Too remote to make an effective demonstration…

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus wandered down to the library. She’d spent more time studying in her office of late and missed this place. She used to be here for hours on end. She even had her own table. Strictly speaking it wasn’t her table – it was just the one that she used and regular attendees knew she sat at. And they reminded any newcomers of the fact.

It wasn’t a special desk, it afforded no particular view. But it was closest to the records on the period of history that was closest to her heart – from the Army of the Light up until Order 66.

So she was shocked to find someone sitting. In the library. In her seat. At her table. But she got over herself very, very quickly. She recognised the Padawan immediately. [member="Saruh"]. Bowing politely, she couldn’t help but see that the young Jedi was poring over schematics – and it looked like it was for a lightsaber design.

Aware they’d never spoken, Corvus smiled and introduced herself. “Master Raaf. Corvus to you. I see you’re looking at designing a new saber. Mine’s quite functional really. Traditional. But it serves me well. What do you have in mind?”

Corvus was also aware that Saruh didn’t currently have a Master assigned to her and wondered how she was getting along – but one question at a time was probably enough.

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

Saruh had found a neat spot close to the library...

As of now, she had various ideas for lightsaber designs, but this one was a design she enjoyed more than others. She pretty much jango jumped when she heard a voice break into her thoughts. She turned to see, and hear, Jedi Master [member="Corvus Raaf"] herself.

Saruh fixed her helmet, pulling it around so it was straighter. She still felt a bit like an outsider in the Order, but curiosity and wonder about the Force kept her here. "Master." She remembered what little etiquette she knew.

The grey skinned Terrelian pushed a graph of a long hilted lightsaber towards her. "I don't really get why lightsabers don't have any options between small and humongous," she cut right in, "I've been trying to find something in between that would allow body movement, however offer the perks of a longer hilt..." Even as she spoke she dove into a holobook concerning lightsaber crystals.

"I do wonder why Jedi are so picky about lightsaber colors," all manners were obviously lost in the former bounty hunter, spilling her beans in the heights of research, "It's kind of like judging a person based upon skin color in my eyes. Why all the hate on red? It's a neat color..." she turned a page and, preoccupied, closed her half minded speech, "What's your lightsaber like, Master?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to [member="Saruh"] as she spoke of her saber. Her enthusiasm for the subject was infectious. And she had to agree, the disdain for red sabers was purely due to who wielded them. In fact...

But she was brought of of her thought process by a question. "My saber? Corvus unclipped her saber and shoto and put them on the desk in front of Saruh. "Both based upon the design of Obi-Wan Kenobi's saber after his fight with Darth Maul. He shared the designs with Luke Skywalker in a journal who in turn shared them with his New Jedi Order. If they were good enough for those two, they're good enough for me. And perhaps my shoto is different. Typically they are smaller. Although my blade is short like a typical shoto, the hilt is a standard size. I find it more comfortable that way. And my crystals are Solari."

"But tell me, are you set on a red crystal?"

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

I didn't get your tag for some reason :/

Saruh nodded at Master Raaf, "Neat sabers." I'll have to look into a shoto after I finish this one... Saruh stuck her thumb ul casually at her question, "Red's my favorite color! If it's obtainable I'm willing to accept the challenge." She lightly laughed, but there was a darker truth behind that statement. A former bounty hunter, always having lived a poor life, challenges were a common thing she was used to tackling. "Where can a red crystal be found?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. Things worth having were worth overcoming challenges for. And the Padawan facing her seemed to not only understand that but relish it. "I know of one source. Most red sabers - and I guess you know what and who I'm talking about here - are synthetic. A Jedi should have an organic crystal. And there is one source that I know of for red crystals. I warn you, they are rare. We could go and find none - it is a distinct possibility."

Corvus took a seat, her eyes now flashing with the excitement of the option she was about to lay out for Saruh. "It has been known for red crystals to grow in Kinrath eggs. Instead of a young creature, a crystal grows instead. Nobody has ever explained the phenomenon. And records show that this only happens in one place - on Dantooine. There is a crystal cave there. But I have to tell you it is dangerous." Corvus readily understood this would probably encourage not discourage the Padawan.

