Name: Pandora

Gender: Female, she/her

Age: 40

Tribe: Daioko

Height: 7'2"

Wings: full flight, leathery, indigo blue, dark blue

Skintone: dark brown

Hair: black with brown tint, tight wooly texture

Eyes: dark brown-violet

Arms: deep green, grass green

Distinguishing Marks: none, though her tail does have a bit of a kink at the end and is lacking much of a tuft

Personality: patient but it's wearing thin; she wants more than the Empire or Alliance might offer her homeworld, and she'd prefer to be left out of any wars.

Tribal Duties: scout, defense

Other Duties: keeps track of Imperial presence and occasionally traps their outposts

Pandora was neither so young that she didn't know about the galaxy at large, nor so old that she'd set herself up on one side or another. If she had to choose between the available - viable - options, she would certainly pick the Alliance, if for no other reason than she wanted everyone to be able to choose their own way, rather than having a way foisted upon them by the Empire.

She had been young when the galaxy still was fighting between clones and droids, but she didn't remember that - they hadn't shown up anywhere near Mahar or its moons. The dragons that Karen had brought near the tribe gathering location were only two of four, and it was a good thing that the last one hadn't been brought closer. Because he was simply massive. And of the group, he picked up Shara, and only Pandora was brave enough to offer to fly with her on his long neck and broad shoulders.

When the dragons picked up the K'thari group to take them to Karen's world, she was pretty sure she would want to see more like this. Their world, from overhead, their own moon lush and forested, with clouds gathering around the snowy peaks and tumbling down into their valley to mix with the cook fire smoke.

The scenic vista was echoed in the place that they ... they teleported to, it was incredibly beautiful. Their trip was just like that - a sort of cold, dark pop and they were no longer flying over Mahar's moon, and everyone knew it. The sky was slightly the wrong color, there was no looming gas giant or a more distant bright star. Instead, an evening sky barely darkened at one horizon and still golden on the other. No one recognized the patterns of the stars above.

There was an oldness to this place, something that might have been weary, had it been a person. But it wasn't weary now - it was bustling with wings in the air. Around what looked to be a similar pyramidal temple to some of the ruins. All the K'thari who arrived on this journey knew that their elders would have had absolute fits about that - don't go there, never go there. Unless you want to find amazing treasures of course, unless you want to flesh out your knowledge of the galaxy and its peoples...

Before the sun had absolutely vanished below the swirling clouds to the west, all of the dragons flew in what appeared to be a formation around the temple. The keener eyed folk among the K'thari noticed there were plenty of humanoids down there, apparently happy to have their friend coming home.

Pandora could feel Shara stiffen a bit, but it would only be Larice that might get uppity. Imperials weren't welcome here, that much was evident by a craft that had been gutted in a courtyard, already with wild growth over it. They left the dragon's back, Pandora lingering just a moment longer; she leaned down closer to the direction of the great black dragon's head, and called a thanks to him.

She felt the sound of a rumbling, it was odd - she was still sitting, she could feel his chuckle more than hear it.

As the group would be set up with enough information to go on, prepared for new journeys to ... well, wherever, Pandora and the others also took in the sights here. The temple she had taken over was older than anything they'd seen, even the ruins on Mahar's moons weren't half as magnificent as this. Some bits were off limits, but mainly it seemed because they were private residences for the ... students?

Jedi and Sith it seemed. Karen had explained casually over their group meal, that anyone was welcome, and she knew secrets of the Sith that weren't even known by those evil creatures running the Empire. None of the K'thari here would be interested in that sort of learning, their skills were already honed, for the most part. With as many limbs as they had, and their keen vision, Pandora had led a good number of forays scouting around the Daioko territory. They didn't need the Force to aid them, they could listen to the birds and insects, the way the trees creaked with the wind, those were the only secrets that Pandora was really interested in.

***

She would go to a place that Karen called 'Techotl', it was not on any star chart. But unlike her ancient Sith temple world, it wasn't on a chart because it wasn't even in the same dimension.

Most of the K'thari had no idea what that could mean, but also none of them asked about it save for Pandora. It was explained then, that worlds - not just planets, but whole ... universes? - could be resting right beside this one, only 'at a different frequency' or... Something something. While she didn't regret asking, Pandora would simply let it rest because unless it was going to come up as very important, she would prefer to concentrate on the here and now.

