Felucia's Open Terrain

Opening her eyes and releasing the breath she had not been aware she had begun holding as they began their landing, Kaiya sighs in relief after, having removed her helmet and left it in her seat, she has finally set her feet back on the ground.

The heat of the fungal forest makes her feel as though she has entered a sauna, and Kaiya reaches up to secure her wavy blonde hair in a ponytail after removing her headscarf and tucking into her utility belt in an effort to relieve some of the heat that she knows from previous experience will soon become oppressive. Following her twin at a leisurely pace, Kaiya allows her awareness of the Force and Its currents to extend outwards, attending at the moment more to what can be learned by the eternal ebb and flow she mentally submerges herself in than to what Cane and her twin might say when they have all gathered together after landing at their destination.

*Today was an especially exciting day for Morgan, for her parents had finally agreed to let her take her little sister Lucy out into the jungle under her own supervision. They had been present to see them off, if only to ensure Lucy's encounter with Rush and especially Terror didn't end in disaster; much as Morgan had the rathtar under her control, it was understandable there'd be some reservations about letting a three-year-old child near it without adults around.

Morgan didn't know what the big deal was, he'd been around for years and, due to her command and Rush's watchful eye, he'd never attacked anyone.

Their parents, however, dictated that they stay close to the base. Also understandable; Morgan wasn't about to take her out on some grand quest across the wilderness. She was also requested to return within a couple of hours, so it wasn't like she could if she wanted to. So they only went as far as the smaller lake closer to the base. Lucy was rather eager to play in the water, after an exhilarating ride on the back of the akk dog. Clearly she was enjoying herself...

... but the distant sounds of a failing freighter drew Morgan's attention. She looked to the sky with a frown and managed to spot the smoking ship trailing towards the surface. She winced, feeling every blow to the planet's surface as it boomed in the distance. And then... silence.*

"Morgie what's dat?" *asked a concerned Lucy, standing in the shallows and looking at her older sister with furrowed brows.*

"A ship crashed," *Morgan answered, debating what to do.

Lucy gasped.* "Is they alright?!"

"I don't know." *She wanted to go investigate herself but knew her orders with Lucy. Glancing around, she saw her bag and ran towards it, digging out her datapad. She hailed the base, and soon got an answer.*

"Miss Calmcacil, how may I be of service?" *came the voice.*

"Ship crashed! Out here in the jungle somewhere!"

"We've picked it up on our sensors, but thank you for your report regardless. We're sending someone to investigate."

*Morgan, relieved, signed off and looked towards the sky again. She still wanted to investigate herself... but she wasn't going to disobey her father, not with Lucy under her care. While she was still at unease, she forced a smile and encouraged Lucy to go back to playing, and that the Jedi would handle it..*

01's calculations ground to an abrupt and unwelcome halt at Eli's utterances.

Oh dear.

So the young woman hadn't made it to the crash webbing after all. Things had gotten out of control too quickly, and their chances of survival were rapidly declining.

"You're going to be okay."

She hoped that statement didn't turn out to be a lie. 01 began siphoning what little power there was left into the chassis's receiver, boosting its signal in a final attempt to make contact. When that failed, she sighed internally and switched it to all frequencies to broadcast an emergency signal. She knew the receiver's range was severely limited, but at this point there was nothing she could do to save her own rescuer from, at the very least, grievous injury. So she was going to keep up th-..

There was a returning signal. From within the ship.

In an instant, she was focused on it, establishing a connection. It was fairly obvious after a few cycles of inspection that it wasn't her chassis, but still.. it had stronger networking capabilities than the receiver and was relatively -- and remarkably -- undamaged.

"You're going to be okay," she repeated, injecting a note of genuine hope into her voice.

There.

Through this device, a signal had been found. The connection wasn't perfect, but...

Far outside the ship, the holodroid body twitched, sending a few sparks into the air from one damaged area. Then it slowly, shakily, began reorienting itself, pushing itself up and easily identifying the direction of the crashed ship.

"Help is coming, alright?"

