(Dressel) The long way round

[Carthus Phoenix Kira]

It has been almost two months since the ship had last been seen blasting its way out of the Taris fueling station, Carthus had not had time to get to the Winter's Crest that he had arrived on. Instead, he had stolen another ship that thankfully had enough supplies on it to keep him going for so long. The supplies, however, had run out days ago and the damage he had taken in escaping the Imperials mixed with that of pushing the hyperdrive had taken its toll.

The ship had been adrift for most of that time, but during that time Carthus had done what he could to repair the ship to get it working. On occasion trying to send a message out to his own ship. But as always he got nothing but static.

As the weeks rolled on Carthus hygiene had somewhat taken a nosedive from his regular clean-shaven face and well-groomed appearance, he was also starting to show some signs of malnutrition.

In the later weeks, his attention had turned towards getting enough power to make one more hyperspace jump, if he could get to a place that was at least safe away from the conflict he might be able to make his way back or get in contact perhaps with Azran, that was if he survived.

As luck would have it he had managed to patch the drive and divert enough power to the engines for one more jump, choosing a spot that was as far away from his current location as possible he strapped himself into the pilot's chair, engaged the engines one more. The ship groaned and complained, like an old man who was being forced to move out of a comfortable position.

As the ship began its passage through hyperspace Carthus noticed one red light begin to blink at first, then two, then a whole panel and then an alarm sounded. Something was terribly wrong with the ship.

Dropping out of hyperspace the alarms continued to blaze and the ship began to shake violently, Taking ahold of the controls Carthus pointed the ship towards a planet that was not too far away.

Well, he only had one more chance at this he guessed.

Pressing the communication button he opened the channel

"General Distress, the ship is damaged and going down, sending out general distress to anyone in the area that can hear me. My ship is going down..."

Carthus had to stop talking and focus now as the ship began to enter the Thermosphere of the planet, and rapidly descending into the Mesosphere. The ship had continued to shake and complain every step of the way, Carthus began to redistribute power to different systems as quick as he could. What he wouldn't give for a droid right now.

From the planet it would look as though a ball of fire was streaking through the sky, heading towards the hills.

There was a loud crash, snapping of woodlands and grinding of metal as the ship slammed into the ground, throwing its passenger violently left to right.

Finally, the lurching of the ship stopped as it dragged across the ground to a halt, letting off smoke from the headed hull and possibly some chared trees behind it

Still secured to his chair Carthus let out a groan as he reached up to touch his head

".....I need to stop making friends that leave me with a headache"

Looking up out of the cockpit to the outside he could see that it was blazing sunshine outside and nothing but trees and woodlands around him.

"But it sure is beautiful to be back on the solid ground.......but think I need to sit for a while, maybe even taken a nap"

@Pyrenees ​

 

[Horus Tempest]

--> Music <--​

"What in the Force..?!"

The Winter's Crest was banking nicely, outbound from his previous location, the derelict docking station on which his father had died. With him was his sister, though her mind had yet to fully change about his proposal, she had agreed to join him to further conversation for the time being. He was getting around to her, he knew it, Kerowyn wouldn't remain Sith for much longer. Of course, there wasn't a single day where Horus was actually allowed to rest or have any sense of normalcy. Such was the case when his radar started to ping like madness right off to this side, causing him to wheel in his chair and look over the beacon he was receiving. It seemed to be an emergency distress call, from the amount of blinking the lights did - four in quick succession. Pulling the coordinates onto the screen, he began to adjust his course and punched the old freighter into its maximum velocity. The ship spun around abruptly and began to zoom towards the location of the beacon itself. Dressel, from all appearances, a planet the Vahla knew very little about. But with the Force as his guide and his Jedi Knight training, he sincerely doubted that it would be much trouble. After all, the last time he investigated a downed ship, he'd earned himself two taciturn allies.

"General Distress, the ship is damaged and going down, sending out general distress to anyone in the area that can hear me. My ship is going down..."

"Hey, Kero, get up here. Seems we've got ourselves a little rescue mission. I'm gonna bring us in nice and low, do me a favor and get on the radar. If any other ships are inbound, ID them. Don't want any Imperial entanglements, for your sake at least."

