Log:Jedi Order: Burning Bright

Jedi Order: Burning Bright

OOC Date: June 7, 2021
Location: Dathomir
Participants: Jedi Order: Rune, Vhe Tenara, Kasia Ashkuri, Zandra naMuriel, Qutha Buvu Pah, Aryn Cortess, Chani Tahn, Yuun, Jax Greystorm, and Rey Skywalker with Ben Solo

Months had passed since the Jedi had found and rescued her, Zifa, the Dathomiri witch that sprayed tea all over half of them in that medbay on Devaron. The promise to return her home had to be kept eventually, but Ben had convinced her to stay a little longer, intent on learning more about the witches and their customs, and especially anything she might be able to tell them about the Acolytes of the Beyond and the intended ritual they had attempted twice before being stopped.

Now the Falcon's landing ramp extends down, settling in the waving violet grass that covers this part of the planet, and Zifa is first down it into the open. "Now /this/ is what I am calling a good sight for the eyes," the ashen-skinned woman announces, gesturing broadly with an expansive wave of her arm that takes in all of the scenery ahead, from the ruddy soil down the gentle slopes to the slow-moving banks of misty fog that crawl over the landscape like cattle. Yellow-tinged eyes skim back towards the landing ramp. "Are you not agreeing, Jedi? Much better than your stuffy temple. Here I am being able to breathe."

Ben follows quietly behind her, looking out at the plain for a moment before considering the apparent shift in the oft-combative woman's mood. "I don't feel anything trying to kill us yet. That's an improvement over the last time we were here, yes," he agrees reluctantly, lips settling into a familiar pursed position. "We promised to bring you back. Where are your people? Your tribe?"

"Always so eager, Jedi. This is not the way of nature, do you see? But it is not far to my village. Come, I will show you the way. And follow close to me. Nature is patient but she has sharp teeth, yes?"

"Now that is the part that I am familiar with, nature having sharp teeth." Rune admits as he walks from the ramp, his bright hazel eyes taking in the curious landscape. "It looks rather familiar to the lands around the temple, with less trees perhaps... not as many creatures, purple instead of green, misty... also it is more open and less constricted." He comments as he looks back to the ground, "Also no temple. Aside from that, it is very similar."

It's difficult to tell with Rune if that was a joke or if he had meant every word, the younger Ysannan not being known for his sense of humor in the least. Though, before she took a leave of absence, he /had/ been speaking with Ahsoka fairly often. Perhaps some of her sarcasm wore off on the novice Jedi... perhaps not.

There's a clink of metal and something from within his robes bounces off the ground, rolling a hair away until it stops and glints in the light. Rune groans and steps forward to retrieve it, producing his lightsaber from his belt to refit the errant piece. "I do need to improve this thing, it does not do to break all the time."

"I tend to agree, I rather like the open air. But the temple has its charms," Vhe easily offers as she follows the others off the ship. Its quite the group and she steps off to the side to allow herself a view of the grass. She breathes in deeply and glances towards Ben when he prods for information, a half quirked smile drawing upwards ever slowly.

She glances aside at the others but is quick to fall into step.

She settles on keeping an active eye on where they are going and what is around them.

"I have never doubted that nature has teeth," Kasia assures the Dathomiri woman with a wry smile and just a hint of humor in her tone. She's never been a great fan of nature that wasn't well contained in something like a zoo. "I can't imagine finding the temple too stuffy, that place feels a bit more wild than I'm accustomed to." As the others move she moves with them, idly doing the sort of check she always does at the start of their adventures, double checking that she's got everything on her that she had planned to bring. "So when you say not far, how long a hike are we talking about?"

Zandra takes a look around again, having been here once before at least. She wrinkles her nose, but then says, "It's an interesting shade here, I always thought. Makes one wonder." Like where her purple hair comes from, right? She doesn't know. "Nature does have sharp teeth, also blood sucking bugs and things that live where I at least don't expect them to. But then, I grew up on a space ship." Shrug. "Alright, that way it is." She takes up a position, not in the front of the group, but towards the back, keeping an eye on things. As she walks, she grins at Kasia, somewhat in agreement there, if for perhaps not the same reasons. "I'm glad that you get to go home, Zifa." Those words are quietly spoken, but sincere.

Eyes wide, surveying the landscape opening up before them, Qutha keeps near the rear of the pack. Hood back and hands already fidgeting with his 'sample' bag. Considering grabbing soil and clippings to study later, to add to his little garden - to see how it might survive in a contained environment with other plants.

"Nature has neither teeth nor patience. Nature just is. Push it and it pushes back with varying strength. Be gentle with nature and it may too return the gesture. But it is not a mutually exclusive responses either. Some of nature takes advantage of gentle action just as people do. Break the branch and the tree simply grows a new one. Crush a black thorn and its bulbs release spores, toxic to many species."

