Shadows of Kashyyyk (Shamira)

[Tempest]

Several days had passed since Tempest had first sparred with her new Apprentice, [member="Shamira Karuto"]. In that time the Firemane Mistress had often turned her thoughts to the young Togruta but had been unable to go to the barracks and teach her further.

However, now the time had come for their mission. She’d given orders for the commissary to provide a suit of camouflaged light armour, along with a survival pack and some additional weapons. A blaster pistol, vibroknife and some concussion grenades were included.
They were not expecting a fight, but it never hurt to be prepared, especially on a world like Kashyyyk, famous for its predators.

Shamira would also receive a message that she was expected to meet at Hanger 04 in the restricted Firemane docking bays at 0700. The guards would know she was coming and let her past.

And so when Shamira did arrive Tempest would be waiting by an innocent looking freighter. She was dressed similar to her Apprentice with no external mark of rank on her armour or outfit.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


Shamira had awoken the night before by a rapping at her dormitory room with an annoyed groan. She groggily opened the door to be greeted with the sight of a guard with a large package in his arms at her door. Blinking rapidly in an attempt to wake herself up fully, she rubbed her eyes and nodded when asked if she was the initiate Shamira Kaurto. Then he gave her the package, which filled up the entirety of her arms, and promptly left.
The Togruta struggled to close her door, but after a few failed tries, she pressed the correct button and the door closed. Taking the package over to her desk, the initiate pulled off the wrapping to reveal a gear set of light combat armor, colored a deep maroon. Smiling happily, she held it up, hoping it meant what she thought it meant.
The buzzing from her datapad confirmed her thoughts. It was a hanger and time meeting, explaining that they would be leaving in the morning. This was the first contact she had had with Tempest since their training the first day she had arrived at the order. All the other times Shamira had seen her was only in passing, with one of the two unable to talk due to training or other concerns. The message also told her to grab a survival pack, as well as a list of other objects to grab.
That was last night, and promptly at 0700, the Togruta walked into the hanger, a piece of fruit in hand, combat armor on as well as a black cloak covering her body, and the backpack on her back over the cloak. Seeing Tempest sitting next to freighter made her hurry over grinning. “Hey Mistress!” Her grin was wide, and it was obvious that the early morning had done nothing to dampen her mood.
Pulling her cloak to the side to reveal her lightsaber on one hip and the blaster pistol on the other, with a pair of vibroblades attached to her right outer thigh, she grinned at Tempest before also showing the survival backpack on her back. “Got all the stuff you listed for me, as well. I’m ready to go!”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest smiled and gestured her closer.
“Good morning, Shamira. Hope you got some sleep because this might be a long day.”

The freighter she led the Apprentice aboard was one of a number which Firemane had made. They looked old and rundown, but it was by design. Underneath this worn exterior though was a ship more than capable of running and fighting if needed.

“Do you know how to pilot a ship, Shamira? If not this might be a good time for you to pick up some basics. We’ve got an excellent simulator at our base, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.”

Tempest plopped herself down in the pilot’s chair, leaving Shamira the co-pilot’s seat.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


Shamira shrugged lightly as her boots hit the metal of the boarding ramp, grin never leaving her lips as she followed her mistress up the ramp and into the run down looking freighter. “I believe I did. From how you first talked about this mission, it sounded like you didn’t believe this would be the most exciting mission ever.”
If Shamira hadn’t worked in the hanger of the Jedi Temple, and knew that a ship could be much more powerful than it looked, than the vision of the old, run down freighter in front of her would’ve made her scoff. Instead, she just kept the same, excited grin on her face.
Being led to the cockpit, and asked the question of her flying skills, made the Togruta’s smile fade slightly. She slowly shook her head towards the taller woman while tossing her bag to the ground, and sitting across from her in the copilot seat. “Other than a few small, supply runs, I don’t have much experience. Especially not on the combat side of things.” Shrugging lightly, Shamira pulled off her cloak, looking across to the dark skinned woman. “How long will the trip be? I’ve never been to Kashyyyk before. Seen pictures in the library, but never had the chance to go.”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“Well, even though this should be a blue milk run, we shouldn’t take anything for granted, Shamira. Always be ready for something unexpected.”

