Ask Coruscant Breakthrough

[Corran Velt]

A nod of thanks towards the Jedi Master conveyed Corran's appreciation for her politeness. It had been... awhile since guests were aboard his personal ship. Especially women. He was never sloppy but maybe some baby food sat on the counter or a towel hung over a chair. Best to just go first and ward off any embarrassment. The ramp hit the paved starport floor and the Ranger moved to walk up the incline when a question gave him pause. He glanced over his shoulder for a beat before replying slowly, "Most of it came this way. I bought it off a hobbyist who was restoring it to all original make. But I fix it myself entirely. So far, at least." Heading up the ramp, the others would notice that the usually rigid and stoic man was talking with a hint of casualness in his voice. A glimpse of the man behind the badge.

Corran extended a hand to the hallway on the immediate left that went towards the back of the ship when as the trio boarded. "The engines operate smooth as the day they were made. Only had a problem once and that was because of some hungry gizkas." An memory of Bast Emblai in a flight suit flashed before his mind. He was so young then. Before... Silvi's mother. Before the Sith. Talking about the ship helped pull back from that mental ledge. "The engine was upgraded but had been returned to stock by the original owner. I'm glad he did because it makes repairs and parts easier to find." Corran turned around and began walking backwards to the common area. "I've kept this old bird running on a budget for years."

The common area opened up to the pilot and his two guests as they passed through a semi-circular threshold. Immediately to the right was a small kitchenette with a sink and a fridge. An engineering and communication suite sat to the immediate left, complete with a swivel chair. Shelves built into the wall held a massive library of datapad and holobooks. Texts of various system and planetary laws. Jurisprudence of the New Republic High Court. Some works of escapist fiction. Manuals for different blasters, ship, parts, and starships. An entire section was dedicated to history ranging from The Trade Federation's Follies: How Republic Corporations Failed to Warlord: The Fracturing of the Galactic Empire. Finally, a semi-circular padded booth sat around a holo-toble that could be used for anything from games to eating. Above it was a sign painted in red that proclaimed The Crimson Venture in stylized writing.

"Make yourselves at home," Corran offered vaguely to the room. Everything in the ship they've seen so far was immaculately clean. Spotless to exacting standards. A habit formed from his strict trade ship days. The bearded man marched off to the hallway across the room that lead to the private quarters. He sealed the door to his room and checked on the others. Beds were made and everything fine. Phew. Moments later, Corran reappeared. "Guest quarters are just down that way. Take the two on the left side. The one furthest on the right is a customized brig." Fondor was clear on the other side of the Deep Core from Coruscant. They may or may not rest during the trip. The option was there, though.

With sections of the ship open to Izel and Nara, the light freighter's captain excused himself, "I'll get us ready for take-off. You're free to join me in the cockpit at your leisure. Just make sure to buckle up." With that, the Ranger about-faced and strode out of the common area and to the off-angled cockpit. Corran plopped down into the captain's chair and sighed. This was harder than he thought. The blond ranger buckled himself in, placed on a headset, and began flipping switches and adjusting knobs to prep the ship for liftoff. The nearest Coruscant tower had a quick, professional back-and-forth. If the two women were in the cockpit, he would speak to them directly. If not, they'd hear the pilot over the intercom, "We have been cleared for departure. For your safety, stay buckled in until we break orbit." Not that anything bad was gonna happen, but guidelines were guidelines.

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel remained quiet during the tech talk. Ships weren't exactly her area of expertise. She did take a look around the common area though, her eye quickly being drawn to the collection of books. She stood in place by the exit though, only approaching when Corran told them to make herself at home. The literature on history immediately drew her interest, the Vratix running a finger along the spine of each text as she read each title. "You have an impressive selection." She complemented the ranger absently as she did her browsing. She pulled out one book and thumbed through it before looking up, her eyes following Corran's direction as he pointed out the way to the guest rooms. Then she nodded in acknowledgement as he made his way to the cockpit to get them ready for take off.

She continued to focus on the pages of the open book in her hands for a few moments, though she wasn't really reading it. She glanced briefly at Nara before looking back to the text. She thrummed her fingers along the cover thoughtfully, then gingerly closed it and placed it back on the shelf with a sigh.

"Nara..." She started softly, still dreading the conversation, despite it's need. She turned to look at her old friend. Her voice had no anger or accusation in it. Only a certain somber air. "I know things were... Difficult, when I left. And it seems they've only gotten worse since I returned." She hesitated again, taking a few steps closer. "Even so... I need to understand. Why did you leave the Jedi?"

@Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[Juniper]

Nara listened to Corran's explanations, nodding as she looked around the ship. How many hours had she spent as a teenager, buried in the guts of her old ship, tinkering and seeing if she could get something working a little better? Her fingers twitched with muscle memory, desperate to feel wiring and metalwork again. Just her and her droid and some bad rap music to keep her company.

