Post by Bobbi on Oct 1, 2008 9:25:28 GMT -5
I got lazy.
Station One only grew by word of mouth and the test of time. There were always those who came and left again, who didn't like the rules, or didn't like the company. Far fewer were those who made the choice to stay, and the commitment to the whole that stuck solidly as months passed, but the galaxy had been in such turmoil that for a lot of these people--some spacers, others just families who'd heard about it, and no doubt still others who were bent on testing the place for weaknesses--hanging out in spitting distance of The Mechanic's lab seemed like the only place where they might really be safe. Whether that was true or not, those committed to the station now numbered in the low thousands, and there were relatively few internal disagreements.
All of those Sadhric expected, or half-expected, had been given clearance to come into the heart of the Station, where his labs were, and where the Station's main medical facilities were... and there were no people in these areas at all. Only droids. Only Sadhric's silver droids, made in a stylized way that served as a uniform: everyone knew who they belonged to.
Those droids gave him the creeps. They always had. But, who could blame him? The last time he'd come into contact with one of Sadhric's droids, Jaysten had been on the wrong end of a business deal which had led to him, his mother, a girl named Khetya, and Kenzo Van trying to find a way out of a knot. That had ended very badly, -very- badly. Skirtting some issues within his own mind, Jaysten chose to stay out of the way, and quiet. He'd learn more that way, at least for now anyway.
Jeryndi stepped off of the ramp to the Lickity Split with a sigh... His ong black hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail. He wore his civilian clothes, for the time being. Running a hand over his hair, he followed after Jaysten. The only weapon he wore, for th moment, was his silver-handled saber at his belt. "Is it just me or does he choose creepy places to hang out?"
Local space shivered and spat out a dull hunk of metal that resembled a turtle with oversize thrusters at the back end. She didn't look like mucht at first, but on closer inspection one could see the sweeping lines that suggested hidden speed, unassuming as she was, this ship was not chosen for looks, or ferocity, not as the owners last ship. No this ship was from the glory days of blockades and fast getaways. The design was clearly the result of CEC and Soro-Suub engineering. Incursus flashed her IFF and began approach to dock. When clearance was given she touched down on deck, and almost before it could finish settling the ramp lowered letting Lepri leave. She was dressed in street clothes, for the most part. Thick-weave blue pants tucked into a pair of hard-soled boots blaster slung low on her right thigh, showing its worn-from-much-use grip showing. The nerfhide jacket, well.. that was almost always present whenever she wasn't wearing a uniform.. which really wasn't very often anymore. These were her uniform. Regular civies. She could feel the weight of her saber in her sleeve, and her backup gently bumped against her lower back inside the coat. For any regular person she was armed to the teeth. Spotting Jeryndi in the docking bay she waved, but there was no smile as she joined them.
"I think," Jay said, casting a glance over his shoulder to Jeryndi, "Creepy fits just about every aspect of Mr. Tlin, not just the places he chooses to hang out."It was at that moment that he spotted Lepri coming their way. A small nod was given to her, and then he turned to the rest of the port. "Any idea on where we were supposed to meet him?"
There were no greetings or anything of the kind from the Station droids to any of them, but, if asked, any of the droids could have directed the Jedi to either the purchasable food and drink in the Station's commerce districts, or the more utilitarian stock of either that was here in the heart of the web--or to quarters where they could rest, or to places more conducive to general business. The droids--and the Station itself--would only prevent them from entering the lab or the Antenna: their clearance permitted them everywhere else. But everywhere there were viewports, which mostly looked out onto the mess of ships and free-floating debris, but from the docking bay... along the sides... there was something that suddenly shifted out of the blackness, an odd crescent of light that wavered between being only slightly-less-black than the space around it, and being unmistakably blue in hue. It was the reason why Station One was located where it was. It was a rift.
"No clue," Jeryndi said, shrugging... He glanced behind him, seeing Lepri. He flashed her a small smile, stopping just long enough to let her catch up to them. "And yes, Jaysten, I think you're right... Sadhric is definitely creepy. Though he does have his off moments in which he can be borderline understanding or almost 'nice'... But meh, they're pretty few and far betweene."
"Yeah, especially when you're on the operating table," she grumbled under her breath as she joined them.
