Journey Towards a Saber

Journey Towards a Saber
Date of Scene:	10 July 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	Navi accompanies Amarik, hoping to retrieve her Master's saber from Shalla Ro
Cast of Characters:	195, Navi

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Amarik (195) has posed:
Evening is falling in the Holy City, and as daylight dims, the crowds in the spaceport diminish significantly. And yet, though the tapcafe has closed about an hour ago, a lone, masked figure lingers just outside of Gesh's, arms folded and watching as the sun starts to dip below the horizon.

He's waiting for someone, a particular Sephi girl, who had promised to meet him here so that together, he could be her guide on a search into dangerous and uncharted space to retrieve her Master's saber...

Navi has posed:
Navi arrives a few moments later, a little out of breath. "Sorry if I kept you waiting," she says softly, and a bit breathlessly. "I got roped into an unexpected chore before I left the chapterhouse."

Amarik (195) has posed:
The masked marauder inclines his head at the Sephi girl. His aura in the Force doesn't seem impatient, just somewhat worried.

He beckons at her, offering her his hand as he starts towards a small landspeeder parked on the westside of the spaceport.

"There are some things I would have you know before we leave," he says sternly.

Navi has posed:
"Speak them, and I will listen," Navi replies softly, accepting his hand and more or less following him toward the speeder. "Though I won't deny some trepidation when you address me in such a tone as that."

Amarik (195) has posed:
<You will be an item of contention on our vessel> Amarik says, projecting once she takes his hand. <Anything to do with your Master's saber is a personal favor on behalf of Shalla Ro, the woman who leads all the Nihil. So be warned -- some may try to kill you, and then attempt to make it look like an accident, in order to sabotage me.>

<Second, the hyperdrive chamber is absolutely forbidden. If you go there, you will have to be executed after immediately.> The engine of the landspeeder then sputters to life, and once Navi is aboard it, they'll race away from the spaceport towards a rocky outcropping outside the Holy City, where a garish looking ship that looks to have been cobbled together from varying vessels awaits on a sandy platform.

Navi has posed:
"I've become used to people wanting to harm me, or people around me. I will do my best to protect myself. And I'll avoid the hyperdrive chamber completely. I have no interest in anything there, and wouldn't be able to understand it even if I had such interest," Navi says softly. "But I find it troubling that I would be murdered just to sabotage you... but sabotage you for what? Is competition among the Nihil so intense that murder is just part of the process?"

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Yes," Amarik tells her frankly, but offers no further explanation.

Once they approach the ship, a gangplank with a spiked railing lowers, and the masked marauder gestures for her to embark.

Navi has posed:
"I do not think I would want the Nihil for neighbors," Navi observes softly, disembarking from the speeder. Looking at the ship with some trepidation, she cautiously steps onto the gangplank and slowly makes her way aboard.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Amarik follows Navi up the gangplank.

Once inside, the Sephi girl will find herself inside a very dim lounge area where a significant number of motley looking marauders, some masked, some unmasked, have congregated to drink and play sabacc while listening to screeching wreck punk. The noise is an assault on her hearing...

They look up when she enters, and several sneer at her, while others straight up look like they'd like devour her whole.

"You'll regret lingering here," Amarik says, prodding her forward towards a narrow, even more dim hallway to her left.

Navi has posed:
Navi can't help hugging her elbows and shivering at the looks she gets from the other marauders. She doesn't even think about resisting being herded into the dimmer hallway, no matter how much darker it is than the lounge. "I regret ever coming in there," she says softly.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Amarik rests a hand on her upper forearm. <It is inevitable> he says. <The gangplank leads directly the lounge area>

He'll then take her through several winding corridors that Navi might lose track of -- they're all dark, musty, and sometimes the young Sephi girl will get the odd sensation that she's being watched by someone she can't see.

But eventually, they'll reach a large, atrium like room that has a viewport as a ceiling. There's two levels - the lower has few furnishings, save for a table and a small plant. The upper level is a series of lofted rooms, accessible via a ladder. Amarik gestures for her to climb up one of the ladders towards one of the lofted rooms.

Navi has posed:
Navi keeps hugging her elbows, sometimes loosely, sometimes tightly, as they traverse the winding corridors. The sensation of being watched is sometimes nearly overwhelming, but she forces down an urge to run and keeps her pace to a walk.

She only releases her elbows when they reach the ladder. Adjusting the front of her robe slightly, to keep it out of the way of her feet, she begins to climb, hoping nothing decides to climb or leap down on top of her...

Amarik (195) has posed:
Thankfully, nothing assaults Navi as she climbs up the ladder, though it does rattle loudly as she ascends it.

But once she's reached the top of the ladder and entered the lofted room, she'll find herself in a well lit space whose ceiling, like all the other lofted rooms, is a viewport, which currently is displaying the starry Jedha night sky.

This room, in contrast to the rest of the ship, feels safe. It's clean, and looks for all intents and purposes, like a room owned by a normal person. There's a small shelf with a few holobooks on it, and a small fish tank sitting on a bedside table next a grey futon.

