Chapter 10 — Roads Less Traveled — Intersection
Jo'Set'Mack
>>[In Pursuit of Sith – The Maw]<<
Was the entirety of the message to M’Tzigon.
Four-Eight was burning through energy computing navigational routes through the labyrinth of black holes…
Jo was burning through his force stamina straining to use a ‘tracing’ motif Odjina had taught him, picking up the tendrils of the signature song of his prey in the force through the twists of the Maw’s jump points.
Even though the trail was fresh his head throbbed at the strain, the only consolation was he had a good chance of catching up as Valens or Neirai had done the bulk of the work plotting a course through the gantry wells for him.
But where it was headed…a shadow in the force…at the centre of the voids.
Across four days he napped during jumps, none lasting more than a few hours. Pausing only twice semi-stable regions to give the hyper-drive a break and once over.
Keeping busy and on task didn’t remove the nagging guilt of what he had done on Nar Shadda - the churn of hyperspace outside the viewport added to the malaise.
Four-Eight beeped at the course he was plotting,
“I know it’s getting more dangerous…but we’ve come this far and if that’s where this Master Neirai is…she’s not on holiday…either one or both of the targets are likely with her”
A sad subdued booping,
“Doesn’t matter how I found out where to go…now stop asking that must be the millionth time!”
Another long draw out series of solemn beeps
“Fine the 83rd time in four days…still too many…I’ll think about that after this is over…I…I can’t think about it now,”
He swallowed the bile back down, felt his sabre at his side and stared straight into the pit of black before him.
If the Sith wanted to hide somewhere this was the perfect place…no sane person would try and travel through here…
He only just realised what that made him….
<<<<>>>>
Kiraea
Her fingers found purchase on the next jutting rock as she made her way up the cliff. She was more used to scaling buildings, factory intake towers, whilst acquiring things for the reconstruction, climbing something natural took her back to her childhood…days with Karintha and Yorna climbing the South Western Mountains near their home, the cool of the snow flecked air from the peaks…
Looking over the dense green the canopy dotted with strange flowers that bloomed over 30 metres high to scatter pollen to the atmosphere…yellows, blues and rich pinks…such colour and life…another beautiful view Yorna would never see…
Perhaps it was some of the pollen, perhaps something deeper but she sniffled returning to her task tracking Scera Hawks. The plan was simple, stun the beast, put on a stun collar, pile them up then call in an aerial pick up. By moving in on foot they avoided the scattering that would inevitably occur when wild animals were exposed to the unusual rumble of engines. .
A handful of loose rocks dislodged beneath her feet as she pushed up to the top of the cliff. Only a few dozen metres across it was one of a score of odd rocky towers across this region, mottled green as creepers spread their roots up the cliff faces offering some extra hand holds.
A smattering of Scera Hawk nests dotted each cliff top, they were large birds when fully grown, a metre wing span for the males, slightly smaller for the females, with green mottled feathers on top for camouflaging by covering themselves, and a sky blue under plumage to avoid being seen from below. Yet it was their hunting method - using the aether to pin smaller birds and animals from up to two hundred metres that made them attractive.
She was in luck, the nest had a few eggs, but they were no use without adults to rear them. Setting the stun traps in the dry twig and bile bound nest she felt excited - the more unique animals they could integrate back home the better.
Kiraea had always found the stories Valens told them of the Jedi so funny, how they peered and poked around ruins for ancient knowledge and powers, studied and devised new techniques in their Temples and enclaves – foolish.
It was in the jungles, plains and seas, amidst the never ending war that was Natural Selection that the most powerful and unique abilities were developed, not by old men in musty rooms bent over parchment. The ingenuity of life out did all their pontifications – some like the one named Soryu and Yoda looked - but not as deeply as they should.
It was from the Goslam, the perfected version of Ysalamiri, Guardians learned how to create null fields, blood tracking from Kreleaches, illusions from gobrils…once the Scera Hawks were genetically perfected into ‘SnowHawks’ they would learn long range aetheric stasis from their new avian companions.
