Gilded sands

[Samara]

[BGM]​

Hot. The weather was incredibly warm, it felt like if the wind itself could set things on fire by mere exposition, and unfortunately for the inhabitants of Hok, the wind picking up was not something uncommon. The monochrome landscape was overwhelming. Golden sands and rocky formations carefully eroded by the climate dominated the ground, and a cloudless, endless sky ruled above the land. The wasteland of Hok was incredibly similar to Tatooine and it was the ultimate counterpart to the other half of the planet, which was sorrounded by pure darkness, a place where light was non-existant.

Population on the colonies was mainly made up by Grans and to a much lesser extent, other species. It was regulated heavily, non-gran species had to live in special designated quarters of the cities due to a problem the Grans had with massive emigration once. Nonetheless, the planet had a rich supply of crystals which people mined and traded, a popular one among those who were into mineral trade. The streets of the small settlement were deceptively empty, just like the rest of them, spreaded along that popular route, each one of them with a small native population who struggled to make a living. The only ones who were disrupting the mesmerizing desolated scenery were the few Jedi who walked in between the few housing complexes and shops that decorated that particular stop.

Covered in desert clothes from footgear to head, Makara looked like the awkward relative of a Tusken raider. It would've of fooled anyone with his lightsaber concealed under his robes, if not for the horns on his head which gave the ones who knew him an unmistakeable hint of who might of be underneath the mask. Althought now the air was clear of sand, it wouldn't be once they sailed into the dune sea, which was going to be very soon. Makara had rented a transport to take them to the very twilight zone of the planet, at which point they would be on their own. To collect crystals seemed something boring to do at first sight, but it could provide the basics of field experience for both padawans, and if they paid attention during the trip they could learn something new, too.

Nice weather, huh? -asked the Jedi to his students, from under his beige clothes in a light mood as they walked towards the particular shop who rented the vehicles.

 

[Quill]

The weather was incredibly difficult to bear as Quill had never been in such weather. He usually lived on less remote and more peaceful island territory. The forests he loved were much different from the sandy weather of Hok. Quill's clothing had to change to match the weather as well. While he wore his regular Jedi attire under his clothing, Kamishimo and armored puffs, Quill also had to dress heavier. A regular cloak would not do it for the young Padawan. He had wrapped his mouth and neck with a fabric material to prevent sand inhalation. His forearms had the same material wrapped around them. Hopefully, it would keep him cool under the hot son of Hok.

His new Master assigned to instruct him was the Jedi Knight Makara. There was little that Quill actually knew about this person besides the form Makara was famous for. Quill felt as if he would know his master soon enough. He also did not know what they were doing on Hok as he was not entirely told before hand. All he did was fly to the planet in his Jedi starfighter and follow Makara. Perhaps on the way he would be told. In response to the playful question Makara had asked:

I believe that is highly dependent on who you are asking, master.​

 

[HunterOrdo]

Sweat rolled down his face and back from the heat and at times his breath was haggard from the harsh wind as his lungs struggled to draw it. He hated this place with all his heart, and they had only just got there. He had never left the Temple, in all his life. Never before had he faced so much heat, or sweated to this extent and was grateful the wind was at least too strong for him to smell himself for surely it would cause him to faint.

The most annoying thing by far was the wind was gently slapping him in the face with his ponytail which at first was unnoticeable but now each slap was felt and with each slap his irritation grew. He tried to tuck it under his robe, or behind his ear but to no avail. It never stayed! He was so tempted to simply cut it off, but it was a symbol of his rank and order, so he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Nice weather? His master.. and friend spoke. Nice weather? Was master serious? Grinding his teeth he muttered "Maybe if I was a Jawa." Well, it was always strange to be the person who didnt have a finely tuned humor like Master, but his mood was indeed sour.

 

[Samara]

Hah -said as they finally arrived at the back of the shop. Perhaps the most notorious thing in the whole scenario was the fact that there were no walls around the settlement, no boundaries at all. After a couple houses one could literally see into the vast infinite desert whereas in any other planet such thing would've of been impossible because of the buildings or vegetation. It contributed to make oneself feel like a minuscule dot in a sea of nothing, and that was most certainly the way it was. So underwhelming.

The color of the housing complexes and shops were as monochrome as the desert itself, all of beige color, with one or two windows if any at all, nothing fancy, and always with their tops being a cupule of some sort. The ground was steady, only that filled with sand particles that flew low always below the knees. Inhabitants of that particular parade were inside their houses, not even paying attention to yet another group of people making a quick stop, everyone except the shop owner.