“It is good you know some of the basics. If you’re comfortable with it, I’ll let you take us out of dock whilst I prepare the hyperspace jump.”

Tempest looked at the navi-computer. “Should be 12, maybe 14 hours to Kashyyyk. We can go straight down the main hyperlane, branch off around Telos and head there. We’ll have a chance to do some training whilst we go, but there’ll be some time for you to relax or meditate if you want.”

Tempest sat back. “Right, let’s start with the pre-flight checks, Shamira. When that’s done you can get us into the air.”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


“Well, I am certainly excited and ready if this all does go wrong. Who knows, we might even get to see wookies fight.” That was something that Shamira had gotten to see through holovids, and seeing a wookie rip a droid’s arms off with it’s bare strength would be a massively enjoyable sight to see. Something that had been on the Togruta’s mind since the mission was first mentioned.
Nodding lightly, Shamira began to the preflight checklist, trying to remember each and every one of the tasks, as to not forget anything in front of tempest. “Engines..running, sensors operational, power and backup power at one hundred percent…fuel at optimal levels..and navicomputer set.” Smiling over the woman, Shamira hoped that hadn’t missed anything before turning forward again, pulling back on the flight stick.
The ship slowly began to lift from the hanger floor, then shot out of the hanger into the empty vastness of space. “And we are out…would you like control, mistress?”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest gave her Apprentice a cynical look. “Just make sure it’s not us the Wookiee is fighting, Shamira,” she said dryly.

To the last Tempest laughed. “Oh, I always like control. Assuming pilot control,” she said, switching them over.

“Good job, Shamira. Alright, hold on.” And with that the stars blazed into lines of light and they shot into the twisting nether of hyperspace….

That done, Tempest rose to her feet. “We’ve got 8 hours before our next course change. So let’s get some training done now, if you’re ready.”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


A sly smirk was returned in the direction of the mistress, Shamira raising an eyebrow at the dry statement. “Thought you could take on anything, mistress?” She know quite well of Tempest’s ferociousness and competitive nature, so she hoped the little dig could get a small reaction out of her.
The silver blue eyes blinked rapidly at the laugh and comment out of her mistress, her smirk turning into a small grin. Instead of saying anything else, Shamira just took her hands off the controls, allowing the silver haired woman the control of their course. She looked over her to her console, watching her button presses, making mental notes of the steps that her mistress toke to get them ready to fly. Eventually, at the teachers words, the ship was enveloped in streaking white lights as the ship started into hyperspace.
Turning to Tempest, she nodded happily at the offer to train, hopping off her seat to start towards the training room of the ship. Stopping at the doorway of the bridge, turning to smile sheepishly at Tempest, due to the fact she had no idea where she was going. “Would you mind leading..?”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“Just because I can do something, Shamira, doesn’t mean it’s smart! Gotta know when it’s smart to fight, when it’s not. So, here’s a tip; let the wookiee win!”

Tempest guided her student down to a section of the port hull which could be used as a storage area. This one though had been fitted with a barrier system so that whatever happened inside the central area would not reach beyond it and damage the rest of the ship.

