Ghosts of Jedha

[Beta12]

​

The Catacombs of Cadera were as mysterious as they were ancient, towering over the sands of Jedha, standing as a tree in a forest of stump-like mesas. The location was in fact so prominent, one with eyes could see it from the walls of NiJedha, and vice versa. In ancient times, the complex had been a half days walk from the Holy City itself, and served as a final resting place for the dead of a long extinct, ancient race. Though the race and the original use of the complex has never been identified, its presence on the planet interested Adan. If the Holy City was as old as the complex itself, than insights into the history of the Kyber Temple could be sitting right under the noses of his fellow Knights.

"First comes the day​

Then comes the night.
After the darkness
Shines through the light.
The difference, they say,
Is only made right
By the resolving of gray
Through refined Jedi sight."​

​

Adan repeated a poem from the Journal of the Whills, rather absentmindedly, as he leaned against the outer wall of the Holy City. The walls themselves glowed pale and pink, in the setting sun, but the beautiful sunset was completely lost on the Miralukan. A small transport waited not far off, hovering above the fine sands of the Moon as Adan waited for the Initiate who had answered his call. Nak Ammati, a young Nautolan, had already had his name passed around the healers of Jedha. Apparently, despite his youth, he was quite the skilled healer, toting abilities that could almost rival a Knight of the order. That in itself was enough to attract Adan, and the fact that he was willing to tour the complex pointed toward a bravery common among initiates of the order.

In truth, Adan was at first skeptical of the claims made by the frightened citizenry of NiJedha. Despite the fact that the complex was so close to the Holy City, most of its residents refused to go within several miles of the location. It was haunted, as rumors go, but Adan held little stock in rumors. At least they were rumors until Adan had heard the recording.

Moans, screams, and tortured sounds bounded along the sands and rocks of the desert, and some citizen had been brave enough to record the incident. Apparently, the people of NiJedha had not been mistaken when they claimed the calls of the dead haunted Cadera. However, while the recording itself kept the citizenry at bay, it only compelled Adan to call for an expedition. There was obviously a source behind the noises, and perhaps that source would reveal a mystery, or hidden truth, that Adan had been craving since he first stepped foot on the planet. Such mysteries would have to wait until the Initiate showed himself, however, so Adan returned to his poem and continued to wait.


@Kaane

 

[Kaane]

Awake.

And so Nak did awaken, forgetting he'd left his headphones on again before he drifted into a quiet nap in his bunk. Human music was pleasant...apparently Nautolan songs had a much different theory behind them, with more emphasis placed on silence than the actual music itself. So he'd been told by his parents, anyway. But this sense of motion and life more closely suited him; to the young Initiate, the Light Side of the Force may surge and ebb, but it never truly stopped flowing.

Thus, the Force and music within him marched languidly on in locked step as he stretched, slipping off of the covers he laid on top of as he got to his feet. He was sore; wearing armor to bed was never a good idea, but sometimes he just dozed off before he could think to remove it.

The Force spoke to him as it often did, giving him an intense feeling of closeness to his destination. For his first true work as an Initiate, he had been assigned to work and train under the temporary eye of a Jedi Knight he hadn't met before, a Miraluka named Adan Caal. He didn't know much else about him, only that he apparently took a liking to the healing arts as Nak did. There was a certain commonality he felt with this knowledge alone that filled him to the brim with excitement, not to mention the place they were headed was apparently haunted. It was the perfect storm for the teenaged Jedi; he quickly checked to make sure he had everything of his ready to go before swinging a knapsack over his back and rushing to the cockpit of the freighter he was on.

His mother was in the pilot's seat, already engaged in a boarding sequence as the ship began to settle near a massive rock formation jutting out of Jedha's vast desert terrain, obscured by a scratched cockpit window and dusty sand blowing in the hot breeze.

She feigned deep concentration, as though the environment was making the landing excessively difficult. But she knew she would have to face the eager eyes of her son soon enough.

"Nak...you know you don't have to do this...I know it's important to you, but the Order needs as many Knights defending our Temples as they do defending the galaxy. We can still turn around."

This was a conversation they'd had many times before. It wouldn't end any differently.

"I know what I wanna do, mom. The Force'll keep me safe, I promise...besides, I'm a Jedi first, your son second, it's what I was born to be."

He probably had no idea what kind of damage that innocent remark did, even as his mother turned away to hide her grimace, the freighter landing safely as the hatchway opened. "Stay safe, Nak!" she called out as he ran off towards the exit. Unfortunately, he was running too fast to hear the whispered "I love you" attempting to follow him into the arid wasteland.

She had landed quite expertly, leaving Nak only a short distance to walk towards the formation. He reached his senses out, searching for a Jedi's Force signature to guide his steps.

The young Nautolan smiled in determined anticipation; his new chaperone and the fabled Catecombs of Cadera awaited.

 

[Beta12]

Sand tore at Adan's exposed skin as he made his way off the "gangplank" of the transport, the hulking piece of metal itself hovering only a few inches above the reddish sands of Jedha. His brown boots sunk into the sand by a few inches as he finally reunited his feet with the surface of the cold, barren moon. Nak Ammati would be close by, in fact, the Jedi Knight could already sense the movement of a being not far off, making its way toward the same complex that was Adan's destination. It could only be Nak, as his mother began taking him here the moment Adan himself had departed. Had he known that the initiates mother wished to transport him before hand, he wouldn't have spent the past few hours waiting outside the gates of NiJedha. He understood the natural attachment between and mother and her son, however, even though he had never experienced such love himself.

The intense whirr of the transport's engines reverberated off of the near-by complex, as it barreled back toward the city of NiJedha, which surely glowed in the final moments of the setting sun. Before long, Adan was alone, with the presence of the Initiate being the only thing he could pick out from the lifelessness surrounding him. Despite the growing darkness that surrounded him, Adan walked through the rough, sand and rock filled terrain with ease. When one saw through the force they did not need light to guide their path. "Nak Ammati, I presume?" Adan called out from the darkness, knowing his voice would bound across the sand and reach its destination. He was not far off from the initiate now, and the young boy's form shown intensely against the lifeless translucence around him.

"I am Jedi Knight Adan Caal, but I would prefer you simply address me as Adan. Titles are unimportant, they can change as easily as the direction of the breeze." Despite the fact that the Knight was making his way toward the initiate, and speaking directly to him, Adan's face was tilted upward toward the ruins that loomed before them. It was the first time he had been so close to the complex, and now he was able to drink in the dimensions of the formation himself. No second hand commentary could compare the the sheer mass looming before both Jedi. It was said to be filled with thousands of skeletons, so much that some walls were lined with the skulls of the deceased. There was power in places were so many were entombed, but strangely, Adan felt little variation in the force as he came to a stop, only a few feet away from Nak.

The moans, wails, and howls that had filled the space of the recording were strikingly absent. Only Adan's voice filled the hollow silence that otherwise blanketed the location. "Thank you for coming. It is always good to have a second set of hands around, and an actual pair of eyes." Adan was as capable as any sighed individual, even more so when considering his intense spatial awareness. However, should a rock fall from the top of the ragged cliffs above him, he would only become aware of it as it fell into his own sphere of perception, making it ever more difficult to evade. "I trust you brought a light with you? You will need one of we are to venture into the tunnels themselves." A small smile crossed his lips, as he continued to take in the curves, rough edges, and dips of the rocks before him. Finding an entrance would not be hard, as several nearby were already apparent to him, though where they led was an absolute mystery.

Adan was even about to crack a joke, something about the mystery not being very mysterious, considering he felt and sensed absolutely nothing out of the ordinary surrounding them. His voice caught in his throat, however, when a long and haunted wail filled the lonely sands before them. The voice had lasted only for a few moments, and the source was still impossible to discern. If it had, however, seemingly originated from one of the open entrances to the catacombs. "Tell me Nak, do you believe in ghosts?" It was still a short walk to the complex itself, and that would have to be conquered first before they could begin their expedition in earnest. Before Adan began, though, he fumbled with his own robes for a moment. Adan attempted to switch on a small light-device meant to make it easier for the Initiate to track his movement in the darkness, his thumb pressed roughly into the button of the device. "Is this thing on?"

