revivalproject | A Path Forward (OPEN LOG)

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A Path Forward (OPEN LOG)

WHO: Cal Kestis and you!
WHERE: Around Temba
WHAT: Exploring, reflection and maybe get to know who all else is around...ish
WHEN: Post-initial storm-event things and maybe into early next month
WARNINGS: None..? Will edit if needs be

It had been days, weeks, even, since he'd attempted to brave the storm. He wasn't sure if anyone else who'd gone out there had learned anything, but it was clear at the very least that it was completely different from anything he'd ever seen or experienced. Part of him still felt like he was recovering from it, but Cal was pretty sure that it probably just compiled with everything else he'd mentally pushed aside. Seeing familiar figures in the storm hadn't helped at all.

His connection to the Force had restored itself, much to his relief. He wasn't even sure what to make of that, save that the storm had something to do with it. That was also unsettling to think about, and it put the potential danger of these storms in a new light. If it could do something like that, what else could it do?

There were too many questions and little enough answers. With the need to keep busy somehow, Cal and BD-1 wandered the ruined city, building off what had been supplied as a map, trying to make sense of whatever the Agrii had tried to clarify for them. One might come across them poking around some place or another. The best way to find out what was what was to have a look for themselves, after all. Or they might be around the greenhouse, trying to get a better understanding of how agriculture works. It was a definite step up from gathering interesting seeds for Greez's terrarium.

Perhaps it would be considered unheard of for a Jedi to seek out a Sith lord, but Altair had been reasonable, and Cal felt he had to talk to someone about what had happened in the midst of the storm. Granted it took some finding, but eventually he and BD-1 would make their way to the hospital as well.

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The hospital was still a good ways off from being fully functional- but during the storm, Altair had worked hard on getting the most important areas of the place to where they could be used. He'd set himself up in an office when he wasn't working, something like his home during his downtime. He had food, drink, a cot where he slept.

His notebook, his very few art supplies, and a comfortable chair salvaged from somewhere.

It was where he could be found when Cal came looking, working on an embroidery. Probably a strange hobby to see a Sith working on, but that was the least of Altair's concerns. He'd sensed the Jedi's approach, but only lifted his head when he entered the room, offering a smile. His veil laid on the desk, as he was slowly getting himself used to not wearing it as often.

"Cal," He greeted, as RE-1 too ran to greet the Jedi and his droid companion, "You're uninjured I assume? Or do I need to hurry and play at being a healer?"

Who was Cal to know what sort of hobbies Sith had? ...although it was fair to say that embroidery wouldn't have been on the list. Or anything relatively craftsy.

BD-1 hopped down from his usual perch to exchange greetings with his fellow droid, and Cal couldn't help but laugh a little. He returned Altair's smile with a slightly more tired one. So venturing into the storm did him no favors, however he considered himself lucky he'd come back at all.

"Altair." A nod. He managed not to stare, it being the first time he'd gotten a good look at the Sith without his headdress. "Getting over a few bruises, but thankfully nothing worse than that." Nothing physical, at least. "Without BeeDee I might've gone tumbling off a cliff."

His smile had already faded by then, a frown only then pulling in the opposite direction. "It's probably not surprising to say that storm was far from a regular storm, but..." He shook his head. "I'm still not sure what to make of it. Much less what could be causing it."

"Glad to hear that you're not physically injured, at least. Though you look as though the world has come to rest on your shoulders. More than you already did."

He looked tired. Altair imagined it was a look shared by all who'd gone into the storm. Hell, he was sure he looked tired too, even if things had been calmer here than in the center of it all. No injuries to tend to, and few duties. Still, he'd barely slept.

And eaten even less.

Always ready for a crisis, never considering that by neglecting himself he put himself at risk, too. Still, it was no tiredness he wasn't used to.

He gave a soft hum then, at the news he brought, "Somehow I didn't need the Force to help me foresee that outcome."

He gestured for the padawan to sit, as he put his embroidery aside, "And somehow I don't think that's all you came here to talk about. There are a few exceptions, but Jedi don't normally come to Sith Lords for a casual chat."

Edited 2020-02-23 07:03 (UTC)

Cal gratefully sank down to sit, even though he knew he'd have a time trying to get up again. He ran his hands through his hair before just cupping his face as he sighed. Still, a laugh forced its way out, and he lifted his head to look at Altair.