The next day, it was again the massive black Midnight who posed casually at the edge of the clearing outside the Temple. Karen's expression told Pandora that this was unusual. "Well, he likes you, I guess?" The human said with a chuckle.

Karen wasn't going with them, rather she made sure to hand Pandora a very specific star chart. She recognized the stars - even if they'd only been in the sky above the Temple a short time before she slept, Pandora knew that was what this chart showed. Somehow it would be important, "it's for the dragons to navigate to," was her explanation.

When Pandora settled herself (with a pack of gear provided by the Temple's well-meaning bird-lady in the kitchen) onto the great black dragon's back, she felt again that he was 'speaking' from his chest making a purring subsonic rumble, long before a bellow erupted from his mouth some distance away.

It was his mind, however, that reached into her own. Telepathy was uncommon at best among even talented species, but apparently it was something that dragons just did? Some of them anyway? It felt like the richest and sleekest hide, soft velvet, but also like the biggest hide, from the biggest creature one could possibly imagine.

This trip will be longer, and colder. He bespoke clearly, knowing that Pandora would comply with whatever he was about to instruct. She was no fool, and he recognized that instantly. It may cause your body to want to panic, but do not. I will not lose you in this space. I advise, Midnight claimed as his great wings opened and pushed them into the foggy morning sky, that you keep your eyes and mouth shut while we travel. And- your wings, fold them tight. Even my wings get brittle on a journey this long.

If Karen had known how much he was going to talk to this newly found K'thari, she would have mockingly demanded to know why he'd never talk to her that much! But she did not know. All she knew was that the big dragon was gone in a moment barely after clearing the clouds.

***

They did arrive chilled to the bone, but the great Midnight recovered quickly. His wings fluttered, snapping at the ends like flags, as he opened them fully to come to a halt... On the top of a massive tree. There was more to this place than met the eye, too, but Pandora wasn't confident in where she ought to go. She was met by other people, more humanoids, and... there were dragons here.

She felt them staring at her, so she stared right back. She had to be strong enough, and besides if that big dragon liked her, surely another would want to make friends, right?

(from rp)
Pandora hoped, oddly this late in the process of moving between worlds and dimensions, that people here could communicate easily. The treetops were amazing, they were - very big, bigger than trees she'd seen petrified on Mahar's moons. And more than that, they were inhabited by flighted creatures, like herself.

She prided herself on being able to fly, not all of the K'thari could. She'd felt sorry for the first Seslen or Aich'i breeds she had met, long ago - their little wings, while pretty and colorful, some feathered and others like her own leathery ones, those wings weren't even half big enough to break a fall let alone fly. Pandora wasn't positive that she should leap into the air, here - those dragons, or whatever they were here - were watching. And she was definitely not sure they weren't going to just pursue and eat her if she flew into their air space.

But the area was also filled with sounds. Mahar's moon was noisy with bugs and creatures, birds and the occasional screaming engine of a ship that carried Imperials or whoever else to their base. (Those would find their last base booby-trapped in so many ways they would never be able to recount it to their superiors... they would never leave.) This world, she could feel the air moving everywhere, the sticky droplets of high-altitude wetness from the clouds, leaves and vines and pollen blown in cycles. The winds would carry her, they might also smash her to bits on the trunks of these incredibly huge trees.

"Hello?" she said, unsure whether there were ears that knew Basic, "I'm here from the Temple..."

A shadow fell over the platform, momentarily blotting out the streams of light filtering in through the tree cover. With the shift in the light went the air of celebration. A few antirr let out surprised squawks before the whole of their pod fell silent. All eyes turned upward, as there was as much danger that could come from above as there was below.

Mystic too gazed up as the shadow came to a landing on a tree branch out of sight. Wood cracked and leaves flitted down to land on the net below, but no horrible beast revealed itself. With a few quick gestures and some whispered words, she took stock of their late visitor. Then she let out a sigh of relief and let a wave of reassurance ripple out from her mind to the antirr and antirraperna.

“Nothing to be concerned about,” she said in response to the expectant looks turned her way. “Just a new candidate.”

The noises began again. Music and squawks and chatter and laughter, hesitant at first, and then picking up with the same zeal shown moments ago. As if nothing had happened. Yet one spectator remained fixated on the new arrival.