The urge to hunker down is real, but he keeps to himself all the same.

Later.

Aryn follows after the group, staying closer to the back. She overhears the comments about their climate, and it being an improvement to the temple. Aryn spares a glance around and sniffles a bit, allergies, before stepping onward. Dathomir only reminded Aryn of Oran, and their visit to the world long ago. Aryn's thoughts dwelled on the Coruscanti scion, though her expression seemed neutral. She stayed quiet for now, studious to their direction and cognizant of their surroundings for now. She brushed her cape back to free her arms from its confines.

"Emitter awareness," Chani mentions to Rune jokingly while passing him after descending the ramp. Her leather boots no longer translate her steps as loud taps when they transfer into the violet grass. Instead, the rasp of the foliage's blades brushing against the boots and the feyd-cloth of her robe take its place. They're noises easily lost underneath shared conversation and the breeze. The heavier fabric of the robe isn't quite affected by the wind, and neither is her slicked back hair that's bound into a bun. Only the errant tresses seem mesmerized by the caressing air, and her eyes narrow to prevent from becoming too dried out. Arms hidden by the long sleeves covering them, her hands make the briefest of appearances when they lift.

They're gone again as the wide open ends meld together. It's impossible to distinguish where either begins. They both blend into soft folds that may as well hide it. She keeps pace with the blonde Alderaanian woman and the flick of cape being adjusted earns the turn of her chin so her gaze can drop towards it. "I bet if you found a rock to stand on, that would billow out behind you like a hero in a holovid."

Yuun hadn't been with them when they met Zifa, but he was here now and he followed along with teh others. He stretches out as they gather, having kept to the back. He's more interested in the scenrey as it is. He's done some research on Dathomir but not a lot, but to be here is another thing. Yuun takes a moment to center himself and once he's done that, he listens in on some of the conversation from where he is.

Jax hadn't had spent much time with the young Dathomir woman as he seems to be all over the place and Chandrila. So as the woman sasses the jedi and more specifically Ben. This draws a smile to Jax's face. He says nothing taking it as ribbing from the youth. His boots step off the ramp of the Falcon and into the soft violet colored grass.

He takes a moment to inhale the air and exhale. "It's all realtive. I prefer the humidity of the Temple over the humdity of Nar Shaddaa. Though the shopping on Nar Shaddaa is superior to either of the other too. It could really be humid. It could be a little out of the way planet of Degobah. I had to rescue a friend that crash landed there. It was humid and I nearly got ate. Nothing else there of importance it seemed." That was thrown in for Kasia with a wink.

The Corellian falls silent as the hike.

Rey had spent the majority of the trip in the upper gun turret, it was her favorite place in the Falcon when she wasn't flying the ship herself. She had a small workspace built there in the form of small hammocks for books, so it was easy for her to lounge and pull a book out of the little cloth hammock to open it up and resume where she'd been previously.

When they arrived though, she watched the atmosphere bleed in over the viewport above her, put her things away and made her way down the ladder to step off in time to see others disembarking.

Rey picks up her satchel in the lounge and then starts for the ramp herself, only to be stopped by Chewie coming from the aft of the ship. He thrusts a thermos in to her hands and makes a little 'Rrrrrowl' noise at her.

"I'm feeling better, I promise!" Rey insists to Chewie, after being under the weather the past week. She accepts the thermos in to both of her hands though and smiles up at the Wookiee. "Thank you though." She says as she continues down the ramp to join the others, her eyes scanning over this planet, as she listens and just... takes in the scenery...

She sips from the thermos and trails along with the others.

"Ever cunning, are the Jedi," Zifa remarks with a twinkle in her eye when Rune stoops to pick up the piece of his lightsaber before setting off. "You are not having met the nature on Dathomir, I am thinking." She moves quickly for someone who recently extolled the virtue of patience, her sandaled feet moving across the sloping terrain as surely as any native beast's would. "I am saying it is not far, and so it is not far."

It's far. The hike drags on and on, down the gently rolling plains towards the forest in the northeast, the ground shifting as they travel into a stonier complexion where the violet grasses struggle to send up shoots. "If I had known we were this 'close' I would have landed further away to enjoy the scenery a little longer," Ben observes aloud in a sarcastic tone as he wipes a hank of dampening dark hair to the rear with the back of his hand.

"And drawn my people out of the village ready to fight," Zifa replies archly, scrambling down a rocky incline that leads into a sort of gully or canyon, leaving a cloud of pink dust in her wake. "I am not thinking they feel any kindness for strange ships after I was taken. It is not much further now."

The distance remaining might be short, but the going down here is significantly slower than it was on the easy plains, with the rosy rock rising higher on either side of the group and the ground occasionally broken or hoved up in piles. Strange gnarled roots or fronds jut from the walls, a deep purple-grey. The only obstacle is the terrain, however, until Zifa rounds a corner and comes to a sudden stop, eyes wide as she stares at... something, her body very still.

