All the Wrong Places
Posted on Sat Feb 27th, 2021 @ 10:37pm by Jedi Knight Satara' Jalran & Jedi Knight Enchelei Dardana & Sage Hud Ubar & N4-G4
Edited on on Sun Feb 28th, 2021 @ 1:21am
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Empire Rises!
Location: Crew Lounge, Rusty Rancor
"Yes, I know I said I'd be right back."
"Buwa-bup-buwamp-pa-buzzIT!"
"Ye-yes, and I'm sorry about that..."
"Buzz-beep-woorp-waump-waump!!"
Satara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as Naga screamed at her over the comlink. It was fair, Satara hadn't exactly followed through on her promise, nor had she given her little droid much of an explanation of where they were going. She'd never met one so loyal as her Naga, even annoyed with her Tara couldn't be mad. Especially when the droid was right, trusting this ragtag crew was a huge risk. Still she had, had a good feeling about them, and Hud had yet to steer herself or Enche wrong.
She was being careful of course, keeping an eye on the various companions Hud had collected. It was quite an eclectic group actually, as was the ship they currently traveled on. The Rusty Rancor... quite the name, Satara would have to see if the look of the ship matched. For now, though she was content to focus on those around her, such as the pilot and his companion they were somewhat secretive about where they were going. He insisted it was safe, and again Hud trusted him. There were also the Mandalorians, quite the odd pair really. So far they'd spent more time antagonizing each other than anything else. Each time though Tara had seen a smile across their faces and even with her limited Force abilities she could sense the comradery shared by the unlikely duo.
Then there was Hud, their unlikely benefactor. He'd spent most of the trip looking after Ariadne, her injuries from her time as a captive of the Hardcell were quite extensive. Tara was glad to see that she was going to recover, there was something quite intriguing about the Echani. Intriguing, of course didn't start to describe Hud, but something told Tara she'd have time to get to know him. Assuming he didn't up and vanish on them again.
Enchelei for her part hadn't moved much from the hard floor she'd landed on since she got rescued. The intake of air in her lungs left her gasping and coughing for a moment before the loss and intake equalized. As the ship jumped to lightspeed, the Mirialan ensured the Twi'lek Satara that she was fine, that no permanent damage had been done.
Then reality sunk back in. The Jedi were still being hunted, most were dead, for all Satara and Enchelei knew they could be the only ones and they just faced down a Crime Syndicate cell and a Dark Side Acolyte of some sort. Dardana knew that Maul and Asajj Ventress were hardly the only Dark Acolytes aside from Count Dooku, but it brought up the scary question of, how many were out there, did they have a Master? Was it Darth Sidious? Or someone else?
Each of those possible answers scared her immensely.
"Fear leads to anger,
Anger leads to hate,
Hate leads to suffering.
Words of a small green Jedi Grandmaster danced in the back of her mind, making her heart constrict.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
Enchelei recited the ancient version of the Jedi Code in her head as she pulled up to sit on her heels in an attempt to settle her wildfire of emotions. There were others on this ship who put themselves in danger on the Baran-Do's words, others who would need protection from evil, and possibly from the danger that being associated witha Jedi would bring.
"BEEE-WOOPUP!!"
"Ow! Sorry." Tara yelped rubbing her conical ear node the cartilage reverberating with the droid's outburst. "Yes I'm still here we'll be coming out of hyperspace soon. I heard the pilot mention something about Polis Masa."
Normally Hud would be meditating as he searched out the veiled mysteries of the Cosmic Force, but at the moment his focus and intent lied upon the Echani who was atop the bunk he'd reserved for the two of them.
"You don't have to stay," Ariadne said weakly.
"So you've said," Hud replied, his voice raspy through his Kel Dor respirator.
"So get out!" Ariadne retorted, her outcry only half serious. "I'm not dead or dying."
"You're welcome."
Ariadne chuckled at the unfounded humor and lolled her head to one side. "Ow! Don't make me laugh."
"Where is that famous Echani vigor?"
"Jerk."
Hud patted her on the calf as he turned to go. "Rest. We'll have need of you yet."
Walking out to the common area, Hud finally allowed himself to relax. His gentle probing of Ariadne, both verbally and otherwise, satisfied him that she had not revealed anything incriminating -- at least nothing that had not died with Mun Zuir. This first encounter had not gone entirely as he'd foreseen--others who were fated to join the group had missed the mark, and awhile he had foreseen the servants of the Dark Side, he had not foreseen Ariadne's capture. It was almost as if --
"Excuse me," said a familiar voice.