When Pandora called out a greeting to the tree-bound antirr, she received her own reply back to her.

“Hello?” The mimicked call came through the branches. Leaves rustled and talons scraped on bark as the antirr slid herself closer to the new arrivals through the branches. A pale green face peered at Pandora curiously, and then images began to flood her mind. A massive, dark shape, long and sleek with wings that could blot out the sun. A sky-bound hunter on a behemoth scale. And then Midnight, the dragon barely seen through the tree branches, looking like an ant in comparison. The images came with a warm, jovial tone. As if the speaker wished to include Pandora in a joke.

(new)

Pandora was not sure what to make of it at all, perhaps it meant that Midnight was merely showing off and meaningless, or maybe there was a danger out there that could easily squish the big black dragon like a teeny bug. Either way, the Antirr's tone and mental nudge meant that Pandora got a chuckle out of it.

She felt the ease of this dragon's mind, and realized... maybe she was suited to this after all? She was surprised that the dragon spoke in her own language, but hadn't realized that this was more due to her being remarkably adept with mimicry than knowing it outright. That got Pandora thinking - a dangerous thing for some, but in this case it would serve very well later on!

"I wonder how many words you can learn the meanings of... I don't have a datapad with a dictionary on me," she muttered, and the Antirr beside her curiously looked on as the K'thari patted herself down. The minty and dust-green dragoness sidled up closer. Watching with red eyes, that occasionally darted back over her shoulder with a twist of her long neck. Pandora caught that the webbing on her head would raise and lower, handy for conveying mood. Something beyond their clearing, or maybe in it, made this dragon feel anxious.

Mental energy came to Pandora's mind again, seeming to ask to speak more, listen to her song, speak her song. She let loose with a delightful tune, repeated it several times, and Pandora began 'hoo-ing' to the part that she could comfortably 'hoo' to. It was the dragon's name, which one of the locals then added to, "Izel is what she lets us call her:"

Izel, the name moved around Pandora's mind as easily as the hoo-ing. There was much more to the song, high frequency flutters and chirps that were going to elude her for a while. The dragon and Pandora scooted away from the clearing's edge, and the K'thari followed her into a more secluded area. Light dappled down from the canopy, but equally from below now that the sun was setting. They truly were high up, weren't they.

She was reassured in both a mental wave and with confident chirps, that should she fall while she slept, Izel would surely catch her.

Up in the canopy, Midnight seemed to grumble a little, and was answered by Izel - slightly sharper and louder tones, and not accompanied by mental nudges to Pandora so this was a private discussion. He seemed to accept whatever was said, though he didn't approach them. Maybe he went off hunting, since there was a swish and rustle of motion. He'd have to be careful, Pandora felt that strong emination from the Antirr. Everything would try to eat him back.

**

Over the course of the next few weeks, Pandora began to learn things about Izel. She was tough - smaller than some at this big clearing where they met, but grown up enough that she knew her mind and wanted to find a partner. Pandora was her choice, but the multilimbed humanoid would need to prove she could hold her own. And while they might not remain on this world, the best way to make sure they were a good match was to go hunting together... Not to fight, no - there were other Antirr that could easily defeat Izel, but there were creatures to eat and also be wary of below as well as up in the canopy. Midnight confirmed there were significantly bigger and quick animals everywhere.

Izel assured Pandora with a memory, the toughness she had was because she was little, because she was pale-looking. Pandora knew that there were human-centric leaning politicians in the Empire, and that there were many species that had been shunned by them for decades now, but was pretty certain that 'fighting back' would only mean erradication for a few of them.

Team! Us! Hungry, eat.

Pandora nodded, whistled a pair of sharp sounds that she'd learned - tree hunt. They would look around the treetops in branches and knots for their prey.

There were snake like creatures, some able to stiffen themselves and look like the very branches that she walked along, according to Izel they were good eating.

"If they don't eat us first," she muttered with a grin. She had taken weapons to this place, but packed them away with her other gear in the temporary shelter she now slept in. This was to be a hands-on hunt, and she had an idea that she proposed to the dragoness. "You hide, I'll go walking. Find the snake, it sees me, but not you."

I bite, we eat!

