The Arrival; The Red

[Charlotte]

(Transcript.)


Immediately after the transformation, Sol pushed the Wayfinder into a micro jump that would take the ship into the system. On reverting, an external signal would be sent to both the Hapan fleet, and to the planet. They’d arrived, and were knocking on the door.


At the tail end of the usual song and dance (made UNusual by the fact that it was the orbiting Battle Dragon directing traffic), the officer who’d taken Solomon’s information and processed his ship came back on:

“Wayfinder; Yelora. You have priority clearance to land at the Aud. Please await my signal and then proceed along the transmitted course. Do not deviate; it’s a mess out there.”


The seconds ticked into minutes. The minutes gathered together until they assembled into an hour. And soon after, all those seconds… that piled into minutes… that heaped into an hour… that assembled into a particular amount of hours…accumulated the completion of their journey. In the time since retrieving the Wayfinder, Ava kept to herself. A majority of that time was spent in meditation secluded in a small corner she found for herself upon the spacecraft. Ava had done that before. In fact, she’d gotten very good at it.

“Ava Azalee…. But it occurs to me that I don’t really even know where you’re from.”

A pause. “I could say the same about you.”

A surprised laugh.

Her eyes opened and from where she sat, perched like a small creature trying to be as small and insignificant as possible, Ava sensed rather than heard, Solomon’s announcement. It wasn’t by the Force but pure intuition. That tell-tale feel of the air that whispered your journey had come to an end. Or, in this case, was about to begin.

She stood and made way through the Wayfinder towards the cockpit. This ship. In ways, it reminded her of the Witchdoctor and of Origin.

“It’s quite impressive. How does it work?”

“Dust off your physics. If you figure it out, congratulations! You’re ahead of your time.” Sometime later. “Redecorate my ship at your peril.”

She entered into the small space right as the message was sent. Ava’s brown eyes flickered over to Solomon – who had been given ample space up until now.

“Here we go.” She said quietly.


“Understood,” he’d be saying just as Ava came into the same space he occupied. A look was sent her way just before he began directing the ship on where to go and how to get there, “We’ve been directed toward The Aud,” he told the Jedi with a slight wince, “Hopefully it will be a short visit.”


“Let’s go see what they want.” She replied, strapping in for their landing. “Maybe they have new information.”


The course came in quickly. Before moving on to the next ship, the officer gave a heartfelt: “Fly true, Wayfinder.”

The arc Solomon flew before descending was filled with views of ships near and far, coming and going from the planet—mostly going. Some soared so close their markings could be made out with the naked eye. Countless others were nothing more than tiny moving lights, their hulls reflecting Mandalore’s sun. The planet’s space was as busy as Coruscant’s, but with the tiniest insignificant percentage of its population.

Along the arc, Solomon and Ava would get their first glimpse of the red shadow speeding across Mandalore. Like blood spreading in water, it took over the atmosphere, visible across the curve of the planet from Keldabe. From space, it was clearly a wall of debris, billowed up and carried most powerfully by winds in Mandalore’s lower and middle atmosphere. Hearing about such an event, one could never truly imagine the scale.

But perhaps they’d seen terrestrial volcanic eruptions from space. In some ways, this was very like that.


Upon their arrival, they’d find Kel’dan waiting for them... Unlike many others, he was not wearing his beskar’gam... Just his usual uniform. Oddly enough, while he felt worried in the Force, he also felt oddly... Calm. His expression was neutral as he waited for them to depart. People were coming and going all over the Aud. Ti’ya was busy, pacing back and forth with a commlink in one hand, a data pad in the other.

“Solomon,” he said by way of greeting with a slight bow of his head. To Ava, he gave a small, respectful bow. “Jedi Azalee, I presume?”


The Aud was a hive of activity. The multi-part complex that served as the core of official operations on Mandalore was largely unadorned grey, impenetrable and unapologetic in the early morning light. Most standing personnel were gone, deployed across Keldabe and the regions of the planet not yet under the shadow. Ships were busy ferrying more people and equipment around the city and up to the orbiting fleet.

Concern showed everywhere. Concern, but not panic.

The Hapans were busy, solving all manner of unforeseen problems on the fly, but over the hours this had all started to feel very doable. Very manageable. Very possible. From highest to lowest, the Hapans felt they were getting the job done, and there would be relatively few lost.

They ran to their ships, called orders from across wide courtyards.

Above them, the Witchdoctor gleamed indifferently, the only ship unmoved.


Rounding the course and coming nearer to the world gave a good view of the calamity. Solomon tried not to see it for the hell that it represented, for the chaos that was carried in its spreading wave of destruction. It was a problem, he told himself, but it wasn’t impossible. Nothing was impossible. There were more immediate concerns on the approach, care taken to avoid ships that got too close for his comfort while staying as close to the course set for him as he could. The deviation would be negligible over all. At the Aud, having come in and landed where directed, Solomon found the place hadn’t changed much looks wise. The dull grey buildings were all where he remembered them being, with only the personnel traveling between them in their work carrying the weight of the changes. He knew they had been there, but it was a bit weird to see Hapans everywhere going about their business in swift fashion among some armored Mandals. Solomon was dressed for getting dirty. His clothing was of a middling weight and cut loose around his form. His shirt clung close but only because he wore a light nerf hide jacket overtop, open to reveal the v-cut of the shirt’s collar and the light blue piping of color that sat in contrast to the cream color of the shirt. His pants were dark brown, and hung loose over the height of his boots that rose to just over his ankles. He was armed, his favored blaster pistol held by mag-clip to the belt he wore under his jacket around his waist. There weren’t many changes from the last time Kel’dan had seen Solomon physically. He was still thin, still much smaller than almost any Mandal that was native born. “Kel’dan.” The bow was returned with a nod of Sol’s head, and followed by a look around them, “How are things progressing?”


Ava Azalee was a tiny thing. If stripped from the Jedi robes she wore, there wouldn’t have been much to her. A petite woman standing at the whopping height of 5’2 with delicate facial features and mousy brown hair that matched amber colored eyes. There were pre-teens scattered about the galaxy who had more muscle mass and weight than what Ava would ever have. And yet, here she was – standing as a member of the Jedi Order.

Or what was left of it.

Her outfit fell in line with that. Wearing the traditional Jedi robes saved for the heavy outer cloak. The attire had to have been custom made for her frame was too small for anything standardly issued. That mousy brown hair was pinned into a very neat and formal bun; no fly-a-ways on this day. Around her waist was a utility belt and a lightsaber at her right hip.

When she spoke, her voice had a natural softness to it. “You would be correct.” She replied. Similar to Solomon, she returned the polite gesture but only with the nod of her head. “I am sorry to meet under these circumstances.”


“Me, too,” he told the Jedi woman... Kel’dan, himself, was only of a medium build... He was not nearly as visibly muscular as some of these other Mandals walking around. But what he had was solid as rock. His dark brown hair was cut short and neat, but not militaristic. He had dark green, almost hazel eyes that watched them with a certain unreadable heaviness. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering Solomon’s question. “Better than we initially estimated... I am thankful my people are not prone to panic under danger or stress... There’s only been a few instances of civil unrest so far.” He turned to walk, gesturing that they accompany him. He glanced at Solomon sidelong. “I have a favor to ask of you.”


Easily enough Solomon fell into step with Kel’dan. It was good to hear that, for the most part, everything was going smoothly. The decision to follow the flight path, the one that brought them to The Aud, was quickly being regretted. He drew up tightly, and eyed Kel’dan from a side-view, “I’m not sure I want to hear it.”


Kel’dan’s eyes narrowed on Solomon, a darkening kind of expression on an otherwise usually kind face. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you... Despite how smooth this is going, we still need ships.” He pointed to the Witchdoctor. The finger pointed spoke volumes without much being said... He wanted to use the Witchdoctor for evacuations... And he knew that Solomon was the only one who knew how to even get into the sucker.


The pointing of the finger did not speak volumes. Solomon looked the way Kel’dan pointed, his blue eyes sweeping over the gleaming body of the Witchdoctor as realization sunk in. It was a mental awakening that made his feet stop their movement, and Sol to shake his head. “ARE YOU DAFT?!” the bellow was a sudden one, just the unfurling of a thought, the weed of an idea, and with it came the quick drop of volume as he realized he may have drawn attention to himself. The rest of what he said came out as a sharp hissing statement, “You want me to hot wire the Witchdoctor?!”


He lowered his hand. His body language was completely unmoved by his outburst. The look Kel’dan gave Solomon was bland. “Look... You want truth? I’ll give it to you... The Um-Shara Yaim is probably a crater... If, by some miracle, he’s still alive, he’ll have wanted me to use it to save my people because he actually gives a damn about them. And if he’s mad at me after, I’ll take the heat.”


“I didn’t ask for the ‘truth’, Kel’dan,” he continued to hiss, holding onto the lack of strength in his volume by moving in closer to where Kel’dan was now standing, “But how’s this for the same favor, hm? It’s not -you- he’d be mad at. And that’s even -if- I could get into the damn thing!” His words were quick and sharp, a gesture of his left hand flying out toward where the ship hovered, “Do you even have any -idea- the kind of security that man runs?!”


“No,” he said bluntly. “But I had to ask... If anybody can do it, it’s you. I’m trying to save as many of my people as I can.” he nodded towards the Witchdoctor. “I’m sure you know better than I how many that ship could carry.”


”Solomon.” Ava said in quiet warning when he took a step forward. Her eyes flickered around the area to see if anyone else had noticed the gesture. She wasn’t sure what Kel’dan’s title was since the explosion… but he was in the know. And to Ava, that meant he was of at least some importance.

Aside from that... she let them speak without interruption.


Ava got a brief side glance from Solomon when she quietly spoke his name. The warning was taken with a scowl. As of yet he hadn’t done anything but speak. “I do know how many people that ship can carry,” he told Kel’dan, “And I also happen to know the kind of security that’s run on that ship. You won’t get anywhere with it, Kel’dan. Neither will I. Its best just to let it right where it is and use other ships.”