It's a small herd of rancors. A pack? There are enough of them to tally off all the fingers on anyone here's hand, at any rate, of varying sizes and colors that generally fit in with Dathomir on the whole. "Why are they here? They should not be here, my village would not allow them so close. We must go through them."

There's a bit of color to his cheeks when multiple people notice the retrieval of his lightsaber part, the cylinder stowed back on his belt before he follows the group along. Rune doesn't mind a good hike, a decent portion of his life was simply walking through wilderness, moving from one part of the planet to another. He does laugh at Ben's sarcastic joke, a smile spreading across his lips while he too adjusts his hair, the heat of the planet a bit much in voluminous robes.

Once they begin descending, he carefully moves down among the rocks, his hand pressed against the sheer face of the stone for support at times. He almost crashes into those in front with the sudden stop, his feet skidding on the path a moment before he arrests himself. Peering past them he notes the reason for their abrupt halt, the pack of rancors that block their way. "Go through them? Are you crazy?" He asks quietly, eyes widening at the thought. Instead he has a different idea... the novice reaches out with the Force, closing his eyes after selecting a sizeable boulder nearby. He lifts the rock into the air and flings it away, throwing it over the heads of the rancors in an attempt to distract them and get them to move along.

One of the juvenile rancors looks up sharply at the sound of the rocks, and takes a few steps in that direction, but the others remain stubbornly in place, mulling over various bits of the scenery intently.

Rune sighs, "One is better than none, I suppose." He peers back at the rest of the group, hoping their ideas are more clever and successful than his.

The various comments on nature are all part of this glorious hike they all absolutely love. Vhe for her part seems not to mind it, taking the time to inspect a reed of the purple grass which she tugs and pulls fro its place. Does the blade slice with serrated edges? Does it change color when damaged? All of this she explores absently up until they come to stop not so far from the small pack of rancors. Small but worrisome considering their proclivity for violence. She lowers a little on instinct, dipping into the waving grass so she can better observe without drawing attention.

Though a distraction could work it does not seem to grab enough attention presently. "How far off is the village?" The Ysanna reaches out with the Force and like brilliant beacons the rancors are an obvious presence. Beyond them? She can not quite tell for certain. "I can not sense them exactly, hard to at this range. Hopefully those rancors do not mean something unpleasant for your people."

The hike is far. While Kasia is perhaps more capable of long hikes than she once was, she's never developed a love for them. She's just adjusted to better footwear, and probably fewer jangly bits of jewelry that draw unwanted attetion. Probably. The scramble down the incline finds her losing her footing briefly, but the incline is steep enough that she just kind falls back against it, slips a bit more, then bounces back up with only a dusty backside to show for it. "Okay--" She's huffing and puffing a bit after the trip down into the gully.

"So when you say not much further, is it similar to the way you said not far when really it is far, or actually not much further?" There's a pause as she steps over some particularly gnarly bit of ground. "Not that I'm complaining." She kind of is. "Just... you know, curious." The not quite complaining stops as they continue on, but then everyone is coming to a stop and she halts near the front of the group, frowning slightly at the sight of the beasts.

"Woah now," she says lifting up both hands as she eyes one of the rancor. "Why don't you just... move on?" she suggests. Which absolutely does not happen. What does happen is that she is eyed by the rancor, but it doesn't attack. A good sign, right? The practice in her hangar convincing crete rats to leave is paying off.

"Is there a way around? I suppose not, or we'd not have to go through them. It seems strange that they are blocking the path to your village." Zan is a little concerner about it all, and she looks to Jax briefly, and then over to the others. "I'm going to try to sneak by them, to try to get closer to the village and see if there's trouble," she says.

Zan takes a deep breath, concentrating. This might not be her brightest idea ever - there's not a lot of shadow here. But well - it's the idea she comes up with. She reaches for the Force, and manages to find juuuussssssstttt enough shadow cast by some of the rocks to merge in and hide with shadow walking. Then she starts to carefully, slowly make her way forward. A brief stop, and then forward. It's a slow pace, as the others are busy trying to talk to the animals etc. But - Zandra does manage to get around to the other side of the rancors. If nothing else, the rancors are now - uhm - surrounded?

Stopping short to stare at the appearance of so many rancors at once, Qutha's eyes are dinner plates and his mouth gaping. Shoulders sagging and after a moment. "Bother and blow..." able to get his jaw working long enough for that murmur and a heavy swallow. "See, there we see nature incarnate. Not that they're animals, but they represent everything in nature, in every part of their being. Savage, subtle, powerful but not without vulnerability."

Whatever sort of vulnerability something like a rancor might have.

