Open Ajan Kloss Like Light to the Flies

[Darth Caelestis]

The blue glow of the 'Wyverns' cockpit disappeared as the ship exited Hyperspace to be met by the lush green moon of Ajan Kloss sat before them. Off to their right sat the Gas Giant Ajara which the moon orbited its redish orange stood in abstract to the moon they were descending to. Artorigas looked over at his trusted servant and co-pilot. "Head to the ruins of the Jedi Temple." He had no real reason to actually land their only a feeling, The Force had guided him first to Jakku and then here, normally a stickler for organisation and order it was a strange feeling for Artorigas to leave all common sense to an omnipotent force.

"Yes Mi 'lord, plotting in co-ordinates." Cydric replied, spinning in his chair to the navigation panels off to his other side a few clicks, flicks and button presses and the navi computer brought up a small dot on the panel in front of Artorigas. Taking the steering column, he pressed a button to disengage the autopilot and began to the descent down to the planet.

The descent was smooth as was expected of modern day craft, only hazardous atmosphere would give you more than a few bumps on the way down. The ruins came into view a few moments after they broke the atmosphere, the pull was greatest here, but was it just because of the intense Force activates which had soaked the world over the past centuries or something else? A smooth bump as the landing gear took the weight of the craft as it settled onto the planets surface.

They had chosen to land a short distance away, more of Artorigas was not a hundred percent sure where he would need to search the last one had been a strange location so he doubted it would be similar this time.

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

The world was silent for a moment. Oh, there were the sounds of the jungle—the chirping of birds, chittering of insects, growls and groans of beasts big and small, and the wind wrapping around the trees—but it was the calm after the storm that the bounty hunter had taken special note of.

The blaster bolts had been fast and furious, blasting chunks out of tree trunk, striking a wayward creature, thudding into the earth beside boots. One of them had struck the bounty hunter’s pauldron; no problem, the beskar served its purpose. Another bolt had torn across her thigh. That had been a problem.

She mended the wound, courtesy of first aid kit, but only after rendering her attacker useless. She might have killed him had he not been needed alive and had she not have needed the money. Instead, she tied the unconscious Gran up and found her bearings. Her ship couldn’t be too far off.

Yet what fell from the sky was not her ship at all. Kark. Her bounty had warned her of reinforcements being on the way. The timing was too coincidental to discredit his words as being a bluff. The crew had likely homed in on his position and were indeed on their way. Kark and karkle.

“Hey, you awake?” Cas sent a boot to the Gran’s hip. There was no response. “Your friends are right above us. You’ll need to convince them that you belong to me now. Or I’ll blow your toes off and do so for you.”

No response. “Wake up, scumbag!” Another kick. No response. Sighing, the Mandalorian knelt to her bounty and rolled him over onto his back. His eyes gazed up at the sky. There was no pulse. Kriff… Guess I hit him harder than intended…

Well, that changed things. Accepting her new plan, Cas leaned against a tree, secured her helmet over her head and checked her weapons. Whoever was coming to collect would have to become her new bounty. This Mandalorian was not going home emptyhanded.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Exiting the cockpit he walked into the 'Wyvern's living area, to one side stood an armouring stand on it sat The Armour of Wessex, he already had the under tunic and lower armour on from before they left Serenno. Walking up he slipped over the chest plate, Cydric coming out from the cockpit to help him tighten the buckles at the rear, the pauldron's and cape came next before finally the helmet. He kept it under his arm for the moment as he looked at himself in the full length mirror to one side.

This was the first test run of the armour, he needed to see how it restricted his sight and movement before its proper grand reveal back on Serenno, he was so close to his first goal and this test run was one of the final pieces of the puzzle. Happy with the look at least he walked towards the exit, his lightsaber hanging on his hip. As the loading ramp hydraulics hissed lowering it down to the jungle floor he placed the helmet over his head, the heads up display clicking into life a moment later. It all looked good, a smile crept over his face as he walked down the ramp, what he would do for a crowd right now as he made his first steps in this armour.