With Solomon’s statement, Ava’s throat lightly cleared.

“Has there been any change to the plume?” She asked. “Any new information that might give us an indication of what we might be going into?”


He glanced to Ava, then back to Solomon. His expression was unreadable. “So you won’t even try?” he asked. For now, for 10 seconds, he ignored Ava.


“I don’t have to try to be able to tell you that I’d fail.” Sol responded flatly.


Ava fell quiet as it seemed a change in topic wasn’t going to let this matter go.


His eyes narrowed on Solomon again. “It is your choice, of course. I have no authority over you or your actions... There are no repercussions for saying no to this request... If you don’t try, you don’t know. And when a thousand of my people die when you could’ve done something to help them because you didn’t try... That’s on you. I don’t even know if you care. But I do. And that’s why I ask.” with a snap, he turned to Ava, clearly done with Solomon.” The lower the tech the better. Verified reports say that speeder bikes have done better for evacuation once the Red hits them. Ships have crashed when they fall under its influence. Anything with on board computers and higher tech seems to be failing once if comes into contact.”


Ava saw a tiny coloration from what Kel'dan said to Solomon versus what Solomon had said to her. The fault was on her. The fault was on him. But…

“Kel’dan.” She spoke. “I mean no disrespect when I say this but… I don’t think Solomon would lie about this. Leaving the Witchdoctor here means there is a chance it could be destroyed once the plume reaches the Aud. I don’t think he would let that happen if there was something he could do to prevent it. Beyond that, he knows The Mechanic better than anyone else here. So, when he says that it’s not possible… then maybe it really is not possible.”


He looked at Ava directly, eyes narrowing on her now, too. “As it stands, Miss Azalee... I would respect any results acquired through effort. If you can’t do it, you can’t do it. But if there is no effort involved... -That- is what I consider disrespectful.” He glanced back to Solomon. “I’ll have Ti’ya forward you all the reports we’ve acquired thus far.”


‘It’s your choice...I have no authority...no repercussions...You don’t try, you don’t know. If a thousand people die it will be on you....’ and so on it went. He had almost stopped listening to the weight of drivel spewing from Kel’dan’s mouth until Kel’dan glanced his way with a pointed look. He breathed and stopped himself from drawing his right arm in close as he began to lose feeling in his fingertips. Instead, he dug his hands down into the pockets. “I don’t think you’d see the effort involved even if I spelled it out for you, Kel’dan, so I won’t even bother to waste my breath. We have work to do, and time is being wasted, so if that’s everything and you have nothing else to update us on we should get to it.”


“You only care about one life, Solomon. I happen to care about him, too. He earned his title here. He was doing right by us.” He turned to look at his second in command. A tall, muscular blonde haired human woman. “Ti’ya. Send him the reports.” He turned back to Ava. Once again dismissive of Solomon. “We have no scientific explanations in the larger scheme of things... The Red is spreading. At least, that’s what my people are calling it. The plume was the initial impact and the initial shockwave... It would make sense for the Red to be in the Plume if the Red was a part of whatever impacted... But over time and distance, the Red should have dissipated. It has not... We do not have an explanation for this as of yet... We don’t know if it can affect the health of our citizens. Any probes or readings we try to do are useless. The few that have survived it and encountered it have been isolated for medical examination aboard the Yelora Dowen.”


Not too far away, across one of the many wide open spaces, was Jeryndi... There was a large group of children with him... Anywhere between teenagers and infants. The former holding the latter... His own children were among them. When he saw Kel’dan and Solomon... He tensed as if he could feel the tension between them... He turned to say something to his son, who then started leading the group away... And Jeryndi broke away from them to come towards Solomon.


“I’m done.” That was said in the middle of Kel’dan saying he only cared about one life. He turned himself, looking at Ava, “Get what you can, and relay it to me. I’ll be on the ship finalizing preparations.” He cut away from Kel’dan and Ava not waiting for any passing of time before heading back the way he and Ava had come.


Kel’dan clicked his tongue at Solomon. There was a hint of a smirk when he said he was done. His tone was completely neutral and calm when he said, “You have your clearance. Get out of my Aud.”

There was a heavy implication in that one word... -my-. He was not just someone of importance here like Ava had thought. He was -the- person in authority... Having said that, he turned his back to both Ava and Solomon. “Ti’ya, send the reports. You know where I’ll be.”


When Solomon told Ava of their stop at the Aud, she didn’t know what would happen.

But she hadn’t expected -that-.

Both Solomon’s and Kel’dan’s stand still and dismissal left her feeling a bit off put. With Solomon, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. She’d experienced firsthand his redundancy when he didn’t like how things were going in a conversation. It was the type of defense she’d come to expect from the Tekal. But from Kel’dan...

As far as first impressions went....

Ava was thankful the Hapans were still around to help.

“Kel’dan” she spoke even after his back was turned. “Do you know if there’s been any new developments on the freighter... the Full Belly?”


Ti’ya had handed him the data pad and he signed it. “Just bad timing... But we had to be sure. People have bad run ins with literal cataclysmic timing all the time,” he said drily. He turned to look at her again. He glanced at Solomon’s back. “My apologies for that... We have bad blood. And I’m just as much to blame as he is, but I don’t have time for that right now. Did you have any other questions? In earnest?” he asked her patiently.


Jeryndi sped up his walking pace as he saw Solomon and Kel’dan part ways... He was coming from the biggest entry/exit from the Aud, but had originally been heading for where ships were being loaded and docked... He had cut a path, backtracking, to catch up with Solomon. “Cousin,” he said by way of greeting about 20 feet away, coming in on Solomon’s left side.


Solomon was moving quickly, and slowed down just enough for Jeryndi to catch up to him, and then his swift pace was resumed. A quick motion with his left hand went in the form of a tug to the closure of his jacket, releasing the sewn in catches to pull the thing open down the front, “Jer.” He didn’t look happy. He didn’t feel happy. “How’s the evac going?”


Jeryndi took a moment to watch him as they walked... “Pretty good... Kel’dan took my suggestion and called Asher. He didn’t have many ships in the area, but he sent a few. No questions asked.” he looked ahead of them where the children had gathered in a doorway. He didn’t ask why Solomon didn’t look happy... He never seemed to really look happy... But especially Moreso right after talking to Kel’dan.


“That’s good to hear.” He answered, a small glance sent sideways toward Jeryndi. He was walking with his right hand still dug into the pocket of his jacket, his left was swaying at his side with his movements. “How much of the population still needs to be taken off world? I don’t need an exact number, estimates will do if you got them.”


“About 20%,” he said, answering bluntly and immediately. “We only have three hours left... It’ll hit Keldabe last or nearly so. So as soon as you dust off, you’ll pretty much hit it, despite direction you go.”


“Are the evacuees all being ferried to the Yelora Dowen?” Twenty percent was still pretty high, but it was better than it could have been.


“No,” he said. “There’s a good number of support vessels within the Hapan Second Fleet that has been sent to help... They take some of our passengers, but aren’t coming down into the atmosphere... Not that I blame them in the slightest. But hour by hour, the speed of evacuations is picking up. More ships coming in, more going out. And the people have had time to pack up and prepare... It was absolutely the eye of the storm a few hours ago... Mandalorians are strange, but impressive when it comes to handling stress.”


Hapes had stepped up when the time came. All ships that could be spared had been sent to assist in evacuation efforts, be it military, commercial, or even privately owned craft. Patrols and attack squads in nearby sectors had been pulled, joining the rotation of ships to gather evacuees to take offworld. On the ground, one team of Hapans—lead by the still present Nikolaus Buffton—focused on coordinating the logistics of the Hapan ship flow, calculating and recalculating the most efficient flight patterns required to extract the most people. They had been going strong since the evacuation went into full speed mode, and wouldn’t stop until the last ships were cued up. One dedicated corvette remained prepped and ready to go, the Prince and his team working from onboard.


“Hmm.” Ava nodded in response to the explanation of what happened between Kel’dan and Solomon. “Times of stress have a habit of bringing old grievances to the forefront.” She replied.

Ava looked away from where Solomon stood, speaking with Jeryndi - who appeared to have made the journey safely.

“You mentioned needing more ships... which was why you brought your request to Solomon in regards to the Witchdoctor. Might I suggest another alternative that might help?”


He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Of course... We’ve had remarkable aid from Nikolaus Buffton, but also other sources.”


He gave a small nod toward that, thought for a moment, “And the Chiss? Have they been keeping their heads turned away from all of this?”


Jeryndi shook his head. “I’m not that much in the know... I made promises to stay away from Mandalore, but the Force told me otherwise... So I am trying to abide by both and not get too involved.” He nodded towards the children gathered in the doorway. ‘I -could—have ignored it... But he felt it more than I did.”

He... Meaning... Medren. Who was, standing amongst the children in the doorway, watching them.


“Of course.” She nodded in agreement. “But to help alleviate the stress of needing more ships... it might help to send word to some of the remaining governing bodies. The Baroness of Bespin, perhaps. Bylimar Outu from Dova. I could list more but...” She paused.

“The Mandalorians... the Hapans... you don’t have to do all of this on your own. There are those out in the galaxy who help if you reach out.”


Sol looked that way as well, his eyes falling on Medren, “If a captain wanted to offer their services who would you suggest they talk to,” he was looking back at Jeryndi, “And don’t say Kel’dan.”


Jeryndi gave Solomon a look that was mostly a grimace... “Okay... I won’t, then... But if you can’t talk to Kel’dan, his second in command, Ti’ya.” He pointed to the tall blonde woman standing next to Kel’dan. “Most of the coordination between Hapans and Mandals is going through her... And if you really think you can’t talk to a Mandal... Niko is here, too.”


Kel’dan gave Ava a kind smile. It even reached his eyes. “You are wonderful to offer, miss Azalee..” He gestured to the people bustling around them. “We are a strong people... But we also know when we need help... Right now, our focus is evacuation. We asked for help from our closest allies and those who could help with getting ships here in time, with that particular task in mind... Once the people are off this planet, the first thing I will do is reach out to others.”


