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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 28, 2016 18:28:10 GMT -8
Na'an rolled when Adelle started thrashing, her fist narrowly missing her blow. Fortunately, she was thrown away from the bunks, which gave her a few meters to get back up on her feet. Adelle was already out of breath, which indicated that Na'an may not be doing as badly as she seemed to be at first. With an encouraged huff, she lunged at Adelle and threw herself into a variant setup of the Saber Swarm.
"I'm trying to protect you," she said hotly, punctuating her words with her blows. While the Ataru sequence was much less precise when performed without a weapon, it did gain an edge of flexibility; she could strike twice as fast with two fists as she could with a single blade, and from more angles. She danced around to Adelle's side, hoping to throw her off-balance again. "You weren't well, and all I've done is upset you, and if you can't trust me in the Temple how can I protect you when Aherk does, does gorram anything and I just--"
She spun hard into the last few blows, and let her fists swing out to gain speed from the movement.
"Can't--"
When they landed--wherever they landed--it was hard enough to sting, even through the Force.
"Risk that--
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 28, 2016 17:55:44 GMT -8
There was a small, quiet knock on the door leading to the freighter's cockpit. On the other side, a woman's voice piped up. "Excuse me, captain, but if you're having trouble getting clearance, there's someone on the surface that's waiting for me."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 28, 2016 17:21:06 GMT -8
Na'an felt the hook immediately, but there wasn't enough space behind her to maneuver her ankle out of it the way the set was intended to go. She went down fast, the blow knocking half the air from her lungs and almost--but not quite--banging the back of her head against a bunk. Adelle's weight came down on top of her, and the weight pushed the rest of her air out, leaving her momentarily gasping.
She had left her meditations a few days too long, it seemed; only three moves into the drill and she was already prone. Leigh was right, as always. She'd needed this. Which meant that there was no reason to stop now, even if the set's pattern was broken. Her blood was running hot and clean, the Force starting to thrum in her fingertips and at the edge of her hearing. It was the Force that dictated the pattern, and the Force that chose her body's next move.
Na'an still had a tight grip on Adelle's hand despite the fall. Na'an yanked hard on it, rolling to displace her opponent's weight to the side. In the same move, she lashed out hard with her legs, and the momentum sent her arcing over until she was half-sitting on Adelle's hips. She cocked her arm high for a downward blow at Adelle's chest and shoulders.
"So you did get a briefing," she said breathlessly. "But the files won't tell you everything, Adelle. I'd bet it didn't tell you who else is on Yavin."
She swung her fist down hard, aiming to land a good hard crack at her collarbone.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 28, 2016 12:02:49 GMT -8
Na'an ducked past the first two punches, weaving through them to catch the third in an open palm. From here, she had leverage to pull Adelle backwards and spin her around, and the freedom to pin the arm against the small of her back. "I know what's supposed to be on Yavin: nothing. It's been abandoned. Yet Rutil's there, and insists I come quickly."
She brought her knee up roughly, as if aiming for Adelle's kidneys. "What's more, no one else has been able to reach him since-"
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 27, 2016 20:02:44 GMT -8
Na'an blocked the strike with a forearm, using the angle to turn the arm up and out as she jabbed for Adelle's ribs. "You're throwing yourself in a mission you have no idea about without even telling me. Did you even get a briefing?"
She stepped into the blow, sliding one foot into Adelle's grounding to block a shift.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 27, 2016 19:20:50 GMT -8
Na'an only stared, her face set in hard, increasingly familiar lines. Then, without a word, she began to pace the room. From heel to toe, the bunks were separated by a total of fifteen paces square around the walls, leaving a narrow space through which two people could navigate. Occasionally, she nodded to Leigh to widen the space by moving a locker or sliding containers under a nearby bunk. Only once, she knelt to feel at the ground, rapping her knuckles against the steel and making it ring out.
Finally, when she returned to where she had began, she turned back to face Adelle and slid into a stance the Healer would easily recognize. Knees bent, one behind her. Hands forward, fists poised in front like a boxer. Her eye glanced over Adelle, bright and calculating, and she smiled without humor.