What have been some of those manuals he has been studying saying? This could be a bad idea, but it could be something the rest need to make their way through. The Zelosian moves towards one rancor, making rough sounds in his throat, the yellow one's eye caught and a yowping sound emitted as Qutha tries to wave the others with his other hand.

"Now there. Now. Big fellow." talking to it, trying to shift positions. "Look at you, pleasant in your own way." Go for it plant man.

Aryn responds to Chani by laughing, then she stepped into a small circle to make the garment flutter a bit. "This may not surprise you, but in my youth, I attended a class about cape etiquette, and how to wear them appropriately. Our first day in session was spent upon the playground acting like heroes and chasing one another. With that out of your system, our instructor said, we can begin to learn the real purpose for such a garment." Aryn tucked back her blonde hair and laughed again. "We are, all of us (Alderaanians), a touch dramatic."

Aryn looked ahead then, her neutral expression changing to amusement, and she utters, "Those are pleasant memories."

Aryn grew silent as they hiked, focusing on the terrain and their surroundings. When they came upon the Rancor pack, Aryn was not sure what they should do. She observes the others causing distractions, and hears Vhe speak of the village, or perhaps the villagers, though nothing definitive yet! When Kasia steps out to encourage the beasts away, they do not seem to react. No violent reaction is a good one, right?

Zandra's response echoes Aryn's thoughts as she considers the situation and what they might do to handle this challenge. For now, she observes what the others contribute to see if their actions serve as the solutions they need. When Qutha goes out there, Aryn feels her whole body tense up with uncertainty.

At some point during the hike, Chani abandons having her arms up and crossed together in favor of letting them sway at a natural pace to help keep the rhythm of steps. When they leave the fields behind for more rocky terrain, they come to serve as a method of balance. Her leather boots once again make subtle taps when their soles touch to the stone and the gentle flex allows Chani an easier time of navigating the cracks and uneven slopes that create small gorges that threaten to trap a foot or worse. The incline is step enough at one point that Chani leans back and braces her hand against the ground while finding each successive place to put her foot down. Her breathing is elevated by the time she makes it into stony valley, but she's not sweating.

Near the back of the group, Chani is unable to see around the corner Zifa has gone around. From her words, however, the young Naboo native is able to surmise something blocks their path. She maneuvers to glance beyond, shoulder pressing into the rock wall and head craning to the side to see past rather than through the group. Once she's done her recon, Chani retreats the way she came towards Aryn and Rey. It's to the group as a whole, though, that she speaks. "Do you think rancors are susceptible to influence by the Force? It would be better to have them move than to just destroy some of their ecosystem." Chani almost jumps out of her skin when the loud crash of a rock smashing into the terrain farther on resounds throughout their enclosed position.

"I hesitate to try to connect with one of them myself. Lacking the knowledge, I'm afraid it might be driven into a frenzy rather than having any kind of soothing effect." Kasia seems to be attempting such a thing while Qutha ventures out like some nerf herder in the corral pen back home. Chani suddenly notices one of them is missing. "Where is Zandra?"

The walk has been enjoyable, truly enjoyable. Yuun has done quite a bit of exploring while he was training on Devaron and honestly it was nice to be walking and taking time to enjoy the scenery of Dathomir. He knows enough to keep his wits about him, but there is a smile on his face as they move. His clothing a bit better for the weather. His long shorts allow for air to circulate a bit more as he moves.

As they move into the more rocky terrain, Yuun has to refrain from moving down quickly, with shorts or long jumps. He's been doing a lot of moving exercises to move around quickly in certain terrains. Like Chani, he's in the back of the group so he isn't able to see what Zifa is able to see but he is at a slightly higher elevation, "I've not seen a real rancor before, but I'm thinking now isn't the best time." he says. A bit of concern shows as if Zifa's tribe isn't far from where they are, why are the rancors milling around? "At least their not attacking." he says as he lowers his voice.

Seeing what Rune is doing, Yuun does the same concentrating and holding out his right hand and allowing the force to flow through him and lifting a large rock he throws it in a similar direction that Rune threw his hoping to get the Rancors attention and move after his rock as well.

As Zandra disappearing causes Jax to smile as he realizes something but he doesn't speak on it. He stops for a moment and scratches his chin, "Let's see, Someboy once made me read a field manual about dealing with rancor.... wait no I didn't do the reading cause I was going to be a star fighter pilot. My plan was just to fly over them and shoot something down." He looks at the beast for a moment, "I really should read up on rancors." He looks at the beasts with a bit of awe. Then he glances over at Zifa, "How do your people deal with them?"

Rey spends the hike observing the terrain and listening to the conversation that is had throughout it. She makes comments about some of the wildlife, the flora as well, and even asks their guide some questions of rather mundane nature about nature related to the planet.

By the time they arrive to the densely narrow corridor that leads to the village, blocked by the Rancors... Rey looks over those who are venturing forward to deal with them. "Be careful..." She mutters even knowing they likely are doing their best to do just that.

