Ask Ossus Shadows of Ourselves

[Carlyn Muireann]

As it turned out, she would not be taken to the Jedi Order straight away as what had been discussed between the two strangers who had lifted her unconscious form out of the snow and taking her into their ship to recover. A world called Yavin 4 was apparently their original destination, however after a series of strange sounds and the flickering blue form of some hooded figure flashed into existence within the ship's cockpit, the Jedi master's ship had changed course, stopping off mid route to pick up another Jedi it seemed. Though like her the new arrival onboard the ship didn't seem to speak this Galactic Basic language that Maxims and Drastus had been patiently trying to teach her.

The Journey had been... eventful to say the least, as the young teenager seemed overwhelmed with the strange technology that surrounded her. More initially was the struggle to grasp that this vessel was called a ship, which in her own eyes and her upbringing on the feudal world had taught her - a ship was a wooden construction that had sails to allow for it to travel along water. Not some strange metal box that could not only fly like a bird but actually leave the planet itself and travel among the stars, the last sight she could see of her home world, Irmenu was it warping into a strange white line that then was engulfed in a glowing blue vortex. The sight was truly something that caused a wash of mixed feelings throughout her, ranging from awe, fear but more prominent was the nausea - that evidenced itself with the young blonde throwing up, shortly after rapid change in acceleration.

For most of the journey to this new planet, Carlyn had kept herself pretty much to herself as she tried to get to grips with these strange new devices that had been presented to her, one seemed to be able to translate her own tongue into Galactic basic. The other was she could best describe as a sheet of metal with a pane of glass stuck to it that had the ability to flash up images like a scroll or book, but change in an instant to something else whenever she touched un the screen's surface. All of it was strange and confusing to the teen, especially when the highest form of technology that she had known on her home world was perhaps the big water wheels that turned the milling stones and furnace bellows.

Her grip released on the strange data slate device, as the ship shuddered as it broke through the planet's atmosphere. Her hands reaching out and tightly gripping onto the nearest solid surface, knuckles turning white as she seemed to hold on for grim life as the ship continued to judder and shake as it made its way trough the turbulent upper atmosphere before descending towards the planets surface. "Chan e seo a-rithist" Carlyn grunted as she continued to hold tightly onto the frame work of the bunk, her eyes looking over to the nearest source of a metallic clattering sound, watching as her staff jumped and rocked around within the alcove beside her. Keeping one hand firmly gripping the side of her bunk, Caryln reached over to grab onto her staff and tightly holding it against her. Sighling slightly as she closed her eyes, and focused on listening to the whispers coming from the crystals embedded in the ends of her staff, the teen concentrated on trying to feel this Force thing the two Jedi had spoke of. Hoping that it would take her mind off of the sensation of impending doom as the strange flying box continued its descent towards the planet's surface.

@Nefieslab @Loco @Rhogar

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max was beginning to think that he was going to need a corvette or a bulk freighter at this rate. There seemed to be more people in the Tigris than the poor ship had really been designed to carry and it was beginning to show. It was supposed to carry three people and a droid... and right now there were four people and a droid.

Said droid who was getting very irate about the crowding going on in the ship.

Thankfully the ship had enough power, due to it's lack of weapons, to kick some extra juice to the life support systems. And, mercifully, keep the air flowing and, even better, cool.

"Alright I heard you the first time, Buddy, I'll see about a bigger ship next time!" he assured his astromech co-pilot as they came in toward the planet, "Yes yes I'll make sure the astromech charging pod is roomy for you."

Made no sense to him as a tighter fit helped with the charging as far as he was aware but hey - he wasn't the droid here. Leaning around the back of his seat as they came in for entry via the atmosphere, he frowned ever so slightly at the feelings of fear and uncertainty coming from the small passenger/cargo area.

"Drast - see if you can calm Carlyn down would you? I know it's tightly packed in there but we're almost through this."

Buddy beeped at him that they were not, in fact, almost through it since the mission had just begun. He smacked the droid atop the dome with a metal finger from his right hand.

"If those kids could understand you they'd be very upset!"

@Loco @Rhogar @Topher

 

[Carlyn Muireann]

Slowing her breathing, the young blonde took long deep breaths, holding the air within her lungs for a few moments before slowly exhaling, eyes remaining closed as she continued to focus on her breathing and listening to the the faint whispers of the Force that was being resonated through her staff. After a period of time her tight grip on the bunk's frame relaxed, the shudders and rocking movements of the ship around her also seemed to grow far distant. She could sense faint tremmors as the ship moved through the air, but it was nulled out by the sense of calm that was washing over her.

