Private You Can Never Go Home Again

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

The tiny warriors kept their distance, appearing guarded and suspicious. Only the lightsaber-wielding As-Aki dared to approach. It appeared to be male, with tufts of blonde hair visible beneath a helmet made from bone. “You’re with the Songwings!” he accused. “I saw you talking to them earlier. Did you come here to get rid of us?”

Kass’ numerous eyes surveyed him and the rest of the As-Aki with concern. They were territorial by nature, but this behavior went far beyond what she had observed years ago. She supposed it could be chalked up to the heightened tensions between them and the other groups in the forest, but still. The three of them had helped to defeat the slyyygs, and yet they were still being treated with hostility.

“We're here to help," she said. If this As-Aki had a lightsaber, then there was a chance... "Does the name Rani Baros mean anything to you?”

That at least seemed to catch the warrior off guard. “Great-Grandmother Rani? What’s she to you?”

Great-grandmother? Goodness. “She was my friend. We trained to be Jedi together.”

“You're Jedi?”

"Yes, and we—"

"The Jedi abandoned us," the warrior said bitterly. “They took their Silver Rest and left us here at the mercy of Kashyyyk. Is that why you're here now? Are we just unfinished business you forgot to attend to all these years?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

“You’re with the Songwings!”

Great. The As-Aki saw them speaking with the Songwings, and it immediately made them suspicious. Things really had gotten complicated around here. "No! No of course not." Amani started her diplomatic spiel, but Kassogtha had the idea to make use of Rani's name. The one with the lightsaber revealed it was his great grandmother. Amani felt relief in her shoulders, only for it to be undermined once more by the Silvers.

"We're not with the Silvers. Not anymore. But we wanted to come by and… see if we could help set things right," She shrugged, "There were a lot of loose ends left behind, and it didn't feel right to just let the problem fester, even if we weren't involved. If we can resolve some of these tension, we'd very much like to."

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

The As-Aki listened to the rest of their spiel, and for a few moments, it seemed like they might be getting through to him. Reason would prevail, and the conflict would be resolved without further bloodshed.

Darkness fell over the grove, as if a particularly thick cloud had passed over the sun above them. The wind began to blow, bringing with it a sudden chill. But for the Jedi, the darkness and cold was metaphysical as well.

“Otherworldly forces are at work here,” Oukranos murmured. “If it’s the Precepts… We may have a serious problem on our hands…”

Shaking his head, the As-Aki readied his lightsaber. “This is war, not loose ends,” he said, though he sounded strained. “Either you’re with us, or you’re against us!”

“We’re a neutral party,” Kass tried to assure them. “Don’t you want peace?”

“We want victory!” someone exclaimed, and the others joined in the cry. Without warning, a group of the As-Aki came hurtling toward the three Jedi, intent on swarming them. The lightsaber-wielding As-Aki seemed to panic at the sight of his comrades attacking, then impulsively lunged at Oukranos.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The negotiations were sullied by a darkness that swept over the area. Amani and the other Jedi registered its depth, but the As-Aki were out for blood. "There is no victory here, think about what you're saying!" Amani chastised. It didn't matter, because they all suddenly went in for an attack. Were they really that bloodthirsty, or was it the dark atmosphere warping their impulses?

Amani, unamusedly, raised a hand, forming a bubble around herself that caused most of the As-Aki charging her to simply bounce off like flies, "This is pointless. You need to listen to us," She continued, "There's something else at play here. It's manipulating you, and everyone else around the lake!"

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Kass defended herself in much the same way as Amani, erecting a barrier against which the As-Aki could only hope to bounce off. This handled the first wave well enough, but the second wised up and began using the Force to try and penetrate the shield.

All the while, Kass was still desperately trying to reason with them. “We’ve done nothing to you! We mean you no harm! We—We will leave peacefully! Please!” She didn’t want to have to hurt them, especially since all signs pointed to their being under some evil influence, but they were swiftly making a bloodless exit impossible.

And then, it stopped. The attack was called off so suddenly, Kass was left in confusion, her numerous eyes searching the forest as the As-Aki disappeared back into the trees. She saw her husband covered in the prickings of dozens of tiny thorn-like spears, his wound weeping green blood. “Oukranos!”