It didn't take very long, perhaps twenty minutes at most, for the Crest to arrive at their intended destination. Surely enough, there was a trail of debris and barely visible smoke that led down to the planet's surface. Turning the control joysticks left and downwards, the freighter began to careen into the planet's atmosphere, with the reflective shielding holding off any heating damage. They were coming in hot, but he was pretty experienced with the old metal hunk and knew she could take the descent. He made sure not to fly too close to the crash site, keeping his vessel in the clouds and landing a short ways away. Yes, this being seemed to need aide, but it was also possible they were hostile, and he didn't want to make any mistakes. When they finally landed, the landing ramp was already descending. Horus rose from his seat, turning to his sister with a wry smile before grabbing (and nearly dropping) his lightsaber, clipping it to his side and moving downwards. The planet's surface wasn't particularly volatile, a little warm for his tastes, but that was only because he had become acclimated to Hoth.

"Alright. I'm going over there. Keep that radar onhand, and follow me, I guess."

@Autumn's Firefly

 

[Vardon Galland]

Vardon and crew had been above Dressel for a time now. The padawan had felt that something was calling him to the planet, but this time, he couldn't pinpoint what it was. The crew, however, didn't have any trouble keeping itself entertained and Lowe Sorken was cooking away at what was intended to be their next meal. The cooking would, however, need to be put on hold as they received a distress signal. Phil Baharnd who received the signal didn't hear it very clearly as the signal strength was weak at best, but someone needed help, that much was clear.

With CJ at the helm, the Solange's engines once again hummed to life as the ship started making its way towards the ship which sent the signal, Vardon already having prepared the tractor beams. Alas, the heavy freighter was way to slow to make it there on time and they could all see the damaged vessel crash down towards the planet surface. CJ looked on the padawan awkwardly as they kept creeping towards the other ship's former location.

Perhaps this was why the force wanted Galland to come to Dressel in the first place? He didn't know for sure, but saving the man would be worthwhile regardless, and with that he turned around and headed towards the Mynock-class freighter which was waiting for him in the hangar. Vardon didn't go alone, however, as he also brought Joe Bethersonton to pilot the Mynock and Lowe, the sous-chef, but also the closest thing they had to a doctor.

The trio quickly descended, heading towards the planet's surface around the area where the other ship had crashed. Setting down in a small clearing, barely large enough for the Mynock to land in, Vardon and Lowe quickly headed out whilst Joe Bethersonton remained in the freighter to keep it safe and ready to leave in case of an emergency.

Finding the crashed vessel wasn't too hard as the smoke made for an excellent hint as to where it was. The two friends approached the ship from behind and couldn't help but to wonder if anyone could've survived such a crash, seeing as the spacecraft was in a rather bad shape. "I don't want to risk you getting hurt by going into that wreckage, stay here" Vardon said as he brought out his lightsaber and approached back side of the ship.

The saber roared to life as he ignited it, casting a blue light around him as he stood right next to the wreckage. The padawan stuck his weapon in the wall and began creating a new entrance as he slowly drew a circle where he deemed it to be relatively safe. Not long after he had begun, the new entrance was created and the Thyferran entered the ship, slowly making his way to the cockpit. He was clad in a white puffy shirt and had holstered his saber by now. Finally, he saw a figure in the pilot's seat, seemingly alone "Are you alright?" he called out from behind whilst approaching the man. If he got close enough without any real response, he'd pat the man on the shoulder lightly whilst repeating the question.

@Jexz

 

[Kerowyn Tempest]

-Watch Me-

Kerowyn wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. Part of her believed what Horus was saying, maybe she could make a difference and change.

But her roots were dark, and her hands were stained crimson with the blood of so many beings, it was hard to imagine herself as anything but the monster she'd become. She would attempt, at least, and worse came to worst she could always claim to be spying on the rebels to save her own life, should the situation arise.

Her thoughts were paused as the ship suddenly jerked to the side, almost causing her to fall off the small futon in the lounge area of the freighter. Horus had fitted it to be his home away from home, and she couldn't help but appreciate it.

Freshwater, bread, and places to sleep, entertain yourself or even practice if she wanted. A call from Horus sent her walking to the cockpit, hearing that they had a small mission, apparently. "Good. Haven't really got out recently."

