Vergence

[Korvo]

VERGENCE
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[fancybox4="http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/216/c/b/Rusty_Ship_Interior_by_Vonmurder.jpg"]"Hey, Mah-too... whatever-guy, we're coming into the edge of the system. Might wanna git yerself up here, fasten in real nice."

A man robed in a white shozoku steadily made his way through the creaky corridors of a moderately sized freighter. However, his steps were not a sign of dignity or the radiance of calmness. It was caution; never before had Xeus found himself on such a rusted and slapped-together vessel. Live circuits sparked on 'self-made' panels, which were hunks of wall gratings that the pilot had torn off to more easily get to specific junctions in the ship's inner workings, and had never put back together. Cooling fluids periodically leaked from all over, rust was everywhere, and only a hour beforehand, Xeus' foot went straight through the floor panel near the refresher. Xeus' walk was slow because he'd never been in a ship that literally felt like it would have either fallen apart or just blown up at any moment. It was astonishing that common sense hadn't told the pilot that his vessel ought to have been condemned as unflyable, and a regret that Xeus himself hadn't taken any real notice of the freighter's dire state until they were already well into hyperspace.

"Well, it's certainly been an... interesting trip, friend. Appreciate you taking on an additional passenger."

"Oh, no trouble at all," the pilot said, making several adjustments to his instruments as he simultainously began fixing a lever that had broken off the moment he'd touched it, "Force folks like yerself help keep away pirates, bad mercs—them kinda kin."

There is no pirate in the galaxy that would rob such a rust bucket.

"That so?" Xeus looked away, out the painfully worn and scratched up glasteel windows as the glow from Tatoo I and II began to reflect from the planet. Every word was a forced sincerity, "Glad I could help."

The turbulence hit as the shine of a bright orange penetrated the glasteel, so much so that Xeus could finally see at least some of the planet below, even with the windows in such sub-standard shape.

"Yep, that there's Tatooine herself," the pilot said, as every bolt in the ship seemed to squeak, with a few snapps!, as the ship passed through the planet's atmosphere.

Xeus did his best to ignore the obvious failings of the ship.

Tatooine... "What can you tell me about it?"

The pilot shot a sideways look to Xeus, raising his eyebrow almost as if in disbelief, before breaking into a light chuckle.

"I'll tell ya this much, boy; wherever it was you came from is a boomhawk's better sight than this place."

Xeus' eyes narrowed at the pilot's bizarre expression, but understood it nonetheless. In truth, Xeus had heard of Tatooine's reputation before. Most of the galaxy had, in fact. The cesspit of the galaxy. The armpit of the Outer Rim. Dungheap of the Hutts. The list went on, and all of them bad. But in spite of the negative, something else had drawn Xeus to this planet. It was something inexplicable, indescribable. It had to be felt, sensed. There was an essence here, something calling him, born from the Light, but silent as a delicate whisper. But gentle as it was, it was slightly, but steadily, growing stronger. He knew this was the right world.

The freighter ship touched not-so-steadily down in Wayfar, a settlement that bordered much of the planet's most inhospitable regions, in the deep South-Eastern region. It was always said that Tatooian cities had their own peculiar stench, but as Xeus exited the bustling spaceport, he discovered it firsthand. It was like the odor of various pollutions, hyperdrive exhaust and festering desert molds, all rolled into one. He couldn't understand how some sapients actually got used to the smell, let alone lived in it. It also didn't take Xeus long to notice the standard of living there. It was a slum, one massive slum city. Makeshift houses built out of old machine slabs and starship hull pieces and bulkheads. There were no real roads, only empty paths that served as them. It was enough to make one wonder how Tatooine had, so often and for so long, gone under the radar, even with the Hutt's influence on the planet.

By the time Xeus had recollected his thoughts, he'd realized he didn't know where he would be headed next. This wandering thoughts broke his concentration. It was not a hopeless situation, but a slightly annoying one. Meditation often brought on clairvoyance, and without wasting any more time, Xeus sat down by the side of the road, crossing his legs and planting his fists together, out in front of his chest. The Force was active around him, directing him. And he was sure, that in one way or another, it would do so again.[/fancybox4]

 

[TAC]

Rat-rat-ratata-ratatata-rat-rat.

Larik Novan's eyes flicked to the container rattling around on the shelf as he made his descent onto Naboo. Rat-rat-ratata-ratatata-RAT-RATATATA. There was a flair of annoyance in the back of the usually quite relaxed and easy going Jedi. He had strapped himself into the pilot's chair of the Sundance Maiden as he broke atmosphere, and shortly there after the metal box had began to shake along with the hull.