The timing was pretty good: There was a threat floating around that Sadhric would leave behind anyone who wasn't at the rendezvous point before he got there, but the Zion's Breath was only coming in now, and without any noticeable--ahem--"upgrades"... at least from the outside. It settled in in short order, and Sadhric emerged, looking much the way Caedmon had last seen him in a holo, which is to say that he was dressed like someone who had found compact ways to carry as many tools as weapons as possible, as though he wasn't sure when he'd see civilization again. Just about everything was black--no big surprise there--and The Mechanic had his Lenses--no big surprise there, either. "This it?" he asked when he spotted them from halfway across the bay.
An odd expression crossed his face at that, and he glanced at Lepri. Jay had been privledged enough to catch a glimpse of Sadhric as he worked on Solomon's knee after they'd been released from captivity. It hadn't been an indepth look at the way The Mechanic worked, and it hadn't been enough to erase the ire that Jay held toward Sadhric, but it was enough to give Jaysten a glimpse into the kind of compassion that Sadhric could be capable of. It was confusing in a very great sense, very opposite of the image Jaysten had in his head of Sadhric Tlin. That image, the one that Jaysten carried, was one that was shared by nearly everyone he knew.
The only persons who seemed to see The Mechanic differently were his late grandmother, and his Uncle Solomon. It was during that lull in converstion that Jay had turned his attention toward the veiw ports. At that very moment, or shortly afterward, Zion's Breath had begun it's docking. He knew the ship instantly, and as such found himself wondering why his Uncle and mother had changed their minds. Or better yet, why they hadn't even given warning that they had done so. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't Ureala, or Darien stepping through and into the port. With eyes narrowing in contemplation, Jay just watched Sadhric for a moment. If he had Zion's Breath, then who's ship was his Uncle Darien, and his mom flying around?
Jeryndi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest... HE didn't have anything to say in response to Lepri or Sadhric. Things were pretty self-evident to him, anyway.
Lepri looked over to Jaysten and Jeryndi, then Sadhric as he disembarked from the vessel. She couldn't help a low and quiet, almost silent snarl, but other than that, that was the only sign she gave that she had nothing but loathing for the Mechanic. "Actually, we're not all here yet." Nearby, local space distorted again, and this time an X-III popped out of hyperspace. The fighter gave a barrel roll and approached on a broad while squaking it's identifier Wraith 1. "Ah, there he is," Lepri said, pointing out the spiky, spindly fighter as it came in vectoring for a gentle approach. Nearby lighting caught the squadron symbol emblazoned along the side with. "That would be an invited guest of my own, figure we could use his help. Do you want to let him in?"
"Who is he?" Station One's sensors were all over the fighter just as a matter of course, and that intensified when Sadhric's curiosity was turned in that direction. Still, given how things were, it was sometimes just faster to ask--if not always more accurate. All in all, The Mechanic put in usual effort for him, and swallowed as much of his annoyance as he could.
Jay stood, just watching and waiting for the formalities to be done with. There really wasn't much else for him -to- do.
Jeryndi smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Decon Prater," he says quietly. "Haven't seen him in a while." He glanced to Sadhric. "Leader of Wraith Squadron."
Lepri gestured to Jeryndi with an off hand. "There you go. Decon Prater, ex-pirate, former Captain of the Resistance Fleet 4th Division, still retains Captain's rank as a mercenary. Sniper, elite pilote, special forces.. Corellian.. among other things."
"Excellent," Sadhric said as he pointed himself toward the far doors of the bay. "You can all ride with him. I'll provide you with a ship that has the capacity."
Bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, Jay just shrugged. It seemed as if it were time to get under way, and with that realization came a crawling urge to back out while he still had the chance. He wouldn't do that, though, even if he wasn't Jedi. It was Solomon in danger over there, and if they could make it through then they would be his only hope of returning. Or at least, that was the way it had been painted to him by Darien and Ureala. "Let's get going, then."
In this particular case, the word in Basic for 'excellent' had been synonymous with any given curseword, and Sadhric was already feeling like he was physically dragging the combined weight of all of these people around with him. And he'd only just gotten there. But this wasn't so much a matter of him already feeling pinned down as it was a matter of this entire situation, from start to finish, being one crazy circus balancing act. In that spirit, Prater was given clearance. In that spirit, Sadhric kept his opinions to himself for the moment, as well as his knowledge of what this whole jaunt would inevitably degrade into.
