Ask Tatooine A Long Way From Home

[Kalen Novak]

Kalen and Larana had been sent to the desert world of Tatooine on their first mission without their Master's supervision. It was equal parts exciting and terrifying for Kalen as they exited hyperspace and the planet came into view. Now was their chance to prove they had would it took to be Jedi Knights.

Kalen looked at several panels as he loaded the coordinates they had been given to the dig site where the archeologist had last been seen. The dig site was believed to be the buried ruins of an old Force sect. They had been trying to discover any ties to the Jedi when the reports suddenly stopped coming.

The location was frequented by severe sandstorms that had knocked out the team's communications more than once so no one was too alarmed when the team went silent. Kalen and Larana had been sent with extra communications equipment and instructions to report what they found at the camp.

"The Sun is going to go down shortly after we land. Hopefully, we make contact quickly," he said, a pang of nervousness fluttering in his stomach. If they found trouble, it would be a long time before the Jedi could send backup.

 

[Larana Basai]

The desert planet of Tatooine was new and unfamiliar, far different than the jungles on Andara and Ajan Kloss, to which she had grown accustomed. It was uncertain what they might find there, aside from an endless sea of sand, but she was ready. It had been nearly a year since her arrival on the Jedi home world, and her heart ached for the opportunity to prove her worth as a Jedi, even if their assigned mission provided little challenge. It would be a long walk to the dig site, carrying their weight (or more) in communication equipment, but soon the suns would set and both Kalen and Larana were accustomed to the heat.

Her feet up, and datapad in hand, she spoke to Kalen without looking away from the screen. "Communications go down here all the time, Kalen." Larana shrugged her shoulders, dismissing the nervousness in his tone. "You heard what Master Ris said about sand storms. I doubt that she'd send us anywhere alone where we'd be facing too much of a threat. Besides, it seems to me that this will be an easy opportunity to prove that we're both ready for some more responsibilities." Turning off her datapad, she spun around in her chair to face him just as the ship slowed, approaching their destination.

The equipment they needed to bring to the dig site was already packed and waiting for them in the cargo hold near the ramp they'd use to exit the ship, but they'd need to send communication back to the Jedi Order with their coordinates and time of departure before they exited the ship. It seemed an unnecessary precaution given that their mission was rather simple and posed little threat, but it had never hurt anyone to be prepared in the event that things didn't go the way they anticipated.

"Besides," she added, standing up as their ship touched down on the landing pad. "The two of us make a great team. I'm sure we can handle a long walk through the desert together. We've been through worse." Larana offered him a reassuring smile. [/abox]

 

[Kalen Novak]

Larana appeared to be extremely relaxed as usual. Kalen took it upon himself to make sure he fretted enough for both of them. If he wasn't around, he was sure she would be dead within a week. "Yeah, I am sure its nothing." he said as they entered the planet's atmosphere. He wasn't convinced but there was no sense in arguing with her. The fact was, they wouldn't have been sent alone if there was much of a chance of things going too sideways.

Kalen brought the ship towards the coordinates and ship began to descend. He nodded at her statement as she turned towards him. "Guess we are about to find out," he said with a bit of a shrug.

"Why do you have to tempt the Galaxy like that?" he said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She was basically asking for this to go horribly wrong. The ship shook slightly as it landed and the engines began to spool down. "Go ahead and send the message letting Master Ris know we have arrived," he said.

Kalen looked out at the dig site through the ship's viewport but didn't see any people right away. He guessed it wouldn't be that easy. They were likely just out of sight, perhaps already indoors for the evening.

The Jedi Padawan made his way to the rear of the ship and opened the ramp. The warm desert air hit him immediately. Even in the waning afternoon hours, it was still quite warm but it was different than the humid heat they were used to on Ajan Kloss.

"We can leave the supplies here for now until we can do some poking around," he said checking to make sure he had his lightsaber one last time before exiting down the ship's ramp.

 

[Larana Basai]

Her datapad chirped once, confirming transmission of their coordinates back to the Jedi Temple, before Larana slid it back into her pocket and turned to follow Kalen towards the back of the ship. He still seemed on edge, but she was fairly used to that kind of response from him when it came to anything new or uncertain; he was cautious enough for the both of them, and she encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone from time to time. Still, it wouldn't have made sense for the Jedi to authorize two of their Padawans to leave on an unsupervised mission that could potentially present even the slightest dangers - she felt pretty safe here.

"Message is sent. We should have a few hours to scout things out before they'll be expecting our report." Larana patted her lightsaber which hung from her belt, catching up to Kalen as he exited the ship. Their destination could be seen just beneath the horizon which, considering it sat in the middle of a desert, seemed rather far and she wasn't sure they'd make it before sun down. It also looked rather unoccupied, which seemed strange but not strange enough to cause her much concern. It was hot here, and those assigned to work the dig site had probably retreated inside to cool off after their shifts.

"I think that's everything, if you're ready to head out." She said, pulling a small backpack over her shoulders which held some basic gear, medical supplies and water for their journey.