The Stix

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Zardossa Stix


Lori wasn't too fond of desert worlds. Why? Because they were HOT! And dry. And full of itchy sand that gets into places that one really wonders HOW the grains of sand got in there. It was just horrible.

But there was one thing that drew her to this planet and that was the Pyramid. It belonged to a cult, but it was sure to have unique items in there. And a space portal was rumoured to be there to! At least that's what the legends spoke of.

"C'mon Curtis, let's go!" She gripped onto the straps of her backpack that was full of supplies and headed out of the cargobay door. Strapped to her left thigh was a holstered blaster. No other weapon was visible. But that's what [member="Curtis Learchin"] was for. He was her bodyguard, chef, and friend. Well, maybe a bit more than a friend. But it wasn't as though either of them were able to admit it.

The heat of the sun struck her like a wall. It was good that she wrapped her head and hair in linen. But still, some sunscreen would have been a good idea.

"Do you think we'll find some treasure?"

[member="Kresslyn Cantor"]

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

[member="Loreena Arenais"] | [member="Curtis Learchin"]
Location: Zardossa Stix, Spaceport/Refueling Station
Equipment: Saber Pike, Shield, Rest Concealed
Time: Around noon


Zardossa Stix was a place Kresslyn normally wouldn't visit, but it did possess a few places of interest. The moon was home to two landmarks: a pyramid and a spaceport and refueling station. The pyramid was home to some sort of cult, while the spaceport brought about some of the strangest people in the galaxy, including numerous Jedi. As he walked the area around the spaceport, the bright sun glistened on his worn, golden armor. He placed his shield on his back and had his worn down saber pike magnetically attached to his side. The three Ultranauts that accompanied him walked in full body armor, facemask, helmet and all, with their weapons in hand. After they stopped in the middle of a plaza in a village, the sun beamed directly down onto them, making it considerably hotter. After realizing this, he turned to the Ultranauts, still standing proudly with perfect posture in order not to reveal weakness.

"I believe it is time we get some rest. Regroup with me in the spaceport at the end of this rotation. If nothing interesting is heard, found, or seen, we will depart back to base. Do you understand?" He said in a relaxed yet authoritative.

"Yes, Warden Initiate. We will regroup with you shortly." They said in unison, then turning to leave to a shaded area or public building.

After dismissing the assigned Ultranauts, Kresslyn entered the spaceport and spotted a woman running off a ship, glaring at the brightness of the planet.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

Curtis had been sat in his room, preparing himself mentally for the task ahead of him. Ever since he'd joined [member="Loreena Arenais"], his connection to the dark side had lessened, a result of him restraining himself in her presence. He had tried to reconnect with that side of himself on many occasions, whenever he had spare time he'd tap into the anger and hate that resonated within him. But Lori had had a lasting effect on him, maybe that was good though.

He rose to his feet as he heard her yell his name, grabbing his swordstaff that rested against the wall. He placed a poncho over his armour, and clipped his lightsaber underneath it, just in case. She still didn't know that he was a Sith, and he wanted to keep it that way. Plus, the poncho would protect him from the sun, growing up on Dathomir had left his skin particularly sensitive to sunlight.

"With our luck, all we'll find is sand and the occasional bad guy." Curtis joked as he excited the ship slightly behind Lori. It was a bit busier than he had expected, but he kept that to himself, and followed his companion closely. His eyes darted around, noting a few interesting characters. One person stood out, looking almost angelic in his golden armour. "Looks like someone has taken an interest in us, Lori." He stated, turning his gaze away from [member="Kresslyn Cantor"]. For all he knew, the man was just another traveller, but he could never be too careful.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori laughed as [member="Curtis Learchin"] mentioned finding the occasional bad guy. "Eager to show me your skills to protect me, are you?" She smiled and winked. It wasn't as though he needed to prove himself to her. But she certainly wasn't going to stop him. Her own training by the Mandalorians could only serve her in certain situations. She wasn't exactly in a tournament or flying in a battlezone at the moment.

Her attention moved to the golden armour that [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] wore just as it also attracted Curtis. The glare from the sunlight made it stand out and she wasn't certain, but she thought that she had seen others move away from him too. "Golden armour? Must be royalty or something...." Lori squinted her eyes in the sunlight as she studied the man for a few seconds more. "Let's just keep going. He's probably just a tourist or watching over someone. It's none of our business anyways. Unless of course you owe any debts that I'm unaware of?" Lori didn't know much about Curtis' past. Yet he didn't know much of hers either. Such things were best to be revealled in time.

