A Tour Of Duty

[Dawyn]

“And so, General Tarek, the conclusion of my thirty page report is that I believe that we should use sonic refreshers instead of water ones here on Dantooine, because it not only helps to protect the environment, it greatly reduces the cost of waste management, even if it comes at the pure comfort.”


Maksem wondered, yet again, what exactly he was doing with his life. He had expected many things to happen when he became a general, and knew that a lot of it would be drudgery, of course. But when he had been left in command at Dantooine, he thought it would be at least marginally exciting...or better yet, he could delegate tasks and then sneak away and drink in his office and watch terrible holodramas. Instead, he had been forced to deal with administrative duties nearly all day long, and now knew in excruciating detail why Vosrik, Brand, and Taox had taken off to go adventure somewhere and stuck him with babysitting the place.


“Thank you Padawan Utia, that was most riveting. I will be sure to read through your report and submit your recommendations to Vosrik.” He replied sardonically, though the young Twi’lek with a flair for environmental studies did not seem to notice, and instead beamed at him.


“It’s my pleasure sure! Next week I will have another report of the same length for you to read on how we should let things compost in the refreshers for a while, and-”


Beep, beep, beep!


Maksem had never been happier to get an alert on his personal commlink in his life.

“I so look forward to it, unfortunately Padawan, I have other business.”

“Of course Master! See you next week!” The bubbly young pink Twi’lek giggled as she left.

“Kill me now, Sith. Where are you when I actually need someone to murder me?” Maksem muttered to himself.

“Sir, Knight Skai has just arrived in the system, and is proceeding to head towards the docking bay!”

“Okay.”

There was a pause.

“Sir, she isn’t a member of the Army. She’s from the Order, and you’re supposed to give her a tour and try to see if you can get her to join up with us. Orders direct from Lord Tanari.”

“Spast!” Maksem cursed loudly. He had completely forgotten, and had actually allowed himself to believe he might be able to finish his duties and retire before eight tonight. The disappointment was crushing.

“Sir?”

“I’ll be right there…” He replied, not quite snapping at the comm officer. Smoothing his robes and carefully brushing off the various sandwich crumbs from his robe, he mentally searched for someone to accompany him. He was not going to suffer through this alone. Who did he have? Utia? No, not unless he was giving her a tour of the waste management center. Everyone else he knew was out on some mission or another, and he wasn’t about to pull some random stranger into this. If only Yva…

Wait, that’s brilliant. Since Yva isn’t back from her meditations in the fields yet, I’ll bring Lanna. Young, smart, capable of thinking for herself, though I’ve only known her for a few weeks. Might make a good Padawan and companion for Yva, if I get to know her more. If Skai is anyone we want to accept, she’ll like that, and you know, she’s also a girl, maybe those two can get together and talk about...I don’t know...whatever it is Jedi women like to talk about. Fashion? I know Yva likes fashion. Maybe I should ask her about what that someday...or maybe not. There are some things men just shouldn’t know for their own peace of mind.

“Lanna! Meet me at the hangar, you can stop watching that introductory documentary I gave you on survival in the field and come out of the kitchen. Learning how to filet and cook a raw fish using only sharpened sticks and a wood fire can come later. We have a tour to give!”

He just hoped she was able to wipe away enough fish guts from herself before she arrived, otherwise Skai’s first impressions of the Army might not be the best.

@Vinny @Zenya @Orbis (if you want to come in later).

 

[Zenya]

​

Lanna sat a ways from the Jedi base, on a soft patch of dirt that she cleared handfuls of tall dry grass from. It was a small space, but still enough to create a fire without lighting the whole field around her up into flames. She sat cross legged in the soil, under a fat, dry tree. It offered little shade, but it was not unbearably hot for the girl, born and raised in the heat of Tatooine. Her legs were bare, and dirty, because she had only been wearing a flowy pair of shorts. She was also barefoot, and had her hair falling down her back, and around her shoulders, in messy tangled waves. She brushed away a drop of sweat from her forehead, with the back of her dirty hand. She was attending to a project that General Maksem had given her. As far as she could tell, he was just trying to wave her off that morning, so he could sit back and watch some show on the net, or play digital chess. Anyhow, she did not particularly mind. As long as she was occupied with something, she would be content. Currently, she gutted a fish, ready to roast it over her little makeshift fire. Off to the side of her dirt patch, was a portable screen that she watched material provided by the General to help her figure out exactly what it was she was doing. It was pretty messy work, but Lanna was no stranger to a little dirt and grime. Just as she poked her stick through her fish victim, and she was about to roast the poor thing, her tablet buzzed. Pausing, and looking over, a message from the General popped up. He told her to drop the project she was working on, and meet him at the outpost to introduce a member of the Order to their work.

"Well little guy... looks like you aren't getting eaten today. That's good, because this heat is making you gross." She clamped the stick in her fist, and pegged it down into the dirt. Some animal, or bird would come and eat it. She kicked dirt over her fire, and stamped it out before leaving. She was a bit disappointed she could not finish her project. She was not a fan of starting things she could not finish, but no matter. At least she was getting some action. Lanna pulled her bag over her shoulder, and quickly made her way to the post.