She made no judgements about the contents of the ship, other than his library was disappointingly specific and completely lacking in the kind of books Nara liked to read. Laws and History were all well and good, but where was the adventure, the murder mysteries, the schlocky romance? Men. No imagination.

She heard Izel sigh and braced herself. It was loaded with meaning. Nara briefly wondered what part of her conduct was going to get examined next, but the question was more quiet and sad than she'd been expecting. She looked away, sitting on the available couch as she thought about how to answer this.

"Is this the time for this? It's complicated," she began saying, wondering if she could just dismiss it out of hand. When she'd left, it'd been a swirl of emotions and doubt and instability. The fact that she'd spent months wandering around the Galaxy since was testament to that.

"Oren dedicated his life to the Jedi. He fought, sacrificed everything dear to him, went through stuff that we can't even imagine. They were going to make him Grand Master, did you know that?" Nara presumed that everyone had, but she'd heard it directly from his lips, once. "He rose up to lead the Jedi and you know what happened? It chewed him up and spat him out. A man who spent everything he had trying to make the Galaxy better and he just... broke."

"I'm not doing it. I'm not dealing with councils or masters or mandates. There's no path for me in that Order, not anymore. It's a machine that'll do the same to me as it did to Oren. It'll take everything I have and everything I am and just rip it to pieces, for what? So I can get picked off by some dickweed Sith in a dogfight? Or be the next name carved into a rock when they pull whatever trick is coming next?"

Her voice was astonishingly calm as she spoke. A deep frown was etched on her face, however, as she stared off into the distance.

"And... this is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said, but I don't know if I can give myself like that anymore. I'm not even 25 yet and I've lost count of the times I've nearly been sliced up or blown up or whatever. I've got arms that look like a chopping board, a massive burn on my chest and half an ear missing. Gonna quit while I'm ahead. There's more to life than that."

Nara looked down at her boots guiltily. Selfish as it was, least she was being honest to her friend. She was relieved when the message came through from Corran about the take-off and a familiar, happy sense of disdain filled her.

"Yes, thank you Lieutenant, for we have never ever travelled in this metal machine you call a starship before and must be told basic safety measures!" she yelled out, rolling her eyes as she reached for the belt. "What is it with cops?" she wondered aloud, shaking her head.

@TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Corran Velt]

A typical, snarky, and sarcastic retort made Corran freeze mid-movement as he leaned towards the front dash of the starship. His eyes became half-lidded and the corners of his lips downturned slightly. "Thank. You. Nara." He shouted back in a rigid, dry, and obviously restrained tone. After a few more settings were adjusted, the lieutenant gripped the controls and lifted the craft off its struts. "What is it with Jedi?" he wondered aloud, shaking his head. At least Master Thral liked his literature collection.

Flying out of Coruscant was as rote as Corran's morning routine. He'd done it countless times. Follow the exit trajectory set by the tower. Keep an eye out for any criminal ships or rogue traders making a break for it. Break free of the artificial troposphere, and fly in the 'waiting zone' until cleared to exit planetary orbit and ultimately hyperspace. That part usually didn't take long. An automated 'confirmed' communication lit up the side panel and the pilot send the ancient YT-1300 forward as fast as it could go. Once out of Coruscant's orbit, you could fly forever without running into any trouble. Or friends. Space was a truly empty place. Corran activated the inter-ship comm system again to speak to his Force-Sensitive passengers. "This is your... Lieutenant speaking. We've broken orbit. You are now free to move about the cabin. We'll be taking the Chandrila-Corellia-Fondor route, so make yourselves comfy." Identical to passenger transport captains, if he may so so himself.

It would be awhile before the Sector Ranger made his way back to the common area. As automated as ships were, they couldn't fly themselves. Not until they made the jump to Hyperspace. And hyperspace calculations were not as easy as people assumed with ubiquitous space travel. With a careful push of the lever, the black void of space transitioned into darts of light as the ship folded into hyperspace. They were on their way to Fondor.

Loud footfalls announced Corran's return before he stopped in the archway of the common area. He leaned against the frame with his shoulder and crossed his legs, looking more like a casual freighter captain than a lawman. "Everyone doing okay back here?"

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel listened quietly as Nara vented her frustrations. She had a feeling Oren would come up. The bond between master and apprentice was always strong, and being apprentice to him was quite enviable as far as the Vratix was concerned. He was a man she respected a great deal, and lamented his decision to leave almost as much as she did her friend's. The toll Nara spoke of rang true as well. Too true in fact. Izel herself was not much older than Nara, and she had endured an equal amount of pain... and loss. As her friend spoke of the scars she had been dealt, Izel couldn't help but raise a hand to rub her arm, remembering the old wounds she had been dealt on Dxun.

