Mountain Seekers

[Bruce Guleya]

Early Morning on Corellia
Unidentified Landing Zone
@LetsGetSpooky
Theme

[fancybox2]Corellia was no mystery to the Galaxy. A primary trading hub, some vacation destination and phenomenal star ship production. Corellia was never considered a primary location for mysterious finding or exploration, but they had a lot under the surface and only a few people were willing to actually look into the whispers. Bruce was one of those few people who would take that plunge.


During his research Bruce discovered some obscure references in relation to Coreliia, he had been on Corellia multiple times before and on one of his last trips he checked out a local library to see if he could find any kind of tidbit of information that would allow him to explore and maybe find something new. [/fancybox2]

Bruce sat up in his bunk on a shuttle. He had arrived on Corellia a day ago and managed to land within the mountain ranges of the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. He found a half decent landing zone, just enough for one shuttle to land. He hopped off the bunk and over to his locker and gathered his equipment. He wore a very light outfit tonight, something that hugged him better than the robes he typically would wear. He put on a backpack containing various equipment for climbing and for exploring caverns. He grabbed his lightsaber hilt and clipped it on his waist. He headed over to what passed as a galley on the shuttle, he collected a few bits of snacks and beverages, he sat down and put together a simple ration - he wasn't exactly much of a cook he'd admit to that.

Bruce had discovered that there could be some caverns within the mountains, he was curious to know what he could find. Rumor had it that there was a large tunnel network underneath the planet - but there was no promise that they'd all connect. For all he knew he could enter one cavern and simply meet a dead end with nothing to find... or he might find something new and useful. Realistically he had no expectations and felt that he'd probably find nothing but hey it was the adventure that appealed to him right now.

Going into the unknown, perhaps some artifacts? Crystals? Minerals? It really didn't matter. He felt very comfortable going into this, Corellia was mostly peaceful and there hadn't been much talk of disappearances and violence in the wilderness; the natives were fairly peaceful as well. Sure, in Coronet there was criminals and smugglers and crime of course, but just like any core world it was expected.

Today he would be partnered with another Jedi Knight, one he was unfamiliar with but she had expressed an affinity for knowledge and scholarly experiences. That was really all he knew of her, they talked a little bit on the flight here but it was just some basic banter – he had never seen her fight or her uses of the Force but he was happy to have her along. Perhaps they could have some fun or maybe they could find something very exciting that no one else knew or even thought to find. Bruce was excited, he didn’t like the idea of climbing in the mountains but hey, sacrifices had to be made in the pursuits of knowledge.

He waited patiently in the galley, he turned on the HoloNews to catch up with what was happening on Corellia. There really hadn’t been any reports of anything that caught Bruce’s attention, just the basics, a few petty investigations happening, a speech or two, some politics.

 

[Khyanna Sutro'ka]

Khyanna climbed out of her bunk and pulled out her armor, still gleaming from the cleaning she gave it the other day. She carefully stretched out her body to be limber for the days journey. Dressed in only fresh underwear, she used the force to pull apart her lightsabers and began to clean and maintain them. She made sure to do it three times a week and once before a mission or exploration. Following that she pulled the armor on over her underwear in order to keep cool. Once her lightsabers were secured to her hip she grabbed her sling bag with standard exploration gear, and headed out.

It was an interesting outing she was taking part in. It turned out the Bardottan had potentially discovered something new on Corellia, which was amazing in itself. Corellia had been so thoroughly explored it was a miracle that their might be even more to find. It was certainly an opportunity she was eager to apply for when she was made aware of. She wrote a rather...enthusiastic message in application about her love for exploring the past and learning something knew.

She walked into the galley because you did not explore on an empty stomach. She made that mistake too many times before and wasn't gonna risk it this time. She saw Bruce already there and sat her bag down beside the table. "Hey there, I am about to cook up some food, anything in particular you want? Zabrak are carnivores, so it's mainly going to be meat unless you need something specific. I will attempt to cater to your diet" she spoke in a chipper imperial accent. She was so excited for this venture. Even if they found nothing, they can say they tried and potentially their could be resources the people of the planet could make use of.

 

[Bruce Guleya]

Bruce smiled at Khyanna as he settled in. It was nice to have company and sharing the shuttle hadn't been half bad at all. They both had their own little areas and they both maintained their own space during the stay. He had made note of the high attention to maintenance Khyanna seemed to express with her equipment, he understood the need and he appreciated her for that attitude. Bruce on the other hand, he didn't keep his equipment in as nice of a condition. He wore robes and tunics and no armor, except for the few armor panels that he could slide under his outfits. His lightsaber mostly only got cleaned once in awhile, mostly because he put a lot of faith in the sealing techniques he used. It had to be able to withstand dirt, mud, rain, and water - yes, he'd gone swimming with this saber quite a few times now. He was a reptile after all.

Bruce shook his head, "No. That's quite alright Khyanna. I've got my rations here - I shall be fine. But thank you for the offer." One day he'd sample that cooking probably - really it depended on if they would do more missions or studies together. But for now, he was sticking to the familiar.

"I hope your bunk was acceptable. This is hardly a luxury liner but it's mostly comfortable."

