Ask [Rattatak] Taming the Untamable

[Celeste Stythani]

Rattatak, 1400 hours

Home.

This was the place she had called home for years and now she had been absent for quite a while. Everything had changed. Her people were still missing her, there were still unrests all around the capital as some former warlords had started questioning the accute state, but Celeste already knew that it wouldn't be long until she would make an actual reappearance. Vahliri had plans and for now she still had to follow them.

Today though, she was allowed to attend another mission was Arla. In fact, they had talked about that on Centares and Vahl had agdeed as long as Celeste would keep a low profile. She would wear a mask in the open to conceal her identity, but she hasn't been in contact with the mountain tribes much anyway, so that this shouldn't have posed actual issues.

Arla was versed in Magick and alchemy, and Celeste had remembered something on their first mission. She didn't even know how it had come up, but Celeste had mentioned the Saber Wolves and how she had saved a bunch of pups back then and so their plan had slowly taken shape.

She vividly remembered the Sith spawn back on Thyferra and while this thing had been utterly frightening and seemingly out of control, she had read about how selective breeding and the right alchemists tricks and rituals could actual create loyal, obedient beasts...so why not try?

Celeste had set the coordinates right into the middle of nowhere in the mountainous regions on the southern hemisphere. There wasn't much population around, but creatures of all sort roamed freely and where there was prey, there were hunters and she had already managed to spot those in the surroundings with the help of some droids, finding herds of wild bison like creatures.

She hadn't been at this exact spot before, but in the desert, every rock formation looked the same anyway. They had no problems entering the atmosphere as on those parts of Rattatak, there wasn't anyone around anyway. Arla had received the coordinates and Celeste would wait for her down there.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Rattatak was hot. It was like Korriban, and that wasn't really a compliment. Arla missed the jungles of Dathomir or even the humid heat of Felucia over this baking, burn your skin heat that this planet had to offer.

But she didn't get to pick. She'd set her ship down on the planet and taken her bow and a small hunting and survival pack and headed out into the mountains in her robes. They were tracking wild animals, which Arla knew wasn't something that was safe.

This was made even more difficult by the fact that Arla was looking for something very specific. She wanted a pup whose mother had been killed. Something so specific would have been all but impossible for anyone without the Shadow, and perhaps even for anyone who was not a Nightsister, but Arla was just such.

Arla took up the challenge, prepared the appropriate spells, and set off to meet her partner in this endeavor... who Arla hadn't actually told about the extra hitch yet.

Ever done anything like this before? she asked. Since her last meeting with Celeste, she'd done a bit more research on the woman to get a better idea of what she was dealing with... and by "do research" it mostly meant talking to Vahliri. It was only now that she had realized this was the former Senator of this world. Or perhaps current Senator? Difficult to say.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste had grabbed the necessities she needed, which included her lightsaber, a blaster rifle, a decently large water bottle, some protein bars and a med kit as she couldn't tell whether they would manage to accomplish their goal today. It could easily be days and because water and edible fruits were rare findings in the rocky desert, she wanted to be prepared.

In case they had to make camp, she had also packed a small tent that would at least prevent them from freezing and even minor sand storms as the desert was unpredictable from time to time and an actual shelter was also sometimes hard to find.

She had waited with stepping out until Arla approached as she didn't want to spend more time than necessary in the hot open. She had gotten used to the constant dryness and heat when she had fully resided here, but since this had been quite some time ago, the sun unrelentlessly burnt down on her from above, seemingly brighter and hotter than back then.

When Arla's ship landed and she headed out, the backpack flung over one shoulder. The Champion- direct as always - wasted no time with unnecessary pleasantries and immediately sprang to the point. "Hey, good to see you again" she still said, a slight smirk crossing her lips before she gave her a direct reply, "I did bond with a pack of pups quite some time ago...I had to save them and desperate as they were, their mistrust was overcome by their curiosity. The wolves, especially the pups aren't aggressive. They're rather careful, but shouldn't be too hard to find".

Celeste was decent with tracking and Arla looked ready for an actual hunt. As she glanced over to the wide canyon ahead, she has to squint in order to protect her eyes from the glistening sunlight, but she knew her body would adapt sooner or later. "I've got the coordinates from the last sightining of a wild horde of bison-like mammals. Their numbers were decreasing so I was expecting wolves to roam the area. They hunt during dusk, so if we're lucky we could spot some today". The last spotting of wolves had been some time ago, but that was because they were rarely ever seen. She suspected they would hide in caves during the day and manage their resources carefully, so that unnecessary hunting attempts were probably avoided.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla cocked her head to the side as Celeste mentioned that she had bonded with a pack of pups in the past and then she frowned.

