Ask Yavin IV About a Handful and a Half

[Maura Starwalk]

"Sadge," she mumbled in response to the training saber question. Oh well, one day! The Force better hurry up, though.

Bag on the ship? "Okay! The bag will stay!" She rolled out of her chair and scrambled after Alex, but tuned her out as her big, black eyes took in the ship. It was only once she said "explore" that her head snapped back to the side. Explore, but stay in the common areas? No air ducts? "Okay!"

Maura's face widened into a grin, and she looked pensive only for a moment. "Hm, no questions!" With that, she immediately wandered off towards what looked like a common hallway.

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

No questions. Alex probably should have been worried by the lack of inquisition, but her mind was elsewhere. “Alright…behave.” She nodded. “I’ll be on the bridge.” Her feet clanged on the durasteel walkways. The Force slowly built a bridge between Master and Apprentice. Alex was dimly aware of Maura in the back of her mind…just enough to keep an eye on her. In short order, she was surveying Yavin from high above. “Grandmaster.” The greeting echoed among the controls. “Captain, we are ready when you are.” The Bothan volunteer nodded. “At once.” Stations whirled into action as the Aurora spun from Yavin. In a flash the light of hyperspace were streaming by.

New Alderaan was a short journey, but they needed the time to prepare. “We have altered the President of your arrival…he was under the impression you would be meeting alone.” Alex laughed. “Oh, well, he’ll learn that lesson the hard way.” She wasn’t much for the trappings of the office but sometimes pomp was necessary. There were certain expectations she carried that had to be met. The President owed her a great debt, and he could survive meeting Maura to meet that debt. She took a deep breath before clasping her hands behind her back. Now they waited.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Wow, this place is big!"

Maura stuck her head around another corner and watched a couple of crew members stroll by. Somehow they missed her bright hair, so she rolled around the corner and began to follow them as quietly as she could. "What are they talking about?" Their words meant very little to the kid, as the mixture of engineering jargon and general talk was outside her understanding. "What is a gauge?" She would have to ask Master Voran later!

She quickly grew bored of them, and her eyes eventually fell to the floor. There seemed to be some sort of grate beneath her feet. A voice echoed in her head, the memory of her master telling her not to go in the air ducts. "But air ducts are above, right?" Her black eyes glanced up to catch sight of the grates above her head—the air ducts.

"So, these aren't air ducts then! They're vents! It's like that game!" Excited to mimic the venting action from one of her favorite games, Amongst Us, she wrapped her hands around the steel, lifted it up, and jumped down inside.

"Woah!" A whisper of an exclamation left her breath as she dropped down into the vents. There really wasn't anything cool about them, but it was really dark. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the low light, and she began to crouch along.

"I should try to find Master Voran!" Giggling, she tried to search for her master's presence in the Force.

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

“Ah…Captain…there are some off readings in the ventilation systems…looks like an obstruction.” Alex barely heard the comment as the Captain moved over to check some readings. “I thought we just had these cleared?” Her eyes were focused on the streaming lights of hyperspace. “We did, sir.” Slowly, the realization dawn on her. “Excuse me, did you say an obstruction in the vents?” Both the Captain and deck officer turned to look at her. “Yes, Grandmaster, nothing to worry about thought probably just dust buildup.” She cleared her throat. “I believe it is a bit more persistent than that.”

She clicked her tongue and closed her eyes. Alex quickly sunk into the Force. Ah…there she was. Her mind quickly linked with Maura. “Maura…dear…what did I say about creeping through the ship?” She could vaguely sense where the little gremlin was trolling through the Aurora. “We might as well put this to good use.” A smile couldn’t be stop from appearing on her face. “You’ve started this…might as well come find me now.” She withdrew into herself. This would be a suitable test of Maura’s ability to find her in the Force…even through the vents.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

She was able to figure out that there was a familiar pull of the Force in one direction. It wasn't long before that pull became suddenly stronger, and a voice appeared in her head.

"You said no AIR DUCTS! This is a VENT!" Maura fell into a fit of giggles as she continued to crawl along, collecting dust on her palms and knees.

Come find her? Alright!

The little gremlin broke into the fastest pace she could, skittering along inside the vent like a rat in the walls. It wasn't exactly difficult for her to latch onto Valen's presence in the Force, considering its strength. The most difficult part was translating that to the maze of vents, but she found that if she concentrated really hard on the Force around her, she could almost see the route ahead of her.

-----

"Master Voran!" After some amount of time, the Morellian Jedi would hear a loud whisper shouting up at her from beneath. The girl's big black eyes would be staring up at her from the ground, peering between the metal columns of the vent cover. "Hi!" she giggled.

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

She’d found a vent…of course she had found a vent. Alex should have known better. She folded her arms across her chest and waited. She distractedly tracked Maura’s signature in the Force…the ball of energy growing ever closer. Alex still jumped when she heard Maura’s voice. She had expected the girl to find an exit. Instead, she had managed to wedge herself through the vent in the floor. Several of the deck officers also cried out in surprise. “I seem to have found the obstruction, Captain.” The officer chuckled. “Indeed.” She lightly wrapped the Force around the vent cover and lifted.

The metal scrapped slightly as it came free. “Hello there…well done.” She motioned for Maura to climb out. “Now get out.” The deck alarms whirred softly. They were exiting hyperspace. Alex flicked her eyes up and down her apprentice. She was covered in dust from the ventilation shafts. “You need to change.” She smiled softly. “You can’t meet the president covered in dust…quickly please.” The ship jolted as it exited hyperspace. It was nearly showtime.

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[Maura Starwalk]

Maura hopped out of the vent and with her hopped out a cloud of ventilation dust as well. Her face scrunched up, and for a moment, she remained frozen - teetering on the verge of a sneeze. The moment passed; she was safe.