A Gran, about 1,60 meters tall with casual light brown clothes that nodded and approached the group once they went into the backyard of his store, where all the vehicles were kept. Theirs in particular was a simple landspeeder of a monotone green color around the borders and mustard in the rest, with an occasional black around the repulsorlifts under it. After the Gran -named Aks for what they had learned- led them personally to the rented landspeeder, the shop owner remained at a few neters distance from them, observing with curiosity how Makara hauled himself into the front seat, occupying one of the four places it had.

Alright -he said and made the obvious gesture with his left hand, calling them into the vehicle as it was turned on- Let's go

 

[Quill]

The whole journey the three of them were making seemed rather mysterious. Almost every element was mysterious right down to the smallest detail of it. Quill had never in his life seen the other Padawan whom traveled with them. They had seen each other since the three of them joined up towards the beginning of the quest. On top of that, Quill's new master may be a perfect stranger to him. The Padawan had also never been to Hok before and so it was quite unknown to him mostly. The inhabitants seemed strange and even the non-gran society seemed odd. The whole trip made Quill feel incredibly weary.

When they approached a deserted looking town, Quill became increasingly suspicious. The town had no barriers or protection and only a few of the actual residents are ever seen. In Quill's mind, his hand had to be close to his figurative weapon. Everything on Hok was telling him to keep on edge. Not a single thing could make him relax. The three Jedi had even found someone who rented landspeeders which was surprising to Quill as he only referred to the planet as backwater. The landspeeder also looked to be in fine condition which raised suspicion even further. It looked as if someone's hand was at work on the planet to keep a guise of mystery. Quill suspected it was the hand of his master keeping ambiguity. With the land speeder written, the quill-headed samurai got in the land speeder at his master's heed.

Master, where are we going. I grow weary of this planet.​

 

[HunterOrdo]

Of course, the agitated padawan minded exclaimed looking over the tiny, mockery of a town. No walls, no statues, no large buildings that held either architectural beauty or a glimmer into their purpose.. just squat brown buildings tossed around haphazardly. This heap was as much of a town as a pile of rubble was a house.

He hated this planet! He yelled with mental anguish for what must have been the 10th time that day. The people were.. well.. yea. He didnt really want to consider the people and their great 'hospitality'. He didnt expect much from the Gran, but a wave hello would have been nice, of course, he didnt have the courage to wave hi either..

This quest was all very tedious. Makara.. Master.. Perhaps he should go with Master Makara? He had been worrying for awhile on what to call his Master. Makara had always been a mentor and teacher to him, but now that it was official it made it a little awkward for the young Padawan, but Master Makara suited fine, had the best of both worlds.. or so he hoped. He doubted Master Makara, himself, would care as he was always laid back and relaxed.

The other padawan that had been taken in by Master Makara seemed.. tense. He had his hand near his lightsaber, which seemed odd. The Gran were a tiny people no bigger than Jawas. Traven highly doubted they could beat three Jedi, and more so, they were three travels in regular looking robes, they had nothing to offer attackers. Traven had not a credit to his name, and it general they had nothing of value, but nonetheless the padawan kept his hand near his lightsaber, although he seemed to distant and way to put off to ever attempt conversation.

They arrived at a building.. that looked like every other damnable building in the Force Forsaken Town! He opened his mouth to say something, but one glance at the other padawan caused Traven to blush with unexplainable embarrassment, forcing him to look away and close his mouth. Master Makara acquired a landspeeder, which to Travens eyes was nearly sparkling. No more sand in his boots, no more of his ponytail slapping him, nice cool air rushing past his face, it was beautiful.

At Master Makara's bidding Traven quickly moved to the Landspeeder but he was struck by a sudden thought. The other two had probably been sweating too.. if he rode in the back that meant the smell would travel back as they traveled. While he didnt want to force someone to smell him, he didnt want to smell them.. pushed on by the sudden realization, he hopped over the side sliding in to the front passenger seat with a sigh of relief.

 

[Samara]

Once everyone was in the vehicle it didn't took long until they were traveling at breakneck speed through the desert, everything else becoming a blurry blot except the path in front of them. Naturally, the landspeeder was nearly at its maximum speed, but it wasn't hard for a force sensitive to navigate the landscape avoiding the obstacles, despite of how much of a death sentence it looked.- Keep your eyes open, we have no idea what might be lurking out here, this is often no man's land -warned his padawans, and at the same time gave them something to do.

This is no laboral day, so chances of finding any miners in there are pretty slim, but as it happens with every trade route its pirate bait. Though, only dumb pirates would try to engage us, since we've got no cargo at all, but a wary man is worth for two. -and naturally, if pirates attacked every day the trade routes would have either stop being reliable or invested a lot in security to fix the issue, but as of now the desert was deserted, forgiving the redundancy.