The Corellian had a lot on his mind, and to many of the problems he mulled over during his flight there were no good answers. As the leader of the New Jedi Order the 48 year old had a galaxy's worth of weight on his shouders, the lives of not only those that belonged to his Order, but also those that his Order had sworn to protect. He had become increasingly busy as time progressed, and he had even started cutting back time sleeping and relying on meditation instead, simply to have enough hours in the day to complete the tasks he couldn't push off till the next day.

A day or two ago a small pull had begun at the back of his mind. At first it was barely even a whisper, and the Jedi had turned around while speaking with a fellow Master to see if someone was looking at him. Over the span of those two days the pull had progressed into a brash shove by the Force, and the feeling of discomfort in the back of his skull had not ceased until he boarded his ship and headed to Tatooine. He had received reports of such a pull from several other Jedi operating on the system, until now it had gone unchecked. Larik knew that there was no way he could ignore whatever it was awaiting him on the sandy world, however.

While the Corellian had never been to Wayfar before, he had been to enough settlements on Tatooine and back-water planets throughout the universe to triple check the security code on the Maiden as he exited and to be completely unsurprised about the smells that greeted him. Larik made a habit of masking his presence in the Force to a slow murmor, no more than an uneducated sensitive, and today was no exception. Running around chasing beckons in the Force while shining like a beacon to other Force users had never seemed like a great idea to him, and the posters the Imperium plastered with WANTED written across the top did more than enough work inconveniencing him.

And so as he exited the man continued to mask his presence, at the same time inhibiting his ability to reach out and feel for others. Still, the pros outweighed the cons. After paying the fees for the hanger the man walked out and into the hot sun. The streets of the "city" were more than paths, but they were indeed bustling with characters of all sorts and types. Larik, while well kept, seemed unremarkable thanks to his black non-Jedi-like traveling attire.

Still, as he stood in the sandy streets of a world that had never been and never would be of any significance, he felt the flow of the Force as it pulled him. Even in this place the Force was alive. Looking to the left he smiled, starting towards a small shop that indicated some fort of transportation judging by the pictured sign. It was a bit warmer in the shop than outside, which Larik would not have guessed possible, and the shop owner was a small, spiteful looking man.

"Hello," the Corellian greeted him, engaging the man enough that he looked up at the newcomer. "I need transportation out to the Dune Sea." There was a moment's pause as the man stared blankly at Larik, and then realizing he wasn't joking, the man laughed softly and angrily at him.

"If you're not taking a path, I don't do rides." The man's accent was thick, his voice low and as angry as his laugh. "You pay credits I rent you speeder. You bring it back, I give you half back." The man pointed to the sign above him, indicating the prices for the different speeders. Quickly making his purchase the man limped out to the back of the facility, pointing to a rusted and barely functioning speederbike for the Jedi to use. Larik thanked the man and hopped on, familiarizing himself quickly with the controls. It was actually an older model of the speederbike he had in the Maiden, but he was glad that he hadn't taken his out. Nothing said money - and invited trouble - like some nice speeder hardware. This bike would work perfectly for what the Jedi needed.

Before setting off he attached a small bag he had brought along to the side of the speeder. From it he produced a black headscarf and goggles, and the Jedi took a moment to put them on before starting up the old engines. Edging out onto the street he putted along at a walking pace as to avoid hitting pedestrians. From his vantage point on the speeder he could see the crowds slowing down to look at and circumvent something ahead, and he let out a small sigh. He could feel a being pulling on the Force ahead of him. Undoubtedly trouble. Sure enough as he it became his turn to face whatever it was, Larik was greeted with the sight of a man of average build sitting along the side of the road, wrapped in a white shozoku, meditating.

Not recognizing the presence in the Force nor the shape of the man, Larik figured this man was no Jedi, which meant problems for him. Since he had no clue why he was here, however, there was little chance that the Jedi Grand Master was going to simply ignore this other Force user. Pulling his bike to the side of the road and angling it slightly so that it would be hard for others to get close to the pair, Larik killed the engine, his legs tingling when they shaking engine stopped.

Stepping off he walked over to the man. Everyone had a different way of meditating, but Larik had never found much use in poses or special positions. Sometimes when he was teaching others he would sit and cross his legs, but most of the time he simply laid down.