 

[Kaane]

As he was still honing his sensory abilities with the Force, the call across the desert that reached his ears was a welcome guidepost to lead the way, though he barely heard it over his music. Even as the sandy winds buffeted his face, he found his steps once more guided. And in the fading twilight gloom, he could make out what he had came to see. The Catacombs loomed on high like some monstrous, slumbering giant of rock, and felt equally as imposing. It would be quite the journey to delve into their secrets, but if Jedi were healers first, they were stewards of knowledge at a close second. This was their duty. An anxiety-inducing, yet exciting one.

The path forward was somewhat treacherous with fallen rocks covering the area, but with a little finesse he managed to keep his footing. And soon enough, he found himself standing in front of the man he came to meet. The calm emanating from him was familiar enough to signify his status as a Jedi, and even as the sun's light turned to mere embers the peace seemed to be evident on the man's face. Perhaps it was the lack of eyes; being the windows to the soul and all that. If there was anything going on in his head, it was well hidden at the very least.

Someday he hoped to get all zen like that. But for the moment he could only casually admire it.

He bowed in respect to his superior, despite him saying his title was unimportant. Through force of habit, he imagined; he was still used to seeing Knights as teachers rather than colleagues, as Adan seemed to be. He switched off his headphones before he forgot, not wanting to seem disrespectful. "Nice to meetcha Adan. I hope you're right about the title thing though...Initiate doesn't sound half as good as Knight, y'know?" he said with a smile.

The Nautolan then once again got a good look at the structure before them. At this close vantage point, the towering mass of earth was even more imposing. But with someone more experienced at his side the slight twinges of fear and anticipation were lessened. And at the moment, it seemed to be totally silent. He'd heard the recording Adan sent him; he could've sworn it was just some goof from the Holonet making up some auxiliary material for the GalacticHorror Forums. There must have been at least 50 different interpretations on the Catacomb haunting on there already, all of them interesting, but none of them the truth.

But the truth was what they were here to find out.

"My eyes and light are both in working order, boss," he said in response to the Knight as he slipped a hand into his pants pocket, grabbing a pocket torch the size of a keychain. He turned it on, producing a light quite powerful for the device's size that illuminated a portion of the rock face before them in bluish white light.

Almost as if on cue, however, a wail echoed out from the Catacombs; a chilling one that struck him down to his bones. Hearing it in person was, perhaps, slightly more powerful than hearing a recording.

"Well. Damn. That's spooky, I guess."

Adan then asked him if he believed in ghosts; it was an easy enough question for him to answer. "Sure. We all become a part of the Force when we die...Jedi, Sith, I guess even regular dudes...right now, I think it's not whether it's ghosts in there or not, it's what kind, y'know."

He shuddered somewhat, trying to shake the chills out of him as he scanned the face for anything treacherous, maybe an errant bone strewn about, or a phantom lurking in his peripheral vision. It was getting truly dark now...night time was upon the planet, and he could only imagine the Catacombs were even darker. Thankfully his teacher turned on a light of his own so Nak wouldn't lose him in the dark.

"Yup. Bright idea, man," he said, managing a smirk despite his apprehension. "Now let's solve a mystery."

 

[Beta12]

"Very spooky." Adan admitted, allowing a small laugh to escape his lips. A large grin spread across young man's face in response to the young Nautolan's enthusiasm. It was rather odd, the way the both of them were taken aback by a simple noise, when real terror reigned throughout the galaxy around them. A Kyber crystal had reduced the entirety of Tython to molten slag, thousands had died in an instant. Yet, the population of NiJedha was concerned about noises bounding off the rocks and sand at night. Despite that fact, goosebumps covered his flesh in a way he hadn't experienced since Ilum. "Spooky, but not outside the realm of reason, as far as we are aware." Slowly, the Jedi began to move toward the closest entrance of the catacombs. Inorganic objects, lined with dead organic life, became apparent to Adan as they closed the distance.​

The force permeated all living things, at least, all of the living things the Miralukan himself had ever encountered. If the force breathed through life, than it could be soundly argued that the force was life, or that it had its claws dug in so irrevocably that the two were indistinguishable from the other. Nak's answer was standard enough, something to be expected of a life spent living with Jedi. However, it was the last part of his response that echoed within his mind. It was said that the Sith communed with the dead on one of their most sacred worlds, entombing fallen sith bones there so their essence would live on, projected through the Dark Side of the force. If all things were possible through the force, perhaps there could be different manifestations of that same phenomena, even here. Adan did not feel the presence of such darkness, at least not yet, raising further questions that could only be answered by moving forward.

As Adan stepped into the tunnel entrance, the first thing he had to do was hunch himself over. The beings who originally carved this tunnel were either short themselves, or expected those tall enough to bow in respect, whether they liked it or not. In fact, anyone standing above 5"7 would have a hard time moving through the cramped, confines of the space. It wasn't that wide either, considering the fact that Adan's shoulder's grazed either side of the wall, his robes snagging against the teeth of the skulls that protruded too boldly. The Miralukan pulled his robes closer to himself, tying them tightly around his waste, for protection from the bones as much as the cold. Somehow, the inside of the tunnel felt slightly more freezing, and way more clammy, than the desert of Jedha at night. "Mmm. I hope you packed mittens...." Adan remarked offhandedly, a slight edge to his voice as he took in the sheer claustrophobic nature of their path. The tunnel seemed to become larger at some distance, and the sands outside remained undisturbed, other than from their passage. However, the rock above and to is sides were simply to thick to understand. If there were chambers somewhere above or around him, they were rendered invisible through the sheer thickness of the stone.

"They say that those strong in the force are the only ones to return from it, with an essence still intact.." Adan's voice echoed along the tunnel rather obnoxiously, despite the low tone of his voice. It only took a few more steps for the Miralukan to feel the vibration around him. Not through the force, but through the bones and rock of the tunnel itself. For now it was gentle, yet persistent pulse that shook the soles of his boots, and caused motes of dust to lose themselves from the bones and drift into the thick air between them. Careful not to scratch himself on sharp shards of bone, the Jedi Knight set a palm along the wall, letting it drag as he moved forward, the vibrations intensifying slightly with every step they made. The bones themselves were mostly weathered with age, rendered somewhat smooth from years of sand storms entering the tunnel, grating against the rougher edges of the skulls and femurs. If he could see color, he would have been able to note that they were positively brown, as brown as the walls around him and floor beneath him. Bones were only bleached in the sun, and these had not seen the light of day for a very long time.

"Did your mother approve of this expedition? Would you have gone if she didn't?" The question fell out of the young man's mouth before he had even really thought. He had never had parents, not truly, and the idea of someone worrying about him when off on a mission was a foreign concept at best. "The order has been my family as long as I could remember. Do you enjoy your family being so close?" Adan wasn't one for prying questions, but conversation helped keep his mind off of the tight space around him. A Miralukan was at their best in open spaces, giving the ample time to react to stimuli in every direction. Adan was not use to simply looking forward, and behind him, something that Nak was far more suited to.
​

 

[Kaane]

As Nak walked beside Adan into an entrance illuminated now by the tiniest sliver of starlight from above, he reconsidered this whole ghost hunting thing and what it meant to his potentially-about-to-be-ended life. Sure, the Knight said a rational explanation could be behind all this; likely there was. But he'd watched enough Holovids about paranormal shit to know that anyone who falls for the "there's a rational explanation behind all this" ploy is probably killed off by the end of the second act. Forget anything else, that there was solid truth.

At the very least the catacombs began to get more and more claustrophobic. Not that he liked hunching over or being surrounded by the bones of those long-dead, but having to walk behind Adan was always nice. Just in case the errant monstrosity came rampaging through.

Here and there his modular armor banged or broke some of the looser bones jutting out from the walls, startling him every so often. Combined with the growing cold and the staleness of the air, it felt as though death itself was closing in on them; it probably had something to do with the skulls that peeked out at them from the walls.

