First Reply Port in the Storm (Arda)

[Brooke Waters]

The nice thing about the galaxy was that it was made to be traveled. The Core and Colonies worlds were great, and part of the center of the galaxy, but there were the concerns of the wars in the Core. Yes, having the Alliance or Republic or even the Sith Empire (sometimes), to look after worlds and keep their peace was fine and dandy, but it didn't always work as well as those thought.

Sometimes the Core offered stability, but inside that stability? It offered direction and almost enforced a need to stay in some box. Perhaps that was what her friend Starchaser was mentioning with the call to this part of the galaxy. She was a woman from the Rim and the Core, equal parts Pamarthe and Chandrillan. Kattada was a world that she had come to love, but she wanted to ensure the safety of her clan.

And that was what brought her out here to Arda. The world was recommended to her by Coren through others.

Landing her new ship, the one she was testing, a more long-term use of a Sun Jammer, the Witch had stepped onto the ATC platform and made her way to the docks. She and a few other Blue Coral Divers had charted a boat to explore the world, to get a feel for it.

Its not her fault that the boat that they got a few cabins on was one of the moderately sized cruise vessels. It was set for heading out to one of the farther islands from the trade hub. Maybe find a suitable place.

**

With the planet being a number of islands, Brooke had made sure to schedule some excursion to one of the smaller ones, an island that was considered to very rustic and out of the way. The trek to it, even aboard the boat she had taken, with so many... tourists, was about a week. They'd be here for a day or so. As she stepped onto land, the blonde was enjoying the heat of the air, even if there was a tinge of something... else in it. Something electric.

Wood frame homes, a definitely island music, and fishing community was what she found, and that meant it was time to explore. Reaching out to the Force, she was being pulled up to the top of the island and grabbed her gear. This was going to be a walk.

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon Kaine was not on vacation.

No... he was stranded.

The Lone Scout from Sienar Fleet Systems was among the most reliable ships in the galaxy. But even reliable ships broke down sometimes, and that was his predicament today.

He'd been lucky to survive the descent through the atmosphere. Luckier still to find a place to set down that wouldn't result in his ship winding up at the bottom of the ocean.

But now here he was, on an apparent island paradise, with a broken down ship and no spare parts. Even the droid charging port aboard Whiskers wasn't working, so he had no droid assistance.

The locals were getting increasingly antsy about having a space ship marring their pristine beach, and he couldn't blame them. But if he was going to repair his bird, he needed parts he didn't have.

"Look," he was saying to a particularly frustrated villager, "I have credits. If you'll just direct me to the closest junkyard or salvage yard, I can get going again and be out of your hair."


Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

Anything could be vacation with the right attitude. For Brooke and her witches, it was finding a new home. And unlike what most people thought about with Witches of Dathomir, she wasn't a Nightsister, leaning more into the Allyan traditions, but one where the men could rule as much as women. Brooke herself had no qualms with men, much like many of the witches from the world where the traditions stemmed. It just felt easier to be more friendly with everyone, and let people be people, work to their strengths, and be helped to their faults.

But as an Elder of the clan on Kattada, she was also tasked with being a wayfinder, and providing new grounds for her witches. That meant new hunting and harvesting grounds on Kattada and Dathomir, but also finding new worlds to spread their message and powers. The Diver Clan felt that magic should be shared, and was symbiotic to the planet they were a part of. And much like the sea, was constantly changing and moving.

As she affixed her cloak, dry and very light and flowy, over her typical tan outfit, slacks and a tunic top to protect from the sun. Her skin had small patches of scales that reflected her connection to the sea as a Blubreen. Or part Blubreen. As she made her way through the market, she could feel the commotion out there. Something was awry, and that was when she saw it.

At first it a moment to recognize it as a ship, then she started to understand. Someone had come out here on their own and the local space was not kind. Hearing the villager deny the pilot "There is no junkyard here. Not on this island…"

Brooke bit her lip as she approached, her cloak hid the pearlescent shell of her lightsaber. "He's right, Arda isn't civilization in the most strict sense… There is an Arceneau Trade Center a few days cruise from here…"

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Things were looking worse and worse...