*The two MAAT gunships skimmed the tree line as they raced across Felucias surface. Their destination was the last known position of a downed vessel. Dutch turned to face the six other troopers in the gunship.* "Alright, boys. This should be a simple job for us. A straightforward search and rescue. We find the ship, secure the survivors and evac the wounded immediately back to the temple. Got it?"

*A chorus of 'Yes sir' sounded out before Dutch turned around and put his helmet back on. He carefully leaned out the open side door of the ship, glancing towards their destination. He could see a small thin streak of smoke rising from the forest. Not nearly the about he thought there should be, judging from the size of the ship the sensors picked up.*

It had been weeks since the woman set up camp on this fetid planet. For weeks, she had lived, foraging off of what edible flora she could find, hunting the weaker beasts, and most importantly avoiding the larger ones. For weeks, she lied in wait for a chance to fulfill her mission. Her instinct had brought her here yet again, like all those years before.

Close enough to the Jedi Base, she kept an eye on it all this time, yet she remained far enough away that no one would sense her, not unless they were truly looking for her. She was sure, however, that all within the Base wouldn't remember her; she was simply a bad nightmare, come and gone. How easy it could've been to just walk through those doors again, though. How convenient it would've been to find what she sought and leave. She was no longer that fool of a girl, and it was far better to come and go unnoticed.

It was torture to remain on this humid planet, and she would take any opportunity that arose and find a way to use it to her advantage. However, she knew a perfect opportunity when she saw on.

Without warning, clouds gathered and swallowed the sun and the skies. Before the woman could pull up the hood of her robes, these clouds unleashed their torrential downpour. Lightning crackling with an impending warning, and the winds unleashed a hellish howling. Even a young apprentice could sense the sheer amount of dread that radiated from this storm. This was not just one of Felucia's ordinary storms. The Force's chaotic nature was laced within every raindrop that hit the earth.

Mariah shifted her jaw, crimson eyes looking up over the Base, while flickers and flashes broke through the sky and careened towards it in some suicidal dance. "An ambush," she whispered as if stating nothing more than a fact. Her nonchalant tone carried neither fear nor glee, but her eyes were alight with fiery determination as she looked back down to the Jedi Base and the smoke that now rose from its walls.

A diversion was made. The Base would be on high alert for all intruders but would be focused on those who openly raided. A ghost wandering their halls would be of no concern, if they would even notice her in their exigent circumstances. Her mission now moved forward.

With her hood pulled over to hide her face, the woman approached the burning remnants of the Jedi Base, her black robe whipping behind her from the howling winds.

One step closer. Two steps.

Her presence vanished with the third.

*Mama didn't lie when she said the journey would take several days. And they were traveling on the back of an akk!* "Can't you run any faster, Rush?!" *Roma had whined.*

"He can," *Mama had replied,* "but then Terror wouldn't be able to keep up!"

*Roma had glanced backwards at the tumbling tentacle mass, initially disappointed, but then feeling guilty for being upset at her animal friend. Still, she'd never felt so eager yet so bored in her life; riding Rush had always been fun, but doing so multiple days in a row with little else in-between got old rather quickly. Mama tried to keep her entertained with other stories but this only did so much to mitigate her utter boredom.*

"Are you sure this is gonna be worth it?" *she questioned, standing in ankle-deep water at one of their stops.*

"I know the trip is boring, but I know you'll love it," *Mama assured her, looking oddly happy as she observed their current location.

Roma frowned skeptically and looked back towards the lake she stood in. It was far from the first lake she had seen, but she had to admit something seemed unique about this one. The shape of it, for instance, seemed almost perfectly like an eye. She looked back at Mama, who had sat down within one of the many faerie rings on the shore, and asked,* "Why does this place make you happy?"

*Mama sighed wistfully.* "I used to play in this very lake when I was younger. In fact, I first discovered it when I was your age! Mom— Mother Felucia actually showed it to me in a dream before I found it..."

*Roma's gray eyes widened in awe as she looked back out over the lake with new appreciation. She stood there only a moment longer, then, with a smile, she ran out deeper into the water, eagerly splashing and diving and swimming about in its cool refreshment. Before she knew it, Mama had joined her, and the two played about happily and with laughter. They even engaged in a brief water war, the both of them manipulating the water as weapons. Roma was sorely outmatched by her skilled mother, but she refused to go down without a fight!

