Private The Weather Machine

[Starlin Rand]

“Since you said you didn’t know Shyriiwook, looks like we gotta slide in a quick Comprehend Speech lesson,” Starlin said. He and Eli were currently riding a pulley-operated lift down into the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk.

Upon arriving on the Wookiee homeworld, they’d spent a brief amount of time at the Silver Rest, headquarters of the Silver Jedi Order. Starlin, a former member of said Order, thought it was best if he didn’t stick around. Too many memories associated with the place.

“Anyway, Comprehend Speech is just a passive form of telepathy. You read the mind of the speaker to discern the meaning of what they’re saying—although some things don’t translate completely, so you may still wind up confused. But it’ll give you the general gist of what’s being said.” He gestured to the Wookiee operating the pulley system. “Hey, Zhontuul, say something to my Padawan. Anything you want.”

The Wookiee let out a series of growls and roars for the Padawan to decipher.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Kashyyyk was something else, wasn't it? So vibrant and verdant, so much life packed into every square inch. He liked the sights, he loved the smells, and even the sounds were rather soothing. Chirping and crowing and the like... Though the buzzing was a little incessant.​

​

"Cool" he replied when he was told he'd be learning something new to help with the task at hand. Comprehend Speech. Telepathy, only more specialized. He beamed a grin at that, because honestly he felt as though he was genuinely getting somewhere with such things. "Okay... Passive telepathy, though? Gleaning surface thoughts without meaning to, or..?"​

​

How did he do that passively?​

​

"Can it be done, uh, not-passively at first? Would that still work?"​

​

The Wookiee said something, but he'd been so focused on the technicalities of it - as per usual - that he didn't even think to try. Whoops.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin’s eyes rapidly glazed over as Eli asked about the etymology behind his use of the word passive. Sometimes, he felt like his Padawan asked so many questions, his hair would go gray and he’d die of exhaustion before he had a chance to answer them all.

“Uh, I dunno,” he replied, shrugging. “I looked it up in the manual, it said it was passive telepathy. Or, wait… Did it?” His brow furrowing, he produced the manual in question—a little book called The Force For Dummies. “It actually doesn’t. Sorry, I got confused. It says, ‘This power proved ineffective at comprehending the language of extremely xenophobic cultures. It can be guessed that cultures that actively refuse contact with other cultures, such as not caring whether a particular individual can communicate with them or not, can negate this ability.’ It used the word actively, and I somehow thought it meant passively, because I’m a clown. Anyway, uh… is it just me, or does that not make a lick of sense?”

Shaking his head, he closed the book (or possibly handed it to Eli, if the boy asked for it). “I never actually learned this power myself. I’m bad at telepathy, but you seem pretty good at it, so… yeah. Ask Nimdok, I guess.”

The Wookiee rumbled with amusement.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Eliphas chuckled to the lot of it.​

​

"Yeah, no, that seems... Oddly specific? What so you're telling me I can't use telepathy on xenophobic cultures? Or that only this specific branch of it won't work? Or..." He shook his head, he was getting too into it again. "May I?" he inquired, holding out a hand for the book which was promptly passed his way. "Maybe I will" he stated of Nimdok, "Next time I see him." If he saw him, he supposed.​

​

Life looked a little busy right now. They hadn't even been back to Coruscant yet.​

​

He flicked through a few of the pages, loving the name on the cover, before turning his gaze over to the Wookiee once more. "Erm, Zhontuul?" Empress, he hoped that was the right name, and that he wasn't butchering the pronunciation, "Do you think you could say it again?"​

​

Ugh, he felt wrong even asking for it. It wasn't as though the .. guy? .. was some show pony, after all. "I promise, I'm paying attention." Even as he asked he drew upon the Force, and worked to bridge the gap between himself and Zhon.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Zhontuul proceeded to insult Eli in Shyriiwook. Starlin’s eyes widened, lips twitching with suppressed laughter.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Hey" the boy responded, brows knitting together as some semblance of what was uttered came to him through the Force. Whether it was just direct telepathy or otherwise he couldn't say for sure, but regardless... "My mother is not a Quenker..."​

​

He glanced across to Starlin, and it was genuinely difficult to tell if he was actually hurt by the words or if it was all an act. "She's a lovely woman..."​

​

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Good job, kid,” Starlin said, nodding in approval. Zhontuul laughed uproariously.

