Kytra was no less eager for their impending drop than Ethan was, the Selonian’s paws trembling as she situated herself in a seat across from the two Champions. 
“I-I don’t know about this!” she squeaked as Neta’s voice warned them of thirty seconds left to prepare. “Can’t I stay with Neta?” 
“No.” Aria shook her head firmly, stifling a chuckle of amusement. “You’ll never learn anything if you spend all your time hiding on the ship. Relax, we can do this.” as her apprentice took some calming breaths, Aria addressed their pilot instead. “Hey Neta....you be careful up here, okay? It’s no good if none of us get back to Zinuthra. Don’t do anything stupid.” this time, she couldn’t help but bark a short laugh, this was all so backwards - usually, Neta was the one telling HER to be careful, but somehow she had a feeling Neta would be in just as much (if not more) danger up here amongst the flying debris, as they would be on the planet’s surface. Before she could wait for an answer from Neta, however, the pilot announced the drop and Aria’s gut twisted uncomfortably as she was overcome with the sensation of free-falling at high speed. 

[i]Here we go.[/i] There was no time for theorising and analysis now, this was it. Now or never. The Champion drew in a deep breath to steady herself, shutting her own eyes so she could better focus on the task at hand as Yerbol extended a shield barrier around the craft. The maneuvers which Ethan had to perform in order to prevent them from being bumped out of space before they even hit the atmosphere were enough to turn her guts inside out, but somehow - whether it was adrenaline or meditation in the Force or a combination of both, she kept her head on straight and extended her senses outwards, finding the individual eddy currents that surrounded them. A gentle push outwards here, a pull inwards there...this required a lot more finesse than the shuttle over Quensu had and she was grateful for more experience this time around which allowed her to work despite the constant pitching and rolling of the ship around them as Ethan tried to avoid the flying projectiles. She heard Kytra squeak opposite her as they plummeted rapidly towards the surface, gritting her teeth as the ship slipped slightly when the apprentice lost her focus. 

The residual pain that radiated down her spine was completely unexpected and powerful enough to jolt the Champion’s eyes open in shock. She knew that what she felt through their bond was only a fraction of the agony her partner was feeling, and yet it was still enough to distract her focus from her work. The ship wobbled violently as they plunged nose-first into the electrical storm, and if Ethan’s cursing was anything to go by, they were heading for a collision course with the surface if she didn’t do SOMETHING. It had been a long time since she had blocked him out of her mind, and under any other circumstances she would abhor the thought, but if she didn’t shut this pain out they’d crash...sure as Bantha poodoo. Thankfully, throwing up a temporary barrier worked well enough to allow her to grab back control of their careening transport before it was too late, the nose pulled level as electricity crackled over the shield around them. Aria gritted her teeth, dispersing some Force lightning across the barrier in an attempt to deflect the worst of the electricity as Ethan frantically searched for a landing zone.
“Just land SOMEWHERE! It doesn’t matter at this point, just get us out of the damn sky!!!” Aria’s hands clenched into fists as she tried to keep the ship on a steady course, but found her grip steadily slipping without any assistance. “KYTRA, I NEED YOU TO HELP ME KID, COME ON!”
“SORRY, I’M SORRY!” Kytra squealed in apology, thankfully snapping out of whatever fear-induced stupor had previously been held over her as at that point, the weight of the transport lessened and it no longer felt as if Aria were trying to maneuver it completely by herself. Mere seconds after Ethan announced the one-hundred feet mark, the bang as the shuttle collided with the surface rang all through the compartment, forcing the last breath from the Champion’s lungs as she was thrown forward, then back again in quick succession. Something in her neck cracked unnaturally and Aria swore loudly as the spacecraft ground to a screeching stop. 

As Ethan and Kytra gave a few celebratory cheers (which looked quite comical, considering that Kytra’s fur was standing on end due to the violent descent they had just made, giving her the appearance of a giant, brown puffball that waved its tiny appendages through the air while whooping triumphantly), Aria brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck in the hopes that the worst of the pain would subside in doing so. 
Yerbol’s question jolted her back into focus, the Champion immediately unstrapping herself and twisting in her seat to face her partner. 
“Hey, is Yerbol okay?” she glanced over her shoulder at Ethan and Kytra as he inquired after their other teacher, managing what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
“He’ll be fine, he just needs a minute.” though the slight crack in her voice as she spoke betrayed her lack of certainty, “Ethan, why don’t you take Kytra and have a look around the area...see if there’s a way for us to get out of this clearing without a transport, or a compound or something nearby that we can aim for. DON’T go too far, and if you see anything remotely suspicious, DO NOT engage and come straight back, alright?”
“Yes, Master!” the Selonian saluted, quickly ducking out of the doorway and disappearing from sight. Ethan was less quick to obey, lingering to throw concerned glances in his mentor’s direction until Aria shot him a withering glare that sent him hurrying after Kytra. Sending them away and giving them something to occupy their thoughts seemed like a good way forward until she was sure what was wrong with Yerbol, there was no use frightening them any more than they already were. They had a long way to go still. 

With the two youngsters out of earshot, she knelt beside him and helped him free of the harness, gently cupping his face in her hands as the questions rushed out in a single breath, almost melding into one she spoke so fast.
“Are you okay, what was that, what happened?!” she huffed out a sharp breath, leaning forward to touch her forehead to his as she funnelled some of her own energy through their bond, just enough to give him some of his strength back. “Can you stand? We should try and get you outside, into the air...it’s probably not ‘fresh’ air, but it’ll be better than in here.” a wry smirk twitched across the Champion’s features as she planted a quick kiss to his lips and stepped back, offering him her hand to help him up. “Take it easy, okay? I don’t want you collapsing on me.” they made their way slowly out of the crashed shuttle and stepped out onto a charred, black landscape that was barren as far as the eye could see. Not a single sprig of vegetation was present, in fact the “clearing” which Ethan had thought they were put down in turned out to be a flat outcrop of ground surrounded by gargantuan-sized cliffs that jutted up several hundred feet into the air and formed an almost bowl shape around them. Kytra and Ethan were easily visible as small specks in the distance, steadily growing into more recognisable persons as they made their way back over to report their findings. 
“It looks like this is just a big valley.” Ethan mumbled, shifting his weight nervously. 
“There’s a pathway dead ahead that looks like it heads up and out.” Kytra explained. “But till we get up there it’ll be hard to tell...can’t see anything over these cliffs.” the Selonian’s fur had settled down since the crash, but had not laid completely flat and still prickled with unease as she looked between the two Champions. “I don’t like this place, Masters, it feels….twisted.” 

Aria could not berate her apprentice for her trepidation. She could feel it herself, the cloying presence of evil wreathed around every rock and crack in the earth. As if to re-inforce their fears, a bright green bolt of electricity suddenly knifed through the murky sky above their heads, tinting everything in an eerie, green light for a few moments before it faded away again. Seconds later, the clap of sound detonated like a shot from a rifle, so loudly that it almost felt as if it permeated through the floor and into their bones. 
This planet had more Dark Side energy than Korriban and Dromund Kaas had ever had put together. The feeling of destruction and loss that dominated here was worse than anything the Qyaari scouting party had ever experienced in their lives. 
“Neither do I, Kytra. But we don’t exactly have a choice.”