"I look that bad, huh?" He'd be surprised if it didn't translate outwardly, given how he felt. He'd gotten only snatches of sleep, revisited by old nightmares given fresh life. Yet here he was being amused by a Sith, because Altair did have a point.

"Not that I figured there would be a great outcome either, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit some small part of me was hoping for an easy fix." His lips quirked in half a smile, and he shrugged, although otherwise remaining where he slumped forward, elbows resting over his knees.

"What kind of storm cuts you off from the Force?"

"You look like a gundark has used your head as a drum, friend."

It was delivered in a soft tone, despite his words. He'd seen that sort of tiredness before in many people. And he'd likely looked the same at various times throughout his life. Of course, whether to seize the chance at some rest or push through it to burn the candle at both ends, was still something that Cal had to decide for himself.

He gave a hum at the padawan's words, "I wished so too, despite knowing better. Sadly, easy fixes are for reckless Sith Lords like yours truly, not for fixing an entire world."

He didn't comment on how it was unusual for a Jedi to want an easy fix for this type of issue. He had somewhat more tact than that.

Getting up from his chair, he went to fetch some water and food, coming over to the Jedi with it, "You need this more than I do, I think. Eat, drink. Regain some of your energy."

His question did send a chill up his spine- and he didn't think he had to mention it for Cal to know it had been there, "I don't know. I've been forcibly cut off from the Force only once before. It's a hollow, sinking, lonely feeling... Like seeing all the stars in the sky blink out, and you're not sure if it's you or the world that's wrong."

That was how it had felt for him, anyway.

"Guess I know why you look like someone's died."

"Yeah, that feels about right." Cal knew he needed to rest, really rest, but at the same time he didn't feel like he could. He smiled wryly, straightening in his seat as Altair brought over some food. He figured it was a bad sign when he couldn't remember when he'd last had something to eat, even more so when such simple food could taste so good, spoiled as he realized he'd probably gotten from Greez's cooking.

Maybe it wasn't very Jedi-like to hope for a simple solution, but it had felt like everything lately had been one conundrum after another. Expecting things to be difficult was only natural by now, but one couldn't blame him for wistfully wanting a break. Then again, maybe this was kind of a break, being removed from a situation he felt he'd utterly failed, if only to be shouldered with a seemingly impossible task along with everyone else who'd been brought to this planet.

The feeling of unease didn't go amiss, and it was a sentiment shared as Altair spoke of experiencing it himself before. Cal nodded, looking unsettled. He didn't know of any other Force wielders here, so who else would understand it? That was why he came to a Sith.

"...it happened when we were just about to land, once we'd gotten right into the thick of it. One moment there, the next...just...nothing." It had been disorienting, and he found Altair's description terribly relatable. He took a slow sip of water, reluctantly recalling the trip out.

"We figured we may as well have a look since we were already landed- that was a feat in itself with the winds being as wild as they were. The lightning was something else. It obliterated anything it hit. Trees pretty much vanished. That wasn't the worst of it either.

"...I thought I saw people out there, people that shouldn't- that can't have been." Prauf, his old friend, who'd paid the price on Bracca. His master Jaro Tapal, who still haunted his dreams. If BD-1 hadn't been with him, Cal wasn't sure if he'd be sitting there in the hospital with Altair right then.

"You'll be safe to rest here, should you need it once you've said what you need to say."

However much he could believe that, given that Altair was Sith. They should have made natural enemies, but here they were, tentative allies instead. Altair was more than okay with that- having had more than his share of fighting before arriving, and no longer wishing to sense any death for fear of his mind shattering entirely.

He moved back to his chair to sit, breathing in, holding the breath for a few seconds, then breathing out as he considered what Cal was saying.

"I'm quite used to bad storms- the capital of my Empire is on a planet with constant lightning and rain. But what you're describing sounds much worse. It was bad here too, but... Nothing like what you experienced. And without the Force..."

It sounded awful. And dangerous.

"We had ghostly visitors here too. None that were familiar to me. But I have also felt the presence of ghosts before and these were... Different. Unresponsive, perhaps?"

It was a conundrum to be sure.