She hesitated for a few moments, eyes fixed on the floor, only answering Nara with a simple "I see." before Corran's voice came over the intercom to advise them to secure themselves. Nara made her cynical jabs, and Izel chittered softly to humor her, though there wasn't any real mirth in the gesture. She slowly moved over to sit beside Nara and put her belt on, and then was silent for a few more moments as she thought over a proper response. She kept her eyes down, toying with the buckle in her hands a bit before finally looking back towards her friend.

"I suppose I can't blame you." She said sincerely. The Force knew she had her own tests of faith. "There's a sense of futility to it isn't there? Fighting so hard when it feels like we're making no progress..." She looked across the common area, almost zoning out as dark memories filled her head. "Like we're all just treading water... Trying not to go under. We put ourselves through all this suffering and what do we have to show for it? Broken bodies, dead friends and an ungrateful galaxy." She fell silent again as she reflected on it a bit more before looking back to Nara.

"I won't tell you you're wrong for leaving. I'm not going to pretend it's a simple matter of courage or cowardice. I don't think you're selfish Nara." The bond the two friends shared through the Force would be enough to tell her that the Vratix was being genuine, and that she was trying to reassure her she didn't think any less of her for what she said. Again the master looked away, antennae twitching a bit as she became thoughtful.

"But the way I see it, we're all in this together, whether we want it or not." She explained. "The Sith aren't going to stop. They're just going to keep coming and coming until the entire galaxy is theirs. And if that happens, there'll be no place left for people like you and me. Jedi or not." Once more the Vratix turned her gaze back to Nara. "And the Jedi aren't going to change unless people like you and me step up. I know the thought must be horrifying, but we're among the veterans now. Everyone else is getting picked off." She sighed. "I'm not going to try to coerce you to come back. You're a good person, and I know you'll continue to do good wherever you go, regardless of whether or not you count yourself as one of us. All I'm saying is, I think we can do more good together, working within the Jedi and the Republic." Her antennae perked up a bit, and the insectoid's voice took on a lighter air to try and move away from the darker matters she had been speaking of. "I won't press you any further. I'm sure I'm being quite the nuisance right now." She raised a hand to put on her friend's shoulder. "Just remember that we're much harder to break when we're together, than when we're apart. And that if you ever need me, I will not fail to be there for you." Her thoughts briefly flitted to Nykoria, and their vision. "I will never let my friends down again. No matter what path they choose to walk."

Just as Izel finished, Corran appeared to ask how they were. The Vratix took her hand off Nara's shoulder and unbuckled herself from her seat, standing up and stretching a bit as she looked towards the ranger. "I'm quite fine, thank you for asking." She said with a polite bow of her head, and began to approach the shelves again. "Nara and I were just discussing Jedi matters." She doubted the lieutenant would have any interest in that. He seemed quite dismissive of their mystical Order. But if they were going to be pursuing Sith, and that did seem very likely at the moment, he could probably stand to know a bit more about the Force and it's practitioners.

@Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[Juniper]

Nara listened as neutrally as she could to Izel. She tried to keep a calm, straight face... but she'd never been much good at it. Just a quiet, frustrated half-smile on her face as she leaned a little ahead, thinking over Izel's words. As per usual, she spoke with a lot of insight and wisdom. Annoyingly so, in fact. It was really bloody irritating when people tried to cut through your well-deserved funk with things like reasons and logic and sense.

"Holy moly, if I count as a veteran Jedi then the Order must be running on fumes," Nara complained, rolling her eyes a little bit. "I seem to recall most everything I did in the Order ended in failure. Aside from my clinic, and even that's gone to shit lately." Her disappointment in the Jedi Order ran pretty deep, even if she did have some residual fondness.

"You can't be all things to all people, Izel. This didn't happen because you let anyone down. The Galaxy is more complicated than that," Nara said quietly, thinking things through. There was a time for self-flagellation and that was five drinks into a bender. Fortunately, Lieutenant Velt had arrived.

"Oh y'know, peachy keen as ever," she said, looking up at Corran with a smile. "And the operative word there is were. Don't worry, we're not going to meditate or anything. There's a lot to learn from Izel though. She's the best Jedi out of all of us. She doesn't run off and get drunk in Coruscant bars."

@TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Corran Velt]

Hollow eyes with tiny flecks of humanizing sky-blue watched Izel bow her head sagely and move towards his collection of texts. Jedi were rumored to always act like mystic monks. Brienna never did and Nara certainly didn't. Master Thral was the first and some of the rumors were true. Corran left the two alone and they were already talking religion. "Jedi matters, huh?" He said with a subtly risen eyebrow. No words could be more vague than that. Even the phrase itself sounded dismissive. Jedi matters 'you wouldn't understand.' Not that Izel had any such inflection in her voice that hinted such a thing, but old grudges died hard. Especially ones that tore open old wounds.

