She'll Be Climbing Round The Mountain [Qae]

[Lief]

Aurum had proved a success.

While she had not found the Temple she had been expecting, there had been numerous signs of life dotted around the planet - stuctures which were built, half built, and even submerged into the ground. It was in one of the larger structures, a now empty Palace - albeit, a minimalistic one if ever Jyn saw such a thing - that she found it. Information, directly tying this desolate planet to another...

... And thus she was right back at the beginning, where she had been trapped for weeks.

Teth, it was most definitely a planet of beauty, yet memories of it held frustration within her mind. This was as empty as Aurum, yet this time she had some idea of where to look. After all, had it not been the mountaintop temple on this very planet that she had first found mention of this Order?

Landing the ... acquired ... ship down at a flat ridge, about a mile down the mountain from the Temple, Jyn instructed the droid - who for whatever reason was already viewing Jyn as its Master - to remain with the vessel to keep it safe.

Then began the ascension.

All the way up the mountain she climbed, the mile taking far longer than it would on flat or relatively sloped land. Rocks slipped underfoot, threatening to send her cascading over the edge, yet she pressed on. So sure was she in this quest she had set herself. So sure of the path she had to take...

 

[Teio Konshi]

The Silent Temple.

It was a place of beauty, of majesty and wonder; his Master had spared no expense furnishing his home for the Silent Conclave with an incredible dearth ofgoods and beauteous things. This place was the best place in the Galaxy for meditation and generally finding oneself at peace to examine the inner mysteries of the Force with the help of two Masters... in holocron form, anyway. It was a start.

However, as Teio lived here - and knew how to access the secret hangar - he also knew that someone had been here while he was out. His notes were a mess, as if someone had come here expecting this place to be abandoned. Unfortunately for them, it was not.

Now, in the Force deep in mediation amidst the gardens, Teio could feel the presence coming yet again. Someone was coming for his home. There was someone on their way here and last Teio checked nobody was supposed to come here. This wasn't an acceptable outcome.

The Kiffar opened his eyes, then drew the hilt of his lightsaber from his side; the reassuring heft of the weapon was enough to remind him that he was here with glorious purpose.

Whenever Jyn found her way up, she would be met by a black-clad Kiffar in black tunic and pants trimmed red - and an orange blade waiting in greeting.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The climb took the wind from Jyn, and near the top she simply sat down and stared out over Teth. Last time she had been here, Fuz had been alongside her. He had run through the mountains, squawked back at the birds and kept her company throughout her weeks of isolation. He had even climbed up here, to this very temple, at her side. Now the satchel was empty. What few nuts he had failed to eat still rattled at the bottom, and despite the supplies she carried it still felt empty. Hollow.

The flowing waterfall which stretched from the Temple managed to sooth her, if only a little, and it helped to set her mind back on the task at hand. Carefully forcing herself back to her feet, Jyn turned around and stared at the Temple. Yet something wasn't right.

She felt someone inside, their emotions seemingly underwraps yet not enough so for someone with as much experience as Jyn in the matter to be locked out from them. Surely someone hadn't found this place, too? But Jyn had found this place empty and devoid of any signs of life. It was a curious thing, yet she had to get her answers.

This was all that she had now.

Walking up the final steps towards the Temple, Jyn felt her anticipation rising. Reaching behind herself to grasp the new slugthrower she had acquired, the young girl wandered to the door and gently unholstered the weapon. Then she slowly opened the door...

And was met with the face of a Kiffar... For a moment she blinked. How strange it was that she had never before met such a thing; of course, she knew what he was by the Qukuuf upon his cheeks. She simply stared at him, clad in his attire with a saber in hand.

KRIFF. Not another Sith!

Immediately she began to back up. She wanted nothing more to do with any Sith ever again.

 

[Teio Konshi]

Every step he heard was held with bated breath, knowing that something terrible headed this way, that there was... some unknown, unspeakable beast. Here, Teio knew truly that things were not as they seemed. Whoever was coming was certainly a thief of some sort... and yet this place was so well hidden he wasn't sure what to do about it.

Then the doors burst open to reveal a woman with a slugthrower. Tei froze for a moment, unsure of how to react. Her hesitation, however, gave him his answer. Take the offensive, dominate the battlefield.

"Why are you here?" Teio asked, bringing his lightsaber up to the classic Ataru ready; his blade pointed directly up in a two-handed grip, the highest hand on his hilt next to the right side of his face. He looked livid - he'd noticed the notes were toyed with already and now here was another intruder.

"This is the Silent Temple. This is my Master's home. You will leave, and you will leave now."

The blade was held close, knuckles white. Teio would not stand another violation of his domain, of his Master's greatest treasures.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Swift analysis of the man led her to believe that he was precisely as she believed.

Fear spread through her, yet instead of rooting her to the spot as it usually did she instead felt an insane desire to flee. Even more so when he told her to leave! Backing up further the young girl began to stumble over her words, she'd never come face to face with anyone wielding a lightsaber before! It was such a strange and demoralizing situation.

"I... Sorry... I was just..." her eyes widened and before she knew it she was out of the door and on the mountainside once again.

"I was just looking for, uh, something..."

Too wary to turn her back to him, for fear it might end in her demise, Jyn instead continued her backward route until she felt as though she was at a safe distance from him. Then she lowered the slugthower to her belt and lifted one hand up. "I didn't think anyone was here..." she said, her expression expressing her genuine confusion at the entire situation.

"It's just... I was led to believe that information on the Je'daii was here..."

And that was the truth of the matter. Jyn had been half way across the Galaxy on this mission... It would be a shame for her to have to drop it at the final hurdle.

[member="Teio Konshi"]