All that greeted him however was the sounds of the jungle, birds, insects and larger creatures in the distance. Closing his eyes he let The Force flow from him, he needed further direction, it had brought him this far but he could not search and entire planet for whatever he was seeking. It took a while, he was stood clear in the open before he felt it, a signal, like a pulse, a strange rhythm in The Force coming from the East, away from the main temple and towards the cliffs and waterfalls.

Opening his eyes he began walking through the forest, he was not an agile and quiet person to begin with, adding the armour made it ever more so.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

It was so much easier to spot something in the sky from the grounds of a jungle than it was to spot something within a jungle from the sky. The ship that had descended was as naked as a star, the observer being concealed beneath the canopy of trees, gauging the vessel’s trajectory and landing zone before making her way over in no time.

Her leg was stinging but the bolt had grazed the flesh without striking the bone. It was still a deep gash, the bacta playing its part, but at least she would not be leaving any trail of blood after the burn. Physically, at least; whoever discovered the Gran’s body, well...never mind it would probably be decomposed by then.

The ship had landed and the bounty hunter had hugged a tree. They had already been in close proximity, further negating this being any kind of coincidence, though she kept a healthy distance as she watched the ship open up and a figure exit.

He was armored. If Rawl was around then he would already be up close to get a better look. Instead, Cas settled for the scope of her rifle and saw… What the hell? That was armor, all right, and then some. The guy (that was no gal’s figure) looked like some kind of warlord who spent his days slaughtering villages. Was this the Gran’s boss? If so...gonna be an even bigger bounty...

Metal Man appeared to be heading east. Cas would follow. The hulking figure was easy to keep up with while maintaining her distance. She of course had armor of her own, courtesy of her culture, but she knew how to move in it and it would not slow her down.

With its red-gold color scheme, however, it would give her away amid the green world, so she made sure to dance between the trees as she tailed her bounty.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

The undergrowth was thick, the jungle even this close to the old temple had been left to run ragged. The Jedi had not seen fit to tend to the area around their temple, was that perhaps the reason they fell? Not seeing the Sith coming from the trees? He was not sure, he had read a few things on the attack on the temple but nothing truly specific enough to determine if the dense jungle was a factor in the attack.

Pushing a low hanging branches aside, his legs stamping down on the bushes and shrubs that got in the way, he followed the beating of The Force away from his ship and the temple. His senses were concentrated on this feeling, it enveloped his mind, was this going to be the final destination or would he be visiting somewhere else after this. He hoped it was the former as much Artorigas did not mind searching the galaxy he had other things he needed to attend to back in Sith space and specifically back at home on Serenno.

Passing through a thick bit of foliage he could hear the sound of rushing water ahead, the ground was becoming firmer, was it the cliffs edge he had seen on the way down? Was what he was searching for at the bottom of this cliff?

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Water. Cas had heard its rushing flow as a reminder to the cliffs that were nearby the area. Where exactly was her bounty heading? Was he lost? He appeared to be going anywhere but toward the dead Gran. If he had homed in on any kind of beacon even before his death then surely he would not venture so far away.

Then something occurred to the hunter. He’s after something else. Someone else? Something else. Maybe Nidyen didn’t come here just to escape… Maybe he was after something… It was for that reason that Cas continued to stalk her prey, the gushing waterfalls sounding closer and closer, their waves as fluid as the Mandalorian’s curiosity.

Nidyen was a bit of a douche canoe but he had not paddled it toward the Jedi. The Force was far beyond him. Were their treasures? Cas had chased her quarry to the nearest shelter, and a temple provided a shelter within a shelter, but was that itself a coincidence? Was he in fact on a retrieval operation that his boss had just commandeered?

Onward, Cas ventured, more and more eager to catch more than one prize today. All the while, she felt...something. Sensed something. It was the kind of feeling she encountered with one Jedi time ago. He had been so close as to breathe upon her neck. This other figure, this other guy, he was a still a way off...as whatever might be his own bounty.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

The foliage thinned as he reached the cliffside, green grass gave way to dark brown rock and mud. The rushing water became louder with every step, rapids or perhaps a waterfall he thought. The creatures around him gave a wide berth, not used to someone else intruding on their domain, a pair of coloured birds launching from a nearby tree and out over the ravine before him.

