Ask Order on Ord Mantell

[Zerath Eblon]

"Not particularly" Zerath said, although that was indeed why he was checking things like the brakes. "But given the nature of this mission, it's helpful to know exactly what you can count on" Zerath replied mentally to Hailee's question about sabotage as he finished up his inspection of the speeder. There were too many questions at this point in the mission.

Hailee's answer wasn't atypical of those entering the Jedi Order these days; few planets had official screening these days, given the negative biases towards force users in much of the galaxy, which meant that many force-sensitives were discovered by Jedi who were out and about on missions. Zerath almost liked that method better; it felt less manufactured and more the will of the Force, although it did mean that the Order sometimes struggled to find recruits.

Zerath nodded as he collected his own thoughts in the wake of Hailee throwing his answer back at him. "I've been with the Jedi my whole life" he admitted. "As far back as I can remember, Yavin IV has been my home and the Order has been my family." A family that had been under siege on every front, lately. "I can't imagine not being a Jedi, although I sometimes wonder what life outside the Order would've be like... what was my family like? Where would I be living? What kind of work would I do?" The Miralukan chuckled and shook away those questions with a shake of his head. "Then I remember that there's a lot of value in serving the galaxy and doing the right thing to help other people."

The hospital was in view, but there was still time to do their introductions. "What should I know about to be successful working with you?" he continued questioning Hailee, being deliberately vague.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

His answer didn't fully satisfy her, because it simply wasn't super calming. It did made sense - definitely even - but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone coukd potentially sabotage them...it had happened before and the presence of the press wasn't reassuring either, so they definitely had to be careful.

She listened to his little story and the warm smile on her lips widened. She couldn't fully grasp it, but there was something about him that had simply told her he had always been with the Order. 'That sounds lovely' she first answered, however as he raised those hypothetical questions, she got more contemplative again. Well, he had 'lost' his family as well she figured and hadn't gotten the chance to grow up with them, but then again, he was right when he mentioned the Jedi were like a family.

While they got closer and closer, he did raise another interesting question that slightly made her chuckle, because there was one thing that immediately came to her mind:'I wasn't so easy to work with some time ago, because I had some impatient, emotional tendencies, but it has gotten much better...you can definitely slow me down from time to time though" she calmly explained, a smirk on her lips before she returned the question. "Is there anything I should know?". Hailee had developed a lot...and she was reflective enough to know where her weaknesses still laid. It was very considerate of him to ask though, and so she was really happy to have such a pleasant company on their shared mission.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath matched Hailee's smile as he listened to her admission about her past. He remembered well his days as a youngling and then as a Padawan, which had included their fair share of impulsive decisions and poorly thought-out plans... so in that sense, her answer didn't surprise him. What did surprise him, however, was her ability to admit as much; that showed maturity, and further strengthened her case to be Knighted soon.

The Jedi Knight mulled over his answer for a couple moments before replying. He wouldn't voice his fears about his presence on missions being bad luck, nor would he try to delve too deeply into his own style- which, admittedly, was still evolving. Instead, he went with a simple but potentially critical aspect of his Miralukan heritage.

"I don't see colors very well" he said, steering the speeder into the hospital's docking bay. "Force Sight gives me good all-around awareness of my surroundings, but most things are shades of grey. Textures are a lot easier to distinguish, but I couldn't even tell you what color your hair is with any degree of certainty." His Zabrak side gave him enough sight to the point that he could answer his question if he removed his blindfold, but he preferred to see the galaxy through the Force rather than as fuzzy blobs of color. "If you're trying to describe someone or something to me, try to focus on physical features instead of colors."

The speeder came to a halt, allowing the Jedi to disembark. "How about we practice on the way to the room?" Zerath asked Hailee, mentally. "Pick a person in the lobby and describe them to me mentally, and I'll see if I can identify who you're talking about." A slight shrug. "Might sound strange, but it could be very helpful later on."


@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Zerath left the rest uncommented, but he did smile warmly after what she had outlined. Her gaze flicked over to the road every now and then, completely impressed by the way he steerer the speeder with casual ease, even though he was only relying on his Force Sight.

She was curious to learn something new about him as well, and when he finally answered, there was an admiring look on her face, that was, however, touched by a trace of sadness. 'I'm sorry about that...I mean I'm completely impressed by the way you see through the Force, but I'm sorry you can't enjoy colors' she replied slighlty more quiet while he pulled over into the docking bay.'But yes, absolutely. I'll keep that in mind'. He had really made an excellent point and she would definitely remember to do that.