After playtime had ceased and night had fallen, the two curled up and slept within one of the many faerie rings dotting the shore, the animals resting nearby. When morning came, they gathered some breakfast before resuming their journey; Roma made her impatient feelings known immediately. However, barely any travel time had passed at all when Mama called Rush to come to a stop.* "We're here," *she announced.*

"We are?!" *The little girl wasted no time in sliding down from the akk's back and running forward. Mama didn't even try to stop her. Roma continued until the many fungal fixtures thinned out, revealing a valley below. Within said valley, through which a river flowed, were many odd structures, all round with a slightly pointed tip. Milling about these structures were creatures she had never seen before, all of various colors but predominantly purple.*

"I know it's been a while, Terror, but you gotta stay here!" *she heard Mama say as she approached.* "Stay here with Rush! What do you think, Roma?"

*The girl looked up to see her mother crouching beside her, smiling at her. Looking back at the valley below, she asked,* "What are they?!"

"These are Felucians, and this is their village."

"'Felucians'?" *she asked with a scowl before looking back at her mother.* "I thought Felucian was the whole world!"

*Mama laughed.* "Felucia is the world. Felucians live on the world. The original people, before humans and other races came to live here."

*Roma's eyes and mouth widened with awe as she immediately ran towards the village. Many of the Felucians noticed the newcomer, looking up curiously before most resumed their previous activities. Those that continued to watch were predominantly children, seeming equally in awe of the unexpected visitor.

Suddenly she was plucked off her feet, Mama's arms wrapping around her torso and holding her in place.* "Slow down, Roma!" *she said, as the child squirmed in her arms. Turning around, Mama knelt down, setting the child on the ground and turning her to face her, looking somewhat amused.* "You don't even know where you're going! I know the people here, so I'll show you around!" *Her expression fell slightly before she admitted,* "I don't know if they'll even recognize me though..."

*Roma frowned and tilted her head.* "Why wouldn't they?"

"Because it's been so long! I was small like you once, rememb—"

*Mama's sentence was cut off with a yelp as she nearly fell forward, one of the Felucians latched onto her from behind and made excited noises. Roma gasped and took several steps back, instinctively reaching for her bow. Her hand stalled when she saw her mother's own excited expression as she looked into the... face? of her "assailant." The only word Roma understood was,* "Ch'lonna!" *before launching into a string of noises similar to the Felucian's as she turned to embrace them.

Roma scowled as she watched them trade noises. Finally, she asked,* "What are you doing?"

*Both of them looked down at Roma before Mama grimaced.* "Right..." *Kneeling down in front of her daughter, she explained,* "I'm speaking Felucian. They have their own language, different from how we speak. Guess I forgot to tell you about that when I told you about all the different races..."

*The idea that different people spoke different ways as first fascinating before becoming immediately frustrating.* "So how do you know what they're saying?!"

"Because I learned how to speak it, silly!"

*Suddenly fascinated again, Roma bounced on her heels.* "Teach me!"

*Mama laughed.* "I will soon! But later, okay? I gotta talk to my friend!"

*She then stood and resumed the foreign conversation with the Felucian, leaving Roma left out and once more frustrated. Yet she couldn't help but notice: Mama seemed incredibly happy. Not that she was usually unhappy, but there was often a sense of melancholy about her that was now completely absent.

Suddenly both of them looked at Roma while they continued speaking; she got the feeling the conversation was about her now. She tried to look back with a neutral expression but it became more of a grimace. She noticed movement behind the Felucian, which belonged to a much younger one approaching curiously, with four more children behind them; all five walking on their arms and feet as opposed to their bipedal mother. The lead child was purple, while the others ranged from purple, blue, and red. The lead child became the new focus of the two adults; whatever Mama trilled at the Felucian, she sounded excited.

Roma was starting to feel bored again.

A few sentences later, however, and the lead child approached Roma, standing up on just their feet so that they were of almost even height. It examined Roma curiously, just as Roma did the same to them. While humanoid in shape, they possessed vastly different skin and features, most notably in the face area. Their hands ended in large, suction-like appendages, with additional, smaller arms protruding from the elbows. Additional, darker purple markings ran throughout their entire body in no discernible pattern.