Well, no, that wasn't quite right. Things were sounding worse and worse.

But the person delivering this latest bit of bad news definitely looked good.

Crasdon didn't notice the hidden lightsaber. His attention was captured by the bright-face of the young woman who told him, "Arda isn't civilization in the most strict sense… There is an Arceneau Trade Center a few days cruise from here…"

"Days? Cruise?" He sighed, "Will my ship be safe here until then? And... how does one get a cruise to this trade center?"

It was a primitive world indeed that didn't have some shuttle that could flit people between islands. But he supposed that's what made it a paradise. Only a few places like Naboo managed to balance nature and technology well. Those places without such a special talent for equilibrium had to choose: Keep their natural beauty, or succumb to the environmental deterioration that came with convenience.

He leaned closer to her, as though confessing a secret. "I have money. Do you have a boat, by chance?"


Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

The nice thing about Arda, was that it was so sparse and quiet. Perfect place for a witch clan. Did Brooke know all about the Dathomiri histories? Not quite. But she knew enough about her own Clan, and that was all she concerned herself with. Once schooled by Jedi, the Witch was more pragmatic in her approach, wanting to be there and make solutions in the here and now.

No need for any of the Cosmic Force.

Besides, being helpful never cost anyone anything but time. And Brooke had all the time she needed. The perks of being a Farseeker for her people.

"Cruise, on the boats. There is a larger cruise vessel docked on the other side of the market. Nothing spectacular like you'd see on Chandrilla or Scarif." The blonde tipped her head as she was looking at the man. The ship, it should be safe. She assumed. "Never been to this island, but based on what I'm seeing, its mostly wood work and some stone tools. I'm sure you can get someone to watch out for it."

Looking up to the top of the mountain she had her eyes set on, and the Force was calling her from. "But if you are worried, could always see about contacting the trade station. If your transmitter is working."

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon considered the options.

"Well, if they can deliver, it might be worth contacting the trade station so that I'm not abandoning my ship here for a week." Never mind 'his' droid, which was more of a companion than an appliance to his mind.

He glanced around, "But there's not much in the way of signal infrastructure here. I should probably bring my com unit to high ground so I have a chance to get as far over the horizon as possible when I transmit."

He pointed to a nearby mountain, "That should do. I'll get my scouting gear together and head up there with my com. Maybe I can hire a guide to help. I explore uncharted planets for a living, but there's no reason to take risks doing it solo if I can help it."

Then he smiled at her, "Thanks for your help and advice. I was feeling a bit lost at sea, so to speak."



Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

Brooke couldn't help but shrug. She didn't like being unhelpful, but this was her first trip to Arda, beyond a bit of research. And her research was 'were there islands she could put some Witches on and they wouldn't get bothered all that much.' She knew that if there were her Coral Divers around, people may come looking. Her Clan were seekers and imbuement specialists, they were healers, and ones who could help many a people.

Sometimes you didn't even need magic for that.

"I think that's why people like it out here. It may or may not be connected to everything else, but its definitely quiet. And rustic." She smiled as she peered back up the hill.

"Do you have a working transmitter? I'm on my way up there…" The blonde would appear a bit unassuming, but her gear was a mix between someone who has purchased too many Northface jackets but also knew how to do a bit of trekking.

"I'm heading up that way, seems like there may be some nice vistas." Of course she was going to lie about the whole of the why. No one needed to know she was a Witch.

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon nodded.

"Yup. No power in the ship itself, but I've got all the goodies any explorer needs, including a portable transmitter."

Then he grinned, "Great! We can head up together. Give me two shakes of a Bantha tail!'

He disappeared into his ship, and various articles could be heard banging about inside. Momentarily, he came back out. When he did so, he was ludicrously wearing a full-on environmental suit, as though he was exploring the surface of a dead moon. He also had his blaster and a bunch of other gear.

"Okay, all set!" He seemed pleased with himself as he stepped back up to her, locking the airlock of his ship behind him.