They soon alighted and Hailee walked right next to him while they approached the hospital ahead. Once again, his suggestion was very thoughtful and made plenty of sense, so she immediately nodded. 'Great plan' she replied with a smile while they strode though the lobby, and Hailee was immediately trying to find the first, perfect person. 'So to our left there is a group of male nurses. One of them is a tall Togruta, I'd estimate about 6 feet tall, but he's distinguishable because his left Lekku is slightly shorter than the right. He's wearing long, medical robes, and you might be able to visualize that he's carrying a datapad'. She expectantly glanced up at him, assuming that he would easily identify the right person. She had, admittedly, chosen a rather easy example, but there were not too many people around in the lobby anyway.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath found the Togruta in question nearly immediately, and signaled as much by inclining his head slightly in the direction of the humanoid that Hailee had described. The Padawan was remarkably thorough in her description, prompting both a smile and a slight chuckle from the Miralukan. "Well done" he complimented her. "You have an eye for detail, which is important." Most people's first attempt still included some kind of color, but Hailee had done a fine job focusing on details that Zerath could discern.

The lesson wasn't finished there, however. "Your description also took about 8 seconds- which is perfect for a safe environment like this- but we might not have that kind of time in other situations." Quickly communicating important and accurate information in the field saved lives.

"It also might be a little more difficult if I'm the one describing things, so I like to break down my descriptions into three S's- Sector, Species, and Something Important" Zerath explained. "The sector refers to the target's orientation to the speaker, with 12 o'clock being straight ahead, 3 o'clock being to their right, 6 o'clock is directly behind, and so on and so forth. Species is self explanatory, and Something Important is usually another physical descriptor or important piece of information."

The Miralukan scanned the hotel lobby for a suitable person to describe to Hailee. "I'll try describing someone in the lobby for you" he said, eyebrows knitting together as the Force nudged his perception towards a deliveryman nearly out of view. "10 o'clock, human, carrying box" he said, already moving to follow the man ascending the stairs towards the second floor. He'd long since learned to trust the Force when it came to these subtle premonitions of danger.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

She accepted his praise with a grin, glancing up at the Miralukan, however he then did have a point with what he outlined. "True...we can definitely improve that" she agreed, knowing them well how much seconds could matter and that there would have been a quicker way to transfer the most important information.

She did really like his structured approach and immediately nodded again, sorting the suggestions mentally. "I feel like you've done that before. That is indeed a great system" she replied with a warm smile, recalling the three Ss once more time before she started following his own description.

It was much easier if they did it this way because she could use all of her visual sense, while she had to be more precise with her descriptions as she was the one perceiving more information. Still, he skillfully proved that his system worked well and her gaze immediately flicked towards the said man. "The delivery man up there" she confirmed before she let her gaze wander across the scene.

"Let me try another time" she suggested, chosing her next target before she started her brief, systematic description. "Two o'clock, a shorter, young Zabrak, holding his apparently broken arm" she described, expectantly glancing up at him once she was finished.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

"Yep!" Zerath replied as Hailee spotted the delivery man; the man who had drawn- and held- his attention. The Miralukan wasn't sure why the Force had warned him about the man, but as Zerath continued striding over towards the staircase, the Jedi Knight couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Why hadn't the deliveryman gone to the front desk where other mail was being collected?

As Hailee finished her description and glanced back where Zerath had been but a moment ago, she would notice his departure and that he had now reached the base of the stairs. Fortunately, telepathy allowed them to easily communicate as if they were still standing next to each other, and Hailee's description also allowed him to spot the Zabrak. "Well done" came the compliment, in her head. It felt odd to be in teaching mode while also in a controlled pursuit, especially as he'd left her a few seconds behind, but Zerath didn't have too much of a reason to be concerned about anything just yet. "You're a quick learner!" Yet another reason to be impressed with Hailee. "What floor is our witness on?"

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee didn't know why, but Zerath seemed quite focused and rather uncertain for a few moments, so she immediately asked him, 'Is everything okay? Or did you saw something?'. She wasn't just curious, but actually a bit worried. The situation was still a bit tense and she was convinced that it wouldn't take long until the press would notice that they had just entered the hospital.


'Thank you. You were an excellent teacher though. Very straight forward' she then however replied, throwing him a warm smile after catching up with him, now feeling much more confident about their way of communication as efficiently as possible. She then pulled out her data pad to check on her notes again, before she headed towards the next staircase. 'The third floor. He should just be in a room on the far right of one of the corridors. Room T-C 3976'. Quite a precise piece of information, but that would only help them further, so she wasn't complaining at all. After ascending the next flight of stairs, she turned towards her companion once again. "Are you feeling ready?".

