What Globe Births Brighter

[Sera Inkari]

Kintan
Burning Moon Range
The Burning Globe Temple
Low Sun (Morning)

Set along the peaks of the volcanic moon range a fiery, dry and unforgiving place to be. The burning globe temple, a circular building which followed the natural rock of mountains, a cone shape, growing as it went downwards, covering the mountainside. The cult of serenity was not a place for the faint of heart, or for those who could not stand the heat. A pure expression of the force through fire, if you had a weak constitution you would surely perish. Vahla did not have a weak body or mind, and those that survived here had endured it for many generations, since the cult of serenity had first settled and founded a new home.

Inside the temple was decorated an amber and white shade, a palace of sorts, where the red priestesses did their work, did their readings and lived through their dreams as they became real. Hard to reach, harder to get to, and set aside some of the worst volcanoes known to Kintan, just out of their reach. Almost impossible to approach by foot, guarded by the force's expression of fire and light. There were listeners here, reptilian Nikto that followed the priestesses commands, serving them as they went about their duties. Graceful it was, clean tiled floors, with golden supports and beams, the atmosphere if not peaceful, was enduring, to endure against the elements by being part of them.

In the center of a square room, on sprawling low cushions, sat three senior priestesses of which Sera Inkari was one. Tended to by their listeners who brought them readings, scrolls or refreshments, especially water, water here was needed more than anything else, and valued above credits or jewels. At the very center was the high priestess, an older woman but dressed the same, all had red robes, red hair and were dutifully at work, awaiting an arrival, about an offer they would lean their ears towards.

The force would reveal all, to see what this dream would bring.

 

[Onrai]

Kintan. Hardly the sort of planet Circe traditionally went to, considering its heat and burning atmosphere. She was wearing a suit of Fringe Advanced Power Armor, the circulators cooling her down enough to not shrivel into a prune as she began to wander the landscape. She had been scouring the galaxy for more persons with crystalline shards impaled in their body, if not to grow them, then to make a much larger leap - create a living crystalline creature. One that could assist her with a new goal.

Energy crystals.

Rumors on Kintan had spread elsewhere about a woman who gave off the same resonance in the Force as a lightsaber. It had perked Circe's interest enough to persuade her to come here and examine the rumor herself. Perhaps one of the various cultists had something to do with it.

@[member="Sera Inkari"]

 

[Sera Inkari]

@[member="Circe Savan"] Simple rugs and soft fabrics were draped over the cushions, not for warmth, but some comfort from the sands or dry rock which often blew this way, especially if you went on the outer rings of the temple into the open air. The high priestess next to Sera bid the visitor enter, with a wave her hands to her servants to attend to Circe. A few Nikto began to offer her first the cushion in front of the priestesses, and also any drink she might need, or food. Even water was offered, a rare gift here but given all the same.

The three other priestesses looked up when the high priestess signalled, their emerald or blue eyes gazing right through the woman, almost as if Circe was part of a picture and they were looking at all of it, even what was behind her, the dream made real in its entirety. It was not Sera that spoke first but one of the others, all senior in the order.

"Kintan embraces us today. What seek you to build with us in the rocks and sand?" The second priestess called.

Sera waited, she was the third priestesses, though her visions gave her more clarity than the others. A stronger force connection which at times threatened to overwhelm her individuality because of her belief that all things were the force's will, but it gave her a unique perspective in doing the same.

"This is important, the dream says you have, seen... no you have been, and not found answers but questions," softly the voice trailed, but very vaguely, trying to find the reason within a shifting current. Ocean blue eyes drinking of Circe, every detail absorbed of the moment. Sera would seem meek to many, folding her hands in her lap, and resting them there, while the others might sprawl out a bit more against the cushions and fabrics.

 

[Onrai]

Circe said nothing, for the time being, that was, instead choosing to reach into the backpack she had brought with her, extricating from it a crystal - glistening with the energy of the Force or some other power inside. "This. Someone on this planet carries within them a crystalline shard, a pathway to power the likes of which have never been seen before. I desire to use the shard and grow it within them, formulate energy crystals which may be used as a new and alternative power source. Perhaps, if the person is interested, we could create crystalline life itself."

She had no idea which of these women held the crystal within. She was hot, tired, and her focus was rather off as she doffed her helmet and drank some water. "Thank you." Now it was merely time to hear what the response would be from these women.

@[member="Sera Inkari"]

 

[Sera Inkari]

@[member="Circe Savan"] When Circe spoke to them, she was dealing with the force, here in their temple most of all, expressed through the priestesses, as they surrendered to it. They were answering like one mouth, small pieces of it in every voice, coloured to their own way of thinking or speaking, speaking in turn.

The high priestess, an older woman, spoke while the rest awaited their turn, "tell us, how does the force breathe life into dull rock and stone?" There were ways for crystals, yet the priestess wanted to know that the force had already shown circe them, if she knew of nexus's or living crystals or entities which dwelled within them. The many ways these crystal had been used to store, as well as to power. The thought or a dream of a thing was one thing but having the dream and living through it was something entirely different.

A listener held a scroll by the high priestess's side, inscribing the conversation to become part of their archives, whichever way this went, it was part of the globe's future.