Ti’ya took Sol’s attention as she was indicated, his eye appraising. Her form was growing distant with each step that was taken away from where his conversation with Kel’dan had taken place; fading, too, was the doorway in which Medren and the other children were huddled, “Where is Niko?” Turning back from the look over his shoulder, Sol was facing forward once more, his pace still steadfast.


Not far from the Aud, at landing zone Gamma, a small bit of drama began to unfold. That drama began with an aged freighter’s primary engine catching fire, causing those boarding the ship to begin scurrying off again quickly, calling for aid for the vessel. A crew of mechanics tasked with standing by for just such events sprang into action immediately, along with a few from the next ship in line.. a Hapan corvette that had touched down just minutes ago. At the head of that crew was Captain Olivia Black. The Force was with her, and she could feel the impending danger. “Clear the area!” She yelled. “It’s going to blow!”


Ava blinked. She wondered if there had been a misunderstanding. Kel’dan spoke about needing ships. She offered a solution to that problem. And yet... that offer had been brushed aside as if it had been only spoken out of polite kindness.

It made one wonder if Kel’dan had other reasons for wanting Solomon to hijack the Witchdoctor.

“I apologize.” She said. “The intensity you spoke about how much you needed the Witchdoctor, how it could make the difference for thousands of lives... left the impression that you do not have enough ships on hand to evacuate the planet.

“Wouldn’t reaching out to others beyond the Hapans help that cause?”


Jeryndi sighed at Solomon. “I don’t know, but it won’t be hard to find him... I saw him my first trip down. This is my fourth.”


He stopped walking long enough to clap his left hand against Jeryndi’s right arm, “I’ll ask around. Thanks, Jer.”


“Miss Azalee,” he said softly. “How far away is Bespin? How far away is Dova? Would they have made it here within 15 hours? It was hard pressed for time for the Hapan ships to get here. For you to get here... We have 3 hours left. Did you wanna convince Solomon to forfeit his ship for evacuations?” he asked, arching a dark brow at her. “You are talking as if I have not been in communication with anyone but the Hapans... I assure you, we are branching out and asking for help where we can. I have left that aspect to the Hapans because we are trying to avoid attracting the attention of the Chiss... I do not have the time or inclination to argue, dispute, or school people... That,” he said, gesturing to the Witchdoctor. “Is a thing of great potential... I couldn’t care less about tech. I couldn’t care less about who flew it. It could take hundreds, if not thousands, in a single trip. Which is worth dozens of any average ship we have at our disposal at the moment.... I don’t care about the Witchdoctor, I care that it can get people off this dying rock. Would you have me sacrifice time taken away from evacuations to try and persuade people who may or may not help or focus on what I know I can count on?”


It sounded like a good speech. What he said sounded like something from someone who cared. But something about it was off.

“You talk about the Witchdoctor like it’s a sure thing. You say that you know it can work... but you really? Do you know or understand how that technology works - how to make it work so that it could fit hundreds or thousands of people on board? With respect, I don’t believe so. Because The Mechanic doesn’t allow people to know.”

Ava paused to survey the chaos around them. It was organized but chaos all the same.


“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I have this thing called faith, Miss Azalee. Sadhric was a genius and I think if anybody can even partially unravel that genius, its Solomon. And I find it irritating he’s not even willing to try.”


“Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to extend that faith from technology to people.” Ava countered. “To other governing bodies who, recently, gathered together so that they could work together. The results might surprise you.”


“Ma’am,” he said, his tone one of patience. Though forced... “I do not appreciate being lectured. Perhaps you should check what you do and don’t know before you do that.”


To Solomon, Jeryndi mimicked the motion— reaching out to gently give Solomon’s arm a squeeze. “If you come back out of that storm... Call me. If you can’t call me... Reach out to me... You know I’ll be listening.” And he didn’t mean via commlink. He meant via the Force.


He didn’t appreciate being lectured but had no problem giving her one.

Tit-for-tat.

Her head bowed only once as she stepped back. “It was merely a suggestion. You said there was an issue for ships. I was only trying to help.” She replied with keen eyes. “As you pointed out, your time is short. I wish you well with the rest of the evacuations.”


“If we come back out,” Sol said with a small dip of his head, “And if we don’t — consider yourself haunted.” A sly smile, just small and gone within a moment.


He arched a brow at her. “Thank you. I hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for. May the Force be With you.” It was back to that neutral tone, that neutral... everything. He watched her go, then shook his head and turned back to Ti’ya. “How does Sadhric do this?” he asked his second in command in a whisper. She simply shrugged.


Jeryndi gave him a sheepish smile. “Well, fair’s fair... I haunted you while I was dead, right?”


There was a looked, a glance over her shoulder, as if Ava had heard the whisper before making way towards Solomon.

“Ready when you are.” She spoke. “Hello, Jeryndi. Glad to see you made the trip safely.”


“You bet your ass,” he was saying to Jeryndi as Ava caught up. Turning to look at Ava, Sol gave a small nod, “Small change of plans — we’re going to give some Mandals a lift up to the Second Fleet before heading into the storm. Niko’s here somewhere, going to find him and let him know we’ll help.”


Jeryndi gave her a smile as she approached and a small bow... He looked better, healthier. Even felt much better in the Force... Jeryndi looked a little surprised at the change of plans, but didn’t say anything... He gave his cousin another smile. Even as Medren came running up to them... The boy of 11 years old didn’t look much like his father— but he had his father’s mouth and his father’s eyes. Curly brown hair, a ton of brown freckles, brown eyes. “Hey, Uncle Sol.” To Ava... She might notice that he had a strong presence in the Force, though it was... undeveloped. The boy gave Ava a small bow. “Are you Jedi Azalee?”


There wasn’t much time to say anything about the change of plans. Ava’s eyes flickered to Solomon before her attention went to the eleven-year old. “I am.” She replied. “And who might you be?”


“This is Medren,” Sol told Ava, having greeted the boy with a small smile, “Jeryndi’s oldest.” His attention was shifting to the boy, “We’ll catch up a little later after all of this is over, Med. Take care of your dad, and your sister, alright?”


The boy nodded to the confirmation of his identity... “Medren...” He paused to think about it.... “Trander... Yeah?” he asked, looking at Jeryndi, who nodded. “Yeah. Trander.” Jeryndi looked at his son expectantly.

“Kids loaded up?” Jeryndi asked.

“Not quite— but almost.” Jeryndi ruffled his hair.

“Go start the preflight checks. I’m going to go with Uncle Sol to find Niko. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Medren turned to go, went a few steps, then looked back at Solomon. And pointed at him. “Don’t die,” he said in Mando’a.


Ava was silent during the exchange. She watched the younger boy leave and waited until he was out of ear range before speaking.

“So, we’re heading to the Second Fleet?”


“I won’t,” he replied to the child in Mando’a before answering Ava in basic, “Briefly. There is roughly twenty percent of the population left on world. I figure we make two runs and then head on our way while there is still some clear sky to make it through the atmosphere. It won’t be much. We won’t get many. But it’s the best I can do without derailing our plans down here entirely.”


Jeryndi nodded to the number. “Still have about a few hundred million people to evac,” he told her gently. “Thank you for helping... Let’s go find Niko. Last time I saw him, he was in conference with the Hapans in their offices,” he said, pointing to the specific building of the Aud.


“According to Kel’dan there is about three hours left. We better hustle.” She said with almost the softest of looks.

Almost.


There was no argument from Solomon who turned and began the way Jeryndi had indicated, and once there he’d approach the first Hapan he saw and inquire about the Prince of Hapes.
That first random Hapan -would- know of Niko’s location. Every Hapan knew. Codename ‘Precious’ (leftover from Queen Kara’s reign) was on the move, heading out of his ship and towards the Aud with purpose. As he walked, his comm was already reaching out to Kel’dan. “Mandalore, we need another launch zone prepped and all hands we can spare. We have incoming, and she’s a -big- one.”

Out in orbit, Hapan ships broke formation, giving way... as Vagabond’s Haven chose that moment to exit hyperspace as close to the planet as it could, with a downward trajectory already plotted, aiming for Keldabe.


That particular Hapan was asked if they could reach Niko on comms with a request for audience by Solomon Tekal, Ava Azalee, and Jeryndi Trander. All given by name, by Sol. Heading out from The Aud would take too much time. Too much back and forth for the little time they had.


On the other side of the Aud... Kel’dan answered his commlink. And groaned... The groan was loud. Even over all the bustle going on in the Aud, it still might’ve carried... “You know I’m going to kill you if the Red hits that thing and it crushes my city, right?” he said.


Jeryndi, however, had walked with them. Waited patiently... He would let them speak to the Hapans, but he would stay until they found the Hapan Prince.. He did, however, look up when a shadow fell over the city... And got a little pale. “Um. Sol?”


Nikolaus smirked at hearing Kel’dan’s response, despite that not translating through. “If it crushes the city, there won’t be a need for you to kill me.”

Solomon’s request would be routed through Niko’s assistant currently two steps behind the prince, the one nicknamed ‘Mousy’, who would indicate the main entrance to the Aud as the best place to meet up with the Buffton.


Directions taken, Sol thanked that Hapan and was turning to head for the main entrance. The place was hectic, and there was a small need for cutting between groups or dodging personnel as they went about their tasks. He had given regard to the city-station, a dark blot in the sky that was growing larger in its descent. It wasn’t ignored by and large just put to the side in his awareness. Where they were and what they could do was far more immediate to him than what was coming in for a landing, or a hover, or whatever that thing was going to do.


Niko’s comm was put aside for the moment as he approached the entrance and spotted Solomon. Gone was the business suit the Buffton had been known for, having adopted a Hapan style of lightweight power armor after the altercation he had with a Mandal his first night onworld. “Sol? You here to lend a ship?”

Above them, the shadow of Haven continued to grow. It was a slow, measured approach, as the station was never intended to make the kind of approach they were working towards, but didn’t have time for the standard entry which would normally take an hour or more.


