Swamp Trek Discovery

[Loske Treicolt]

Annaj,​

Ikkermill Swamp Store: Marrow & Illskins​

​

[SIZE=11pt]The fog, dispersed by a slight mist of rain, snaked around the swamp in diaphanous swirls. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Frank’s sensing devices were busily sending impulses to his electronic nerve ends. At the slightest sound --- and there were many --- his auditory systems reacted and sent information to his artificial brain Kaili Talith had concocted. It was too wet for Frank in this jungle. He aimed his optical sensors in the direction of a strangely propped up house amidst a dark lake. The thatched roof was illuminated by streams of sunlight, highlighting the entire area as if a celestial chorus would break out in the background upon this discovery. Around the house was a slightly raised section of grass and the patches of sunlight spotlit other rickety features of the establishment, including stairs that extended from the grass to a porch and entryway. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Is that what we’re looking for?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Loske’s head popped up, previously preoccupied with a small, six-legged creature. It was giving her similar emote readings as the Rockrender on Sullust. It was frazzled, not used to seeing people out this far. They’d been following the little animal for a long enough time that Frank was almost about to turn around and abandon his organic mistress. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Maybe..” she replied “..if it is, you owe me twenty credits.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]That animal was not our guide. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Tut tut, Frankie, is that jealousy I detect? Elijah here got us much further than you did. And on instinct alone, no GPS.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]You named it? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“We’ve been with Elijah for over thirty minutes now, I’m not going to not [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]name it.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If Frank had eyes, they would have rolled. Instead, Loske was met with equally telling silence. Elijah blinked three of its eyes, twitched its nostrils, and abruptly turned and scurried away to be swallowed by the dank brush. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Loske waved, bidding it a silent adieu. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Whelp, let’s give’er shall we?” With that release command, Loske willed herself forward. The soles of her boots put up a fair bit of resistance, intrigued by the stickiness of the mud that would have preferred she stayed in one spot. It was a handful of drudging minutes before she reached the raised plain of grass basking in thin strips of sunlight. She exhaled heavily, bracing her palms on her thighs to catch her balance and stuff. Then she realized to her right, which her astromech was taking, was a bridge. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Nice. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Frank, can you have that message from Mags ready to show? I don’t really want to be defending myself for an intrusion when we’re on a pretty dutiful mission here.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Does she know you call her Mags?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“She’s not here, so she doesn’t have to know. What she does have to know, is that we’ve successfully got..those uh...uhm..Velcro..no..uh..Velo..”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Frank interjected, having pulled up the message from [member="Magdalena Lethe"].. [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Velokrons. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Yes. Thanks.” She righted herself and dusted off as much of her pants as she could, her palm smearing wet mud away. “They’ll probably want me to take my shoes off..” Loske murmured, ascending the stairway to, what she presumed was, the front door and lifting her fist to knock. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Dissero"][/SIZE]

 

[Dissero]

Out of every M&I shoppe within the galaxy, the Ikkermill Swamp location was, by and far, Dissero's favorite.

He wasn't sure exactly why - it wasn't one he visited very often - but something about the locale spoke to his soul on a deep level. Perhaps it was the history to it: the only shoppe to have burned to the ground and been completely rebuilt. Maybe it was the connection it held to his family: the place where his elder sister found her way through the dichotomy of being at war with herself and learned hot to reconnect with society again.

Couldn't just be the fact that it was in a swamp.

Surrounded by earth and water and life in every direction for dozens of miles, tucked away in the heart of the bog and magicked into obscurity, Ikkermill was a world upon itself. Dissero thrived on the remoteness of it all, recalling to himself on the rare journeys made here that he really ought to come here more often. Jaster had need due for a vacation for some time now, so he found himself shop-sitting for the better part of three weeks. It proved to be something of a vacation for him, too. Away from society and modern living, back to basics. Out here he had nothing better to do with his time than focus on projects: a hobby he'd quickly lost sight of after the birth of his son.

Dissero was deeply entrenched in the carving of a wooden-something when the knock came at the door.