The view was beautiful, a deep ravine about thirty yards across and forty down dissected the forest. Peering over the edge he could see the rushing water turbulent due to the broken stones at the bottom, a dangerous drop with a dangerous end. He wondered if any Jedi had hap hazardously ended themselves here? The rhythm in The Force still sung to him, guiding him to his left towards a waterfall what appeared about two thirds of a mile up river.

As he turned to carry one his journey, he felt something. It was minuscule and was unsure what it was, but he felt like eyes were on him. Glancing over the trees he could see nothing, perhaps it was just a bird or another native creature to Ajan Kloss, it did not bother him for the moment, though he let The Force flow out around him a little just encase.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

The figure had stopped, stood, gazing over the edge of the cliff where the world yawned away from itself and an endless river carried it away. As she spied from afar, Cas could tell that her quarry had no intention of merely standing still. He had an objective, a purpose, and he was determined to fulfill it all the way from Point A to Point B.

There was that ‘something’ again. The Mandalorian was too unlearned to pinpoint it, to penetrate it, to pick it apart like a corpse dissected and determine what each organ represented. It was yet a familiar feeling, all too, and it permeated the space between one figure and the other. Just like him...just like he showed me that time ago…

“You by the cliff!” Cas called, realizing only after she had spoken that she had spoken. Kriff. Too early? Too late. “Are you here for the Gran?” Her voice was loud and clear but her position was not. She had her back to a wide tree about thirty meters out, stealing a glimpse of the other soul behind the visor of her helmet and scope of her rifle.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas smiled when he heard the voice ring out through the trees, seemed his senses were not off, The Force had not abandoned him at this moment. He turned to face the forest to his left, his face scanning back and forth through the trees, he could see nothing with his normal vision so with a press of a small button on his gauntlet he switched to a thermal view. It was not great as being the day much of the the forest was decently warm, although it did pick out something a little further back. Switching back to his normal vision, he was not a hundred percent but he would keep looking in that direction. At best he got the person at worse he would lure them into a false sense of security as he continued searching them out with The Force.

"I've never had the privilege of meeting a Gran, so no I am not here for him." He said out loud, the rebreather was switched off allowing his natural voice to be projected through the small speakers in the helmet unedited. "Why don't you come out here and talk? I am not here for anything living, so perhaps we can talk this out and go our separate ways." Without having eyes on what or who he was talking to he could not asses the threat, to determine if this could be talked down or if it had to be fought out.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Well, that changed things. Either this guy was bluffing or he really was as clueless of the situation as Cas was beginning to suspect. Not here for anything...living? What the hell did that mean? Was he after some kind of machine? Ajan Kloss. The name of the world returned to her in an instant. What would anyone want with a place like this? Better yet, what would they want that was currently on it?

“Not here for the Gran, huh?” Cas sighed. She likely would not get to the truth of the matter by beating the topic from behind the tree. The man was no longer walking which meant she could not follow him toward wherever he was going, wherever that was and whoever he was.

“Fair enough. I’m coming out. I’m armed but my rifle will be lowered.” She wasn’t lying as she emerged into view toward the tree line. The blaster was in her grip but the muzzle was toward the dirt. Two visors from two helmets would gaze upon the other, though one of those helmets looked like something out of a horror holo. By my ancestors I hope he doesn’t eat me.

“What is it you are here for if not my bounty?”

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Mandalorian armour, that was a surprise. He had heard through the grapevine that the Mandalorians were becoming more and more active in the Outer Rim but Artorigas had not expected to see one at all, let alone on this unsettled Jungle Planet. Perhaps his luck was up, having someone as potentially skilled as the mythical Mandalorians as an associate might make a lot of things run smoother in the future.

The fact she was also a bounty hunter was only an added positive people who were driven by money were only easier to deal with than those with principles. Although her rifle was pointed at the dirt Artorigas was still on edge, his hands sat at his sides in a relaxed manner, but he had been channelling The Force within his right hand, if she moved his lightsaber would snap to his palm in a moment. "I am here on a personal mission my Mandalorian friend." He replied. "I am looking for something, though exactly what I am not sure of yet." He grinned behind his mask, an instinct to make him look less threatening. Forgetting for a moment he was hidden behind a durasteel mask.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Great. Cas rolled her eyes. He’s one of those. What ‘one of those’ was exactly was anyone’s best guess but it definitely entailed being clueless and perhaps crazy. Some people had a thing about searching for things in which they had no idea of what, as though life was just one slow journey and not an express lane to death.

