Initiate Calinhad: Mission to Arkania

Tirus received a message from one of the consular that was stationed in the capitol of Arkania that spice was being shipped to Alderaan’s capitol and even Station Gamma. Not doubt some smuggler on the station had gotten greedy. Tirus had never trusted the smugglers they were not bound by anything but money, no devotion or code. He pondered the situation wandering out of his room toward the council chambers.

The members of the council wandered in to their seats giving greetings to their friends and speaking amongst themselves quietly before the meeting began. Tirus stepped into the room dipping his head in a respectful greeting to many of the senior members. Making his way to his seat he kept silent eyeing each of the masters in turn as he prepared his words for the coming meeting.

Master Jaysh was the last to enter the room his words were short with the other members as he found his seat next to Tirus. His placid nature often bored Tirus though he gave respect to the man for his knowledge and wisdom. He raised a hand calling the meeting to order. “It is good to see that we are all in such high spirits today, the enclave has been prospering in the last few weeks. Master Allanon, I believe you have some news for us on the progress of some of our initiates in their training?”

Allanon gave a curt nod his voice filled the room with confidence. “My teachings with the initiates have been fruitful to say the least, no doubt they are learning from the examples of us all.” He paused, all the others knew of his arrogance and that he was the only example some of them had had recently. “They have been keeping a presence in the capitol and learning from the different people in the city. I will be requesting some of them be taken on by our knights.”

The councilors eagerly agreed to the proposal hoping to bolster their numbers after the losses they suffered from the attack on Alderaan. Tirus spoke over the soft mumbling that stirred in the room causing the rest to quiet themselves. “Excuse me Master Allanon but is it wise to rush along our initiates? I do not believe many of them have even completed a mission with one of the masters. Council, it is vital to our order that we increase our numbers I understand, but we must also recognize the flaws in the young ones. If we are not patient in our teachings I fear many of them will merely be pulled into a war they are not prepared for; a war that may cause them to fall to a darker path.”

Allanon was reluctant to admit it but Tirus was right they still needed to be tested. His voice took on a more humbled tone. “Master Tirus you are right in this, we do not wish to sacrifice training to gain numbers. The problem that we face is the lack of masters to take initiates on missions, and at the moment we have not been plagued by problems.” The council looked between the two men each commanding a certain presence within the room.

Tirus looked to the other members of the council allowing the place to grow quiet with anticipation. “I have a matter to address actually, one of my consular has informed me that spice is being transported to Alderaan and Station Gamma from Arkania. I have not heard from my consular in a few days and would request the council allow me to investigate the matter further. Before her disappearance she sent a message stating that she had felt as though somebody was following her, something or someone haunted her thoughts. I would be willing to take an initiate with me to investigate the situation perhaps you have someone in mind Master Allanon.” All eyes turned to the man as he thought about the different initiates.

“If I may council, I believe that Calinhad Arakus would be good for the mission.” Master Jaysh interrupted the tag between the two others. His voice as usual was dull and hung in the room. “He shows promise although I believe he needs to be tested in a more real situation. His words in my history classes have wisdom although are often laced with deep emotions, we need to watch this.”

“Calinhad is not ready for such a mission, his connection to the Force is not refined enough he could cause more damage than help.” Allanon protested his voice drowning out Jaysh.

Tension in the room ascended sharply before setting again. Tirus voice rang clear and commanding. “I will take the young man with me to the capitol, if anything goes wrong he will return and continue his training in the safety of the enclave.”

The council agreed to the terms calling in a young knight to send word to Calinhad to prepare himself for a trip to the capitol. The remainder of the meeting was filled with preparations for other initiate missions, at the rate they were going the entire council would be away for the next few weeks. Settling on sending three masters out the meeting was adjourned.



Tirus prepared his shuttle for the trip to his home world; the few crewmembers aboard scurried about making the last preparations for take off. Long ago Tirus had disconnected himself from Arkania though many of his missions took his there due to his knowledge of the society. Making his way to the bridge he waited for Calinhad to join him before the ship set off.

Blue-Jedi Knight messenger from the Council

'What a boring day,' Calinhad thought as he sat in his room studying the latest history lesson he had gotten from Master Jaysh. When he was with Master Bailimur, there was always something going on, always some new mission to take on or some new mystery to solve. Ever since his old master's death, Calinhad's talents had gotten a little rusty. Calinhad had always blamed himself for his master's death. Master Bailimur had died saving him after all. He always wondered at that, wasn't the life of a Jedi Master more important than that of a lowly initiate?

"Initiate Calinhad, you are to report to Master Tirius's ship immediatley."

The sudden interruption pulled Calinhad from his thoughts. He looked up at the Knight, wondering if he was in some sort of trouble for speaking his mind in class.

"Uh, ok. Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"I was just told to send you to Master Tirius's ship. I think you may be going on a mission, so pack some things."

Calinhad jumped up. His first mission, this was his chance to get everything back on track and prove to everyone, himself and his fallen master included, that he could be the Jedi he was supposed to be.

"Alright then, messaged recieved. Thank you."