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Not only was Hailee a quick learner, she was also quick on her feet- catching up to Zerath easily despite his head start. "Just a gut feeling" he explained in response to her first question, his mental tone conveying his uncertainty. "When I was searching for someone to describe to you, the Force pointed out this guy for some reason. Then he goes up the stairs instead of dropping off his package by the front desk like everyone else..." the Miralukan trailed off. It wasn't much, admittedly, but it did have the added benefit of moving the Jedi towards the third floor. "You're welcome" he would respond to her thanks. "I'm looking forward to learning from you, too." No doubt Hailee had plenty of experiences and ideas to share with him, too.

Zerath appreciated the specificity of the information that Hailee conveyed; it made following the otherwise ineligible signs and directions on the third floor much easier. Zerath, however, was focused more on the deliveryman ahead of them. Given that Hailee had her datapad out and the information handy, he decided to let her do the navigating while he tried to examine the deliveryman further. Then, her second question came, prompting a grin to tug at the corners of Zerath's mouth. "Nope" he cheerfully admitted. He was fairly certain she was asking about meeting the surviving security guard, so he clarified his answer. "I know what kind of information I hope he can provide, but it's anyone's guess as to how this conversation might go. He might not even want to talk to us." Jedi were not as welcomed in the galaxy as they used to be. "How about you?" He asked as they walked, curious what Hailee's thoughts dwelled on. Having a second set of eyes on this mission- and a second brain- was something he was really enjoying.

Thus far, the Jedi's route to the witness' room matched the route the deliveryman was taking ahead of them, but it was a sprawling hospital and could just be a coincidence.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee was slightly unsettled by his gut feeling, because she had learnt how the Force sometimes had its mysterious ways...Maybe there was something wrong with this man. She stared in his direction for a moment, eyes slightly narrowed, but the Force wasn't giving her any cues. 'We should stay attentive' she told him, not exactly worried, but also not feeling too well. She had a really weird feeling about this all anyway and couldn't shake it. She still took his compliment with a warm smile and immediately added, 'Let's see what I can teach you' with a little wink.

The Jedi ascended further and soon reached the target floor, before she nodded. 'I'm feeling ready, but I also agree. Maybe we're not welcome, but we'll see'. If this man had important information, they would find a way to persuade him...right? 'I'm optimistic though. We've got this' she finally declared rather confidently before she steered towards the room. Right in front of it she was reassuringly glancing up at him one last time before she would enter, if he hadn't stopped her by then.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath was grateful when the deliveryman walked past the room the Jedi were heading to without so much as breaking his stride; evidently, his gut feeling had been nothing but an overreaction. What had been expecting; an assassin? A suicide bomber? Maybe he was worrying too much. No, scratch that- he was definitely worrying too much. Pushing the what-if's out of his head, he followed Hailee into the room, sending a quick smile her direction in appreciation of her optimism; a smile that faded just as fast as a tray flew in the Jedi's direction. Zerath ducked, and the tray flew out into the hallway where it clattered along the tile flooring.

One didn't need to know anything about the monitors the man was hooked up to to understand that he was angry. "Ah said ah'm not takin' any visitors t'day!" came an angry bellow from their witness, a man whose glare looked like it could melt durasteel despite his prone position on his hospital bed, "an' I ain't sayin' nothin' to no sorcerers!" Internally, Zerath sighed; nothing about this mission would be easy, it seemed...

(Witness cooperation roll: 6/20 ) @LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee was trying to cling to that newfound optimism, absolutely not suspecting the witness to be as feisty as he seemed when they entered the room. Right before that, Hailee had sensed that despite the smile on his lips, Zerath was actually worried or at least still a bit thoughtful and she was expecting that was related to the delivery man he had found suspicious, but her attention was now needed elsewhere.

The tray missed her by an inch and the metal clanking that followed made her skin crawl. Perfect. Now they had to deal with Mister feisty pants. She let out a sigh, however only Zerath would hear it and forced her facial expressions to look as friendly as possible. "Oh, hello there. Could we...maybe introduce ourselves first?". She gave the witness a warm smile, her tone sweet as sugar and polite as possible. Internally, she was already growing frustrated and she sent her companion a quick message. 'If he stays like this, we might need to consider other options...'. She wouldn't want to use a mindtrick if he would simply cooperate, but if he didn't budge, they would have to consider such things, as the safety of a whole planet was at stake.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Fortunately for the two Jedi, the security guard was out of things to throw, allowing Hailee to get a word in edgewise. A disarming smile followed by a polite greeting seemed to leave the man at a momentary loss for words, and despite Zerath's reluctance to engage with someone who had just thrown hospital food in his direction, the Jedi Knight followed up.