Nara's smile drew the bearded man's attention mostly out of curiosity. She was sassy and pedantic nearly all the time, yet a smile still dawned her oft-annoyed features. The old wounds unintentionally clawed open numbed at the sight. Corran regarded the former Jedi for a moment before replying with a small shrug. "Even the ones who do run off and get drunk in Coruscanti bars aren't all that bad." Grey eyes flashed a small glint of blue at Nara before drifting over to the Jedi Master as she looked over his personal library.

Scores of knowledge beyond his own were held in those varied texts. Laws, codes, politics, history, and even the occasional spy thriller. Some of it necessity, some of it interest, and all of it read through. How much stuck was another question. Travelling the hyperlanes alone, even without a droid, meant Corran had a lot of time to himself. This was one of the rare, rare times where passengers were aboard the Crimson Venture. And they too had their own knowledge beyond his own.

Lieutenant Velt pushed off the archway with his shoulder and sauntered into the kitchenette. He plucked a fruit from a container and then placed the assortment of fruit on the counter as an offering. An open palm to the cabinets non-verbally suggested anything they wanted was there or he would be more than happy to cook something. The blond man bit into his fruit, taking a moment to chew before pushing the chunks to one side of his mouth to speak. "I don't think I ever met a Jedi Master before. Not one that I could speak to directly," he said stopping to chew a little, "You guys ever beat any Sith?" It was asked so casually, as if talking about the weather. Yet a seriousness colored it. A man who had faced Sith himself... and never won.

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

You can't be all things to all people. Izel clicked as she heard it. She was finding more and more often how quick people were to assume things were beyond their ability to influence. She was getting tired of it frankly, but maintained her calm outward demeanor. "Even so, I'd like to try." The Vratix responded to her friend. "And you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss your own accomplishments Nara. You did good work among the Jedi. Your mastery of healing is superb. You easily could have been a master if you tried."

The Vratix watched Corran as he got himself something to eat but didn't help herself, even when offered. She didn't feel much like eating right now. His referring to her as a Jedi Master somehow made her feel alien in her own chitin, as though the title carried more weight then she could hope to live up to. She certainly didn't feel much different from when she was just another knight. As the ranger asked if she had ever beaten any Sith Izel looked briefly to Nara before turning back to the lieutenant to answer.

"Well... If we're counting technicalities..." She started a bit awkwardly. "I did kill a Sith lord during the initial AMS outbreak on Nar Shaddaa, but that was... accidental." She paused, antennae twitching. It was another complicated matter involving the Force. One she felt Corran would not be inclined to believe. "He had formed some kind of perverted Force bond with a captive Jedi he had been torturing for years. At the Jedi's request I... Ended his suffering. The connection between the two of them killed the Flood as well." She paused again, clearing her throat before proceeding. "Aside from that I have fought the Sith and dark side cultists on several occasions. Some times we were forced to retreat, other times they retreated. And in a few cases we succeeded in destroying our foes. So..." She shrugged. "Make of that what you will I suppose." She would then look toward Nara, interested to hear if she had any stories of heroics that she had not yet been told.

@Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[Juniper]

"If there's anyone who can, Izel, it's you." She gave her friend a sad little smile and shook her head. "Nah, they don't want people like me being a master. That would've been too much responsibility. It'd mean I could go directly to the council and call them shitstains, they wouldn't like that."

Corran's comment made her snort a little. Not the most attractive thing she'd ever done, but hey. She shook her head, still smirking as she listened to Izel. She wasn't surprised to hear about Izel's experiences, she'd been there for a good portion of them.

"Me? Nah. Fought a few, never really got the better of them. Ontotho, Batuu, Nar Shaddaa. I was right in front of that Sith when Izel killed him. Like he'd melted or something," she said, picturing it in her mind. She'd been stood there, ready to fight, saber ready... "I'm glad she did, because I was sure he was gonna cut me to ribbons. This was after I killed the rancor. I told you about that, right?" Nara asked Izel, looking over at her. "Other than that... well, mainly thugs, criminals and cultists. Despite my attitude, I try not to get in fights too often. I haven't got the constitution for it." She waved down towards her general skinniness.
"I once fought a follower of the Matukai, as a friendly thing. Nearly broke my bloody nose," she grumbled, smiling at the thought of his shit-eating grin though. 'Oh, and AMS creatures. Killed a ton of those."

@TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Corran Velt]

A loud bite followed by crunchy chews was all that came from Corran as he stood by the kitchenette counter, listening to the Jedi Master dig up her past experience. The initial outbreak on Nar Shaddaa was long ago. He stopped mid-chew as the Vratix described the incident that got her a slain Sith. In all his encounters with the Sith, he'd never seen anything as sick as that. Heard, sure, but never seen. The rest was a more modest retelling of other events. The Sector Ranger raised the hand holding the fruit and pointed an index finger at Izel, "But you have forced some into retreat before. It can be done?" Not once, despite numerous attempts, had the Rangers ever thrown back a Sith assault. At least not without immense casualties.

Nara's snort caught the blond lieutenant a little off guard. It had been awhile since someone had laughed at something he said and not something he did. He blinked twice, before swallowing the bite he'd taken earlier. Her snort was... words evaded him. All he knew was that it wasn't ugly or off-putting. "You were there too?" Corran asked as the former Jedi referenced being present for this showdown against Darth Flood or whatever. They always had stupid names. He took a bite of his fruit again but the killing of a Rancor made him choke on his food. A fist pounded his chest a couple times until he gasped air. "A Rancor?" Corran sized up the smaller human woman as she gestured to herself. He visibly doubted the claim of her constitutional weakness.

The rest seemed about par for the course. Jedi, current and former, were often neck deep in danger as soon as they are accepted into the Order it seemed. Cultists, criminals, AMS creatures. Common opponents for their line of work. And his. Corran swallowed another bite. It was his turn to share. "I've only seen a handful Sith in person. One gave me this." Two fingers gestured to the scar across his nose and up to his eyebrow. "The other, well, just marched past." Bodies left in their wake. "The rest is criminals, ASM infected, combat droids, the like," he said with a shrug before taking another crunchy bite of his food, "Except for Dxun. Cloaked predators hunting was a new one." Overcast eyes flicked to Master Thral.

All of this wasn't idle chitchat though. It had a purpose. With a final gulp, Lieutenant Velt tossed the core of the fruit into a trash receptacle. He stood upright and folded his arms. His face turned steel. Inflexible and serious. "If Knight Tallis was captured by Sith, do we think we have what it takes to rescue her?" They had all faced those horrid things before. In Corran's mind, three wouldn't be enough.

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

"The less they want to hear it, the more it needs to be said." Izel countered Nara's comment about the Council. Of course, she would never call them something so vile, but there were plenty of criticisms that held water and were worth voicing. Needed to be voiced in fact.

Her attention was turned back to Corran as he spoke up. The man seemed eager for an assurance that the Sith could in fact be defeated. As he asked if it could be done, she nodded her head. No enemy was invincible. No matter how hopeless resistance seemed. Nara seemed eager to show off some of her exploits in front of the lieutenant, something she regarded with amusement and a slight twitch of her antennae. Why yes Nara you have told me that story before. How convenient for you to bring it up again now. "Yes," She answered her friend wryly as she crossed her arms. "It was about the same time Isen and I were slaying a terentatek lab experiment drenched in the dark side." She said with a light chitter before looking back towards Corran.

It seemed he had had his fair share of run-ins with the Sith as well. They were fortunate he had survived them. He brought up Nykoria, and the likelihood, probably inevitability of facing the Sith when they found her. "The Sith have had the upper hand so far because all of the fighting has been on their terms." She argued. "They choose the battlefield, they choose the stakes. This time we're coming to them." She paused to look at Nara. "And this time we'll know what we're walking into." She added, invoking the memory of the First Battle of Sullust. Even though they technically succeeded, it had been a disaster. That wasn't going to happen again.

@Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[Juniper]

Nara was only mildly annoyed that Izel was upstaging her with her terentatek talk. The lieutenant was looking so impressed too. "Yeah, you did. Did I mention there were two rancors. And a Mandalorian, but they were on our side... I think." Well, Izel was a lot taller than her, could climb walls and had a lightsaber pike that looked like it could level mountains. Nara was plain Jane compared to all that.

"The Sith don't really do subtle very well. At least, none of the ones that I've seen. Izel's right. They want the fighting where they control the battlefield. We might be heading into their den, but they don't know we're coming. And we're not charging right at their gates this time." They'd do better. She knew they would. "Besides... I still think there's something funny here. The Sith should've produced her by now, for bargaining or propaganda, or if they turned her. How long has she been gone? And she's still in pain? They can't have been torturing her for this long." She left the next part unsaid. Not even Kori could last that long.

"They're the bigger force. So we fight smarter. We fight dirty." And Nara was very good at that part.

@TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Corran Velt]

Two Rancors. A Mandalorian. What even was a terentatek? These two Force-users had seen quite a bit of action and not all of it battling their centuries-old rivals of the Sith cult. Corran glanced between the two to see if it was all a joke at his expense between the two friends but none came. They were serious. Impressive. The Sector Ranger nodded with an upturned smirk. If they were made of tough of stuff as their stories claimed, then he felt comfortable with the duo at his back. Normally that was a praise saved only for Rangers, but the two Force-users were growing on him.

Their response to Lieutenant Velt's query elicited more than he could have hoped for. Some hesitated at mention of opposing the Sith. Others outright feared them. Most had no experience at all. Master Thral spoke of how the Sith operated and Corran could find no flaw. Sith were always the attacker - rarely defender. Now this time they would have the initiative, if not the element of surprise. Corran squinted for a blink at the Jedi. She spoke as if some memory was a scabbed wound. Not quite healed but endurable. Nara held similar thoughts as the Master Jedi with some additional insights.

Corran tapped his fingers on the counter in musing. "There is a missing piece here. I just hope Fondor supplies it." The 'fighting dirty' actually made the bearded man chuckle lightly. A rare thing these days. He held up a finger in asking for a moment. Without a word, he walked from the kitchenette to the wall of documents, holobooks, and datapads. Laws and Statues of Mon Cala. Proper Pursuit Techniques. Ah, here it is. Corran plucked a holobook from the shelf and moved to the table where he plopped the reading into Nara's lap. "Fight dirty like this?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow and small smirk. The title read Asymmetrical Liberty: The Rebel Alliance's strategies and tactics against the Galactic Empire.

"You two get comfortable, I'm going back to the cockpit to double check some readings so we don't exit out near a black hole," the lieutenant said before taking a few steps backward and then turning away, vanishing around the hallway exit. They made good time to Fondor as trips went. Having Sector Ranger clearance went a long way to pass ahead of much bureaucracy in the Core. Though Corran, rigid as ever, still performed a full work out routine in his room but had to do pull-ups in the doorway of his quarters. Hopefully no one saw but it was a small ship. He also cooked breakfast-for-supper with waffles should the guests decided they wanted a shipboard meal before they entered Fondorian space.

From the cockpit of the Crimson Venture, the ship-building world opened up before them. Circular shipyards hovered in orbit with ships of every kind moving to and fro. Once these dockyards had produced the war machines of the Empire. Now they produced defenses for planetary fleets of the Free Worlds. Corran spoke through his headset to an administrator on the other end, "That's right. Yes sir. Yes. Thank you." With a flip of the switch, he turned on the intercomm again, "This is your Lieutenant speaking. We are beginning our initial descent onto Fondor. Would one of our passengers come to the cockpit and tell me where this corvette is so I land us by it?" If anyone did, he'd followed their instructions all the way down.

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel chittered again as Nara upped the ante by reminding her it had been two rancors she killed. The Vratix probably could have pushed it further, dragging their competition throughout both their histories, but she had a feeling they might start to sound like braggarts to the lieutenant. Or lunatics. So she decided to leave it at that. She was glad Nara agreed with her assessment that they stood a much greater chance against the Sith in this scenario. But what she brought up next was worrying. Nykoria's circumstances were very peculiar for what they knew of the Sith. Why keep her alive as long as they had? If she had turned to the dark side Izel figured they would have either showed her off for propaganda like Nara said, or sent her back to the Order as a sleeper agent. Why did they not use her as a bargaining chip? Why did this vision of pain come so late? It raised many concerning questions.

Izel remained silent as the two humans talked, then returned to browsing Corran's book collection as he returned to the cockpit. Eventually she would find a few historical texts she wasn't familiar with and collected them for reading during the trip. She would leave her former-Jedi friend alone for the most part. She knew Nara well enough to know nagging her would make no progress. Even so, she wondered constantly at how she might be able to convince her to return to the Order. It was quite the challenge to think about, but she was ever optimistic about her chances. No matter how unrealistic they were.

When they finally arrived over Fondor the Jedi would answer Corran's call to the cockpit. She would lean over the lieutenant's chair, looking at the console. "We're heading for Transport Automata Unlimited's dockyards... there..." She pointed out a spot on the navicomputer's map of the planet. She leaned back to give the ranger some space and looked down at him. "We should request a meeting with Mrs. Vasser as well to make sure the acquisition goes smoothly. Give them my name, she knows me." She felt like a pretentious fool saying that, but it was worth a shot. Her last meeting with Vasser had gone... moderately well. She might be willing to help them.

@Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[Juniper]

The lieutenant produced a very interesting book. "Oooo. Yes, just like that." She only knew the broad strokes of the Rebel Alliance, history wasn't her thing, but they'd been in a similar situation. Outmatched, outgunned, fighting dirty. And hell, they'd won. So why not?

