Falling

Chapter X

She wanted to help.

Sitting around waiting for something to do was honestly tiresome. She didn't care if she "lacked experience" as Cere had said, she wanted to go help with whatever quest her ginger friend was sent to do. She wanted to prove her capabilities. How was she supposed to do that when all these people asked her to do was tune up the hyperdrive or check to see if the coolant was leaking?

Meanwhile, Cal got to explore planets and seek information for the Holocron. He got to scale formations and fight off danger and become a sort of hero. He got to be a Jedi for hours on end, sometimes days.

And what was she supposed to be?

Nima huffed in exasperation and decided to abandon her blaster on the workbench, leaving it half put together. After leaving the hall, she stopped at the sofa, peered into the cockpit, and saw that both Greez and Cere had their backs turned to her, working on some calibrations, waiting for Cal to contact them when need be or vice versa.

They didn't need her right now. They didn't mind her. How long had they been at that? A couple of hours? They wouldn't notice if she was gone.

Silent, Nima slipped out of the ship.

Dathomir's red sky was startling, to say the least, compared to Bogano and Kashyyyk. It was like a constant smoke was clouding the atmosphere. And yet, the climate was strangely temperate. Mild. There was even some vegetation on the rock formations in the distance, tangling together, scaling the earth.

Nima ventured forward and reached the end of the path ahead, the one she had seen Cal take earlier. She recalled how she had heard the path collapse and turned in a panic only to see him safe on the other side. The relief that had flooded through her was... a lot to say the least.

Now, she gazed into the gaping chasm below. The mist swirled far down, clinging to the rocks and flora. She looked across, where the path still stretched across. She couldn't make that jump. It would be impossible. Maybe. She didn't know for sure. She wasn't going to risk trying though.

The noirette brought her eyes up and looked at the tall structure in the distance. Kujet's Tomb, Cal had said its name was. It loomed over the rest of the horizon, carved into the red rock.

Something was off about that temple. Something cold and foreboding seemed to come from within. It made her uneasy. She didn't like it.

She hoped Cal would be okay.

As she continued to scan her surroundings, she noticed a strange discoloration on the towering rock on her right, dark reds and scattered with holes. It seemed to gleam in the Dathomirian sun, showing off the bright speckles of orange. Curious, she eyed the rock to see how far it would go and saw that it was like a naturally formed sloping bridge that extended past the chasms.

Sparing a glance back at the ship, Nima attempted to hoist herself. If she could just get up this thing...

Her try was in vain, however, as she quickly found she was unable to find a footing, much less keep a good grip on the stone. The holes were nowhere near deep enough for her fingers, and the wall was far too smooth to give any edges. Despite her best efforts to scale it, she could barely stay a few inches off the ground.

The girl grumbled in frustration, kicking the rock with bitter resentment.

"Busy?"

She glanced back to see Cere watching her from the threshold, arms folded over her chest.

Nima bit the inside of her cheek. "Need something?"

"I know you want to help him, Nima. But you need to stay here. This is a dangerous environment—"