But despite all these distractions, he managed to notice something that jarred his mind back to a more present state: nothing dark, nor even light (beyond the ever-present hum of serenity this planet possessed), was truly present here. He wouldn't call it a void in the Force or anything, it was just...normal.

Unless whatever haunted this place was extraordinarily well-hidden, this could just be a simply normal cave. Granted, a cave littered with ever-present proof of life's finite nature, but still, just a cave.

"They say that those strong in the force are the only ones to return from it, with an essence still intact.." said Adan. His occasional breaking of the overwhelming silence with a quip or contemplation welcomed by the nervous Nautolan. This statement, a definite truth, had implications that reached deep in this particular situation.

"Meaning...if this is actually haunted and it's not just noisy delinquents smoking deathsticks...we might meet either a really awesome Jedi...or one serious Sith...though, this place is so holy, i'm not sure about the last part..."

Still, despite managing to re-assure himself that the latter possibility was very unlikely, it was still a possibility. He'd heard true stories about these sort of hauntings that were much stranger, and much more horrifying, than fiction. The Krayt Dragon Phantom of South Tatooine, for one, was legendary among his horror-enthusiast compatriots, and that was just the tip of the ice berg. Severe wounds in the Force where huge battles occurred were still said to "replay" themselves over and over again if the conditions were right, engulfing unfortunate passersby in the terrors of war. It was even rumored this had begun on Tython after it got glassed, though Nak still had to investigate for himself. And finally, there were still places of great darkness that reached beyond the Twin Sith worlds of Korriban and Moraband. Some were immersed deep within abandoned temples or planetary cores, others were hidden in plain sight. But their deadliness was unquestionable, should an unwary adventurer waltz into them unprepared.

No wonder the Jedi had trained him to fight against his fear; it was powerful indeed.

It was in the midst of his own ruminations that he felt it.

"Oh...dude...can you feel that...?" Nak whispered, rhythmic vibrations beginning to gently tingle his legs and feet, even through the thick soles of his armored boots. In fact, even the air itself seemed to be vibrating. It was like a pulse; as though despite being made of death, the Catacombs were yet living.

"Could it be some kind of machine?" he then asked, trying to reach out with the Force. Still, however, he felt nothing other than the residual Light provided by the planet's connection with the Force. "Almost reminds me of my mom's freighter when its sublight engines are on."

It seemed after a little more walking, he had set off a thread of curiosity in the Miraluka's head with that little remark, him asking about his family and how he felt about a few things in regards to them.

"Did your mother approve of this expedition? Would you have gone if she didn't?"

Seeing as he never felt he had anything to hide from his fellow Jedi, he answered honestly. "Uh...I'd say she half did, half didn't. She didn't want me to hit the battlefields or anything, so I think she's at least...alright with it, y'know. Investigating spooks somewhere where it's pretty certain there aren't any Sith was safe to her, even if it meant being taken out of her view, I guess. But if she didn't...I absolutely would've come anyway. I'm not a Padawan anymore, y'know, even if i'm only a half-step away from being one...being looked at like a helpless kid sucks, people telling you what to do, where and when to do it, it's necessary I guess but you get tired of it real fast. This is my chance to break free, of course I'm gonna take it."

There were a few moments of silence before he asked his next question.

"The order has been my family as long as I could remember. Do you enjoy your family being so close?"

"Honestly I could say the same, the Order is my family. Everyone's a brother, sister, uncle, aunt. Just one big family. But my parents...I think I know why the Jedi are so cautious about love. All I've ever been is smothered by it. Sometimes I wish I could've just been popped into existence rather than have two people worry about me so much. I don't even get it, what's the point, I'm just another Jedi...just because I came from...uh......them doing a little thing together doesn't mean they owe me any more than any other member of the Order would. I don't know," he finished, ending with a shrug as he continued walking along, his light catching the tunnel widening somewhat further.

"What about you though...your family? Your parents? And if you don't mind me asking...what got you so interested in stuff like this? Most Jedi I know either wanna fight Sith whenever they can or sit around meditating their lives away."

 

[Beta12]

Even in the space of a few moments, Nak had grown on the Miralukan Jedi considerably. Honesty was something prevalent in the order, but the young Nautolan had a particularly, raw aspect about his that peaked Adan's curiosity. He was a very open boy, ready to take on the world in a way his parents did not necessarily approve of, both brave and sure of his own ability in an increasingly dangerous world. "People often thought I was a blind human when I first met them. The blindfold throws most people off, I guess? They would always try to guide me away from walls. Eventually, I rammed into a few just to throw people off." His blindfold had never been weird to him, being one of the few things he still had from his time before the order. Other Jedi could tap into the sort of sight Adan used innately, with years of training under their belt. It made Miraluka unique, in a the same way a Wookie's raw strength made them stand out from a crowd. "I wouldn't worry too much about your parents. Love is an exceptional part of living, it reminds Jedi that they truly live, as individuals, and not blank slates for the force's will. You will always have the order, but you will always have your parents as well." It was Adan's strained opinion that any Jedi who sought to remove themselves from emotion entirely were far more likely to fall to the lure of the Dark Side. Those that practiced love walked a fine line, but it was Passion, not love, that brought a Jedi from their path. Those who could not discern the difference would crave both as if they were the same, at some point in their lives, and that was truly dangerous.

The vibrations in the tunnel and the dank, cold air continued to increase in intensity as the two moved forward. Nak's musing on the matter gave a window into his his well reasoned mind. "A machine would explain the shaking... but that only raises further questions.." The tunnel before him still held no signs of life, other than the occasional bug dancing along the bones that lined the wall. Not much could, or possibly even would, want to live in a place such as this. The tunnel finally began to open, slightly, as Nak offered a question of his own. "The short answer is, I never knew my parents. The order found me in an orphanage on Alpheridies." His story, like many Jedi, had an extraordinarily ordinary beginning. He had been taken to Tython at an early age, and he had little memories from his time outside the order. "My master was a student of history. I guess I picked up on that passion, in part. He was the one who first took me to Ilum." The frigid planet was rather uninviting in its own right, but the ice sculptures, the relics, and the mines had kept him busy for the better part of a decade.

Adan's steps faltered, in a very sudden way, as what still appeared to be a widening tunnel opened up into a chamber around the two. His shoulders no longer brushed bone, and his hand had fallen from the wall into thin air, briefly brushing against something that might have been a metal bar. "Uh..." The Knights mouth fell open, as some of his senses began to betray the others.

​

Unbeknownst to Adan Caal, the chamber itself was dimly lit and around 160 feet in length, lined with cages on either wall. An obvious entrance, that could have been used for mining equipment, had been punched into the side of the chamber where it trailed off into the dark. The cages themselves seemed to be bedded with make-shift hydroponic trays. The dying tree limbs that protruded from them carried some curious looking lizards, their claws sunk deeply into the limbs themselves, giving them the appearance of sleepy, yet thoroughly attached tumors.

To the Miralukan the chamber was still a tunnel, the walls simply protruded in an odd, spherical fashion. It was as if large balls had been cut in half, and glued to the sides of the tunnel in an indiscernible pattern. The walls themselves, however, felt much more alive than the bones they had previously encountered, as if Adan had found himself staring into the throat of an Exogorth. Large tracts stretched through the tunnel, having been carved into the dirt floor sometime in the recent past, filling the dank air with the scent of exposed earth. At the end of the tunnel, a large box like object sat, its tight lines and edges gave away its mechanical origin. "What am I sensing.. Nak?" The words fumbled from his mouth in a foreign fashion. It was only after he spoke that Adan realized he had slipped back into his native Miralukese. "Oh uh. What am I seeing Nak?" Before any answer could be given, a hollow sound filled the chamber from the direction of the box. The Miralukan could have sworn something moved behind the box, but whatever it was, it was as translucent as the box itself. "I need you to tell me if there is anything on my sides." Adan's voice dropped to a whisper, as he gently placed his hand on the saber hilt at his side. Nak was smart, at least he had worn armor if it was needed.