“We need to go now!” he urged. She could see that he was clutching something in his left hand, which was now missing a finger, the end a charred stump. It took her a moment to realize it was the body of the lightsaber-wielding As-Aki. “Terentatek!”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The As-Aki refused to give up, regrouping and trying to find a way to get around the barrier. Amani and Kass pleaded to deaf ears, until all the once, the whole attack suddenly stopped. The entire troupe had just up and disappeared deeper into the woods. "…That was…" Anticlimactic? Amani looked around, then suddenly saw the injured form of Oukranos. The damage a species as diminutive as the As-Aki could inflict was alarming, but he was still standing.

“Terentatek!”

Amani blinked, devoid of context. Then it registered, "What?!" On cue, a dark, lumbering form tore through the trees, "T… Terentatek!" Amani confirmed. It was hungry, and three courses of its favorite meal just showed up on his doorstep. The monster raised its hands to slam them down, and Amani threw her pike into its shoulder, halting the attack. It roared in rage, and ripped out the haft and threw it to the ground.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Before they had a chance to react, the terentatek came crashing through the underbrush. It pounced on the trio, slamming its fists down. At this point Kass fully expected to be squished, and braced herself for a likely fatal impact. Instead she found herself flying through the air, having been picked up and lifted out of the way with the Force by Oukranos.

"Move!" he shouted to Amani. He was already fleeing deeper into the forest, headed for an area unknown to them…

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani generated another barrier as the Terentatek slammed down its fists, saving herself from being squashed, but the impact was great enough that it immediately shattered the defense, repelling Amani backwards. She looked back to see Kass and Oukranos already on the move, and wasted no time following them.

The beast was close behind, stamping through the jungle floor and tearing through any foliage in its way with ease. It snarled menacingly, refusing to give up the chase. Amani looked back and outstretched her hand, summoning her lightsaber back to her. On the way, it's blade ignited and cut at the lower leg of the Terentatek, slowing it down enough for her to gain distance.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Pulling out two of her lightsabers, Kass ignited the green blades. Using the Force to levitate them, she struck the terentatek’s arms with laser precision. It made a few dents in the creature’s supernaturally thick hide, which served to make it angrier.

“Try to find some high ground!” she exclaimed to her husband—but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Oukranos?”

He jerked toward her, blue eyes wide, then shook his head as if to clear it and quickly leaped up onto a rocky outcropping, bringing her with him. Murderous as the terentatek was, its bulky body wasn't built for climbing. They could either escape it this way, or aggro it from above. Hopefully Amani would realize the strategy and make it up there in time...

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani was catching up with the Cthyllas, able to avoid any too-close swipes from the Terentatek thanks to Kassogtha's own attacks at the creatures limbs. She watched as Oukranos hopped onto a steep crag, followed by Kass. It took little brainpower to figure out the plan, and she joined them, leaping high onto the rocks. The terentatek closed in quickly, nearly managing to grab at her dangling leg, before she pulled it up. The monster roared, and pounded at the face of the outcropping, making Amani's ascent a little less graceful than it would have otherwise been. But soon enough, she too made it to the top, "Think it'll just give up and go away?" She asked hopefully.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Husband and wife both ushered Amani up the crag; Kass fended off the terentatek by swiping her lightsabers at its reaching claw, while Oukranos reached down to help Amani up. From the relative safety of the high ground, the three Jedi watched as the beast roared in anger.

“Eventually,” Kass replied. Then, after the pounding of the terentatek’s fists shook the rock beneath them, she added, “Hopefully.”

“There’s something else.” Oukranos held out his left hand. His severed pinky looked pretty nasty, the burnt flesh blackened and swollen with green blood. But that wasn’t what he wanted them to see. Resting in his palm was the broken body of the As-Aki, looking like he had been smashed or crushed. He was still clutching Rani’s tiny, intricately crafted lightsaber in his fist.

“Oh!” Kass gasped as she realized the As-Aki was still breathing. His pain was palpable, radiating through the Force, yet he stubbornly clung to life. “Oukranos… What happened?”

Oukranos didn’t answer. “Take him,” he urged Amani, carefully pressing the As-Aki into her hand. “Heal him, if you can. He may be our best hope for stopping whatever is happening with these people.”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani took Oukranos' hand, hoisting herself up to the top with his help. She stared down at the creature, then rested her hands on her knees, the exertion suddenly catching up with her. The Terentatek was persistent, but unless he was enough of a critical thinker to devise a new strategy, they would hopefully remain safe from his clutches.

“There’s something else.”

Amani glanced over and saw the broken form of the saber-wielding As-Aki in Oukrano's busted hand. He was hurt badly, but his body and soul remained linked. She took him as asked, laying him on the stone as she raised both hands overhead, channeling a wave of healing into him. His small stature would make the process easier for her at least, but it still demanded her concentration and effort to pull him back from this.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Oukranos and Kass left Amani to her work, keeping watch over their small area of high ground. After a time they no longer heard noises from below, but it was unclear if the terentatek had given up or was lying in wait, ready to strike the moment they tried to leave the cliffs.

