Private Those Who Wait

[Boe]

A freighter barely worth its weight in junk dropped out of hyperspace, blipping into existence near the edge of Dantooine's gravity well.

Its pilot was himself, just as much of a wreck. "Alright, alright. I took you where you wanted to go." He looked over his shoulder, hands up as if held at blaster point.

Boe reached out with her hand, tapping a finger on his forehead, and muttered. "Be gone, friend. You are home again, you are at rest, and you need not awake until my return." Her spell only recognized by subtle movement in the force and a sickly green glow behind his eyes.

"Fly us in," she commanded.

He responded rigidly, but managed to keep the ship going just fine. Boe looked out the transparisteel window at Dantooine's distant glow. It was a world that meant a lot to her, and it had been so long since she returned, but she had to know if anyone remained. She recalled the meeting place, where the Primeval remnant gathered, where the high priests named her the next Lord of the Primeval Host--Anja's successor.

The witch left the cockpit and walked into the lounge, where Jack Sandrow was left to his own devices.

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Jack was lounging, as one does in a lounge. A large pod of green matter took up the bulk of what space was left; it housed a variety of goodies for his usage on the extended mission Boe had asked him to be a part of. While he was iffy about mind-controlling a pilot for this journey (a handful of credits had never steered him wrong), it was probably the most prudent in this scenario. At least, that's what Boe had assured him.

"How long till we land?" he asked, as Boe moved into the lounge. "I'll need about fifteen minutes to suit and arm up, give or take." He pushed the pad he had been reading onto the table in front of him, and eyed her curiously. "Are you bringing any weapons? Besides yourself."

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

"Then you better get started," Boe retorted.

The freighter shook a little as it broke atmosphere, causing some wires and parts in the lounge to shake and rattle.

She shook her head at his second question. "I don't expect we'll find any threats here," she said, crossing her arms. "Only wildlife. Harmless if you know them, which I do."

Although she had yet to reveal it, Dantooine was like a second home to her. Maybe the only home she had left where she could feel welcome. A small smile crept on her face.

"My friends should be there."

Boe never mentioned who she expected to find on Dantooine, only that it would be their first destination of four: Dantooine, Sernpidal, Gulamendis, and lastly... Wayland, the place where it all began.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

"Well I don't... I've never actually been to Dantooine." He got up off the chair, heading to the pod and pressing a hand to its surface. "I guess I'll arm myself enough for the two of us." A soft wordless communication flitted between him and the pod, before it cracked open to reveal the Olisthiros combat suit and a variety of small arms.

He breathed in softly, before stepping into the pod and began to get himself dressed. "How are you wanting me to help out? Am I playing the part of hired muscle, or are you needing me for anything in specific?" Organic greaves slid over shoes, the chestplate molded itself around his frame, and the helmet curled up behind his neck, leaving his head bare for now.

He stepped out of the pod, flexing and adjusting as he made sure everything fit properly. "Ready to go."

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

"You're well prepared as always," Boe noted.

Of course, she said that as if what happened on Coruscant wasn't rushed on her part, and thus thrusting Jack into a state of unpreparedness. At the matter of how she wanted him to help out, there was quite a pause between then and Boe's response. She looked distracted, to say the least, or at least her attention was inward. Her gaze stared passively at the ground.

The starship shook again as it passed the final bit of turbulence and began to descend towards their destination.

"Your connection to the Force," she finally answered. "That is what I need. Where we're going is sensitive."

The engines roared as the ship slowed to a crawl and began its vertical descent. Good timing on Jack's part. Boe nodded at his readiness, and then she ventured towards the ramp where a small pack of items awaited. She reached down to lift it over her shoulder and stepped out into the plains where they landed. It was a small patch of clear ground surrounded by rocky crags and cave entrances. Dantooine was known for them.

"It's nearby."

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Equipment: Olisthiros suit | Pistol | Launcher | Garrote

---

Jack gave Boe a level gaze at her response, evaluating whether or not she was actually telling him the truth or even most of the truth. He wasn't going to press it this time, though. "Sensitive. Got it." He flexed the armor over his wrist, making sure the fit felt good. "I can do sensitive."

He took his first breath of Dantooine air that day. "Mmmm... Rich. A bit dusty, but.... vibrant." He knelt briefly, ruffling through a clump of grass with delicate fingers. "Hey you..." He pulled a thin strand of grass out of the dirt - uprooting it without ripping it off its stem - and gently placed it on the back of his hand. "You can come with me."

He looked to Boe as she directed them towards her objective. "Nearby," he acknowledged, moving up behind her to keep pace.

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

Boe led Jack only a short distance from where they landed, maybe 20 minutes away at the furthest, and thus far, the walk had been a peaceful one. The day was pleasant, warm but not hot, with a gentle breeze, and mostly clear skies. The ground was covered in tall, idyllic grass, with blba trees scattered here and there. Even a brith flew overhead.

As far as worlds go, Dantooine was among the few that really were a paradise. Well, almost a paradise anyway, as Dantooine was also home to many fauna, most of which were territorial and big. Sometimes very big.

A powerful thune bull came charging around the horizon. It trumpeted and rumbled, stomping its large feet.

Territorial indeed.

Boe stretched out one hand--she's been here before--and closed her eyes. Truthfully, it had been some time, but if there was anything the young witch was good at, truly a prodigy with, it was forming a bond with creatures through the Force. It was why she picked Dantooine first, and why it had always been the closest thing to a home she ever had.

"Gentle, be gentle... I am a visitor, not an intruder; you are the sovereign of this plain and I am but a guest." She said the words barely above a whisper.

The thune stomped forward, trumpeted again, and then it began to calm... With a single, triumphant snort, it slowly turned tail and trundled off.