“That so?” Cas came closer, walking toward the cliff to take a look over the edge. The waterfall was lovely. Was there something beside or beyond it that this guy hoped to uncover? Something in the water, maybe? That would have been awkward for both sets of armor.

“Well, maybe I can help you find it.” She offered as she turned back to face him. “I’ll be a little more transparent with you. I was out here chasing a Gran wanted alive. He...had an accident...and here I am.” Am I doing this? Guess I’m doing this. Let’s do this.

“Got my ship a way’s out from here and I’m in no rush. Would be nice to not leave this world empty-handed, though. So what do you say?” Cas gestured with her rifle. “Want a blaster by your side for your...mission...quest...thing?”

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas had not expected her to be so 'friendly', did she have an ulterior motive, would she try and betray him. If that was going to be the case then she would be a fool, although she had a blaster now she was in close he had the edge. He let the energy gathered up in his hand dissipate. "I guess I could use the company."

Unlike some of his fellow Sith Artorigas was open to working with people from outside the Eternal, he had already had dealings with the Syndicate and had placed work with the Bounty Hunters Guild as well. So working with a Mandalorian was not so far out of his wheelhouse to cause the ship to topple over. "Though I would say, I doubt whatever is here, even if it is, would be worth anything."

It was strange he had landed on Jakku alone and ended up working with something now the same thing again here on Ajem Kloss, was it The Force guiding him to work with these people or was it all just a coincidence.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Cas thought about those words. They said something as much as nothing. If this guy was just following the wind then it just might lead him to somewhere worthwhile. Worth both our whiles. “Surely you must have some idea of how much worth.” She tilted her head up and down, making it clear that she was checking him out or, rather, what he was wearing. So to speak.

“Speaking of value, I’m guessing you didn’t find that armor off the back of a freighter.” Something about it just screamed… Just...feels… It could be the suit of a warlord. It likely was not 5S. It certainly was not Mandalorian. But those eyes...those eyes…

Cas took a step closer, slower, doing nothing to elevate the blaster in her grip. She remembered the planet she was on. She remembered the history, recalled the people who once called this world their home, their base, their headquarters. Their temple.

“Whatever you find...whatever you’re looking for...it might be worth more than most might think…” I am doing this, aren’t I? “...Especially to a Sith...”

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

A light chuckle came from the speakers on the helmet at her final comment. She was a sharp one, though he wasn't sure how sharp he had to be to put two and two together. He wore ornate battle armour, a lightsaber hung at his waist and he stalked an ancient Jedi hold looking for something with potentially no material value. If he was not a Sith or Jedi the only other option would be a lunatic he thought. Artorigas stopped and turned towards her a smile on his hidden face. "You have a good eye. Though I doubt it took much for you to come to such a conclusion."

Lifting his hand up, the palms open to show no sign of a weapon or intent to harm her he looked down the ornate armoured arms. "I guess this does kind of give off a Sith feel than a Jedi one." He added a sense of humour in his voice. "I assume working with a Sith does not conflict with your Mandalorian morals? Or perhaps your sense of financial gain?" Turning back towards the path he began moving towards the waterfall. "The Armour was commissioned by myself off an old design my father collected. 'To be seen is to be heard' as the saying goes and well this is rather easy to be seen in." The forest crept closer to the cliff edge as they walked, the small patch of brown dirt slowly shrinking.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Cas offered a lone shoulder at her counterpart’s measured compliment about her conclusion. It indeed had not taken much more than comprehending the armor and the environment, though the galaxy did not exactly revolve around the Sith even if they convinced themselves of it; there were other factions out there, more than anyone could count.

While she had not overlooked the fact that she for one was on this ancient Jedi hold to pursue material value, she had overlooked that lightsaber...somehow.

“I’m not opposed to the Force, the Big J or the Big S, not outright, and my morals are my own. If there’s financial gain to be had here then I’ll make that my own too. Lead the way.” Cas would follow behind and beside the Sith. Even if he had no idea where he was going he probably had a better one than she did.