"You seem to be thinking awfully hard," he commented in a thicker-than-usual Corellian accent, his speech slightly muffled by the headdress. He set his goggles back on his forehead so he could get a better look at the monk/force user sitting in front of him.

 

[Kaythous Silver]

[beebox3=60%]Tatooine. This planet was becoming a hub for the Jedi master. It had only been a few weeks ago he'd been on this planet with Mila. It had been then that the force had begun to pull at his mind. There was something here that refused to go unnoticed. Following the order's protocols, Kaythous, had submitted a report on the sensation and marked it as urgent. The only problem was, most matters in the Jedi order were urgent. The Jedi had been able to wait a week before his curiosity got the best of him.

Taking the initiative he set his ship down on the plant and allowed the force to be his guide. While most people saw the desert planet as smuggler's hideout Kaythous enjoyed the gruff exterior. While the majority of inhabitants maintained the rough and rowdy motif, it was the local general store owners and moisture farmers that the Jedi enjoyed talking to and being around. There was a simplicity to some of the smaller settlements that got lost in the Mos Eisly's and Mos Espa's of the planet.

Kay spent a week getting to know some of the inhabitants in a tiny settlement called Wayfar. He'd picked up a job in the local general store to help blend in. He'd felt a strong tug from the force when he'd arrived, but since his arrival the constant nagging in the back of his mind had abated. There was still a pull but it seemed as if the worst was over. If that was a good thing he wasn't able to tell. Kay decided to stay in Wayfar for a little longer in order to fully understand the forces call.

He was making the rounds for the day, picking up various deliveries and taking them to the locals when he spotted a man dressed in all white robes. The Jedi had kept his force signature in check during his stay, but he'd been sure to keep his sense open to others who might be sensitive to the force. After all the Jedi were always in need of new members. Noticing the being was meditating, Kaythous decided to keep his probe to himself. If the being was a wolf in sheep's clothing the last thing the Jedi wanted to do was endanger the good people of this small settlement.

He finished his rounds and as he made his way back he noticed a second man now with the first. The new comer was dressed completely different and there was a speeder not too far from the new guys position. Squinting slightly as he leaned up against the general store Kaythous tried to figure out the dynamic between the two. even though he'd only been in the small town for a week he'd met enough of it's regulars to know these two weren't from around the area. Moving off the wall and into the store he waved to the owner, Kally.

Kally, is an attractive brunet with blue eyes that mirrored the cloudless sky above. She'd given Kaythous his job and had been happy to put him to work. As he entered he asked, "You have any idea what the deal is with the two new comers?" Kally pushed a lock of her brown hair out of her face and shrugged. "The one in the bed sheets has been sitting there for a while and the other guy just showed up. You done with all your deliveries?" Kaythous cupped his chin in his hand and then nodded to her. "Yes, ma'am" Kally smiled and said, "Well you want some lunch?"

Kay's eyes lit up at her offer. He'd tasted gourmet food from several different sectors in the galaxy, but nothing compared to Kally's cooking. The woman was a prodigy with a spatula and the Jedi was happy to accept her offer. Taking his plate of food to a seat by a window where he could spy on the dynamic duo and enjoy the food he'd been offered. he said a silent prayer that the two wouldn't suddenly jump up and run off before he could finish his meal.[/beebox3]
@TAC, @Korvo

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

Meditation wasn't the most natural talent that came to Xeus, at least not in temperate circumstances. Martial meditation, enduring hardships in a volatile environment - those were the conditions that made transitions into meditative states more seamless. Even with the harsh heat of Tatooine, it was too calm, too... easy. It took all of Xeus' focus to not be distracted and have his mind to wander. The Force still churned within him, like a small storm in his spirit, and he used that to try and anchor himself into the state of mind he needed. And finally, he felt his mind begin to slip and his awareness to expand... until the sound of a man's voice reverberated in his ears, telling him that he seemed to have been thinking hard.

"Hmm... I was." Xeus' voice was slightly dispirited.

Turning his head, a few bones cracked in his neck as he stretched, followed by him dusting his clothes off from the Tatooinian sands.

"It seems to come easier to-", Xeus paused ever-so-slightly as his senses returned to the present. There was something peculiarity about the man that had approached him - almost abnormal, even. For one thing, the presence of the Force emanated around him. It was slight, seemingly unrefined, but it was almost as if it were muffled. It was not an unusual thing to sense among those that had not trained themselves to use the Force, that the Force would seem like it was being stiffed or contained. Some Force users could shroud their Force presence, but Xeus wasn't able to discern if that was the case either way. What was unusual, though, was that he could sense the Light within the man.

