Faction The Crystal Cavern of Qi-Ko (Rimward, Praxeum, JAN)

[Alana Sunrider]

QI-KO

Alana never got used to the quiet of Qi-Ko. Audibly silent, yet when she closed her eyes, the entire world hummed with a melody just below the limits of her physical hearing. Or perhaps, it wasn't what she heard as much as she felt. The world always felt odd to her, like stepping onto the deck of a wrecked ship with a hot reactor or unshielded wiring. It astounded her that Tiland always felt so comfortable on the world. It was power, but in a way she had never anticipated.

But here she was, with a backpack on her back, a spelunking harness around her waist, and a helmet with a headlamp, at the entrance to a cavern that gaped from the side of the cliff. No light shone forward, but she could feel the presences somewhere far below, pulsing and radiating the presence of the Force that encircled the world. It was a bit like Ambria, that way, but radically different. That Force presence had been full of rage, hatred, and evil. Qi-Ko's was... she didn't know the word for it.

Perhaps some of the others who accompanied her would have a word for it, especially if they had a better education. Jedi Pilgrims, Matukai, even some Jensaarai and perhaps some Je'daii and Marshals, all reached the stage of their journeys where they were expected to build their own lightsaber or weapon of some sort, and Qi-Ko was the closest world with crystals. Alana had not mentioned it, but it gave her a reason to run passive scans on the concordat space station at the edge Kal'shebbol, which she forwarded to the Kathol Republic and ORION on the way.

"Well, everyone!" Alana called out to the small group as she let the backpack fall to the ground so she could stretch. "This is it. The entrance to the crystal cavern. I've never been here before and every attempt to map the network has been..." She frowned for a moment. "Foiled by the fact that nobody ever manages to come up with an identical map."

That puzzled her, as she had been studying cartography after meeting Rhia Kesyk and her brother. How could maps always shift? Unless there was something else going on. She had never found the homeworld of the ancient Qi-Kans, but the possibility remained. If the Force willed it, she hoped to find some more clues, or even hints in the cavern networks, wherever they took her.

"So, if you want to make a map of your cavern journey, feel free," Alana continued, before remembering that wasn't the goal. "But otherwise, this is to find your kyber crystals. They will call to you in some way and reveal themselves to you. Perhaps through some sort of trial. Perhaps through a melody. It will vary considerably based on who you are." A slight pause and she frowned slightly, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. "Some say the crystals... will test you somehow. This world, if you've not noticed... is alive, in some way that I cannot explain. Be ready for the unexpected to face you, but know the planet will not intentionally try to harm you."

Those words felt odd as well, but it was something Tiland had warned her about before she led this little expedition. Qi-Ko, the Qi-Kans, they were all connected in some way, even with the spirits of the Qi-Ko sacrificing themselves to aid the Jedi defend a far-distant world. Perhaps there were some who lingered still, deep beneath the mountains, amongst the crystals.

The world was still a mystery after all. Only by risking the unknown would they come to know the truth.

 

[Pretri Mapore]

The reason Pretri had made her way to Qi-Ko was a mildly personal one. As a Jedi, she was not the most... conventional. Having studied under one of the greatest pacifists connected to the Force, combat with a lightsaber wasn't her forte. Nor did she really... have a lightsaber. Not at the moment, at least. Yet with the changing tide of the Galaxy, she was beginning to think that having one in her hands would be a good idea. The Maw was ever-ravenous, not to mention every other miniscule threat. Danger was getting to be omnipresent in a way she hadn't felt before.

Was it giving into fear? No, no, it couldn't be. Everything about this was practicality and sacred tradition. The Jedi's lightsaber was as much a weapon as a symbol of their devotion to the Light. Accompanying some others on the same journey, she pondered the eerie silence that was only cut through due to the figures making an odyssey downward. Adjusting her belt somewhat, Pretri waited for some words to break the wordlessness. Their group leader seemed to be feeling the Force here the same as any of them. She didn't want to interrupt that.

A smile lit up her face at the first sound of sentient speech. "Sounds like an adventure, then," the blonde commented with some enthusiasm. "Is it just a perception thing, or... does the cavern itself change over time? We'll have to find out somehow, I suppose..."

Then she allowed Alana to finish her briefing about the cavern. Pretri was apprehensive to spend the next few hours in silence, searching for a specific crystal among so many... but she also knew that faith in the mechanisms of the Force was necessary. Besides, she could get lucky and find something straight away. No one ever knew what the Force truly wanted.

"At least the planet's courteous," Pretri joked. "Nonetheless... I suppose it's time to get going. Seize the day and all that."

Alana Sunrider

 

[Alana Sunrider]

Pretri Mapore

That… was an excellent question and it caught Alana off guard. Perception, reality, where was the line between the two? Especially when it came to the Force. And she was fairly certain this was one of Tiland’s students. Pretri, if she remembered right, from Sevaracos.

The Light Hand would probably know better than her about perception versus reality. She was a gadget girl, not a magic girl.

“I have no idea,” Alana admitted with a shrug. “My crystals are from Ilum. That temple is hard to say as well, but it’s mostly ice. This…” Her words trailed off as she felt something flash through her mind faster than she was aware. “I’ve never been here before.”

She adjusted a glowlamp in one hand and nodded. “And thankfully, yes. A courteous planet is good. Never cared much for caves… but yes. On we go.”

 

[Pyeth Raffinki]

Silently the Rishii contemplated his reason for being here, shuffling in behind the group as his eyes burned holes into the hilt of his blade, feeling the resonance of the crystal concealed within. He wondered, did the crystals have a life of their own? Was the choice of companion a conscious one, or did the winds of fate bring Jedi and Crystal together? And if so, why did he choose to come here above Tython.

Tython, he sighed. It was a distant world he had never seen, but it could have easily been Rishii or any other populated world. Not that it mattered now, he was here on Qi-ko. Hearing Alana's voice, he listened to what she had to say. Interesting.

"Doesn't sound unreasonable," Pyeth agreed absent-mindedly, looking ahead to the mouth of the caves. Stalagmites at the edge of his perception reminded him uncomfortably of a Kell Dragon prompting his next question. "Besides that, should we expect any dangerous wildlife?"

 

[Alana Sunrider]

Pretri Mapore Pyeth Raffinki

That was also an excellent question and one that caught her off guard. She’d not heard of any wildlife down in the tunnels. Tiland had never mentioned any. Nor had she seen any sort of record of them, but that didn't mean there weren't any. Qi-Ko was, fundamentally, still a wild world. They had no idea what sort of mysteries lingered in the mountains that ringed the world.

Frankly, she was not even sure the mountains were natural. The Great Tree was certainly... supernatural, to say the least. "I do not know any," Alana replied, unhooking her harness and clipping it to a protruding rock. "But we've barely mapped the surface of this world, let alone the tunnels that run underneath the mountains."

Alana slipped slowly down the start of the tunnel, her eyes half-closed. Was there a crystal down here for her? Perhaps. Something down there called to her, but it felt different from what she remembered her original lightsaber crystal feeling like.

Was there something else down there?

"The Force.. or the kyber.." she finally said after several more moments, "They may... test you in some way. Perhaps a threat. Perhaps a nightmare. Trust in the Force. Trust your instincts, perhaps as well."