Night was beginning to fall over the forest, deepening the shadows. The Chief Healer was still fully focused on saving the As-Aki’s life. Kass decided to tend to Oukranos’ wounded hand. Her tentacles deftly cleaned the stump of his finger and wrapped it in a bacta-soaked bandage. Hopefully it would ward off infection until Amani or someone else could have a proper look at it.

He was quiet, as usual, but she sensed that something was troubling him. She didn’t try to pry or prompt him. He would talk to her when he was ready.

Sure enough, his voice filled the silence, pitched low so as not to disturb Amani. “I don’t know how it happened. One moment he was taking a swing at me, and I threw out my hand to push him back. In the next, my finger was gone and he was…” He trailed off, his brow furrowing. “I don’t understand it.”

“Their bodies are very fragile,” she tried to assure him. “It was probably an accident.”

He shook his head. “You don’t go to push someone away with the Force, and accidentally crush them with your fist.”

He looked so ashamed of himself. Frowning, Kass curled a tentacle around his arm. “I felt something in the grove. Like an external force was influencing the As-Aki, preventing them from listening to reason. It could have been the Precepts.”

“It could be,” he echoed. “For a moment, it felt like I was years younger. Back to being the scared and angry boy I once was. So long ago. I thought I was past all that…”

“You are,” she said, her tone adamant. “I can attest to that.”

He gave her a small smile, then turned toward Amani. “How’s the little guy faring?” he asked.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani's attention had drifted fully to healing the As-Aki. She'd barely registered the passage of time, let alone the conversation of her peers. The first external stimuli (or lack thereof) to come to her attention was the cessation of the Terentatek's attack. Either it had left, or was biding its time in silence. She didn't dwell on it much; A problem for later.

“How’s the little guy faring?”

Amani looked up at Oukranos, then back down at the As-Aki, "…Stable, I think. Not liable to wake up soon, though, not on his own anyway." She leaned back after putting in a bit more of her power, and sighed. The weariness was catching up with her more than she realized.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

Oukranos breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief at the news, though he remained tense. "What does that mean?" he asked. "Should we be rushing him to the nearest hospital ship, or...?"

While they talked, Kass slithered over, peering down at the unconscious As-Aki. His body no longer looked so broken, and she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She found herself searching his face in the dwindling light, looking for the features of her childhood friend. After four generations, she expected to see very little resemblance between him and Rani, but he did look a little like her around the mouth, she thought.

“It’s getting late.” Her eyes roved between Oukranos and Amani. “This isn’t a bad place to make camp. We have our supplies, rations for dinner and tents to sleep in…” And the terentatek couldn’t reach them, though they were consequently stuck here until it could be dealt with.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Is that an option?" Amani asked tiredly, then shook her head, "No, he just needs to rest. A lot." At this point, so did they. Already the day had been chaos, and the evening was getting darker. Amani nodded to Kass, and began searching through her bag for supplies.

"It's as good as we're gonna get," She looked around at their would-be campsite. At least up here they were unlikely to be disturbed, "I could keep the As-Aki in my tent? If anything goes wrong I'll be close to monitor."

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

"Is that an option?"

Oukranos’ delivery was deadpan. “No.”

"I could keep the As-Aki in my tent? If anything goes wrong I'll be close to monitor."

“Probably for the best,” Kass replied, pulling her pack from where it had been nestled against her gelatinous body and opening it.

“I’ll do the first watch,” Oukranos offered. “Then I’ll wake one of you up in a few hours to take over.”

With that, they set up their tents, had their dinner of rations, and went to bed. Or tried to. Kass couldn’t sleep. She had plenty of reasons to be worried—what was supposed to be a simple mission had become far more complicated. Danger was everywhere, not just from the terentatek—a wyyyschock could creep through the shadows, drop down and kill Oukranos in just a few moments. He wouldn’t even know what hit him. Or perhaps one of Kashyyyk’s other creatures would surprise them…

Forcing those thoughts down, she tried to rest. But when she closed her eyes, strange visions came to her. She dreamed of a different forest, on arguably the worst night of her life.

Kass opened her eyes, abandoning all attempts at rest. She paced the length of her tent, then when that became too claustrophobic she slithered outside. The jungle air was cool and damp. She couldn’t see Oukranos at first. Moving to the edge of the cliff, she peered down into the abyss below, half expecting to glimpse his body in the darkness.