She sat down beside him, she began to fiddle with the radar controls, taking the datapad off of the dashboard and placing it on her lap, tapping a few buttons to bring up the scanner. There was another ship nearby, but it didn't register as any known Imperial or Rebel craft in Horus' database.

"Horus, we've got a single vessel coming in. Fast. Wh-" Before she had the chance to finish, the freighter was almost in a nosedive. Her brother was insane, he always flew this thing like a starfighter and it was going to get them killed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! DO YOU WANT US TO CRASH TOO?!" They landed without issue, but Kerowyn was almost furious. Such a sudden scare wasn't usual for her, and things didn't usually phase her. The anger died pretty quickly when she watched Horus fumble and almost juggle his lightsaber back and forth.

Famed Jedi Knight. Oh, boy. She left out the back just as he did, turning back to her brother and snagging his spare lightsaber from his belt. "What? I'm not using my red ones, not here, especially not with a Jedi. Lead the wa-" her words were cut short by a sharp hiss nearby. "That sounded like a lightsaber activation..." Her eyes widened, and she nodded to her brother before taking off in that direction, the lightsaber she held igniting into a green blade.

@TheMorrigan @Jexz @Pyrenees

 

[Carthus Phoenix Kira]

Carthus had continued to stare out of the cockpit or what was left of the mess of it, closing his eyes slowly before hearing the roar of an engine overhead, as he opened his eyes seeing a ship through the clouds for a brief moment causing him to shake his head and blink reaching towards the straps of the chair and slide them off his shoulders.

"Was that the....?"

He muttered to himself almost sure he had seen that ship before, could it be that Azran had survived. He became aware of the beeping of a console in front of him. He responded simply by punching it to smash what was left of the panel to shut it up. Taking in a long slow deep breath he nearly jumped as he heard a voice coming from behind him. Turning his head around he saw the blue glow of a lightsaber as he turned his head chuckling a bit.

"You know I have some luck lately bumping into those things, I think I am okay nothing that a good stiff drink, followed by a banquet and a shave wouldn't sort. Pretty sure I wouldn't get any offers for dances at balls looking like this"

Carthus tried to keep a level of humor, but the truth was he was being cautious with this stranger as he went to push himself out of the chair, his own loose-fitting brown shirt was torn in several places and covered in dirt. Not to mention he did not smell all that good either.

Carthus eyes continued to look at the saber, at this range he was dangerously close should the man choose to attack, but something told him otherwise. He didn't get a sense of unease or need to be defensive. Reaching up he began to rub the bridge of his nose only then noticing the bruising from the straps he had been wearing in the seat.

"Thought your kind was supposed to be in hiding until the right time. How long as it been ?"

The last question was more to himself than to the man before he looked over at him again

"Sorry I am being rude, Carthus.......Carthus Phoenix Kira, but most call me Carth or Phoenix, your former space hobo, current worst pilot on this planet and man in dire need of a clean. But If I walk out of this ship and I see any more Imperial flags or another Darth I wear I am going to find whatever God or Power that is controlling fate and destiny and find a way to throat punch it"

As Carthus held his right hand out, on his left arm there was a collapsible blade strapped to his wrist


@TheMorrigan @Autumn's Firefly @Pyrenees​

 

[Horus Tempest]

"But did we die? No. Now quit complaining."

Kerowyn wasn't wrong. He could see the ship touch down nearby, landing out of their range and obviously intent on checking the crash. Why else would someone land so close to a crater? There was no other explanation. Horus knew that this could be dangerous, that's why he didn't bother telling Kero to stop when she grabbed his lightsaber. It was his spare, after all, and the first he'd constructed - the lightsaber crystal within recognizing his deep connection to the Force. His second lightsaber, unlike the first, was made with an amber kyber crystal. This kyber recognized his ability to use passion in conjunction with the Light, as opposed to allowing it's seductive nature to turn him against his allies and cast him into the darkness. He found the second weapon to be more fitting to him and designed the weapon to match his own Master's hilt - leather grip and all. It was a nice addition, and it showed deep respect for Luy.

"No problem. Just ask next time, alright."