"The force gives and takes life, do you feel one can exist without the other? The past without the future?" Sera gave a soft smile, circling a finger around a cup's rim, to a knight Circe might begin to feel it was Sera who held the crystal but only because of how her visions would compliment Nato's memories, all pieces of the same thing, the signature was a compliment for it. It so happened Sera did feel the future could exist happily without the past, because it was yet to come, and the past was something people held on to, to anchor themselves in familiarity, but many might not see it that way.

 

[Onrai]

"You likely know of the existence of the Tsil and the Shard species. The Force doesn't play favorites in what it animates. But I know from prior experience that, like an overflow valve, such crystal can absorb the power of the Force and grow such a storage capacity." She smiled, sensing the presence of the crystal within Sera as she turned to face the woman, a soft smile on her face. "I encountered one with a crystal like yours before. She was most intriguing, but I would like to go a step further and create new crystalline life within you."

She raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the priestesses of light would say.

@[member="Sera Inkari"]

 

[Sera Inkari]

Sera's palm rolled over and she seemed to be following the lines with her vision, down her elbow then back again to the hand, fingers curling in one by one, often moving, even at rest.

The high priestess answered again before Sera could speak, taking the lead, a question always, that was her part in this gathering. To question worth and to pull that into the force. "Records of the iron knights we have, you would seek to go further? How could a womb conceive a gift so great?"

Sera's vision, the dream had dreamed of many things, iron knights with more than one crystal and voice, each limb another voice adding to the current, but the burning globe did not build machine, it wasn't the living force. They would need to alter the fabric of the dna, if such a species was to breath life upon the sands.

An Inkari, birthed atop this very temple roof, began to sway lightly side to side, rocking herself to the current. Sera was falling into her vision and dream, a deeper level of understanding, "something is missing, in the force, a crystal that walks but isn't machine," that was the gift she carried, not a machine, but.... "there is a gap for more who carry them. Our own birthing," she was no scientist, she could only see that crystal given sentience wasn't happy in a metal shell, some longed their signing calls for an actual body to feel. What kind of body, she couldn't see, human carriers those who wanted the same, a symbiosis of the force and life, might be a way to introduce this concept, but it was grey, she could not see if it would be successful.

A light came across Sera's features, "there is danger here," still rocking side to side, "they would be targets." Not all sentients across the galaxy saw the crystals as just rock, some saw them as precious, or the force as they priestess's did. An embodiment of the force, and a gift to carry, not many but some. The priestesses here were evidence of that, and each watched for @[member="Circe Savan"]'s contribution to the force's will.

Spoiler

Sorry for the delay, busy day.

 

[Onrai]

"The Force can do many things. So far as creating or augmenting life, the Sith know more about such things - many creations, such as my body, were made from dark alchemy and sorcery. Hence my beauty." She smiled, giving an admittedly soft chuckle. "A body could be grown for a crystalline being. Whether it developed sentience on its own or required a sentient crystal's infusion to bring it to life, I don't know, but what I do know is that such a creation can exist. And it could serve a multitude of purposes - nigh-impermeable scout, a repository for energy, a catalyst creature for crystal growth, or even a toy..." She chuckled at the last suggestion.

"But to do this, I will of course require a willing participant, perhaps someone with a crystal that could be used for this entity." She looked at Sera, smiling softly. "And someone willing to carry this experiment to whatever could be considered "full-term."

@[member="Sera Inkari"]

 

[Sera Inkari]

Sera Inkari looked distant, visions clouding her mind. It was this way when new ideas were seeded and grown in the force, losing herself, more than the other priestess's. The difficulties of engineering a species that had moving crystal parts were vast, though all was possible in the force, mechanically those difficulties could be lessened but so would the final result.

She was struggling to uncover more, a shred of brilliance in a sea of confusion. Her voice trailed off into ritual and prayer underneath the tones of the wind above it, whistling through the temple as a dry breath of Kintan spoke its own words, her answer was at hand.

@[member="Circe Savan"]'s use of the word toy didn't go unnoticed, but then all things were the same in the force, the toy as much as the sword, ship or star. It was one more aspect of it to be. Just to be, was enough. "The most we can offer you is what we are, a vessel to carry the force." Sera did not feel it possible to create a moving crystal species, but additions could be made, a biological construct perhaps, and it would give the force crystals a better home than the hard iron shell of the iron knight. It was intriguing to the keep of Kintan's scrolls, but also fraught with difficulty.

"Sera's body is already taken with purpose," the second priestess, spoke ahead ahead of Sera now, for she carried a crystal, one of which this order were pouring vast resources into discovering more about. "The force can put its current into your work, and even Sera's body to your dream, but it would need a final destination, a final willing host or platform to carry it."

 

[Onrai]

"If by purpose, you're referencing the crystal within her, then I intend to work around that. I know about the crystal, yes... I've felt the same presence in another girl who required my assistance. Rest assured the crystal will be nurtured, not harmed by this experiment. And she herself will most certainly enjoy it." She looked at Sera, smiling with a pleased look on her face. "I'm eager to see how the crystalline construct she bears will work in coordination with plant-based or biofiber-based bodies."

And hopefully, soon, the two of them could get started.

@[member="Sera Inkari"]