"Why." It was a simple enough question.
"Prudence," Sadhric said in reply. The turbolift doors opened for him. Two droids came out to tend the Zion's Breath, and he stepped on. "Jaysten Tekal--Get over here."
Lepri looked over at her partner. "You have to ask? Mr. Tlin is antiseptically phobic of other people and social interaction to the point of paranoid skizophrenia, either that or sociopathic tendancies... the galaxy hasn't quite figured out which yet. Either way, he doesn't want company while he schemes and plots and belittles those he considers beneath him, especially those that are his puppets and playtoys." She shrugged. "That and he would prefer to have us all under thumb so that as soon as he decides that one of us is expendable, or he simply just doesn't like us enough, he can space one or all at his leisure, simply because it maybe 'convenient'. We're expendable bantha shit to him. You still haven't learned that have you."
Sadhric nodded toward Lepri--but it was indicating her, rather than agreeing with her. "That's why," he said blandly, still waiting for Jaysten.
Ignoring what Lepri just said, and chalking it up to whatever caused the dislike between her and Sadhric, his attention went to The Mechanic as he was beckoned toward the turbolift. He could tell this was going to be a blast, already. Still, he glanced at Jeryndi, and then Lepri, and then took his leave, heading toward the turbolift that Sadhric had gotten on. Once there, he entered, feeling all kinds of awkward with having to be so close to Sadhric. A part of him truly wondered if Lepri wasn't correct in her assesment.
"Oh, no, I know that to be fact, Lepri," he says quietly. "I want to go with Jaysten... I gave Ureala my word I'd stay with him."
"I'm sure she'll understand why you broke it." That was to Jeryndi, of course. And the turbolift doors were already closing.
"Yes, I'm sure she will. Its not like we can force the masterful Mechanic's hand," he muttered sourly under his breath.
On the lift, Sadhric seemed like he's switched off any reaction to the previous exchange, just excised it entirely like bad code. "You're fifteen, correct? What good are you?"
"I bet you could, if you tried hard enough," she said quietly then waved as the grey colored X-wing sat down on deck. The pilot popped out and hopped down to the deck, doffing his helmet. Goggles black as night covered his eyes and he walked up to the Cathar and Jeryndi. "Hey fuzzy," he said with a grin, then turned to Jeryndi. "Hey troublemaker. Where's the fire y'all?"
Now, if he wasn't feeling odd before hand about being alone with Sadhric, he certainly was after that little altercation. What the hells was this guy all about? He'd begun frowning as the turbolift began it's motion to where ever they were going, and it only deepened as Sadhric began talking. "I'm adabtable, Mr. Tlin." That was all he could really say. He didn't want to guess at the kind of answers Sadhric was looking for. That would have just wound up giving Jaysten a headache, of that he was sure.
"Hey, assmunch... The fire's..." He gestured vaguely. "Thataway... I guess we'd better get going. Ugh."
The lift didn't descend far; just three levels down, to the largest of the docking bays. It was empty, but there was a corridor that led out to a large, Empire-era freighter. "Good. Stick close to the vicious one, out of all of us. That's my advice. We won't break even on this if by some longshot we rescue Solomon and lose you."
Nodding silently, Jay took in the Emperial era ship. "You got it, Mr. Tlin." He was suddenly more glad then ever to have that lightsaber hanging at his hip. The thoughts of trading places with his Uncle brought about thoughts of entertaining suicide should it even look like the bad guys were gonna get him.
"Assmunch, eh? If I remember right it was you that taught me how. Get your junk, let's go," he said quickly then turned back to his X-wing, popping the bottom cargo access and pulled out a duffle and his Merr-Sonn sniper particle rifle, and slung it over his shoulder, heading for the other ship. Lepri ducked her head inside her own ship and pulled her own bag out and joined at the ship as well. "Well, this little psycho-fuck family should do about as well as dew on a dewback's ass."
He retreated to his own ship, fetching the bag of stuff he'd prepared beforehand... Then headed back to meet up with Decon and Lepri. "Psycho-fuck? Hey, I resemble that remark."