Solomon was dressed for the occasion. His dark brown nerf hide jacket was worn open revealing a cream and blue accented V-neck shirt beneath. His pants were tan. His boots well worn, the top cuffs hidden beneath his pants legs. A wave was given toward Niko as they approached, followed by a nod as they got closer and he heard Niko’s question, “Where do you need us? We have time enough for one or two quick runs before we need to head into the storm.”


Jeryndi was with the Jedi and Solomon when Niko approached... He gave the Hapan Prince a polite nod of the head by way of greeting. He casually glanced over his shoulder towards Haven in the sky, coming down steadily towards them. “Your doing?” he asked.


“Head into the storm?” Niko repeated back surprised for a brief moment. “That’s.. very Tekal of you. Alright. We need every ship we can get to ferry people up to Haven once it’s stable. It can hold a good five hundred thousand people at its absolute max capacity, but the problem will be getting them there.” A half-shrug was given to Jeryndi at his question. “Not my plan, but I wasn’t turning it down. Maxima paid for that.”


Solomon almost shrugged at Niko’s comment but that was redirected as the prince continued, “Alright. Start directing whoever you can to the Wayfinder,” he likely didn’t need to since the ship was settled right where he had been told to touch down, but he paused anyway and then gave Niko the ship’s location. “Also, if you have low tech rides on Haven — swoops, speeders — I’m willing to pay. We were told that anything tech heavy isn’t doing so well inside the plume.”


“... could barely hear my own voice.”

“From the noise,” said the medic, nodding.

“No—the silence.”

The medic glanced at the Mandal’s vitals. Everything looked okay.

The warrior was human, aging but fit. He’d been racing the storm in a ship with six others. Theirs was a story that would, when it reached the Aud, have some now-familiar elements. Gathering up neighbors and clansmen, they’d miscalculated and waited too long. Their skiff was not space-worthy, so they hadn’t been able to simply shoot for the sky. Instead, they’d found themselves racing darkness. This red darkness reached across them overhead; it did not truly fill in the world behind them, only tinting everything they could see until it thickened overhead such that everything not red was blacker than night. That was when—

“What do you mean, silence?”

“It was like... Have you ever been underwater?”


“Let’s hope it works.” Ava said softly. She’d been standing half-ways hidden behind the two other man - which basically meant she was mostly hidden from view.


“Tell her thank you, then,” Jeryndi said. He looked to Solomon at the mention of low tech devices, blinking... He’d said he wasn’t getting involved much, so nobody had told him that... “I have a swoop on the Lickity Split... I’ll offload it for you before I go.”


As Solomon spoke, Mousy took information down in the datapad she carried with her at all times, nodding along at both the offer of the Wayfinder— “Capacity?” She asked quickly, before continuing on to the request for speeder bikes. Niko chimed in there, giving a quick shake of his head. “Doubtful. Any swoop bike that would be on Haven would be basic and designed for slow city travel. They could be modified, but I don’t know if that would be done in time for your investigation.”

Ava’s voice was heard but not seen, while Jeryndi earned a very brief nod—clearly he didn’t approve.

Haven’s approach slowed more, and angled to the south of the city proper, to a pre-approved hover zone that would be close enough to ferry people to while not being a hindrance on other ships trying to clear the area. Dozens of shuttles were pouring out of the four primary docking bays, even as Hapan vessels on the ground began lifting off to make contact. It was low enough now in the sky to make those transitions feasible, and every minute was counted as precious.


The capacity he gave Mousy, when requested, was on the higher side of what a mid-sized yacht could carry. To what Jeryndi said, Sol answered with, “Thank you, we’ll get it loaded as soon as we can.” Then it was back to Niko, “Do me a favor, then, and put some feelers out for me? Any ground transport worth its salt — Jedi Azalee and I will take it. “ the flurry of ships overhead was attention grabbing “We better get to it. New comm frequency for the Wayfinder,” he continued, telling Niko, “The Yelora Dowen already has it.”


Jeryndi looked up at Haven again... He was listening. He’d taken note of Niko’s doubt, but it wasn’t him going into the Red. It was Solomon and the Jedi... “Half a million... We might just be able to pull this off now,” he said very quietly.
“The Mandalore and his staff might be better suited to find that,” Niko conceded to Solomon. “We just have data on space worthy vessels right now, but I can still spread the request through our channels.” And by him, he meant Mousy, and she was already in the process. A nod was given to Jer again. “That’s the dream,” short pause. “You mentioned a ship as well? Is it in queue yet?”


Mention of the Mandalore brought a scowl to Sol’s face and he shook his head, “That man won’t listen to reason. I don’t have time to waste any more breath on him — that’s why we came to you about getting involved.”


“I sensed the tension. I was coming to intervene,” Jeryndi admitted. “Not sure what all is going on there, but it’s none of my business.” He looked to Ava, then back to Niko, then to Sol. “Is there anything else I can do to help?” he asked.

“Yes,” he said to Niko. “I’ve already made a few runs to the Quintessence to offload passengers.” To Sol he said, “I sensed the tension... I was coming to intervene. I’m sorry I didn’t get there in time.”


“Good to hear,” Niko murmured to Jer, focusing back on Sol. “Weird, but alright then. We’ll see what we can dig up.” Brief pause. “If there’s nothing else, get to your ships. Time is of the essence.”


To Jer he gave a dismissive shake of his head. It was alright that Jer didn’t make it in time. The conversation had been over before it even began. “Thank you, your highness.” He said before adding, “Both of you, be safe.”



Roughly two hours later the Wayfinder was sitting in a Haven dock. All passengers had disembarked leaving the ship empty except for Solomon and Ava, “Haven control, this is the Wayfinder. All cargo clear, requesting permission to leave.” The ship still looked like a Mandal yacht, both inside and out. He gave a look toward Ava as he spoke. The last time he had been on Haven had been a nightmare. Maltez had been in charge then, and the cards had been stacked against him from the very start.


Ava sat quietly next to Solomon in the copilot’s chair. While he requested clearance, she checked over the takeoff procedure to make side the Wayfinder was in top form to leave.

The look he gave was noticed and returned with a sympathetic one. “This trip went a lot smoother than the last one, eh?” She breathed the words.


“That is an understatement,” he replied. The pilot’s chair that supported him creaked with the slow motion of him sitting back against it. “I would have never come back here, not of my own choosing. Well, not before this anyway.”


“Wayfinder, this is Haven Control. Please standby for delivery of two modified city swoops courtesy of Prince Nikolaus and the Hapan techs on board.”


Gears shifted and he reached out to open two-way comms, “Copy that, Control. We’ll be ready for them. Thank His Highness and the techs for me, if you would.” He flipped the line closed and cast a glance Ava’s way while muttering, “I wonder which arm and part of my soul this is going to cost me.”


“Little bit dramatic, much?” She spoke with a raised brow. She spoke quietly.

“Things are different now, Sol. Niko and Maxima are not their father. We did a good thing helping and now they are returning the favor.”


“Easy enough for you to say,” He hit some switches on the panel before him as he continued speaking, “But the last time I received a favor by Nikolaus Buffton I wound up behind bars, starving, on a Mandal ship.” He was then rising to head aft, “Come on, I’m going to need a hand getting those swoops secured.”


Ava’s head shook.

“A clear outlook wouldn’t hurt.” She said while rising. “This is different than last time. The circumstances have changed.” Ava then added as an afterthought as she followed him. “And I’d like to believe that Nikolaus Buffton has changed as well.”


“I’m not blaming him, Ava,” Sol said on his way back, “It just seems like whenever the blood of his family and mine run close together things seem to — short circuit. This is too important for that to happen here. There isn’t a lot that could stop me from getting to that crater, and I don’t really want to find out just what it would take to keep me away.”


“Maybe this will be the start of something different then.” She replied. “A change from the way things used to be.”


“I doubt it. We’ve run into very little resistance — which would be a very good place to start if things were going to be different. Niko said it, himself, heading into the storm is a very Tekal thing to do, but who has tried to stop us?”


A brow quirked.

“Are you complaining that they haven’t?”


“No, not at all. I just find it rather suspect that not a single person has tried. I just think it says something about the situation. What, exactly, I’m not sure. I just find it curious. Don’t you?”


“I think people have enough on their plate that they don’t have time chasing after a Tekal and a Jedi right now.”


“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” Ahead of them was the hold the swoops would be loaded into. Sol stepped forward and led the way in, heading toward the rear hatch which was opened, the rear panels of the hold sliding open with the bottom half becoming a ramp of sorts.


“Wayfinder, this is Haven Control. We need your spot clear as soon as possible. More ships are inbound.”


“We better hurry.” Ava breathed.

“Roger.” She answered back through her own comm. “Getting the swoops now.”


Swift steps took him down the ramp where he found two swoops waiting. He was quick to move toward them, inspecting first one, and then the other. The short assessment left him with bringing only one on board, “Give me a hand with this one. The other is going to have to stay here — there’s a fault in its systems. We can’t risk it giving out if we need to use them.”


“Alright.” She replied, quickly moving to help. “Going to be a tight fit if we find anyone else out there.”


“We’ll make room,” he told her, getting the swoop secured with her help, “Don’t worry about that.” In very short order that work would be done, and Sol would be closing the hatch, bringing both halves of the opening to meet, “Let’s get going before they decide to start charging rent.”


“I don’t think we need to worry about rent.” She replied with a glance towards the ships ceiling. “However, I do think they’re more likely to tow us if we don’t get moving.”


“Ugh, good point. Buffton impound fees are the worst in the galaxy.” With one last check to make sure the swoop was secured, Sol was heading out of the hold and back toward the controls of the ship.


“I really do wish you were you were joking.”

She followed closely behind him.


“So do I.” Sol replied dryly, his steps becoming quicker once he was out of the hold. It wasn’t a run, just a quick walk through the little hallways that cut the ship into small living quarters and a flight lounge, to get to the ship’s cockpit.


Her head shook. Only once though. She lingered behind, watching Solomon for a half step before heading onwards.