"So, you're a sightseer? On vacation?" He looked around, "It's a beautiful place. Might come back here on purpose some day."


Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

A ship with explorer needs, that was what she knew very well. She was a Witch from a far off world and not even the original that her Clan came from, nevermind that world being her original world. "If you get the transmitter…" She nodded with a smile. When he said he'd be right back, she took the chance to look out on the sunlit sea.

Arda really was a beautiful place. Isolated, but beautiful. Maybe that was why she liked it. Rumor was there were several ancient locales on the world. Some may be haunted, some may be truly Force haunted. Others may just be old and dangerous.

And that was what made them exciting.

Tightening the straps on her bag, she checked her outfit, light clothes, her datapad, lightsaber hilt, and her body. All she suspected she'd need and when the other explorer came out, her brown eyes went wide. Was he… he was in an EV suit?

Before answering him, the blonde could only smile. "Are you sure you're going to be safe in all… that?" Another smile, her eyes looking from the suited up man to the hilltop. "I'm here as a sightseer, of sorts. Looking to expand a venture of mine, really."

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

"Are you sure you're going to be safe in all… that?"


"Oh yeah," Crasdon replied without thinking, "it's a Class III environmental..." He trailed off when he realized that she was making a joke, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Well, strange new worlds can be a bit dangerous. Poisonous flora and fauna. Unknown predators. Gaseous upwellings. Quicksand.

Plus it has climate controls. If you're going to climb a mountain, might as well do it in air conditioning." He winked.

Then he fell into place beside her.

"A venture? Are you a business owner?

I hope it's not a mining operation. This planet might need some tech, but it'd a shame to open a mining pit on a lovely tropical island like this."


Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

A bit of a roll to her brown eyes, the Blubreen hybrid couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes people were disarmed by her, and it was never something she took for granted. She was still going to keep her eyes on this man, and just hope that he wasn't going to cause problems later on. Her task was pretty simple, but it didn't mean it wasn't important.

"They can be, but something about this world, and stone hills, aren't making me worried." Sure, she had her lightsaber, but that was more a conditioned approach to getting anywhere.

"Are you an explorer with someone? Private firm?" She asked, curious as to who she was working with. He seemed like he was well paid, so that meant he probably wasn't part of the gangs out here in Wild Space. Core maybe? But what were they doing out this far.

"Not a miner, just someone who has some people looking for a nice world…" And Arda really was what they were looking for.

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Crasdon considered Brooke for a moment. Was she selling time-shares? Well, he didn't want to keep digging if she didn't want to specify. He couldn't afford to offend the one friendly face he'd found since dropping out of the sky here.

As they started off, he addressed her question.

"Outbound Flight," he explained, "they're the civilian Exploration Corps of the Galactic Alliance. There's a military exploration group, too, but I never liked fighting much."

He shook his head, "Not that it'll matter much if things keep on the way they are. If the GA keeps finding wars to fight, even the Civilian Corps will eventually find themselves drafted into the conflict.

At least I'm a contractor, and not a direct hire. It means I can quit O.F. if things get too hot out there."

He held up a gloved hand.

"Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

I'm all for helping people and doing the right thing. And I'm not afraid to fight if a fight finds me. You don't get to be an explorer if you're a wilting flower.

But if there's a way to get on without killing anyone or getting killed, that seems like the way to go, to me."

Crasdon paused, and then bent over to examine a flower. It had distinctive red stripes on its petals.

"Is this native?" He was sure he'd seen such a flower before. Unhitching his scanner, he took a moment to record the flower's characteristics. The memory log found a match.

"Huh. I scanned one of these on Cestus-17 last year. I wonder if it came from there to here... or from here to there."

He stood up again, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I realize a lot of what I do isn't interesting to a layperson."

Holstering his scanner again, he resumed their trek.

"I bet there's some interesting stuff up at a higher elevation."



Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

Of course, she'd heard of the Outbound Flight. Her sponsors in the Silver Jedi were explorer Jedi that had kept many a tabs on people who were out to explore the galaxy and beyond its Rim. She was always the type who wanted to explore more, but her promise to her clan gave her very strict marching orders on how to explore and where. But as a daughter of Pamarthe, it never hurt to see more of the galaxy, specifically the aquatic worlds.