Nara spent what was left of the trip poring over the contents of the book. It was exactly the type of reading material she didn't like, endless rows of tiny text with technical diagrams, without a brooding, shirtless hunk or grisly murder to break up the monotony. She made herself focus and take it in, however. This was more likely to help her and her friends, despite the lack of tawdry scenes.

Even though Corran had requested just one of them, Nara had followed. Clutching the book under her arm, she walked up to the cockpit besides Izel and loomed a little behind them both, checking out the skies as they descended towards the dockyards. "Did Kori ever take you here?" she asked Izel, eyes flicking from the skies to the navigational map. Here, unfortunately, Nara's skills were wasted. The last time she'd seen the corvette it'd still been caked in dirt and only just functional. It still had wiring and life-support pipelines hanging loose in the engine block.

"I hope they cleaned it. Maybe they managed to get the smell out of there," Nara thought aloud, wrinkling her nose at the memory of it. Never leaves you. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a suit is Vasser?"

@TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Corran Velt]

An insectoid appendage leaned over the pilot's chair and pointed to a section of the planet. Corran's gaze glanced over to the section of the world the Jedi Master indicated and nodded. He went about correcting the course of the YT-1300 and putting into a steady descent toward the purple-and-white industrial world. "I feel like every mission I undertake is related to T-A-U," the Ranger muttered before turning to say something quickly over his shoulder, "You know the Vassers? I've only done protective duty for their family or company." Nara might have used the Force to read Corran's mind as she asked, in her own words, the same thing he was thinking.

The light freighter entered the atmosphere and didn't hit any rough air. A blinking light indicated they were being hailed again. The pilot opened the comm and instead of planetary authorities, it was corporate ones. Seems TAU didn’t want just anyone touching down on their shipyards. “This is the Crimson Venture, seeking permission to touchdown at TAU shipyards - Fondor,” Corran said into his headset. He glanced over his shoulder at the Jedi and then added, “A Master Izel Thral wishes to meet with Chief Executive Vasser.” Almost immediately the line was put on hold.

A few moments later, the YT-1300 was given a designated landing pad near the enclosed dockyards. “That was fast,” the Sector Ranger said aloud. Usually corporate facilities had guests land near a fancy reception area and not in their secure dockyards themselves. Seems Master Thral really more than some robe-wearing monk.

The landing pad itself was in the open air directly next to one of the traffic towers and the sun of Fondor’s solar system fought its way through the clouds. The sole walkway from the pad ventured into seemingly endless enclosed hangars that jutted off and overhang into the sky. Many of them were sealed off by massive bulkheads but a few merely had blue shields as protection from the elements at both ends. When the trio descended the ramp from the Crimson Venture Mrs. Vasser, flanked by two corporate security officers, stood resolutely to greet them. Hands behind her back in a stance of officialdom.

“Welcome to the TAU Fondor Staryards,” she began with an air of professionalism, “What can I do for you today?”

@Reyn @Charndley

 

[Izel Thral]

"I was with Nykoria when we negotiated the corvette's refits." Izel looked between the two humans, answering their question. "I attempted to convince her to invest in the Guardian Initiative... She wasn't interested." She focused on Nara, clicking her mandibles thoughtfully. "I have no doubt TAU has treated it well. As for Vasser herself?" She hesitated, thinking. "It's hard to say. I only met her once. She seemed very professional, but also charitable enough to give us some leeway, in thanks for Nykoria's efforts in saving her son." What had stood out to the Vratix far more at the time was a certain Dark Jedi's unexpected appearance. Hopefully they would find no such distractions this time around.

Thankfully her name seemed to carry some weight, and they were directed to land at the dockyards. Izel was glad to see a bit more sunlight this time as they disembarked from the ship. As Vasser approached and welcomed them, the Jedi Master stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully, extending a hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you again Mrs. Vasser." She said in a polite tone. "I am Master Thral, in case you've forgotten. We met some time ago to see about retrofitting a CR-90 corvette? I realize it's been quite some time and I apologize for the inconvenience. As I'm sure you've seen on the holonet, we've had a great deal of pressing matters interfering with our regular business." Given the Jedi had been on the frontlines of protecting FWA and Republic space, Izel hoped the businesswoman would have some sympathy for their extreme tardiness. Especially considering the thwarted attack on Byblos, a system not too far away.

@Catbert @Charndley @TerranSteel

 

[The Storyteller]

An executive of Phyllys Vasser's caliber had too many things to keep in mind. And the Jedi, as prominent as they were in galactic history and recent events, weren't yet at the heights they reached during the Old Republic. So, when told that "a Master Izel Thral" wanted to meet her, Phyllys didn't immediately make the connection. The name rang a bell; that was one of the few reasons why she opted to meet the "familiar" stranger. The connection was only made when she saw a familiar insectoid towering over her. The Vratix were somewhat of a rarity in the galaxy. And this Vratix spoke about something all too familiar—the ill-fated CR-90 corvette.