“Right, so today I want to start developing and learning your Force abilities. Have you found any area you specialise in? Any focus you’d like to enhance?”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]

Shamira couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the cliché saying, having heard it thousands of times throughout the galaxy. She hadn’t been close to a wookie physically before, but they couldn’t be that intimidating, right? While they were huge and fought like monsters, surely they were much kinder out of battle. At least Shamira hoped so.
It was obvious that the ship had been modified extremely on the inside of the ship. It had kept the outside to look like an old, slow freighter, but the inside looked like a brand new fighter. As the pair entered the storage area, she noticed a strange looking control panel, one not normal for a simple storage area, on the wall. Not only that, but the first half of the area was a free of any boxes or crates. It’s obvious that this area was converted to be into a small training area.
Looking back to Tempest, Shamira shook her head slowly, montrals shaking with her head movements. “I haven’t had the chance to really study them. I did see that you were a master of..air?” Her face scrunched up in confusion, unsure of what to make of the mastery that she had read before the mission. She knew that the Order of Fire used the force with elemental effects, but had not had a chance to watch them in action.

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest nodded. “It only makes sense given my name, doesn’t it?” she said happily.

A training dummy had been setup to serve as a target. Casually, as though it was something not very unusual, Tempest held up her hand and unleashed a scalding arc of lightning which hit the dummy. The bolts crawled over the surface and then dissipated.

“I can also call upon abilities which I can’t show you in this ship, such as the ability to manipulate weather, and to summon wind and mist.”

A thought came to her. “In case you are concerned, this is not the same as Sith lightning. That is an electrical discharge, but it is imbued with the Dark Side. This is not. This is manipulating and harnessing the natural environment to call a bolt from thin air.”

“Of course, there are three other elements and though I have a limited grounding in fire and ice, I am not skilled with them in the same way. You though, you could become skilled in aeromancy if you chose.”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]

Shamira’s eyes lit up in a mixture of amazement and horror as the first shocks of electricity shot from Tempest’s fingertips, scorching the training dummy. It didn’t take long for the lighting to fizzle out of the training dummy. The Togruta bit her lip, eyes flicking from the training object to Tempest.
Not that it was hard to see, but Tempest must’ve sensed very quickly how intrigued, yet nervous Shamira was to see the lighting. The explanation began to put her at ease. Gaining strength through the environment and bending it to her own will seemed like something she could very easily get used to doing.
The initiate just nodded, pondering her options. She had had the time to read up on the four elements, and had been most intrigued by areomancy. Plus, the fact she had a natural teacher in front of her made the decision quite easy for her.
She walked up, confidently, to her mistress, wide smile beaming proudly. “I believe it would make most sense for me to choose areomancy. I also want to learn it.” The Togruta stood at attention, smirking lightly, and montrals swinging slightly at the sudden movement. “How should we begin, mistress?”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
Tempest nodded thoughtfully. “Not everyone can attune to the element they want. A quirk of the Force tends to make them most like the element which shares their personality. I can see the spirit of air in you though.”

She moved behind Shamira. “Kneel down for me.” Tempest knelt behind her and laid a hand on each shoulder.

“We’re going to meditate, but instead of inward perfection I want you to focus on the air around you. The currents of it from the air conditioning, the feel and texture of it. Focus only on the ether around you. I will help show you the way.”

Through the Force she reached out to her student to form a bond which would enable Tempest to direct Shamira’s attention.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]

Shamira nodded slowly at the teaching words from Tempest, gradually beginning to understand how the elemental powers worked in relation to the force. A cool headed person wouldn’t typically learn pyromancy, while a person with fire and brimstone temper wouldn’t learn cryomancy. The force and the elements worked in harmony with the person’s temperament. It made perfect sense, and the initiate was no longer as confused about how the elements worked.
The Togruta moved when she was told, slowly beginning to kneel on the cold, durosteel floor of the cargo room. What typically came to mind when meditating was the woods back home on Shili, and how beautiful and tranquil they were. To her dark and roudy inner turmoil, focusing on the serenity of her home was one of the only objects she could meditate on to calm her down.
So when she was asked to focus on the wind around them, the air and how it moved, Shamira raised her eyebrow’s lightly, but trusting in her teacher she nodded, closing her eyes. Her breathing slowed, and her mind began to focus on the wind flowing around her, tickling her skin, surrounding the pair of force users. Yet she couldn’t feel anything other than how hard the wind blew, or how cold or warm it was. It was just wind, nothing more, nothing less. “I…I’m not sure how to feel more out of the of the air..”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
When Tempest spoke her voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, soft, like a breeze.
“There is a fine line between using the Force for telekinesis and to manipulate the air, but it is possible. Feel the air around you, manipulate it…and relax. Do not be alarmed.”