"Mr. Crandow, my name is Zerath and this is Hailee" he introduced themselves, seeing no reason to be dishonest about their identity. "Thank you for your time. We've been tasked by Governor Keloft with investigating the kidnapping of Rhi and Relas, and she was hoping that you could help us." Malter Crandow might not be too keen on cooperating with Jedi, but Zerath had no qualms about pulling rank by throwing around the Governor's name.

For a moment, Malter eyed the two Jedi warily, but heaved a sigh when he realized that the Jedi weren't going anywhere. "Aight, jus' close the door. Gettin' drafty in 'ere" he grouched, and Zerath heaved an internal sigh of relief as he toggled the door closed. The Miralukan wasn't exactly certain what Hailee had in mind for 'other options', but for now those appeared unnecessary.

Without the threat of trays being thrown in his direction, Zerath was better able to study their witness. Malter was solidly-built and appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s. Short hair, dark brown, he guessed, peeked out from underneath a bandage wrapping around his head. Malter's nose had been broken in the past on a couple occasions, and when he opened his mouth to speak a few teeth were missing; also presumably from previous fights. His hospital gown momentarily slipped to the side as he readjusted his position on the bed, and through the v-neck, the Jedi would catch a glimpse of another bandage on the upper left side of Malter's torso. Malter wasn't the kind of man that Zerath would've hired to protect his own children if he'd had any, but there was no doubt that the man was a survivor.

"Now" said Malter in his gravelly tone. "What kinda things do you want t' know? 'Fraid I don't 'member much" he said, one hand reaching up to tenderly touch the bandage encircling his head.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee kept eyeing him attentively in order to prevent him from launching another unexpected attack at the two. He had run out of things to throw and there was not much in his reach anyway, but they couldn't be sure about that. She let the Force radiate off her in a soothing manner, just like Pêro had taught her in an attempt to calm the agitated patient.

Zerath's soft words seemed to help and revealing some actual names seemed to have an additional positive effect on the man. She nodded to emphasize his words, her facial expressions soft and warm, before she added, "We are concerned about the safety of a few people and clear statements might help us".

She watched the man as he spoke and Zerath as he closed the door before she directly turned towards the man. "That is understandable. We are sorry that you've gotten injured as well and we will try not to push you too far, but if you could tell us something about the attackers, we would be grateful. Did you notice anything about them? Any details that make them distinguishable? Perhaps they said something that posed more questions..." she stopped here, noticing that she was throwing way too much at him at once.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Malter took a moment to scratch at the stubble of his 5 o'clock shadow as he listened to Hailee's questions, closing his eyes as he tried to remember the events that had led to him being hospitalized. Hailee's questions hung unanswered in the air, and an uncomfortable silence stretched on and on until a faint buzzing sound registered on Zerath's senses.

Malter was snoring.

"Mr. Crandow?" Zerath prompted, breathing away his feelings of frustration and hoping that Hailee was doing the same.

"Eh?" replied their witness, eyes barely open.

"We're sorry to bother you, but we're wondering if you remembered anything about the attack?" Hailee's questions had been more detailed, but Zerath was not confident in Malter's cognitive abilities at the moment.

"I..." Malter knit his brow in sleepy concentration. "There were lotsa them... don' remember much."

Zerath shot a glance at Hailee, a frown creasing his face. Malter didn't appear to be of much help even after he'd calmed down, which left the Jedi with no more answers than they'd started with... and even less time. [I think we should meet with the other witness. It wouldn't surprise me if he's sustained a concussion] he said to her, mentally. If Hailee agreed and had no further questions for Malter, he would excuse the two of them and lead the way out of the room.

Witness recollection roll: 3/20

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee watched the man ponder on the question, seemingly trying to recollect his memories or everything he still remembered from the attack. Yet, there was nothing. After a moment, there was just a snore that made Hailee raise an eyebrow.

While Hailee had struggled with frustration issues in the past, she had developed in that regard. She was not letting herself get triggered by that, but she kept reminded herself of the fact that they needed this information and so they couldn't piss him off...It began to nag on her though. Internally, she bit the insides of her cheeks.