Horus began to walk in the direction of the downed ship when a sonorous hiss and crackle met his ears, carried by the wind. Kerowyn was right, that sounded exactly like a lightsaber activation. His own blade tore through the air, lighting up his surroundings with an amber, fiery glow. Kerowyn, of course, decided to nod to him before charging headlong into the fray. Foolish, inexperienced girl. This could easily be an Imperial ambush, though his senses couldn't pick up any Dark presences beyond her own.

"Kero, wait... kriff."

Always on the move, this one.

Horus began to lightly jog after her, his Jedi robes whipping around him as he approached the downed vessel. He had to push the dark brown drapes back to the ground twice, so that he could see properly, before sighing and dropping the hood completely. He didn't like revealing himself like this, but he supposed if someone was stupid enough to fight him chances where they wouldn't have much chance to inform anyone of who he was. As he approached the downed ship (which he recognized as a modified XS-100 Light Freighter), he spotted and sensed two Force sensitives besides himself and his kin nearby. One appeared to be coming from the wreckage itself, the other came from the man - or more aptly, boy - who held a sapphire lightsaber near inches from the being who crash landed the vessel in the first place. He was going on a whim here, but he knew he had the authority to do so. Nonetheless, the Force began to pool in his off-hand, prepared to release should something go awry.

"You can stand down, sis. This is Jedi business. THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, PADAWAN. YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T BE WAVING THAT THING AROUND!"

@Pyrenees @Autumn's Firefly @Jexz

 

[Vardon Galland]

Vardon had just taken a few steps into the ship before the man in the cockpit started talking. Vardon was quite surprised by the pilot's relatively good health considering what he had been through. The padawan stayed close to the new entrance he had created, as if stunned by the surprise, letting his ignited saber remain in his hand.

The padawan looked around at the crashed ship as the spacer felled his first comment with a smirk. "Yes, you truly seem like a lucky man." he commented sarcastically with a jovial smile before continuing "Don't worry about the drink, I think we've got some to spare aboard the Solange" The man didn't seem to have received any major injuries from the crash, but it still seemed safe to let Lowe Sorken who stood outside the ship have a look at the man.

Out of the loop would be quite the understatement in describing the spacer who just pushed himself out of the chair as he asked about the status of the jedi. It revealed both that he had been out for a lengthier period of time and that he most likely sympathized with the cause, seeing as he knew about their hiding. Vardon usually tried to remain more serious in the face of strangers but couldn't resist throwing in a short comment "Maybe we still are" The young man had a big smile on his lips as he felled the comment but let the man continue speaking as he didn't know what starting point the other was referring to.

The pilot had barely managed to present his name before a lightsaber could be heard in the distance followed by Lowe Sorken screaming Vardon's name while rushing towards the new entrance of the crashed ship. Galland paused for a moment, thinking that he was lucky to have kept his saber ready as he rushed towards the new entrance too. He let the sous-chef in before hopping out of the ship himself.

With a light step, Vardon soon found himself outside the ship with his lightsaber held in a defensive stance. Too his surprise, however, he saw a younger woman rushing towards him with a green lightsaber. Fighting another jedi was not something on his to-do list for the day and he quickly loosened his position, right before another man's voice could be heard from the distance, telling the apparent sister of his and Vardon himself to stand down.

With that, the padawan extinguished his lightsaber and hopped back into the ship again in case the green-sabered female kept charging. He threw a quick comment to the pilot "Well, I don't think you'll have too many concerns about Darth's at least. Although your infamous luck seems to hold true." With that said, he leaned out from the ship to see what happened, not sure what the other force users had in mind.

Spoiler: OOC

Just as a clarification: In my mind, Vardon had extinguished his lightsaber in the first post when I said that it was holstered in the last paragraph. I was not nearly clear enough and have tried to make a reasonable post with the results of that flaw in mind. I hope this works out, sorry about the confusion! Give me a holler if you want anything to be edited.

@Autumn's Firefly @Jexz @TheMorrigan

 

[Kerowyn Tempest]

She wasn't waiting. Maybe Horus was content to allow people to die (though she doubted it), she was more interested in figuring out what was actually going on than anything else. When she arrived, a young man was climbing among the wreckage with a lightsaber in his hand, looking over at her while some random human screamed gibberish and nonsense.