She walks past Chani and Aryn, showing them both a quick smile before she looks to see Zandra having vanished, likely scouting, she assumes. Rey looks back at the rocks being thrown though and moves to stand near to Kasia's left side.

Rey's focus goes to the largest of the Rancors and she tries to connect to its mind to put fear in it, to make it rush away from them as though predators are coming to this location soon. Convince the largest to run, and the others will follow, the rocks adding to that fear, perhaps? Who knows!

"With WEAPONS!" Zifa hisses sharply at Jax, fire in her eyes at the question of how they deal with rancors when the Jedi all seem to be intent on playing nice with the wild, viscous beasts. "And magick! My people are having control over the minds of beasts such as you could never-" she falters in her denunciation of the Jedi as she notices the fact that at least one or two of them are doing just that. "Well perhaps you are having some idea after all, but all the same, a Witch of Dathomir is not without resources even in the face of rancor."

Squaring her shoulders definitively, she marches ahead after the Jedi, tailing after Rey before throwing her hands up wide, laying them against the side of a scrub tree with an ululating wail in some unknown language, and suddenly the gnarled wood flares up in a spreading blossom of green fire, rapidly licking up the branches. Between this, the falling boulders, and the Jedi mind tricks, the rancors quail backward, gangly arms like backhoes dragging as they shamble hurriedly down a side passage away from the main canyon.

"You are seeing, Jedi, that a Witch of Dathomir is not without her resources," Zifa declares, straightening up and wiping her hands down her hide smock, doing her level best to hide the jitter in her step as she moves to continue forward. "And now my people await. Or so I pray."

The canyon broadens ahead, opening up into what would be a box canyon if it didn't have an exit on the opposite side, and here more than a dozen short, round tents made of bone and hide squat on the rock, the exteriors covered with painted symbols and twisted effigies. But there are no people. There are no Nightsisters, no witches, no nothing. Zifa lifts her voice again, calling out in that same foreign language in a sentence that includes her name, but there is no answer.

Boulders, mind control, disappearing acts, and then FIRE! Rune shies away from the burning green bush, a hand covering his face as the foliage blazes hot. It all seemed to work though and the rancors beat feet as they scurry from the area. "That is one way to do it." He remarks, giving the still aflame bush a wide berth as he steps around it to continue on.

It seems she was truthful and it doesn't take long for the group to reach their destination, the small village ahead made up of a few tents and some cooking areas. What it doesn't have is people... at least people not being seen. Rune closes his eyes once again and tries to summon the Force, reaching out in an attempt to find the people that are currently not being seen. They remain unseen as the Force refuses to show him anything he asks. With a sigh, he opens his eyes, using them to check the village as the rest file in closer.

As Zifa gives voice to worry over her people after Vhe assumed as much there is a furrowing of her brow when they all finally get back to closing the distance. The village, when finally arrived at is empty and Vhe lets out a breath as she steps out and over towards one of the structures. She peers inside, ducking her head to try to get a look inside and see if there are signs of struggle.

"This does not bode well.." Her fingers reach out and down, lowering slowly to her knee as she touches the damp earth.

Breathing in deeply, the moist smell of decaying vegetation and life fills her senses and the Force does nothing to aid her. A shake of her head follows the simple action as she glances towards Rune. "Nothing that I can tell...I am sure there must be something."

Kasia's head turns to look over at Rey as she moves to her left, a momentary smile afforded the Jedi before her focus turns ahead once more. The effort of the group is enough to make the beasts leave, and that's good news to her. She's seen rancor fight before and doesn't really want to witness it again. "Well, that worked out."

Hands drop and as the others start ahead, she moves as well. The lack of people as they approach is concerning, and so she spends a moment still with her eyes closed, reaching out with the force. Doing so earns a slowly deepening frown before her eyes open. "The village is empty, except..." She points to one hut in particular to the right. "That one. There's someone or something alive in there, but I don't know who."

With the rancors gone, Zan lets go of the shadows. She was on the other side of them from the others so didn't hear Chani's question or see Jax's secretive smile. She moves quietly with the others to the village, a thoughtful look on her face. As they find tents and all kinds of things but no people, her brow creases into a frown. She walks down what might be main street and catches sight of a clay jar lying on its side, before she gets too far into the village. She picks it up, curious. Her eyes widen as she stares at it.

Zan breathes deeply, concentrating, and she begins to sense an echo of the past. "Panic," she says softly. "And fear. There are figures running through the village, fuzzy and featureless. Something - happened to scare everyone, and they ran. Whatever happened, it led to this jar being dropped or something. But it's still very fuzzy."