Lepri looked over her shoulder. "Me too, considering last I checked I'm fucking you." With that she stuck out her tongue and made a beeline for the ship that their master of ceremonies had indicated.
The freighter was getting powered up as The Mechanic moved toward it, the near silence of its drives enough to suggest that, though the shell was old, some work had been done to update it. Sadhric commed up to Jeryndi and said, "Come down. I'm just going to check your ship over one last time, and I'm sure your friends will want their own chance to make sure I haven't set it to decompress on command." He cut comms immediately after that, and glanced at Jaysten, stopping in the middle of the corridor. "This is going to fall apart," he said. He waved a hand. "This group. Not the ship. Don't be too alarmed when it happens. Just expect it, and prove your claim that you're adaptable."
"Wether this group falls apart or not, Mr. Tlin, I would think depends on if all of us are team players, or not." He had spoken while moving to follow Sadhric down the hallway. "If we can't work together, then obviously, it isn't going to work."
"Were you struck temporarily deaf up there?" Sadhric shrugged, headed into the freighter.
"Of course," Jeryndi answered to the comlink comment Sadhric had given him. He rolled his eyes slghtly, letting out a soft sigh.
"I'd rather take my own fucking ship, or yours," she said to Jeryndi. "I dont trust the Mechanic as far as I can throw his scary ass... welll then again, he's only about eighty five kilos, so that might be kinda far."
"Having an opinion, and expressing it, is far different then proving one's self to not be a team player, Mr. Tlin. We still have a chance of pulling this through, and to start off thinking that we are going to fail as a team...well, some would say that you've just jynxed us, Mr. Tlin." By that time they were very close to the frieghter. Up, and in. Jay had brought very little with him. He had just the clothes on his back, the lightsaber at his hip, and the rucksack slung over his shoulder. He'd learned to travel light from the best influences he knew: the rest of the Tekal line. Never go in carrying more then you might be able to handle at any given moment. In that bag rested a back-up blade, and a couple changes of clothing.
That was about it. Sadhric turned and headed off in some direction to take a look at this, or that. This left Jaysten alone for the moment, giving him plenty of time to ignore the nagging thoughts of just what might go wrong.
"We don't know that either of our ships would make it through," he pointed out, shrugging. "But he said to take it down there, so lets do it and get it over with..." He sighed again, shaking his head. Leading the way.
Lepri's gear was similar in nature. Spare pair of shoes, a couple changes of clothes, a third spare lightsaber, and enough spare parts to build two more, and a small tool kit. No personal effects other than a datapad and comlink, but the latter was on her. The life of a Jedi required being constantly on the move, but most of the time she was on the move with Jeryndi, so any personal effects would be aboard the Lickety Split. She just sighed and followed Jeryndi, already having a knotting feeling in her gut. This was probably going to go very badly, with Sadhric knifing them all in the back to save his own skin.
Decon looked over at the other two. He recognized the looks on both of their faces and he felt his own bright mood starting to darken. This was going to be hell on wheels. He ran a mental checklist of his own gear. Rifle, a pair of DH-17 blaster pistols, various grenades, box of explosive charges, macrobinoculars, several vibro-blades, plenty of blaster packs, a two spare assault carbines, and two mini-repeaters. All in all enough to start a small war, or finish it in the right hands. Behind him, the X-III had begun lowering and loading into the main hold bay on their ride into hell. "Aww come on you two.. this is gonna be one hell of a party."
"Don't you mean we're the ones crashing the party?" Jeryndi retorted, grinning to himself. He sifted through his own bag, nodding to himself. He'd brought two change of clothes, one that was more rogue'ish and his Corellian Jedi robes. A couple of blasters. Two spare sabers. And a few miscellaneous electronics... "Either way, its bound to be fun in one way or another."
Sighing to himself, Jaysten just began to talk a stroll around the frighter he was to be occupying, apparently with Sadhric. He had been optimistic when he'd heard Darien talk of him going with, instead of his Uncle. But, now, standing there and wandering the ship, Jaysten was beginning to wonder if he was the right Tekal for this job. He wasn't as experienced, he had never been on a mission before. Hells, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been away from the Academy, it'd been so long. He was there, though, and there was a reason for it. Taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Jaysten found himself an occupied cabin and tossed his rucksack onto the cot there. It was going to be a long ride.