Once in the cockpit, Sol was slipping into the pilot’s seat and strapping in. He’d wait for Ava to find a seat before comming Hapan command to get their departure clearance. With that given, it was only a matter of lifting off and pulling away from Haven. That had been their last run for evacuees. They had been one ship among many working to help the Mandals, and they hadn’t helped very much. It was the best he could do for them. That wasn’t a lie he was telling himself as they pulled away from Haven. The large red plague that was taking over the planet was just as easily seen. The illness killing the planet was spreading, a cancer stretching out to rob the world of its life. “Are you doing alright with all this?” He found himself asking Ava once they were underway.


Her head nodded as she spoke. “Yeah.” It was the simplest of answers in the most direct form.

“There’s a chance we might...” She paused for wording. “not like what we find out there. Are you going to be okay if that happens?”


“Do you remember Origin?” He replied, his eyes keen on the course he was following, “We thought he was gone, then. That was hard because we — I — didn’t know. I had no way of confirming. It was just a big empty — void. And then he was alive. We knew he was. That made a difference. Not knowing is what will kill me.”


“And what if we can’t find him?” She questioned softly.


“We’ll see when we get there.”


She nodded once. “Okay.”


He drew in a breath, and slightly banked the ship in its course for Keldabe, “I don’t know what I’m going to do if we can’t find him, Ava. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it, but I’m trying not to let ‘what if’s get the better of me. There are too many to face, to many with answers I don’t want to know. If I start thinking about them, if I give them way to my focus I won’t be any good, and I’m not letting you do this alone.”


“I understand that.” She replied. “I don’t think this is one of the smartest decisions we’ve made...” A little smile quirked at the corners of her lips. “But it does feel like the right one.”


“Then we’re in agreement. This is pretty damn stupid of us, but stupid can still be right.” He smiled, and carried the expression as he looked her way.


“We’ll find out soon enough.” She said quietly.


A thoughtful noise was made before Sol was contacting Keldabe’s command center for landing instructions. Ships were still coming and going. Some were heading for the Hapan vessels in space, and others were heading for Haven. It was an almost never-ending back and forth of ships, all shuttling as fast as they could.


“Do you know where our entry point will be once we move into the red?” She asked.



At the last second, the Wayfinder was directed to a different landing platform— closer to the top of the Aud... When the ship arrived, there was a bustle of people coming and going— there was another ship here— the Lickity Split was docked a stone’s throw away, directly parallel. There were two landspeeder and one speeder bike already unloaded and ready for loading... The Lickity Split had people loading onto it. One last trip. Not far away, either, was Kel’dan’s ship. Where about 20 Mandals stood at attention, waiting for their Mandalore to come with them to depart... On the horizon, the Red could be seen plain as day.


Instructions for diversion and relocation to a new landing platform were followed, as were docking procedures. There were no deviations, and once the Wayfinder was settled, Solomon was disembarking. Once off the ship, his eyes first found the gleaming shape of the Witchdoctor. He stood there at the bottom of the ramp for a moment looking at the big brother to his own ship, or more rather, a father of sorts — a mother in some ways — without the Witchdoctor his own ship would have been something else entirely. Bringing his right hand into a tight fist, Solomon hid his numbed fingers in the pockets of his jacket once again. One way or another, dead or alive, the Witchdoctor’s master would be found. He felt like he was running out of time, and had been since he’d felt what he had on Ossus. There had been no sensation of death, just a lot of suffering — unspeakable amounts of it. What did he feel now? Nothing but panic, nothing but the need to continue forward and get his answers. Forward he would go. Turning, catching sight of the Mandals waiting at attention for Kel’dan, Solomon pulled his right elbow in tighter against his body, and then finally he was looking at the waiting land transports. Moving toward them, and as he had with the swoop picked up from Haven, he began looking them over carefully.

They were separated by a few yards between them— a landspeeder and a speeder bike on one side, another landspeeder on the other side... The speeder bike was in tip top shape, but that was to be expected by anything owned by Jeryndi. Same with the Landspeeder. The other... Was modified. Recently. As in the last few hours. It’s engine had been tweaked to help it run smoother and faster. It had had an enclosure installed on it— to protect the passengers from debris and other things. To have it form an air tight seal with an air processor in it. The body of it had been reinforced. It could hold up to 5 passengers... It, too, was done by hands who knew what they were doing... But... Given that Jeryndi hadn’t known about the need for land vehicles until a couple hours ago, there was no way he could’ve had this done and still made runs to and from the Quintessence... So that left a mystery— or maybe not— for who left it here.

Elsewhere, all over the Aud, stragglers were finding their ships... Most of them Mandalorians in full sets of armor. There was very little personnel left here. Ti’ya was on the landing platform some distance away, even as Jeryndi and Medren were approaching from the Lickity Split.... Jeryndi looked Sol up and down and said, “You’ve gotta be careful... Okay?”


From the side of the heavily modified landspeeder, Sol looked up and toward the sound of the familiar voice. After a moment he was moving Jeryndi’s way, “I have no plans to be anything but careful, Jeryndi.” Nothing had changed, very much, about the way that Sol looked beyond a few new creases and some grit from being on the dusty world, “There’s too much to come back for.”


Jeryndi nodded... “Good.” He gestured to the other two— the ones that were not modified... “Those are mine... Don’t worry about returning them. The goal here is for you to come back safe,” he said gently. Even as they were talking, the tall, blonde woman who was Kel’dan’s second in command was approaching... “The Mandalore would like a word,” she said softly. It was respectful, soft-spoken.


“Thank you, Jer, but —” Ti’ya’s presence was an interruption that drew a frown from Solomon. Sol looked her way to make sure of who she was talking to before saying, “If it’s about the Witchdoctor, I’m still not interested.”


Patient as could be, she looked at him sidelong and said, “I am his officer, not his counselor. I do not know what he wishes to speak to you about.”


His shoulders lifted, and after a moment dropped as he let loose a deep sigh, “Alright. Just a moment.” Solomon was then turning back to his cousin, “I likely won’t be back in time to see you before your last departure. Take care, Jeryndi. I’ll give you a call when I can.”


“You’d better,” he said seriously. “Which of these do you want? We’ll load it up for you?” He offered.


“No, I’ll take the modified one. But, let it sit. I’ll get it loaded myself. Thanks, though.” He reached out to ruffle Medren’s hair before moving off toward Ti’ya. “Lead the way.”


Ti’ya nodded and started away, datapad still in hand. She was reading through things, clicking and tapping things on the screen... It wouldn’t take long to reach Kel’dan, who stood with a few others around him. He was signing datapads, sending them on their way as Solomon and Ti’ya approached. Ti’ya handed him her own datapad, which he signed. “Get the others and get on the ship,” he told her firmly as he handed it back to her. To Solomon, after Ti’ya had started to walk away, he said— “Thank you for your efforts with the evacuation.”


With Ti’ya leaving his side, Solomon took a furtive look around him and Kel’dan. Who was standing too close, and who may have been listening? These things weighed in on how he responded to Kel’dan when he said, “Did you think I had forgotten?” He asked in Mando’a, while patting the upper portion of his right arm lightly with his left, “Once a brother, always a brother. I couldn’t turn away from this.”


He nodded once... “I had the speeder prepped for you. I put a team on it since I knew you’d be going in.” He sighed softly. “Your Jedi friend thinks I have ulterior motives for the Witchdoctor... But will you give me the chance to explain?” he asked.


“I figured, by the craftsmanship and quick work. Who else would have the means at their disposal right now? And as far as explaining, you already have. You needed ships. Every ship at your disposal. You said the Witchdoctor was an asset you were hoping to count on. A ship you were hoping to use. What other explanation could you provide?”


He arched a brow at Solomon. “How about the superior scans it probably has? What it might be able to tell you about this Red that we don’t know? Which is a lot of nothing... Maybe it has some way of tracking Sadhric? Some way of mapping a safe route?”


“That’s a lot of maybes and mights to bank on, Kel’dan. I don’t think either of us know just what that ship is capable of, and honestly I don’t have time to learn.”


He nodded slightly. “Still... Try, just once? I won’t hold you up any longer... I’m just trying to make the best of this situation. I put a team on it and they’ve not found a damn thing useful... And I can’t spend any more time.. We’re down to the wire. For what it’s worth, I don’t want it to be destroyed by the coming storm. It belonged to him. If you don’t get in first try, I’ll drop it altogether.”


“What makes you think I even have a prayer of getting in? You talk as if I have some secret knowledge, or something, that will grant me access where everyone else has failed.”


“You are more familiar with his tech than anybody else I know... And I know he cares about you. He may have granted you emergency access. Yes, he’s a genius, but if anybody can figure it out, I think it’s you.”


“Kel’dan,” He brought his left hand up and rubbed at his temples with his fingers, and took a moment to breathe, “Here’s the deal. I’ll try, but we are running out of time. So, even if I do get into the ship — even if there exists some sort of access that gets me in — the ship is mine. I’m putting the work into it, so the ship falls to me. That means that I, alone, will be there working on it. You keep your men out of the area — -you- remain out of the area. If I can’t break Sadhric’s code in thirty seconds, you need to let this go, and that ship finds its resting place with the man who built her. Yes?” He dropped his hand and looked at Kel’dan.


Kel’dan was watching him with serious eyes.... “If you get in... And there’s anything useful for information or scans.... Forward it to me. That’s all I ask. But yes. I agree to all of that.”


“If there is anything to give, I’ll hand it over.” He promised with a small nod, “Get the area cleared and I’ll get to work.”


He nodded and turned to Ti’ya. “Clear the area... I want the last ships launched in the next ten minutes,” he told her. Then he looked back to Solomon. “When you’re done with the Witchdoctor... I hope you find him. Logic tells me he’s dead... But I don’t think he is. It’s just a feeling.” Of course, nobody would know that feeling better than Solomon. Not all that long ago, Kel’dan had struggled with his Sensitivity... But there was no such hesitancy or insecurity now.


While Kel’dan handled that, Solomon made a quick and quiet call to Ava back at his ship, “Hey, Ava, there is a modified landspeeder sitting outside. Do me a favor and get it loaded and secured. I’m going to try for the Witchdoctor.”