"Then we'd best make this quick. You remember the set, yes?"
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 27, 2016 17:30:04 GMT -8
Milk
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 27, 2016 17:27:54 GMT -8
As a heavily-modded YV-100 freighter powered its way into Felucian orbit, two of the passengers made their way down the main loop. The larger of the two, a hulking droid hunched in the hallway, paused at each door in the narrow passageway, reading the identifying plate of each before stopping at one halfway through.
"I believe these are the passenger bunks," she said, gesturing at the plate. "The...only passenger bunks."
The other passenger, a compact young woman wearing an eyepatch, made a face. "And that just means more reason to break this ice fast." She sighed, rubbing at her face to hide the slow creep of color up her neck. "You good with officiating this time around? Won't get jealous?"
The droid had a holoprojector, flashing a pretty blond face into view; the face raised an eyebrow. "Never. Besides, Na'an, you need this more than I do."
"Right. right." The door slid open smoothly, revealing a bunk room that was empty save for one other person--a woman with a long braid, wearing familiar gear. At the sight of the woman's back, the green sash crossing cargos, thin shoulder blades visible against the tunic, Na'an paused for a moment, closing her eye and taking a deep breath as if to center herself. Then the moment passed.
"So when," she said a little too loudly, "were you planning on telling me you'd opted to follow us on this little trip?"
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 27, 2016 16:27:46 GMT -8
"Somehow I doubt that thinking is what you'll be doing."
Na'an paced after her; after two decades of training, her grip was not so easy to break as all that. "You don't get to play that card, missy," she said, a little more roughly this time. "You're clearly upset. But if you're not going to talk, I'll say just a few words before I get going.
I'm sorry if I'm a disappointment, but I warned you. I'm not exactly someone worth pinning your whole self-esteem on. I'm not even a Knight. I just do what I can, which was pulling you out of that dungheap and putting you somewhere safe, which, by the way, you're welcome. As far as me leaving? Guess what, I don't want to go to Yavin. But here's a real lesson for you: more than anything else, the Jedi are servants. When we are called, we go, not because we want to but because it is our duty. If this setback is too much for you, if you're not willing to try rolling with the punches or even talk about what's going on with the one person bothering to ask, no Jedi worth the time will train you.
If you're still here when I get back, you can rail at me then. In the meantime..."
At that, the young woman finally let go. She shrugged, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the dormitories. Leigh followed closely behind--this time, in uncomfortable silence.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 26, 2016 18:33:55 GMT -8
The face on the holographic dome blinked, it's blue-tinted eyes twinkling with what could be read, by those with the subtlety to see it, as humor. "Suit?"
With that, she shook the captain's hand once more, then released her grip and made her way into the ship's primary corridor. "I still have the details you sent me," she said brusquely, ignoring the consternation she ubdoubtedly was causing in the mind of their captain. "We will ensure that our belongings are secure, but we should be it."
Na'an nodded briefly at the captain, then bolted aboard after Leigh. She followed halfway down the loop, then elbowed her way under the droid's arm, wedging her way to the front of the corridor and forcing her partner to stop. "So let me get this straight. She's aboard," she said hotly, "She's coming along on this little trip, after everything I told you. I assume I don't get a say in this? Again?"
Leigh's good humor faded somewhat; it was with a serious look that she met Na'an's eye. "I am afraid neither of us do. She is already on the manifest and has taken her leave of the Temple. I doubt she will be dissuaded."
"Well, of all the carking..." Na'an exhaled in a nervous whoosh, breaking into a nervous pace with her fingers at her scalp. "Okay. Okay, then. Soon as we're underway I want to see her. You're coming too. Adelle needs to know what she's signing on for."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 26, 2016 17:52:29 GMT -8
Na'an's expression did not improve. "This is the--what other woman? Leigh, you're not helping."
In response, Leigh crossed up the ramp and reached for the young captain's hand. Her own hand enveloped his easily, the cold durasteel pressing against synthetic flesh with an equally practiced smoothness. "Thank you, sir," she said pleasantly. "I trust that with our friend aboard, this ship is specced to handle passengers with more organic needs. We can provide for our own sustenance if it's not currently accounted for."