She had half a mind to knock the human out on principle, but upon hearing her brother close in behind her decided against it. Both Tempests still had their lightsabers activated when Kerowyn was told to stand down by her brother, before he started yelling at the man that retreated back into the downed ship.

Kero rolled her eyes in annoyance. If this really was a Jedi Padawan, would they not at least answer their Knights? If she'd ignored a Crusader, she'd likely have found herself fighting for her life against them, if not dead at the moment of defiance. I didn't think arrogance was a Jedi thing. Pfft, who am I kidding, arrogance is everyone's thing.

She let the lightsaber deactivate and went to hand it back to Horus, but instead clipped it to her own belt. Her lightsabers were hidden beneath her armor, and she didn't want to cause concern by igniting them. "So, I guess he's going to ignore you then."

The youngest Vahla started to walk up towards the wreckage, entering the same way the other Jedi had and almost pushing past him to get to the injured person inside. Her face was filled with an emotion that could only be described as annoyance, she didn't like that the man had completely disregarded their presence.

So, she disregarded his, turning her back to him and instead deciding to help this man out of the rubble, or at least offering to. When he extended his arm to the boy, Kerowyn went to take it instead, now completely moving into the way and between the pair. "Anything broken?"

@Jexz @Pyrenees @TheMorrigan

 

[Carthus Phoenix Kira]

Carthus smiled at the comment about there being a drink on the ship, though he was not much a drinker there were times when a drink was called for and this was certainly one of those times. He felt weak all the same and a drink would probably finish him off as he chuckled a bit

"What can I say I have the devils luck at times"

Carthus moved somewhat shaky to go and get his jacket that was hung upon the co-pilots seat, nearly stumbling as he moved to take it. Taking in slow deep breaths and exhaling he looked over at the comment about the Jedi maybe still in hiding and being unable to contain a chuckle

"Well, you ain't doing that good at it..."

It was at that point that Carthus heard the sound of a saber in the distance himself, spinning towards the opening and stumbling into the co-pilots seat with a grunt. Fast movements were not an option right now and his body would not take a conflict that was for sure. Hearing the screaming of a name as someone rushed towards the entrance of the ship.

Carthus did what he could to try and get back to his feet, but everything seemed to happen so fast, in moments few it appeared that Vardon had gone out the ship and a discussion going on about arrogance, putting down weapons and not to worry about Darths as sabers disengaged.

Lowering himself back down into the chair and half slumping into it. Exhaustion and hunger were starting to take its effect on him being so active all of a sudden or it could be the rush of adrenaline from the fight or flight instincts that had kicked in. Carthus raised his arm to place his eyes between his forearm and upper arm.

He heard a voice that brought him back around to the situation that was going on around him as he lowed his arm, looking at the new person who had arrived. Pushing up from the seat as he moved towards the hole and reached a hand up towards the person gripping it as he moved to get out of the wreckage of the ship. Spying another figure having to blink a few times before laughing

"Saying I am a lucky man, damn Azran I thought that you were done in for on that station. Things went south very rapidly back there.....how did you escape?"

Carthus said looking at Horus, before realizing he had been asked a question and turned his attention back towards Kerowyn as he shook his head

"Don't think so, just banged up pretty good. Nothing a good soak in a bath, a good meal and some rest won't heal. Thank you for the hand up, if I tried to scramble out I probably would have ended up falling back down and doing myself some form of an injury. And unlike my name, I don't come back when set on fire"

Carthus chuckled a bit

@TheMorrigan @Autumn's Firefly @Pyrenees
​

 

[Horus Tempest]

--> Music <--
​

"Curious. Usually, they at least say something- Kero, wait, don't... Why do I even bother."

Horus didn't stop Kerowyn as she entered the wreckage. The Vahla could practically taste her annoyance in the air. It would be a difficult path for his little sister to let go of the Darkness she'd called home for so long. He would need to be more severe in his comments if he was ever to be considered by the Jedi Council as her trainer. He already had one student, though they had little training between them, and he was hoping to find more. The more Jedi he could induct into the fold and grant Knighthood, the higher the chances the Order had for survival. The Order, the Galactic Alliance, and alas the Galaxy as a whole. He still ranked as a Knight and naught but, though he did believe himself ready for more responsibility, he was not yet confident enough to go before the Council in an attempt to have Masterhood bestowed upon him. That was the path he traveled down, but unlike most beings of the Galaxy, he maintained no goals, and simply went where the Force instructed him to go. His reverie was interrupted as an unfamiliar voice rang out, calling to him.