What happened to them? You didn't keep them? she asked. There was clearly more to the story, and it might be useful to their current efforts.

I don't want to just track any old wolves. I want to find pups who have lost their mother, she said. It was extremely specific, but Arla still respected nature. She wasn't truly trying to disrupt the flow of things.

I think I could track such a group down with my powers if we get to the area where they hunt, she said. She was certain that if the wolves were hunting such large creatures, then some of them would be trampled to death or worse.

What's the rest of the story from when you met these pups? she asked. She started off immediately, heading in the direction that Celeste had indicated. The hike wasn't an easy one, over and around a wide variety of mountains, but she was glad to see that the sun was beginning to go down.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Arla's unbelievably direct manner made her smirk again. She wondered why she wasn't used to it now, but found it rather amusing anyway. They started heading west into the indicated direction and Arla immediately seemed curious about the incident, which made Celeste realize that this could actually come in helpful.

"No. I released them back into the wild as members of their pack were still close by" she explained. She had considered keeping them, all of them, but back then it had just felt wrong. She hadn't want to move them into a ship and fly them back to the capital, but she had been much softer back then...She still respected nature greatly, but wondered whether she actually regretted that choice...

What she said next made her raise an eyebrow and her gaze immediately flicked over to the dark haired woman."That's...oddly specific. Mind explaining? I'd be very curious to know". Celeste was always eager to learn and she bet there was an explanation behind that. Perhaps it had something to do with how they would manage to make them more obedient.

She nodded next, optimistically confirming "We'll find their hunting grounds". The path ahead of them was turning more steep and they had to start climbing to make it past the first natural barrier if they wanted to move into the actual wildlands. "I've found the pups in a cave. An independent tribe of poachers had ruthlessly killed their mother and it seemed like they wanted to export them. The tribe eldest of one of the mountain tribes had once told me how not a single wolf had left the planet so far and how he tried to preserve that state...I wasn't sure whether that was true, but I didn't want to disrupt nature either. The hunting was unauthorized anyway and so I stopped them". She paused for a moment, coiling the Force around her body to jump up a ledge up ahead before he went on. "Have you ever been on Rattatak before?". She then asked, curiosly tilting her head to the side.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla was surprised when she asked why the Nightsister wanted to conduct the plan in such a manner. Honestly, Arla was probably foolish for it, but it was what felt right in her gut, and she had learned to trust her gut on most things. The Shadow was strong with her and growing daily. To shun its aid was idiocy and a sure path to destruction.

I respect nature. We're a guest in this echo system, and I see no reason to rip cubs away from their mother if we can find ones who would otherwise die, she said. In other words, it was a win-win even if it did require the Champions to put in a little more work.

She listened to the story Celeste told and found herself wondering why the woman had thrown away such a perfect opportunity. It almost seemed a waste.

No, I haven't. As you might imagine, I don't make a habit of coming for FWA territory, she said. Not that she couldn't handle herself, but it was enemy territory, after all. Not exactly hospitable to her or her kind.

So what's changed to make you want one now? she asked, not quite suspiciously, but close to it.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While they continued their hike, Celeste glanced around every now and then, eyes narrowed and scanning the distance for anything that moved. She couldn't spy anything so far, but she knew such tranquility could be deceptive. She stayed on her guard.

"I absolutely agree with that notion" not that she would care much about that, "But I was just wondering whether there's more to it" she added, gaze flicking back to her. What she said about not having been here before made sense as most people weren't spontaneously passing by on such a hostile territory. Hostile in terms of its drought and heat, but yes, also about its current affiliations. This had to change...soon.

It seemed like her curiosity was still unbent, but she was beginning to wonder whether Arla was thinking she was foolish for having set them free again. "Honestly, a lot has changed since then. The pups could come in very handy and if we don't have to forcefully separate them from their pack, that's the best possible solution. If we can make this work, the Empire profits" back then, she had released them because the pack was really close by and she had pitied them for having lost their mother. Now, it was a fully functional decision. "Also, who wouldn't want a loyal companion? Back then they would have been pets...I rather let them get back to their pack than claiming them, but it's different now" What would a senator have done with a pack of wolves? PR wise, this all hadn't looked to good...She was glad the times of unnecessary adjusting was over. She was freed.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla wasn't sure what more Celeste was looking for in an answer, so she just shrugged and let the conversation move forward.

She listened to the reply from the other woman, and pressed onward over the next hill and down into a valley beyond. It was here that she started seeing the first evidence of larger animals that they'd seen along the route. She knelt down to look more closely at the tracks, tilting her head to the side with an appraising eye.