"It's open," the man called from the workshop in the back, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead. Warm out here in the swamp, warmer than he remembered, "come on in."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

[SIZE=11pt]Loske wasn’t sure what she expected, but a place this well hidden seemed more foreboding than welcoming. When the voice inside suggested she step in, she increased the pressure of her knuckles to push the door open. It creaked, announcing that she was entering. Forehead first, she peeked in, swivelling her head around to look at all sides, and up and down with a slow wonderment as the rest of her body slipped in. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The shop was lined with shelves and trinkets, all that seemed to radiate a level of energy that struck her with nothing other than awe. Talent. This was bottled and sold talent. She let her awe slip out in a breath of “[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]wow..” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Then she shook herself back to attention, hearing the floorboards creak as the weight of her astromech rolled in. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Hi, you must be..Mister [member="Dissero"] -- ah, this is really cool.” She tucked her lips inward and nodded to herself, clasping her hands in front of her. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“First of all, how are you?” [/SIZE]

 

[Dissero]

He didn't make a habit of interacting with customers, especially in the shoppes he didn't frequent. Such was the nature of things in the realm of Alchemy and Sorcery - it begged of secrecy and required a certain amount of care with delicate information.

Information like names.

Marrow & Illskins didn't do names for very specific reasons. So when a pretty young lady entered the shopped looking the world out of place and blurted out his name, Dissero's hackles immediately flared. How she knew that name was beyond him - there weren't many in this galaxy that did. The man slowly looked up from his work, turning a high-browed gaze towards the gal and lifting a hand to itch at his beard, "Well enough, but ahm not Dissero. Don't know that name."

He looked her over, mud and all, with subtle perplexion, "Ya lost, miss?"

 

[Loske Treicolt]

A look of embarrassment crossed her face. She had assumed the [member="Dissero"] that Magdalena had sent her to meet would be the only individual at this random establishment, it hadn't even occurred to her there could be several shopkeepers on staff. Would they all be as mystical and wizardly as the fellow Mags had mentioned in her message?

"Oh, my apologies - I uh - no, no I'm not lost. I'm here on behalf of someone, a Magdalena Lethe, she assured me this would be the place to go to help her out. For G.U.I.D.E -- have you heard of it?"

She paused, looping her hands in front of her and lacing her fingers to point downward, grimacing at her footwear "--should I take these off?"

 

[Dissero]

The man gave her a dismissive wave, "Not to worry, ah'll clean it up later."

Returning his attention back to his current project, he picked up a carving implement and carefully took back to etching out symbols on the wooden object in his hand. Judging by a short glance - it was either an oblong bowl of some kind or a mask. An open notch two-thirds of the way up suggested the latter.

"Can't say ah have," said the man with a long pause as his blade turned a careful corner in the pattern, "why don' yeh come sit and dry off, tell me what this's all about."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Loske evidenced a shrug before crossing over the floor with cautious steps. The mud hadn't tried yet, so nothing broke apart while she walked -- but that didn't mean the threat was vanquished. Frank's lumbering roll diligently followed suit -- if he had shoulders, he would have been twisting them to avoid the lips of tables and shelves; alas, Kaili had only given him an agile mind, not body.

She took a seat across from him, taking a moment to peer at the woodwork in his hand - the symbols didn't mean much to her, she wasn't one to study in the arts of..well anything. Even Teras Kasi had been something just infused into her muscles. "I have a friend that works like that.." she began, and left unfinished because he hadn't asked about her ridiculous crush on a Talith, he'd asked about the mission at hand.

She straightened in her seat, exhaling and raising a hand to begin. There were wires crossing in her head, one part of her wanted to tell this as a grand epic, of the brave and honourable Magdalena conquering the galaxy for a hyperlane, the other half was military trained and wanted only for her to deliver the key points of the mission to save time and get doing.

"GUIDE is a collective of scholars and navigators who gather information from across the galaxy to distill it and make it available for the masses for their interplanetary adventures to be well-plotted and smooth. I'm here at the request of Magdalena Lethe, GUIDE's founder. She and a crew have been requested by a donating faction to build a hyperlane on their behalf." She paused, indicating that was an explanation of both GUIDE and an introduction into the reason she was here. This was the part of her that wanted to communicate the epic, but the words were more a bridge of briefing.

"Trouble is, there are some road bumps along the way. Big ones." Her arms lifted for a grandiose gesture, indicating the size of something she was referencing. "So we're thinking some Velokrons may help against the Starweirds, and you're the place to be Mister....

If you're not Dissero, what can I call you? I'm Loske."

 

[Dissero]

"Do yeh now?" a quiet reply, a faint smile within an overgrown beard. The man glanced as she took her seat but returned to his work as she began to explain. A succinct summation of all things galactic, much as Dissero enjoyed listening to long-winded epics he appreciated the brevity.

For it was in short order that she had doubled the man's discomfort. Brows furrowed into concentration as he carefully began carving a fresh line into the wood, he took his time to digest what his guest had revealed. The deep worry held within him was matched only by a strongly piqued interest.