The journey was going to be long, and the only hint of how much it would take to reach it was the fact that they were literally reaching the night. Up a certain point in the horizon they were headed to, everything was dark, worst than a storm or a power cut in a big city, it was literally the absence of light and that was their destination.- Try to stay together once we arrive, you'd be suprised how easy is to get lost in here without the aid of a communicator -a strong wind stroked their faces constantly, making the loose ends of their clothes and hair to wave wildly behind them. When compared to the heat, the wind was a huge relief, even if it was hot as well. Sand was now another issue. It was easy for sand particles to get everywhere, as if it was a true sea under them, waving itself unstoppably.

Makara, who already had covered his whole body, seemed to have no problem with it. Partially taking is attention away from the handles once they had reached a flat part of the desert, he opened one of the drawers of the front seat, revealing a couple simple devices, large as a hand, useful to keep track of oneself when into such dark places, old fashioned flashlights, goggles, and also breathing filters, all those compressed in a small ball of things, like if they were just threw in there and then someone closed the drawer using brute strength instead of organization.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Fast.. Too fast for the young padawan. Travens hands were locked in a death grip, holding the seat for dear life. It seemed insane to travel this fast, even for a Jedi. At times he was sure he could reach out and touch a rock barely a foot away from the speeder that Master Makara narrowly dodged. At Master Makaras request, Traven attempted to keep his eyes open although the occasional sand blast made it a tricky endeavor.

Master warned about pirates, and Traven was inclined to agree with him just as he had thought earlier. No pirates or bandits would attack people with nothing on them unless they were simply homicidal.. Luckily he was sure the Sand People were only on Tatooine.. well he hoped it was so.

It was a long drive and Traven had fallen into light naps multiple times during the journey, although even in his sleep his death clutch remained. He did not like going fast the young child found out. He shivered to think of having to do this in the future, but promised himself the piloting would be a last resort.. a very, very last resort. Thankfully the fast speeds and hot wind didnt cause him to sweat.. as much as before which was nice.

This blasted heat was a bane of his existence. He could feel his sweat evaporating seconds after being released.. well, at least he would have no sweat stains on his clothes.

In the horizon the great ominous darkness was drawing near, but Traven was welcoming it. Darkness meant no sun.. no sun meant no heat.. he was almost watering at the mouth at the thought of the darkness. Traven leaned forward at the sight of Master Makara opening a drawer, and the young padawans eyes locked on to the goggles, wishing he had those earlier. "I will do my best to stay with you Master Makara" Traven spoke, although he was unsure if he meant it as a conformation or more of a self reassurance.

 

[Quill]

Quill thought about the journey and where they were headed for a second. He was not quite sure, but if they were making a journey, it was probably to some secret location. However the thought stopped when the vehicle they were in went faster. The speed the landspeeder was going was great enough kill them if they crashed. It was a ridiculous speed for them to travel at considering it was a simple journey. Quill gripped a handle with one hand while shielding his eyes with the other. He did not wish for sand to get in them. The speed they were moving only served to enhance the idea that there was a great deal of danger.

From what Makara had said to the two Padawans, there was going to be pirates and other dangers. It was definitely a thought in Quill's head, but at that point he was simply worried about a fiery crash at the speed they were going. Quill's every attempt to concentrate was only interrupted by sand blowing in his face. He could not rest, and he was unable to do anything else other than shield himself. It was a rather miserable journey. He attempted to call out to his master by asking her to slow down.

Master could you slow down? The speed is causing me much stress.​

 

[Samara]

Makara rised an eyebrow from under his garments, and slowed down a bit for Quill- Our objective is about 570 miles from the dark zone, there is a cave in there that is often found unnavigable by those non-force sensitive, there have also been reports of Arachnes dwelling in there, so that might've of been a reason too. In case the heat has made you forget, or you spaced out, we're going to search for crystals and bring them back with us to Thyton. You'll recognize the particular yellow and green colors in the dark -indicated them briefly to kill time as they approached their destination. Finally after some minutes, the darkness was imminent.

The Jedi leaned forward and touched the panel of the vehicle, turning on the lights moments before as he gave another look to the padawans- By the time we're done, trust me you'll be missing the burning heat of the desert -said with a smile. The front lights went unnoticed in the desert daylight, but once they crossed that particular line that divided the planet in two and dived into the twilight zone, it was impossible to see anything, if not for the lights on the speeder, who suddenly happened to look impressive for something so old fashioned.

