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Post by Alexis Karidian on Jan 30, 2014 10:39:05 GMT -8
"I see," Alexis replied quietly, "I was used more as a walking danger alarm by our local street gang. They wanted to know if people were coming in time to hide. But, they never actually liked me." She'd been tolerated sometimes, but only just. More often she'd been beaten and kicked out of the way. Her talents had been useful, but not understood, by herself or others, and as a result, even though she was the smallest, she was also feared and hated as a representative of the unknown.
"It's ok," she reassured Mike, "I don't mind you talking at all. It's kind of nice," she added ruefully. When people found out that she tended to already know things with a wisdom beyond her years, the normal advice generally got left out, and she regretted that. "A lot of people assume I know things, but sometimes it's nice to know that someone is willing to talk them over with me anyway. I guess in a way I have residual survivor's guilt?" she inquired curiously, "But I don't think I could have saved Dav, or that his death was my fault...I just regret that I lived beyond it, you know?"
"I'd like to think so," she replied with tears glimmering in her eyes. She missed Dav. A lot. "That's one reason I would hate to ...fail." She didn't know how to explain this to Mike, so she just went ahead directly, "I'll never have another master, but I don't want to be a failure within the Order either. Just in case Dav is somewhere watching---"
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 14:54:23 GMT -8
"We found a kid like that, a few years after they picked me up. Except, well, they called him Fin. He didn't pick fights, and if it was just him, he'd run rather than fight, but hurt one of this friends..." That had been one of Mike's very first cases with his master. "He always knew when that sort of trouble was coming, and he'd usually end it before it started. Conclusively." For a thirteen year old boy, the sight of the bodies had been quite traumatizing. None of the victims would be missed, mostly paedophiles and the like, but Mike had thought Fin might have gone a bit overboard at times. "He'd be about your age, if he's still alive."
The young knight was relieved to hear he hadn't completely alienated Alexis. For all his knowledge of history and those that made it, he was still hopeless around the living. Knowing that he hadn't blown it was comforting for many reasons. For starters, pissing off the pilot was never a good idea. Also, he was beginning to grow more and more curious about her power set. But mostly, it was because he was starting to like her as a person. Friends were rare in his world, and losing one before the friendship ever started would definitely be enough to drive him back to drinking. The fact that she was young, pretty, and female didn't even cross his mind. Rather, he sensed something of a kindred spirit. Alienated from a young age by powers they didn't understand, taken in by the people that did understand such things, only to find out that they were weirdos after all, both forced to survive the death of their masters far too early; they had a fair bit in common.
He started to reach out to her when he saw the tear, realized he had no idea what the hell he was doing, and aborted the gesture before it was too late.
"In case you're wondering, Force users have a long history of being about to interact with the world of the living after their death. Whether or not those that have passed on can watch us here is a matter of fierce debate in some circles, but everything I've read suggests that Dav could still keep an eye on you if he wanted to. No one will ever replace him in your life, though there will certainly be those that will try. Chuckles, for instance" Mike jerked a thumb towards the general direction of what he hoped was the cockpit "gives off that vibe. Also, just a heads up, the loss of a bond like that can make one more inclined towards physical intimacy, and there are many an asshat out there who'd take advantage of that."
Shitshitshitshit, he thought. Rambling again. Also, mustn't swear out loud, or else I'll get lectured again. It's unbecoming, they said. Mystical warrior monks with glowing laser swords needn't use the fuck word, they said. Sure, asshat isn't all that bad on the grand scheme of things, but it's-oh shut up and get back to the conversation.
"Uh, sorry. What I was trying to say was I'm sure you'll do fine. You've got a bright future ahead, and you'll make him proud."
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Feb 1, 2014 10:33:16 GMT -8
"I see," Alexis responded thoughtfully. It sounded like this 'Fin' chap had found different ways to survive than she had. Although, her own method had really consisted of trying to remain invisible. If Nathan hadn't arrived when he had, she would probably have been dead. Actually, her memories of leaving Nar Shaddaa were a bit blurry, every so often they drifted in and out. She thought it was really frustrating. "I don't really remember leaving Nar Shaddaa, mostly there was just a lot of pain, and then blackness." Once in awhile she had a sort of glimpse of a Jedi standing between her and the gang she'd fallen foul of, but it never crystallized. She regretted that.