Lepri divested herself of her bags in one set of quarters then swept every nook and crany and even passed the bare edge of her saber over every surface before she was satisfied the room was clean, at least for the next five minutes. Flopping down on her bunk she sighed, then began reviewing the data she had, over and over. At that moment, she wasn't so much Lepri, as she was closer to the identity she'd used to infiltrate the Underworld Alliance.
"Alright, Mishka," Jeryndi says quietly from the door. Crossing his arms over his chest with a smile. "Im' sorry this was all such short notice."
Flopping himself down on the cot, having thrown his rucksack to the floor the moment before, he stretched out. It was quiet. Too quiet. He never liked things when they were this quiet. It always made him feel as if a storm was on the way. It caused an itch at the back of his neck, one that just lingered in that hard to reach spot that no matter which way you turned, it just wasn't possible to get. Sighing, Jay pushed himself up, dropped his feet over the side of the bed and stood. Patience. He needed to have patience. Rolling his head around, using hte motion to release the tension in his neck and shoulders, Jaysten just worked on concentrating on the here and now. That is all that mattered, for the moment, anyway.
Decon also found suitable quarters and settled in. He'd been shuffled a datapacket on this operation. He hated going solo, but this was supposed to be very discrete and well, a dozen special forces soldiers would be harder to manage anyway. Sighing, he began to check his gear too.
Lepri looked up at him. For a moment she almost looked as if she was going to throw the writing stylus she had in her hand. Then she just sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against the bulkhead and gestured for him to come in. "It's clean... for the next few minutes anyway."
He nodded slightly, sighing again. "I didn't think you'd want me to leave you behind...I feel pretty strongly about this, after all." He sat down next to her, leaning back against the wall. Allowing it to thunk against it. "Meh... He's got something up his sleeve... I can feel it."
She nodded softly then leaned her head on his shoulder. The catling was scared and she knew she didn't have to say it. Mostly it was because of Sadhric. Yes, she hated him, hated him more than any Jedi ever could, and maybe perhaps more than she ever thought she could contain at times. But so too, was she scared of him. Not because he'd managed to kill half the galaxy by proxy. No, it was because of what he'd done with the man sitting next to her. Jeryndi was one of the toughest people she knew, tougher than her, she was sure at times... and yet that psycho had gotten to him. It had only been the intervention of other and possibly greater forces that had brought him back. "I know. I feel it too." Even more than that.. she hated being scared. It was wrong, especially for her. It was frustrating and generally ground home how powerless it could make one feel.
"Relax. Relax, relax, relax, relax." He was working on his breathing, trying to untie the knots of stress that were building in his shoulders. Jay, as with Jeryndi and Lepri, couldn't help but feel apprehensive about this entire thing. It wasn't just the risk of not making it back, or failing completely to rescue Solomon, and in the process become obliterated by the Empire. No. Some of it was as basic as him just being green at this type of thing. He could recall in his younger years watching Murra as she readied herself to go off and fight. The kind of changes that the prospect of not coming home had caused in her. He wasn't even close to being half of the Jedi that woman had been. Everyone had to start somewhere, though, and he knew it. This was just a milestone. If they made it back, and he survived to go on his next mission, he'd be stronger for it.
The Mechanic had heard Jaysten, and had just given it up as a lost cause right then and there. Later, maybe, things would be clearer. For now, though, the freighter had to be set up for someone else to pilot, to house his GDR and any other ships they could fit, it had to be positioned right so that when the rift stabilized as much as it was going to, they'd be ready to go through... and besides all of that, there were about a million other tiny things he had to finish, and he knew he was only going to get to a tiny fraction of them. Currently, he was on the bridge, but he was about to head back down to the Prudence's hold, ricocheting from one job to the next like a pinball.