She shifted in her seat. "The planet is in Mandalorian hands - and there are rumours that many Sith live there. Now I apologise for not knowing this, given my role here, but do you currently have a Master that could accompany you?"

[member="Saruh"]

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

The thoughts going through Saruh's mind that entire time were thoughts like Oh, I can handle it and I eat danger for breakfast! She could see that even though she was masked with caution, the Jedi Master was excited as well.

"I don't have a mentor at all," Saruh answered a question that caused a mix of frustration and comfort, "Never was assigned one." She was comforted about having no master at first, because she already was used to doing everything by herself, but she was frustrated because she knew a mentor was a great learning experience. She wanted to learn everything she could here. Even though she was used to roughing things alone however, an experienced Jedi handling an outsider could help her adjustment here go better.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled in a kind way. "Then it looks like it's going to be you and me then, if you'll have me?" She stood and picked up the datapads and documents she'd so recently set down. "Now tell me, are you just looking to collect the crystal or were you planning on crafting your saber there?"

"Both work for me by the way." She raised a hand. "And don't worry about an answer now, meet me at the hangar tomorrow morning and you can tell me on the way. It'll be a chance to speak some more and find out what you think of Ossus and the training you've received so far." And Corvus rushed off to rearrange lessons and cover for her unplanned absence.

#​

Corvus waited at the hangar and completed all the external pre-flight checks as she waited for Saruh. Raven 2 wasn't the same as her first ship and sometimes the familiarity brought back the wrong memories - but she had to be practical and just get on with life.

"Will we be joined by Master Truden, Master Raaf?"

Corvus shook her head at Corax. "No, a Padawan. Someone you've never met before." The protocol droid said something in a language clearly chosen so she couldn't understand it and it walked back into the ship. He'd never been the same since her friend had 'improved' his programming.

[member="Saruh"]

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Saruh entered the area in her usual attire. Red, sleeveless shirt and tan pants. Knee high boots, and of course, her helmet. The skinny Terrelian walked up to the Jedi Master, carrying a bag of this and that behind jer.

"I don't know how Jedi look upon digging in trash bins, but it's amazing the treasure you can find down there. I found a lot of neat things to make a lightsaber!" Under her helmet she was smiling, very excited for the journey ahead. It reminded her of her days as a bounty hunter, taking dangerous tasks with hefty rewards - instead of money this time though, a lightsaber crystal.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. [member="Saruh"] had an infectious enthusiasm for the situation and that was always positive to see.

"Have you flown one of these before? Grab a seat and get us in the air and I'll tell you where we're going. And whilst you're at it, why don't you tell me a little something about yourself?"

Sometimes as a Master, you got a good vibe about a Padawan and if Saruh was willing, by the time they'd found the crystal, Corvus was hoping her travelling companion would accept her as her Master. Unless someone had gotten there first of course.

[member="Saruh"]

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"I'm driving?? ..." Saruh slowly got into her seat and got situated, putting her bag of 'trash' next to the seat. She'd blasted away on speeders before, but never a ship like this. "O-Okay... don't blame me if we die or anything..."

She observed the ship's controls carefully, then finally lifted off.

As they went beyond the atmosphere and into the skies, Saruh spoke up again, "If you want to know a bit about me, I was a bounty hunter prior to all this." the Terrelian Jango Jumper prepared for the jump to hyperspace, she turned to the Jedi Master for coordinates, "A bounty hunter with no flying experience."

The girl chuckled, "Where are we headed?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus chuckled. She must have been mad handing the controls over - but she knew the astrodroid would autocorrect any particularly dangerous manoeuvres.

"We're headed to Dantooine. The Mandalorians are formally friendly but there are a lot of Sith still on the planet, so we need to tread carefully. Do you know anything about the planet?"

Corvus was purposefully letting Saruh do the talking for the moment. The Jedi Master had a habit of rambling on and so needed to temper her desire to dominate the conversation and find out all about the Padawan seated next to her.

@Saruh

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]


Saruh bit her lip as she entered the coordinates. "I really don't know anything about any planets aside the ones I've been on. Sorry..." Then she sent them off into hyperspace, "This is my first visit."