Alexis shrugged. "Don't worry about it," then with a wry grin she reached out and grasped his wrist lightly, pointing him in the direction of the cockpit instead of the aft cargo hold, "Chuckles hmm?" She wouldn't tell him, but she was fully aware that there was no real replacement for Dav. She gazed at Mike curiously, "What makes you so sure it wouldn't be me taking advantage of someone else?" she inquired. Physical intimacy was something she'd vicariously learned the mechanics of at a very young age, but she'd never considered herself in the position of an active participant.
"I hope so," she'd known that Dav had been proud of her in the past, and she hoped that somewhere he would still be proud of her, but sometimes she felt like all she did just fell apart around her. "You want to come fly? Shouldn't be too much to run in to around here...yet." She smiled at Mike, then realized how that had sounded, "not that you would run into anything, but just if you wanted to see what it was like without having to land or thread your way through an asteroid field or something...less stress?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2014 11:48:56 GMT -8
That sounded about right. Even on his home world, where the treatment of street urchins was a more or less unofficial eugenics program, a lot of rescued kids had hazy memories of life in the gutter, even after only a few months. The strongest, the brightest, those with valuable talents were usually rescued and recruited into public service, where even the austere world of the training institutions was a lap of luxury by comparison. "I know exactly what you mean."
"Heh, so I was avoiding the wrong part of the ship, all this time." Alexis's grasp on his wrist made Mike vaguely uncomfortable, but he couldn't quite figure out why, and therefore didn't say anything. "I'm not fool enough to think you're not perfectly capable of making your own decisions in that regard, and I'd be amazed if you weren't getting exactly what you wanted out of the encounters. But this is sort of a dangerous time for you, or anyone else in your position. Losing a Force bond is like having a hole gouged into your soul. Actually, it's nothing like that, but the imagery is apt for the explanation. Everyone turns to something to try to fill that void. There are people who should be older and wiser enough to know better who would nonetheless will take advantage of that. I suppose it's less destructive in the long run than turning to alcohol like I did, but if you're not careful, it's easy to wake up one day and realize you're in a position you'd never have chosen for yourself." That was one of the big reasons his temple had for forbidding sexual relations between padawans and older members of the order. Fraternization could cause enough trouble on its own without having to take the complicated nature of the Force and its effect on human relationships into account.
The offer to let Mike fly had been enough to elicit a rueful smile.
"Thanks, but I'll pass. My master tried to teach me, believe it or not. Our proximity to the Ascendency put pilots in high demand. We could be parsecs away from anything larger than a hydrogen atom and I still managed to break something, every time."
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Feb 2, 2014 10:55:05 GMT -8
Alexis nodded. Unofficial eugenics programs were part of the dark underbelly that everyone tried to ignore on more 'civilized' worlds than one would really like to think about. She could tell that Mike was uncomfortable over the brief moment of physical contact, though she had released his limb almost immediately. That was curious. Was it because she was female? He seemed to have a fairly strict view on physicality, but he had been the one who recruited a female pilot. She'd figure that out later, anyway there was other things to do right now.
"You're right, I suppose. There are many ways to cope with things, but a lot of them have devastating effects later on in life. Some of them not so much later," she smiled faintly. "It does feel like a gaping hole. I want the pain to stop, but at the same time I don't. I feel like Dav," she hesitated before adding, "and Joshua would be ever so much further away, like I was forgetting them, or something." She shrugged, hoping that Mike would be able to work out what she meant, since it didn't sound quite like she'd heard it in her head.
"No problem, I should be getting back up there soon anyway. No sense being irresponsible," and that was what an elongated absence from the cockpit would lead to eventually. She hadn't expected Mike to take up her offer of flying. "If you want to come up and look around that's fine, but don't touch anything." She smiled encouragingly.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2014 13:15:39 GMT -8
Mike nodded in an absentminded sort if way. "The hurt doesn't ever really go away, it just fades. The important thing is to accept it for what it is. Don't try to fight it, and don't let it control you. That's how hotshot padawan pilots end up getting red and black tattoos all over, looking like a damn, er, darn fool. Worst of all, you lose your dental plan. Have you ever seen a Sith with good teeth? Honestly, it's no wonder they're all so fuc-freaking cranky."