 

[Kaane]

Nak nodded, passively acknowledging that this guy seemed to understand exactly what he was talking about. Everyone treating him like he was straight-up blind was undoubtedly a humiliating experience. You had to be treated like you were, at least figuratively, when you first became a Padawan. The sensation of hand-holding was something it seemed neither Adan nor Nak were keen to relive.

Thankfully Adan seemed to be more of a companion than a master; it was refreshing, finally being on (or at least close to) the level of someone else.

He then offered some advice on the matter of his parents: "I wouldn't worry too much about your parents. Love is an exceptional part of living, it reminds Jedi that they truly live, as individuals, and not blank slates for the force's will. You will always have the order, but you will always have your parents as well."

He did somewhat agree; he couldn't imagine following the Light Side of the Force without the sensations of happiness and love for things to keep him going. That emotionless void was a place he was actually afraid of venturing; though the Force was a companion that eased his troubles, he feared becoming its empty vessel. He was an individual, he had dreams and desires that the Force probably cared little about. He spent most of his short life trying to be himself; being part of a true collective or hive mind beyond the camaraderie of the Jedi Order gave him shivers.

Still...the kind of love he was getting from his parents wasn't reminding him of life, more so of having a choke collar around his neck that constantly kept getting yanked by people he couldn't quite fight.

"I know. Just I want to show them that I can succeed and all...nobody I think wants to be a kid forever. Hopefully, when I start bringing some Sith to the Light, someday...someday they'll realize I'm alright. They don't have to worry about me, or give me a fight. They'll just let me be, y'know."

He continued walking on in the pulsating darkness, flitting his flashlight here and there to check for threats ahead and behind them. After a few moments of thought, the Miraluka gave his answers to the questions Nak had asked earlier.

He was orphaned...that definitely explained why he was curious about his parents. It must have been weird, growing up without any kind of figures like those...Nak couldn't imagine it. Though he perhaps somewhat envied it.

He didn't answer much about the history passion, but it definitely intrigued Nak. Though he was definitely no student of history himself, preferring to look towards the future, exploring archaeowhatsit places like these seemed to be rather invigorating. "Well I gotta say...history's a little more exciting when you teach it, man," said the young Nautolan in response with a smirk.

It was right about then that he noticed it, how quickly the tunnel changed, and how light was peeking out from the ceilings where there once was none. "Huh...manmade light..." he muttered to himself, before shining his light around the walls to get a better look. He noticed the strange entrance, carved straight into the wall, but couldn't feel anything coming from it. To be precise, it was becoming somewhat difficult to feel much in regards to the Force. But he paid it little mind. What took his attention more was the rest of the scene...the box-like object in front of him, and the caged lizards lining the walls. And how cool this guy's language sounded, even though he had no idea what he had said until he repeated himself.

"Uh...well there's that...there's a metal box in front of us, it's got a little viewport on it but it's so fogged up and far away, I can't see much...there's an entrance off to our right up a ways...and hey, someone left these lizard things here to die, look at em!"

His inner instincts of aiding the helpless called to him as he walked off to one of the cages, attempting to pull open the door, much to the ire of the sleepy-looking lizard inside. It wouldn't budge, so he resorted to the next tactic: blowing open the door with the Force.

At least, he would have. If he actually could.

"Uh...I can't push things...Adan, I can't push things dude, I can't push things! WHY CANT I PUSH THINGS!?"

 

[Beta12]

Adan's jaw tightened as Nak began to explain their surroundings to him. The fixtures bore into the ceiling were make-shift lights, and if those were indeed man-made, than the rest of chamber must have had a similar explanation behind it. It explained the box at the end of the hall, but not the movement he had detected moments before. Whatever the object was, it had definitely emanated the noise that filled the chamber a moment before. Whether or not it was a speaker, Adan would have to decide upon closer inspection. It was the cages themselves that garnered the entirety of his focus, as he himself could not sense them. "Can't.. push?" Adan's eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pursed. None of this was normal, and everything began to point toward some sort of operation.

"Nak...." Once again, something as inanimate as the box itself stirred behind the object. Whatever it was, the initiate's screaming had spurred it into motion. "Nak! Get down!" The object, now obvious to Adan as an armed Droid, stepped out from behind the box entirely. Adan tore the hilt of his saber from the loop in his belt and activated it in one fluid motion. A vibrant, purple blade extended before his chest, and sent what would have otherwise been a kill-shot into one of the various cages lining the wall. A lizard screeched and died, opening up a space in Adan's perception that had previously been absent. Though it was a pocket, he had hoped the initiate had been inside. The closer the Nautolan had gotten to the cages, the less defined he had become. With the appearance of the droid, the initiate had disappeared entirely.

A pungent smell of scorched, and lightly melted, sandstone filled the chamber as the droid continued to fire. It was a decent shot, but clearly an older model. While a smarter droid might have corrected its firing algorithms, this one did not. That made it far more easy for Adan to redirect incoming shots, and within moments he had caught the right angle on a bolt. A red beam had been cast back toward the droid, where it planted firmly in its torso. Though Adan could not see "life" fleeing its form, he saw its edges and lines collapse as it fell backward onto the cavern floor. The scent of scorched metal and wiring added to the bouquet of fried scents which had formed inside of the chamber.

"Are you alright?" Any semblance of calm had fled Adan's voice. Surely he would not have brought an initiate if he had known this expedition was going to be dangerous. The lizards, droid, and speaker brought were dots that the Knight needed to connect, but he instead found himself calling out to the initiate once more. "Nak?" His voice had steadied, slightly, but the strained hitch in it was rather obvious.

While Adan hadn't noticed it before, the vibrations in the chamber were far more intense than they had been in the tunnel. Beyond the box and beyond the droid, the chamber seemed to extend back into a normal, if not a far more wide, tunnel. The deep tracts in the earth beneath them pointed toward the movement of a large machine, and the fact that they continued into the tunnel only confirmed his growing suspicion. "There is something else going on here.." Adan whispered, as he continued to wait for the initiates' response.

(Sorry, I was a little ill! Hope the response is fine!)

 

[Kaane]

(OOC: no worries man, it's perfect. I hope you're doing better!)

Nak may have been passively spooked during his venture into the dark with Adan, but for the first time, perhaps since meeting his fears on Lothal, he was truly afraid. The Force was his greatest ally, a constant, friendly presence that gave him strength, and the impetus that provided his life meaning. And now suddenly, he was without it. He was struggling to understand what had happened...and while he had learned how to control fear, he simply couldn't. He was utterly terrified. Frozen in place, staring at the seemingly-abused lizard stuck in a cage, utterly powerless to save either it or himself.

"Nak! Get down!"

Suddenly, his fight-or-flight consciousness kicked in at the command of his companion. He hadn't even noticed the droid step out from behind the wall until the shots rang out and the chamber flooded with dancing red and purple lights, forcing Nak to duck and cover. There wasn't anything to hide behind where he was, so he simply tried to make himself as scarce as possible. Fear pounded in his very veins as the droid thankfully seemed to be focused on Adan, though an errant deflected bolt whizzed only a foot or two over his head. He wanted to do something, to get up and help, but he was paralyzed.

Was this what the Sith turned into power? Fear just seemed to destroy him.

Though the whole thing seemed to take at least a half an hour to Nak's perception, it was over in less than a minute. The Nautolan heard the droid's circuits getting fried as it slumped to the floor with a loud clank.

He still remained on the floor, muscles locked before he once again heard Adan's voice snap him out of it.

Shakily, the Initiate got up, staring into the darkness. He wasn't even going to shine his flashlight over in the droid's direction, for fear another platoon was on the way. Dammit...why did this immobilize him so...was he truly nothing without the Force at his side to prop him up?

"I...I'm sorry...I just sat there, like a kriffing idiot...I couldn't do anything...I couldn't feel the Light...and all over some shitty battle droid!"