Flaming trees and screaming. It definitely has Qutha's attention and sends him stepping back a meter while all of the excitement goes. Blinking rapidly and shaking his head again before moving follow, patting Rune on the shoulder, "I think we all, sadly, know how this is going to result, dear sir." lips thinning and emerald green eyes are turned back towards their destination.

"I'm sure it's the ebb and flow of the force here, Vhe. It feels... different doesn't it?" head ticking from one side to the next, eyes going from point to point once he has quieted again. Keeping towards the middle of the pack where he belongs. "I think it feels wilder here..." pausing to look at Zandra, silent anew.

When they reach the village, Aryn takes a moment to observe the scene before them. She had been in many warzones and places left abandoned before because of conflict. She clasps her gloved hands over the small of her back as she walks. "Abandoned," She comments, "For the camp remains unmolested. I observe no indications of conflict like blaster marks. There are no pocked portions of terrain from explosions. Only discarded belongings and personal effects."

"Mistress Zifa, would your people retreat to a safe zone if they felt threatened in their homes?" Aryn turns back to face Zifa, her posh tone conveying some sense of speculation.

The rancor herd is sent off with no harm done and Chani forces her body to relax from the tension built up in it. Her shoulders ease down and back into a more comfortable resting position that maintains decent posture and her breath slowly exhales. "Well, that's that." The journey continues and Chani keeps her head on a sqivel despite the lack of varied scenery. It's rock, rock, and more rock. Her eyes dance along the edge of the rock walls above them to sight out anything silhouetted against the sky, but she finds nothing of import. In less time than it took them to reach the rocky canyon they reach Zifa's village. It becomes apparent in just a few moments that the village itself is empty and Chani's eyes dart from one tent to another.

While Zifa calls out to see if anyone responds, Chani breaks away from the group to wander closer to one of the tents. She glances around the exterior for any visible signs of tearing or some other signal that it has been damaged in some way, then casts her gaze towards the ground. She follows the perimeter in search of anything that might stand out. "I don't even know what I'm looking for," Chani murmurs to herself. "What's out of place for a culture I'm not familiar with?" Seeing nothing of import, Chani eases aside the edge of the tent to see into the gloam of its interior. She enters with cautious movement. Nothing seems out of place save for a woven basket turned over instead of right side up. Chani leans over to pick it up and recoils a step at the sudden unveiling of a girl beneath.

"Zafi! Aryn!" She calls out through the walls of the tent towards the Dathomiri witch and the doctor. Setting the basket aside, Chani holds up her hands to show they are empty of anything.

"There's a young lady in the tent. I think she has a connection to the force like our friend Zifa does. She's not trained like we think of training. It's also coming and going." Jax just says as looks at the tent. "Perhaps she scared the others and summoned the rancors through the force?" He looks to Zifa, Rey, Ben, and Aryn. "Maybe it's time one of us tried talking to her?" There's a slight hmm sound. "Also I need to remember to carry a small torch to set things on fire. It seems to drive off rancors without using my saber on them."

The actions of the Dathomiri Witch has has Rey watching her closely for a few moments after the Rancors are dealt with. She releases a soft sigh and just otherwise keeps going on ahead in this trek of trek's through this very odd and rather curious jungle.

As they reach the village, Rey's jacket is folded over her left forearm, her hair strands loosely flowing around the sides of her face as she observes the place, something feeling quite bad about this... but she lets their Guide investigate while the others begin to as well.

Zandra's words are picked up on and Rey nods lightly to her before she offers a quick smile "Something feels off, to be sure." She quietly replies to the purple haired Jedi.

Chani's words draw Rey's attention as she makes her way toward her. A quick look is given around then, before she place sher hands on the strap of her satchel. "Keep your senses alert, let the Force help you here. We may be unaware of the customs or nature of these people, but the Force is still with us, we'll figure out what's happened here." She tells the Naboo native, giving her a quick smile as well before she continues to walk carefully and search herself about the area.

When Yuun stands up, he's side by side with Rey who had seen what he was doing. She smiles softly at him and points to the ground. "Look there." She says softly to him. "There's no dust across the rocks there, that area has been rusehd across." She tells him. Her finger draws across the horizon where she sees the dust cleaned away. "They went that way." She tells him. "Opposite side of the canyon." She smiles at Yuun again. "Coming from a dusty planet, I've seen this sort've thing a time or two before..."

Rey walks onward then to tell Ben and their Witchy Guide this information too.

The young girl under the basket stares up at Chani with eyes that are teetering between defiance and terror, her body locked in a frozen but quivering posture as the Naboo Jedi raises her hands to show she's unarmed. When Zifa throws back the flap of the tent, though, she flings herself past Chani and latches onto the Witch, burying her face in her hide smock just before the sobs begin to wrack her small shoulders and the hot tears start to flow followed by a jabbering in that unknown language that Zifa takes in with a stream of soothing clicks of her tongue and hand smoothed back over her silvery hair. This goes on for a few moments before she murmurs something back, garnering a reluctant nod, and the two step back out of the tent, Zifa gesturing Chani to follow with one hand while the other holds the girl's, who stands there in the sun sniffling furiously, alternately looking vengeful and petrified as she looks over the large group of strangers.