Tempest placed her hands on Shamira’s temples. The Togruta would feel an urge to close her eyes, and then when she opened them the world was changed.
Like there was a way to view with the Force, so now Shamira would see the currents and flows of the ether. Tendrils of air passed all around her, some curling around the breath of the two women, some flowing from the air vents in straight patterns.

“Reach out to it, mould it like you would the Force around a pebble.”

Tempest did not remove her hands, but made a small stone rise so Shamira could see it manipulate and alter the flow in the air.

“It is your first step to understanding the control of nature….”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]

Keeping her breathing calm throughout the whole process of entering into a new way of thinking about the force, and how it worked within herself in regards to the elements was increasingly hard. Quelling the excitement for this new training was the key to keeping her center calm and collected throughout the process, though opening her eyes, seeing a brand new reality, quickened her breaths significantly.
Tempest had placed her fingers on Shamira’s temples, and instantly the Togruta felt the urge to close her eyes. Not fighting it whatsoever, she allowed her eyes to close slowly while attempting to calm her increasingly rapid breathing. When her eyelids pulled back, everything was different.
It wasn’t as if she had never seen through the force. It was one of the few lessons at the Temple Shamira had gotten decent at. Spending cold, fall nights sitting on top of the Temple’s towers, watching over the city with the force and the beauty it brought was one of her favorite memories of her time with the Jedi.
But this, this was something different entirely. All around her were the tendrils of air, whipping around her softly. She lifted her hand slowly, watching the air conform to the new object blocking it’s path. Straightening and balling up her hand caused the wind to move in fascinatingly different ways, stealing Shamira’s attention for the time being.
Her eyes turned to the pebble as it lifted in the air by Tempest’s silent command. Shamira let her hand fall back to it’s resting place on her knee as she watched and listened to her mistress’s words. “Mistress, what do we strive to do? Do we strive to be like the pebble, molding the wind and air to it’s movements, it’s solitude. Or do we seek to be like the wind? Moving along with the flow, conforming to it’s nature?”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“We harness and shape its power, Shamira,” Tempest said. She removed her hands, and when Shamira next blinked the world would be back as it was.
“In time you will learn to see the ether like that all the time. Unlike water or fire or even earth, the ether is everywhere except in the vacuum of space.

She rose and offered Shamira a hand. “Now, my dear, we will do some sabre drills and then I will let you meditate on the air.”

Shamira would likely notice at this point that Tempest was floating slightly off the ground. With a grin she lowered herself down to the deck.
“The Force has many skills you will learn to embrace.”

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


“Harness and shape…” Shamira spoke to herself under breath, nodding and thinking on the words. It was much like the force, as the jedi and the sith sought to shape it’s power. It was just another entity that could be molded to their will, but just like the force, it was a power that needed to be respected. Seeing that way, how the air moved around her, seemed almost impossible to see at all times, but Tempest had given her no reason to doubt up to this point in their relationship.
Shamira turned, grabbing Tempest’s hand and lifting herself from her knelt position. Something was…off. Furrowing her brows, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Tempest quite literally floating off the ground. She looked back up to the white haired woman as she lowered herself back to the deck, a small smirk crossing her face. “I would love to know how you manage to do that, mistress.”

 

[Tempest]

[member="Shamira Karuto"]
“And one day you shall, Shamira. But for now…” she said, turning and producing some training sabres.
“Let’s start with Soresu defence against a remote….”

And so the training progressed in a way quite unnecessary to wholly repeat. When they were done Tempest collected the sabre from Shamira and gave her a nod.
“You’re getting better. Good job. Now, I’m going to relax for a few hours and get myself ready for Kashyyyk. You’ve got free time too if you want to meditate or relax or whatever you want to do.”