He slammed his fist against the wall, hitting a cage and startling the lizard within instead. Quiet counsel from many a teacher about not losing himself to his emotions floated through his head, but he couldn't help himself. Through all of his training, it just took a little severing from the Force to render him weak and ineffective. Just one droid with a gun he could easily counter with a little Soresu struck him down without even having to fire in his general direction.

"Dammit..." he muttered, on the edge of tears in his shame. He could only imagine what Adan was thinking of him now, that he wasn't ready for this, that he had no potential whatsoever, that Knighthood would never be in his grasp, that his parents were right about him and that he'd be better off sitting in a library for the rest of his life. He stood resolute and frozen in chagrin, too afraid to face the Miraluka, but too angry at himself to run.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, hanging his head. Whatever judgement came his way, he felt he fully deserved it.

 

[Beta12]

A rushed sigh passed Adan's lips as soon as he heard Nak's voice. The initiate was unharmed, at least unharmed enough to center most of his attention on a grandiose apology. In fact, the Nautolan was upset enough to strike one of the cages beside him. There was nothing to apologize for, of course, but a life-time spent around reserved monks often propagated such behavior. He was embarrassed in his frustration, but he had been as frustrated as Adan had been flabbergasted. They had no way to know what would be found in the catacombs, and the lizards themselves had been an oddball. "Don't sweat it. I can't even see you." The Knight tried his best to hide the raggedness from his voice. He wondered what Nak must have thought of him, if he had expected such a harsh reaction.

"I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression, but I am not a teacher, and this is not a test. You can't pass anything down here Nak. Just learn, like I am." The lizards in the cage would likely live for hours, but the initiate was right in that would die. As every second passed, he could sense the true world around him more clearly. "I trust your eyes.. and if you see lizards than that is what they are." Few, and very specialized, creatures hunted and protected themselves with the force. The force permeated through every living thing, and it did not restrict its use to the sentient. "We will have to come back for them.." Adan pointed his nose back toward the end of the tunnel.

The vibrations had not ceased, but the path before them had remained clear. Whatever the droid was, it had been left to guard the speaker-device at the end of the chamber. "Either that thing didn't have a speaker, or it's taking a bit for back-up to arrive." Adan extended his free left hand toward the source of Nak's voice, and he tried to wave the boy back into his 'sight'. His single, purple lightsaber remained active in his right hand. The blade itself pointed up toward the ceiling, and protruded from a comfortable, strangely curved hilt. "You might want to draw yours. Who knows what might be coming back here.." As he spoke a small cloud of dust drifted down from the roof of the chamber. The chamber shivered like a snare on a drum.

The Miralukan took several hesitant steps forward before he broke back into his original pace. The tunnel that lead from the chamber was tall and recently carved, far different from the bone-caked walls they had passed through. "Seems like someone didn't want Jedi snooping around... But." The Jedi Knight stopped by the box at the end of the chamber. The droid at their feet had shut down soon after the bolt had struck it, that much was obvious from its fried wires. "There are plenty of surprises in life, and you can't prepare for them. You have the force to guide you, but more importantly, you have friends." The Jedi were not the Sith. Though the Order had its faults, they did not tear their brothers and sisters down. Whether or not the Initiate accepted it, Adan offered a small pat on the shoulder. "Come on."

The tracks in the tunnel below them were deep, and a small wire ran along its carved roof. The wire itself had originated from the hanged lights behind them, as well as the speaker itself. Of course the Catacombs themselves were devoid of energy, so the appliances themselves had to be powered by some other source. Adan hoped that the wire would lead to the culprits, or at least the generators that belonged to them. "If you went to Cadera looking for something, what would you look for?" The question was directed toward Nak, but Adan did not make the effort to turn his head toward him. The tunnel was wide enough for them to walk side-by-side, so the Miralukan didn't see a need. "I mean. Bones, right?" Certain cultures buried objects of value with their dead, but not all, and the tunnel behind them certainly hadn't held any.

The very edges of a chamber opened up to Adan, many feet away. The Jedi were headed into something more active, but whatever it was, Adan could not sense it fully. From the entrance of the chamber, however, several figures emerged. They moved quickly, and soon the distinct sound of metallic foot-steps filled the air. "Got some activity coming our way.." The Knight lowered his voice another octave, and made sure his head was closer to Nak than it had been. "Probably more of the same.. just more this time. Can you handle it?"

 

[Kaane]

Adan's words washed over him as waves breaking against a rock cliff might; initially he was unyielding, but his defense eroded over time. He was still gravely embarrassed at his cowardice, but perhaps it was to be expected. This wasn't a test...as much as he still thought it was, it was also about getting this job done.

All he knew is he wouldn't let himself get this distraught again.

"I'll try to learn...it won't happen again Mas...I-mean-Adan." It was a reflex more than anything; the situation reminded him all too much of his days training as a Padawan, when teachers at the Academy would lecture or try to cheer him up after a bad day training, despite Adan's words. He was no stranger to screwing up royally, as he wasn't the most exceptionally talented Jedi to begin with. He took to healing quite well but learning the other aspects of the Force and lightsaber combat were both hard-won battles. This gut reaction to fear would have to be conquered just as he conquered them...he just hoped it wouldn't take nearly as long.

Thankfully he seemed ready to move past it, and so would Nak for the time being. He was heartened by Adan's need for his eyes, at the very least; obviously whatever these lizards were, being the only common denominator in this situation, were interfering with both of their abilities, including Adan's Force Sight. Purpose kept him going. Purpose gave him life.

He hung on the Knight's every word at this point, not wanting to disappoint him again like earlier. Noticing that there was some kind of speaker device by the droid, he drew his lightsaber. He didn't turn it on until Adan said for him to, however; the lightsaber to Nak was a sacred tool of power only used in great times of need. The amount of destruction a single one could wreak was immense. Though he didn't fear his own weapon, perse, he respected it to an extraordinary degree. Soon, however, brilliant blue light joined violet, a duet performing a symphony of colors on the tunnel walls. He held it in front of him warily in a guard with two hands, typical of amateur Soresu practitioners preparing themselves beforehand to deflect blaster bolts.

However, it seemed Adan had words of wisdom even for his rigid vigilance. "There are plenty of surprises in life, and you can't prepare for them. You have the force to guide you, but more importantly, you have friends." Nak smiled a little at that, and at the pat to his back. "I believe you man," he replied, calming down somewhat. "Just losing the Force like that...it's like you had a longtime best friend that gets ripped from you without you even knowing. I didn't know what to do...but I can do better now. Just need to live in the present more, I guess. That's what all my teachers kept telling me, live in the present. I guess getting scared and useless like that is why. I just...don't wannit to happen to me when I meet a Sith for the first time...I'm gonna save him, whoever he is, wherever he is. Then I really can't get scared, y'know."

They continued walking along the wide corridors, Nak making sure to stay close so Adan wouldn't lose track of him in case they ran into anymore of these Force-eating lizard things.

Then he asked a rather thought-provoking question indeed. About why someone would come to Cadera in the first place.

Nak thought for a few moments carefully before responding...the truth was he was somewhat stumped too, as it was obvious these guys chose Cadera for a reason. It was in the middle of the Jedi Capital Planet, and if they were trying to do something subversive, doing it right under the nose of the galaxy's protectors was a little brazen. It was almost unbelievable, like if the Republic just decided one day to plot killing off the Order before it collapsed. As if that would ever happen...but still.

Then he mentioned bones. Bones...

"Huh...uh, well you can turn bone into fertilizer I guess...good for the agriculture people, though doing it here's a little weird... But I read somewhere that bones generally have like these stem cell thingies in marrow. Like the stuff that we grow organs from now. They're no good now being dead for a bajillion years, but they still have DNA in em, right? What if they're looking for genes? Like, aren't there supposed to be Jedi heroes buried here? Really powerful dudes? Maybe they wanna get some powerful dudes of their own for some reason..."

He shook his head, realizing he had basically just pontificated into the realm of craziness. He had no idea if you could even do that with fossilized cells, he wasn't an expert or anything. "Just forget it, was a stupid idea, I guess...just the first thing that came to mind. Can't really think of anything else."

