Private Under Canvas

[Samatharis]

​

Kashyyyk

It was still a few minutes before dawn when Sam's air speeder pulled up to the quiet coastline. A warm breeze was blowing through the trees and the air was quiet, save for the crashing of the coastal waves. A full moon gave the whole vista a sense of serene calm and warm morning beauty. Sam almost didn't want to get out of the car. She'd just rather sit there for a moment and take it all in. Alas. Duty called and the good Doctor wanted this adventure done as early as possible. Thus, the early start.

Sam set her air speeder down next to the Wookiee glider that was already parked on the coast. It's sole driver was the tiny Doctor Conway. A physical therapist from Silver Rest who had some relation to the patient and today's morning mission. Funny enough. He was also a Beaver.

"Morning Doctor." Sam yawned as she hoped out of her car.

"Morning Knight." The upright Doctor nodded. Then gave a flick of his very beaver-like tail. "Did you bring it with you?"

"Yep." Sam wheeled around the back of her car and popped the trunk. Inside was a large metal case. "...One recon-class probe droid. At your service."

"Excellent." The tiny Doctor smiled. He bounced once on his tiny legs to try and get a better look. Then thought better of it. "...Anyway. Let's pull it out and set it up. We'll need to make sure it works before we start broadcasting."

Sam nodded and heaved the heavy crate out onto the sand. It gave a loud plop! as she settled it.

"Where's our cave?" Sam nodded as she unpacked.

"There is a shady little inlet I like to visit from time-to-time. Just up the coast a bit. I found it during a walk of mine and have returned to visit every since."

Sam nodded and began to power up the droid.

"Underground?"

"Sort of. The stream from the coast line actually passes right underneath the giant tree and hollowed out a small tunnel through the roots. The expanse underneath it's roots is quite massive and really quite cozy. If a bit wet."

Sam smiled. "Like, small-small? Or, small-human-small?"

The fuzzy beaver shrugged, "I happen to fit through the branches just fine. Thank-you-very-much."

"Just wondering." Sam snickered. Finally powering up the small floating ball. "...There. Looks fine to me."

"Excellent." The Doctor beamed, "Now. Hold on. Just let me get back to my vehicle and give Knight Quin a call. She'll want to know we're ready."

Sam frowned and scratched her chin, "Whoa. I mean? It's barely daybreak Doc. She'll probably..."

"Nonsense! Nonsense. I'm sure she'll be quite pleased."

The tiny beaver skittered across the sand and waved her off with a salute of his heavy paw. Very much unaffected by Sam's morning plea and seemly rather anxious to get started. So alas. Sam just sighed and looked at the moon. Bright and round. Happily fading. Slowly taking a back seat to the peaking morning sun.

"Ugh. Well. Fine. If you say so. Mhh. So much for sleeping in, anyway."

Sam poked the floating droid with her finger as the good Doctor Conway made his phone call. Sam figured it was probably only a few minutes walk up the coast line to the cave. Hopefully this would be a quick there-and-back-again. Nothing fancy. She'd be back home at the hotel before breakfast. She just knew it.

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Lifting the cover quietly, Ala peered into the dark enclosure to see the small pull of water, and moss covered rock she had set up as a temporary habitat for her glowworms. The fact that they had lasted this long was a miracle in itself. Their survival had provided her purpose while she rehabilitated, such as she could. Her legs still had no sensation in them, and she had yet to be able to get even a wiggle out any of her toes.

There wasn't a moment that she did not rue the hubris of that moment on Sarka where she attempted to cut down Tathra Khaeus . It had been foolhardy in the extreme. But even more than foolish, it had been born of a coldness in her heart that she had never known while baring the name Ala Quin. The deep melancholy she had fallen into was more as a result of her former callousness in the Bryn'adul war than it was for her legs, or the loss of their movement.

She covered the enclosure again, and leaned back in her seat. With a little focus, she had learned to levitate herself from spot to spot in her room. It was easier when people weren't watching. There was less pressure, and therefore more success.

"Knight Quin...come in Knight Quin...this is Doctor Conway."

"Quin here," Ala said, holding down the talk button on the nearby comm panel. She was glad for the sound dampening tech that protected the glowworms in their enclosure.

"We are ready for you. When you are ready."