Upon walking into the administrative office, she had already washed her hands and face, but there was nothing she could to about the dirt on her clothes. Which were technically night clothes, but is was not like she expecting to be doing any official work duties today, anyway. The young Jedi shrugged it off, deciding she would not say anything. If the general wanted to make a comment about her chosen attire, it would be up to him. There were actually few things Lanna was lenient with. When it came to her personal appearance, as long as she was clean, she considered it a job well done. Other than this particular circumstance, of course. But when it came to training, and exercising her actual skills, she expected to be nothing short of perfect.

"I thought I was going to get here late. Luckily our guest hasn't arrived yet." She put down her bag. "Oh, and general. Cooking a raw fish in the middle of a desert field... Not such a good idea."

@Vinny

 

[Vinny]

The transport shuttle to Dantooine had been unsettlingly quiet for the past few hours. The pilot and the other personnel that were also being transported to the facility had chosen to remain silent while Nimarra meditated. She hadn't had the heart to point out to them that a Jedi could remain in a trance for hours, yet the silence was beginning to grow deafening even for her. She wished she was back at the flower beds of Tython, sitting among nature and meditating to the sound of a flowing river. Instead she was here, ordered by the Jedi Council to scrutinize the activities of the Jedi Army. The General she was to meet was known by the name Tarek.

There was a low murmur through the ship as it broke the atmosphere. She resisted the urge to let out a sigh and rose to her feet, her silver-white hair falling in tresses down her brown robes. Her alabaster skin was partially concealed by the brown cloth that had been pulled taught over her eyesockets. The empty holes in her skull serving no other purpose than to remind others that she saw in a deeper way than they may ever could. She did not turn her head when one of those present spoke, a female, not force sensitive by the look of her aura.

"Paladin Skai, we have arrived." She said, keeping her voice even and respectful. Nimarra resisted the sudden and surprising urge to respond sardonically. She also resisted the urge to correct the young woman. Though the council often mistakenly referred to her by the unofficial title that had fallen on her shoulders; it was not something she found pride in. The title, from what she understood of its origin language, referred to a zealot and hunter of evil. Not a agent of peace. She simply nodded as gracefully as possible and turned to face the sound of hissing hydraulics.

The sudden flow of air around her face was enough to tell her that the way had been opened. She strode down the loading ramp toward the auras standing before her, one was small but bright, the other was large, bright and strong. She bowed to both of them, doing her best to move her head appropriately to make it seem like she was looking in one direction or another. It made conversation easier.

"General Tarek, I am Nimarra Skai, Jedi Knight, I have been sent by the Council to tour your facility here, observe, and assess before reporting back to them." Nimarra said, reciting the specific orders given to the letter. She would not lie to a fellow Jedi. She turned her head toward the smaller presence. "Who is this?" She asked, bowing her head serenely.

@Kiser @Zenya

 

[Dawyn]

Maksem was afraid that Lanna would not arrive before whoever this Paladin Skai was, but she did. And her clothes, night attire, were covered in dirt. Silently, he wanted to drink. Ninety-ninety percent of the members of the Order proper were irritating sticklers for rules and appearance, so that was likely going to have a wonderful impression. Still, he did effectively bring her in fast enough that it was just short of a combat scramble, so what did he expect? Hopefully the Knight would not be too put off.

“Agreed, but sometimes it’s necessary to survive. You’ll have to do a lot of things that are not the best idea, but nonetheless have to get done anyway. Like most of the missions Vosrik assigns me to, for example.” He paused, realizing that he had just openly disparaged the Jedi Lord and his boss, but he was having a bad day. “Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair, but the point still stands. Next, you’ll learn how to craft weapons out of nothing more than a few branches, rocks, and plants, a bit more exciting, I think.”


Well, that’s nice. A pretty one, maybe this tour won’t be as bad as I was expecting. And she’s a Miraluka and blind! Perfect, she won’t notice Lanna's state.


“Welcome,” Maksem replied, inclining his head slightly towards her, then gestured to Lanna.


“This is Lanna, one of my students here. I figured it would be nice to have a regular member of the Army accompany us, and meet one of the members of our esteemed Order.” He actually managed to say those last few words without a snicker or obvious sarcasm, much to his surprise.

 

[Zenya]

The girl went off to the side of the office, where she had a pair of boots resting up against the wall. She grabbed them, and pulled on a pair of socks she kept inside them, and then continued to lace them up. Lanna listened as the General went on about how cooking a raw fish in the middle of the desert was necessary. And she processed in his words, carefully taking note of them. She was always eager to learn about special Jedi stuff when she got the opportunity.

