The trip to Ryloth fit Tanya's modus operandi, working diligently to advance a goal rather than indulging herself or partying. This realization helped Labooda relax a bit, confident her young Padawan would not follow the footsteps of her previous Padawan. Granted, this confidence would only last until Tanya began to blossom, with all the hormones that puberty entailed... but while that day would come all to soon, Labooda knew that for now her Padawan's eyes were not drawn to boys with ill intentions.
Keeping Tanya focused on business deals and off possible intimacy might just see the young girl achieve Knighthood and the a life too busy for her to get caught up in the same trap that cost Labooda her first Padawan.
For now though, Labooda was going to enjoy an easy mission where all she needed to do was make sure that the Jedi concerns for the workers that would be employed were taken proper care of. No serious concern about danger, wildlife having never bothered her before, and no concerns about diplomatic issues cropping up as everyone on site was already on the same side.
It was deeply pleasing to the Jedi Knight that no historical sites were in danger of being paved over with the area having never been inhabited according to records. Just an area of the most pure wilderness and wasteland accessible.
With a half ear being paid to conversations, Labooda asked about the prefab structures planned to be used for the employee housing. There were several quality levels of apartment complexes that could be chosen from and the one chosen was very comparable to the apartments at the Jedi Temple. A bit spartan compared to some homes Labooda had seen civilians favor, but comfortable in her opinion.
As the group began to travel through the forest, Labooda took a moment to breath deeply and immerse herself in the living Force surrounding the area. Letting the light and raw nature permeate and relax her further. The clean air and calm, wild nature of the area would be missed, but the good of sentient outweighs the preservation of nature.
Arriving at the waterfall, Labooda admired the resilience of the tree that hung onto a crystal as water continuously passed over both its roots and the crystal. This would have been a wonderful place to meditate and immerse oneself in the living Force, the strength of the living Force here being so vibrant and bright, the area nearly hummed with it. This was not a Nexus of the Force, though, not currently, as the energy held a fleeting nature. It was here in this place, but it was not of this place, and it would leave with little issue.
Labooda's contemplation was cut short as the guide drew his rifle. Focusing her senses out through the brush, Labooda sought out what the guide knew.
Anger. Fear. Survive.
"I sense it over there," Labooda said, pointing towards a particular part of the brush. The guide nodded his head and adjusted his aim. Labooda dropped her hands to her saber, ready should the rifle prove insufficient. A large brownish orange insectoid creature burst from the brush, screeching in fear as it did so. It's screech was ended quickly with a blaster bolt between the eyes, leaving a carcass sliding a few meters as it fell forwards.
"Droid, by my side. Jedi, flanks. Rest of you lot, backs to the cliff face and call for backup," Ral'ziti ordered. Labooda reached out to the Force.
Hunger. Anger. Survive.
A lot of creatures were surrounding them. A swarm of hungry creatures wanting a meal. Labooda activated her green lightsaber at the same as Tanya activates her's as the two of them got in position.
Labooda took a mid guard position as her eyes swept the brush, her Force senses stretched out as far as she could.
"Why are you so concerned? You got the beast," the representative from the Techno Union asked in a monotone.
"That was a gutkurr." Ral'ziti shook his head, his eyes and aim steady. "They do not simply charge a group of potential prey from a distance. Too risky and gives their target too much time to flee. No, he was being chased."
A spindly green creature came charging out of the brush heading straight for the center of the group. Ral'ziti fired a shot hitting the beast in the neck, barely phasing it as the droid hit its torso with another shot before the guide managed to hit the neck with another shot. The already weakened carapace shattered under the fire of a second shot and its insides were exposed to the outside as the beast fell to the ground.
"Droid, fire at the target I fire at."
"Roger roger."
"Jedi, watch out for the tentacles, they got a very painful venom." Labooda nodded her head in acknowledgment as she took a moment to look at the dead specimen to get an idea of the tentacle length. Her apparent distraction leading to one of the creatures jumping out of the brush straight towards her.
The Force sang of the danger and Labooda moved, striking down the beast without a thought.
Labooda could feel Tanya at the sane time has struck down one of the creatures herself. The emotions emanating from the Padawan were hard to decipher at the moment, but disgust and annoyance seemed prominent.
Labooda pulled back her senses from her padawan, not needing the distraction of figuring out what the young girl was thinking when there was hostiles in the area.
"What are these things?" Nute Gunray cried out, his fear particularly palatable on the Force over even the fear everyone else was fearing.
"Lyleks. Deadliest beasts on the planet." The guide was too busy trying to keep everyone alive to delve into a deep discussion on the creatures.
Not that Labooda needed more explanation. Lyleks were large insectoid creatures able to move at high speeds for terrestrial creatures. They were a swarm species, traveling and hunting in large groups numbering in this case in the ... 40s 50s 60s ... too many. The tentacles had a painful poison, a mixed blessing as far as Labooda was concerned. She may be able to focus through the pain if she got poisoned, but it would likely distract her. Her padawan probably would not be able to, but if Tanya got struck she might at least be able to live. The carapace the creatures were covered in was resistant to blaster bolts and there was resistance to the lightsaber as well. That would slow down the two Jedi's ability to cut through them.
Worse, the creatures could climb up the side of the cliff face. Labooda had to do several Force imbued leaps to reach the bug to kill it before it pounced among the civilians and wrecked havoc. After that one, Labooda had to move quickly to kill one that tried taking advantage of her absence.