"Noted. Leaving in a moment," she said with a quick check of her hoverchair.

A few moments later, Ala moved down the boarding ramp of the small cargo vessel that had become her home away from home. The ramp closed behind her, as she set off over the waters in her modified hover-chair. She was able to get some decent speeds up now, and actually quite enjoyed the cool morning breeze blowing through her hair.

The ride was too short though, as she pulled up alongside the pair of would be explorers. Doctor Conway she was familiar with, as he had been assisting her attempts to regain use of her legs. The woman though, was new to her. Though she felt her presence was familiar and tried to place it. Had she been somewhere on the mission on the Bryn homeworld all that time ago? No. She wasn't planet side.

"Morning! Lovely day isn't it," she said with a smirk, knowing it was still dark, "good to meet you, names Ala...and yes I am a Jedi Knight. No I am not 12 years old."

| Samatharis |​

 

[Samatharis]

The wind was warm and waves crashed and receded with a pleasant, never ending rhythm. Sam loved every brilliant moment of it. The green. The planet. The ocean. It was perfect.

Turning her eyes from the calming morning vista to the new comer and her small cargo vessel. She smiled as Ala Quin descended the ramp. One of Romi's volunteers. If memory served.

Sam flinched with anger. Remembering that battle. Remembering how all those Hapans died. The fires in hanger bay. The endless waves of death in the cockpit. She'd almost lost everything that day. And for what? ...Pfft. She still didn't know why. Gods curse them. Hopefully Jade got what she'd wanted. Sam was sure nobody else had.

Luckily, Ala spoke quickly and broke her concentration. Ha. And apparently she was NOT, twelve years old. Heh. Funny. She did look young. Timeless really. Bet she was a hit with the boys. Just like Tann.

"Morning Knight." Sam smiled and gave a slight nod, "Samatharis. Knight of Juthrand Temple. A guest of the Silvers. And a friend. At your service."

Sam stood tall and military in posture. Leather pants, armored boots. A fluffy black fur jacket with just a touch too much eye shadow. She wore driving gloves needlessly and kept a strange wand device against the back of her belt. A city girl and a fighter. But mostly a woman. With a fire in her eyes. Like a new morning light.

"Well. Shall we get started then?" Sam smiled.

"Um. Yes! Let's. Right. ...Knight Quinn? Have you brought the specimens. Are you ready to proceed?"

Conway hoped over to her chair with a bob and a weave. Sam still smirked at how the little critter moved about. Hell of a doctor.

"Oh. And this?" Sam pointed to the probe droid, "...I still don't know what we're doing out here. Do you want me to run the droid in follow mode? Or..?"

Sam was perplexed. Was this a survey job or a picture taking errand or... Maybe? Something else?

Conway flapped his tail but nodded to Ala. He's let her explain and lead them out.

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala felt the ripple of anger come from the Jedi identified as Samatharis, and worried for just a moment that he friviolity in her introduction was not appreciated. But the introduction quickly assauged any concerns given that the Jedi chose to introduce herself as a friend. She had not heard of Juthrand, definitely something to look up in the archives later.

To say that Samatharis was statuesque was probably not doing her enough credit. Precision in posture, and a pretty on point taste in style, Ala felt just a ping of jealousy for how put together the woman was. And she felt decidely too casual in attire, and presentation. Thoughts of inadequacy lasted only a moment though, as appreciation for Samatharis took the place of prominance in her mind.

"Right...specimens," Ala said with a start as she realized she had probably been staring just a little too long, if she had had a goofy awe-filled smile as well, she would have been truly mortified.

Presenting a small tube from her breast pocket, Ala held it between her thumb and index finger for all to see. A couple of taps on her hoverchair saw it position her next to the doctor. "Arachnocampa luminosa onderonia," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. She had been practicing the pronunciation and would have to say that this time round she had almost gotten it right. "Onderonian glowworms." She added for explanation.