Nak then stopped talking as he heard clanking coming from in front of them. More droids it seemed were on their way. But this time, Nak was ready for them, as was Adan it seemed.

"I can handle anything now, man," said the Nautolan in response as he gripped his saber tightly. This was it. No more games, no more collapsing on the ground scared. These bolts weren't on stun. And they'd have to plow through these droids to get to the bottom of all this. This secret, pulsing, underground hideout thing would get turned over before the day was out, Nak was sure of it.

 

[Beta12]

Nak had a knack for for making a decent impression, and it had not been lost on Adan. He was young, but his dedication to the order and his own ability had shown through his words and actions. He had parents that watched out for him, but he was definitely ready to leave the nest and fly. The Miralukan himself had yearned for a similar independence at such an age, but in a way he had been given too much. His own masters had been on Ilum, and allowed him free reign over the archives therein. Adan learned what he wanted to learn, and sought instruction in necessities, such as lightsaber combat. He had little time for friends, as he had made all he had needed on Tython. The masters themselves barely encouraged his social behavior. In their own ways, they had been lost in their work. The Knight had lost himself in a similar fashion after the destruction of Tython. "Some ideas are stupid, but that wasn't." The only thing that was of interest in a catacomb were the bones anyway.

Adan was charmed by Nak's insistence that he might save someone lost in the darkside, even if there seemed to be little hope for them. They could be saved, but the Jedi of this... militarized.. order seemed to forgo the Jedi's teaching of mercy and redemption. The execution of many Sith in a prison complex was evidence of that enough. Surely they would have caused chaos and pain if they had managed to escape, but the jusitification in their death was something that made Adan's skin crawl. When one was convinced that they did what they "had" to do, based on some sense of duty, than just about anything could be justified in that mindset. Would every Sith have to die to ensure a lasting peace in the galaxy? If so, why hadn't it worked the last time around?

The metallic shuffle of droids in movement reverberated off of the walls, floors, and ceiling that made the tunnel. As they moved closer to the Jedi, and further away from the chamber, faint voices became apparent among the ever-present vibrations that shook the earth around them. "You are in my way... your targeting systems are inferior! If your optical servos functioned, you would walk straight!" Whether the voices themselves came from one, or all of the droids, Adan really wasn't sure.

Not many droids concerned themselves with petty insults, and fewer droids had a difficult time functioning in unison. If there had been paint on the walls, the paint would likely read (HK-Models, brought to you by Czerka with love. @Zaphod Norblebrox). The Knight's muscles tensed, as the assassin droids were revealed to him. There were three, and they walked side-by-side in the tunnel before them. As they moved, the three seemed more focused on their own actions than that of the Jedi before them, still some length away. The mid and left droids almost fell on-top of one another, after the one on the right had pushed the mid. Yet, despite their differences, the three metal death sticks trudged on down the corridor, their feet sunk slightly into the rendered earth beneath them. They were HK-24, a model known for deadly capability. Thankfully, they were also known for their specific lack of cooperation.

The Jedi themselves were rather obvious, even through the oppressive darkness of the tunnel before them. Their lightsabers brought light to the tunnel, and it was only a matter of moments before the droids themselves focused in on the source. "Intruders!" From that response, it became apparent to Adan that they did not have comms in the catacomb. The HK's might have been sent to relieve the older and less functional model in the chamber, but they had not been warned of its destruction. Adan's curved saber hilt remained firm in his right hand, but he brought the blade before his chest. Most who practiced Soresu grasped their blade with both hands, but Adan was a duelist at heart, and his form resembled it. The bolts screamed forth moments later.

HK's, like other droids crafted by Czerka, were professional killers right from the factory floor. They needed little assistance to dispatch a human, but it was apparent that their numbers would soon work against them. As the bolts flew forth, each of the three droids fought each other for space and jostled themselves about. Adan kept to his right, and remained close to the tunnel wall so Nak would have plenty of room to move his own blade. The Knight himself batted most shots that threatened to hit him at an angle, and insured they plunged into the rock floors and walls before them. He tried to focus on every blast that came his way, but he knew that even trained Jedi could not sustain themselves under an unending stream of blaster-fire.

Heat slapped against his left cheek as a bolt screamed past the Miralukan's head. He had "seen" it coming, so he had had enough time to yank his head out of the way. That didn't mean his eyebrows, and the hair on the left side of his head, remained unscathed. A pungent scent of singed hair drifted into the immediate area, and Adan himself felt as though he was going to gag. The Droids themselves continued to close the distance, and it would only be a matter of time before they attempted to engage them with close-quarters blaster fire, as well as a vibro-blades to boot. "Try to bat some back at 'em!" Adan called out to Nak, as he raised his left hand before him.

A small, practiced tug at the mid-rift of one of the droids sent it thrashing toward the two, where it quickly closed the distance that remained between the Jedi and the rest of the assassins. The two droids that were left picked up an uncanny increase in accuracy, though several of their bolts struck their companion on its way toward the Knight. It was useless to them now, and it would be useless to whatever owned it soon. The thing, though damaged, went for the blade in its wrist and attempted to slice at Adan is it came to bare on him.

Adan's saber blade sliced through the mid-rift of the droid like a knife through butter, and added the smell of burnt droid to the already overwhelming odor of burn hair. In the commotion, however, Adan was unable to stop the droid's blade from sinking firmly into his left shoulder. "Ah!" A sharp, pained cry shot out from the Knight's lips as the droid yanked the blade out and fell to the ground. Though incapacitated, the thing itself was far from defeated. Adan saw the swipe as it occurred and jumped in the air, beneath his boots the same blade that had plunged into his shoulders swung underneath. The Knight himself twisted slightly to his left in the air, and brought the tip of is blade down toward the thing beneath him. He poked several, successive jabs into the torso of the droid in quick order. A bolt shot off of his blade as he pulled it out a final time, and within moments Adan had resumed his frantic Soresu form.

@Kaane

 

[Kaane]

Nak was not exceptionally adept at using a lightsaber; even the basics of Shii-Cho had come hard to him. And Soresu's precise defensive movements required intense concentration, especially when tracking the trajectory of blaster bolts, that Nak never truly afforded it. This was perhaps the first time he'd actually given his lightsaber technique any thought...and the first time in his life where he'd have to do more than just pass to move on with his life. At least these foes weren't actually alive...passivity probably would have hindered rather than helped him here.

They sure sounded like they were living, though. The banter between them coming up the hall was utterly ridiculous. Whoever owned these droids probably either hadn't memory wiped them in years or just bought some seriously crappy product. However, though he didn't think much of it at the moment, it would be noticing this crucial detail that saved his life.

As the assassin droids approached, Nak flipped a switch on his headphones, changing playlists, before turning up the volume.

Now this was a jam he could block to.

Hot plasma lit up the hallway soon enough, but to Nak the sound of the droids' blasters just melded into the music that became his reality. It was a singularly interesting experience for him; if there was anything that helped him unlock a fuller connection to the Force and his abilities, it was the right tune.

However, it was also a thankful occurrence that Adan gave him a wide berth, as the music only exacerbated the wild blocking movements Nak normally employed to deflect bolts; he was quite inexperienced after all, and economy of motion and conservation of energy weren't quite concepts that had yet crossed his mind as being important in lightsaber combat. Essentially he was performing his Soresu movements like an Ataru practitioner, minus the fancy twirls and acrobatics, seeing as the hail of blaster fire was simply coming down too hard for much else but the basics.

The droids weren't content with providing the two Jedi this difficulty level it seemed...Nak might have been able to keep his blocks consistently at the droids' initial range, but they were soon advancing, upping the ante and the pace. Soon Nak was out of sync with his music and falling backwards, being brought back to reality. He heard Adan call out, faintly over the song he was listening to, to try and deflect the bolts back...something he barely knew how to do, if he were honest. He knew about Shien, but it was, for Nak, too aggressive; he never intended to kill anyone when he resorted to using his lightsaber for defense.