Her state of calm had lasted as long as it had taken for the ship to finish it's descent, the heavy shudder of the ship's landing gear resonating throughout was enough to bring the teen back to the present moment. Her eyes opening up and looking around, as her brow furrowed. She could feel that the ship was no longer moving and was once again still. A slight smile of relief crossing her features as she concluded that they were no longer perilously above the ground and had once again come to rest on the surface.

Not waiting a moment longer, or even for any form of direction. Carlyn had grabbed her staff, straightened up her tunic and cloak and made a beeline for the rear of the ship where she had learnt was how people had managed to enter and leave this strange flying contraption. Her lips pursing for a moment as she tried to recall what button she had spied the older of the Jedi press to make the draw bridge like door lower, before finally recognising the offending button and pressing it. Jumping back, but mostly out of unease and surprise of the sound of the actuators grinding into operation as the boarding ramp lowered, the teen kept a keen and eager eye through the widening gap, a sigh escaping her lips as she caught sight of the greenery that was steadily being revealed.

As soon as the ramp had lowered enough for her to fit through the gap, the blonde had left the ship, and was quite happily walking around the perimeter of the ship, taking in the sights of this new planet. Before coming to a stand still towards the front of the ship, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath the teen took in and savoured the fresh air - before opening her eyes again and proceeding to survey her new surroundings, being sure to still keep close to the ship. "Nuair a tha a ’ghaoth fhuar a’ gairm Agus tha an speur soilleir agus soilleir Bidh beanntan ceò a ’seinn agus a’ tighinn Stiùir mi a-mach don t-solas Ruithidh mi, siùbhlaidh mi Sìn a ’ghaoth agus suathadh na speuran Falbhaidh mi Sìn a ’ghaoth agus suathadh na speuran" the teen could be heard humming and softly signing as she wondered around the ship's perimeter, clearly now more at ease with her feet being on solid ground rather than cooped up in some strange flying metal box surrounded by strange devices, flashing lights and various beeping sounds.

 

[Drastus Drahr]

"Sure thing, Master." Drast would say. Boy was it cramped. And despite there being three and a half Jedi aboard the vessel, he couldn't help but think it was only two and a half given how quiet their newest companion was. Multiple times throughout the flight she would appear before Drast, always at the worst times, causing him to nearly bumble around her. She was some silent, broody ninja chick with a hood. His route to Carlyn would be well planned out and carefully navigated to avoid the Hood Ninja.

Nearing his target, he would crouch beside her. "Hey, Carlyn. Breathe, yeah?" he would wait as the voice box thingy translated his words for her. "There we go. So much better. See? You're a natural at this." he would say with an almost forced, though mainly genuine smile. His eyes drifted to the puke. "Gonna have to sort that up later." When she finally found her calm, he was almost at ease himself, he could just feel the tension in her.

By the time they landed, he could finally feel the tension subside, at least until they could feel the landing gear touch down. Then it was back. She almost gave him a heart attack the way she darted for the ramp. "Car-" he would sigh, take a calming breath, then follow after her. Arms crossed, he'd wait patiently as she slapped all sorts of random buttons before the ramp finally lowered. "Eh.. if she messed anything up, Buddy can fix it." he mused more to himself than anyone else..

Down the ramp she ramp she went and thankfully, the moment she hit solid ground, she was at peace again. As she sang, he leaned against one of the hydraulic pulleys for the ramp, his mind drifting back to Yavin and to those he left behind there. He had only been on the mission with Max initially because it was to get him out of the Temple. He had spent far too long doting after Lani and Xiann so, his Master forced him to leave. And what a journey it had turned into. He would take a moment to check his comm, seeing if they sent him any messages, anything. It was clear for now, so he would send them a message, letting them know he had made it safely.

With another sigh, he would bound after Carlyn. "It's beautiful. The song." he'd speak up. There was something haunting about music in languages he didn't understand, kriff, maybe just in languages that weren't Basic.

@Nefieslab @Topher @Loco

 

[Vitiion]

Vitiion breathed deeply as the ship came in for a landing, squeezing her way to stand in the cockpit opening behind Master Tionson and his droid- there was no more space to sit properly. She had known the trip would be crowded, but this had been an... uncomfortable experience., even by her standards. The boy seemed afraid of her, the councilor and his droid had enough on their hands keeping the ship running, and the girl... why was she here? She may be only a Knight, but Vitiion was seriously questioning the wisdom of bringing such an wild child along on an important mission such as this. She scanned her visor across the cockpit controls through the descent, determining that there was nothing for her to contribute, and sighing deeply again. She couldn't wait to get off this ship.

No sooner had they set down then she heard the ramp lower, and looked back down the corridor sharply. Fool of a child. She returned her gaze to Councilor Tionson as if to ask if she should intervene with the padawan and the fledgling. This was his idea, after all...