Boe exhaled through her nostrils, chuckled to herself, then smiled. "He thought we were here to compete for mates." She then tossed Jack an accusatory glance, though the smirk lingered. A different side to Boe.

It would not be so easy ahead. Not when they entered that cave, which was already visible, and only a few dozen feet away.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Equipment: Olisthiros suit | Pistol | Launcher | Garrote

---

Jack made his way alongside Boe, letting his fingers gently drag in the long grasses as they enjoyed a brief walk. The blba trees were amazing to look at, even from a distance, and he made a mental note to take a few samples from a willing tree on the way back.

An animal call sounded out - close by! - and Jack immediately switched to battle mode. The garrote unspooled from his wrist and he prepared to defend the pair of them, hand dropping to the butt of his pistol as well. He didn't want to kill the beast, but it might want to kill them.

And then.... Boe got it to stop. He drew in a breath, waiting for a heel turn or a backlash from the bull... but it never happened. She was saying something, but it was too quiet for him to catch. She had it turning around, though... and despite several tons of animal having charged the pair of them only moments later, neither of the two had so much as a scratch. He spooled the garrote around his wrist once again, letting out a long sigh of relief. The bull trundled off, and he finally relaxed again.

"....That definitely could have been much worse." He shared her smirk, and mirrored the twinkle in her eye at her comment. "Good thing we're only staying as long as needed." He let her continue leading onwards; she knew the way, and he would help as best as he could. Hopefully this time he'd be a bit more aware of any encroaching foe.

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

"As needed?" She looked at him with uncertainty. "Does this place worry you, Jack?"

The cave entrance wasn't anything special. Barely wide enough for them both to enter side-by-side.

It was dark inside, too, and it reeked of decay. The witch walked in without any source of light but the dwindling day behind her, until that too was replaced by darkness.

"Left..." She muttered. Then, Boe moved in the direction where the tunnel began to snake.

They weren't alone. An audible skitter, something bigger than a critter, and it moved away from them, deeper into the cave. The direction they headed.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Equipment: Olisthiros suit | Pistol | Launcher | Garrote

---

"Ha - no no," he chuckled. "Only meant that we'd be moving on before that rhino decides to have a second opinion."

As they approached the cave, he took a bit of a backstep, letting her take lead. She knew where she was going, and he hadn't prepped anything for extended spelunking. Still, he could at least prep for something.

He pulled a small spore grenade off his hip, and tossed it far down the tunnel with a soft puff. The spores in the grenade began to waft further down the tunnel, and Jack let his helmet fold back around his head, giving him a superimposed vision of speckles of spores on floors, walls, and other surfaces. He could also get a sort of map in the corner of his vision, letting him see the length, depth, and width of each tunnel despite it being pitch black.

Jack heard the skittering noise as well, and his hand went to his hip again, but he maintained composure for now. "You know where you're going, right?" he confirmed softly, voice crackling through the organic helmet. The false-image of the rocky walls and ceiling around him superimposed on his HUD kept him from bonking his head on a low rock outcropping, and he ducked out of the way as needed. "Cause I'm still mapping out these tunnels..."

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

Boe leaped back like a challenged feline when Jack deployed the grenade.

"What was that!?" She snapped.

Through her initial shock and confusion, she noticed his own calm demeanor. Was it not a weapon? At least it didn't seem important now, so she let her guard down--a little.

"Yes, I know where I'm going."

Boe continued deeper inside, through the darkness of winding tunnels that gradually got bigger. Now it was about large enough to fit three of them shoulder-to-shoulder, but just barely.

"What do you mean?" She asked about the mapping. She remained quite unfamiliar with his tools, let alone his process. However, he did seem one for preparation, which was good.

The skittering continued to lead away from them, but still in the direction they were headed. If it was aware of the two of them, it seemed to be keeping its distance rather than trying for a closer look.

Jack Sandrow

 

[Jack Sandrow]

Equipment: Olisthiros suit | Pistol | Launcher | Garrote

---

"Oh, sorry - that's a spore grenade. Harmless non-lethal area-scanning biotech." He reached up to his organic helmet, tapping where the 'faceplate' would be. "Lets me 'see' -" he used air quotes - "in complete darkness, because the spores attach to every possible surface, and then transmit their position back to me. My helmet transmits that information to me, and it lets me see without sight."

Now he too could move with impunity, and did so, continuing down the tunnel following Boe. "Currently the spores are wafting down the tunnels, sticking to surfaces wherever they can find. Once they 'run out', so to speak, they'll start growing small puffball shrooms, and those will begin crafting their own spores, and so on and so forth until the entire network of tunnels is mapped. However long that will take. If we leave before it's done, though, then I'll just tell them to stop."

He kept hearing that skittering up ahead, and the spores hadn't traveled nearly far enough to identify what that was. His hand stayed by his hip, ready just in case...

---

Boe

 

[Boe]

A grenade that lets one see? That was new. Boe only replied with an audible 'huh' but not much else. She listened as he elaborated on the device. Using spores to coat an environment, and then a receiver to create a visual image, and all rendered useless once they sprout into mushrooms.

Odd. Very odd. Very resourceful.

"The creature does not mean us harm." She said matter-of-factly.

The darkness up ahead was replaced by twilight. A source of natural light ahead. The witch picked up her pace. There was an eagerness to her step that wasn't there before, until they reached a grand opening with the naked sky above it. A thicket of trees grew around the rim, providing shade to the rocky floor below. The space was large, but much of it had been taken up by a medium freighter parked in the center. It was in rather rough shape.

A scrawny kath hound skittered across the floor and climbed up some wreckage, and crawled into a hole near an engine.

Jack Sandrow