Tempest knew what she wanted to do. Captain Corellia had just come out on holovid and she was eager to see the latest instalment in Amaze’s Holo Universe: The Defenders.

 

[Shamira Karuto]

[member="Tempest"]


( This part is written from both Shamira’s and Tempest’s perspective, with the approval of both writers. )

Getting to relax and meditate sounded like the perfect way to pass time, knowing they still had plenty of time until they had to make their next course adjustment. Shamira nodded, giving a little bow of her head to Tempest, then darted out of the room, immediately heading for the crew quarters. Meditation and perhaps a little light reading firmly on her mind.
She was only half an hour into meditating on the durosteel floor when the sounds of blaster bolts and screaming came floating in from the common area of the freighter. Curiously, Shamira furrowed her brow, standing from her crisscrossed state to sneak slowly into the common room. Without her boots on, the Togruta was able to quietly sneak behind the couch where Tempest laid, watching some action show on her holopad.
Tempest watched, unknowing there was now another patron to the show, as Captain Corellia began to reach its climatic scene. First Order lackeys tried to stop the amazing superhero as, without a blaster, he mowed through practically hundreds of them. From the sky, Durosteel man suddenly slammed into the ground, sending Stormtroopers flying. He was fully silver, with little more than a red leotard on otherwise.
Raising an eyebrow, Shamira reached over Tempest’s shoulder, pointing to the silver colored man as he knocked out an officer. “He’s quite shiny, isn’t he?” Tempest visibly had a start, much to the initiates delight, eliciting a small giggle from her. The mistress shook her head, smiling lightly, then moved the stuff on the other side of the couch so that Shamira could sit. “Eh, he's fine, I'm waiting for Dark Star to join the team. She's the best of them all.” Her smile turned to a grin as the Togruta sat, scooting over and tucking her feet up under her so that she could watch the show with her mistress comfortably.
The screen switched again to show a large looking human wearing a blue and red spandex superhero outfit, complete with a little cape. Shamira smirked lightly and spoke, eyes not leaving the screen. “I assume Mr. Muscles is Captain Corellia..?” Tempest couldn’t help but roll her eyes lightly, showing her obvious disdain for the character. “Yeah. Show off. Ooh...here she comes!” The mistress let out a little squee which immediately drew Shamira’s attention from the screen, raising her eyebrows. She had never heard her mistress make such a sound, so her attention returned to the screen so that she could see what made the other woman make such a sound.
Dark Star had appeared. A tall, white haired woman in a black, figure-hugging outfit, who lands and starts beating up First Order and Sith grunts. Blood sprayed from the broken helmets of the Stormtroopers, and officers laid knocked out on the rocky ground. Shamira found herself rooting heaviliy for the newest heroine on the scene. “Get them! Knock 'em out! You can do it!” Tempest, with a sly grin, spoke while her attention didn’t leave the screen. “I know the actress,” Tempest confided, proudly, “And know her too. I hadn't seen this vid yet, so I've been looking forward to it.”
Shamira’s gaze shifted momentarily to her mistress with the second saying of know, before shaking it off and returning her attention to the show. “I've never seen these vids. I didn’t get time at the Temple. We were always just kept so busy in our earlier years. But I suppose that I do get more time now with the Order..”
Tempest shook her head, turning to Shamira to respond to her statement. “Nah, we're just not a monastery. Denying yourself because you think you should is unwise. Better to enjoy yourself in small bursts. It makes the expectation all the sweeter.” The white haired woman just shrugged, placing aside the holopad on the table. Shamira frowned lightly and leaned against the arm of the couch. “It was always just training, meditating, and classes. Not much time for enjoyment.” Her eyes turned to the paused show, showing now a still of the trio of superheroes. “How'd you meet the amazing actress?”