He did note the other man's reluctance, and sat a bit more upright in his chair, "You know you don't have to discuss this right now if you don't feel like you can. If you'd prefer, you can meditate and try to find your center a little. Or you could write it down, if that's easier than talking."

He paused. That icy, sinking, sick feeling from the first time they'd met was back and it was worse. It took him a moment to reign it back in.

"Force knows I have things I wouldn't be able to say to just anyone."

It helped immensely that Altair had met him with words rather than a lightsaber. In a way it was difficult to believe that the man was a Sith as he claimed, but it didn't seem like a title just anyone would claim.

Naturally Cal still had his reserves, but trust was something he was still learning to exercise. He wasn't sure if being in this place would help or hinder that.

He'd fallen silent, not open to saying anything more, but feeling he'd said what was needed to be said, regarding the storm and the danger it brought. His unease wasn't difficult to sense, especially at the suggestion of meditating. It was something he'd struggled with for the doors to past memories it tended to fling open, although he thought he'd mostly gotten over it. But he couldn't say that Altair's suggestions weren't reasonable.

A nod was all he offered, acknowledgment without commitment.

His eyes lifted from his food as he caught that feeling from the Sith, a stronger echo of what he'd sensed before when the man had let it slip. Cal nodded again once Altair found his voice.

"...what sort of ghosts were here? Of the Agrii?" He backtracked on the subject, to more neutral ground.

"Agrii. Some species I couldn't recognize. It was... Strange, to say the least."

Altair was normally good with ghosts. After all, much of his time as Sith had been spent chasing them around the galaxy and binding them to him to draw on their power. It hadn't necessarily worked out well for him at first, but he felt like he knew more about ghosts than your average Sith or Jedi. Enough to know how they felt.

Enough to know that ghosts should be drawn to him.

Of course, something had felt wrong with his own connection to the Force ever since arriving here. At first he'd thought it was something about Agra 10 in general. Lately he'd started to suspect it was his own fault. Not something he wanted to bring up, at any rate.

"Maybe I'm just too used to angry Sith spirits. Maybe I won't quite recognize a ghost unless I get choked or tossed about at least once or twice."

That was a joke.

Strange didn't particularly answer questions, but it was an acceptable response given that a lot of things here could be sorted as such. Cal frowned a little as he wondered who else would have been around.

"Wonder what happened to them. Unless they shared the same fate as the Agrii before they decided to leave." He wondered if anything the left behind would still hold any readable echoes. It hadn't been something he'd tried yet, here.

"I can't say that I've had any previous experience with ghosts myself, unless you count resurrected Nightsisters. But if the ghosts here aren't trying to claw your face off, that's a plus."

"Who knows. I don't know if I want to find out- I feel no obligation to help the Agrii or whoever else lived with them on this planet, if I am to be honest. Perhaps I would another time. Not now, though."

He shook his head. He knew his own Empire had to be in chaos at home, and he was here. He'd made friends here. Even fallen for someone. But the fact that his people needed him never left his mind either. What kind of leader was he, if he couldn't help those who suffered at home. If he couldn't mourn the Empire's dead and ensure that a tragedy like Ziost never happened again. If he couldn't stop the Emperor from hurting another soul.

Altair was far from a typical Sith. Most of the Empire still worshiped the Emperor, despite the fact that he'd been absent, and probably despite the fact that he'd destroyed an entire Imperial planet. Altair didn't. He mourned the people he hadn't been able to save, felt their terror whenever he laid down to sleep and he couldn't begin to count the amount of times he'd woken up screaming.

He shouldn't feel it, a Sith should be unaffected by it. But he did.

And he was angry, more than anything else. And he liked the fact that he could express his anger. At least at home, he could. Here though? He'd been without an overarching purpose for a while.

After all, acting out his rage would merely turn everyone else against him, and he'd always been the fearful type more than the angry one.

"I supposedly have a special draw among ghosts- something my ancestor told me, once. Not here though. Not with these ghosts."

"There might be no obligation to them to find out, but if whatever happened might still be a threat here? Then I can't help but be a little concerned. If we can have an idea of what we might potentially have to face while we're here, that'd be better than going blind into another storm."

Cal was fine with helping people in need, but it was hard to offer it when you hadn't been given the choice, and when those who were depending on you refused to show themselves. It was easier to look at things in the perspective of helping those others in the same predicament to get through whatever trials lay in store for them, with the hope of getting back to wherever they'd been snatched from to begin with.