Kiraea had loved chasing gobrils as a child, learning by play how to track and sense with the aether and her physical senses, feeling the squelch of mud between her toes when she ‘lost’ her shoes…she always ‘lost’ her shoes…and Yorna always made her a new pair…Yorna loved their animals even more than she did…
Determined to get even more than the target as tribute to Yorna she flipped from pillar to pillar setting traps before the adults retuned at twilight before setting up the Chiss homing beacon which would ping the location once the traps started triggering – all neat and easy.
Jarys was keen on this project – always saying how this was a ‘time to live’…hopefully it would impress him too, show some maternal qualities of task focus and organisation.
Reaching out to find him in the aether her mind spanned across verdant jungle…until…something that didn’t belong…moving fast…intent, purpose…planning, strategy…no wildlife had that level of focus over primal instincts…Someone was headed this way.
Clamping her aetheric presence down her options were few…three days from the Chiss camp – no chance to run. A black shadow flying too straight for a bird in the distance…too exposed on the cliff top she flipped down and began descending the rock face into the jungles, traversing the roots and crags as her senses brushed the intruders…seven beings…strong…
Very Strong
Only one group could be this strong in the aether…
She might finally get a chance to fight a Jedi.
<<<<>>>>
Soryu
Soryu knew why he was here…
Yoda didn’t trust him.
Didn’t trust him enough to leave him at the Temple, and he didn’t trust him enough to take on the mission…of two bad options Yoda chose to keep Soryu close.
So now he was on Myrkr hunting Milaea and Valens…hoping he wouldn’t find them. Before the first squads deployed Yoda had given a stirring speech about the pursuit of ‘justice’, the reality of ‘sacrifice’ to achieve it, the need to ensure the ‘law seen to be done was’.
Soryu was past all such self-deception, this had nothing to do with Justice and everything to do with Yoda’s need to feel vindicated and get back at Valens. The tragedy was it had official sanction and popular support amongst the Jedi, the only thing they would reap was more death.
A sudden cold drop of rain struck his hairless head through the jungle canopy, he looked up into the shield of leaves above, marvelling how a drop could get through.
A low rumbling growl from Yshrrk up ahead,
<Rain…increase pace> it translated roughly from what little Shyriiwook Soryu knew.
They were on the trail of the second of two people that had visited Dr. Tawrryn a few days before. Yoda had pointed fiercely at their map in her small tent on the edge of the jungles,
“Their location provide me,” he demanded, using the force without any preamble to force the Chiss Doctors compliance,
“Yoda!” he had called in warning,
“Silence,” Yoda had snapped back as the glassy red eyed Chiss had pointed where she had sent them.
He shook his head in sorrow…at all that had happened…and all that was yet to happen.
Yoda was not facing the truth, he was chasing his fears.
Yoda had never been so defeated and betrayed by another Jedi, and instead of introspection he was externalising – Soryu could do nothing – under a cloud of suspicion from Jarys healing and his opposition to sequestering Kimars files.
It was not unfounded, he had betrayed the Order already by giving files to Li Mack and the Vhal’dan Jorl’Taf…
He felt no regret – by serving the Truth he acted as Jedi…this entire mission was emblematic of the growing difference between the Jedi and the Order – a Jedi did not care for victory or defeat – Life was their goal, and learning a facilitator. But the Order sought Victory, and that required another’s Defeat.
Pushing through another cluster of branches, large triangular ones to his left, oil coated round ones on his right that slicked his armour, animals he could only hear by rustling scurried away.
Yshrrk lead this team, Yoda the other…in a way Soryu was glad he wouldn’t be there if Yoda were to find Valens…but if Yshrrk did...
What would Soryu do if he came face to face with him…what would he say to a man he had once considered the next leader of the Jedi…to whom he had implicitly entrusted Sofa by ignoring their relationship…
He knew what Yoda - the Order - would want him to do…but was that what a Jedi should do? All he knew was they shouldn’t be here…they had no moral high ground from which to accuse the Aethans of treachery and murder, for they had not reflected and admitted their own failings.
“Let he who is without Sin himself,” the adage Odjina had taught him long years past “Cast the First Stone in judgment.”.