Handing the vial over to Conway, she continued with the explanation. "They used to be found across the galaxy, but now only on Onderon. I am attempting to repopulate them. They live only below ground in damp, dark, quiet environments with an ample water supply and pleny of their favoured type of moss to eat...when they get hungry every now and then. The worms secret this bioluminescent mucus...I know...sounds gross...but it has peculiar properties in the Force. In the cave I found, it had coated the moss...the cave floors...and permeated the pool of water. Anyone that enters that pool, and knows how to enter a serenity trance, will find their connection to the living Force magnified many times over. It would be great for Kashyyyk to have it's own colony."

| Samatharis |​

 

[Samatharis]

Conway gave a nod to Ala's explanation. Then gave a knowing wave of his head at Samatharis,

"Making sense now Knight?"

Sam squinted to see the glowworms but otherwise shrugged in acknowledgment, "Got it. Worms. Cave. Easy stuff. No problem."

She turned and picked up the probe droid's control stick. Turning the nob to 'follow' mode. Meanwhile, the good doctor began scampering up the beach with a rapid pace. He was quickly out of ear shot and Sam was a bit impressed with the good doctor's sudden speed. Turning to Ala with a smile,

"Guess he's in a hurry this morning. Heh. Anyway. I'll bring the robot. ...You good?"

It was a short jaunt up the beach to a gnarl of tree roots. Roots so large it was almost impossible to guess they were just the base of the Kashyyyk's giant trees. Luckily for the humans, Conway's paw prints lead them to a large opening adjacent to a deep flowing waterway. They wouldn't even need to push aside the vines and jungle flora to get inside.

The ground was wet and Sam was conscious of a downward slope to their dark travel. She engaged the probe's droids headlamps for addition light to their dark descent. The air smelled like a damp jungle too. Pungent mud, ancient bark, red weeds, rushing water, and some fungal embellishments that did quite a bit to drown out your nose and your other senses. Luckily, again, the path was wide and mild. If only a bit further than Sam had expected.

Soon the path opened back up and drop the group into a marvelous underground cavern. One with walls of mossy bark and damp mud, rather than stone or rusted earth. The smell was wetness remained strong all around but it was the quiet chill that Sam had not expected.

"Sorry about running off like that." Conway sat quietly upon a damp rock in the dull blue darkness of the cave. The morning light had yet to trickle down through the cracks in the ceiling. "I wasn't sure if the site was secure and wanted to jump ahead. Just to make sure."

Sam nodded and allowed the droid to remain nearer their exit. Spotlights towards the middle.

"Seems like quiet little nook. I'm not sensing any animal life. Nest or burrow or... Anything really."

Conway nodded. "I think it's a bit damp for a home. And likewise, the stream in the middle is remarkably devoid of fish either. I figure, in the jungles of Kashyyyk? There must be a dozen better options than this for the local fauna to enjoy."

"Sure. Sure." Sam took a minute to explore the darkness. Then turning back to Ala with a shrug.

"Welp. I don't know what kind of cave you're looking for? But... This seems cave'y enough to me? Yeah."

Conway just rolled his eyes. Bah. As if he wasn't already sure it would work.

"Anyway. Shall I do the honors Knight Quinn?" The beaver perked up with a nod, "Or would you like to?"

Sam folded her eyes and decided to just watch the others for now. She had no idea what to expect. Maybe one day this site would be a happy home for a new colony of glowworms, or whatever. But. For right now? Bleh! It was still just a damp, dank, ball of encroaching darkness to her. Brrr.

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala's hoverchair did not enjoy the slope. Not in the slightest. She had noted that going down the ramp on her ship was always a little quicker than she would like. Going down the slope of the cave gave her more time to pick up momentum, and as a result Ala had to focus through the force to slow herself down. This really was not the best way to get down there.

"The hum from my repulsors...while they strain to go uphill...will be enough to kill the glowworms after they are released," Ala said ruefully once reaching the internal portion of the large Kashyyykian cave.

Casting her eyes towards the droid, she nodded. "The droid will have to be my eyes and ears from this point on."

Her Jedi companion asked about it being cave-y enough. And Ala simply nodded thoughtfully. Conway seemed eager to get the glowworms out, but Ala was not satisfied with the location.

"This is not deep enough. I travelled hours into the heart of Onderon to find the last colony of these creatures. If they are to survive on Kashyyyk, they will need to be deeper than this."

She anticipated the groans that might come and put her hand up to stifle any objections. "You are under no obligation to go further....I can navigate down there with the droid and deposit the worms if we find a place that is suitable."

| Samatharis |​