Unfortunately, this was not Dathomir, and she was not as familiar with the types of wildlife here as she was there.

Lots of tracks. A full herd. Split hooves. Looks like the tracks lead down into that canyon, she said.

Loyal companion indeed. Often more loyal than people, she said. People could be bought or betray a cause. People could come up with their own plans, but a loyal animal bonded to a person would fight and die for you. And often, vice versa.

Do you have experience with animal taming?

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

The two moved quickly, soon leaving the first huge rock formation behind while ascending into the valley ahead. Once down, when Arla examined the tracks, Celeste took a look, too, before she checked on traces of fur or feces. "Yeah. That's them. They usually stay off heights so that makes sense. Let's head down" she agreed.

The sun was already disappearing behind the rocks behind them and within two hours, night woukd actually fall upon them. They'd be lucky if they mananged to get down to their hunting grounds at dusk, so they had no time to waste. What Arla said about loyalty was absolutely true, yet Celeste question whether the dark haired woman had already gathered terrible experience with it as well.

"Yes...I've never seen an animal betray someone" she had left Loki the charhound alive on Endor...he hadn't been the one trying to lock her away or separate her from the Empire. He had always been loyal. He had accepted her the way she was. Hounds generally did that whereas people didn't. Her expressions grew icy while she jumped down the next ledge.

"Not like this, no". She had 'tamed' their neighbor's loth cat back on Kalist. He was known for his collection of exotic animals but the loth cat hadn't exactly liked its owner. When Celeste was still a child, she used to visit him every now and then and after a few visits and much patience, the rather feisty cat had fully accepted her and turned into a very friendly, tame playmate. "Have you?" she curiosly returned the question, although Loki's barks were echoing through the back of her mind. "I've never truly asked where you've grown up. Did you have many animals around?".

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla pressed onward, climbing down further and further into the valley as it angled down. There was evidence that the herd of prey animals had come this way, and the fur pointed to the fact that the wolves had been through here. Now it was just a matter of tracking down the animals themselves and finding the proper ones. Orphaned ones.

Arla was a bit surprised when Celeste asked where she had grown up. She assumed everyone recognized the markings on her face as those of a Nightsister, but she supposed that was probably a foolish thing to think. There were many people who had likely never crossed the path of a Nightsister. Fewer still crossing paths with one who was part-Sephi.

Yes, I grew up on Dathomir. I spent a little time among the beastwardens of my people, she said. She had always loved animals, and the temple-palace was often filled with a variety of creatures tamed by the other Nightsisters, though she hadn't brought any pets with her into the galaxy at large.

I miss having animals around, she said. It was the truth. Arla was an absolute sucker for animals, and her face became a bit longer as she mentioned it. But also for practical reasons! she seemed to object quickly to clarify that it wasn't all just that she wanted a pet. Even though it mostly was.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While climbing down, they passed a few barren bushes and small trees with half-broken, dry, asymmetrical branches. On one she could clearly see something that looked like a claw mark left by something large, so she assumed they were actually on the right path.

Clearly Celeste had read about the nightsisters and even studied parts of Dathomiran history, but Arla had never told her the full story nor was she sure whether Arla had always been with them or not. While she had never met one in person, she obviously knew about the Ex-Empress Andruil's, now Queen Renfry's, background. "Oh?" she replied, a smile crossing her lips with her curiosity now piqued, "That must have been exciting...I've always loved animals, yet unfortunately I never had many around".

Her parents hadn't let her keep one, in the academy she couldn't have a pet and her steep career had left not much time. She wouldn't have been able to do any animals justice back then, but if she had never gotten the chance to take a few months off, she would have chosen a place right in the middle of nature to peacefully live amongst them for a while. She had always found them fascinating and their presence often soothing...but obviously that depended on the kind of animal. Spiders were gross...but she was getting carried away.

Was that genuine excitement on Arla's face? She actually wondered about that, her smirk only growing wider as they took a turn around the next rock formation. She couldn't help but to even chuckle slightly as she was seemingly elaborating in order to put more emphasize on functionality. "I can imagine...although now we might finally change that" she answered amusedly, her gaze now landing on the dark valley ahead. If they would descend further, they'd find themselves in a wide area that could be overlooked more easily. Dusk was soon about to fall upon them and Celeste was truly hoping they could find a fresh trace today. "Will you track them with Magick?". Celeste had seen her use Shadow Magick on Centares and honestly, she was absolutely impressed by that. She hadn't encountered many that replied so heavily on Magick and she was curious to see more of her skills. Celeste had always been attracted by knowledge and studying the Arcane had always been exciting for her. Seeing an actual practitioner in action was a great opportunity and she was convinced they'd soon find a pack.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

That's a shame, she said. We'e all just extensions of nature, though a lot of people try to deny that, she said. As the Jedi and Sith believed that all things were connected, so too, did the Nightsisters. But even their understanding of it was different. Those connections were even more pervasive than Jedi and Sith saw. To Arla, she was an extension of Dathomir. She was the world's immune system, keeping the exploiters away.