The Jedi Knight gave a bow and walked off. Calinhad back some clothes in his bag, along with some med-pacs just in case. He fastened his lightsaber onto his belt and put on his initate robes. On his way out, Calinhad grabbed his datapad.

"Might be able to get some studying in during the trip."

He made his way to the ship and set his bag down near one of the seats. He walked into the bridge and gave a bow.

"Master Tirius, I was told to report to your ship. What service do you require of me?"

The last preparations were made on the ship the crew anxious as always to leave the station behind and go to some foreign world. Although the Jedi was trained to pilot the aircraft he left matters to another so that he might take the time on the ship to prepare for the return to his home world. Although the pilot was not with the station he often worked for Tirus on the side bringing goods that he needed as well as piloting the shuttle for the Jedi. Tirus placed a hand on the man’s shoulder startling him slightly.

“Good to see you again captain, I am sure the flight will be uneventful as usual.” He smirked the man turning to give him an amused look.

“It seems that every time I fly this craft I end up getting shot at either on board or from some other ship that takes a liking to the colors you fly.” He chuckled a bit taking the man’s hand into a tight handshake. “It is good to see you again Master Tirus, I hope that this time you will be going on some peaceful mission that will keep me out of trouble. Of course, if that was the case I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

“Now now, you make me seem like some sort of war monger. You are right though I would be flying the ship myself if there wasn’t a possibility of needing a better pilot.” The doors to the bridge slid open giving a low hiss turning Tirus looked at the young initiate.

“Master Tirus, I was told to report to your ship. What service do you require of me?”

“It is not a service I require of you but one that the enclave and Alderaan require.” The pilot held back a bit of laughter turning back to the helm. “Captain I think we are ready for departure, I will be in my quarters if you need me.” The man gave a grunt in response.

“Walk with me Calinhad and I will tell you the nature of our mission.” He walked past the initiate not waiting for a response. Once they exited the bridge he started again making his way about the ship as he spoke. “We will be traveling to Arkania to follow a lead that one of my consular has come across. She believed that “Spice” is being transported to Alderaan, normally we would not follow this lead although some of it has been going to Station Gamma. In her last report, before she disappeared, she said that she felt as though someone was watching her as if something was haunting her no matter where she went.” He stopped abruptly turning to the man. “We are going to figure out where she is and what could have been after her.” He continued walking.

“I warn you, the Arkanians are not the friendliest people and the nature of this may have roots in the dark side. If ever you feel as though you are being pulled to far you must tell me. Also, any commands I give you are orders meant to be followed no matter the situation. “ He stopped in the middle of a large room with work benches on either side, a clutter of things was piled about. “This is where we will be working, excuse the mess I haven’t cleaned since my last project aboard the ship. Is there anything that you wish to ask me?”

Green-Jedi Master Tirius Melnov

"Walk with me Calinhad, and I will tell you the nature of our mission."

Calinhad walked alongside Master Tirius, listening intently to the older man's words.

"We will be traveling to Arkania to follow a lead that one of my consular has come across. She believed that “Spice” is being transported to Alderaan, normally we would not follow this lead although some of it has been going to Station Gamma. In her last report, before she disappeared, she said that she felt as though someone was watching her as if something was haunting her no matter where she went.”

'Spice, huh? From Arkania?' Calinhad had not heard of anyone on the station using spice, but then again, he wasn't really privvy to that kind of information anyway.

Master Tirius stopped abruptly and turned towards Calinhad.

“We are going to figure out where she is and what could have been after her. I warn you, the Arkanians are not the friendliest people and the nature of this may have roots in the dark side. If ever you feel as though you are being pulled to far you must tell me. Also, any commands I give you are orders meant to be followed no matter the situation."

'The dark side,' Calinhad's eyes lit up. He was always looking for a chance to prove his mettle against agents of the Sith.

“This is where we will be working, excuse the mess I haven’t cleaned since my last project aboard the ship. Is there anything that you wish to ask me?”

Calinhad looked up at the Jedi Master. The man's emerald eyes demanded respect, even if Tirius himself didn't say the words. His peircing eyes could probably make a Rancor run in fear, but they also held a gentleness towards the members of Station Gamma.

"I do have a few questions, Master Tirius. Who is the Consular that gave you this information, and how did she get any information from the Arkanians at all? Also, have you found out who is recieving the shipments on Alderaan and here on the station."

Those emerald eyes scanned the young man allowing the Force to help in his sight, he could see the Force radiating from him in gentle waves. The youth was talented that was for sure although unrefined yet and in need of some experience outside the enclave. The connection faded as the man spoke those eyes turning less critical and more warm.

"I do have a few questions, Master Tirius. Who is the Consular that gave you this information, and how did she get any information from the Arkanians at all? Also, have you found out who is recieving the shipments on Alderaan and here on the station."

"Consular Roshla, a togruta that has been on the station since I joined. She is very reliable and is often sent on missions under my command or that of the council. I had been attempting to procure some information and technology from Arkania, things that are not normally sold in the best establishments when she obtained the information. The buyer had been wondering if she was sent from Alderaan to pick up the next shipment of goods that was heading there, she fit in well enough and was able to collect some data and find out what was being sent." He went silent making his way over to one of the tables that was less cluttered. Picking up a datapad he scrolled through till he found what he was looking for.