Jeryndi noded, wrapping an arm around her for the moemnt. Leaning his head against hers. The unease he felt wasn't in regards to Sadhric, exactly, but what lay on the other side of the rift. He was fairly certain they'd make it back, but he couldn't help but think aobut the what-if's... And he worried, naturally, for Jaysten most of all. Who had seen the 'bad' side of Sadhric more times than he probably wanted to remember. And now he was stuck alone on that other ship with sadhric. With only Sadhric's creepy droids to keep him company... Hes ighed once more, then kissed her cheek. "Level head, catling... Lets make it thorugh this together. And bring Jaysten and Decon's asses back... Leiyn might kill me if we lost her brother-in-law-to-be."
He'd finally got to the wits end with waiting. He had to do something constructive before his mind melted from all the thoughts that were running to, and fro. So, he sought out the Mechanic, and found him in the hold of the frieghter. "Anything I can help with? And, please, don't say 'no.'"
"No," Sadhric said, moving out of the way so that some of his droids could bring the GDR in. He looked back over his shoulder at Jaysten with obvious irritation, but sighed a little, clenched his jaw for a second, and it transmuted into something more closely resembling resignation. "If you think telling a group of people that they are going to be murdered by another of their companions is merely the harmless expressing of an 'opinion,' then I have no use for you, and you should find a hole for yourself until you're needed for something that doesn't require any thinking."
Lepri just looked over at him. "Level-head yourself," she said dully after a moment.
Jryndi nodded, smiling slightly... And then kissed her hair and rubbed her ear lovingly. "I'm gonna go find Sadhric."
"Watch out, I'm pretty sure I pissed him off good," she said quietly then once he was gone flopped over on the bed, half dead. "Why do I keep letting myself get dragged into this crap."
"She doesn't like you, Sadhric...Mr. Tlin, and frankly I don't blame her. I'm not going to hold it against her for voicing the way that she feels about you. She might very well feel that you are going to doom us all just for your own betterment, and to be truthful I wouldn't put it past you. I, for one, though, am going to give you the benifit of doubt."
"Remember when I told you to stick close to her? Now would be an excellent time to start doing that."
trapped_in_turmoil (10:16:15 PM): "Alright," he says, then headed off... He walked down to the turbolift, taking it down to where he felt Jaysten in the Force. Approaching slowly. Just by himself. "Jay?"
"I think I'll take my chances this time around, Mr. Tlin." He said, a frown drawing across his face. "...You know, I just don't get you. Not that I've given it an extreme amount of concentration, or thought, but I just don't get you. What's your deal? You've created things that have destroyed billions of lives, you've tinkered with the minds of others, and now you are going after someone that could, potentially, cause you to loose your own life? You don't add up at all." With Jeryndi showing up, Jay turned a look over his shoulder, and shook his head. "Explain him to me, Jeryndi, because obviously I am missing something important. Why would my grandmother trust him? Why would Uncle Solomon trust him? I certainly see nothing about him that is very redeming." Jay was well aware of the fact that he was still talking loud enough, and within ear shot of Mr. Tlin. Perhaps he was doing it for a reason?
"Get him out of here, Jeryndi." Sadhric said, gesturing vaguely toward Jaysten. He hadn't really even glanced at Jeryndi, of course, and his voice had gone oddly hollow and flat, like his only defense against losing his temper was shutting himself down.
"Another time, perhaps, Jaysten..." he says quietly. "Solomon's reasons are not ones I understand... But your grandmother has had and does have her own reasons.. Reasons that only she can explain and-- being a Tekal and bieng the stubborn woman that she is-- will probably never tell anybody. So... Lets leave Sadhric to his work, hmm?" he asked quietly.
HIs jaw tightened for a moment as he regarded Jeryndi. The contemplation was there to push the issue, he wouldn't though. At least not now. In the end, he let out a small resigned sigh and nodded. He wasn't going to give up on trying to understand Sadhric, and where the strange compulsion that his Uncle and Grandmother shared on trusting him. But, he would save it for later. "Fine." He muttered, his tone probably degrees harsher then he'd wanted it to be, pushing himself past Jeryndi in a move that would take him away from the hold of the frieghter.
Waiting until he couldn't hear Jaysten's footfalls on the deckplates anymore, Sadhric glanced at Jeryndi and said, "Thanks." He turned back, and went to secure the GDR toward the back of the hold. "If this doesn't work... and this constitutes the last hour of my existence... the very last way I want to spend it involves getting analyzed by some snot-nosed teenager with a chip on his shoulder." His wince, a second delayed, bared teeth for just an instant. "... No matter how legitimate his grievances might be."