It would seem now he'd have to make an exception; he'd had to barely dodge a blaster bolt or two that got past his lightsaber, one clipping the shoulderblade of his armor and nearly costing him his balance and life from the sheer force behind it.

He'd have to stop being so afraid of fighting back, it seemed.

"Hey...jackass...your buddy shoots way better than you! Should take some lessons man!" he managed to call out, even as he was driven to one knee to make himself a smaller target.

As the droids advanced, it seemed one of them specifically got irritated, jostling his droid friend hard enough to ruin his accuracy. It gave him a small window of opportunity where only one of them was actually shooting his way.

Nak took it.

The Nautolan managed, with the Force's help, to get his lightsaber in the right place to return a low bolt to its sender. It landed squarely in the middle droid's neck, cleanly severing its head from its body as the hunk of metal flopped to the ground a few seconds afterwards. Nak had actually done it...he'd finally taken control of the situation for once.

But a momentary lack of concentration was easily punished. The final droid soon recovered, and fired a bolt at Nak's head, too far from his lightsaber to block easily. He dodged, of course. But the tentacles adorning his skull weren't so lucky.

The bolt burned straight through the tip of his leftmost tentacle, searing the flesh into nonexistence. It wasn't dangerous or crippling, but it was painful as all hell even with the numbing adrenaline, and was slowly eating away at what was left of his focus. He was out of commission for the moment, utterly consumed with defending himself from harm once more.

 

[Beta12]

Adan swung his right hand, and in extension his light saber, from the corpse of the downed droid up toward incoming fire. In the arc of the swing another two bolts smacked into his blade and were punched into the wall beside him. As soon as the two bolts left his blade, Adan halted his swing and brought his saber-hilt inward back toward the center of his chest. The blade straightened vertically before him and caught another bolt right before it struck him. The two assassin droids had gained in accuracy, and Adan was at first worried that Nak's voice signaled something terrible, rather than something brilliant. One droid stopped firing completely, and chose instead to shove at its companion. That gave Adan the time he needed to re-work his own footing. His right foot, which had been firmly planted on top of the downed robots arm, moved back onto the dusty floor beneath him. The Knight took a few steps forward, and moved away from the side of the tunnel.

As Adan moved he made sure to give Nak a wide berth. The initiate worked as if he was in a trance, and before long he managed to direct a bolt back toward the droids, and severed one's head from its body. "Yes!" A breathy, congratulatory hiss shot out from Adan in his excitement. The young Nautolan had not only shown his skill in battle, he had also shown his intelligence. It took an strong mind to find a solution in the middle of a dangerous situation. There was little time to celebrate, however, as a bolt grazed the kid a moment later, and the Initiate was brought back into his frantic, defensive stance. By that time, Adan had cleared the Initiate and now stood in front of him.

A small grimace crossed the Knight's face as he attempted to lift his left arm, to meet the droid with the force. He could barely lift it, and the pain radiating from his shoulder brought a specific paleness to his face. The Knight brought his left foot back, and turned to face the droid before him right-side-on. Adan deactivated his lightsaber, worked the hilt to its side, brought it away from his chest. He focused on the tunnel that surrounded them and the location of the droid. The Miralukan surrendered his mind to the force and reactivated his blade. Like a Frisbee, the Knight threw his blade toward the metal contraption, and bucked his own torso backwards, to avoid any bite-back from the blade itself. The purple blade hummed as it traveled down the tunnel, and screeched as it tore into the metal plating of the droid. A small, alarmed sound emanated from the thing before it buckled and silently fell toward the ground.

Though long dead, the ancient skeletons that made up the sandstone tunnel hissed and spat. The acrid stench of burnt metal and wires now overpowered the scent of his own signed hair, and finally, the Knight allowed himself a moment to gag. "Let's not do this in a tunnel again.." Dozens of scorch mark scarred the stone from where the laser bolts and two lightsabers had performed their deadly work. Adan raised his empty right hand toward the wrecks of the two assassin droids before them. His lightsaber had deactivated moments after it struck the droid, but the hilt itself had landed only a few feet away from its ruined frame. He called to it through his connection to the force, and the hilt itself jiggled along the dusty tunnel floor. Eventually, it picked up enough momentum to bounce and fly into his hand. Adan brought his hand back down to his side, and looped the blade back into his belt.

"You hurt?" A large sigh passed through the Knight's lips, but he still found the energy to turn around and track his way back toward the Initiate. Adan was still bleeding and a light burn graced his left cheek, but even he had seen bolts fly dangerously close to Nak's body. The stench of burnt Nautolan was, unfortunately, different to the stench of burnt human, and he could smell both in the air as he neared the young Jedi. "You are... Come here." Adan waved the Intiate over to him as he leaned his right shoulder into the wall of the tunnel. If the the Initiate allowed him to, he would gently grasp the affected tentacle and call upon the force to numb the pain, deaden the nerves severed at the location of the burn. He could not bring the flesh back, but he could hopefully help the Initiate focus for what was to come.

The air around the Knight was heavy with a coppery scent. Blood drenched his tunic and robe, and still flowed freely from the wound in his shoulder. Nak was not dying, so Adan allowed himself a few moments to turn some attention toward himself. The droid's blade had done some damage, but it was impossible to tell exactly what had occurred without some sort of medical scanner. Adan brought a shaky, right hand up toward his left shoulder. The bleeding was the most evident threat to him, and that would have to be stopped before either of them did anything else. The hot, thick liquid passed between Adan's fingers, as he began to call on the force for the fourth time in the past few minutes. "Agh.." Muscle might have stitched itself together, somewhere inside of the wound, but the surface bleeding and torn skin had been unfazed. Whatever healing had been done exhausted the Knight further, and though he leaned against the stone wall for support, he stood rather unevenly.

"Krif." A rare curse escaped Adan as he brought his right hand away from the wound, and let it fall to his side. There was only one way to stop the bleeding now, the wound would have to be cauterized. "Ok. Nak. I need you to do something for me." He felt bad for the Initiate. For all Adan knew, this was the most blood the boy had seen in his entire life. "We need to stop the bleeding. We gotta burn it closed." Whether it was the acrid scent of dead droid, or the idea itself that brought a bad taste to Adan's mouth, he gagged again. Shortly after the gag, Adan twisted his body to the left and pressed his back into the wall. With that support, the Knight slid down to the ground as gently as he could to find some sort of seated position.

"You're gonna need to grab some metal. Droid's arm or something." Adan's right hand fumbled for the leather belt around his waste. Carefully, he un-lopped the dull brown accessory and carefully pulled it from the loops of fabric that kept it secured to his trousers. "Just enough so you can hold onto it and heat it up. Get it hot. Hot. And press the kriffin.." A small grimace crossed Adan's face as he slowly lifted the belt toward his mouth. "..thing into the wound until the bleeding stops." With that the Knight brought the leather strap inside of his mouth and bit down. He had been a healer most of his adult life, and his body tensed in anticipation.

 

[Kaane]

As soon as the altercation began, it seemed to end without warning: Adan's saber cleaved through the droid with ease after it got thrown in its direction, and all was silent once more. To his ears anyway; the scent of burnt flesh, melting metal, and million year old bones were all assaulting his nose at once, adding to the pain near his head he was beginning to notice more and more. This was truly a bit too much.

"Let's not do this in a tunnel again.."

Nak sighed breathlessly, only able to speak after he nearly acquainted his dinner with the catacomb floor. "Yeah man, smells like burnt squid after all that......oh wait."

He touched his tentacles, yelping in pain as he brushed where a good inch of flesh had been singed off, leaving nothing more than a cauterized stump, just as Adan asked, somewhat gruffly, if the Nautolan was hurt. He emphatically confirmed his suspicions: "awwww dammit, they shot me! Mom's gonna kill me when she sees this...maybe you. Hopefully neither of us but knowing her, that's doubtful...yeeouch..."