Then they spoke. Roma stared blankly, causing the young Felucian to tilt their head in confusion. They were briefly distracted by Roma's mother, who said something to them, before they nodded and looked back at Roma. They spoke again, but this time accompanied by a spiritual touch. Almost as though clear as day, the meaning of the otherwise-indecipherable words entered her mind:* "Want to play, sister?"

*Roma gasped, recognizing the touch of the Force. The word "sister" also surprised her; clearly, Roma wasn't actually their sister, yet it gave her a sense of belonging. Beyond that, of course she wanted to play! With a grin, she nodded, returning the touch and putting her intent behind her words.* "Yes! What are we going to play?"

*They beckoned her onward, Mama taking her weapons from her so she could play freely. She quickly learned one of their favorite games: Forming "teams" that would clamor for possession of an orb they called a "ball," with the goal to claim it and keep it away from the other team. She found she was way better at "hunting" than she was keeping the ball, mostly due to her throwing inaccuracy, but it meant she was able to make up for her mistakes quite easily. The Felucians proved to be quite elusive however, far more so than any animal she had hunted. Just as well, they were a lot harder to evade than any creature of the jungle. Clever, cunning creatures... much like herself and Mama.

Eventually the ball was forgotten about and instead the children resorted to wrestling. Roma found herself overpowered by the Felucian children, but she made up for it with her agility. Finally, when she and all the other children seemed wore out from the play, they called a truce.*

"You look like you had a good time," *said Mama, approaching her as she held out her weapons.

Roma took these with a grin, nodding as she slipped them back over her shoulder.* "Yeah! It's very fun! I've never done anything like that before!"

*Mama smiled and patted Roma's head.* "I used to play the same games with Ch'lonna and other children when I was younger too. It's good exercise and even makes a better hunter out of you."

*There was that "Ch'lonna" word again, but Roma realized it must be the name of the older Felucian Mama had been talking to. Said Felucian was standing nearby watching with... Roma thought it was amusement. These Felucians were hard to read.*

"Bet you're hungry, though," *Mama added with a smirk.

She was right. Fortunately, dinner was already prepared, and it was very similar to the kinds of foods Roma had eaten all of her life. Perhaps with a bit more flavor, something Mama explained was due to the "spices" they usually didn't have when they had cooked.

Evening fell, and Mama spent the rest of the night showing Roma around the village, greeting other Felucians and telling Roma more about their way of life. The girl was very fascinated by it all, if not annoyed by her lack of ability to understand their native speech. Soon she met who Mama referred to as the most important figure in the village, the head shaman, a masked, red-skinned Felucian by the name of "Kygrek." Just like the children, he was able to communicate to her through the Force, with even more clarity. He welcomed her to the village, saying he was glad to meet her. After inviting them into his hut, they took seats around what was called a "table" and conversed for a little while. Fortunately for Roma, Mama spoke Basic for her understanding; Kygrek, it seemed, understood the language without needing the Force to translate. They spoke of many things, starting with how Mama had been since they had last met, and why she had been gone so long.

Mama opted to answer in Felucian for this and only this topic, before they spoke of other things, mostly regarding Roma's upbringing. The girl was curious what Mama had said but was also happy to be the center of attention. As it turned out, most of Mama's teachings about the world came from these Felucians, as Kygrek spoke in very familiar terms about the planet and life upon it. For instance, they too looked upon the world as a mother figure.

As night fell and Roma grew more tired, Kygrek offered them a place to sleep in his hut, upon a bed made from natural materials that was actually quite comfy compared to most of the places they had slept upon during her life.*

"Told you it'd be worth it," *said Mama, as they settled in for sleep.

Not wanting to admit she was wrong, Roma only groaned.

They spent the next two days in the village, Roma not yet having her fill of the unique and fascinating new experience. Eventually, upon being reminded of their true goal, she agreed it was time to go... but the next morning. Agreeing to this, they set off first thing the next day after bidding farewell to Mama's old friends and Roma's new friends.*

"I hope it doesn't take as long as it did to get here," *Roma whimpered as they set off.*

"It won't," *said Mama with a smile.* "Trust me."