Navi has posed:
"This is a welcome relief," Navi observes in a low voice, stepping away from the ladder and looking around the room Amarik has led her to. "The contrast between here and the rest of the ship is quite startling. Is this your quarters?" Her question is accompanied by a thoughtful look.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Yes," Amarik says, once he's followed her up the ladder. He presses a button on left side of the wall, and a partition starts to close, walling them off from the areas adjacent and below them.

"You ... may sleep here," he says, gesturing at a hammock suspended several feet off the ground - accessible via a knotted rope next to it.

"And the refreshers are over there," he says, pointing to a small door in the back corner of the modest and clean quarters. He takes his mask off and hangs it on the wall near the partition, and Navi will be able to feel their connection heighten - he's slightly uneasy, for some reason unrelated to the fact that they're embarking on a mission that could very well get both of them killed.

Navi has posed:
"Thank you. I'd had some misgivings about trying to sleep with nothing but a ladder between me and the rest of the ship," Navi confesses. "And it's nice that you thought to arrange sleeping space for me. I think I'll be comfortable here, as long as the door is closed."

Slowly she becomes aware of his uneasiness. "Are you all right?" she asks softly. "Maybe you're like me... you just realized that we're alone in here, and we've never been alone in a safe place. Just dangerous places."

Amarik (195) has posed:
He pauses, surveying Navi for a moment and then looking away. "I ... I have never had a woman sleep in my quarters before," he says.

Then, "Do you need more privacy?"

Navi has posed:
Navi blushes faintly. "I will manage. Privacy is in short supply in my order. But I suppose the more important question is, would you prefer I have more privacy? Will my presence be distracting or unsettling to you? Especially if I must undress?" she asks gently, looking down at the deck for a moment, then up into his face.

Amarik (195) has posed:
He gives her an incredulous and puzzled look. "It is for your sake not mine," he replies immediately but she'll be able to tell he isnt being entirely truthful. It is partly for his sake as well...

He averts his indigo gaze. "The refreshers should suffice...?"

Navi has posed:
"More privacy would not hurt either of us. Perhaps we can hang a thermal blanket from a wire or cord to serve as a privacy curtain?" Navi suggests, more for his sake than hers. But she's of no mind to tell him so.

Amarik (195) has posed:
He seems to know anyway, and she'll immediately be able to sense that he's embarrassed. "You may do as you please," he says, "if you prefer more privacy, you may search my belongings or the vessel storage for a curtain," he says.

But then he dons his helmet again. "We are heading for hyperspace now, and I am needed on the bridge. I need not tell you the ship is dangerous - it is advisable to stay in here as much as possible."

Navi has posed:
"I don't need any encouragement to do /that/," Navi replies softly, shivering. "The rest of the ship just looks and feels dangerous. I'll remain here unless you need me to go somewhere else, and even then I'll likely want to return here as soon as possible."

"Please don't be embarrassed... any man will tell you that women are mysterious, contrary, and unpredictable. I don't know if I /believe/ that, but I am sure you've heard it. And I am a user of the Force, making me even more so," she adds gently.

Amarik (195) has posed:
His shape in the Force transforms into something softer, and he reaches over to touch her cheek gently. <Thank you> he says.

Then the partition opens and he leaps down into the atrium like area, skipping the ladder entirely before disappearing into the dark hallway beyond.

Navi will find herself alone ...

Navi has posed:
"Please be safe," Navi says softly to Amarik as he withdraws. Alone, she decides to search for the necessities to construct a makeshift privacy curtain. The natural place to start is this room.

"So organized," she muses, doing her best to put everything back where she'd found it as she gathers the materials she needs. Unfortunately, it's not possible to put things back /exactly/ like they were, but she tries anyway, and at least partly succeeds. When Amarik returns, he will likely find a sleeping Navi and a useful privacy curtain.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The masked marauder will return about forty five minutes later, to check on Navi. Finding her sleeping peacefully, he is about to retire on the grey futon when his comm bleeps urgently. The noise may wake Navi, but if the Sephi girl wakes, she'll discover that the Tholothian man is gone, and the partition only partially closed. It is a bit rickety, and must have gotten jammed...

Navi has posed:
Navi stirs at the sound of the comlink. Hearing the sound of the partition closing and the sound of someone leaving in a hurry, she climbs out of the hammock and looks around the curtain.

"That shouldn't be like that," she murmurs, finding the partition only partly closed. Moving to the partition, she looks at it carefully, then tries to carefully push it shut...

Amarik (195) has posed:
But when Navi approaches the partition and goes to close it, she'll be very unpleasantly surprised to find that there's -someone- at the top of the ladder, seeking to enter Amarik's quarters.

She won't be able to make out features, but the individual lurking there is a hulking Shistavanen, their eyes glowing an eerie yellow in the dim lighting, as either Navi or Amarik had shut off the lights at some point.

"Not a very good place to find yourself all alone, now is it," they say, suddenly pulling out a long, jagged dagger.