Nak would then turn to see the Knight leaning against the wall. The little fight obviously left him in some pretty terrible shape, it seemed. His robes were utterly soaked in blood, as though his left arm had been utterly eviscerated. He was bleeding out at a rate that superceded normalcy: either this guy was straight up hemophiliac, or whatever hurt him sliced open his....brachial, axial artery, he forgot the name of it, one of those two. The point was he was bleeding like a Vermillion Velvetshroom spreading its crimson spores, and he wouldn't be around much longer if Nak didn't do something. He rushed over to him, sheathing his lightsaber and unhooking the medkit he always carried with him from his belt with haste.

But there was just so much blood...the smell of it, combined with what smelt like overcooked bacon, started to assault his brain. It was sensory overload to an inexperienced Jedi who had never experienced the aftermath of actual combat before. He was frozen in the dim light, just staring at the deep cut that he knew he somehow needed to fix, but couldn't summon the wits to know how to.

Even now though, this man was trying to be strong for him, trying to show him the path of the Jedi; he reached out and grasped his wounded tentacle as firmly as possible, though Nak could feel his grip weakening by the moment. He started dulling the pain...saving the Nautolan from the constant reminder that one of his tentacles' tips had been burnt clean off. Unfortunately, Nak wasn't the one bleeding out, either.

About halfway through, Nak came to his senses and took Adan's hand with his, pulling it away gently. This was un-frickin-acceptable. The first rule of medicine was you tended to the guy literally about to die in your arms before you wasted time putting a band-aid on a little scratch. Especially if that scratch was on you.

"You need to sit down man...i'm fine," he said with as much authority as he could muster. He'd then kneel down, guiding Adan gently towards a more comfortable position as he rooted through his little first-aid kit...he'd stuffed a scrapped piece of surgical tubing in there in case he ever needed a tourniquet; thankfully it would be of some use today.

"Alright...um....i'm gonna need you to just stay calm and breathe, slow your heart rate down," Nak said, focused on extricating the rubbery tube from the rest of the gear inside rather than looking directly at the Knight. He soon did, and without further adieu moved the inundated robe out of his way and wrapped the brownish yellow instrument tightly around his upper arm, just around his armpit. Hopefully constricting the artery would stop the bleeding, and give him some more time to attend to the wound itself. No matter what happened, he couldn't let Adan fall unconscious; given their situation being in hostile territory, that would be one hell of an issue for the young Initiate to deal with alone.

"Ok....ok....um....stay calm, everything's fine...dammit what should I do now...um...."

It seemed, however, that the Knight already had an answer in mind on how to proceed. He wanted to burn the wound shut. And he was already preparing for that painful eventuality.

Alarm klaxons went off in Nak's head at that suggestion. His arm might never work properly again if he did that, scarring all that muscle and arterial tissue with what would be straight-up fourth-degree burns to his tendons, weakening him for the rest of his life. He'd do way more harm than help. There had to be another way.

Given that the bleeding was slowing down somewhat, Nak remembered that he did in fact have magic powers. And that unlike most of his Initiate brethren, who excelled in everything the Nautolan pretty much didn't, there was one thing he knew how to do decently well.

Heal.

Everything fell into place after that. His confidence returned in spades.

He gave his chaperone a slight smile. "Where we're going, we don't need to cauterize."

The teen took his headphones from off of his head, switching them onto speaker mode and turning up as soothing a melody as a playlist filled with hyped-up electronica could manage; a calming, yet wistful piece for Nak's concentration, as much as it was for Adan to use as a distraction from the pain that was about to come. There was still a slight twinge of discomfort where he was burned, but he'd be able to ignore it. Healing this wound was what mattered.

"I'd bite down now, man."

Without further warning, Nak closed his eyes and plunged his right hand directly into the wound. He was still an inexperienced healer; he preferred direct contact with broken flesh in order to mend it, as that was when he worked best. His left hand braced Adan's arm, keeping it from moving as he'd feel something akin to hot pokers sinking into his arm, as a glowing light emanated forth from the Initiate's hand.

"Pain is temporary, there is only peace," Nak would mutter, over and over again, a mantra he adapted from the Jedi Code to aid him in his healing efforts. It might have seemed excessive, especially those more experienced healers in the Order that could manage healing wounds like this in seconds. But for all of this ceremony, it would seem he accessed powerful results. All of his positive energy and clear mindedness were focused on sewing together the muscle that had been cut, repairing the broken artery, slowly but surely working upwards before finally, after what may have been entire minutes of pain for the Miraluka, Nak pulled his hand entirely out.

The wound was completely healed. A single scar, about the size of the wound's initial length, was all that was left to remind Adan of his run-in with the droid's knife.

Nak then fell away, panting somewhat as he caught his breath. He wasn't completely tired, but intense concentration just wasn't his strongest point. "A-as you can see...I've got a....Nak...for this kind of stuff..." he managed to get out, beaming at Adan despite his temporary exhaustion. "Do you think we should head on out though? I don't know what stabbed you...those droids might have envenomed their weapons for all i know. And I still don't actually know how to purge toxins and all that..." he said, still quite concerned as he placed a hand on Adan's shoulder. "And if three droids almost killed you and me, I can't imagine what they'd do to us after you lost all that blood."

 

[Beta12]

Adan couldn't help but shiver as more of his skin became exposed to the cool environment of the catacomb. The walls, floor, and ceiling radiated a chill that only frigid sandstone could, locked away from the sun for millennia. It stuck to Adan and everything around him, much like the way death clung to the bones in their original entrance. Ancient beings had carved this structure into the stone, and people had moved through it for thousands of years. The robotic activity, whatever it was, had been both new and unnatural. It was obvious that some sort of excavation was underway, but there was little either could do about it now. Their expedition had resulted in nothing other than the wrecks of droids, as they hissed and died.

The stone was rough enough against his back when he made the initial slide, and his skin still stung with the original grating sensation. However, that in itself was not what brought a cold sweat to his brow and a tight clench to his jaw. The pain from his wounded shoulder had only grown in intensity, especially as his own adrenaline flagged. Now, all he could do was fight to keep his legs and arms away from his torso, and give Nak the room be needed to move about him. Apparently, the young man had other plans when it came to his injury. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be pleasant

Adan's neck strained as he turned his head toward his right shoulder. With his belt still firmly clenched by his jaw, Adan had little to say as the Initiate began his work. He had come prepared, more-so than Adan, and for the first time in a while the young Knight wondered at the merits of having parents. The order supported its members, but it took a parent to dote over someone so singularly. Two heads often worked better than one, and Nak likely benefited from such an arrangement, despite his own urge to fly the nest. Whether or not it was Nak's idea to pack the kit, the Knight definitely had something to learn from the Initiate.

Instead of applying bacta, however, the Initiate offered a simple warning. The Knight wasn't sure what to expect, but he kept his jaw locked onto the belt as Nak's hand shot out toward his wound. Adan's eyes felt like they would pop out of his head, as he screamed into the belt in his mouth. The man's right hand grasped desperately at the dirt and rough stone beneath it, only coming up with scrapped skin. Eventually, he managed to hook his fingers into the fabric of his pants. "Mmmmpf!" Air shot out from his nose, and his chest rose and fell rapidly. His pale skin had somehow gotten paler.

The metal bits on Adan's belt clattered against the sandstone floor, as he spit the leather strap from his mouth. Nak had managed to fix the rest of the damage he had not, but Adan's praise was lost in between gasps and panting. The ordeal had thoroughly exhausted him, and it was obvious that it had exhausted the Initiate as well. "Wow.. good.." The words fell out of Adan's mouth sloppily, as he processed the situation they had found themselves in.

It was inadvisable for the two to continue on their way, especially if there were more droids inside of whatever chamber sat at the end of the tunnel. It was nothing short of a miracle that more hadn't poured from the entrance during their ordeal, though that didn't mean it still wouldn't happen. "Yeah.. We should get outta here." It took all of Adan's strength, and a little help from Nak, to move his body back into a standing position. He would have to use the wall of the tunnel for support, most of the way back, but thankfully it was something he could manage on his own. "Your mother is going to kill us, anyway." With that, Adan took a few stumbling steps back the way they came.