"...to others."

As he turned to face his visitor, Xeus pulled the facial wrappings from around his head. He never particularly liked having his head covered. They muffled his senses slightly and always obscured his view when it came to his peripheral vision. Besides that, he wanted to get a better view of his new visitor.

"You don't much like a spacer or salvager," Xeus said, getting a better look at his visitor. :: Or a smuggler for that matter ::, he couldn't help thinking to himself. "And you certainly don't have the... semblance of the locals."

In truth, Xeus couldn't tell exactly where the man had come from. For all he knew, he was from a 'wealthier' city, like Motesta, Mos Eisley or Anchorhead, or he was from offworld. At the very least, he was from somewhere better than where they were. Everyone in Wayfar was poor, and there was an air of destitution and desperation around them, like they grimly consented to their standard of life. And this man had none of their despair. "My name is Xeus," he began his introduction, extending his hand to the man, "What brings a traveler to Wayfar, then?"

 

[TAC]

The man peered strangely at Larik after he stood, and perhaps rightfully so. When people did weird things in the street the general rule was to avoid them, not approach them. But Larik did not fear this meditating man, and he did not pretend to. He was actually quite interested in what brought the Force User to the same place Larik had been brought to, and he was also interested to know what had possessed him to meditate along the side of the street.

Safe behind his black mask, the Grand Master allowed Xeus to describe what he saw and did not see in Larik as the Corellian patiently stood listening. "Well met, Xeus," the Jedi responded, his Corellian accent thick as he accepting the hand that was extended to him "You can call me Seth," he said simply. Larik was genuinely interested in the Force User's own reasons for being on the world, and wondered if it might be something to do with his own.

"Not just a traveler," he replied, a wide grin bending the tightly wrapped cloth protecting his face. "A scavenger." The gloved hands pointed the direction Larik had been traveling before seeing the strange man. "I'm Corellian. Got a tip that there are some strange things happening far out in the Dune Sea that might have a pretty price tag attached." The man shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a curious fellow, couldn't resist. How about yourself?"

As the man spoke to Xeus, he felt a warm feeling behind his ears. Trying not to be rude he glanced casually behind him, scanning the crowd to see if there was anything of interest. There wasn't, although the warm feeling of being watched didn't leave the Jedi, and he was forced to return his attention to the man in front of him.

 

[Xeus Qel-Droma]

::A scavenger...?::

Xeus did a silent shrug, as the man, Seth, revealed himself to be a scavenger, which was basically a salvager that didn't try to hide what they were. It was a bit ironic to him; typically Xeus had a good sense on people. But he wasn't too proud to admit to himself that he was wrong.

"Well met," he reiterated, both as a curiosity to the phrase and as a return greeting. He'd heard the phrase quite often in times past, but it was a strangely honorable expression for a spacer. A Corellian spacer, at that. Recalling the moment he first heard him speak, Xeus had recognized the accent before, but couldn't place it. Wasn't as high-strung as the Coruscanti accent, not as heavy as the Eriaduan accent, and it certainly wasn't exotic or overtly sophisticated like the Onderonian accent. All in all, Xeus hadn't truly known or met many Corellians, but he had certainly known their reputation well enough. At least as far as their stereotypes were concerned.

"Interesting venture you're on. I'm departing there myself. I suppose you could call me a... a truth-seeker." It was vague, but that was the point. Xeus had gotten into the habit of tempering his openness when in the Outer Rim regions. Too many opportunists, too many individuals with mercenary-attitudes. "I'm searching for something here," Xeus said, looking off in the distance as he grinned slightly, "I'm just not sure what it is yet."

"I guess that makes me a curious fellow as well," he said, turning back to face Seth, "I've been cataloging a map of the surrounding deserts since before I arrived here."

Xeus pulled out a small saucer-like pad from a sash along his belt, which lit up as a planet map. Bringing his fingers to a segment of the planet's surface, Xeus made the holomap zoom in until a small insignia over the holomap appeared, representing their location on Warfar. At that, several other emblems began popping up all around the city on the map. "I didn't realize before that there were so many deserts within the Dune Sea. The Shifting Paths, the Ten Thousands Grains, the Stillsand Waves... but here," he said, zooming in on a desert to the West, "the Infinite Desiccation. There's something I'm searching for there."

In fact, Xeus would have said he practically felt it calling to him, but supposed that would have sounded insane to any passerby.