Magdalena Lethe. GUIDE. Hyperlanes.

Velokrons to combat Starweirds. How novel.

Why hadn't he thought of that?

"Mm," the man grunted, "we don' do much in names here at the Shoppe, Miss. Leads to trouble. Yeh can call me Mr. Alchemist if it pleases yeh." A name respectfully given to him by [member="Aver Brand"] some time ago. "Yeh ever encountered a Starweird before, Miss?"

 

[Loske Treicolt]

"Mr. Alchemist it is." Loske nodded in solidarity. That was also like some folks she knew. All these aliases. She wanted an alias..all she had was "Friendly Blue" ..

He didn't seem to react to much else in her story, other than asking about Starweirds.

"No," she admitted, almost forlornly. "I had Frank here," she jut a thumb over her shoulder to the triangle-faced astromech. "Look up what they were. I didn't even know what they were, but now all I want to do is beat them."

She paused.

"Have you?"

 

[Dissero]

"Only once," he said, his gaze turning towards her speaking volumes more than any eloquently spoken words could, "tha' was enough."

"I wouldn' wish it on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Men and women far braver, stronger 'n me have been lost to 'em," a pause, a bitter frown somewhere in the scruff, a line of concern deeply etched itself into his brow, "an this Magdalena, she not a Forcer?"

Didn't seem like it. Why would she send this innocent woman here, to this backwater place out in the middle of nowhere to get lost in a swamp looking for arcane trinkets.

"Not much but the Force can defeat a Starweird, but it's got to be powerful. Got to be the right stuff."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

"Not..a super Forcer."

When the carver met her gaze, she felt she needed to hold it and not look away, to give the due service of him making the effort to look up from his work. She forced herself to blink.

"That's why she sent me here.. Do you have the right stuff?"

 

[Dissero]

For a moment the man looked haunted, his gaze failing to meet Loske's eyes and, instead, seeming to look through her.

"Noh," he said with a small shake of his head, "I didn'."

Back to his work, feverish for a moment while he forced memories away before, quite suddenly, his hands stilled.

"But someone else did," this time a nod, "she helped...an she would want to keep helpin'." Setting his work down on the bench the man rose from his seat and turned to walk into an adjacent room. There he rummaged, pulling free from a network of half-finished projects a large wooden chest. It found it's way back out to the shop proper and onto the counter.

"She would like what you lot are doin, makin' the stars safer," clak clak, the locks on the chest came open at the sweep of his hand. Another gesture and the lid popped up to reveal three hexagonal spheres nestled inside just the size of a jobafruit. They glowed softly, emitting a sense of calm, peace, light, serenity.

"Would have saved the galaxy if she were strong enough ... she died saving just a few. These are the last pieces of her power."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

The girl's mouth open and closed again. She felt she should say something, but didn't know what consolation she could offer. She wanted to reach out and pat his arm, to make him feel better, but she had no idea really who this person was. And if they spoke that physical language. The intonation of the alchemist's voice indicated that something troublesome had happened in his past, and memories still clung to him. Someone dear had made a sacrifice, that much was obvious. Instead of speaking, her features twisted into what she hoped was an empathetic expression. Or at least a somber one.

The pilot stood when the bearded fellow re-entered the space, and crossed to stand adjacent to him. She'd started by looking over his shoulder as he worked with the chest, to crossing nearer when the trunk's top opened, revealing the precious content inside.
She whispered a breathless woah.. when the gentle glow became visible.

"Is she another name we're protecting?" Loske queried softly, not really averting her gaze from the beauty of the glow within the treasure chest. She'd meant that question respectfully, considering what Mr. Alchemist had said about names being a dangerous business.

 

[Dissero]

He revered the devices before him with the same sense of fondness, awe, and wonder he'd had for the woman that helped make them in her lifetime. Though her lifeforce had passed on some years ago, he still felt her essence here, exuded by the Velokrons. The lightness of care and devotion she gave to those, both family and stranger alike. These three had been saved, but they served no purpose sitting here in a box. If they could be used to help save lives then he could think of no better means of letting them go.

A smile found its way into his beard, faint and painful.

"She was known and loved by millions as Inari the Reviver," his tone had changed, the drawl gone, subtle but enough should Loske be a person to pick up on such things that it'd be noteworthy.