She didn't say anything as she found Zerath did a great job in politely reminding the sleepy patient of their question again...but again, there was nothing. They were left with nothing. Now she let out a resignated sigh and telepathically replied'Yes...it seems like he needs rest'. She headed out after Zerath and once the door was closed, she looked up at him. "But we've got this. We'll find the other witness. We can't stop her". Her spirits weren't dimmed and she was confident they'd stumble upon something soon.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

As disappointed as he was with the outcome of meeting with Malter, Zerath had to admire Hailee's spirit. The Padawan's demeanor and words implied a level of confidence in their combined abilities to solve this case despite the challenges in their way; a confidence that Zerath found helpful.

Although the Jedi Knight was beginning to wonder just when their fortunes would turn for the better, he was careful not to let his disappointment with the results of their mission so far show in how he carried himself. Their lack of success had nothing to do with the effort they'd put in nor their capabilities, and as Hailee said; they weren't out of options just yet. There was another witness to the abduction, and that one presumably had not suffered a concussion.

Zerath walked side by side with Hailee as much as was possible as they left Malter's room and started their journey back to the speeder bay; where some Knights would subconsciously lead the way in the presence of a Padawan, the Miralukan was resolved to treat her as the equal that she was. [What can you tell me about our other witness?] he asked her as they walked.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

For a moment Hailee kept remembering the conversation they had just had, wondering whether the man had actually forgotten everything or whether he had hold himself back. Had he been too inhibited to speak after all? His exhaustion had at least seemed genuine and she clearly hadn't want to push him too hard with his injuries, but now they were left with nothing again.

She let out a quiet sigh as they descended the stairs alongside each other, mentally closing that chapter though. They had to move on and she won't let herself be weighted down by that. As Zerath asked her about the other witness, she glanced up towards the knight, choosing telepathy once again, just to be safe. 'I followed some cantina chatter. At first it sounded like rumors, but no, apparently the Govenor's gardener picked something up. I'm sure he's more willing to talk as he's an employee of her. Apparently he had grown fond of the kids, too...' Hailee had no prove for those rumors, but they'll soon find that out. 'He's a middle aged man, dark, longer hair and his name is Trevor Hungsly'. Hailee headed towards the exit without further ado, wanting to get to the speeder asap. 'Should I drive? I've got his adress on my datapad'.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath couldn't suppress a smile as Hailee mentioned cantina chatter. Some Jedi wouldn't be caught dead inside a cantina, nor would they admit to trusting the rumors that flew around the establishments, but alcohol and company had a way of loosening humanoids' tongues. Clearly, it was something that Hailee had also learned and had likely put to good use on other missions. [Go right ahead] he responded to Hailee's offer to drive, flipping her the keys. He could spend the time en route to see if any more rumors had surfaced about the kidnappings.

The coordinates for the gardener's residence would lead the Jedi into what felt like a different world. Sequestered away from the hustle and bustle of the city was a gated community where the planet's elite lived. Soaring houses and immaculate lawns greeted Zerath and Hailee; apparently, the gardener lived in a smaller house tucked somewhere out of sight amidst the mansions.

Also greeting the Jedi, at a security checkpoint, were several security guards. Zerath guessed that normally only one or two guards were on hand to monitor traffic in and out, but the guards were out in full force in the wake of the kidnappings.

"I can't imagine living in a place like this" Zerath said out loud, whistling lowly in amazement. "It feels so removed from the realities of the galaxy."

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee did as he said, heading right out, but she never let her guard down. They still had to be careful and watch their each and every step, especially because they hadn't managed to gather any important details so far and needed much more information to continue their investigation and search properly and time was obviously working against them. She remained as calm as she could, not letting herself get stressed by that.

Once outside, Hailee immediately caught the keys mid-air and entered the speeder from the other side then, pulling out her holopad to look up the adress again before she typed it into the speeder's navigational system. She started the engine and waited for Zerath to close his seat belt before she checked the rear view and pulled out of the parking spot. The drive wasn't a long one as the gardens where located right outside the main districts of the city, but it was impressive how quickly the scenery changed. They soon approached the luxurious, obviously wealthier area and Hailee couldn't believe her eyes.

"I know right? It's like a parallel universe...The people here aren't happier, why the kriff do they need to surround themselves with so much unnecessary luxuries? It's just pretentious". In her eyes, this was actually a waste of credits and space. It was pretentious and maybe the people needed that to compensate for something, but she would never get it. She shook her head and let out a soft sigh. "Okay. We better get going before the press follows or something else. Are you ready?" she softy asked, glancing over to him from the driver's seat. If he'd confirm, she'd get up and lock the speeder without further ado.

@SlagathorTheUnknown