Her voice was winded when she replied. “I’m already on it.” A pause. “I take it Kel’dan hasn’t let that one go?”


“Not at all. His argument this time was pretty convincing. If I get in, the ship is mine. If it works, I’ll give you a call once I’m on board.”


Despite him unable to see it, Ava’s head shook. “For someone who was ready to leave me on Ossus within five minutes, you sure have gotten distracted since arriving.”

Not that the rescue of an entire planet wasn’t important. Nor that it wasn’t the right thing to do.
“Beyond that... do you believe he will uphold his end of the bargain?” Her eyes flickered around her. “We don’t exactly have the high ground here.”


“I gave him thirty seconds of my effort, Ava, and if he doesn’t — what time will he have left? And you have the Wayfinder. If he doesn’t, and I can’t get around it, I’m stuck and you punch onward without me. Either way, don’t think any of these diversions have diminished my desire to get out there. I’m doing what I have to do, that’s all.” It was then that Kel’dan was turning back toward him and Sol cut the comm line, digging the piece out of his ear and slipped it into his pocket. “Whatever’s out there, we’ll find it.” He told the Mandalore standing before him, “You can count on it.”


“I know,” Kel’dan said softly. “If you bring him back... I’ll forfeit the title back to him... He was doing good by us.”


“I don’t need that promise from you, Kel’dan, and we’re wasting time. How do we get to the ship from here?”


He pointed to a lift not far away. “It’ll take you straight up to it.”


Sol started to walk away, then stopped and looked back at Kel’dan, “If I catch -any- wind of your people being nearby, this ends.” He warned, “Even if I haven’t started working yet.”


He gave Sol a slight smile. “You won’t. We’re leaving in a minute.”


Sol gave just a nod before turning and heading for the lift, and the ship that it led to.
As it had for Kel’dan, the Witchdoctor stretched Solomon’s reflection weirdly as he neared. It stood with an impossible mirror-shine, inert and indifferent, and maybe oblivious to the red horizon.


Kel’dan was already walking away... He had Ti’ya by his side, talking softly... Elsewhere, the whine of engines powering up could be heard from all over the Aud...The last group of ships was in the process of leaving. From where he was up there on the highest landing platform of the Aud, Solomon could see the group of Mandals at attention begin to board Kel’dan’s ship. Not far away, Jeryndi lingered outside the Lickity Split, watching Solomon go up there. He was worried, but it was a ton of different things all combined into one... An announcement was going out over the loudspeakers of the Aud, announcing any last minute boarding calls would be departing in 5 minutes.


That far up, there was a slight breeze that carried an odd quality to it. There was some unidentifiable scent to it, something that was distinct yet undefinable. He couldn’t see the horizon past the ship as he stepped off the lift and onto the platform that was partially supporting the large silver vessel. He took care to pause and look around the platform, searching out any camera feeds that could have been watching him, a small flatscreen device, datapad in nature, was pulled from his jacket. He approached the ship, crossing the short distance from the lift to the Witchdoctor while tapping at the screen all up until he had reached his destination where he lowered the datapad and reached out to touch one of the Witchdoctor’s landing struts, “Tell me there’s something left,” he breathed in barely a whisper.


Cold, unresponsive, and smooth, the ship’s mercury surface passively showed the uneven blob it made of Sol, parts of the platform, the lift. Higher up, it reflected the bright, unobscured sky so well it might have been a pure droplet of it.

Shadows of ships zipped across it. When they were reflected back at themselves, they looked like insects.


“Come on, don’t you disappear, too.” The ship was cool beneath his fingertips, the smooth surface of the ship unforgiving in its nearly liquid-like state, hardened now that it sat still. He took a step back from the strut and took a look over the large vessel. As far as Solomon knew there were no access ports to the outside of the ship. On a typical vessel, there was a security panel to tap into. This was not a typical vessel. Some work was needed, and it was going to take longer than thirty seconds. It would also sacrifice his comm piece. One look went to the ship before he got to work. Kneeling on the platform he broke open the main body of his comm piece, and pulled apart the back panel of his datapad. The two were soon connected and he began scanning. What was he scanning for? Comm code frequencies he knew the Mechanic had used in the past — the most recent ones. The ones Sol had used with the Mechanic, himself. Ones he had reasonable doubt to consider were attached to the ship.


There was comm traffic aplenty. A shocking, constant amount. A pilot reported no significant damage from a brush with another ship near Vagabond’s Haven; her voice was steel-hard as if she willed her way through a case of nerves. Chatter about low-orbit views of the debris was everywhere as Solomon scanned. One vessel had a repulsor problem and couldn’t land normally, losing its place at the head of Haven’s pattern while a solution could be worked out. Somewhere out in Keldabe, a man tried, over and over, to get someone named Wae to respond to him. Some scrambled chatter clicked and droned unintelligibly on this or that frequency. Much of the words were Mando’a, much Hapan. Basic abounded.

No signal could be proven to come from The Mechanic’s vessel.


Five minutes would have come and gone while Solomon worked. The lack of feeling in his right hand did him no favors as far as speed was concerned. What he could do with it, he did, but for the most part he wrestled through with using his left. That was becoming easier to manage, but still being a relatively new thing it was still quite strange and awkward, especially for this type of work. The wind was growing stronger, that odd scent becoming more powerful. The seconds ticked by until he couldn’t hold off any longer. He knew the window was a slim one, and doing this for Kel’dan made it only that much more thin. Everything he’d brought with him was turned off before he rose, and headed for the lift. With the time they had there was only so much he could do before it became a matter of him endangering himself to push just a little bit farther. Solomon did what he told Kel’dan he’d do, and that was to try. Now there was no more time for other attempts to be made. If the ship survived, and if he and Ava survived, there would be more time later. Right then he wasn’t going to stand a candle’s chance on Hoth if he didn’t get moving.


In those five minutes, the Mandals at Kel’dan’s ship no longer stood at arms... They were all safe and secure within his ship. The ramp was still down, but Kel’dan and Ti’ya were nowhere in sight. On the landing platform parallel to Sol’s, Jeryndi had boarded and was about to depart. The ramp was up, the engines were running. He could be seen in the cockpit, running through pre-flight checks, even though he’d done it a dozen times today. All others had left or were leaving— there was only a handful of ships left anywhere in sight— including Jeryndi’s, Kel’dan’s, Solomon’s... And, of course, the Witchdoctor. Jeryndi’s vehicles were already gone and reloaded back onto his ship. When Jeryndi finally looked up, he gave Solomon a salute and mouthed the words— Good Luck.


Ava worked swiftly during those minutes. The gear and equipment for their expedition into the Red was loaded and secured onto the swoop bike. And as Solomon was descending from the Witchdoctor and making a return towards the Wayfinder, that swoop bike was being loaded onto the ship.

As she worked, Ava watched the remaining few that lingered make way towards their own ships. The evacuations were complete. Pretty soon this place would be abandoned; leaving nothing but silent buildings behind for the Red to consume. She watched Jeryndi salute to his cousin as he mouthed a silent message. Good luck. He said.

Good luck Ava thought in reply.

“It didn’t work?” she asked as the Tekal headed towards her and the ship.


Jeryndi’s salute was returned with Sol placing his left hand over his heart, then lifting his hand away toward Jeryndi where he sat on board his ship. It was an odd movement, half of his fingers carrying the motion while the rest kept a hold on the two intermingled devices he carried. His steps didn’t falter as he made his way for the Wayfinder, though. He waited until he was well within earshot of Ava before saying, “Not with what I had time for.” He spared a glance over his shoulder to where the Witchdoctor was settled, “Its completely shut-down.”


“Maybe now Kel’dan will let this go.” She mumbled as her shoulders rolled. Ava saw his gaze and followed it to where the unique ship rest.

“She’s been through worse things than this. She’ll be fine.” A hand lightly rested on his shoulder, giving a gentle supporting squeeze. “She’s tough.”


“It’s not her I’m worried about.” He dared to reply, turning back to look Ava’s way. “Let’s get this thing on board. We’ll talk inside.”


Ava released his shoulder. There was the hint of a smile.

“Bout time you gave me a hand. Here, grab that there.” She pointed.


“I’d have thought you’d have this thing on board already, slacker.” Sol returned, trying on a smile instead of the somber expression he’d worn just a moment before. He took a moment to figure himself out, how to grab what Ava had pointed to while having his hands full. He wound up with a bulging inner pocket to his jacket, both the datapad and the comm piece uncomfortably sitting in the same place against his torso before he lent Ava a hand.


The bike was loaded and secured. Ava did one last check to make sure they had some supplies as they went into the Red. Various equipment - making sure to keep things as low grade as possible. Medical supplies. Rations. Nothing too heavy that could load things down but enough for them to be at least somewhat prepared.

With the swoop bike loaded, she’d be heading into the cockpit to return to the copilot’s seat.

“Ready when you are.” Ava breathed to the only other person on board the Wayfinder.

“Do you know if the Hapans have any new information sent over about the Red?” She asked as an afterthought. “Once we go in there, we’ll be on our own.”


The bulk of what supplies they’d taken onto the Wayfinder came in the form of what Sol had arranged for when they’d picked the ship up, and in what he’d taken from the Justicar when they’d switched ships. Food, water, a small amount of modest medical supplies, emergency provisions, self-contained light sources, sealed heating elements, thermal blankets, environmental suits, and more were all packed, stacked, and secured within the ship. Most of what had been brought from the Justicar had been higher end packables, along with the food and water stores he had kept on board for various emergencies. He was following behind Ava, having spared the time to make sure the ramp was closed and secured. Coming into the cockpit, he was a few seconds behind her, “No idea. But I’m sure if they had anything new they’d have sent it by now.” He was slipping into the pilot’s chair, “My plan is this: we’re going to wait until the storm hits, staying powered down until after its overtaken Keldabe. I don’t want to be mid-flight and fighting kick-back, or a sudden lack of capabilities from my own ship. We’ll test it after that — start her and fly low for a bit to see if she can handle it, and then head for the crater.” He paused, looked Ava’s way and asked, “What do you think?”