"That's the idea!" Pandora chuckled, and they did just that. It didn't take long either, because the trees like everything else on this world were just... dripping with dangerous creatures. She had to attract the snake's attention away from something smaller, but this thing was nearly twice her own height, and at least as thick around. Pandora's bravery was tested, because once that snake spotted her it became almost invisible against the trunk of this tree... Easy to lose visually, so she stood as carefully as she could, wings at the ready - if she had to drop she could do that safely. And she knew that Izel was near, just not exactly where.

It was 'right here', as the snake had ascended leaving only its tail tip where she'd last seen it - and was then nearly snapped in half by Izel's powerful mouth when it attempted to drop onto Pandora. To her credit, the K'thari did not jump away, but she definitely flinched, and that was more because Izel suddenly moved in.

She'd been warned not to eat the meat nearest the bite - that was okay, there was plenty of this thing to go around. As they dragged the snake back to Izel's nesting area Pandora got a good long look at this good long snake. She'd be able to recognize the patterning again, not be fooled by any 'branches' that would try eating her. Izel ate most of the creature, but the amount Pandora kept would have her rolling in rich and slightly-spicy meat for a week at least.

This happened twice more, as the Antirr tested her new friend, and Pandora lived up to expectations. They did fly above the caonpy together, with the shadow of Midnight below just barely above the leaves.

He keeps us safe how cute, Izel commented in both song and mind. She was still amused at the big dark dragon but realized after speaking with him that he would be their 'ride home'.

But not before formalizing their bond. The confidence that the dragon showed in her desire was very strong: they would become flight partners, they would soar over another world's canopy into the clouds and over the hills. Maybe they would return here, to Techotl, and see if others would join later. For now, though, the last week would be tough on Pandora.

That was because the dragon needed to bite her with her venomous mouth and seal the deal. Scent own bite, always know where.

She'd seen how potent that bite could be, seen how Izel could take down massive creatures with it stinging them until they couldn't move. She drew in a long breath and stood straighter, offering her left upper arm. Apparently there would be scarring, obviously there would be - this would leave quite a mark. But it would also mark her as 'the right bond'. A badge of pride.

Once the pain went away. And the pain was - significant. Pandora held her other hands on both her own arm, and Izel's shoulder for support. It would take another full day and some of the next, before Pandora stopped writhing. She barely slept, she shook with it, but finally, after a while and after the song Izel crooned to her in comfort had wormed its way through her very being, Pandora woke from a deep rest. Hungry - and there was still dried snake ready to be pulled apart like jerky. Her arm hurt, not enough to stop her from rising and using it briefly. The scar was more like a ringlet, almost all the way around the arm just below her elbow. It contrasted with the green, almost the same way that Izel's pale and darker greens mixed.

Izel's relief that her friend was now fully awake was obvious. As was Midnight's, but he wasn't bonded, he didn't come in and 'rescue' the woman, she didn't need that. Now, though, it would be time for them to go back to the Temple. Pandora had taught Izel numerous phrases and ideas, and she strung the words together into their own song.

"Meet others, fly high," she sang.

**

Izel clung to Midnight's broad shoulders from below, the only way they could easily travel - she was hardly as long as he was tall standing on those legs of his, she looked like a chest plate as they flew up over the Techotl treetops. Pandora likewise clung to his neck, her pack of things changed inside (some goods, trinkets, animal skins and hides, an egg of some kind...) but otherwise the same bulk as she'd arrived with. The K'thari made sure that Midnight had warned Izel of the cold, the strange between-space, and her bond whistled back that he had.

When they arrived to the Temple, the difference in pressure was definitely noteworthy. They came out high above, but it was still lower than the treetops of their meeting place on another world. It would take a little getting used to, for both Izel and now Pandora. But for the time being, they rested up a little, as Midnight returned to his own lair and others came from inside the Temple.

Geanna, the bird-lady who provided the supplies that Pandora took, gave off a singular squawk that Izel imitated instantly - to everyone's delight.

Pandora got the impression, however, that Geanna would hardly be able to head off to Techotl herself and endure the things needed to bond with one of these amazing dragons. Too uppity, too delicate, but still she would help teach Izel new words and songs. At some point perhaps they would then head out to find their own way in the galaxy, but for the moment Pandora and Izel staked a claim on this temple world, with fewer challenges than Izel's homeworld, but far greater ones ahead as the battles between Imperials and Rebels flared up on other worlds.