As the blue space and stars flew by, the girl kept her sweaty hands on the controls. Her helmet hid her feelings of nervousness. She could just pretend she had control...

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Sometimes having no pre-conceived ideas was a blessing. So Corvus chose not to share any of the facts she knew about the planet and instead talked generally as they made their way there. She gave [member="Saruh"] a lesson on piloting the ship - allowing her to understand what all of the controls did. It was a practical use of the time and Corvus was always pragmatic.

Finally they exited hyperspace and saw the planet ahead of them. As the closed in, it was evident it was a pleasant world of grasslands, rivers and lakes. It hosted a small population spread amongst single-family settlements and small communities with large land holdings. Its sentient population consisted primarily of simple human farmers,.


Dantooine had several continents, an olive, blue, and brown coloured world with two moons. But they weren't here for a geography lesson. So she took the controls and headed for the Jedi Enclave. Landing nearby she knew they were close enough to request help but not so close as to appear intruding. Finally they were ready to disembark, but before they did, Corvus had a question. "Have you ever heard of kinrath?"

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"You know what I've never seen?" Saruh asked, her mismatched eyes looking across the planet, "Such a view..."

The former bounty hunter was so used to the dirty streets of a busy, overpopulated Courasont. Even after joining the Jedi and moving to the rich forests of Ossus, she had never such marvelous plant life aside the ones found in simple holobooks and posters. This was real. Real. Real like the thrills of pulling a blaster out, acting as a simple huntswoman for hire. Yet, this type of reality was peaceful and serene, a similar feeling she found when meditating... and she was still looking through a window...

The girl landed the ship (making a huge 'thump,' but nothing serious) and wondered - was this the same, deadly planet with rare lightsaber crystals Master Corvus talked about? Or was it true what people said, that beauty was sinfully furious?

The Terrelian looked at the Jedi Master accompanying her through her helmet, "What's a kinrath?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. "OK, a quick lesson - but I'll try to skip the boring details. Kinrath are a species of large, non-sentient arachnoids. They're also found on Kashyyyk."

"They're typically a light yellow-brownish color, and can be found throughout forests, but the hive kinrath, which we're interested in lives in the subsurface of Dantooine. They have four legs and a leg-like, poisonous appendage coming out of their faces that they use to attack prey or enemies. All kinrath are blind but can sense heat which allows them to navigate their way around."

"And here's the important bit. Red lightsaber crystals can be naturally generated in unhatched kinrath eggs, instead of being artificially forged. So that's why we're here. But I want you to take the lead. This is your exhibition. We need to find the crystal caves, that much I can tell you - but I'll leave it to you to take the initiative for a while, OK?"

[member="Saruh"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

Vascious came to a stop by a lone tree out on the plains of golden rolling grass. There he caught his breath as he leaned against the tree. Sweat rolled down his face and accented the man's shirt as he had been out for a morning run. Kassandra's estate could be seen just over the nearby hill. He'd be back to it soon.

It had been almost a year since he had disappeared from Moross Crusade space. There he had been the God of War to the people of the crusade. Of course he was still a human being behind the mask of a false god. A human being that had been living on borrowed time from the force for centuries. Vascious had sensed his body slipping into its final moments. The Sith Lord took a capital ship and headed out to die with his boots on rather than to pass away in his sleep. He hadn't been heard from since.

That was until an unfamiliar face came knocking on Kassandra's door two months ago. It was a young Energy Vampire carrying a backpack full of torn and battered Mandalorian armor. He was a few inches shorter and lacked his wrinkles and gray hair, but Vascious' force signature had been unmistakable. Something had happened to him, and he had possessed another body to survive. It was unsurprising that he'd seek out Kassandra for refuge. She had been with him before the Gulag Plague, and was the closest to the old Mandalorian among the Crusaders.


The Sith Lord approached his friend's estate as he looked up and saw Corvus Raaf's ship fly overhead. That was interesting. Perhaps he'd see who was snooping around in this neck of the woods.