“It sounds like a good plan.” She nodded in agreement. “I like the idea of being on the ground should the Wayfinder short circuit from whatever’s in the Red.”

Her legs were propped up on the edge of her seat with knees tucked close to her chest. Rest on top was a data pad going over the same information she’d read a dozen times.

“How far are we from the point of impact from here?” she mumbled to herself, calculating the ship’s travel time, the swoop bike’s, and walk time. After a short breath, she leaned over to the edge of the seat.

A ration packet with the name Avaz was retrieved and handed to Solomon. “Here. This might be our last chance for a while. You don’t have to eat much but we need to have something in our system. It’s designed to give the most nutrition in the smallest amounts.” and then, as an afterthought. “They kinda taste like dewberries.”


How far were they from the point of impact? Sol had the number readily available by memory, and gave it easily in answer. He had just begun fishing his datapad and comm unit out of his jacket pocket when Ava offered over the ration packet which meant it took a moment for him to take it from her. The datapad and comm unit were laid against his lap, Sol reaching and twisting in his seat to take the pouch with his left hand, “What in the nine hells is a dewberry?”


Despite everything going on around them, Ava smiled her first true smile. “It’s a fruit native to the planet Hapes.” She replied. “One of their luxury exports. So they’re not well known to a lot of people. Eve got me addicted to them when I went to visit her at the Fountain Palace.”

Should Solomon eat the ration, he would find it sweet with just a hint of bitterness that would balance the taste.

“This doesn’t taste exactly like them but... it’s pretty close.”


“Is that why your lodestone on Origin was called Dewberry? You were addicted when Sadhric found you?” There was a bit of a struggle to get the ration pack open. It took a few tries with thick feeling fingers on one hand to grasp the packaging properly. But once he had it, the sound if the fresh seal breaking was a small rush of air entering into the pouch, puffing the sides of it out all at once.


Ava’s smile remained when her head shook. “No. Um.” Her shoulders shrugged. “I’m not a fan of standard rations. The greasy, lumpy textured re-hydrated gray meats. The overly dried ‘vegetables’ that taste like chalk in your mouth. They jam-pack them with ‘nutrients’ that all taste artificial.”

She pulled out her own package and began opening the seal. “During my time with Tlin... I expressed my extreme dislike of the entire franchise.” Her smile gained some of its luster. “Multiple times.”

Have you....

Her throat cleared and that luster diminished.

“And then.. one day Avaz appeared. A ration pack that didn’t taste like garbage. They started out with a neutral, tasteless flavor and have since worked dewberries into the mix.”


“So, it’s your label — a gift from him?” He sounded amused, fishing a piece of the pack’s content’s out and popping it into his mouth.


“The label isn’t mine.” Her head shook. “I think the name was his version of a joke.” Still, she smiled.

“And I wouldn’t call it a ‘gift’. I believe it was more of a strategic way to make sure I stayed nourished during the war. Don’t like the food? Change the way it tastes.”


He found himself smiling again, “Ava, that is his gift. Seeing that those he cares for are looked after — that, as you say, you stay nourished during war — giving you something you’d eat to keep yourself going — a gift to you, from him so you wouldn’t have to suffer eating sub-par rations. So you wouldn’t starve, even while eating.”


Her head shook as she looked down at the open contents of the package. She could smell the sweetness.

“It was a nice gesture.” She said.

A long, slow breath as if something slipped away in passing.

“Anyway. I’ve been carrying these with me ever since. They’re pretty tasty and I don’t like the thought of them going to waste.”


He’d only taken two or three pieces from his pack, but was rolling the open top down and offering it back over, “Keep them. We don’t know what we are going to run into out there, and I have a store of rations in the hold I can force myself to swallow. Eat these yourself, and enjoy them while you have them.”


“I can make a whole package last weeks.” She replied. “They don’t take much to keep your nourished. Small portions and all. But thank you.” Ava nodded as she took the package back.

Both packages were rolled close and tucked back to where she hid them. Her head leaned back against the head rest, her eyes closing.

“How much longer before the Red hits? It should be close by now.”


The Yelora Dowen knew of the Wayfinder’s self-imposed mission, and its occupants, of course. Unasked, it sent a warning at the five minute mark, along with a brief comm message:

“Wayfinder; Yelora Dowen. Gods watch over you. It’s a sight from up here.”

Down where Sol and Ava were, the horizon was perhaps a shade darker, perhaps a touch hazier, but for the most part it was unchanged even from high upon the Aud.


“Five minutes,” Sol answered, the signal coming through and being picked up immediately. He sat up, shuffling the datapad and comm unit on his lap a bit so they wouldn’t slide off, “We aren’t seeing too much of a difference just yet Yelora Dowen, but it’s coming. Force be with you all. We’ll make contact when we can.”


“Gods-speed.” Said the Jedi to the Yelora Dowen. ”Be safe out there.”

Five minutes.

A lifetime away but within a blink of an eye.

Her head tipped forward. “Here we go.” She breathed.
From orbit, even from Haven, there was a luxury of light. The star Mandalore, unobscured, showed its child-planet nearly completely overrun, its atmosphere aswirl with all shades of red.

From the ground, from Keldabe, the horizon had been bloody already for some time. Now, as the sun blotted out behind the head of the wave, that same horizon seemed closer, and not purpled, but rather the deep red of closed eyelids before the light goes out.


Solomon’s hands went into a flurry of motion. Systems were being shut down one by one as quickly as he could get to them. By the time he was done only life support would be running. “I’m cutting all non-essential systems,” he told Ava in the process, “It might get warm in here.” Every couple of few moments he’d glance up toward the horizon beyond the ship, his hands not pausing in their work until the very last system was shut down and the ship sat all but lifeless on the platform, “Secure that datapad and strap in,” he advised Ava, even as he was doing the same, “We don’t want them loose in case we get tossed.”


She helped where she could in powering down the systems. With it came time for only one person to do the job, Ava strapped in and secured the datapad even as Solomon spoke.

“Right.” She replied as her eyes went upwards towards the impending red. A red that looked like a sunset gone wrong. Soon the sun would be gone and Ava wondered what would be left in its wake.


By the time the human eyes within the Wayfinder could distinguish a motion to the darkening wall, the air around them was already going hazy, the process seemingly started from all around them at once as superfine particulates populated the air more and more densely, in fact raining down from above—but from “above” miles away. Fingers of haze became distinct from the darkness now turning the horizon black, reaching out. They seemed to reach slowly at first, to crawl and curl toward Keldabe.

Almost in a snap, they went from a slow foreshortened spread to speeding overhead, blocking out Mandalore’s sun in red bands. Like snakes mating, they coiled together, rolled together. That jump in speed was mere illusion, guaranteed to trick eyes near the ground, as the angle of the debris cloud changed in relation to any watchers.

Day lost its battle with night.

The sun, gone.

The air filled with choking ash and pulverized dust, and a flat smell that carried a hint of metal.

But something else came at the Wayfinder in the dark.

A wall.

The shockwave long-since spent, the colossal boom of the impact gone in seconds on the far side of the world, the most devastating rain of shocked rock believed to have plummeted back to Mandalore hours before, what was coming was thunder.

A roar of sound fit to shake the bones of the very city.


Elsewhere on the ship... In the cargo hold... There was another. In the seconds before the wave/storm hit, he was finding his way out of the cargo storage in the landspeeder. He didn’t wanna be in that trunk when the wave hit... He could feel it coming. Could almost hear it... And he was dreading it. But dread was not a familiar feeling. He was on his feet, working his way to the closest door, to get into the main part of the ship. Lest the storm shake one of those vehicles loose and crush him.


Keldabe was not Mandalore’s only city.

The planet may have been sparsely populated—three billion sentient inhabitants was nothing—but Kyrimorut had been cleared and was subsequently hit hours before, and other urban bastions had likewise gone dark.

Not long into the sweep, post-event, the experiments had begun. Leave devices in communication here and there, or to passively record. Chemical experiments had been left behind that were nothing but samples of reactive agents arranged in patterns that could be read later. With the loss of the Yelora’s first probe, others had been launched, none returning signals after entering the cloud, but hope sprang eternal. Perhaps one of the devices would continue to transmit. Would it be the ones anchored and protected in armored and air-tight boxes? The ones left in subterranean caverns? The ones sunk below seas, rivers, oceans? Thus far, none had sent anything of use. Anything at all. Even those that should have been out of danger, the protected ones, were silent.

Silent, in so much noise.

The volume alone cracked the supports of buildings outside the Aud.

The Aud, one of the first places hit, started to shake as if an earthquake came with the darkness.


The seat behind Solomon took the full height of his upper body, he braced back against it as the sky darkened overhead, the tendrils of red snaking and intertwining, redoubling and casting out the natural light of day like claws ripping it out of the sky. And just like that, in a breath, it was gone. Darkness came, descending like a beast that was hungry. He had no sensors to see with, there were no visible points for him to lock onto with his eyes. It was all just darkness, and in that darkness that leapt up and swallowed Keldabe there were also things pelting the ship. The vibrations could be felt beneath his hands and through his seat, the noise of it could be heard dully against the ship that surrounded them. That all was lost in a swift and thunderous second rushing. Solomon shut his eyes in the midst of it all and breathed. He focused on that, on the world within that was unshaken so long as he could feel where he was, so long as he could feel his own heartbeat and could count on certain things to exist beyond the snap-trap that Mandalore had become. The only thing they could do was ride it out, just to sit and wait even as the Aud around them shook violently.


There are some things that are just instinctive. That inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behavior. A short sequence of actions, without variation, that’s carried out in response to a defined stimulus.

Smiling when happy.

A held breath before hitting the water.

Turning to the sound of a loud noise.

Laughter

And at this moment... flinching when an object flies towards you.

Instinct.

Ava fought against it. She fought to watch the last rays of light before being swallowed by red. Until there was darkness. Only darkness. The Red washed over them. The tremors from the Wayfinder rattled deep into her bones until she was certain they would split like the ground. There was a moment, a fleeting second among millions, that one particular quake rocked the Wayfinder.