He set his empty plate and cup aside, feeling a little better after having something to eat, head tilting as Altair talked more of his experiences with ghosts.

"Is...there a reason for that? That seems pretty specific." Something to do with the Force? He wasn't familiar with the ways of the Sith, save for the dark path they chose to follow, and even that was mostly from old stories.

"True. I don't want anyone who've been taken from their homes to get hurt or killed."

His friends, especially. Hux and Eli in particular. Sith were nothing if not stubborn, and Altair was probably the most stubborn of all. He'd sooner die himself than fail to protect someone he loved. Of course, he felt like a failure already- having lost Krista. Whether she had been sent home, whether she was in trouble.

He didn't know.

He said nothing about it, however. He missed her and he worried for her and everyone else who'd gone, but he wouldn't place that burden on Cal.

"A rare power among Sith, I think. Perhaps among Jedi, too- how would I know, after all. My ancestor told me that ghosts can sense me from far away, and that I rouse strong emotions in them. A source of great power, that has been the downfall of many."

Of course, maybe these ghosts were different. Or maybe something was different about him.

That prompted more questions, some that Cal didn't think he wanted an answer to. If people ever made it back home, how would any here know it? Had anyone died here? Those were things he didn't want to think about, however frustrating the continued reminder of what little the Agrii explained proved to be.

He sighed, letting himself calm. Perhaps meditation would help. He definitely needed to recenter himself. Too many things happening one after the other still left him unbalanced, and it was almost funny that he'd been given reasonable advice from someone that was the antithesis of a Jedi.

"I've never heard of that sort of ability," he admitted. He wasn't sure what to make of such a power, or what possible good it could serve. Of course, if it was more relevant to the Sith...

"Can't say I'm entirely too surprised. Perhaps it is an ability unique to Sith, or unique to only a few bloodlines. Or perhaps the ability faded away over the thousands of years between us. It's difficult to know, given that I'm only intimately familiar with my own time."

He was curious about what came after of course. Knew a little, what had been told to him by the people from those thousands of years later, after the fall of the Empire he knew, after the rise of something that seemed worse.

"There are things about the Force that even Jedi or Sith cannot understand. We could spend a thousand years and then a thousand more, trying to unravel its mysteries, and we would still come up short."

Altair spent his time at home digging for the secrets of the Sith, his was the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. And even he couldn't claim to know everything, much as he loved following mysteries to their end.

"Well, I'm no expert in the ways of the Sith either. It's still strange trying to digest that there's such a huge span of time differing between when you're from and when I am." From a time when there were just as many Sith as there were Jedi, and even the Jedi were more numerous than they were during the Clone Wars.

Even brushing upon that thought prompted a pang as too easily the memory of those events that had changed everything he'd ever known threatened to push its way to the forefront. He still didn't know the why's, but he doubted that it would change anything. It certainly wouldn't bring back his master, or the Council or the Republic.

"I'm sure I've heard similar said by one of the masters." If they hadn't all been conscripted to fight for the Republic, perhaps his training might have been a whole lot different. Still, he'd been learning a lot along his journey to regain what he'd lost, and in trying to retrace Eno Cordova's footsteps.

"Technically speaking, Jedi shouldn't be."

There was a slightly sarcastic tone to his voice, not mocking, more amused. After all, all the Jedi he'd ever met, or at least most of them, wanted him and his fellows dead and his Empire burned to the ground, their secrets and knowledge wiped off the face of the galaxy.

Altair did not like Jedi generally. But some were alright. Of course, he felt much the same about his fellow Sith, hating those who didn't realize or wouldn't accept that they needed change. Malgus had once had a good idea, though he wanted unity through warfare, not peace- and that Altair could not allow, even if Malgus hadn't been anti-alien.

"Am I sounding like a Jedi then? Maybe I should start talking about murder and mayhem instead to affirm that I am Sith."

More amusement, a little bit of teasing. He couldn't help it.

Sign of still having a sense of humor about things was good, right? Cal snorted lightly, a crooked smile twitching at his lips. "Fair point."

He was pretty sure he couldn't base all Sith off of Altair, even if the man was the only one he'd met who claimed the title. The closest he'd ever encountered who were obvious users of the Dark side were the Inquisitors, and they were specifically trained to go after any surviving Jedi. But then he knew where the Inquisitors came from, what they used to be.