It was Lucian, that human who somehow evaded Hud's senses. "Worry not," Hud said.
"So, uh, how's the girl?" Lucian asked.
"She will live and be well," Hud said. "And, for your part in that, I thank you." His hand extended to Lucian, fist closed as if holding something. "Your payment. It is the last known location of your brother."
Lucian made to grab it, but then hesitated. "Wait. How did you know?"
"I've foreseen your meeting," Hud said. "It will not be at this location, but you will find the way. Know that not all reunions are glad ones, and some secrets are best hidden."
Looking at the disk in Hud's clawed hand, Lucian hesitated only for a second. "I'll take my chances." He swiped the disk and palmed it away for safekeeping. "If this works out... I'll owe you."
Hud shook his head. "If we ever meet again, it will be under dire circumstances. Light send that we do not. Farewell, Lucian Azari."
Nodding solemnly, Lucian headed back to his bunk to privately review the contents of the disk. In turn, Hud nodded his approval. It was the best way to get the young man far away from him where his unusual connection to the Force would not cloud Hud's foresight. The future of many depended on it.
--------
Satara had watched the interaction with interest, once she convived Naga that things were ok. She could feel the force off this other being as well, not a Jedi however, but not like Hud. Raising a non-existent eyebrow as she watched Hud speak with a human man. Clearly, there was far more going on with this Sage than he'd let on.
Enchelei stood up from where she had kneeled then and looked around this new ship they were on. "What ship are we on?"
"Assuming it's the Rancor he mentioned before blowing us into space." Tara offered, her eyes still on the Keldor.
Enchelei nodded, "what of the Nawar'awen?"
"Following us," Tara yawned, her own lack of sleep and let down from all that had happened starting to catch up. "Naga was able to jump into hyperspace with us."
Enchelei shook her head, "we'll draw attention as a group, we'll need to split up. After what just happened there will be people following us. We need to find a place to lay low until the dust settles and we need intel and resources. Convoys are easy targets. We need to scrub our transponders and IFF's..."
The Mirialan stopped herself as she felt a rush of anger mixed with panic swell through her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before continuing. "Do we know where we are going?" She opened her eyes finally, sighing.
"Not sure, but the pilot said it was a safe place..." Satara wasn't sure when her hand had come to rest on her friend's shoulder but as she felt Enche's anger, Tara gave her a squeeze. "Hud doesn't seem bothered either, but I agree we need to keep moving."
Enchelei nodded, then turned to face Hud and the retreating back of Lucian Azari. "Perhaps we should meet our allies?"
"If you feel up to it?" Tara asked, unlike the rest of the bunch Enche hadn't much moved from where the pair had first dropped after being pulled in from the vacuum of space. "We can... check in with Hud and see how much he trusts our new friends."
Enchelei shook her head as she started down the corridor towards the cockpit, "I don't feel up to anything, yet things must be done. Besides, we are Je..." she stopped herself for a moment then took a deep breath and an exhale, "we are servants of the Force, it has seen fit for us to live by sending us allies, so we must meet them."
Satara stopped Enchelei for a moment, blue hand taking golden-yellow tightly. "We are Jedi, Enchelei, none of what has happened or will, changes that."
"It will not be a safe identity for some time." Hud interrupted them without so much as an apology. "The Dark Side's rise is almost complete. What happened with your Clone Army is only the beginning. I have foreseen surviving Jedi being hunted down by predators specifically created for the task. You will no longer be able to operate in the open as you have been. The shadows will be your new abode if you hope to live long enough to see the return of the Jedi."
"We are still Jedi, regardless of where we reside." Satara wouldn't let go of who she was so easy. The Jedi had taken her in after the most trying time of her life, she wouldn't abandon them at the next.
"Of course," Hud conceded, "just as I am still Baran Do. But we all must act as individuals on the run and not as public agents of our creeds. To do so will be to invite swift destruction upon ourselves such that we cannot repel."
Satara nodded, she knew that there was little point in arguing, Hud was right. Yet part of her hated that they needed to hide, to keep their nature from the wider Galaxy. Jedi were supposed to be beacons of hope how did one do that from the shadows?
Enchelei could see both sides of the argument, yet in her heart she knew that the word Jedi and all that they stood for would be the most hated and hunted things in the time to come, if anything that had happened in the last few days was any indication. The conversation in the back of her mind, Enchelei stepped down the hall and turned, her vision filled with a broad Beskar laden chest as she rebounded onto the deck.
TBC...