“Your armor looks just as much like it belongs to a swordsman who has never picked up a lightsaber. Reminds me of the Order of Vagrant Steel, though you may not have heard of them. They don’t dabble in the Force. And they only like to be seen when they’re trying to kill you.”

The design and creed were similar but so were many things in this universe. “Who was your father?” It was no unusual question when it came to a Mandalorian. “An armorer?” For this particular Mandalorian that also would have been rather relatable.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

The path continued to narrow as they walked. "No, Malendor Wessex, a noble on Serenno." There was an audible venom when he mentioned his fathers name. He had not hated his father, he was angry at they way he was treated, but he had taught himself to hate. That was the only way he could make what came soon easier on himself. "By the way, If there is nothing at our destination, I have some credits on my ship its not much, but will at least pay for your fuel back to the Core or wherever you are heading after."

Artorigas had little in funds left after the armour and the purchase of the weapons from Vako and if he calculated the worth on what he found on Jakku the Mandalorian would be surely disappointed. "Tell me more of your culture, you originate from Clans correct?" He was not just seeking idle chit chat as they walked but he was actually curious, the more he knew about the growing Mandalorian prescience the better he could react in the future.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Malendor Wessex. Sounded like a formidable enough name for a noble. Though perhaps not so much of a noble, not that a Sith cares much for that kind of nobility…

Cas’ thoughts were getting away from her so she dismissed them. Unlike her counterpart, there would be a steely handshake in her voice if she were speaking about her own father.

“Hey, I’ll take it. At this point I’ll settle for credits or a strong drink. If not both.”

Given their topic of family, it looked like Cas would get the chance to speak of her father after all as the pair traversed the jungle. “Correct.” It was a fairly simple question, too simple perhaps. “Some of those clans fall under houses. Mine does not.”

She pushed past foliage, her vambrace moving a branch out of the way like iron against wood. “Though I’d rather not reveal my clan name. Nothing personal. No, it is personal, to the point that outsiders don’t generally need to know it.” She could probably go back and forth explaining that away.

“Suffice to say my own father was an armorer and a warrior all in one bundle of beskar. Great honor. He was the best. A number of daughters might say the same about their dads. They don’t mean it like I do…”

Cas thought back to that day when she had first met the man who gave her her name. Praxor. “Well, he forged me in the womb of my mother and here I am and you can just call me Anvil.”

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

He let an audible laugh as the women spoke. "I didn't know you were all poets as well." Artorigas never understood why people always tried to keep their identities secret, unless they were famous or infamous or held some lorded title most people would never know who they were from a name. With trillions of people across the entire galaxy he could put a million credits on the fact there was at least a dozen people with his name if not more.

"Well then Anvil, don't fall off the side, don't want you sinking to the bottom." He said with a chuckle. The dirt was becoming more like mud as they closed in on the waterfall, the forest was already pretty humid but the spray from the falls was turning everything into a bit of a slush. The rhythm, the beating was still pulling him closer, the falls were over two levels, the lower fell down into the ravine to the right the upper came down from a small plateau ahead of them. The Force was guiding him towards the upper falls and the pool that sat beneath it.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Cas largely dismissed her counterpart’s chuckle regarding poets. She didn’t expect anyone who wasn’t Mandalorian to truly understand why Mandalorians did what they did and how they did it. Hell, they had their own conflicts of what they did and how they did it.

A Mandalorian had no business being a bounty hunter, some Mandalorians would say. Others would say that a Mandalorian did what they did to get paid in order to get by and that was fine as long as they did not forsake their code and creed.

What Casany Praxor had no business doing was giving her identity away to those who could target it and the family that came with it. A Sith fit the bill, whether this ‘partnership’ lasted the day or not.

What Anvil did chuckle at was Wessex’s comment about falling off the side. “Eh, I’m not worried…” She shrugged. “I may have missed your lightsaber but…” Trailing off, she trailed ahead of the Sith to give him her back. “...You clearly missed my jetpack.”

It appeared more and more evident of where her tourist was heading and he wasn’t heading nowhere. “The fact that we’re hugging the edge tells me you’re not interested in the trees." She pointed to the waterfalls. “Over there, perhaps?”

@Braden Drake