Chapter 44
Shili System
The top of the dam had shown less of the planet than Caloc would have liked. He honestly enjoyed climbing the stone steps, even though he was hefting both a sheet of metal and an astromech in his back. It was nice to be able to breath non-recycled air for a change. But above the high cliffs of the causeway was only flat ground. Across the ravine he had just climbed up was a mixture of mud, silt and algae merging together to make a steaming, stinking marsh.
He had seen enough of marshes on Pantora. On his other side were rolling hills, covered in short grey Huu grass and tufts of red and orange flowers. They stretched far, disappearing into the far horizon. It almost looked peaceful. Closer to where he stood, a small row of stone structures were visible, rising out of the ground.
Caloc knelt and picked a piece of the Huu grass, bringing it to his nose for a sniff. Huu grass was a strange plant. It grew short and stayed the same dull grey colour for its entire life. For that matter, it didn't seem to die without harsh chemicals. It grew from anywhere between ankle and knee height. So there was life here. For that, Caloc was grateful. But not too much life.
Those small structures were not mere buildings or monuments. They were small, about three metres high and six metres across, built out of metal and clay mud bricks. Each had a small, unique statuette pointing skyward from the doorframe. He recognised the design. These were graves.
Before he could continue his scan of the immediate area, a drop of water cracked against his head. The storm was already here. Above, the sky had darkened to a singular sheet of grey, light and dark mixed together in an ugly potion, broken up by sudden cracks of purple lightning. With an annoyed grunt, he unstrapped the cloth securing Deesix from his shoulders and set the astromech gently on the ground.
"Hey buddy.", he smiled at the droid's round head, "Do you know where we are yet?"
The astromech spun his dome around, scanning the surroundings. A holographic display appeared in front of him, projected from the tiny device below his photoreceptor. Three planetoids, each with a description hovering above them.
Caloc read through each, then smiled as he wiped a line of water vapour from his wet hair, "None of those worlds make sense, Deesix. We were above Shili, so we must have landed on Shili somewhere."
A burst of heavier drops thudded against the ground to the right, and he sighed. Whatever the planet, it would just get wetter until this storm passed. The best thing he could do now is find shelter until it stopped. He told the droid as much, and together, they began a steady pace across the stony and grassy ground towards the structures in the distance.
Unfortunately, the small tombs were all sealed and welded shut. He considered using the Force to crack the stone – use shatterpoint vision – but honestly, a night in a tomb wasn't that appetizing. Instead, the Jedi and the astromech continued to trek across the flat ground towards the distant hills. It made sense to move away from the storm, instead of continuing through it. Sense did not equal practicality.
The storm increased rapidly as they walked, the rain lashing across Caloc face. He long Jedi robe and the hood that came attached were both coated with rendir oil for waterproofing, but this rain soaked straight through. Water drenched Caloc's hair and drew icy cold lines down his back. Soon it was precipitating hard enough that their vision was impaired. Not even the advanced scopes on Deesix were able to cut through the murk.
Lightning crashed about somewhere overhead, illuminating the clouds with dull flashes through the solid wall of rain. Thunder boomed loudly in Caloc's ear. He regretted not getting an environmental jacket from the cruiser before he leapt into his fighter. But how could he have known to? No one expected to crash when they went flying.
A short way into their hike, he had become aware of why the oil-coated cloak and the hardy robes beneath it were not living up to their waterproof reputation. Both garments had been shredded during the crash. The rain was hitting the Menachi padawan straight in the chest, the water soaking into his skin. Lips quivering, he held out a trembling hand and placed it on Deesix's dome. All he could see was ice-cold grey water. The impaired eyes left him stumbling across the uneven ground.
Yet they didn't stop. They continued in their quest for shelter, slipping and sliding on the mud that caked the ground. Occasionally, Caloc would see what looked like an outcrop of trees. He considered using them for shelter, but the wind was whipping the branches about like they were advertising an airspeeder dealership. Try using them for shelter, and he would probably be crushed when they fell.
The dark shadows of the distant hills had just blended with grey of the sky when Caloc spotted a dark form materialise before them in the downpour. It solidified a second later. Two huge, scaly paws encircled him, encasing him in their grip. He felt a trench of mud form against his back as they shoved him across the ground, driving him deeper as the full weight of his attacker was driven against his body. And then the weight was gone. Deesix had charged at the shadow, his electroprod driving into the thick scales.
The beast reared back, smacking the stubby droid aside with it's long tail. And then a massive, clawed, scaly paw slammed into his chest and pinned him to the ground. Caloc found himself trapped in an awkward, splayed position, his head up and facing the creature while his limbs stuck out around the fleshy paw's 'fingers'.
The paw belonged to a large creature – a reptilian beast with four thick limbs and a series of feathers sticking out around its neck and head. Two beady eyes narrowed above a thick beak as the creature studied him. It's skin was a dappled grey, just like the stone and grass around them. Water dribbled down it's bright blue feathers and splashed onto Caloc's face, forcing him to cough and splutter to keep it from getting inside his mouth. The beak began to open, wide enough to swallow his head whole. But Caloc knew this beast well. It was an Utapau Varactyl.