Instead, the eyes on the other side of her body caught sight of him reappearing from behind a rocky alcove. She raced toward him, and concern quickly replaced the slightly confused look on his face. “Is something wrong?”

“I-I don’t know,” she stammered. “I can’t sleep. I think… It would be better if I stayed out here with you.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Okay.” Taking a seat on the ground, he held out a beckoning arm to her. She practically flung herself beside him, wrapping several tentacles around him in a tight hug.

Oukranos hummed contentedly, and for a time it was quiet. He didn’t ask her any questions, but she wanted to talk. “Maybe it’s the Precepts. I keep having these visions. I’m being reminded of things that happened in the past. Horrible things...”

“Nightmares?”

She reached for his hand, her voice faltering. “I… saw the Brides hurting you. As if I was back there again, trapped in stasis so I can’t stop them. And Master Farlander never comes to save us.”

Oukranos was silent, his body very still. Kass’ heart nearly broke. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just thought—I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

"No, I think you may be onto something,” he said, rubbing his thumb against her tentacle. “But if we allow ourselves to be influenced by whatever this is, it’ll drive us insane.”

“What should we do?”

“Remind ourselves that it isn’t all bad.” He looked at the forest around them. “Do you remember when I first came to Kashyyyk?”

“After the Jakku Enclave was—” He stopped her with a shake of his head. Right. Focus on the positives. “We, uh, we were a lot younger then. Just a couple of kids, really...”

“You were the most beautiful girl in the world, and you didn’t even know it.” Kass’ entire body flushed green. He smirked and leaned in closer as he went on, “I had you all to myself. We went out into these woods together, just the two of us, going courting…”

“Oh no, we can’t. We'd traumatize poor Amani,” she said, but not without smiling giddily at the thought. Mission accomplished, she supposed. Although now that she mentioned it, was the Chief Healer feeling the effects of the Precepts as well? “She’s all by herself. Should we be worried about her?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

If Amani was suffering side effects of the Precepts' presence, it didn't show outwardly. She was fast asleep.

Kassogtha Cthylla​

 

[Kassogtha Cthylla]

“She’s asleep.”

“How can you tell?”

“The Force, Kass.”

“Oh.” Kass opened herself to the universal energy field, sensing Amani’s mental state. Sure enough, the Chief Healer’s aura was calm, peaceful even. “She must have a lot of faith in us.”

Grinning, Oukranos moved closer to her. “But who’s going to be on watch duty?” Kass asked, growing increasingly distracted as he embraced her. “We don’t want to wind up some monster’s dinner… Then again, I do have ninety-six eyes. Surely I can keep a lookout…”

---

Some time later, the As-Aki jolted awake. He sat up, only to wince, gasping for air beneath sore ribs. His whole body hurt.

Looking around, his gaze eventually landed on the sleeping form of Amani. He didn’t know how he got here, but he did remember her. She was a Jedi, one of three that had attacked them!

… No, no they hadn’t. The As-Aki attacked them first. But why? Something must have gone wrong, but he couldn’t remember what. The gap in his memory bothered him immensely, but he had bigger things to worry about right now.

He needed to get out of here and find the others. Testing his wings with a tentative flutter, he grit his teeth against the resulting pain and swooped down to grab his lightsaber, which was thankfully still intact. Then he darted toward the exit, lifting the tent flap—and immediately closed it again, eyes wide. Within seconds he had crossed over to the sleeping Jedi in a panic, poking her awake. "Hey, Jedi! There's a monster eating a man outside!"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Despite Amani's tranquil sleep, she awoke quickly to the new and sudden stimulus. She jolted up, blinking several times in rapid succession as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The As-Aki was awake, and hadn't immediately attacked her, so that was progress. "…What?" Was all she could say, still processing what he had said. A monster… eating someone? As it registered she shook her messy head of hair, then peeked slowly outside of the tent for see what he was talking about.

What was going on took another few seconds for her to discern, but when she recognized the finer details of the silhouetted figures, Amani grimaced, "Oh, gross!" She slinked back into the tent, shutting her eyes for several seconds as if to purge the sight, "Yeah, she's not eating him." The chief librarian was about the last person Amani expected to see such casual ribaldry from, but clearly she didn't know Kass as well as she thought. "Uh, how are you doing?" She asked the As-Aki, "I'm Amani. I'm the one who healed you. It wasn't looking too good there for a while."

Kassogtha Cthylla​