Yeah, she said as Celeste asked if she would use magick to track them. Her eyes gazed over the horizon with an evaluative look as she searched for the best places to proceed forward. The sun was soon setting, and that would present its own problems. Arla didn't fancy hunting in foreign territory at night.

We should probably set up camp. We don't want to find them when they're hunting at dawn or dusk, and we don't want to track them at night, she said. The down time will let me focus enough to track them, too, she said.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She nodded agreeingly, actually regretting that she hadn't had this chance as well and sharing her views on that issue. She wondered whether Arla regretting being out and about for the Empire instead of staying with the other Nightsisters on Dathomir, but she saved that question for now.

Celeste was staying attentive, but while the ground was laced with occasional tracks, there was not a single living creature in sight apart from the and with every minute that passed, their shadows were getting longer behind.

When Arla confirmed her assumption, a smile crossed Celeste's lips again as she was indeed curious to watch her work, but as she mentioned setting up camp, she had a fair point. Hunting the hunters at night was foolish, especially because it was their terriority and in contrast to them, they knew it well. "Agreed. If they're out hunting in the twilight, we might catch them next morning".

Celeste immediately scanned their surroundings until her gaze settled on an elevation up ahead. From the looks of it, no predator would manage to make that climb, but the two of them could easily access the rise with the help of the Force and so she pointed at it. "This might be a good place. I've packed a tent and two thermo bed rolls as it gets rather icy in the night". As usual, it looked like a starry, cloudless night was about to fall upon them here on Rattatak. She was just hoping Arla wouldn't mind the lack of privacy.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's eyebrow quirked as she mentioned a tent and a couple of bed rolls. Well, Arla hadn't brought any of that, but she wouldn't say "no" to it. She was simply used to camping and roughing it even more than that.

Her eyes followed up to the ledge that Celeste had indicated, and she nodded, heading in that direction and hoisting herself up, smoothly jumping, pushing herself off a wall, and grabbing an upper ledge to hoist herself over.

Here, I'll haul the pack up, she said, reaching out with the Shadow to take the pack from Celeste. The maneuver Arla had just performed would no doubt be far more difficult with a large pack on her back.

She gripped it and hoisted it up, setting it down next to her before unslinging her own, much smaller pack.

Arla went to work setting a fire for them while Celeste worked on the tent, and when camp was set up, Arla took a seat near the flames and dug into her pack to pull out jerky for both of them, offering some over to Celeste.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While Arla started the climb, Celeste looked around again, this time searching the area for any drones or tribe members, but everything still seemed calm, which reassured her. As she glanced back up, Arla had already reached the top, offering to haul her backpack up.

"Thanks" she gratefully replied, a smile crossing her lips before she started her own climb with a jump here, a pull there and another grab over the ledge. She hadn't seen which path Arla had chosen, but there were actually a few of them and she picked the one that looked the easiest.

It was still slightly exhausting, especially because the dry stone was rather hot and sharp-edged, so that hands had to be placed carefully. Once up though, she simply brushed off the dust before she already started pulling out the equipment they needed. When traveling through the desert, Celeste had always ensured that she'd never run out of important resources, but despite the size of her bagpack, she had traveled 'lighter' today. Her own pack still looked comically large compared to hers, which brought a smirk to her lips while the blonde unpacked the tent.

The tent was set up quickly as Celeste had gotten so used to it back then. Remembering where to put which bar in which eyelet wasn't too hard and so together with the fire Arla prepared, their camp was set up in no time. "Thank you very much" she said again, reaching for jerky before she shoved another water ottle in her direction. "In case you need more". For now, the fire's additional heat wasn't fully needed, but it would help them later on.

The fire blissfully crackled in front of them while occasional sparks danced around in the air. The last rays of sunlight were still visible in the distance to the West, but the pitch black night was already spresding around them, steadily lowering the temperature. "It's so peaceful when the sun is not trying to fry you..." she remarked, watching the last orange line of the horizon. "Have you camped on Dathomir a lot?" she curiosly asked, her interest still piqued. The woman had clearly had a different childhood than most Champions and Celeste was interested to learn more about it, if Arla was willing to share it.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla waved off the water offer. I'm good, still got quite a bit. Thanks, she said as she continued to munch down on the jerky, ripping it to pieces and chewing for a long moment. After several pieces, she pulled out a small bag of veggie snacks to begin munching down.