[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Saruh"] [member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

Saruh nodded before exiting the ship with [member="Corvus Raaf"]. The air instantly hit her. Beautiful, fresh air. Beneath her helmet, Saruh had unconsciously smiled. Her grin remained as she observed the marvelous terrain. Her hand was placed on her hip, she was leaning on one leg as she looked across the grasses. She turned to her mentor, "We need to find some caves. Any suggestions?"

She looked on out again. She was still in awe of this planet's beauty. Hard to believe some creepy spiders would live here! The Jedi Padawan blinked, noting a massive set of boulders east of their location. The Terrelian pointed to them, "Shall we start there?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus smiled. They’d been on the planet seconds and already Saruh was asking her opinion.

She turned to face the Padawan. “Patience. Use the Force. Think” It was a standard Jedi mantra. Rather than rush off, Padawans were encouraged to take a few moments to observe what the Force was telling them. To reflect on that and then make a decision.

“I could suggest somewhere as I know where they are – but that would defeat the purpose. Consider what I have told you. Consider what you know about saber crystals, especially a large quantity in one place. Consider what the Force tells you. If it tells you to start near the boulders, then that is an excellent place to start. Trust in the Force.”

She smiled again and relaxed, the planet was indeed beautiful and open and their adventure was just beginning.

[member="Saruh"] | [member="Vascious Relens"]

 

[Vascious Relens]

Vascious finally made it to Kassandra's estate. The Mandalorian immediately took note that he didn't sense the presence of his compatriot. Likely she had been in the nearby port town for shopping or off world taking care of some various business. It didn't matter though. He was in the mood to do a little hunting. She could join him later if she felt the need.

The Sith Lord proceeded to pat the sweat from his face before starting to don the various under garments, armor mesh, and armor plating of his usual ensemble. It had been fortunate to find a competent mandalorian blacksmith on Dantooine who could rework his old battered plates into the shape of his new body. It was almost impossible to find Beskar these days without destroying old decaying relics to get it. Thankfully he was able to salvage what he already had.

His helmet was left behind as he strapped on his two light-sabers and picked up the nearby blaster rifle. It was time to go hunting for a little fun.



Ten minutes later, Relens found himself up on a ridge overlooking one of the many golden grassy plains in the area. Down below he could see two figures that appeared to be Jedi. They were making their way across the field towards a concentration of boulders in the distance. Vascious did his best to conceal himself in the shadow of an outcropped rock while lying prone on his stomach and watching the two Jedi through a long range monocular. The Sith Lord left his rifle on the grass by his side so as to not trigger the Jedi's danger sixth sense. That plus masking his presence in the force would go a long way towards keeping the wool pulled over even a Jedi master's eyes for the time being. Corvus would likely get an uneasy feeling, but he'd probably be able to stalk them for a time before she caught on.

Curiosity filled the old Sith's mind as he watched them. Were they Mandalorian allies? Perhaps they were here for crystals? No the likely hood of finding something a Jedi would use was very low. Perhaps their order was up to something. What were they here for?

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Saruh"] [member="Kassandra Distorith"]

 

[Garza]

(OOC: I am assuming that this is before the event)

Dantooine.

It was one place that Sith very much liked to hang out at. Mostly because it was to keep the Jedi away from their old Enclaves. As well, The Mandalorians were always a good crowd to make a fight in. Considering they were almost always armored when out and about, as well, they were armed to the teeth. Never seen a man dressed in armor and weapons more professionally than a Mando who wanted a job done. As much, one could never go to Dantooine without their armor.

Wearing my own scaled and bone armor crafted out of the scales of an Aak Wolf, and bones from a Rancor, I shrugged as the sword on my belt felt darker and darker every day. As though I was slowly being tainted by the weapon. It was a beauty of a Katana. Made after the same design that the Shapers of Kro Var would use. It was able to help me focus on the force, as well as increase my capabilities as a Shaper, and a Master of the Force.

It was here that I came to the Crystal Caves to possibly gather some materials. I wanted a mass of crystals that I could either sell, or use as my own Sith Alchemy could convert these crystals to do more than they were intended. I smiled as I walked off the ramp of my ship. Lusting after such things for the use of my own desires.

Oh how I loved being a Sith.

[member="Corvus Raaf"], [member="Saruh"],