Concentrating, he pushed out with the Force and flung the beast aside. Agile as ever, it twisted mid-air and landed on its feet. Slowly, the beast and padawan circled each other, the storm around them now forgotten. Caloc reached for his lightsaber. But of course, his hand fell on empty air. Cursing his ruined weapon, and his own stupidity for leaving it behind, he nearly missed the beast's attack. It lunged forward, and he only just brought his hands up to brace against the paw cracking his ribs. As it was, he was batted aside by the varactyl. Again, he slid across the ground, forming a new muddy trench.
The Varactyl was nowhere to be seen!
Reaching out with the Force, he scanned the area. Nothing. No flicker of life or movement. He couldn't sense the beast anywhere. Growling in frustration, he closed his eyes. In the pitch black that surrounded him, he reached out. The Force answered, sending out a ripple of energy. For that split second, he could see everything. The trees, the rocks, this blasted trench he now lay in. And he saw the Varactyl.
It was on his left, charging towards him with teeth bared. And then the second was gone. But Caloc kept his eyes closed. They were useless in this rain, he figured. Spinning to the left, he dodged the charging beast. It quickly spun on it's forward legs, whipping out with its tail. Caloc heard the flap of the tail's feathers as he dove beneath them, letting the Force guide his motions. In the back of his mind, he heard a quiet whisper. Was that the same voice as Devaron, which had guided him in the ways of the shatterpoint?
Use the sight.
Reaching to the Force once more, Caloc sent out another wave of energy. It ran across the ground again, showing him everything it touched. He saw the Varactyl, this time coming from the right. But this was different. Unbidden, the red lines that marked nerve centres and weak points in the beast structure also appeared, crossing the beast like a wire map. This was shatterpoint – the Force showing Caloc where to strike the creature.
A hit on one of the nerve clusters or weak points could damage or even…
Kill the beast.
His eyes snaped open, and he leapt forward, rolling out of the reptile's path. The Varactyl thundered past. The whisper was still echoing in Caloc's ear, louder and angrier!
Kill the beast.
He didn't want to hurt the creature, just stop it in its tracks. Slowly, he closed his eyes again. The map was still there, in his mind. Yes, the nerve clusters were the shatterpoints of this creature. But he didn't need to punch them. Instead, he memorised them, and charged.
The Varacyl seemed taken aback. This tiny creature wanted to attack it? And so it could only watch as Caloc used the Force and leapt over it. He kept his eyes closed as he jumped, seeing the wire map of weak areas. When he sensed the moment was right, Caloc jabbed out with his hands. His left forefinger jabbed into a nerve on the creature's shoulder, his right slammed into a join in the spine. The scaly skin rippled where he touched it, and the rippled moved to encompass the entire creature as it tensed up. For a second it stood there, shuddering as though shocked with electricity. And finally, all it's movement just… ceased. It fell to the ground, sliding across the slick surface until it stopped against Deesix's struts.
For a moment, Caloc feared he had gone too far. Had he fallen for the temptation of the voice after all and killed the beast? Thankfully, the heavy chest began to rise and fall, the Varactyl expelling huge amount of air as it snored. Caloc caught his breath, leaning on his knees as he tried to shake the shock from his head. There was the whisper, still in the back of his mind. But it was quieter, only a whisp of what it had been.
Kill the beast.
He ignored it and looked around. In the side of one of the nearby hills, barely visible through the downpour, was a dark hole. A cave. Probably this very beast's cave, for that matter.
"Deesix.", he called to the droid. "I'm going to move the varactyl back into its cave. Hopefully, we can make shelter there too."
The droid acknowledged that with a tiny salute from his forward welding prongs and rolled towards the dark entrance to reconnaissance it.
Two minutes ago
The figure huddle in the rain, hiding underneath a thick oily canvas wrap to protect herself from the downpour. Her eyes stared on the boy and his droid, visible through a heat-seeking setting on her old quadnocs. The golden iris of her eyes had remained on the pair for the past three hours as she followed them from her perch in one of the thicker, sturdier trees on a far hill.
Visitors were rare to this place, and she needed to know who these strangers were. Why were they here? Her eyes narrowed as they neared the cave, and she reached into her pouch, pressing a button on a control device. Unknown to the boy, a high-pitched, subsonic pulse had been released inside the cave. Enough to drive the beast inside mad. The beast, a large and rabid varactyl, roared out into the rain, slamming it's bulk into the strangers and driving the boy back. In an instant, the boy had escaped the beast's grasp, regained his footing, and seemed to be trying to figure out where the next attack was coming from.
The rain was inhibiting his ability to see. Or at least his ability to use his eyes. She felt him reach out, watched as he dodged three of the beast's attack before suddenly leaping over it. He leapt higher than any person naturally could, and as he did, she saw him bring a finger down on the leathery skin of the varactyl. Twice the hands flashed out. The beast tensed as though stuck by a shock blast. Then it relaxed and slid to the ground with a shudder, out cold.
A thin smile crept onto her lips. That was very interesting. Very interesting indeed.