SithLore

=Location: Ilum =
=Two Weeks After The Events of Kind Omens=

It had been two weeks since the events on Kashyyyk and Ranah was still reeling from it. She had almost gotten used to training from anyone willing to show her a thing or two but now, now was different she had been assigned to someone who would oversee the rest of her training. During those initial days he had evaluated her progress and skills but one thing her new Master, the Jedi Jarak Kai learned about his new apprentice was that Ranah was very diligent and dedicated to her training. She got the impression that this was not the ideal assignment for him. She also got the impression he was not used to working with others. Ranah did not begrudge him that. He had been hardened by life, circumstances, training she did not quite know but at the same time Ranah too had been hardened. She had witnessed her parents’ death at a young age and had become the caretaker to her twin sister and younger brother to only have them taken from her. She even had worked in a labor camp until the Galactic Alliance had liberated not only the camp but ultimately that world. All this had happened before her 18th birthday. She took her new found fortune and done what her father would have, She had shown her appreciation by enlisting to give something back that had been given to her, and it was this time that she excelled in combat and weapons. She had worked up the ranks and ultimately ended up in Special Forces.

There she had run missions until she accepted a rank increase to Lieutenant. That mission she would never forget, her entire team killed off, herself, taken prisoner, starved , beaten, manipulated. She did not break at the time she could not explain it but now she knew it had been the will of the Force, and upon her recovery she had been recruited and accepted into the Jedi Coalition. There she studied, trained, studied more, trained harder at first under a Jedi Knight who had seen war like she had. Now she was with another. It would be an adjustment for the both of them. Maybe their past their hardened background was why Master Kenobi in his wisdom paired them together. Maybe it was the will of the Jedi Council. She would not question it, she would go with it.

All these things raced through her mind as she stood watching out the window in the transport she was aboard. Her red hair in a ponytail, her padawan’s braid drapped over her right shoulder. She wore a simple black tunic with black pants her training lightsaber at her side. Though she had her gear stowed in her cabin. Her hands were folded behind her back as she watched the ship approach a planet , she had never been to Ilum. There was not much in this system, one time it had been mined for it's natural deposits of Kyber crystals. Jedi Younglings in the past were sent to the ice world to find their own crystal that would be used in their lightsabers. She had read this during her briefing on the planet. The reason for being dispatched to Ilum eluded her. Maybe it was a lesson, maybe it was simply an outing to give the new pair a chance to bond. Whatever the reason Ranah did not know. The transport was making its way to the ice world, she was used to extreme climates both hot and cold. Planets with extreme climates normally made the best training grounds. The Transport would enter orbit and Master and Apprentice would take a shuttle down. Ranah was ready as her gear was all stowed in the shuttle.
An officer came up behind Ranah he cleared his throat before speaking “Excuse me Lt.?” Even though her commission had been retired the crew afforded her the curtesy and respect her rank earned and on top of being a Jedi apprentice it had intimidated some of the younger members of the crew.

Without turning her back to face the officer
“Yes?” she then turned around to face the young Ensign. Her expression showed no annoyance or irritation. Her expression was blank.

“Ma’am we will soon be in orbit, your shuttle is prepared” She nodded at this news.

“Thank you Ensign, I will alert Master Kai” The ensign nodded his head in acknowledgement in truth Ranah speculated that the ensign was relieved that he did not have to do it.

She retrieved a comm unit from her belt “Excuse me, Master Kai?” she began ”Sorry to interrupt you but I am being told the transport is entering orbit and our shuttle is ready to descend to the surface” When he acknowledged her message she would close the link and clip it back to her belt and began her walk to the shuttle bays.

“Excuse me, Master Kai?” she began ”Sorry to interrupt you but I am being told the transport is entering orbit and our shuttle is ready to descend to the surface”

Jarak was perched upon a desk in what had become his make-shift quarters aboard the bulky, yet unassuming transport. He rarely sat still when emerging from hyperspace, something about it, maybe a more human trait rather than Jedi, caused him to anticipate chaos in one way or another. This had not happened, and Jarak found himself gaining a vantage point on the furniture to look out of the bizarrely placed viewport in his room. Out in the blackness of space, somehow the white orb known as Ilum to the Jedi, made space seem a little bit warmer than before. The Jedi had been here before, not just Jarak, but generations for millenia. After the rise of the Empire, Ilum had been pillaged constantly for Kyber Crystals and what was an daunting venture before, now was treacherous and unforgiving. For a while, a few select bands of pirates and brigands had attempted to unearth riches in the form of the fabled Jedi crystal, but the losses far outweighed the profits and they either chose another avenue of income or perished on the icy surface.

Many Jedi believed Ilum to have been stripped bare, but this wasn't the case. Rarely did the Jedi build the majority of their enclaves and temples above ground, especially on a world with difficult living conditions and validating this further, there were numerous collapsed structures, corridors and hallways that formed a freezing, impassable maze for those relying on technology and smarts. Now more than ever, a Jedi hopeful upon this world would be tested in the Force. Ranah would be tested, and there wasn't a lot Jarak could do to help his Padawan.