Between the Second Sister and Altair, Cal decided talking with the latter was much more favorable, and not only because Altair wasn't bent on killing him. Although that wasn't to say it didn't make up at least some small part of it.

"Not that it's a bad thing. Both the Jedi and the Sith study the Force, right? So it shouldn't be so strange that both would acknowledge how difficult it would be to try understanding everything about it." It was more in the application where the two sides parted.

"You shouldn't be an expert in the ways of the Sith... But I am glad that you're able to set the fact that we should be natural enemies aside. If only all Sith and all Jedi in my time could put aside their differences and choose peace and prosperity over warmongering and one side trying to eradicate the other. Imagine all we could have gotten done."

Altair enjoyed being Sith. He enjoyed the freedom, the knowledge, and the power. But power alone was not capable of corrupting him and he had his own way of seeing the world and a path forward for the Sith and the Sith Empire. One of sanity and rationality, rather than flying off the handle at the slightest offense.

He wanted to use his power to ensure his people's prosperity, not to torch the world behind him as he went. It was what was typical of his Order, but had the Force wanted a typical Sith, perhaps the Force should have made sure he was born human or pureblood instead.

"And that is a similarity, yes. Our goals may be different, but the Force is a constant- for Jedi, for Sith, and those who aren't either. It does flow through all living things, after all. It's natural that we want to know more."

He paused then, thought, before speaking; "Though should any other Sith from my time show, I suggest being cautious. I might have chosen reason, but most Sith are not so... Balanced."

Most of them were scum. But of course he didn't say that.

Edited 2020-02-24 07:50 (UTC)

"It helps that you were willing to talk and not fight. I don't think I'd be ready to do battle with a Sith either way."

Altair had already seen that he was without a weapon, so Cal didn't feel the need to explain anything more.

"And after getting more of an idea of the situation here, the least sort of thing I'd want to have to deal with on top of everything else is someone after my head just because I'm a Jedi." He paused, reminded of a certain recent network address. "...although it seems like not everyone can set aside any existing grudges with people they consider their enemies, even here."

The Sith's advice was sensible, not to mention it confirmed Cal's own hunches. Altair was a different cut. So what were unbalanced Sith like? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out. "I...figured as much, but yeah. Thanks for the warning."

"I've done more than my share of fighting Jedi... But that doesn't mean I prefer it. When I was a child, I often wished that the Jedi could take me in. It seemed... Better. But the Sith ended up being the ones pulling me out of the slave pens and shipping me off to the Sith Academy instead."

He shook his head. It had been a long time since he was a child. His dreams had changed over the years as well- Jedi, shop owner, artist, starting his own family. Eventually Sith had come to feel right. He enjoyed the freedom that came with getting to choose his own path.

"And I agree- our focus should be unity. Working together not so much for the Agrii's sake, but at least for each other's sake. Fighting each other would be quite the waste of time. Like you said though, not everyone seems to have an actual brain."

It was said in the most deadpan way- he'd seen that network address as well and was extremely annoyed by it.

"You are most welcome. With any luck though, no more Sith will arrive. Much as I miss some of the people from home."

Darth Marr, at least. Vowrawn would be fun to have around. He missed his murderous apprentice, too, despite their personalities differing extremely.

Still, he wouldn't want to pull anyone else away from the fires at home that needed to be put out.

Talk of being found by the Sith over the Jedi caused a dip in Cal's own emotions as he remembered the task he had accepted, the responsibility of finding what Eno Cordova had secreted away on Bogano.

The Second Sister had been a step ahead of them, and just when he'd thought they'd be getting close to catching up... Well, he knew he couldn't blame the Agrii for his own failure, but this new predicament wasn't doing him any favors. Letting the Inquisitors and the Empire get their hands on the locations of Force-sensitive children was something Cal wasn't about to allow.

He lifted his head as he heard the familiar, concerned beeping of BD-1 and looked down by his foot where the droid had come over.

"I don't think anyone needs to be here, at least not the way the Agrii have decided," he said as he glanced back towards Altair. Maybe if he'd been brought before he'd been found by Cere and Greez, then he wouldn't have been too concerned as he wouldn't have much to get back to. But then he wouldn't have met BD-1 either, and the droid had become a friend he was sure he wouldn't have gotten as far as he had now, without.