@Nefieslab @Rhogar @Topher

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Well they landed and he wasn't sure what all the fuss was about really. Half of any flight was landing and they had managed to do that without crashing so it was already half an excellent flight. That they were kind of cramped in the back wasn't ideal but it didn't affect the flight too much since they didn't weigh over the weight limit for the ship.

Of course he told Drast to comfort her and the kid did but they were already off the ship. It was probably already too late to salvage a great first impression with the locals but he was going to try his best regardless. He gave Vitiion a helpless shrug with a small sigh as he pulled himself out of his chair to go and wrangle himself some Padawans.

"Better with me and you than on their own on another mission." he explained to Vitiion with a grimace, "I've had enough of Padawans wandering off without supervision - with them in sight they're less dangerous to themselves and others."

Walking down the ramp, Max spoke up to both Drastus and Carlyn as he approached. He kept his eyes on the lip of a nearby hill. During the landing he had seen a small settlement in the valley just beyond the hill and there was no way they didn't know they were here. To a primitive tribe, a starship landing was a pretty big deal - even more so to a tribe of primitives that still focused on protecting their own lands and the temple ruins because it was what they had always done.

Traditions were hard to break.

"Gabh air do shocair." he told Carlyn using one of the phrases he had picked up from her language, "Drast - your job is to keep an eye on her. Protect her but don't take your eyes off what's happening. Because the locals are here to chat. Vitiion - with me."

Atop the hill, a large group of the local tribes people approached with both melee and crude projectile weapons in hand. It looked as though they were expecting violence and it would be up to the Jedi to make sure they received none from them.

@Rhogar @Topher @Loco

 

[Carlyn Muireann]

Looking up to the side as Drastus spoke out to her regarding the song, the teen cocked her head to the side inquisitively as she furrowed her brow for a moment as she waited on the small translation device he had fashioned for her to kick in and translate his statement into her own tongue. A light smile and a nod being offered in return once the device had done it's duty, she was then about to reply and give a bit of history behind one of the old folk songs - until the other two Jedi had emerged from the ship, with Maxims speaking to her in her native language before turning to address Drastus, then taking a few steps towards the hill ahead of where the ship had landed.

Looking up to the crest of the hill, Carlyn took sight of the various tribesmen that had formed rabble like ranks at the peak. Narrowing her gaze she could make out the sight of weapons that did not look too dissimilar to what she had gown up surrounded by and left behind on her home world. Even though the sight of the massed tribesmen in their advantageous position ahead of them, would be enough of an intimidating sight under normal circumstances - yet there was a slight wave of relief that rolled over her, having been surrounded by these Jedi and their strange technologies for the past week or so, it was comforting to see that there were other worlds throughout the galaxy that were not too dissimilar to her own home world.

Her lips pursing in thought as she recalled what would have perhaps been the closest comparison of events that she had experienced herself. The closest thing she could recollect was how the refugee's from the northern tribes would present themselves as they approached the gates of the keep. Looking tentatively towards Maxims, Carlyn pointed to her staff and then gestured to the floor. Before taking a few steps forward, and clearly and openly raising her staff for the tribesmen to seen before slowly and carefully placing her staff on the floor and taking a few slow steps backwards before taking a knee. Making it clear to the tribesmen that she had laid down her arms, whether it would be of any use to the proceedings, time would tell, but for now Carlyn didn't want to present herself as a threat, not that a teenage hand maiden who hadn't so much as touched a weapon could be considered a threat by even primitive tribal standards.

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drast's attention would be pulled by Max, who he turned to an offered a nod at the order. "Understood. No harm will come to her. I'll keep my eyes peeled, I wouldn't be surprised if they sent a group to encircle us while they prepared this showing of strength." clad in his armor, he would unclip the helm at his belt and pull it on. He was hopeful they wouldn't have to fight, but he knew he seldom got that.

Stepping beside Carlyn, his voice was now altered by the helm he wore. "Stay close, yeah?" The visor scanned the hillside, and he shifted as he looked to the side and behind their position. Once his gaze refocused back on the group that lay ahead, he would pull his beskad free of its scabbard and give it a slight flourish before driving the blade into the ground. He still had a boot knife and a lightsaber, he wasn't too worried.

@Nefieslab @Loco @Topher

 

[Vitiion]

Vitiion shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, acknowledging that things with the fledglings could indeed be much worse- they could be storming off to the ruins of Ajan Kloss unattended, or launching half arsed rescue missions on their own, or Force knew what else... She only hoped that in this case they would do nothing to aggravate the locals. There was significant potential here beyond just archaeological curiosities, but it would require a delicate hand to navigate.

She followed Max down the ramp, ignoring the children as the Councilor spoke to them- he could handle this- but noting as he did their distant observers on the hill. First contact was essential to their mission. These people had not seen Jedi in many generations, and there was little information available to describe how they typically dealt with outsiders. Though the groups were still distant, Vitiion reached out with calming energy anyway, conveying her desire to talk to anyone who came withing range, and emphasizing the non-threatening nature of her party.