Rambling again. It was probably a good thing Alexis was heading back to the cockpit soon. This was the longest conversation he'd had in, well, years. He could almost smell the metaphorical wires roasting in his brain. It was a lot more difficult than he remembered. In a way, he was getting more comfortable around Alexis, which was why it was becoming harder and harder not to swear. And while it hadn't quite sunk into his conscious mind that she was, in fact, quite attractive, some part of his subconscious must have noticed. That would explain why her touch had made him uncomfortable; that part of him was acutely aware of the fact, and was warning him not to get too comfortable. Not that he had figured that out yet.
"Maybe later. I'm trying to get a good idea of what we'll be dealing with on Roon. I don't think the site will be overly dangerous, but I've been wrong before. Scientists tend to view security measures as nuisances, and only the really interesting ones earn more than an oblique reference in their records."
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Feb 3, 2014 9:37:20 GMT -8
Alexis looked at Mike in surprise, "I didn't think all Sith were denoted by tattoos?" she queried, then belatedly realized that perhaps he was joking around and seeing how gullible she might be. However, that didn't seem to be like the man she'd met on Honoghr when he tripped over her hydrospanner.
Alexis got to her feet, stretching as she did so, "So far, it is only when things seem really easy that one needs to be extra cautious. I've heard than anything can happen at an archeological dig," the Jedi padawan riposted as she collected her mug, and left Mike's quarters.
She nodded to Kaelan in passing, and dumped the empty mug in what appeared to pass for a sink in the galley, as she headed back up to the cockpit. Checking over the sensor readings, and nav calculations, she added in another alarm to wake her in a few hours, and settled into her seat for a quick nap.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2014 10:14:12 GMT -8
Mike's smile transitioned from rueful to wry. "Okay, so maybe I'm generalizing a bit. The tattoo thing comes and goes, but the bad teeth are a constant."
With a flick of his fingers in the holoprojector's general direction, a three dimensional schematic appeared in the air. There were several highlighted areas.
"If we do run into problems, these are the most likely spots. I'll give you guys a briefing on exactly what we're expecting, assuming we aren't killed on the way in," Mike said cheerfully. He stood as Alexis did, because manners. "Anyway, thanks for the caf and company."
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Feb 10, 2014 14:39:34 GMT -8
Alexis drifted in and out of vague dreams, as soon as something crystallized it seemed to vanish. It was a good thing the trip was monotonous for so long.
Eventually however, the alarms that she had set up both in the freighter's systems and internally started going off and she blinked a few times before stretching and reading the navcomp data, as the long starlines dropped back into pinpoints of light denoting sublight travel speeds. The Death Wind Corridor would require multiple small precise hyperspace jumps to avoid going off-course in a potentially lethal fashion.
Fingers dancing across keys in front of her Alexis input the coordinates that would allow the navcomp to plot its way through. So far she'd seen no sign of smugglers or anything else of a more than usually hazardous nature. Allowing for asteroid drift she punched in the first jump and watched the stars elongate into lines and flash past the viewport windows. Already she was looking for the next markers.
Eventually, she opened a ship-wide com channel to let Mike and Kaelan know where they were. Well, to let Kaelan know where they were and to let Mike know that he'd soon be able to get off this ship and start looking into his lightsaber research, if she was correct about it. Alexis smiled.
Currently navigating the Death Wind Corridor. All seems quiet, not picking up smugglers or pirates in the vicinity. We should be arriving planetside in a few hours.
As she flicked the channel closed, Alexis frowned. Something seemed a bit off, though she could not yet pinpoint whether it was off with her, or just off in general relating to the ship and Mike's mission on Roon. Eventually she'd work it out.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2014 14:55:53 GMT -8
This was the part that Mike had been dreading. Years of research, months of planning and preparation, and days locked in a tiny room, and all of it would potentially go to waste if something went wrong through this perilous stretch of space.
There was nothing he could do but watch and wait. Well, that and place his trust in the pilot and the Force. If Alexis couldn't handle the difficult task of navigating to Roon, there likely wouldn't be time for oops. The first he'd know about it was waking up dead.
Comforting.
Still, Mike had hope. Giddy anticipation was beginning to work its way through all the worry. This could be the find of a lifetime, and even if the site didn't shed any light on the origins of the lightsaber, it was almost guaranteed to be loaded with research material. Worth the risk? Oh yes.