The platform finally reached the forest floor. They were in the Shadowlands. As the name suggested, the Shadowlands were very dark, although at the moment there was some sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.

“Right, okay. Atmokinesis,” Starlin began. “Basically, it just involves manipulating molecules to do different things. Create clouds, make it rain. Dissipate clouds, make it sunny. Electrify them, and you got lightning. Make the air molecules move, create wind, yada yada. Here, lemme show you…”

Starlin stretched out his arms toward the shafts of light passing between enormous tree trunks. With some considerable effort, he produced a thick fog that rolled steadily in. Sunlight reflecting upon the pale wispy surface made individual droplets of water sparkle like diamonds.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He shot Zhontuul a glare, before all of it dissolved into good humour. Eliphas Dune, actually mad about something that didn't really matter? Never. Not with the likes of Starlin as his Master to soften that side of him up.​

​

They reached the ground soon after, and he dipped his head respectfully to the Wookiee who had accompanied them. Then he followed Starlin. "Why did we come to Kashyyyk?" he queried, curiously, "Is it easier to do here?"​

​

Of course, Starlin was giving his instruction so the boy soon quietened and listened to what was said. Observed as Starlin pulled forth precipitation from the air and converged it all into wisps of fog that had the air around them glistening with moisture.​

​

It was... Mesmerizing.​

​

Eliphas couldn't look away.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Why did we come to Kashyyyk?" he queried, curiously, "Is it easier to do here?"

"Well, I was taught how to do this here on Kashyyyk. Me and Syd went into these ancient ruins, where we had to use Atmokinesis to activate these giant weather machines by striking these platforms with lightning. You and I don't have to do all that, but I figured, feth it, we might as well come here anyway." Starlin shrugged and looked at Eli. "Unless you want to skulk around some ruins and zap weather machines with lightning?"

Did he?

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"You know me, Master, I'm down for anything" he said with a shrug, though the idea of having something tangible to practice against was enticing to say the least. Even so, knowing that this was the same place Starlin had come to learn left Eliphas grinning.​

​

Sentimental, was he?​

​

That was slightly unexpected...​

​

"Was it fun? Zapping things with lightning?" Not Force Lightning, good heavens no. This was more akin to the real thing, right?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“It was fun—Syd was always fun—but it was dangerous, too. I think we cleared out the ruins well enough, though. If anything, the local wildlife might’ve settled in. Like those fething slug creatures that puke acid… or the giant spiders that jump out of nowhere and pounce on you… or the saava plants…”

Starlin led the way toward the ruins. A secret door hidden among the roots of a tree, a short walk through an underground tunnel, and then the duo came upon some sort of magical portal leading somewhere else.

“Babies first,” Starlin said, turning to grin at Eli as he stepped aside to let the Padawan through.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"Huh, sounds like everything here is some variant of creepy" he mumbled, before hastily correcting himself, "Save for the Wookiee, of course. They're just plain cool."​

​

Starlin led the way on through the forest, and Eliphas kept pace alongside him with a leisurely stroll and a quiet hum beneath his breath. He might have whistled some tune instead, but that was a little more likely to draw some of the aforementioned fauna to their location. No thank you, no spiders, no acidic slugs, not yet at least.​

​

When they came upon the place, and paused before some shimmering portal, Eliphas wrinkled his nose.​

​

"Where's this going to take us?" he inquired, not much liking the look of it in truth. It was... Strange. Alien. Different.​

​

But Starlin's choice of words had him turn his head. He pulled a face. "You're the baby" he muttered, yet as though somehow trying to prove a point he hesitated no longer and stepped on through, bracing himself for whatever lay on the other side.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“To the weather machines, fool,” Starlin replied, as though it were obvious.

As baby Eli stepped through, Starlin followed soon after

—and immediately found himself pounced upon by a wyyyschokk that had made her nest inside the chamber.

“SPIDER!” he screamed, whipping out his lightsaber and slashing at it wildly.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin could call him a baby all he liked, but Eliphas wasn't the one who screamed bloody murder at the sight of a spider.​

​

It was, admittedly, a rather large arachnid... But still, all the same; he gave his Master a strange look, as he reached for his own blade and ignited it into existence. Some of the smaller ones, no doubt hatchlings or closer to that than the one Starlin was flailing at, skittered back under the glare of the amber light.​

​

Being that he had no real way to just keep them from coming, he was no beast master after all, Eliphas resigned himself to slashing at those which got too close. It wasn't the time to play morality police with himself, they were non-sentient bugs... He had to remind himself of that fact all the same.​

​

Eliphas hated killing even bugs.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin was promptly covered in webbing. He slashed his way out of it, then lunged at the giant spider, screaming all the while.