And then he cleared his throat, "Secrecy was'n somethin' she cared for. These here are the Velokrons yer after - they hold in them Inari's power of Force Light. Three charges each. There'sa release word on the bottom of each - don' speak it till yer ready to use that power."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Interrupting the silence, Frank took a cue. He was always there to fill in the missing gaps for Loske, as the Talith mechanic had so willed it: Inari the Reviver was considered to be perhaps the kindest of gods within the Pantheon. Inari is the healer, the reviver, and the everlasting. She is loved by all, even those who do not worship Inari directly consider her to be one of the greatest of the gods wi----

Horrified, Loske cut him off. "Frank!"

The astromech's triangular eye remained staring, but beeped an apology. The pilot also looked apologetic. "Sorry, he was built by my friend Ka---" she remembered the oath to names here, and continued her sentence without revealing the completed name of Frank's maker "..to be really quick to assist, but his empathy levels are... well. Maybe they need a tune up." She shot the droid a glare.

Loske turned to the alchemist, resting a hand on the lip of the box "Are you okay, letting these go? They seem to mean an awful lot to you."

 

[Dissero]

The man's face may have paled as the droid began reciting words from the Book of Moross. Dissero's stomach gave a wilted flip, his heart a grievous shudder. He almost closed the case.

Almost.

"It's alright," he said in response to the woman, a wane glance given to her mechanical companion, "thank you, Frank."

It hurt to remember, but somehow the pain was cathartic. Remembering her in the way she would have wanted to be: kind and gracious, giving and humble. Everything he hoped he could be.

"You know I-" he lifted his hand to rub at the back of his neck, "I kept 'em close 'cause I thought they might bring some comfort to me. Mostly they just bring me grief." He closed the lid and then gave it a pat, "She would'a wanted to help anyone she could, an yer cause is one she would'a supported. Take them, on the house, an' use 'em to keep your people safe. We might even have a few ov'vers at one'o the far shops. I'll check in with the Keeps. Tell me where to ship 'em and they'll find their way out."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

"She sounds really great." Loske nodded softly, as if her assessment of the individual would mean anything to Mr. Alchemist. "Seems her impact continues to live, that's what anyone could ask for, when all your time and self investment inspires others." Ambitiously, she reached out to touch the chest - indicating a transfer of ownership.

"That's truly generous of you, thank you very much Mr. Alchemist, these are exactly what we need -- and if it wouldn't be too much trouble, if you have any other firsthand tips for vanquishing Starweirds.

They seem like a handful."

 

[Dissero]

"Ahm, well," the hand moved from his neck to itch at his beard, "before I mighta said ask Inari fer help, but seein' as she's no longer aroun..." a smile thinned his lips behind his beard, "yeh might try findin' yerself a good Forcer. Summin' can heal, 'n use Force Light. A powerful Jedi, maybe."

 

[Loske Treicolt]

That was...not what Loske was looking for. She had anticipated the man might have suggested even dodging right when the Starweirds looked like their tendrils would shoot right because they often feigned. Perhaps this was just a much more overwhelming mission than she was anticipating. If it all came down to being able to use The Force....and even moreso than the eggs in the chest... Her internal musings caused her breath to hitch in real life and she tucked her lips inward, before releasing a ballooned breath.

"This is gonna be tougher than I thought.."

Maybe she should call her maternal donor for some assistance. "I'll try, I'm a little short on the Jedi contact list. I'm not a Force User myself so..I guess not many reasons to be invited to their parties." She offered a shrug, tracing a line on the side of the chest.

"Appreciate all your help - would it be weird if I got a channel to contact you again, if we need some help? I can send you the address on where to ship the other Velokrons via that - unless you want to write it down now? I can also do pickup service if it's not too many lightyear jumps away. Magdalena's on a bit of a timeline."

 

[Dissero]

He could offer nothing more than a dour nod of agreement. Starweirds. He'd rather run into Tyrin Ardik or, hell, Kaine Zambrano than a nest of Starweirds. Though they weren't even half as bad as Bedlam spirits - they were a whole 'nother level of trouble.

"Oh, ahm-" Dissero snapped his fingers, "I knoh someone yeh might try ... Jedi Master Eden. Avalore Eden. Few o' these Force Light 'krons were made by her s'well. Used to be part 'o the Alliance, but I think she moved when tha' fell apart. Sanctuary on Cato Neimoidia - s'part o' the Jedi Academy string. Tell 'er Mistar Black's assistant sent ya."

And to Loske's follow-up: "Ahm 'fraid tha's priveledged info, Miss. You tell me where to send things 'n ah'll see 'em sent."