"This is Ala. She is telling me that the village was... I do not know the word. They left for fear of what was coming. The Mother had a vision, there was no time, and so they left before the bad could be. It is not good for a Witch of Dathomir to be afraid. There is only one thing that would have done this. The ma-kala. The corrupt magick. They must have returned to take more of my people. But this time we were warned." Mixed emotions play on Zifa's face, as sorrow and a fierce sort of pride duke it out for control and come out in a type of pissed-off smile.

"Aryn Jedi, there is a place. It's that way." She points out the way that Rey indicated, and really it's no great surprise; there are only two ways in or out of this village.

It's no great surprise either that they decide to head that way, and as they do, there's a shift in the atmosphere, heralded by a shriek and the sudden hum of repulsorlifts gearing up for launch. "Someone stay with the girl," Ben mutters as he starts walking more quickly towards the turn in the canyon blocking whatever is happening from view in the convenient way this canyon has done since they found it.

Rounding the corner and heading up a slope, the grasslands return abruptly, the serrated violet grass trampled down by the mad exodus of the village and now by the body of a large, dark, ominous ship, its ramp extended, several gray-skinned bodies strewn around in the grass, several alive in cages, all of these clamoring as a droid-powered gravsled gears up to load another cage into the belly of the ship. It seems the evacuation was not as successful as it could have been.

"Let us hope not." Rune replies to Qutha, doubt clouding his mind even as they search the area. He nods to Vhe as he assumes the same, wishes for the same at least. And it seems they found something within the hastily abandoned village. Chani's call has him turning and moving, stepping in the direction of her discovery. He arrives there after the Dathomir native and sees a small girl clutching to their guide. After a number of words are exchanged and Zifa points the direction her village would have fled, the lot set out to discover their fate.

Soon after Ben catches the hint of repulsorlifts, the whine of machinery attracts Rune's notice. Just on the taller man's heels, the young Ysannan comes into view of the captives and the droid that is attempting to load them on the ship. Without much of a second thought, Rune is sprinting ahead, the ugly black cylinder on his belt flashing into his hand to ignite with a blazing green column that extends from the emitter. In a matter of seconds, three swings have ceased the function of the droid, its various parts falling away from the whole to clatter to the ground.

"Then there is hope," Vhe concludes as she slowly rises to stand, watching the events unfold. "You are not wrong, it does feel different here," she remarks to Qutha, fingers flexing at her side before she turns her head to cast a look down her shoulder, once more searching the village with the passing of her gaze.

As the group begins to move, Vhe is among them with as much hope as one might muster in such a situation. Hurrying along with the rest the sounds ahead cause her to hesitate and the lonely child makes her think of her siblings. "I will stay with her." Vhe reaches for her saber, taking it in hand as she looks to the young witch. "Together we are stronger, they will do all they can."

She nods to each of her compatriots and remains behind, taking a protective stance should something take a turn for the worst. Vhe is ready with the tenacity of an older sister.

When Rune attacks and disables the droid, it makes a panicked sort of beeping and wailing in the manner of droids, and the ship, powered up and ready to fly, begins to hover above the ground, landing ramp still hanging open. This starts to close with a smooth hydraulic movement, but whoever is flying isn't waiting around for that. The ship punches forward, and as it rockets skyward, a cage full of Dathomiris falls out the back, then a horrifying moment later, another tumbles out after, plummetting back to earth in extended freefall.

As Rune takes off, and there's sound and activity, Zandra makes her way there too. The violet haired jedi pauses as she spies the ship taking off, and cages come flying out of them. "Oh, stars and comets, that's not a good thing," she murmurs, as she reaches out with telekinesis to try to catch one of those falling cages. "The cages, they're too heavy, help!" she calls urgently, to hopefully give the idea. She works as much as she can to hold that cage, a drop of sweat on her brow, and her hand moving out, palm up as if trying to fit it in her palm. "Come on, we can do this."

"I-" Qutha pauses when Vhe steps back with the child and moves at the back of the group towards the ship where Rune charges, droids are eradicated and then cages begin falling with the expedience of the spacecraft launch. Shaking and looking rapidly around - there all sorts of people here but that doesn't preclude his attempting to help.

Hand lifting, instinct guiding him. Whispers from the force to follow in motion with Zandra, the Zelosian holds his breath on instinct, focusing his thoughts and reaching out to envision the air thickening. For the cages to sink slowly rather than fall. "Weight means nothing, my friend." smiling some as lessons come to forethought.