Somehow he managed to clamber up on its back, stabbing downward into its body with his lightsaber. It struggled and skittered and tried to buck him off, but he was clinging on for dear life. Finally, his blade struck something vital, and the body beneath him abruptly slumped, going limp.

Starlin finally stopped screaming and caught his breath. At least, until the little baby spiders came along.

“FETHING FETH! I HATE SPIDERS!”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Would that Eliphas knew any crowd control abilities... Alas, he did not.​

​

Instead he focused on swiping this way and that to cut a path through the spiders and toward the big one which was soon slumping down at Starlin's incessant strikes. He found his Master up on the creature's back.​

​

So too did the little ones.​

​

Some of them he could squish underfoot, others were a little larger and really did need the heat of his blade to keep them at bay. Eliphas grimaced at the entire scene, the entire process, and shook his head.​

​

"These one's are so small" he stated, shaking a couple of them from his leg as they tried to crawl up it, "Just squish them. Or keep screaming, maybe you'll scare them off."​

​

Either way, Eliphas didn't relent. Hated the feeling of them on his skin, mind, skittering little buggers...​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Blowing smoke out his nose like a dragon, Starlin resorted to breathing fire to get rid of the hatchlings. The survivors had instincts enough to flee the flames while their siblings burned.

Coughing at the foul smelling smoke it produced, Starlin muttered, “I may have gone too far in a few places. Let this be a lesson, Eli… burning shit in a closed chamber is not a good idea…” To prevent them from suffocating, he used his Atmokinesis to direct the smoke and smoldering ash back through the portal.

Shaking himself in an attempt to get rid of the feeling of things crawling on him, he looked at Eli and yelped, “There’s one on your back!”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

... Or fire.​

​

Fire worked too.​

​

He watched as the last dregs of the arachnids made their departure, then coughed against the hazy smoke that lingered between the frying of the spiders and Starlin's usage of the Force to clear the room. "Uh, yep" he said, blinking as his eyes began to sting, "Yep, consider that noted..."​

​

Another couple of coughs, then he was breathing properly again.​

​

At Starlin's exclamation, Eliphas swiftly glanced over his shoulder in surprise and he swatted at it.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Holy feth,” Starlin whispered as the little spider skittered away from his Padawan. “Sorry man, I just… really, really don’t like spiders.”

Looking around, he finally spotted the first of the weather machines. It was a raised platform, exposed to the sky through a hole in the ceiling. Beyond it, there appeared to be no trees, only blue sky—a jarring sight for Kashyyyk.

“Alright, time to make it rain, thunder and lightning, baby.” That nickname was starting to stick. “Uh, I guess you should start with finding molecules in the atmosphere, then move on to influencing them. This is weird, but, you know the stories about Sith influencing individual cells in people’s bodies to create life? I always kinda wondered if that was similar to this, in some freaky type of way.”

He laughed. “Anyway, what do you know about the weather, how storms are formed, why lightning happens, and all that chit?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"I couldn't tell" he said with something of a grin, watching the creepy little thing skitter off into the distance. Eliphas didn't really like spiders and the sort, but that didn't mean he wanted to decimate them. If they could coexist, cool!​

​

After Starlin explained the task at hand, or perhaps more appropriately their game plan, then asked his question, the boy pondered for a long moment and reached up to stroke his baby smooth chin.​

​

"Uh... water evaporates in the heat, the droplets cool the warm air, and clouds form from the precipitation of it..." Or something like that. It had been a while since the weather module of his geography classes back on Empress Teta. "Thunder and lightning are caused when the heavy rainclouds collide and rub against one another, the lightning is static right? Thunder's the uh... the noise it makes?" Okay.​

​

So maybe he didn't remember as much as he thought he had. In fact by the end he felt pretty stupid about the whole thing. Eliphas frowned. "It's all about pressure and moisture, and heat, that's about as much as I remember..."​

​

He looked sheepishly at his feet.​

​

Starlin Rand ​