Who's this guy? Wait... Azran. He knows Azran... Maybe he knows where my brother is.

"I'm sorry, friend, but I am not my twin. It's a common mistake, even among our Order, for the two of us to be mistaken. You say you know of Azran... tell me."

The last time he'd seen his twin brother was during a short stint on Hoth, long before the Empire decided to bombard and occupy it. Azran had asked to borrow the family freighter, though the deed belonged to Horus, and went on his way. Since then, he hadn't heard as much as a whisper about his kin beyond Kerowyn. He'd found the Winter's Crest on a derelict Imperial station, the insides ravaged by combat. He found no trace of his brother on the station itself, although he hadn't had much time to search. The Imperials were still crawling among the area, trying to piece together the situation as he had. Horus might have even faced them himself, but instead chose to use his illusions and stealth to sneak across the station and leave with his vessel. His thoughts now dwelled on the man who looked identical to him, as they both looked so like their father. Horus did not know what he would do if the Empire had killed his twin, but that was unlikely. He shared a strong connection with his twin Tempest, and would have sensed his passing through the Force. Perhaps he was captured, perhaps injured and forced to flee. Or, maybe he had changed sides, as Kerowyn now looked to do. Either way... he needed to find out.

"When did you see him last? I collected the Crest myself, there were no signs of him anywhere. I... fear the worst."

@Pyrenees @Jexz @Autumn's Firefly @Aurius

 

[Vardon Galland]

Upon leaning out of the ship, Vardon saw that the woman had ceased her charge and holstered the green saber which she held. Perhaps it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to him as the saber lacked the red colours which were common among the Sith, but the padawan had a hard time reading her and preferred to stick to the safer option.

His eyebrows rose in disbelief as she felled the comment about Vardon ignoring her brother. "Ignore him?" he asked with a rather surprised tone before continuing "I was making sure that I wouldn't get stabbed by you!" Toning down his rather dramatic voice, Galland allowed his right arm emerge from the new opening of the ship "Besides, I didn't completely ignore him, you see?" he said, while showing her its palm, hinting at the blade which he had already holstered.

The Thyferran had no intentions on preventing the young woman from entering the ship and stepped back from the rather small provisional entry he had created, knowing that she'd have a hard time getting through if he simply remained there. After the first stranger entered, Vardon turned to look back out at the man who had been jogging after her earlier. He had spoken with authority and seemed to have a cooler head than his sister, but who the man was remained a mystery to the padawan. "Vardon Galland, Jedi padawan. And who might you two be?"

After the introductions, the Thyferran followed Horus deeper into the ship to the cockpit. While the other three were talking and Carthus confirmed that he was well, Galland signaled for Lowe to head back to the Leger before tuning back into the conversation. The relationships between them seemed to be rather complicated indeed and the last piece of information about the missing twin made it seem like a rather bad time to join the conversation. Instead, he simply remained silent to give the pilot a chance to respond.

@Autumn's Firefly @Jexz @TheMorrigan

 

[Kerowyn Tempest]

He knows. She was aware of this the instant that he looked over to her and stated that he feared being stabbed. Unless Jedi made a habit of killing each other, there was no doubt he could feel the Darkness off of her.

Though it wasn't as strong as it had been not so long ago, thanks to Horus directly, there was still a taint to her presence. Maybe there would always be, Kerowyn didn't know. But having another Jedi know that she was Sith, whether she intended to turncoat or not, was dangerous.

The situation had escalated, and she was considering simply leaving entirely before the man finished his comments, revealing his sheathed blade. She shook her head gently, looking directly into his eyes with her own lavender. They began to gentle pool with energy, as all Vahlan eyes did when summoning the Force.

It would ripple around her, in a defensive shield, just in case someone got the idea to attack her - if she focused on defense, chances are she wouldn't piss her brother off, or cause him to lock her down as he had considered not so long ago. She had no doubt every Force Sensitive present would be able to feel the intake of energy, most of all her brother, and that caused her a certain amount of calm.