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

Location: Zardossa Spaceport, beginning to trail [member="Loreena Arenais"] and [member="Curtis Learchin"]
Equipment: Same as before
Time: Just after noon


As Kresslyn watched the two exit the ship, something felt off within his head. This wasn't the first time he felt this way when encountering someone, he had normally felt it when encountering force users. Kresslyn normally forgot that he was indeed force sensitive, just had no sort of formal training or alignment with the force. It was simply a utility that could be used positively or negatively. As the two continued to walk out of their ship, Kresslyn slowly paced over in their direction, attempting to be as discreet and undetected as not to give away his positioning. This would certainly be a challenging task considering it was the middle of the day and he was wearing golden armor whilst carrying a golden shield. He wasn't a stealthy type, but he could be discreet as need be. Just not too good at it.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori furrowed her brows. She knew enough about tracking to tell when she was being tailed. And [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] sure seemed to be doing that. Her path towards the spaceport never changed. Instead she just kept on going, if only to be sure of her suspicions, but to appear as though she took little notice.

"I can't wait to get to this Pyramid and see if the space portal is real. Or rather, if it still even exists." Lori loved adventure and this surely was one. However Golden Boy over there added another layer to it. But she was prepared, just as she was for this heat.

She just wanted to get a proper map first. Not on how to get to the Pyramid, but a map of the inside of it. [member="Curtis Learchin"] would watch her back, she was certain. That was part of his job.

 

[Curtis Learchin]

"I think Goldie Locks has taken a bigger interest in us than first thought." Curtis commented, following [member="Loreena Arenais"]. His job in part was to look out for her, and this was exactly why he was keeping an eye on [member="Kresslyn Cantor"]. He could just be a tourist who was going in the same direction as them, or he be a spy/assassin sent to kill one of them. Curtis wasn't exactly sure who important Lori was, in fact he knew very little about her past, but he could guess that she was running from something for a reason.

"I may sound thick here, but what exactly is a space portal?" Curtis asked, having not heard the term before. He assumed it was some kind of hyperspace do-da, but then again, in this galaxy, it could be anything.

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

Location: Trailing [member="Curtis Learchin"] and [member="Loreena Arenais"] by "coincidence"
Equipment: The same as before

He knew as much as the two in front of them knew about the Stix, there was a pyramid that belonged to some sort of cult, housing some sort of "space portal". As he trailed the two, he realized that he had already been exposed. The male on the side of the woman slightly adjusted his demeanor. He wasn't nervous in any way but was ready for a fight. The woman to his side continued to eagerly walk the path of the barren desert towards the pyramid as if she didn't notice. Kresslyn knew that she knew as well, but was trying to sell if as if she was clueless. Most women were very skilled at this, but anyone that paid close attention would notice as she quickly glanced backwards and then turned to speak to him.

Even if his cover was blown, that was perfectly fine. He had no sort of malicious intent whatsoever. Going out of his way to hurt someone was nothing he would ever consider. With that being said, he continued to follow the two to their same common destination. As he let up and walked behind the pair, he thought of what the cult would think of the trio showing up to their pyramid for a "tour" of sorts. If they were hostile, Kresslyn had just cause to force his way in. What exactly WAS a space portal anyway? When he landed on these weird planets he commonly asked himself the same old questions.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Spoiler

((OOC: Gah! It's not like me to forget about a thread! That's super duper highly unusual! I'm sorry!))

Lori wasn't too keen on being followed. Normally it wasn't for anything good. But who knew how they'd be received on this planet? Of course
[member="Kresslyn Cantor"] didn't quite look as though he was a native. "Well, let's just keep going. I'm sure that if he wanted to hurt one of us, he'd of done so by now." Or at least that's what she would have done. However Lori was more the type to lay out traps.

"A space portal? It's rumored that stepping into it will transport you to another place. But that's just a rumor. I mean, it could just be a ruse in order for people to join their cult. Who knows?" Of course Lori had had very little run-ins with cults. She wondered if [member="Curtis Learchin"] had ever done so. There was so very little about his past that she knew about.

"The temple used to be guarded by droids of some kind that looked like pillars that get activated by touch, so...let's try not to touch anything. Except maybe a door." And the floor of course.

The sun reflected off the desert sand and only now did Lori begin to get accustomed to it. She squinted her eyes as she looked out in the distance. Buildings appeared, but flickered. A mirage? Hmmm. Something seemed off.

"Have you got a scope or something?"

 

[Curtis Learchin]

[member="Kresslyn Cantor"] was still on their tails, but hadn't made any attempt to engage. [member="Loreena Arenais"] was probably right, but he would keep his guard up regardless. If the man wanted a fight, he'd find Curtis to be more than a match.

Curtis looked over the fast desert that lay before them, and to the structure that sat in the centre. He dropped to one knee and peered into the distance, everything seemed to be shifting, as if directly influenced by the light.

"Always loved a good cult..." He joked, trailing his finger through the sand. "No scope I'm afraid, but I know what you're thinking." She must've been seeing what he was seeing, which meant it couldn't have been a mirage or hallucination. More likely a hologram, or something to that effect anyway.

"How do you want to do this then? Just walk up to it?" Curtis knew that Lori was more sensible than that, or at least he hoped that she was.