The trees went on forever as their group of seven plodded along in rain that made silent movement near impossible amidst squelching organic matter underfoot.
As hours passed the rain increased, the rustling of mammalian animals diminished as they sheltered, insects replaced them using the droplets as incubators for their spawn on leaves and flowers. The Jedi kept a rough circle, defensive and quiet.
This was a road to nowhere, there would be no resolution for the Jedi in Valens or Milaea…the Orders problems were within.
Twigs snapped with his thoughts, they had arrived. The area was known for large packs of vornskrs…so far they had seen none of the force sensitive predators.
Yshrrk held up his fist, stopping them dead, the others reached out to the surrounds. The jungle was so full of life… he would’ve loved to explore the living force here with Sofa and Milaea…
Yshrrk made simple signs and they closed in, more leaves rustled around them…all around them.
“I hope this is a horrible coincidence Soryu,” a whisper came in his ear…no not his ear…his mind…a master of telepathic communication…male but not Valens…familiar….
No….Yellow eyes began to peek from the foliage, one pair, four, eight, sixteen…
No…<<<<>>>>
Jarys
It had been easy enough to accumulate all the vornskrs he could desire, he found one pack, had Arxis defeat the vornskr Alpha in battle to assert dominance, then a little aetheric prompt to solidify his control. Jarys had accumulated three packs, some forty Vornskrs, before he had sensed Them.
He hated…HATED…what this meant…he had come here to build up his people, restore and renew their world with new animals and plants…develop his relationship with Kiraea…start to put War behind him…this was a time to LIVE.
But War would never leave him it seemed, so it became a time for death once more.
Tracking them with a chain of quick running vornskr scouts for three hours, he now had them surrounded. There were seven, the leader a huge Wookie, a smattering of other races, and Soryu.
“I hope this is a horrible coincidence Soryu” he projected from his hiding place on an Ibira branch as the vornskrs closed in. He couldn’t control them directly, they sensed he felt threatened but not quite mortally afraid of the Jedi. Their instinctive drive to attack these strange animals that had entered their territory was strong, but Jarys could keep it in check…for now.
“They want Valens and Milaea,” Soryu’s thought reply came back…
“They aren’t here…” he replied mentally…not that it mattered the fact the Jedi were after them was all he needed to know, they wanted to continue the war they had started by attacking him on Cygrat, then Santooine. Only on Coruscant had he and Valens finally retaliated, killing dozens including their War Chief Kimar - Not enough it seemed to dissuade them.
“If they see you…they’ll recognize you and attack any way,” Soryu went on as Jarys repositioned leaping silently across branches as wide as hover cars.
“You can’t win this war Jedi,”
Jarys could see them all now, in a defensive circle eyeing off the vornskrs that surrounded them, sending out cautious aetheric probes to work out how to calm the beasts.
“We lost when we Exiled the Mak’Tor…this battle…just shows how far the Order has fallen, and for that…I’m sorry” the older man replied - his slouching and tired posture how dejected and genuinely reluctant Soryu was.
It surprised him, Jarys didn’t know quite how to respond, Soryu didn’t want to be here, Jarys didn’t want them here…and yet here they both were.
“I’m tired of fighting…I came here to make something, to live…not destroy,” he thought across to the Jedi Master, “Just leave, before this gets any worse”
Soryu’s head turned to look up toward him, the other Jedi oblivious to the conversation.
“I’m truly sorry Jarys…but it’s not my decision to make…”
Jarys simply hung his head as War reared it’s once again.
<<<<>>>>
Jo'Set'Mack
It was like a miniature Centre point Station…well miniature in comparison…but still enormous…there was no hail…no sign of life on the thing…the only lights came from what appeared to be a hangar…though he doubted that was the original purpose of the huge square cavern…
It was sprinkled with ancient and odd ships…
Four-Eight beeped and gestured toward one…thermal readouts indicated this ship had flown sometime in the last week…the others were as cold and dead as the structure around them.
He exited cautiously, he couldn’t sense and Four-Eight couldn’t detect any movement…Jo kept himself primed, armoured and ready in a modified version of M’Tzigon militia riot armour.