"I don't make a habit of stabbing random people. I thought you were a threat. Clearly, you aren't." Her words were relatively kind, but the sentence was also a slight challenge, claiming the man couldn't actually hurt her if he tried. "So I see. Smart choice."

Her hand felt the grasp of another, and she groaned before heaving upwards, bringing the human who crashed his ship to his feet. He said something to Horus... something that made her worry. Azran? She'd expected him to outlive them all. If he'd died... well, there would be no question. The Empire would burn.

She shook her head and feigned a laugh at the comment about not coming back when on fire. What could he have meant by that? There were plenty of last names... Maybe this one was unique, like her own.

"Well, I think we could both use a drink... What was your name?" Turning back over to the Padawan, as he introduced himself as Vardon Galland, a Jedi as expected. She gave him a cursory once over, her eyes resting on his saber, before cautiously replying. "Kerowyn Tempest. That's my brother, Horus, one of your Knights."

@Jexz @Pyrenees @TheMorrigan

 

[Carthus Phoenix Kira]

"well, I for one am glad no one stabbed anyone, I am bruised up enough without needing holes putting into me"

Carthus lead with hearing the comment about stabbing people, he looked now upon the three that had gathered around, as he hand went up to rub at his shoulder, wincing slightly from the bruising and possible cut that the strapping he had worn in the pilot seat no doubt had left upon his body. It was at that point he felt a sudden jolt through his body, as though all the hairs on his arms stood on end. He couldn't help but look straight at Kerowyn as he felt that sensation. It was hard for him to understand but it felt as though it was coming from her. Almost like standing near a fire and feeling its heat.

"I may have caused Vardon to be a bit more cautious given my comment about the events that lead up to my crash"

He was trying to help the situation but everything anyway appeared to be calming down. One thing he didn't want to be in the middle of was another fight or battle, he was in no state for that and doubted he would be able to dodge let alone fight if the situation arose. Carthus went then to look back at Horus as he asked about Azran that then lead into the comment about collecting the Crest himself. For a moment Carthus looked away as his mind turned back to the events that happened that day, how things had gone rapidly sidewards with the Darth who was in command of the station. The questions that had been asked and somehow the way suspicion had been raised.

His memory of the events was patchy at best, how he had run for his life and gotten separated with Azran, hearing the hiss of a lightsaber, the slashing of metal and blaster fire. Now that he heard Azran hadn't returned he also began to fear the worst for the man who had taken him on board his ship to meet someone.

"We were on our way to meet someone, all I got from Azran was a person who had helped him with who he was. He wouldn't reveal more to me than that, I didn't push that topic. We needed to refuel before the next jump and ended up on the Valor refueling station. We didn't know it was an Imperial station until it was too late, I convinced Azran to play it cool and slowly loop back to the ship but before we could get there we got summoned as the owners of the Crest to the hanger. It was there we met a man......a Darth Aetrus, he looked like the Emperor himself I remember that. He questioned us but it all went south, a fight broke out and we managed to make it out the hanger, in the chaos we got separated and I stole a ship, I never felt so powerless against a person before......I didn't see him fall or get struck down through"

For a few moments, Carthus remained silent now looking towards the ground as he took in a few deep breaths, even now he felt as though he had failed the man. Swallowing some saliva as he looked back up again and over at Kerowyn

"I think I owe you all a drink for this, I am Carthus Phoenix Kira, most call me Carth or Phoenix though. Like I said don't come back though when set on fire. Thank you all though for your help, and I am sorry I couldn't aid your brother more"

Carthus went to lower himself down to the ground, sitting against remnants from the hull of the ship


@TheMorrigan @Autumn's Firefly @Pyrenees ​

 

[Horus Tempest]

Horus clasped his arms behind his back and slowly made his way to the interior of the wreckage, joining the others as Galland introduced himself. The Vahla Knight nodded in response, his attentive eyes narrowing towards the human who spoke of his twin. His annoyance flared slightly as he heard his sister chirp the boy unnecessarily and somewhat harshly, by their people's standards. She was a work in progress, so it was to be expected. After all, she'd spent the majority of her life surrounded by constant internal struggle and enemies everywhere. Or at least that's what he imagined Sith life to be like if Astrid and Castor were any indications. Leaning against a steel sheet that had plied free from the main... entrance to the ship? It was slightly difficut to tell what was what at this point, and Horus was no mechanic. Trying to piece the area apart would be an absolute nightmare, let alone putting the vessel back together again.