The swarm was beginning to attack all out. Waves of the creatures would charge in to get mowed down by one of the three sides. The waves got bigger, the tactics changed. The Force screamed of the danger:
A creature would be taken down and another would use its body as cover before leaping to stroke from above. Labooda and Tanya managed to handle the tactic-
"My arm! It got my arm!" Nute Gunray shrieked.
-but Ral'ziti and the droids were too slow in comparison. The lylek died before it could inject Nute Gunray with its venom, Labooda's thrown lightsaber removing its head, but the man was bleeding from a stab wounds were the lylek had kicked him.
With lightsaber returned to hand with the Force, Labooda was ready to face the next wave. The swarm was too large. Too hungry. Too angry. Labooda was ready accept she may die here and was preparing to order her padawan to flee on her own. Tanya was the only one of the group that had the capability to flee, the only one who could fly away. Not yet though. It was still too soon to give up hope they would last until reinforcements arrived.
"Shit! It got me." Labooda turned to see the guide with both arms wrapped in the tentacles. His face contorted in agony as he begins to scream. His body on the ground under a lylek ready to spear him with the pointed end of its leg.
Light. Dark. Power. Swirling.
A wellspring of the Force burst forth in the area, leaving Labooda feeling like she was caught in the middle of a whirlwind as her senses were blasted and overwhelmed.
Cutting off her expanded senses, Labooda looked around and saw she was not the only one effected. The lyleks had stopped their assault, looking around warily. The businessmen were silent and staring at the source of the maelstrom of Force energy. The lylek that had been aiming to kill the guide missed any vital spots, leaving a large hole in his shoulder. Ral'ziti even was quiet as he tried to focus on the Power, his body so twitching in agony.
And where a purple glow should be from Tanya's lightsaber, there was gold. Not the yellow of the temple guard's lightsaber. Not the orange of lightsaber from a more ancient time. No, glimmering and shining gold.
"Praise the Lord. For Salvation has arrived."
That voice was not right. It was Tanya's voice, but the tone was wrong. Tanya always spoke as though she had just consumed a sour fruit, harsh and strong with an acidic edge to her words. This tone was sweet and filled with sugar and kindness.
This was no longer Tanya. Not the one Labooda knew.
"Je'daii." Labooda was not aware of having whispered her suspicions out loud.
The form of Tanya turned, revealing it was not just her lightsaber that had gained a golden glow to it. Her eyes seemed to have an internal golden light to them as they tracked to the fallen form of Ral'ziti and the lylek on him.
"Beast of Painful Death, I say begone." Tanya gently flicked her wrist and the lylek was sent crashing and tumbling back into the woods, stopping with a crunching sound against a sturdy tree.
Tanya turned off her lightsaber as she moved into the group of businessmen, her confidence the swarm would not charge inspiring, and knelt in front of Nute Gunray.
"The shepherd needs to care for his flock," she told him as she removed the hand he was using to apply pressure to his wounded arm. Looking at the bleeding gash with an ever present comforting smile, Tanya laid a hand on the wound.
Heal. Life. Clean. Safe.
When she removed her hand, the blood was gone and the wound was closed with only a golden handprint showing where the wound had previously been.
Force healing was not a wide spread skill among the Jedi, even those in the Medical Corps. The Force was mainly used to diagnose maladies and aid in helping patients rest, the two things that set Jedi Healers apart from their civilian counterparts and gave Jedi Healers a reputation as the best healers in the Galaxy. To use the Force to directly heal often came with a heavy price of another being's Life Force being transferred into the one being healed. Currently, the only one who could use the Force alone without adding in Life Force to heal was the head of the Medical Corps.
And Labooda just watched Tanya seemingly manage the task as though it was as simple as breathing.
Was this the power and skill lost to the Jedi so long ago? Or was Tanya's previously life just that skilled and powerful in the Force? Labooda was certain she would need to meditate on the question to come to an answer, but for now she snapped her attention back to the present. Several lyleks were charging.
Whipping herself into position, Labooda prepared to fight, a surge of confidence running down her spine as she felt her Faith in the Force blossom that everything would be fine.
The lyleks stopped charging. No, not stopped, frozen from charging. Their limbs were twitching, and mouths snarling, but their forward momentum was completely halted.
"Now now, I will deal with you in a moment. I have a flock to tend to first." Tanya does not giggle. It just did not match up to the young girl Labooda had spent so much time around. The few times Tanya had laughed, it was closer to a snicker. This Je'daii was nothing like its modern incarnation.
Heal. Life. Clean. Safe.
There was that feeling in the Force again. Of the Je'daii healing. Taking a quick look, Labooda was able to make out Ral'ziti's face going from pain to one of blissed awe as he stared at the tiny form of Tanya.
Facing the lyleks again, Labooda readied herself.
"Now, fell beasts, let the Light of the Lord purge you."
Necks snapped. Bodies collapsed. Dozens dead in a moment. A wind swept with a golden blur and the laughter of bells as more were chopped into pieces.
The spell keeping the beasts in place was over and the entire hive charged in seeking to end the mirthful blur crossing the battlefield.
The Force sang. A song reverberated through Labooda's entire being praising a long forgotten god. The melody in perfect time to every motion on the field of battle as the Je'daii protected.
When backup finally arrived, the only assistance required was clearing a path through the piled up corpses. Nute Gunray and Ral'ziti were able to move under their own ability with the only sign they had been wounded being the shimmering gold handprints where their wounds had been located.
The one who was moving the slowest back to base was in fact Tanya who after killing and running off there remnants of the hive returned to her normal blue eyes before taking a few steps to the side before throwing up. An uncommon, but known effect of overusing the Force beyond what one was used to.