Na'an followed up at a jog. Her eye flicked back and forth between her companion and the dandy of a captain, clearly at a loss as to what to make of this conversation. "Will someone please let me know what's going on, and quickly? I don't like being confused on takeoff."
Leigh wasted no time. "This is our captain, and we will be sharing passage with Miss Adelle Bastiel, at her insistence."
".....What?!?"
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 26, 2016 17:14:19 GMT -8
Only a few minutes later, a pair of figured barreled out of the Temple entrance and muscled their way through the hangar. The larger of the two figures was immense--an armored hulk just a little out of proportion for humanity--cut a wide swath through the morning crowds, and the young woman behind it had no trouble following all the way to the freighter waiting at the end of the bay. When they stopped at the freighter, however, both were stopped short by the fact that there was apparently no one outside to meet them.
The woman peeking out from behind the droid shot a dubious look at the ship. "You're sure this is it?"
The droid's dome flickered, the pretty blond face projected on it switching to a look of amusement. "Na'an, you of all people should know not to judge by appearances." Its bulk turned back to the ship, and when it spoke again, the sonorous female voice boomed across the bay at an increased volume. "Ho, Captain, passengers requesting to come aboard. We sent word three days ago of our destination?"
Na'an scowled, the minor frustrations of the morning finally starting to add to three days' worth of tension. "Leigh, this thing is a nightmare," she said. "You did remember that I need a ship with functioning life support, right? Nothing we talked about will matter if I'm dead three seconds out of orbit."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 26, 2016 5:45:55 GMT -8
Yet Na'an didn't turn to go just yet. She cocked her head, leaning down to Kent's level to get a good look at her face. The girl wasn't looking her directly in the eye; rather, she seemed to be focused elsewhere, as if trying her best to hold back some powerful hurt. Not that she was doing it very well--she was broadcasting it for anyone with the perception to see, easily.
"Hey," she said, gentle but firm. "If you want to make it here, you shouldn't say things you don't really mean. And if the demands of the Order are enough to break you...This is the life those of us who are trained in the Force lead. It's not a luxury. We're not going to make a big deal out of small shit--we just do what we have to."
The kid was surprisingly fragile, for someone who led the life she'd claimed to lead. But the Force did strange things to those it touched for the first time, and even stranger things to teenagers. Rutil had always told her that that was one of the reasons the older Orders capped their trainees' ages--teenagers lacked the discipline to control normal emotions, let alone the Force, and they lacked the flexibility of younger children.
Maybe the older Orders had a point.
She stood, placing her hands on her hips and, for once, looking down at the girl who'd attached herself to her. "So if you've got anything to say about this, you're in a safe place to do so. Say it now while I'm being nice."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 25, 2016 16:45:45 GMT -8
Huh. I don't know if my perspective means all that much here, seeing as my main character is someone that by any measure--hers, mine, or official--does NOT live up to the Jedi Code, as hard as she may try. But I'll try to summarize my view of the Jedi ideal in a few sentences.
In my mind, one of the first and foremost aspects of being a true Jedi is their connection to the Force--a mystical, nigh-holy power that flows throughout every living thing in the universe and may, in fact, be its own sentient thing (A god, maybe? Who knows but the dead?). This is achieved through meditation, training, and study of the texts handed down throughout generation to generation. A perfect connection can be seen as ascending to a higher state of being, and as a quasi-religious order, this search for ascension makes Jedi not unlike a sect of monks, either Catholic, Buddhist or otherwise. As such, any proper Jedi order must be willing to set aside any worldly concerns--wealth, power, influence, even relationships with others--if that is what is needed to achieve their higher goal. Granted, they may not always be ASKED to set such things aside, but if it is, there must be no hesitation. The Force first, above all other things.