"In her last report she said that she felt as though she was being watched as if somebody or something was constantly with her. She never left Arkania to find meet the receiver on Alderaan, either way she is in trouble and we need to find her. I would go wait in your room, take this it has all her recordings along with information o Arkanian society, spice, and technologies of Arkanian making." He held his hand out eagerly giving a smile.

Cyan-Information recording

Calinhad grabbed his bag and made his way to his room on the ship. I wasn't as big as the one on the station; just a bed, a chair, and small table. He put the bag under the bed and took off his robe, placing it over the chair to add a bit more comfort. He plopped down, glad to be off his feet. He was rahter nervous about his first mission, and the fact that it may have roots in the dark side, didn't help the tension. He help up the recording device.

"Playback, information on Arkania."

"Arkania is the adopted homeworld of the Arkanian race. It is covered with tundra and rich in diamonds and other precious minerals, which the Arkanians mine to further their offworld connections and master their technology. Arkanian cities are designed to keep the cold out, and are mostly completely enclosed. Off-world visitors rarely have to deal with the frigid conditions of the planet. The population is estimated to be around 250-300 billion people."

He paused the recording for a moment, thinking to himself.

'An ice world, huh?' He thought with a sigh, letting the recording continue.

"Arkania was originally a world in the ancient Sith Empire, during which time it was the site of a Sith library called Veeshas Tuwan, established around 4,200 years ago. Sith Lords would experiment with dark side magic in concealed chambers, and as the library grew over thousands of years, it eventually became so large that no one could actually find what they were looking for. After the exile of Naga Sadow, the Jedi sent several Masters to Arkania to destroy Veeshas Tuwan, and so they did. After the library's demolition, Arkania remained unpopulated for some thousand years."

'So the world does have ties to the dark side,' Calinhad thought, a slight shiver running through his spine.

"When the Jedi on Ossus heard of a possible re-emerging Sith force, they sent Jedi Masters across the known galaxy to places strong in the dark side, and Master Arca Jeth was sent to Arkania. Jeth cleansed the world of the dark side as much as possible and set up a Jedi Praxeum on the planet, where he would later train such Jedi as Ulic Qel-Droma, Cay Qel-Droma, and Tott Doneeta. Many of the near-Human people to which Jeth belonged came with him and settled on the world: they came to be known as Arkanians. A number of diamond mines were established on the world."

Calinhad seemed very interested at the mention of Master Arca Jeth. He had always admired the man after learning about him form his old master.

"By the time of the Mandalorian Wars, Arkania remained largely populated by the original Arkanian species. "Genetic offshoots" like Camper and Jarael were unwelcome to say the least, and when those two visited Arkania 1,265 years ago to find a cure for Camper's illness, they found themselves pursued by powerful forces bent on capturing Camper and retrieving an unknown secret that he held: Adascorp, the world's most powerful corporation, run by the House of Adasca. Due to their high sensitivity to infrared light, Arkanians in the Jedi Civil War time period developed infrared "blinders" for when they traveled to worlds that were noticeably high in such emissions. This technology was adapted to filter out excessive amounts of any electromagnetic energies, thus preventing "ocular overload" in native Arkanians."

The recording ended. Calinhad sat back in his chair, letting the information seep in.

When he opened his eyes, he looked out the window and noticed there were no longer in space. The ship was landing in a snowy clearing not far from the capitol. He put on his robe and grabbed the datapad.

'Hopefully, I'll get a chance to study more of this info before the action starts.'

He exited his room and made his way to the loading ramp, awaiting Master Tirius.

The captain’s quarters were always finely crafted although in Arkanian modeled ships such as the one that Tirus flew the room was half taken by scientific trinkets with a comfortable, but modest, bed slipped into the corner. The Edessa was a magnificent ship of rather small construction. It was capable of comfortably holding fifteen people, with shared quarters, although most of the ships quarters had been transformed into science labs for Tirus and his crew; the ship only had five rooms that were left open for crewmembers. Although not heavily armed it did hold some of the technological advancements in Arkanian technology at its’ disposal should a fight arise.

Tirus made his way back to the large cluttered room that served as the main research, communications, and social area for the ship. He circled a small table his hand tracing the ancient runes that littered its’ surface. Wandering over to a metal container nearby he typed in the code the top spinning open to reveal jars of different liquids and powders. Shuffling around the box he dug deep feeling around; pulling his hand from the box his eyes met a large black vial, glitterstim. The rumble of hyperdrive settled as the ship came into orbit above the planet. The voice of the captain sounded in the large room. “Master Tirus we have arrived outside the city looks like it is going to be a cold one out there.”

“It always is.” Tirus mumbled to himself grabbing a heavy robe he had brought from his room, he placed the spice back in the box sealing it with a pass code. Making his way to the loading ramp he signaled for it to be lowered. Looking Cali had over he gave a smirk; the initiate was going to get cold. He wasted no time in exiting the ship looking out at the desolate landscape that was his homeworld. He waited a moment to insure Calinhad followed before he started off toward the glimmering towers that stood inside a protective bubble.