As her pale hand shook the Vratix's, one could notice that the CFO was not quite there. Memories were falling together like pieces of a convoluted puzzle: the kidnapping of her son; a few Sector Rangers and a stray Jedi helping to find him; the Jedi asking for help with a corvette a while later; the same purple-skinned Jedi being there when the pirates had nearly killed her; now missing in action.

“Inconvenience,” a wrinkle in the corner of the woman's lips became more prominent; she repeated Izel's words, as if savoring them. A pause followed; just long enough to hopefully make the Jedi Master feel uncomfortable, but not long enough to accuse the CFO of testing her uninvited guests. Then, just like that, the wrinkle softened, and Phyllys replied in a more conversational tone: “I was starting to think that pressing matters were the regular business for the Jedi.”

There was a reproach hidden there somewhere; or maybe Phyllys was just testing her guests. Regardless, she said nothing more for the moment, eyeing up the other two arrivals silently and making her own conclusions. One of her observations made the CFO tilt her head in curiosity, as she added: “But I digress. What is it that you want?” Although Phyllys had her suspicions, Master Izel Thral only outlined the intent, but didn't state it outright. And the CFO had no intention of making it any easier for the Jedi.

@Charndley @TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Juniper]

Nara followed the other two out of the ship, stepped out onto the landing pad as Vasser appeared, flanked by her security. She felt a little out of place there, between the Jedi Master that'd met Vasser before and the highly respected, Sector Ranger Lieutenant. Nice to meet you, I'm Nara, my highest achievement is making it to 24 without dying.

Izel nobly took the lead, which was handy. She used her apologetic adjectives and everything. Izel was an experienced diplomat and she was sure that she could handle Vasser, but that didn't stop the flicker of irritation passing over her face when she spoke.

What I want is my corvette, lady.

Instead, she managed to pull her face into some sort of smile. Kind of. She had all the grace and subtlety of a rabid rancor but hey, she was making an effort.

"Hello, Mrs. Vasser. I'm Knight Allam, this is Lieutenant Velt with the Sector Rangers," she said, waving towards Corran. She didn't think now was the time to get into complications like her status with the Jedi, so went into a tiny bit of lying. "I'm a close friend of Master Tallis. We're currently working with the Rangers on locating her." This was getting spicy now. How much should she reveal?

"I also lead the mission to recover the corvette that Master Tallis brought to your shipyards. Thank you for your efforts on that regard."

She looked at Corran urgently, hoping he would pick it up from there. Talking politely wasn't her style and she was one barbed insult or nasty look from shouting with a corpo. Then how would they get that corvette?

@TerranSteel @Reyn @Catbert

 

[Corran Velt]

Lieutenant Corran Velt stood as a paragon of his judicial organization as niceties were exchanged. His hands were clasped behind his back and feet shoulder-width apart at an at-ease stance. His features barely moved besides his eyes as the initial conversation took place. Master Thral turning out to be quite the measured diplomat, despite what the Holonet claimed of her anger issues. The carefully maintained indifference from the CEO did not phase the blond ranger in the slightest. Higher-ups usually held their sabaac cards close to their chest. Lets them make decisions or judgements without giving their preference away too early.

He was content to remain a silent companion to the discussion and only nodded respectfully when Nara introduced him on his behalf, along with herself using formal ranks. Impressive for someone who seemed to have such disdain for structure or formality of any kind. Her blue eyes suddenly wheeled on the Sector Ranger, conveying quite a bit of urgency.

With an attentive clear of the throat Corran picked up where Nara left off, “Mrs. Vasser, that CR-90 corvette that has been retrofitted at the expense of the Jedi Council is being requisitioned for a critical investigation in the disappearance of a Jedi Master. Given its long stay in TAU dockyards here on Fondor, I am sure the vessel is more than ready for inspection and launch." Directness with the right words often helped in a situation like this. It also was a little bit of executive chess. If Vasser said the ship wasn't ready, that would be an admission of either her company slacking on the job or not taking the Jedi Council's payment seriously. On top of that, a uniformed Sector Ranger with the authority of rank could temporarily commandeer a vessel in an investigation. If she dared require paperwork, then she didn't know Corran Velt was the most thorough paper-pusher in the entire Sector Rangers.

"If you're worried about pilots, ma'am," the lieutenant said politely, "We've got more than enough to form a skeleton crew until we pick up additional members." Corran glanced out of the corner of his eye to Nara. He wasn't sure of Izel's skill at the helm but Nara seemed to be a kindred spirit.

@Charndley @Reyn @Catbert