That being said, the biggest way a Jedi can achieve this connection is through an iron control of the self. Again, this holds elements of self-denial common to any religious order--the body is weak, and the mind easily corrupted, and must be mastered in order for the spirit to progress. This is what separates the Jedi from the Sith, as the Sith believe that the impulses of the body and mind are powerful and should be indulged and manipulated. The Jedi believe that such passions cannot be manipulated--when they are indulged, they will manipulate YOU, ultimately to your doom. The body must be strong and well-maintained, not bent to weakness, indiscipline or anything as petty as addiction. The mind must be calm and clear, free of anxiety and fear and selfish desire. Both must be willing and able to withstand abuse in the name of a higher calling, as both are merely vessels of the Force within them.
Now, this kind of ascension leads to power--IMMENSE power. However, through their mastery of the body and mind's desires, a proper Jedi has eliminated any lust for such power, or the desire to exercise it through the domination of others. As a result, a Jedi should see his power as an opportunity to serve--to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, to do what those in need cannot, to do whatever is asked of them by the Galaxy and its many peoples. While this service is often military, even more often it is not. Many Jedi who fail Knighthood stay in the Order as a member of the Service Corps, doing menial tasks across the galaxy, and even those who reach Knight or Master are called upon to use their wisdom for diplomatic purposes. As altruists and pacifists, the fight is a last resort, but one they are trained for.
tl;dr A true Jedi's primary goals are to achieve absolute control of himself, a perfect connection to the Force, and a life of servitude to those who need it.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 25, 2016 16:00:12 GMT -8
Na'an's expression lifted momentarily, breaking into a jog to close the distance between her and Kent in a few seconds. "Hey, Rabbit," she said brightly, slowing as she approached. The girl's nerves weren't entirely lost on her; she reached for Kent's shoulder, gripping it as if to give assurance. "Long couple of days, huh? I've heard you've been trying out a few instructors since you've gotten here. Nobody tells me much, but the Knights here seem to think you've got promise. They're a good bunch here--once you find where your talents lie, get a grip on your emotions a bit--"
The sound of a cough seemed to break Na'an's focus; Leigh had come up to the pair, her holographic face beckoning farther down the hall. Na'an's expression faded back into the hard, set look of before, and she turned to Kent as if making up her mind. "Uh, listen," she said after a moment of hesitation, "Kent. I was hoping to tell you earlier. I've been called away to check on an installation out Yavin-ways for a bit. Leigh and I, we're on our way to the ship now. Not many details, but we shouldn't be gone more than a couple weeks. So if you want to keep trying teachers and let me know what you think when you get back..."
She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, feeling for her shoto in the bulge on her hip. "I'm...sorry it's so short notice. But that's life in the Order for you. When you're called...well, that's when you go."
Leigh imposed herself again; this time, her cough sounded mildly impatient.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 25, 2016 13:37:59 GMT -8
Only one Na'an's owned and made herself is with a Dantari crystal. Wanted something that worked with her home environment (Dantooine farmland, found in kinrath nests), natural talents(as a crystal that stores energy, it's a great supplement for an Ataru fighter in need of a stamina boost), etc. That, and I liked the fact that it was one of the few crystals occurring naturally that could produce a red blade. With Na'an's lifelong struggles with her temper and self-control, a natural red blade seemed...appropriate.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 12, 2016 17:56:03 GMT -8
Na'an shrugged into her jacket as the door to her quarters slid open, and steadied the blaster rifle hanging against her hip. "Okay," she said, ticking things off her fingers as she strode into the hall. "We're completely out of credits, so once this whole thing is over with we've GOT to check in with Noba."
Leigh bent to fit her bulk through the door, her hologram winking into a wry expression. "That is if our contractors complete their work on time. Karre Noba will not pay us if we return without her ship," she replied.
Na'an winced at that. "Ah. Yes. She'd also probably fire me."
"That she would."
Na'an shuffled the rifle to rest against her backside as she walked, checking the pocket at her hip again for the metal tube she knew was there. "At any rate, they should be done by the time this whole thing is over. It shouldn't take more than two weeks, even on freighter time, but it's hardly rocket science. I'll keep our paycheck on our to-do-if-we-survive list." She pulled at her hair as she spoke, trying it in a loose knot near the top of her head. "Anything else we need to handle before takeoff?"