It wasn't words she called out with- it was something much more primitive. Something their would be allies would be able to feel on this Force rich planet, forgotten by the ages...

@Topher @Nefieslab @Rhogar

 

[Maxims Tionson]

He trusted the two padawans to do their best not to appear threatening and it appeared that his trust had been well placed. Vitiian herself reached out to the approaching group of locals with the Force and Max felt the calming effect it had even when it wasn’t directed at himself. In the end it was a party of almost a dozen of the locals that approached them.

Some of them had what looked like slugthrowers but mostly they seemed to be armed with melee weapons such as spears and a few swords. Hell, he was certain that one of them was actually a training saber – the kind that hadn’t seen use in thousands of years. It was banged up certainly but it looked like it had been cared for with an almost religious dedication.

Max himself took a single step forward and bowed low at the waist to one of the locals who seemed to be deferred to. The others looked at him with every move that the Jedi made so he was willing to assume that the spiked helm he wore was a symbol of some rank. Slowly reaching into one of his pouches on his belt, Max carefully held up something for everyone to see. What he held up was a piece of metal, armor, with the symbol of the Jedi Order, the winged lightsaber.

The locals reacted almost immediately, several of them flinching as if struck and the leader barking out orders in a language that Max didn’t understand. The leader gestured to the Jedi with his dominant hand and barked again – his followers wavered but did not move. Max frowned ever so slightly before making a decision.

“We go with them.” He decided, “I feel… I feel as though they wish to take us to their leaders. To answer for our possession of artifacts.”

The leader’s emotions were a mixture of awe, anger and reverence when he saw the symbol. So Max held both hands together and stepped closer to one of them without hesitation. Both leader and soldier looked awkward before the soldier produced a rope and bound Max’s hands together before starting to lead him on. Others would move to do the same with the rest of the Jedi.

@Loco @Topher @Rhogar

 

[Carlyn Muireann]

A pensive expression crossed the young teen's features as she watched the local tribesmen approach, their weapons still drawn and pointed towards the Jedi. Taking a few deep breaths Carlyn focused on remaining calm, watching as the the tribes people gathered around them and reacted to the Jedi Master as he fished some shard of metal from within the fold and pockets of his robes. Her eyes narrowing as her head tilted to the side with intrigue as the tribes men seemed to react erratically to what ever it was that the Jedi Councillor had unveiled to them, some seemed to show a sign of reverence and some a sense of anger, as if he had shown them an effigy of their gods or religious idol of sorts.

Her eyes widening as the leader, or who she had guessed was the leader had barked out a series of commands in yet another unfamiliar tongue to her own. Her brow furrowing as the little speaking device that Drastus had given her did not react to the foreign dialect, but she soon had little time to dwell on that fought for much longer as the translated words of the Jedi master crackled out from the device, instructing that they go with the tribesmen before Maxims stepped forward and presented his hands to be bound.

Figuring that if of all people, the Jedi Master was will fully surrendering to the the tribesmen, it would be a fools errand to try and do other wise. Stepping up slowly from her knelt position, Carlyn followed suit, offering her crossed over hands to the tribesman. Flinching a little as one of the natives wrapped a rope around her wrists, whilst the other picked up her staff and looked it over briefly before unceremoniously slinging it over his shoulder and stuffing it into what looked similar to an arrow quiver.

Taking a deep breath before sighing the Jedi fledgling, fell in pace with the guiding nudges of the tribesmen as they coerced her and the other surrendered Jedi into following them back towards the Tribe's settlement. "Do fhearann, do fhearann dìleas fhèin A ’ghrian agus a’ ghealach, treòraich sinn Gu uair ar glòir agus onair" Carlyn started to softly murmur, figuring that she may as well try and keep herself calm and recite some of the folk songs and poetry to herself.

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drastus was prepared for a fight, but that wasn't the mission. At least not right now. And he was more than unwilling to break any explicit orders from Max. As his charge flinched, the Padawan would move the native away from her, taking the ropes himself, to tie her.

The knot would be loose enough to where it wouldn't leave marks on her wrists, something he wished to spare a newly freed servant. But it would also be tight enough to appease any of the tugs of the tribesmen. And to say they had taken his intervention likely was an overstatement. A club of swords had pounded against the side of his cuirass until they saw what he was doing, and he could tell already it was going to leave quite the bruise.

Visor locked on Carlyn, he'd try to put any worry or fear at peace. "We're going to be okay." He'd say calmly as he stepped back and offered both hands to be bound. They were a bit rougher on him and even through the thick leather of the gloves at his wrist could he feel the burn of the rope.

@Nefieslab @Topher @Loco