Then, she grabbed her cloak off the floor, which she had also taken care to leave beside the wall, and put it on. As she was pulling it over her shoulder, she paused to think about the jab the General made directed towards his superior Vosrik. She cracked a bit of a smile, considering Maksem's peppered cynical attitude to be ever so slightly humorous. However, the smile quickly faded away when he mentioned the next task he would assign to her, would be weapon creation from materials such as grass, and stones. She opened her mouth to say something, her eyes narrowed, "What is the point of a light saber again?" she thought, when the doors to the office opened, and their guest walked into the room. It was best that she didn't ask question anyway. After all It was obvious that if she were to loose her light saber, she would need to resort to grass and rocks to protect herself.

Previously, the event that made her refrain from questioning the general, was the click of the doorknob swiveling open. Lanna grabbed the cloak, and speedily put it on the rest of the way, and snapped it shut. She stiffly moved to stand straight and tall, shooting a quick smile over to the general. Ahah! No dirty night clothes to be seen.

Looking back to the woman who had stepped into the room, Lanna rested a little, her attention being pulled away from her stance off attention, to the woman's features. She was pretty, and she was blind. It was a peculiar sight, as she had never taken a close look at a blind person before. Eventually, somewhere down her trail of thought, she centered herself again. Back into her headspace of professionalism. For all she knew, this woman was telepathic.

She listened to her speak, and then turn her attention to her. She may have fooled around with the General, but she knew that this woman was a very important guest, and she would be expected to do no less than impress her.

After Maksem introduced her, she bobbed her head in a polite bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. I am quite excited to assist in giving you a tour of our base here on Dantooine."

 

[Vinny]

The hum of the transport's engines began to wind down behind Nimarra as the two welcomed her. The Tythonian Knight bowed, her shimmering white hair shifting in the light. The girl to her right had an unkempt aura about her, though she could not make out the particulars of her clothing, she knew that something was off about he appearance. There was obviously a discipline problem already apparent. Not that she was interested in causing any trouble for the Jedi army, they did critical work for the safety and security of the galaxy. She only wished that she had more time to solve the issues rather than record them and return to the council.

Her head did not shift as she spoke, "The Light shines upon our meeting, Lanna. I am pleased to see one so young taking on new responsibilities, and with such conviction." She said and straightened to a full standing position. She gestured again to General Tarek with an armored hand. "I sense that spirits are high here at the Dantooine base. This is good, in light of the grim work you are charged to take part in." The Miralukan Sith-Hunter's silvered metal boots clicked on the ground as she moved closer. "Shall we begin, General? Though I have the full day, I would rather not infringe on your schedule."

She sensed a presence nearby, eager and youthful. She turned and felt the aura of a Twi'lek in the force. The Jedi appeared to be holding some manner of packet or document. "You are popular, General." She said with a wry smile.

@Zenya @Kiser

 

[Dawyn]

“Utia…” Maksem smiled, feeling slightly ill as he looked at the packets that she held. “What is it?”


“Sir, ah, there’s been a problem with the waste disposal system. See, the sonic scrubbers I installed are a little bit too powerful, and the pipes…” Maksem held up a hand. He knew where that was going and he did not want to have Nimarra’s first stop be the sewage systems, especially if they were liable to break down soon.


“Ah, pardon me. Padawan Utia and I have something urgent to take care of. Lanna, do you mind giving our guest here a tour until I can return?” He smiled winningly at her. He would find a way to repay her somehow.

 

[Zenya]

To Lanna's disappointment, her acquaintance Utia stepped into the office once more, and gained the attentions of General Maksem. Lanna really did like the girl, though. She was really sweet, and talented, but she was looking forward to assisting him with the tour.

She was however, once again interested when Maksem turned over the tour assignment to her.

"Yes! Yes. I will show Miss Nimarra around." She gave him a small, polite bow, then turned to the woman. "Well, it seems to be just you and I for now. Perhaps the general will accompany us later. How about we take a walk around the outside of the base, so you can take a look at what we have going on outside."

The two of them walked down a corridor, to a steel balcony. It absorbed the heat of the sun, but it did the job. Indoors everything was nicely ventilated, but outside the gleaming sun was shining quite intensely that day. Lanna, who was in her coat, fanned the inside flaps to let in some cool air. She was no stranger to heat, as she had grown up on Tattoine.

What was more eye catching however, was the Cliffside they peered over. It cascaded down, and the two women were right on the edge of it. Lanna leaned on the edge, looking over. "Of course we have some pretty high tech security, that I am going to show you now."

Lanna had just realized she was probably being insensitive to the woman's lack of sight, and cringed at the thought of possibly offending her. The General would not be happy about that.

"We live on a peaceful planet. One that rarely faces any sort of disturbances, so it is an excellent place for the Jedi to seek a little rest and refuge. We can train, study, and get assigned to missions as we please. Just what you would expect from a Jedi base. On top of that, however, everything is run very neatly regarding the staff, and the General. Lord Vosrick used to come here to rest from time to time, but as you know, the Jedi Army runs the place now. And quite well, I might add," She said, with a slight laugh. "The base had been build right on top of a kyber crystal cave, as well."

She spread her arms out, and leaned back on the railing of the cliff side. Tilting her head back, she breathed in a dose of the fresh air.

"Now, to move on, I will show you the many defensive assets our base has to offer."

@Vinny