"I'm on my way. Dismiss any pilot assigned to us and prepare for departure." Jarak said as his dark brown cloak brushed against the doorway of his quarters, a second after he himself had done so. He wore his hood up and his pace caused the cloak to trail behind him. His tunic was longer than before, another layer for the cold and his boots were made of sturdier material, but a soft, thick animal pelt lined the inside of his boots, which almost reached his knees. Around his neck he wore a necklace which housed a crystal in a two-sided clasp made of doonium, in the appearance of open hands, the origin of which he never revealed to anyone, but the crystal matched the colour of his blade and seemed in usable condition upon visual examination.

The Jedi Knight arrived in the shuttle bay and could hear the engines stuttering to life. He was the last requirement for take off and as his boot touched the ramp of the shuttle, it began to rise, bellowing harmless a vapour off of the cooling valves, now opened, and lightly spraying a light rain upon those who worked in the vicinity. All were aboard, Master, Padawan and intent. Jarak strode into the cockpit but stayed behind the pilot seat where his Padawan operated the controls. He wasn't sure if she was even adept at flying, but it was tradition for Padawan's to operate transport on their journeys, and Ilum 'was' tradition. She would need to overcome the new additions and challenges that the Empire's ravaging of the world had created.

"Take us to this coordinate here." He pointed to the green orb-lighting display. "Land softly, or the ship will fall into the hollowed out depths, and your quest will end before it had a chance to begin."

Jarak knew his methods of talking to others lacked a certain warmth, but it felt appropriate to the danger they faced. It was his responsibility to raise this Padawan to keep stride with the other Knights, but it was her who had the chance to be more than that, though he worried she would learn too much from him and become far too much like himself. If that happened, the Sith would really have something to worry about.

"I'm on my way. Dismiss any pilot assigned to us and prepare for departure."

Ranah nodded unconsciously “Acknowledged”

Ranah arrived at the shuttle bay and theirs was the only one sitting in the main hanger bay, Ranah had began her visual inspection of the craft, she would leave nothing to chance. Once she was satisfied with the craft she boarded, and did a inspection of their supplies and her gear. It was all there and accounted for. This left one task for the Padawan , getting the shuttle ready for departure. She took the pilot’s seat and began preflight checks. For her it was standard procedure. She was not an Ace Pilot but she knew her away around a cockpit and could hold her own. The engines had begun to hum to life as she began warming them up.

“Shuttle Titan, you are cleared for departure whenever you are ready” came the comm, Ranah let her lips form a smile as she pressed the transmit button

“Control this is Titan, thank you ”

She went about back to her procedures. It was not long before her Master was now on board, Ranah had informed control and began the ascent. Once the boarding ramp was closed, the shuttle made its way out of the hanger and towards the cold white planet below. The shuttle began it’s approach towards the planet.

"Take us to this coordinate here, Land softly, or the ship will fall into the hollowed out depths, and your quest will end before it had a chance to begin”

She entered the co-ordinates she was given, it was a subtle course change as the shuttle made a slight angle change and continued on its approach. His words were matter of fact, Ranah was used to that, she was after all a former military officer and before that she was an enlisted squad leader. She understood the dangers involved. Younger padawans probably would have taken it as a rebuke but not Ranah. Her age and experience had given her a bit more wisdom than her younger counterparts. She would not voice that she understood the dangers they faced. There was no need, She would demonstrate her understanding through her actions.

“Yes Master” was her reply if anything to acknowledge his instruction, Ranah kept the shuttle on course as it entered Ilum’s atmosphere. There was the regular turbulence associated with re-entry to a planetary body.

After several minutes the clouds cleared and a vast white mountainous landscape laid out before them. The Co-ordinates had them landing in a clearing on one of the mountains. Ranah brought the shuttle in smoothly. Closer and closer the shuttle approached its landing zone, she had activated the repulsorlift engines as she cut power to the ions, slowly the shuttle descended, landing gear extended. At this point the short few minutes that passed nothing happened until the shuttle touched down with a a soft thud, the landing struts absorbing the recoil of the landing. When all said and done it was one of Ranah’s better performances at the cockpit.

Without a word she began power down procedures, she had to keep the ions active so they would not freeze. Technicians were supposed to adapt it to the cold but she never took their word for it. Keeping them at a bare min. would use little fuel and power. Plus if they were stuck the transport could send another shuttle as the transport was to remain in orbit.

Once she was completed with the post flight checklist she had security locked the shuttle so nobody could steal it. Even in a barren wintery wasteland she knew better than to assume they were alone. She rose from her chair. She had her winter gear stored with her other gear including her blastech t-21 rifle and her newest rifle her A-280K Trooper Rifle, taking that would make more sense since it was more lightweight but if she needed something stronger the T-21 was on board. She would not gear up, as she did not know if her new Master wanted to disembark right away or if he had other plans. She would follow his lead.

“I have never been to Ilum but I have been on places like Hoth and Rhen Var during my service to the GA, I can’t explain it but this place feels very different” She was not speaking her anxiety or fears because she felt neither of those things at present. She felt just from the brief exposure to this world she felt wonderment and a sense of awe. The Force was alive here even she felt it in her under-developed Jedi Skills.