Aryn came closer when Chani called for her, but their group transitioned to the next task at hand, leaving little time for dialogue and only moments for action. When the call for help went out, Aryn pivoted and presented a gloved hand to marshal her influence over the Force and help will the falling cages from striking the ground. Internally, she was tense but drew heavily from the flow of the Force around her.

When her hand lifted, she was certain she could feel the burden of the cage being hoisted by the power of the Force. She remains quiet, devoting her focus to action, not words!

Following Zifa out of the tent with the young girl, Chani's gaze snaps skyward at the sound of a ship's engines powering up. Moving with the other Jedi, Chani rounds into the clearing to find the craft starting to take off. As soon as the cages begin to tumble from the open bay, Chani opens herself up to the current of the symbiotic energy that binds all of them together. Both of her hands lift so the feyd-cloth sleeves fall past her elbows. Even the wider cream sleeves over the layer closest to her skin ease back to her forearms. Chani attempts to exert her will on the cage that falls out of the craft second by calling on the Force and attempting to make her mental will a reality. Clenched teeth indicate the stress of the effort.

The group moves on, though Kasia pauses long enough to make sure that Vhe and the child are safe where they are. Then she hurries after to catch up with the others. She misses the business with the droid but is present enough to see the cages topple out of the rear of the ship and begin to freefall. There's a gasp as she lifts both hands through sheer instinct and uses the connection to the force to try and slow the fall of one of the cages.

With being directed to the dust or lack there is and he nods to Rey as she walked over to him and explained and showed him what he needs to be looking for. "Thank you." he says as he looks to area he is being focused to look at. As he takes in what he is seeing and looking off in the direction, he then sees Ben and others rushing off where the trail is heading. Yuun looks back as they did find a child but luckily Vhe was staying here. He would've stayed as well but one of them did. He quickly rushes off to assist the others.

When they arrive and with actions taking place, his attention shifts to the second cage falling and Yuun could feel the force urging him to act and from where he was standing, he thrusts his hand out towards that cage. He exerts himself through the force, allowing the Force to flow through him and he can feel everything and then he grunts as he feels the falling cage. He pushes against the falling cage, working with Chani trying to slow the cage.

Jax looks up and for a moment a plan begins to form in his head about how to jump on the escaping ship. Though at Zandra's request and the sound of the falling people. He shifts his priorties his right hand reaching out with the force as he tries to quiet his mind and concentrate on the job at hand. He succeeds though just barely. His grabbing in the force like grasping at straws.

Rey was still in the outskirts of the village when she heard the lightsaber come on, the ship engine start and could 'feel it' all through the Force, happening close by, ramping up in intensity.

She darted in that direction, her speed helping her get there just in time to see the the cages free falling. She slides to a stop on the rocky surface, her boots skidding ot a halt as she reaches up to the sky with her hand out stretched.

The momentum was great, the cages falling fast, Rey does her best to steady the one that wasn't already being grabbed by the other Jedi. She furrows her dark eyebrows down as she focuses upon the energy binding the cage together, trying to will it to slow its descent!

Down, down, down, the cages hurtle, packed with bodies, most of them screaming, some of them stricken silent with fear, and a few out cold. They tumble end over end, but the first slows gradually from critical velocity to terrible accident to jarring collision to a heavy thud as it settles heavily onto the grassy earth, its occupants saved from harm.

The second drops like a missile, buffeted sharply as Chani's will begins to oppose it, and then Yuun's. Ben stands looking up, and his hand reaches out towards the falling cage, reaching out with the Force, letting it flow through him, channeling its energy. The air tightens and hums but the cage continues to fall, too much inertia behind it. With a longer fall they might have stopped it.

And then there is Zifa, not knowing what she's doing but mimicking the Jedi for all she's worth, her eyes locked on the falling cage and spitting yellow fire (figuratively). With a longer fall, they might have stopped it.

The second cage crashes into the ground with a metallic groan, the durasteel bars peeling open like ribs or driving straight into the dirt. The people inside stop with it, blunt force impact knocking several unconscious, killing two outright, and merely injuring the other three. One Dathomiri is miraculously unharmed, thrown loose without a scratch. It would haunt her the rest of her days. Far above, the dark ship vanishes into hyperspace.

It is not difficult to free those imprisoned in the first cage, there are lightsabers and these cages are only metal. The occupants of the other cages that weren't loaded onto the ship wait quietly, stunned into silence by the fall of the second cage.

Shaking on her feet, Zifa hurries to it, tugging at the bars, pulling at the bodies inside, and the others are quick to help. Once the villagers are freed, or their bodies extricated, she turns to the Jedi, fighting back angry tears. "It is alright, Jedi. I am knowing you tried your hardest. But it was not enough, and my people were not enough. They have taken the Mother. They have taken others, and these they have killed. Find them, Jedi. I cannot do this thing, not on my own. But a Witch of Dathomir is not without resources. Please."