"Ahh, yes. If I remember correctly Azran was a student of Jedi Master Reach, before she vanished. No harm saying it out loud now - she's gone, and the Jedi are pretty much common knowledge. Darth Aetrus? Haven't heard of that one. Maybe I'll ask them where Azran is... nicely, of course. Then less nicely, as that's not likely to work. It's good you didn't see him go down, and the bond between us is strong enough that I'd know if he died Force or not. Twins. It's like that. It's good you're on your feet... and a Force Sensitive, if I am correct. Seems everyone here is, for the most part."

Horus' eyes widened as he heard Carthus' name. His full name, but even the first was a dead giveaway. It was a Vahlan name, for a human child... how odd. It meant something about earth or air and fire, with the symbolic 'us' ending that also denoted stature. That stature the Tempest knew well, as he had studied whatever lore about his people he could find. He was actually named in the same manner, as he was technically firstborn, he came into the Galaxy but half a minute before his brother. The last name, however... Phoenix. He knew that name as well, all Vahla did, as it was the family to lead a civil war against some oppressive tyrant. It was also one of the few families who had insisted on leaving the planet and evacuating whatever denizens they could, something most Vahla held close to heart. They were one of the noble families of his homeworld, and technically his family owed them their allegiance. But this was a human, not the protector of the Vahla. Though... it was always possible he could become that very thing. If he was willing to learn.

"You have a Vahlan name, friend. A strong, storied name and the Force is likewise powerful within you. No doubt - you are the Phoenix. It's good to meet you. And you too, Vardon, a noble if my memory serves me? We always need more Jedi. As Kerowyn already mentioned, I'm Horus. We're part of the Tempest family... and our history goes almost as far back as yours, Carthus. We fought with your family in the war for Desare, and we left with your kin when we fled the planet. Thanks to your ancestors, I'm alive today. And... don't worry too much about Azran. He can handle himself. He'll come back to us."

@Pyrenees @Jexz @Autumn's Firefly

 

[Vardon Galland]

Curiously, Vardon looked into the lavender eyes of Kerowyn as energy began to pool in them. He couldn't recall having seen that happen before and was quite fascinated by it. He didn't care much for the shield but was quite happy that the situation seemed to be calming down and appreciated Carthus' comments. With raised arms and both of his open palms pointing towards the woman, he smiled "Yes, I'm quite harmless" The comment was relatively lighthearted. Her posture was defensive if anything, and that gave him hope that what might've seemed like a confrontation at first would end on a more friendly note.

The attention of the three saber wielding force users soon turned to the pilot who happened to have quite a story to tell, apparently connected to a third Tempest. The tale was interesting to say the least, but the ending did leave a somewhat bitter taste in the padawan's mouth as it seemed like the Sith got the upper hand. Horus, however, seemed to maintain hope that his brother was still alive. Vardon looked to the sister to see if she would show the same concern.

Letting out a slight chuckle, the Thyferran was quite amused by Carthus' comment about the consequences of being set on fire. It seemed like Carthus had more of a connection to the Tempest siblings than simply knowing their brother but Galland was far too unfamiliar with the Vahlan to get anything more out of the conversation. "It is good to meet you too" he responded whilst giving the knight a slight bow before turning to first the pilot and then Kerowyn "And you too" he added, giving both of them a nod.

Horus continued speaking, seemingly holding family background in high regard, much more so than Vardon did himself. The padawan didn't respond to the comment about being a noble and simply gave the knight an awkward smile whilst scratching the back of his head. Thankfully, Horus moved on, at first to speak about the need for more jedi which earned an eager nod from the Thyferran. He took a couple of small steps backwards and absentmindedly ran a hand across one of the less damaged panels while regarding the others who still seemed to explore what they had in common.

OOC: I apologize for the sluggish response.

@Autumn's Firefly @Jexz @TheMorrigan