But perhaps, the most shocking change was the temperature. It went from infernally hot, to icy cold in a matter of minutes, and what once was a burning wind eventually became a freezing breeze, making everyone's breath to be noticeable as a white halo as far as the limited lights could reveal. Objects seemed to appear out of thin air in front of the vehicle, giving little to no time to dodge them, but seemingly Makara was always once step ahead of the terrain.

I want you to concentrate on the force -he said- it will take a while more given the weather... But eventually, when you're at peace, you will be able to see the terrain just as if we were back on the light side. This cold will play against you, but you won't always be in a comfortable situation when you're in need of the force. -he knew they wouldn't be able to do it on the first try, because they still had much to learn, but this were only the first steps of their learning. To learn to use sense in unfavorable situations would give them an edge once they succesfully managed to get a hold of the ability, even if it took them more than it would take other students in the comfort of a temple, which was the case.- There is also a chance i miss a rock or two, and we crash and die. So it wouldn't be too bad if you keep an eye out for me -said with a smile. It was hard to tell if he was joking or being serious, but knowing himself he would probably ram against a rock on purpose to pressure them. Or maybe not, and it was just to pressure them psychologically.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Arachne.. that name sent a shiver up the young padawans spin. He knew well the monsters Arachne. He had seen them in lessons, large, green spiders some even had 10 legs.. Traven hated spiders, the thought of having to face giant ones turned his face pale, well, mostly pale. The sunburn on his left cheek refused to comply. At the thought of crystals, Traven briefly wondered if they could be used in a lightsaber.. his had nothing special about it. The only true difference was that it had a slightly curved-hilt.

The border was mere moments away and Traven licked his lips in anticipation of that sweet cold air.. and was blasted. His hair, only moments before wet from sweat, was frozen solid. With a shivering hand he reached up and gently bent a piece of his hair listening to the ice crackle around it. Every breath felt labored as the icy bite of frost gripped his lungs. The grip was lessen slightly as he breathed out but return in force on his returning breath.

The wind itself turned from a howling gust of scorching sand to icy claws ripping at his flesh as it passed. His breath itself was visible in the cold, never before had he faced such biting chill, but he had to admit, he preferred it than sweating like a Gamorrean during mating season. With his trembling hands he tightly gripped the edges of his robe and pulled them against himself to try, in vain, to protect against the wind.

Through his numb ears he could hear Master Makara bidding them to be one with the force, although Traven wasnt sure how he could do that when his teeth where chattering a mile a minute, but his thought train was brought to a screeching halt at Master Makaras next comment.. Traven wasnt sure if he was joking or not, but wouldnt put it past Makara to say such thing in a light tone. He slowly brought his legs to his body sitting in a meditative position, well, almost a meditative position. Traven out right refused to move his hands away from his semi-warm chest. He wasnt about to lose a finger to the frost.

Slowly he closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. The pain from his lungs ached as he tried to take slower, yet deeper breaths. He had to look past the pain, had to reach out to the force. He had to. Slowly, he entered a state of nothingness.. either that or his body had become like his ears completely numb. Mostly in tuned with the force, he tried to reach out to his surroundings, but before he could get a hold of himself the speeder lightly jolted knocking him out of his trance and sending his face to meet the dashboard.

"Son of a Hutt-Spawn Schutta!" Traven groaned. Normally it would not have hurt, but his face had been icy-bitten from the wind and the smack to the dashboard had sent a very, very hard sting straight to his face. He tried to rub his cheek at the point of impact but rubbing it hurt as well! both his hand and cheek were numb and rubbing was only causing the stinging sensation to spread.

After the pain went away, Traven tried once more to close his eyes and become one with the force.

 

[Quill]

Quill found out that his suspicions about the mission they were on being dangerous was correct. Arachne and pirates would be a horrible thing for Quill. He tried to mask his uneasiness about the journey by holding it within. He was utilizing his disciplined mind to keep him from showing fear, but the fear was quite real. He had one finger on his lightsaber for the rest of the ride. However it was only going to get worse and the bumpy ride was just the start.

They had arrived at the dark side of the planet which meant that it would go from unbearably hot to utterly freezing. It was like a snow storm, but with no remorse. It felt as empty as a black hole. When he revealed himself to it, he was very glad to be wearing such heavy clothing. Quill was put back by the incredible amount of darkness. It was rough, and to keep from being blinded by it, their master required them to use Force sense. It was not a power that Quill practiced regularly however. Focusing the Force to his eyes in a calm fashion, he attempted to use Force sight. The cold was whipping at his senses and so he would need to use Force sense for as long as he could. He had trouble the first few times. The stressful environment made it hard.

I'm having a little difficulty master.​