Her hand launched out grasping onto another.

Solomon’s hand.

Another instinct.

Her eyes locked onto where she knew his face would be. She couldn’t see him but that touch told her he was there.

And Ava’s grip tightened until the knuckles turned white.

And still she didn’t let go.


He stumbled... Stumbled through the ship. Feeling his way along a corridor. The entire ship shook.... And he dropped to his knees, then sank down to the floor to keep himself from falling...he pressed his back against the wall, eyes clenching shut. Now 5hat feeling of dread had passed. Now, it was just worry. Anxiety... He knew he needed to be here. He didn’t go through all of this trouble to get on board this ship just to avoid the calling he felt... There was no fear, but there was a strong uncertainty... His presence in the Force was dim and small, but it was there.


That hand, the one that Ava grabbed, was slow to respond. That slowness was simply a lag in how that hand moved in answer to Ava reaching for him. Once that hand reacted, though, it was closing as tightly as it could around Ava’s hand, catching her fingers over the curve of the inner edge of his palm. There was not much strength to it right at that moment, but the contact was there. The connection was there, and like a lifeline between them he took it as she extended it and let that be a great tie for him within his mind. It may have been dark. The heavens may have been crashing down. Their mission may have been utterly foolish and perhaps hugely misguided — no matter what their inclinations to follow through — but they had decided to do it together so he wasn’t alone as the world felt like it was tearing apart, and neither was she. He was there if she needed him to be that tie for her, too.


All Hapan vessels were to be gone at the 15 minute mark. At the ten minute mark, one was just then lifting off, the Black Diamond II.. but it’s captain was not on board. Instead, she was bunkered down in one of the Aud’s inner buildings, in the most secure and stable room she could find, with a Mandalorian mother and child, due to a story that would be told at a later date. She couldn’t see the darkness overtake the city—the room purposefully had no windows—but she felt the building rattle and then.. the rumbling shockwave knocked them all from their braced positions.


The Yelora Dowen and the Second Fleet knew that somewhere far, far away...

... probably in cushy rooms, safe and sound...

... boffins claimed that the event being observed over Mandalore, playing out right now, darkening cities and displacing billions, was misbehaving.

But it was Vagabond’s Haven that perceived this first.
Suddenly, a young officer spun away from her console. The bright colors of scan data, interpreted visually by powerful computers, splashed against her back. Behind her, they showed only the outside of the Red Zone, only outlines. Yet—

“Sir!” she cried.


Medren took his time... But even then, that didn’t take long. There was a grim kind of determination... Maybe they heard his boots on the grating. Maybe they didn’t... He was following a feeling. Following the feeling of people nearby... Feeling his way across the walls, feeling his way through touch. He took it slow, but steady. Each step careful so as not to trip over hatches and doorways. “Uncle Sol!”


There was a moment that Ava felt peace. A small fluttering acknowledgement that she was not alone in this. The solidarity that was as firm as the grip they held.

But that peace was fleeting. Shattered into a million pieces by two simple words.

“Uncle Sol!”

Ava let go. Immediately she began unstrapping in the dark. “Someone is here.” She said loud enough for Solomon to hear.


In the same moment that Ava began unstrapping, his hand let go and things snapped back away from the control he and Ava were waging against the storm outside. His left hand undid the buckle on his strapping, and he was rising, grabbing his blaster from its lock on his belt. “Got your lightsaber?!” He yelled toward Ava, paused just in the space between seats, “Give us some light!” HIs eyes were open, but for all the good it did him. The world was still dark as the pit he’d been in on Korriban.


Solomon would recognize that voice... In the dark, he’d stumbled through a cabin and gotten stuck. He didn’t dare to move, lest there be dangerous things in this room. He’d lost his direction, his equilibrium— and wasn’t sure which direction he’d fallen to make his way back.
Rocking under the onslaught, the deafening roar outside half-muted by the hull—but also transmuted by it, into a bone-low vibration that shook the outlines of chairs, floor, bulkheads, people—the Wayfinder was not friendly to balance, footing, and brains not cradled by strapped-in bodies.


The Aud itself fared better in some ways, worse in others. A fortress, it would break before it bent. The quake shot through it with a distinct sensation of underneath-ness, as if the gigantic fortified rock of the place were riding over the ripples of force, bucking on a strange tide. It seemed determined to ride this out or shatter as a unit, and as it had not yet shattered...

But the Aud could do nothing for the roar.

VAGABOND’S HAVEN:

A senior voice barked out: “Deforming HOW?”


“Hold on.” Ava’s hands went to her waist - specifically the utility belt. Her fingers fumbled in the dark even as she moved to stand. Everything shook. More than once Ava had to stop so that she could catch herself in the darkness.

Down the right side of her belt until she felt the small metal cylinder. There was the sound of something snapping.

And a dim green light shined. The cockpit was visible. She could see Solomon and he could see her. In her hand was a simple glowstick with green liquid that swirled up and down inside a clear tube.

“Thought these might be handy.” She said. The hand that held onto the glowstick now gripped tightly onto the head of her chair as the ship shuddered. As steady as one could be in a moment like this, which wasn’t very steady at all, she tried to hand him a spare. “They only last for a few hours before the chemical reaction fades but it’s better than nothing.” Her eyes flickered to the hallway.

“Come on.”


The light of the glowstick cast an eerie light into the cockpit around them. In a sudden flash he could see Ava, and the console, and the viewport already so covered with debris that even if it weren’t dark due to the storm, there would be no seeing past it. “Thank you, but you hold on to what you brought with you. I have my own, but I can’t use them and aim at the same time.” He was balanced against his chair, standing between the two seats, his right arm hugged around the headrest of the pilot’s seat to help him keep balance. As the lights came up, Sol stumbled for the little hallway that led back into the flight lounge from the cockpit, sticking close to the walls, using them as support to keep himself from rattling on his feet. There really wasn’t much that could be done about it. With the way the ship was shaking, there was no way to avoid stumbling. The deep sense of vibration, the quaking of everything around them, made it impossible not to stumble while in motion. Along the way, through the opening out of the cockpit, Sol turned his blaster to stun. He was careful not to get too far ahead of Ava and the light she was providing.


Medren was pulling himself to his feet... As best as he could, anyway. He was struggling to stay up on his feet. “Uncle Sol!” he cried again. The tone of voice was worried, but not fearful still. He could see the faint, but far away glow of light. He couldn’t see anything by the light, but it acknowledged someone was coming.


“Uncle Sol!” Came another cry.

In the dim light, Ava glanced at Solomon.

“It would seem you have a stow-a-way.” She said bleakly.


“Nine hells.” He muttered, safety locking his blaster and slipping it back onto its mag-lock before moving forward, using the seats of the lounge as both leverage and balance on his way through, “Stay where you are, kid! We’re coming for you.” Because why not? This was JUST what Solomon Tekal needed when going on a dangerous mission — a kid to babysit.


“Well. On the bright side...” she mumbled. “At least we don’t need that weapon.” She gestured to his now secured blaster.


Medren was not far away... He hadn’t moved since getting back to his feet. “I’m here,” he said when he thought that Sol was close enough. He was braced against the doorway, holding himself up. He hadn’t moved, as per Solomon’s instructions.


The smaller of the two, Ava wormed through any cargo that might have fallen during the first quake. She moved towards the doorway, keeping the hand with the glowrod braced against the quivering wall for stability.

When she was close enough, Ava reached a hand out for him to grab. “Come on.” She encouraged. “I won’t let you fall.”


Sol wasn’t going to push past Ava for this. When she took the lead, he hung back and held onto a flight chair with his left hand. There wasn’t much in the lounge that could have been toppled large item wise. The furniture was all a part of the ship, seamlessly featured. If there was anything lying about it would have been what had been left behind by the Mandals that Ava and Sol had ferried to Haven. “Hurry up, Medren. We need to get you strapped in.”


“Yes, sir,” he said, taking Ava’s hand. His grip was strong for such a small child. He was only about 4 and a half feet tall. Something of a late bloomer, but still strong for his size and age... “Thank you, ma’am,” he told her. He wasn’t sure which direction they’d be going to get strapped in and watched them both for clues for that.


“What are you doing here?” Ava asked. At that moment, it didn’t matter to her how good his grip was nor how strong he was for his size and age. All she saw was a child in a place he had no business being in.

Ava lead him slowly, carefully, into the lounge where there would be a place for him to be strapped in. The Wayfinder shuddered again. Ava released the glowrod, it clanked to the floor and rolled backwards behind her; opting to use that hand to help steady Medren should he lose his balance.

“Sol?” She called behind, both to see where he was and to make sure he hadn’t lost his own footing.


Sol: smacked in the back by a towering wall of water. Smacked fiercely, flat across the shoulder blades, and overtaken by it, left to fall forward or catch himself with an unnatural buoyancy to him. Smacked, surrounded by the density of it, the flow of it, and as it washed over him it took all that vibration and the noise that made it into the Wayfinder with it, leaving him in a silence that was not empty, but full.

Ava: taken in the side, punched by the titanic invisible. Punched, unsecured, covered, consumed, the force of the strike against her entire body not gone, not dissipated, but lessened somehow, leaving her in a floaty fall. One moment she moved at normal speed, in a shelter in a world-ending storm, the roar sensed if not heard, and then quiet, and a strange sense of being in the heart of slowness itself.

Medren: hit in the side, too, as if he’d been in the path of a tidal wave. Sound changed as if he’d been plunged underwater. The glowstick’s green light wheeling, making mad shadows of all of them, of everything, only to be overwhelmed also, because

... with the wall of force came light.

A strange light.

It did not come from the sky, in through the forward viewport of the ship.

It was ambient.

It was red.

This was not water. Not liquid.


In a windowless room in the Aud, a Captain and two Mandalorians—a warrior and her child—took the brunt of the hit. It didn’t matter where they crouched. It didn’t matter what braced them. The force came in, bigger than a colliding Star Destroyer, inexorable, and they who were at the mercy of the droning, ongoing, unrelenting thunder of the storm would suddenly find themselves in the quiet of the depths.