Ask All Your Idea

[Ferrin Sipal]

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Ferrin couldn’t deny being ever-so-slightly nervous for this mission. While he’d traveled with senior Jedi for a multitude of training missions or humanitarian efforts, the Padawan knew that the stakes and price of failure was going to be significantly higher during the course of his work alongside Zathria.

While a Jedi Exclave had once existed, Al’doleem wasn’t a particularly wealthy or important location - albeit beautiful to behold. The Mid Rim Moon was known for its countless rivers and rushing rapids, carving deep valleys and gorges that dotted the surface. It was in these very gorges that the people of Al’doleem built their cities, nestled at the base of towering hydro-electric dams. They served to provide power to the entire population of the planet, and constituted the primary export to neighboring systems. And it was that very commodity that had brought offworlders to Al’doleem.

For weeks, the primary hydro-electric facility had been held hostage by a group of Outer Rim pirates - killing their way through security, while keeping the workers locked inside. For weeks, they had profited by stealing charged batteries, while threatening to cut off entire cities if the government made any move against the pirates.

With little other recourse, the planet had reached out to the Jedi - hoping the Order would be able to meditate the dispute, or should peaceful options fail, remove the intruders from the plant.

As their shuttle touched down on the surface, Ferrin glanced down to his equipment. He was adorned in his usual Jedi tunic, lilac hair styled and combed messily. The hilt of his newly-forged saber hung at his belt, alongside a few other supplies tucked into a pack. After a quick once over, his attention flicked to Zathria - regarding the beautiful Knight for a moment or two.

“Any ideas how to get this done?” He asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria had a padawan with her... again. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. No, actually, that's not true. She didn't like it, but she was stuck with it. Her prior... excursions with Padawans hadn't gone well, but she couldn't judge it all on that. He seemed nice enough, and she had hope that things might be better in a one-on-one setting. She did like teaching normally, after all...

They did have their work cut out for them, though. Pirates taking over a major hydroelectric institution and holding everyone hostage. She knew this was likely going to end in bloodshed, but she would try to keep that from being a first resort.

Find a way to send them an ultimatum. Cease and desist or be forcibly removed, she said. Feeding it directly into their comm system might work, or just... sending it to them direct. That's actually probably easier, she said. Okay, yes, that was probably easier.

Meeting with some of the locals first to get comm codes and estimations of hostages and pirate strength is probably our best bet, she said.

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin nodded ever-so-slightly when Zathria spoke, outlining their plan forward. With any luck, the Knight would be correct in her hopes - and the pirates would simply move on upon realizing the Jedi were involved. “Sounds legit,” The Pantoran said after a moment, walking a pace or two behind the Echani as they left the shuttle. Straight ahead of them was one of the many Dam-cities of Al’doleem, sleek structures nestled at the base of a colossal dam.

It was a wonder of engineering to behold, but left the Pantoran wondering how screwed they would all be in the event of some critical failure of the dam.

“Governor was the one who requested us to begin with,” The Padawan said after a moment, glancing over to Zathria. “Suppose we ‘ought to start there?”

Assuming she agreed, the Pantoran would continue walking towards one of the larger structures of the city - the grand plaza and city hall where the Governor was likely waiting for them. If anyone actually had numbers and information they could glean, the officials were likely the best bet.

“Or we can go to the citizens directly,” He added.

@Phoenix

 

[Zathria]

Zathria nodded as he mentioned the governor. I agree it's a good place to start, she said. There wasn't really a wrong answer... well, except maybe to just go hacking at the pirates without any information.

How are your studies in the Order going? she asked. She didn't actually spend much time talking to Padawans, and Tahiri - the last Padawan she'd considered taking under her wing - was killed along with Master Indy. More losses to the Order, though she didn't let herself linger on it.

Have you figured out if you're interested in pursuing a specialization? It's okay if you haven't, it's still early, she said, waving a hand as if to emphasize that no answer was an acceptable answer.

As they spoke, the two continued to walk along the top of the dam, the breeze from the man-made lake would have left her feeling like today was quite a pleasant day if it weren't for the business that they were here on. Still, she tried to root herself in the present moment as she'd been taught many times, enjoying the fresh morning air despite the situation.

@Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Internally, Ferrin couldn’t deny some level of giddiness that Zathria was going along with his suggestion. The Pantoran didn’t seem to know what he was doing half the time as it was - so the fact that the Knight actually thought he was on the right track was, undeniably, gratifying. Of course, none of this played out across his features - merely offering a smile and nod in response.

“Pretty good I guess,” He said with a small shrug, allowing his golden gaze to wander the admittedly beautiful city. “Think I do better out on my feet, if I'm bein' honest.” The Pantoran was under no illusions that he wasn’t the brightest student and that academics were never his strong suit. He had always preferred to learn from experience and work on his feet, rather than attempting to divine wisdom from some old Master’s lectures.

“I don’t see you around Brighthome often,” He commented, glancing over to Zathria with an arched brow. Perhaps years ago, that could’ve been explained away by the multitude of Jedi temples and enclaves. But now-a-days? Almost the entire Order found their home on Brighthome. “How come?”

When the topic turned to specializing, the Pantoran paused for a moment or two, pondering the question. “I haven’t, nah.” He said after a moment or two. “Dabbled in all of the fields but.. Haven’t really found what speaks to me yet.” It was an acceptable answer, but still wasn’t the one that Ferrin wanted to give when pressed on it.