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Atton Kaelan
Crew of the Wayward Son
You're not allowed to name the star destroyer after your junk, Adi.
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Post by Atton Kaelan on Feb 12, 2014 9:34:35 GMT -8
Atton had done little in the way of any meaningful activity as the trip dragged on, though he found himself cursing the badly made caf on more than one trip to the ship's meager refresher. He made a mental note to burn that stuff and pick up some better mix the first chance they got, though that might have to wait a bit, given the nature of their mission.
He began to think that now wasn't a good time to be brooding over bad caf as Alexis informed them that they were en route to Roon, through the Death Wind Corridor no less. Now he really hoped her piloting skills were up to snuff because this was a dangerous route to be taking, even on the best of days.
The Knight shuffled into the cockpit and sat down in the co-pilot's seat, silently observing Alexis as she guided the vessel through the dangerous path to Roon. After a few moments, he cleared his throat."Everything good so far?"
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Feb 13, 2014 16:39:24 GMT -8
"Yes, but something is off," Alexis replied with a shrug, looking over at Kaelan as she reached up and brushed a lock of dark hair back behind her ear. She was uneasy for reasons she wasn't sure had any logical basis.
A proximity alarm sounded and Alexis reached forward, pulling back on the lever that would drop them out of hyperspace. As the long starlines shrank back into pinpricks of distant light she contemplated the planet that hung in dead space ahead of the light freighter before hailing the person behind this trip.
Mike, come tell us where you want to land exactly.
She looked over at Kaelan before inquiring, "How much do you know about the current political situation on Roon?" Landing near this archeological dig would be handy in case a quick get-away was needed, but it might not be realistically feasible.
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Atton Kaelan
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You're not allowed to name the star destroyer after your junk, Adi.
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Post by Atton Kaelan on Feb 14, 2014 8:31:43 GMT -8
Atton raised an eyebrow when Alexis informed him that she felt like something was off. He couldn't sense anything unusual around them, and most of the time he was pretty good about that sort of thing. Maybe it was because he always expected the worst. Still, he hadn't felt any disturbances in the Force during the trip..."What seems off? I don't sense anything."
He shook his head when she asked him about Roon's political situation."Nothing, really. Roon's always been isolated from galactic affairs so they may not even know about the current state of affairs in the galaxy at large. Might be best not to even bring anything up, but that's just me."Atton shrugged and leaned back in his seat."That's all I can think of at any rate."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2014 20:24:19 GMT -8
Mike commed in from his cabin, though a lack of proper code will make him sound like he's in the cockpit. Minor details.
"Head to the main continent, smack dab in the middle. The exact geological center is the supposed site. Let's be honest, the Sith were a bit melodramatic when it comes to stuff like this."
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Post by Alexis Karidian on Mar 3, 2014 7:16:41 GMT -8
Main continent, 'smack dab' in the center. The Sith certainly did seem to have a flair for the dramatic. Of course, in the holovids that Nathan had made her watch the Empire had an impeccable taste in uniform style, for the most part. Though, if one was on the opposing side, she knew the effect would feel quite intimidating.
She confirmed the information briefly and then pulled back on the lever to drop them out of hyperspace. Roon solidified in front of them with startling clarity as she powered up the sublight engines and angled them down towards the main continent on the planet below.
As she was unfamiliar with the prevailing wind currents on Roon, she keyed up the shipwide intercom one last time:Hold on to something in case this gets bumpy.And then they were entering the outer layers of Roon's gravity well and atmosphere.
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Bloodrage Pirates
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Post by Bloodrage Pirates on Oct 5, 2014 8:21:13 GMT -8
The entire Bloodrage fleet exited hyperspace in the only safe section of space around the planet that would accommodate the frigate sized ships. The pirates were pushing it really, the four hundred metre long Ardent's were just about the biggest thing that could make it into the system due to the asteroid cloud. Even then the pilots were pushing it. However this meant they were clearly the largest ships in orbit and easily dominated the planetary traffic. The fortress on the surface let them dominate the habitation centres as well, effectively handing control of the planet over to Arkan.