Navi has posed:
Navi backs away a pace or two at the sight of the dagger, then dives away as it descends toward her! She squeaks as she falls to the deck, tripped by something, but a look downward reveals a long slash in her robe, with the hem caught on the blade of the knife, which is nearly imbedded in the decking. She tugs her robe free with a ripping sound and grabs for her staff, still secured to her medical satchel.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"A fast one," they sneer when Navi manages to wriggle free from the grip of the blade, escaping with only a tear in her robe.

The Shistavanen growls, and then springs again, once again aiming to slash her with their dagger!

Navi has posed:
A hero would've had a witty, razor-sharp comeback. Navi only has her staff and her reflexes. Opening the weapon with the push of a concealed button and a few sharp clicks as the dual springs and locks engage, she twirls the staff twice with strong movements of her hands and wrists, deflecting the slash!

She continues to sweep and whirl the staff, driving the Shistavanen back until she can bury the weighted metal tip of the staff in the creature's midsection, knocking it back a few feet.

It wasn't the sort of strike that could end a fight, not by itself. But she'd almost forgotten about the ladder behind her opponent, and the Shistavanen runs out of floor before it recovers from her thrust.

The crash of a falling body striking the deck below may sound more final than it actually is...

Amarik (195) has posed:
The Shistavanen is repelled by her attack, and they stumble backwards into the bedside table with the fish on it, causing most of the water in the fish bowl to spill out.

And then Navi renews her attack again and again, driving them back until they lose their balance and fall to the ground below with a sickening crunch.

"You'll... pay for that!!" they howl, and if Navi looks out of the loft, she'll see that their arm is broken, twisted into a gruesome and unnaturally shaped angle. And yet, they're advancing again, starting to climb up the ladder again, one armed, mouth bloody, arm dangling...

But at that moment, Amarik returns. He bounds up the ladder, beating the Shistavanen up to his quarters. Then he kicks the ladder down and reaches to pull Navi away from the front of the loft.

In the darkness beyond the atrium, Navi will be able to see something in the shadows move, and then she'll hear the sound of a body being pulled away, followed by the sound of a gurgling screaming, bones being crushed and flesh being ripped apart. -Something- was eating that Shistavanen. Alive.

Navi has posed:
Navi doesn't resist being pulled away from the edge where the ladder had been, shaken by the sight of the bloodied, fanatical Shistavanen starting to advance up the ladder in spite of a badly-broken arm...

And then she screams and throws her arms around Amarik, burying herself against his body, as if she could block out the horrifying sounds of her former foe being torn to pieces and eaten by /something/ somewhere in the darkness below...

Amarik (195) has posed:
Amarik seems slightly surprised when she clings to him desperately. He wraps one arm around her gently, while closing the partition and taking his helmet off with the other. Then he gently guides her towards the grey futon, and makes her sit.

The young Sephi girl, once again, will discover that physical touch will heighten her connection to the Tholothian man and find herself peering deeply into his intent. He'd known. He'd known that thing, or cannibalistic individual had been down there, ready to pounce. And he'd kicked the ladder down, knowing full well what would happen to the Shistavanen.

He releases her slowly, knowing now that she knew he knew. "Do you think me a monster?" he asks softly.

Navi has posed:
"I think you keep monstrous company," Navi replies, her voice shaky as the adrenaline drains away, leaving her unsteady and shivering. "But I don't think you are a monster. You did it to save me. You knew I wouldn't want to kill him, and that he wouldn't stop until he'd killed me. It may have been the only way to end it for all concerned."

She looks up at him worriedly. "What /is/ that thing down there? And has it been there the whole time?" She looks back over her shoulder, then back up at him. "Maybe we're making a mistake," she says, in a very low voice. "Maybe we shouldn't go through with this."

Her eyes fall on the much emptier fishbowl. "Maybe we should add more water to that bowl, too. The fish can't be happy about losing so much of their world."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Never cross a Shani," Amarik says, getting up, "their first task after hatching is to devour all other siblings in the nest," he says casually, as if the cannibalistic nature of the individual below was commonplace.

"It's too late," he says, "we are already en route. We are past the point of no return."

The Tholothian man makes his way over to the fishbowl and opening his water flask, gently pours more water into the fishbowl. Then he reaches into a pouch on his belt and sprinkles a few seaweed flakes into the bowl, watching the fish very fondly as it nibbles on the flakes. Navi won't really need the Force to observe that he's terribly fond of the fish...

"Thankfully we are meeting Shalla somewhere nearby, so we'll arrive tomorrow night," he says. "In the meantime, I believe the best thing for you to do would be to get some more rest."

Navi has posed:
"The fish will be happy now," Navi murmurs, watching it dine on seaweed flakes with the casual gusto native to pet fish. She hugs Amarik gently. "I'll try. This isn't something you can normally sleep through, but I know some meditation techniques. I will manage, somehow. Thank you for being patient with me."

She gently releases him and moves to resecure her staff and climb back into the hammock, behind the privacy screen. He will likely feel her fear and trepidation about what she's been through and what is to come, slowly but surely eclipsed by calm and peace. Occasionally the calm falters, but usually resumes itself after a moment. Eventually her mind quiets completely, save for quiet dreams.