"But I- ACHOOOOO!" As soon as Maura went back to continue speaking, the sneeze rushed back and caught her by surprise. Her whole body jumped with her and a poof of dust was violently expelled off her clothing and into the air. A look of surprise took over for a moment, only to be replaced with a stupid grin. "Uh, excuse me?" Is that what you said when you sneezed?

Silence.

"Errr, robes! YES MA'AM!" Giggling, Maura ran off to collect her bag and find someplace she could change.

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Maura sneezed and became a cloud of dust. Alex whipped the Force and sent the dust carry towards the vent. She just shook her head. Maura went sprinting off to find her robes. Alex simply prayed the girl actually had clean robes. She cast a sidelong glance at the Captain who merely shrugged. She returned the gestured before a twinkling of alarm bells sounded. “The President’s personal yacht is requesting permission to land.” She frowned. “We were meant to meet at the Temple…” The coms officer relayed a few messages. “Apparently the President believed this would be simpler.” Alex grunted. “Fine, we’ll receive him in the hangar. Someone send my apprentice along and vacuum her please.”

Alex took a deep breath and composed herself. A sudden change in venue was never encouraging. She did not like the feel of the meeting. Her face smoothed as her mental walls climbed high. The President and his attaché would see only Grandmaster Voran. She walked smoothly through the halls of the ship. She would move at her own pace. Alex arrived just as the yacht was docking. Two fighters flew in beside the sleek vessel. In a moment, that ramp would lower and a squad of guards would be followed by the President of New Alderaan.

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[Maura Starwalk]

"Did I pack extra robes?" She knew she definitely didn't have robes any nicer than the ones she had on now, but she could at least wear them correctly. "I did! I'm a genius!" Upon reaching her bag and discovering the extra set, Maura snatched them from within and ran off to find a bathroom or something. She left behind a trail of dust that made the poor sod sent along to track her down much easier.

"I DON'T NEED VACCUMED!" Maura squeaked and slammed the door of the bathroom shut as the man approached with the device. "I BROUGHT A CHANGE OF CLOTHES! GO AWAY!"

-----

Some amount of time later, but not too long as Maura never did anything slowly, the child burst from the bathroom. She was (mostly) free of dust, and her rainbow hair had even been brushed into what could only be described as an even poofier mess. It deflated a bit by the time she got over to where Alex was, just as a very important-looking person descended with a bunch of guards.

"Uh, who are they?" she whispered as she slipped over to Alex's side. Was there tension in the air?

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

There was tension in the air. Maura’s inner musing were perfectly correct. Alex flicked her eyes down at her apprentice as the President approached. Her voice was pitched low. “That is the President of New Alderaan and his entourage.” She did not mask the concern in her voice. “It is unusual he has come here.” The guards stopped and the President stepped forward. He was a smartly dressed middle-aged human man. Hansom by all accounts. Max and Alex had bailed him out of more than one embarrassing incident. “Mr. President.” She nodded her head politely. “Grandmaster…and?” The Morellian Jedi gestured towards Maura. “My Padawan, Maura Starwalk.” The young girl had mostly cleaned up.

“I had planned to meet you below, sir.” The Force shifted as she spoke. “No time for that, I’m afraid.” Alex stopped herself from tensing. “And why would that be?” She was calm and her aura in the Force reflected that. “The galaxy is changing…rapidly, and we both know that. The Royal Engineering Core updating the Fleet. We can help you, but we need the resources to do so.” Ah. So that’s what this was. A quid pro quo. “Have I not helped enough, Mr. President.” She quirked an eyebrow. “I fear I must ask again.” Alex looked down at Maura. The future of the Jedi Order pressed firmly into her mind. “Ask then.” An aid stepped forward and handed Alex a datapad. The details of the help scrawled across. She shook her head slowly.

“Consider it done.” She tucked the datapad away in her robes, waiting to see if the President said anything more.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura decided to salute the president when her master introduced her, her thought process being that a salute was very attentive and very respectful. To her credit, she would remain quiet most of the time.

"What is it?" she would whisper up to her master as she tucked the datapad away, suddenly insatiably curious about what the president wanted from her. Her eyes grew wide. "Is it a mission?"

The idea of a mission was too exciting to handle! Maura began to bounce on her toes and was almost vibrating with curiosity.

tag: @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex looked down at Maura. “Of a sort.” Her gaze wandered back to the President. “Are we finished?” The Morellian’s voice remained perfectly calm and polite. Her presence in the Force was pristine. Deep beneath those waters she was extremely annoyed. “For now, Grandmaster. I’ll see you soon.” The President flashed an elegant smile. His arrival suddenly played out in reverse as the guards packed up and the yacht departed. Alex watched it all with her arms silently folded. Once the ship was gone, she let out a protracted sigh. She looked down at Maura again. “That man is extremely irritating.” She ran a hand through her hair. In that moment, the Grandmaster was gone. Just Alex stood in the hangar.

“You and I have work to do Maura. Dangerous work. I’m uncertain I should bring you, but the Force set us on this path which means I should listen.” Her mind spread out across the ship as she began to issue telepathic orders. “The Aurora will stay here. Master Noshi is coming to fit you with armor and give you a temporary blade.” She looked around from her shuttle. “I have to prepare. You’ll be dropped off when I’m ready…a day or two at most.” Alex took another deep breath.

“Use this time to ready yourself. I’m serious. You are ready for this, but I don’t know what awaits us.” She patted Maura on the shoulder and trudged off. She had duties which simply could never be ignored.

OOC: Exit Thread: I'll post the OP

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