She felt at home here, with the humidty and the sun. "Part of the challenge with the galaxy is the constant wars. Its why I work for my benefactor in finding out of the way places for their ventures." Benefactor, clan mother. Venture, clan homes. "I know several people who were constantly fighting wars, and it burnt who they were out of them." Sad really.

"The right thing and the thing that is done in conflict are very seldom always the same. It helps to know where the limit really is." As they kept the walk, she saw the flower he was looking at. Taking a knee besides it, the blonde smiled at it. With his question, she took a few seconds to commune with the world around her and the plant before her. "I believe they may be, just to this island? The distance between the islands and specifically the main landing location…" She shrugged.

She was an expert on corals and aquatic vegetation. "Its all interesting, to learn from other beings." Brooke smiled and looked up. "Then lets get going!" A small smile and a bit of her younger adventurous self popping into her voice as she almost skipped up the trail ahead of him.

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

​

Even in a climate-controlled suit, a climb up a mountain was no small matter.

If Crasdon had been differently equipped, he might have just walked right up the side. Adhesion boots would have allowed it, as they used attractor nodes to cement themselves to surfaces. That would have meant only about 800 meters of walking right up to the peak. An intensely difficult climb at such an angle, but better than this.

Crasdon's suit had magnetic boots, but those were of no benefit, here. Only the deep cuts of the treads mattered for getting purchase in the terrain. So he could not walk right up the side of the mountain. Instead, he had to take a circuitous route, switchback paths that went back and forth across its face. An 800 meter elevation became a multi-kilometer trek through difficult terrain. The work of a couple of hours became the work of a day or more.

But at least he had pleasant company.

"After I signal for the parts I need," Crasdon said as they went along, "I may take some time on the trip back down to catalog some of these flora and fauna. I don't think anyone in the Alliance has taken proper notice of this world, and the transplantation of that flower suggests some ancient travel between this planet and-"

Crasdon's words halted in his throat when a large black cat descended from the sky. It was some kind of predator, with a 100 kilogram body, massive feathered wings, and teeth and claws that could double as daggers.

It set down in the path ahead and regarded them with a mixture of curiosity... and growing ire.

Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

Temperature and the winds were just part of the weather, part of the unifying Force and something that didn't bother Brooke too heavily. She could, and did, use the Force in small ways, muttering a small spell that would keep the air around her, in her aura, a bit more relaxed and pleasant, even as she worked harder to get up the mountain. Her gear and light outfit helped her move with ease.

She was still curious as to if this was her companion showing off his technology, or if he did have some anxiety about this world. But for Brooke an aquatic world was almost as good as the next. Some, like Kattada, had some large beasts in the water, and in the air, but she hadn't seen much on Arda that was going to make her worry. But what Brooke could feel was the blue corals on this planet, another point for it for her Clan.

Moving, Brooke was working and hiking, a bit leaned forward most of the time, actually bouldering up the side of a cliff or two as they kept going. She was no stranger to her hands and feet getting dirty. And the gear was designed for a little rough-and-tumble.

"Arda is a ways out from the Alliance. I think its why my benefactor sent me here. Part of what I learned about this world is that's how they like it. Quiet and out of the way. Even if they do get their fair share of tourists. It's the quiet that brings people out to Wild Space and the Tingel Arm." But the transplant of the flower and where…

She looked up when she saw the giant feline. What was it? She moved quickly, calling on the Force and whispering a song of protection, to bring an invisible barrier around her. This was quickly dismissed as it landed in front of her. Grabbing her staff, in truth a well designed lightsaber pike, she stepped closer.

"What is that…" She whispered as she stepped forward.

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

​

"Don't get near it-" Crasdon called out in alarm. He was going to finish that sentence with the woman's name, but suddenly couldn't remember if she'd ever told it to him.