“Put a tracer on that ship,” he told Four-eight gesturing noting it foot prints going to and from it in the dust.
“Then wait here, protect the Rain Song…if I’m not back in six hours…activate sub-routine Light Box.” This was his trump card…worst came to worst he would have Four eight overload the drive core on the Rain Song and blow the Sith to pieces.
The force was odd here…dead but…swirling…as if…something hid just beneath the surface of the whirlpool wishing to pull him under should his mind wander.
Crouching through the corridors following the force like a thread…along the path were odd things thrown away over the eons…and one set of footprints going back and forth in the metallic dust…either a slightly below average height male humanoid or above average female…Neirai?
The force grew…stranger as he got closer…a voice…echoing in a cavern…and…music…familiar
A blue and yellow light spilled out of a large rectangular opening down the hall, he crept to the corner and pulling his blaster peered in.
“I’m on fire for you baby! Woo Woo Woo yeah!” Shouted a woman with loose, long black hair, dressed in a padded utility outfit undone to the waist, a white undershirt beneath, dancing and singing along to a ten year old hit by the Blazing Comets….
“Burning through the galaxy…yeah you’re love sets me alight Hey Hey Hey!!”
His mouth dropped in utter shock…behind her was a vortex of blue force energy with dozens of…bodies floating around it….
By the Maker what was going on!!! It was the most embarrassing and confusing thing he had ever seen…he felt ashamed to be watching this…her singing was atrocious…her dancing was worse…and she was doing it under floating mummified corpses! He didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.
“Light me up, light me up I’m ready to go…oh…oh…what” she suddenly stopped, he immediately pulled back but felt the force tug on him…he stepped out hands open,
“Who are you” she called, her face slightly red from…attempted dancing…holding a blaster in one hand a lightsabre in the other.
He looked her over…
“Master Neirai?” He asked
Scanning him visually and with the force…
“Hey…aren’t you…Jo…Jo from the Mak’tor?”
Ok this was good…he could work with this…
“That’s right…Sofa, Soryu’s apprentice…”
“Hey yeah,” she replied lowering her weapons, “what are you doing here,” he kept his presence calm and unthreatening…
“I’m here on a mission, just…investigating,”
Why was he slurring his words? Sofa briefly thought…till she realised it was less him talking slow than her new ears hearing fast.
In between that brief moment of realisation she had paused…yet now realised to him the conversation was still uninterrupted…
She snorted, “Well you’ve found it, the weirdest place in the galaxy…”
He couldn’t agree more
“It’s got good acoustics though…” she went on - that he couldn’t disagree with more,
“Yeah, well…what brings you here a mission for the council?” he probed,
“Something like that…” she replied, zipping up her suit…as he moved closer he noticed she looked…the same as he remembered her…but that was nearly sixteen years ago…she should be about forty, a few years younger than him…she looked all of nineteen…some kind of illusion…make up?
“Hungry?” she asked sitting beside a half empty crate of rations,
“Sorry about before gets boring waiting around here…have to make my own entertainment…We’re both luck you didn’t come hour earlier….” As he accepted her invitation by sitting he decided he didn’t want to know how she had been entertaining herself an hour earlier…
Jo had to play this carefully…she didn’t seem to feel threatened…yet still there was something odd going on with her - unusually youthful looks, speaking in quick bursts of words, hand movements too fast…like she was on some kind of drug…a Sith control narcotic perhaps?
“So how long have you been here?” he asked unsure what she was waiting for or why,
“Nearly 3 days…”
“That’s…a long time,”
She shrugged and handed him a ration bar…it had odd script he had never…or rarely…seen before…Chiss?
“Who knows…” she glanced up at the bodies, “Centuries might not be enough…”
He took a brief mental stock…just her, one ship, only her footprints,
“So who are you waiting to meet, it’s an odd place”
She gave him an odd look, “Just waiting for a…friend,” the force between turned from congenial to tense.
He was about to speak when they both sensed it…
She stood up so quickly he hadn’t even seen her move, let alone notice the blaster and sabre come to her hands.
“Unexpected visitors,” Sofa snapped.
<<<<>>>>