Arkan was stood on the bridge of the Cutlass. The Cutlass was technically the smallest capital ship in the fleet but it was his personal favourite. the old imperial construction had focused on survivability and he had modified it himself to suit his liking. This meant increased shield capacity and extra weapon systems, turning the light cruiser into a handful for any Star Destroyer. He had tested this ability a few months ago above Ryloth, where he took the Cutlass into a duel with a Jedi Star Destroyer and came out on top. The repairs were pretty extensive but the ship had survived and was now combat ready once again.
The Captain chuckled to himself as stories of his exploits continued to bounce around the holo news and the bounty placed on his head had risen five fold. He also chuckled when the Senator from Ryloth made a public appearance, it was only a matter of time until they would meet again! He stopped reminiscing for while as he looked through the sensor data for his fleet. He was only one ships down, the Yellow Skull was on business on Juvex but apart from that frigate and its fighter compliment he was at full strength. He was at full strength, that would usually be a plus for most military commanders but Arkan was not one of those. Full strength meant that he needed a target, he needed something to focus the rage and aggression of thousands of angry Echani on before they turned on each other.
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Xeonon Solomon
The First Order
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Oct 6, 2014 14:47:48 GMT -8
Ah Roon, everyones favourite place in space. If by everyone you meant those who searched for arcane and lost knowledge. For the most part it was mostly useless, unless people put two and two together and figure out Roonstones come from this world. That and the fact that almost no one knows how to get here and it made for a nice place to hide the pirate scum that lived in the galaxy. It was because of this that Xeonon watched this place of space religiously. If you could trust anyone in the galaxy it was an untrustworthy person and Arkan was one of those people.
Unlike most times the Shade appearance was underwhelming. He just materialized into the Bridge of the Cutlass behind Arkan his crown and face bloodier than usual. It actually wiped away some of the dirty and grime, showing the deathly pale skin underneath.
Beautiful isnt she? So few planets remain untouched in this galaxy. Thank the Whills for that.
His tone was sharp at the end and full of sarcasm. As if the Whills were responsible for this, and in his mind they were. What Arkan would notice most though was the stench of death that permeated the air as he spoke.
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Bloodrage Pirates
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Post by Bloodrage Pirates on Oct 7, 2014 10:29:58 GMT -8
Arkan spun on the spot to face the thing that had materialised on his bridge. Within the same movement his right hand had released his blaster carbine from its holster strapped to his leg. He held the blaster pointing at the ethereal being's head for a micro-second as he stared into its eyes. He didn't like what he saw so he pulled the trigger. The bolt shot straight through the head of Xeonon and impacted the wall near the back of the bridge, much to the Captain's annoyance. He slowly lowered his blaster and returned it to its holster.
"You have my attention."
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Xeonon Solomon
The First Order
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Post by Xeonon Solomon on Oct 7, 2014 11:13:39 GMT -8
Ahh, a gunshot to the head. Always a good way to start off a conversation with a being that has been known to destroy entire cities because he was bored. Still it was this flair that made the Shade interested in Arkan.
I am a huge fan of yours. The whole shoot first, shoot second and shoot some more than maybe ask questions. Awesome. The going to Kuat to get some Beskar under the Empires nose was brilliant.
He wasnt exactly sure how that little escapade ended because someone didnt finish the entry. Suffice to say it was pretty good.
My name was once Xeonon Solomon, perhaps you know of me.
Standing to his full six foot seven he felt like a giant. With his right hand holding onto a sceptre he smiled.
It doesnt matter though, what does matter is you. I am feeling generous and you are a go getter in this universe. SO I figured I would offer you and your crew of Salty Dogs a boon.
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Bloodrage Pirates
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Post by Bloodrage Pirates on Oct 11, 2014 9:19:23 GMT -8
Xeonon Solomon? That name did have a familiar ring to it but that could have just been the ethereal beings last name. Arkan had had dealings with a Gabriel Solomon in the past, some not all nice and savoury. This ghost had the right amount of Imperial arrogance, even for an immortal, Arkan liked that.
"A boon you say? I've never met anyone offering something for nothing, there's always a catch and I know. I've been that person offering something for nothing, only to reveal a mighty catch later. So tell me, what will your catch be for this ethereal favour!?"
The Captain paced away from Xeonon back towards the view screen as he spoke, turning back to face him before asking his question. The rest of the bridge crew were watching in stunned silence, they had witnessed many strange things in their combined time on the Cutlass but never anything like this.
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