"Today's excursion is a unique opportunity. Most of Corellia has been explored but my research indicates that the mountain ranges could have entrances into the depths of the mountains that lead into sometimes a rare crystal deposit, underground aqueducts, or maybe the occasional mineral deposit - what I'm hoping to find is crystals or some rare precious metals. I'm always interested to see the affects of various crystals; sure we have our kyber crystals to help power the lightsabers but I often wonder if there would be a way to add in another crystal to enhance the blades. Other things I'm hoping we might see is some various lifeforms... preferably non-violent folks. And I'm also curious to see if there's anything else hidden.

"Today we'll be hiking a bit of a distance, dress warm, it is the mountains after all. After we have our hike we should run into a cavern opening I think I had seen from the images and when I did a fly by. All I'd really like is to find something, but there is a chance we might find nothing at all. But as always, you can't discover anything unless you take the efforts!" He smiled at Khyanna. "Take your time though, we have all day and I'm not in a rush."​

 

[Khyanna Sutro'ka]

Khyanna began pulling out some preserved meat that she had brought along and stored in the ship freezer. As her companion began to speak, she pulled out cooking utensils and began to heat up the meat in the pan. She was glad she had already prepared the meat beforehand, so there was no need to add any spices during the cooking process. She listened to Bruce speak while she cooked her food, not offended that he had declined her offer. She had encountered several people that reacted...poorly to Zabrak cuisine. Apparently some of Iridonias spices were too refined for other species primitive tongues. She once was forced to mop the entire Jedi temple when it was discovered she swapped out the spices in the kitchen with those she was fond of.

Apparently she was being 'reckless' and caused 'explosive sickness' to two members of the Jedi Council that were visiting them to simply see how the training of the Knights were going. Her punishment would have been more severe had they not found out that other young Knights had been making fun of her peoples food and calling them monster. The other Knights were dealt with and she received one on one training with a kind Miraluka Master, who helped her better control her emotions. It was always a struggle for those who did not grow up in the order their entire lives to get a handle on them.

When she was finished she took her food over to the table and sat across from Bruce. She began to eat casually as they didn't exactly have a time frame for this mission. Mountains had a funny habit of not going anywhere. "The discovery of new crystals would be very interesting. Kyber crystals are powerful, but this is a big galaxy and something better or different could be hiding anywhere."

"I too hope we don't encounter any violence on this trip, but a new species would be very interesting to discover. Even on Iridonia new species are still being discovered and my people have been there for a very long time. It's amazing that no matter how much you think you know, nature always has another card hidden up it's sleeve. Makes life exciting for people like us" she added with a laugh. While she wasn't expecting any sentient life, she still fantasized about what it might be like to discover a burgeoning society. To help welcome them to the galaxy at large.

"I know that we may not discover anything new on this trip, but I honestly think it is still worth the effort. You miss every shot you do not take. Even if we end up finding nothing, we still had a nice hike in the mountains and could even just enjoy scenery that almost nobody has enjoyed before, that itself would make the trip worth it."

 

[Bruce Guleya]

He smiled and offered a gentle applause, something of an excitement. There was so much to this and the adventure was starting to make Bruce vibrate with enthusiasm. He took a deep breath in and exhaled, needed to get a grip on himself for the moment. He enjoyed her company, and to be exploring with someone passionate about discoveries was relaxing.

"When you're ready, come find me - I'll be in the cargo getting things together."

---
After some time the duo gathered their equipment and set out on the adventure. Bruce lead Khyanna through the mountains, it was like a trail had been carved out. Through some twists and turns they arrived at a mountain side they needed to climb. Bruce checked his equipment and checked in with Khyanna before beginning to climb. The mountains were high enough that the Force couldn't help them jump up but they certainly could use the Force to make things slightly easier. Bruce ensured he never took leaps and bounds ahead of the woman joining him, he offered assistance to her as he suspected she would as well. He climbed up and offered his hand to pull her up if she needed it.

Once again, he checked himself before continuing on.

Another couple kilometers and Bruce indicated it was time to stop. "Right here Khyanna." They were standing on top of a peak with no cave or anything in sight, save the stunning views of Corellia offered by the precepts of the mountain. He looked around with a gigantic smile on his face, one not displayed so often. This was a moment, a moment in which case he observed with glee. The galaxy had fought and killed for so long and sights like this, this were the things people often forgotten were offered. He had been a couple of hours worth of hiking, but it had been totally worth it - even if it was just for the sights long forgotten. "It's times like this that we really get a chance to appreciate the world around us. We've been in conflict for so long, many gems have been lost or shattered. We should always take a time, take a moment to always remember what we have around us. The Force flows through us and we're all connected in one way, when you see this and take the time to enjoy it - you get a better love and understand for the gifts we've been bestowed." He opened a canteen and took a sip as he looked around.

He casually walked off to the side and took a seat on a rock. The air was fresh and clean, although a slight bit of chill wrapped around the two of them. No doubt, Khyanna might be confused as to why they were stopped; after taking a breather Bruce grinned. "The cave is down below, we'll have to lower ourselves down."