Leigh paused, digitally rifling through the transcripts bookmarked over the last three days. "Checking on the status of the Shan's tribunal. As you mentioned that you would be present for it, this departure will be unexpected."
"If we see a Master on the way, we'll apologize. Rutil's a darling of the Order, I don't think they'll mind."
"My sister. Lanette Shan Terr." Leigh paused minutely before going on. Na'an shot her a look and placed a hand on her arm. "As far as we know," she continued, ignoring the gesture for the moment, "she has not spoken to Mother since your visit to the Medical Wards. It is likely that she is still in some distress, and may require...context."
Na'an's look shifted; her face colored slightly, and she turned back down the hallway. "If so, I don't think she'll want it from me. I'm not the 'bestest friend' she wanted me to be, I'll probably just make the whole thing worse," she said roughly. "And you're hardly the smiles and puppies type. If she needs context, if should be from someone she likes."
"You are still set on having everyone hate you?"
"Better than them following me into a death trap waiting to happen. At least YOU'RE qualified for that."
Leigh could not resist simulating a snort. "Such a charmer. No wonder Kent Austin was enamoured with you." The pair rounded a corner, Na'an stretching her arms and Leigh following several feet behind, when a door to their left opened and a young girl stepped out.
"Speaking of which..."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 8, 2016 18:43:48 GMT -8
Banned for being literally nothing like the Norse God you're named after.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 8, 2016 18:40:30 GMT -8
Wow, where do I start?
I'm one of the old crowd--and I mean the REALLY old crowd, I was posting back when this was an app on Facebook. I've had the same character from the very start, but unlike a lot of the old crowd I've never really gotten many other characters started. I've always personally preferred to invest a lot of love and attention into one story, one arc, you know? Na'an was my go-to from the very beginning, letting me both explore a person who decidedly WASN'T me, but at the same time vent some of my own best and worst characteristics in a new setting. What else can I say? I still kind of love her.
I fell into a writing group very quickly; we bonded over a few adventures, called ourselves 'the Family', and started having some very dramatic, exciting events. That Family's spawned a big name or two, (Malora, Aherk Formidonis and his Oily, Raan Jade, Cao and Elly Shan), but I tended to chug away in my own quiet little corner of the story, enjoying just watching them and learning from them. How to capture what they did that I liked, how to avoid things I didn't, that sort of thing. I didn't need to be important to do that. Plus, they were fun, and funny, and it was nice having someone to talk to late at night as a lonely college freshman far from home.
Now, that group fell apart almost as quickly as it formed, but the events of those first six months have shaped the entirety of my writing on this site since--for better or for worse. I've always been a stickler for making RP events stick, and exploring all the nasty implications of what other people write with me. I've...earned a bit of a reputation for that, seeing as I reference plot events from back then to this DAY. I've also become a big advocate for writing elements I wouldn't have even noticed before starting to RP with the JvS crowd, like the importance of having characters change over time or how to write dialogue that sounds like real people. I'd like to think it's made me better at what I do. It's made for some interesting twists to ol' Nanii, at least...I don't LIKE all of them, but they've certainly made her interesting enough that I don't feel the urge to abandon her just yet.
I've been off and on throughout the years--there was even a period of a couple years where I disappeared from JvS communities entirely--but the fact remains that my most crucial and lasting friendships in college and beyond were made here. Some have left me behind (oh, GOD, some of the Family drama), but others have stuck around, helped me evolve as a writer and as a person, and proved time and again that they thought me worth knowing in times where I had...severe doubts about that. Hell, one of the first people I ever seriously RP'd with? I married that guy. And others are better friends still than most people I've ever known in person.
You know what they say about a friendship, that if it lasts for seven years it'll last a lifetime? Seems to have held out so far.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on Oct 8, 2016 15:45:56 GMT -8
Three days later*** The room assigned to Vidalu Na'an when she was here was small, but comfortably so. As a temporary space for any visiting Jedi, it was sparsely furnished--a small bed, a single scoop chair and a table-like shelf protruding from the wall were more than enough for the single room, and did not block the tiny refresher provided as a courtesy. A window opened on the wall opposite from the hallway door, and in the early hours of the morning the red-gold sunrise could be seen through Felucia's fungal trees.