Tempest settled up against the back of the couch, staring forward as she recounted the story. “She actually is a friend of ours. She really is superhuman...supereldorai I guess. We found her in stasis on Kaeshana, she'd been asleep for 20,000 years or so. Her name's Eyrecae Alzari. Long story short, she's a real fighter, but in between bashing Sith for real she moonlights as a holovid star, and she does all her own stunts.” She turned, smiling proudly at the initiate. Shamira pulled her legs up, hugging them tightly to her chest, and resting her chin on top of her knees. Her eyebrows shot up at the insane year count the woman had been in stasis. “20,000 years...? How...how long did it take her to adapt? It couldn’t have been easy..at all.”
The white haired woman smirked lightly at the Togruta. “Well…she started by trying to punch Siobhan and I through a wall.... it took her a while to get adapted, and even longer before she realized that slaughtering everyone was not the most diplomatic thing to do. I'll introduce her to you sometime." The promise made Shamira grin widely, taking to the thought of meeting a galaxy renowned actress quite happily.
The Togruta’s head tilted to the side slightly after a moment, a sly smirk slowly crossing her face. “Oh? She only tried? Were you thrown through a wall?” “Even I can't survive being punched through a wall, Shammy,” Tempest responded with a smirk. The nickname had Shamira burying her head into her knees, groaning lightly, knowing her face was heating up from blush and trying to hide it. Looking up after a moment, she rested her head back on her knees, blush still visible on her cheeks. “I thought you could survive anything. I...I may have looked you up in the archives.” Quickly adding after, wanting to make sure Tempest didn’t think she was off wasting time. “On my off time, of course.”
The white haired mistress preened lightly at this, all attention focused now on the little Togruta. “Oh ho...find anything you liked? How about my glorious defeat of a Bando Gora warlord? Or when I took on three Xioquo priestesses at once?”
Shamira grinned widely, nodding heartily in Tempest’s direction. “The priestesses story was quite....graphic. Same with the warlord.” She bit her lower lip, smiling softer at in sincerity. “I think the most impressive thing though...was how you don’t give up. There were stories of the Storm of the Force being beaten down constantly..only to come back so much stronger, and defeat those that sought to oppress her.”
Tempest couldn’t help but smile softly back at Shamira, heart warming at the compliment from her initiate. “I never give up, Shamira. It’s not in my nature to do so.” The Togruta’s smile fades slightly, saddening a bit. Her voice drops, obviously trying to keep back the rushing feeling of sadness. "Not like me, I suppose. Of course, the Order made sure to tell me it was my decision. But just seeing them look at me as I left for the last time showed how they truly felt about it, no matter their words. That I was… a coward for leaving." Her silver-blue eyes flicked away from her mistress, finding herself unable to meet the other force user’s eyes.
Tempest’s face fell lightly and she scooted over, closer to the girl and put an arm around her shoulders. Her voice was soft but truth and meaning were behind the words. “It's not giving up in a bad way if the people you were dealing were are jerks. I fully applaud you giving up on them.” Her eyes move away for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before turning back to Shamira. “No, what I mean is that when someone tries to fight me, I do not back down, I do not give way. I've moved to a lot of different planets and empires and Force groups, like you have done now. I don't consider that giving up at all.”
Shamira couldn’t help but smile lightly at the touch, as well as the words from her mistress, wiping away a single tear quickly, hoping Tempest didn’t notice. “I suppose you're right.” But the words were without conviction and any strength. There was no belief in her own words. For months, she had replayed the hushed voices and the looks of disdain over and over in her head, and had begun to believe they were right about her. That she was nothing but a worthless, broken, fallen coward. The Togruta pulled away from Tempest, sliding off the couch, and began to walk towards the back of the ship. “I..I am going to go meditate and train. I'll come rest in a few hours. Maybe we can watch another episode of Captain…er, Black star.” She gave a small, heartless smile, before disappearing down the corridor before any more tears could be seen.