He leaned down to extend his arm, offering it as a bridge which the little droid eagerly scuttled up and back to his usual place at his back. Slowly Cal got back to his feet, feeling at the very least, a little better. Food and being able to talk some had helped. He supposed he should address the rest shortly.

"I'm going to take your earlier suggestion and find somewhere to meditate," he informed the Sith, smiling weakly. And then maybe after that, he'd be able to finally get some actual rest. He could hope, anyway. "...thanks for your time, Altair. And for the food."

He sensed the dip and thought about asking- before deciding against it.

Had it been something Cal was willing to talk about, ask for advice about, he would have. Opening up was difficult- after all, Altair was not at all interested in speaking about what had happened to him before his arrival, the source of the occasional dip into a terror deep enough to drown in. Not with anyone besides the one person who already knew.

"No. Definitely not. We don't need to be here and we shouldn't be- not in the way we are. But we can only get through this by relying on each other."

Much as he hated the thought of relying on those he still considered strangers. He'd made friends, but. He couldn't only rely on them- though he welcomed them relying on him as heavily as they wanted. After all, the distraction was welcome.

"A fine idea. Should you need me, you know how to get a hold of me. If I'm not here, you could always send me a message, as well."

Or reach out with the Force to locate him. There was that, too.

Maybe some day. Cal was still working on trusting people, and while it was a little easier to do so with having a shared predicament, much of what he offered about himself he figured was on a need-to-know basis. There also seemed little point in burdening others with concerns he himself could do nothing about while he was here.

"Makes better sense than trying to stick it out alone." Thus far most of those he'd spoken to had similar feelings regarding the Agrii, but weren't above looking out for each other. It would only be right to do his own part to help out.

"I'll do that." Nodding at Altair, Cal turned to retrace his steps out. At least there didn't seem any shortage of solitary places to meditate. He imagined that would be the easy part.

Wanda doesn't recognize him, but that's not terribly surprising. She must have missed some of the new arrivals - it's been hard to drag herself out of bed after they returned from the storm. She can't help but feel like she failed and her anger and sadness have nowhere to go. But today is a day she can stand to be in the greenhouse without the memories causing her too much pain.

Which is why she's here to find Cal investigating one of the soap plants. "That one isn't for eating," she says in an accent that shares a remarkable similarity to a certain Nightsister. "Not unless you like eating soap."

He'd been fingering the leaves as his little droid buddy scanned a clump to add to his database. Upon being approached, Cal lifts his head, glancing up at the woman. A half-smile tugs at his face as he looks back at the plant.

"Nice to know. Hear that, BeeDee?"

BD-1 borbles as he adds this notation to his records, stepping around Cal as the Padawan rises to his feet.

"I said I'd try helping out around here but I think I'm in over my head," he admits, chuckling a little. "I'm Cal by the way. And this is BeeDee-One."

"I'm Wanda. I didn't take the Agriculture point either but I have been here long enough to know some things." She shrugs. "Mostly I let Tommy and Sansa tell me what needs attention most. This is so much more than I've cared for before."

And to think she'd once thought their garden on Naviadna was bordering on extravagent. There's literal floors of plants here, far more than anyone without the assistance of the data points (or some kind of augmented brain) could keep track of.

"Were you looking for something to eat? There are plants much tastier than that."

"I'm still getting used to the idea of just downloading information like that. My only previous experience with plants was picking up non-lethal specimens for my friend's terrarium whenever I was out wandering." He scratches the back of his head as he looks around again.

Cal had nearly been overwhelmed when they found the greenhouse. Sure, he's been to planets so lush and full of plantlife, but presented as things are here, he had no idea where to even begin. Picking an outermost row and working their way down seemed the best tactic.

"Wasn't particularly looking for something to eat, although those would be nice to note. Mostly we were just having a look around. I told someone named Tommy that I'd try to help out. Although I think I'm a better hand with machinery."

"It doesn't hurt, but it does feel...strange. It is not something I would want to do again if I could avoid it." She'd put it off for a while herself, not exactly eager to be altered in that way again. She's been poked and prodded, literally and figuratively, enough to last a lifetime, thank you very much.