Leigh sat in the scoop chair motionlessly, her dome dimmed as her companion slept curled on the bed beside her. She never bothered with the pretense of sleep, preferring to spend the hours of solitude calculating, performing research, and sifting through the near-endless information on the Holonet. During the last three years, such exploration was aimless, or in an arbitrary but amusing direction--medical documents summarizing new implantation research, or the average growing seasons of cross-planetary flora, or forum discussions about the sexual psychology of ewoks. For a solid three weeks she had examined her own schematics in fine detail, debating whether or not to design a modification that would remove her cannon arm.
Over the last three days, however, her research was decidedly more focused. A few plans made for travel, detailed analyses of conversations both recent and years in the past...and an extensive digital hunt for a man who persisted on being hard to find.
Next to the droid, Na'an slept, but only lightly. She shifted and rolled, made little sounds, twitched with the strange liquid tension only those who sleep uneasily seem to possess. She hadn't bothered with the covers, instead donning the nightshirt the Temple provided for warmth. Leigh had considered protesting, but Na'an's temperature was not deviating outside of normal, and cold was never what woke her friend in the mornings. Nowadays it was the dreams that woke her--that, or the smell.
Someday, the droid resolved, she would have to ask a Master if the Force usually had a scent. It seemed unlikely, but Na'an never seemed to quite fit into the mold most people gifted with the Force thrived in.
Na'an's body shifted, this time to face the droid. As Leigh's sensor clicked into active mode, she stretched, opening her eye halfway. " Hey," she slurred. "Summin, d'ya--" The words came out garbled with sleep; she rolled over again, sitting up and clearing her throat. "You smell something?"
At the sound of her voice, Leigh activated her cameras, turning them to Na'an. As a sort of indulgence, she diverted a little additional processing power to her olfactory sensors, boosting the power unnecessarily for a brief second. "I detect no smoke either in this room or in the outside hall." she concluded, keeping her voice neutral.
Na'an blinked rapidly, processing her words as she struggled to fully wake. "....Are you sure? You don't smell burning wire or..."
"I am sure." Leigh's dome clicked on, revealing that the pretty blonde face was wearing a look of concern. "You have been dreaming of him again." Na'an's reaction--the tiniest of starts, the vaguely guilty expression so reminiscent of a child caught stealing sweets--confirmed it. "It's...it's not like before. He's in...I'm standing in a room, and he's..." Na'an pulled herself up on her elbows, and pulled a tangle of hair back out of her face with one hand. She looked up at Leigh with a faraway expression, as if seeing something miles behind her dome. "Leigh, he's on Yavin," she said suddenly. "I'm sure of it. I don't know why I know now as opposed to before, but I do. He's THERE, and...and I don't think he wants to be." Now it was Leigh's turn to look surprised. "I have been looking for him," was her terse reply, "but he does not leave a trace like the Shans do. He has been remarkably thorough over the last few years. If he is anywhere, I have my doubts that it is for any reason other than his own choices. "
"Yeah, I know. Stupid time-space whatever." Na'an sighed, again attemping to tame her hair with her hands. "And what about Rutil? Why would he want him, what's the thread there?"
Leigh paused. "I have...theories," she finally responded, sounding hesitant. "But we should discuss those once we are on the ship, which leaves in twenty minutes."
"What!" Na'an sat up sharply at the sudden revelation, shooting a look at the sun rising in the opposite window. "Jeez, Leigh, you could have woken me," she groused, vaulting from the bed and peeling off her nightshirt. Her regular clothes had been cleaned the night before, resting on the room's single shelf; she wriggled into the high-necked tank, then started fishing around in the rest of the pile for her saber. "In fact, you should have woken me. I don't like rushing."
Leigh responded with a rare smile. "You looked like you needed the rest."
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