“How’d you settle on your own?” Ferrin glanced up at her. “Dueling just come naturally to you?” Based on what he knew about Zathria - which was jack shit - and the fact she was Echani.. The Pantoran just assumed she went the martial route. He was totally oblivious to the fact she was one of the Order’s more prominent healers.

In the distance, the pair would be able to see a few civilians milling about. While they seemed to carry on well enough, Zathria and Ferrin would both get the vibe that everyone was ever-so-slightly on edge. Uncertain of what the future held, with pirates occupying their infrastructure and holding their own people hostage.

“Muja!” A vendor called out nearby, gesturing to a cart filled with brightly colored fruit. “Fresh, juicy Muja! Fresh into the market this morning!”

 

[Zathria]

How come? What a question. What a question she didn't really have a good answer to. She didn't intentionally stay away anymore, but there was just... much to do.

I like to keep busy, I guess. There's a lot to do out there, and I still do a lot of work with the Mercy Ship initiative I set up several years ago, she said. Most of her time went to helping run the not-for-profit, though much of the organization's daily affairs were handled by others these days. Her Justicar duties simply ate up too much time.

You've got time, she reiterated as he said he hadn't really found a spot. And truthfully, I think a lot of times people forget that just being a "Jedi" is enough. Nothing wrong with being a generalist, she said. Many of the Jedi Order's most famous and celebrated members were exactly that.

She looked back at him with a confused frown when he asked about her specialization in dueling. I'm certainly no slouch with a saber, but I'm hardly a Battlemaster, she said, trying to think about how to answer his question.

I work with the Justicars these days because there's a lot of internal issues in the Order, but before that, my interest was - and really at heart still is - healing. I'll spare you my whole spiel about it, but it's a good path, she said with a faintly nostalgic smile.

Zathria didn't miss the vague tension that filled the air, but she didn't let it get to her, instead focusing on what small part they played in it at the moment, pushing out a sense of calm and serenity into the Force around her. Sometimes - rarely but sometimes - all it took to improve someone's feelings was pressing a feeling of hope into the world.

I'll take one, she said to the vendor, reaching into her pocket to pull out credits. You want one? she asked Ferrin and would pay for his as well if he wanted.

How are things this morning? she asked. Been having a good harvest of your fruits? she asked, trying to put the woman at ease.

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin listened carefully to what Zathria had to say, offering a small nod while the hints of a smile brushed his lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” The Pantoran said. Truth be told, there were times when Ferrin wondered if he was falling behind his peers with dedicated masters, or kicked himself for not committing to a specialized path yet. Whether she realized it or not, the Echani’s words were all the encouragement Ferrin needed.

He continued right along, casually tucking his hands into his pockets. His brow rose when Zathria declared she was no blademaster, but it was the following revelation that really caught his attention. “Wait, really?” The Pantoran snapped back to look at Zathria, genuinely surprised by her career-choice of healer. The whole Mercy Ship thing made a lot more sense all of the sudden. “Huh. Your Echani so I kind of just assumed..” He blinked a few times, flashing the Knight a sheepish smile.

“Definitely a good path.” He nodded, filing that bit of information away for later. Perhaps she coud help him along that very route in the future. “You think you’ll go back to it?” He asked after a moment. “When the Knights start acting like Knights and the Padawans stop screwin’ up?” He flashed a grin. Padawan or not, Ferrin saw all the weird shit that happened in the Order, same as everyone else.

His attention flicked over to the vendor selling her fruit - offering the woman a small smile. When offered, the Pantoran gave Zathria a small nod, “Sure,” He didn’t hesitate to dig into the fruit when it passed his way, happily munching while the knight and vendor spoke.

“I can’t complain, miss,” The older woman offered a small smile, though Zathria would be able to feel the tension beneath the smile. “Harvest has been bountiful as ever.. For now,” She grimaced a bit. “Ever since my husband passed, I’ve been relying on machinery to do most of my manual labor.” She shook her head a bit. “Everyone is worried what will happen if we all lose power. I don’t know what I’d do.” She shrugged a bit.

 

[Zathria]

Zathria gave a snorting laugh as he asked whether she would go back to it when the Jedi Order started actually acting like Jedi again. So it hadn't escaped the notice of others, then. Zathria had only gone into the Justicar path because she felt she had to, not because it was what she had truly wanted.

I'd love to, she admitted honestly. Someday I might get to, but for now, this is where the Force has me, she said. There was no point in worrying about what the future may or may not hold. Ultimately, things would unravel as the Force saw fit. She would simply play her part until then.

Zathria nodded along as the woman talked about her work and harvest, and the mention of losing power seemed like her "in."

I heard there was a big thing happening up at the power plant, she said with a nod, as if making small talk.

A whole pirate crew came in, holding hostages. Government's not done much about it yet, but no one's been killed, the woman said. Zathria nodded again.

Stay strong. I'm sure things will be sorted soon, she said. May the Force be with you, she said before heading onward.

Truthfully, it hadn't been much information that was that valuable, but you never knew what hidden gem you'd find.

She headed in the direction of the governor's office, though calling it an office was maybe a bit... strong. It looked more like a small outpost with a reception area and several back rooms, but there was no pomp or lavish... anything. Still, it serviced just fine, and the two Jedi arrived promptly, making their way up to the reception droid.

After a quick introduction to the receptionist, they were directed to take a seat and told the governor would be with them shortly.