye the two with their bright green photoreceptor the mechanical being spoke. “Greetsing travelers, I am Sentient Tech allocated to Cultivating Living Organisms, but you can call me STaCLO for short.” He said, introducing himself as he finally managed to step out of the water and onto dry land. Flexing and moving his leg joints to make sure any mud didn’t grind against his gears and restrict his mobility. He spoke with a bit of an accent, reminiscent of imperials. “Have the two of you also felt drawn to the dark cave here? I stepped into it once myself, though it was an unpleasant experience, it is not one I regret.” The force sensitive cyborg explained to them.

Barrien Siegfried | Xeno

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"In a way," Barrien responded to Xeno without opening his eyes. "I was drawn to the planet without knowing about the Nexus. I believe the Force had ulterior motives in bringing me here."

The other wasn't far away. It took only a few more moments for him, figuratively him, to arrive. This one was different, a machine, but not a machine. Barrien had not encountered one such as this before. They had a strong connection in the Force, which he wasn't aware a droid could have. Perhaps it wasn't a droid? He opened his eyes and studied the latest to arrive. There were plenty of questions he wanted to ask, but he also felt they might be inconsiderate, and it really wasn't the time for such questions. Those could wait for a later time.

The latest to arrive, STaCLO , appeared to have spent more time on the world than he or the first to arrive. Perhaps he lived on the world? Curious.

"I have not entered the nexus, nor do I desire to. That which created it will undoubtedly draw out memories I do not wish to experience again."

He looked between the two of them and stood.

"My name is Barrien Siegfried. I was once a Jedi, trained under Grandmaster Corvus Raaf, but now am something- better. I think the reason the Force brought me here might be centered on the two of you. Any idea why that might be?"

 

[Xeno]

Dagobah
Tags: STaCLO , Barrien Siegfried ​

I think the reason the Force brought me here might be centered on the two of you. Any idea why that might be?

"An astute question," Xeno noted. "To that end I cannot say. I must agree though, our meeting here seems... significant."

Xeno crossed his arms, leaning against a nearby tree. He was almost immediately put at ease by Barrien's statement about not being a Jedi. Xeno did not oppose their order, but he often found himself butting heads with their methods.

"The name's Xeno," the ex-assassin introduced. "I'm just a swordsman." He turned his head to the droid, STaCLO. "STaCLO, was it? What do you figure?"

 

[STaCLO]

STaCLO understood Barrien’s desire not to go into the Nexus. The two of them also didn’t seem to be together either. Meaning this was a new three way meeting for them all. He heard their words before Xeno introduced themselves as well. Neither of them had any clue as to why it seemed as though The Force had drawn the three of them together.

“Hmm, a former Jedi, a Swordsmen, and a Hermit Cyborg all coming together at a darkside cave on a remote world?” STaCLO questioned out loud. Finding it hard to believe that this was just some coincidence, and mere flook in their fates. Also neither of them seem to have any real interest in the cave, so it’s not like it drew them here on some pilgrimage.

“I can’t see a reason as to our backgrounds why we’re all here today. Perhaps this has nothing to do with our pasts, but instead our futures. I for one know that I have avoided the happenings of the galaxy for far too long.” STaCLO has spent years now on various wilds and environments in the galaxy. On planets both charted and uncharted. Having been reluctant to answer The Force’s call.

Xeno | Barrien Siegfried