Oh yeah, she said as she was asked if she camped a lot on Dathomir. One with nature, remember? she said. Many of the hunts were days on end, and those hunts often led to long periods of times outdoors.

I like the outdoors. Not a big fan of deserts, though, she said. Whether it was Korriban or here, they were just... hot and so devoid of most life.

You don't strike me as the camping type, she said, though perhaps she was wrong.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

The jerky snack Arla had offered was apparently the a very similiar kind of a rather tough meat she usually brought as a snack from here, the one that required you to chew for ages, but Celeste knew they could need the energy and so she wasn't complaining at all.

It wasn't late at all and so Celeste actually enjoyed the little campfire talk. "One with nature, right...so I bet you don't often set up full camps, do you?" she curiosly asked, generally assumed that Arla wouldn't have been one to mind the open.

What she said about the desert made her smile, and she playfully tilted her head to the side as she sarcastically said, "I wonder why...sand is lovely, isn't it?". Were there actually people who liked the deserty terrain? The Rattataki surely didn't mind it, but it was obvious that such a hostile, empty, infertile ground wasn't pleasant. "I haven't been on Dathomir, but it sounds nice. I've read about it and I've got to admit that I'd rather camp there, too. I love nature as well and even though I've gotten used to this terrain, it's still not pleasant or anything". This would probably never change.

Her next remark made her chuckle as it did remind her of a few things people had assumed about her in the past. "While this doesn't surprise me, I've got to say that you're wrong. I can act all prim and proper if I have to, but I'm actually the adventurous type" she explained, actually realizing that the two women might have been quite similar in this regard.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla shook her head at the question about setting up full camps. No, not really, she said. Out under the open stars, and with a small campfire... that was the way she had always done it. Less to pack and carry along.

Mmmm, she said, the sound indicating that calling Dathomir "nice" might have been a strong statement. I love Dathomir, and it's home, but it's not a hospitable world, she said with a snort. Most everything there wanted to kill you, and outsiders were not welcome.

Hmm, she said dubiously as the other woman said that she was an adventurer. In her experience, most politicians weren't, but then, there were exceptions. She was a Sith before she was a politician.

I hope the wolves adjust to being away from this type of terrain, she said, thinking about the challenges they as owners might face in the coming days.

We should get some rest, I'll work on locating them tomorrow, she said.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Her answer was somewhat expected and so Celeste just answered with a soft smile. On Rattatak, you could do that, however it wasn't the best idea as the cold was actually unpleasant under the cloudless sky and you never knew what predator lurked in the area.

She slightly chuckled at her reply, knowing that the jungle wasn't a fully safe place either, but it sounded like if you knew nature and the surroundings as well as her, you wouldn't get into too much trouble. Celeste enjoyed jungles and loved to hike and study the flora and fauna, but she wondered whether Dathomir was a good fit for such an endeavor.

Arla didn't seem too convinced about what she had said about herself, but well, who knew whether she wouldn't manage to prove that soon. She gave her a challenging smirk, playfully tilting her head to the side before she said "Maybe I can convince you" with a wink.

She then leaned back for a moment, glancing up at the stars while the chilly evening air danced through her hair. Arla was probably right: The faster they got some sleep, the sooner they could get going in the morning all well rested and ready for the hunt. "Sounds good. We shouldn't need an actual watch. We'll be fully save here". No predator could climb up there and even if something would try that, they'd sense that something was off. Celeste pushed herself of the ground and simply listened for a moment, but there was not a single sound in earshot. She'd wait for Arla to climb in before she'd do the same.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

---​

The next morning arrived without any issue, and Arla was feeling good about their chances today. She knew the feeling well from her experience hunting, and it meant they were likely to find their prey today.

She rose early when the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and set to work. First, she centered herself in the Shadow, letting it flow through her and becoming a conduit to it. She let her own spirit flow into the background of this world and see its ebb and flow. Where the predators hunted, where the prey hid, and how they all intermingled, caught up in an infinite cycle of hunting and escaping.

It was down these strings that she let her spirit slide, following the tethers to points of death and decay. The natural cycles of violence that thinned the Veil and pulled spirits back to their natural realm.

She investigated these time and again until she found the wandering spirits of a predatory recently trampled. She let her mind intermingle with it, becoming one with the creature before she gained what he needed to know.

After nearly an hour, the sun was beginning to rise higher and Arla's eyes flashed open.

I think I have a heading for us, she said.

@LadyRen