"Tommy found some of the...most interesting plants here." She grins. "Like the blue bananas."

"I'm not exactly crazy about it myself. I'm a little concerned as to how that works, exactly." Downloading such things like a droid seemed a little too convenient, and aside from potentially having abilities tampered with, Cal had to wonder what else the Agrii had done to ensure their 'heroes' could be of use.

"Blue bananas..?" He didn't sound particularly familiar with the name.

"I haven't seen anything strange in anyone's mind, even before I touched the Communications point." She shrugs. "We don't have very many good choices. The data points help us understand this world and its technology so we can survive, but...we don't know if we will regret it later."

She tilts her head to the side to motion for him to follow and starts walking towards the cyanana trees. "You don't have to take one if you don't want to. Some of the skills can be taught the normal way."

That has the padawan give the woman a curious look. Not seeing anything strange in anyone's mind? "What do you mean by that?" he asks. Either way, it's a small reassurance at least, and he can only nod as he agrees the potential of it being helpful...and risky.

Cal follows after Wanda, nodding. "Normal way sounds best. I figure it's kind of late to refrain from touching any of these data points at all, but...it's something to keep in mind."

He supposes the Agrii would rather have them get things together around here sooner than later, and perhaps that's why they have such things on hand. Which only makes him more wary, really, but he still wants to help out those also stuck here rather than be a dead weight.

"I have...powers." Wanda summons a small wisp of scarlet energy. "I can see into minds if I want to. My husband took the Agriculture point soon after we were brought here. If something had changed in him, I should have seen it."

She dismisses that small display of power. "Usually when the Agrii want something from us, they just move us as they like. They locked us on our ships for weeks once."

It's a show of visible power that Cal's only witnessed once before, except the glowing tendrils aren't green. He knows there are Jedi abilities that brush upon affecting the mind, so he wonders if perhaps Wanda's are something similar. Invasive as such a power can possibly be, Cal takes some comfort in knowing that there's at least some reassurance that data points don't have any unwanted side-effects.

"I see," he says, nodding carefully. "That's a relief. ...and an interesting power." He's already learned that there are others with unique abilities, aside from the fact that the Agrii have somehow managed to even dampen some of those said abilities. It's probably not a bad thing to know what others can do.

That can wait when Wanda's given him other information to think about. Cal frowns as she relates how much power the Agrii potentially have over them. "Considering how we were brought here, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but that doesn't mean I agree with their methods. Did they say why they give any reasons for their actions? Warnings?" He suspects a no on the latter.

Wanda just shakes her head. "They will explain it afterwards but they do what they like with us. Just like they didn't ask for our help before bringing us here. They act like they don't understand us but...I am not sure." She's been used and manipulated too many times to just believe people who have already shown questionable moral judgment. Kidnapping is kidnapping, regardless of language barrier.

And before he can ask the obvious question: "We haven't seen one in person, just once over the communicators. Wherever they are, they are not close enough to read."

Cal sighs at that. He can't really say that he hasn't his own doubts on just how much the Agrii may be aware of regarding their actions, but it's also difficult to gauge when they haven't had much correspondence with them. He would have still appreciated being asked first.

"And yet they're close enough to keep an eye on us." And do as they felt necessary. "They don't play fair, do they." It's not really a question.

Wanda shrugs and makes a face. "People like this never do."

~~She's not bitter in the slightest; whatever gave you that idea?~~

She leads him to a strange, tropical-looking tree that is growing plenty of bright blue bananas. She gestures sharply and a cloud of scarlet power pulls one down to float in front of Cal. "It is...tart, but good." Kind of like a mix between a lime and a pickle.

For a moment he can't help but think of his experience with the Haxion Brood and Sorc Tormo's arena. At least the Agrii hadn't seemed that malicious.

It's not the strangest thing he's ever seen, although he does have to arch a brow at Wanda's display of power as she fetches one of the plant's offerings. So it isn't limited to looking into people's minds...

BD-1 looks over his shoulder at the floating blue banana, his scanner flickering to life as light plays over the thing. Cal chuckles, reaching out to take it after the droid's finished.

"So what else can you do with your powers?" he asks Wanda as he studies the cyanana. Is he supposed to peel this thing? The skin looks on the thick side, but the stem looks like it could break off from the rest of it.

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A Path Forward (OPEN LOG)

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