The big cat, which easily weighed as much as a full-grown man, bared its teeth and issued a blood-curdling cry that was somewhere between a screech and a hiss.

Crasdon unholstered his pistol and stepped to one side, trying to get a clear view of the cat in case it should attack her.

"I don't think it's here to make friends," he said, "and those claws are big enough to spill your guts in one swipe!"

He did not want his new traveling companion to get wounded here, particularly so far from modern medical aid.



Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

As a Witch,, she knew many a things about charming animals in the galaxy. She was part of the worlds she was living on, and it made all the difference. Compared to the Jedi she did work with, there was always an alternative to jumping into combat with an unknown. This was a large cat, and winged, she wasn't ready to fight because she had no idea what it was going to do.

A spear in hand, though the lightsaber tip was not exposed and ready, there was a thought that she was going to grab her honor blade, but opted not to. When the animal hissed, Brooke put her hand behind her, to stall her traveling companion. The blonde was typically a protector of others, teaching new Witches, and helping Jedi adjust from a combat role to an exploration and planetary monitoring role.

"I think we can… send him away…" She whispered, reaching into the Force, her hand that was holding a 'pause' signal to Crasdon was moving forward to look at the beast.

"Easy big one… We are not here to hunt you…" There had to be young nearby. And her and Crasdon were going to need to not be shown as a threat to them. Where were they…

There, above them was a small cave, that had to be where the beast had come from. Now… to get around…

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

​

Send him away?

Crasdon watched nervously as she continued to interact with the big cat. Any moment now, he expected her to be clawed into pieces by the intimidating animal.

And yet...

That didn't seem to be happening.

The cat stopped its weird howling/hissing noise and also stopped baring its teeth. It now seemed to be watching her with much more calmness. It was as though she'd cast some spell upon it. Of course, there was no such thing as magic. She must just be a very talented animal handler.

"I'll uh... just keep watching, I guess," Crasdon said nervously.

Big predators like that just couldn't be trusted, in his opinion. He'd been attacked by enough of them in his time.

But she seemed to be doing just fine, at least for the time being.

Remarkable.



Brooke Waters

 

[Brooke Waters]

The wilds of the worlds.That was where the Witches worked best. She was more than happy to show others that, but at the same time, she wasn’t about to expose who she was. Not that Witches were rare in the galaxy, and the Blue Coral Divers made it no secret of where they were, but she wasn’t about to give up a future location of the Clan, for whatever reason.

But if she could try to pass it all off as her knowing how to work with animals? Maybe that’d help. If she could.

She didn’t know what this thing even was. Brooke mentally made a note to yell at herself for not bringing along Scans, her small probe droid on she picked up on Laekia a few weeks ago. The droid had bee updated with some of the Levantine Sanctum’s data, especially on the data of the worlds in their small umbrella.

Her hand was definitely her focal point. As she watched the creature slow down, a grin crept along her face. Looking over to the side, not directly to Crasdon, she whispered. “Can you get a scan of this?” She looked back at the beast, trying to keep the strain of using the Force out of her voice. “Our path is to its right. The nest is on its left…” The small mewlings. Live young.

Now to see what kind of explorer this man was.

Crasdon Kaine

 

[Crasdon Kaine]

Nest...

Well, that explained a bit.

Although he was reticent to do so, Crasdon re-holstered his pistol. Taking his scanner back out, he began taking readings on the winged beast and the nest beyond, while very slowly and carefully edging to the right. He hoped not to alarm the animal, lest it maul his new traveling companion.

It was a tense situation. When out on his own, he'd have stunned the animal already just out of an abundance of caution. The last thing you wanted was to be mauled and dying out in the middle of nowhere.

At the same time, he found the animal fascinating. Flying cats were fairly rare in the galaxy. He wondered, did it have hollow bones? A lighter-than-air gas bladder in its body? On Avala III, Crasdon had once seen a wingless beetle with an organ that enabled repulsorlift.

He continued scanning for details as he took baby steps to the side.

The cat, meanwhile, was enthralled with Brooke, seeming to take no notice of the space-suited man any longer.




Brooke Waters