"Its not like you have the most endearing personality to much of anyone, Sadhric. That's all I have to say," he says quietly. "You're worried we won't make it through the rift?" he asked, shrugging. "Is there anything I can do to help make preparations?"
"I don't think so," The Mechanic said with a sigh, straightening up as the GDR powered down and went cold. "I've done everything I can think of. Between every bit of information I've got, and everything Solomon gathered, if we hit the anomaly right, we should be fine. It should be like any other A-to-B run. But this guy who came through? His body...." Shaking his head, Sadhric just shrugged again. "I can't explain what happened to him. And Murra... she knew that Solomon was alive, but had no details. So... What does that mean? Nothing? Or does it suggest that there's some other element in this rift that is as-yet unmeasured? I don't know."
There was an edge to him now. He honestly hadn't intended for that to happen. He hadn't expected for it to happen, but could he blame himself for that. There were things that he had longed to confront Sadhric about, issues that he had wrestled with as a child. In some way, it had an influence on how he grew, and the person he was becoming. Those incidents had dug themselves so deeply that he hadn't known he had held a grudge until he was confronted with actually spending time with Sadhric. Finding himself in the galley of the ship, or what would stand for one, he threw himself into a seat and rested forward against the table.
Jeryndi nodded slightly, listening to Sadhric's words... And listening to what wasn't -quite- said. He sighed after a long moment of silence. "Alright... Well, if there's anything you need from us, or just me, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" he says, drawing back up to full height.
"Thanks," Sadhric said again, quiet and clipped. "I can finish this, here. And if the danger of the rift itself hasn't occurred to... those people... it's up to you if you want to enlighten them. They can still choose to stay here, but I'm not going to wait for any long discussions or pondering or hand-wringing. Enough time has been wasted as it is."
-:"Well then... what are we waiting for?" White and brown robes hung about his being. Black hair in wild disarray about his head, as brown eyes regarded the gathered people. Even with the heaviness of his robes, it was clear he had several extra items that he wouldn't normally have carried.
Leaning forward a bit more against the table, Jay put his head down, resting it against his forearms as they crossed before him. He just breathed, using the rythm to help him find a calm center.
Sadhric glanced at Caedmon, hearing that, and came within a hair's breadth of finally and completely losing his patience. "Welcome aboard. Go sit with Jaysten, please." He waved the Jedi Master off. Now, of all moments, he needed space, or he was going to do something counterproductive at the worst possible time, and the ultimate loser would be Solomon.
Jeryndi left, with Cato, giving him a small pat on the shoulder... Then he went up to the galley, sitting down across from Jaysten. "Alright, Jay, lets talk..."
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Jay slid back in his seat, pulling himself up. He watched Jeryndi slide into the seat across from him and let out another small sigh. "I just want to understand him." He said softly, "I want to know what motivates him to do the things that he does. " He reached up, running a hand through his hair, casting a glance toward Cato followed by a small nod in greeting. "I just wanna know why."
It was another fifteen minutes before everything was aboard and secured, and the Zion's Breath was now sitting empty and fully repaired, waiting for Darien Tekal to come and pick it up. The data it had carried--the data that had overloaded it--was now housed solely in the GDR's banks. And the Prudence detached from Station One less than an hour from the moment when Sadhric had arrived. For the moment, it was maneuvering on its own, and Sadhric was still in the hold, concentrating on breathing, and trying to find things to do. Out any forward-facing viewport, the anomaly would be visible as an arc of dull light; it was being dissected, also, in several holoscans, displayed on the empty bridge.
-:Caedmon might have rolled his eyes if not for the infinite patience that years as a Jedi, and a friend of Tlin, had brought. He moved deeper into the ship, actually falling a few steps behind Jeryndi... listening at the doorway, well his former apprentice counselled Jaysten.
"I do, too... Its one of those things that doesn't have a direct answer, Jaysten... One of those things that everyone must find the answers for themselves. Alot of people are still very angry with Sadhric over what he did to me... But I'm not, strangely enough. Sounds weird enough, doesn't it?" he asked quietly. He shrugged. "It doesn't make sense to anyone but me... But if Sadhric hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't be who I am today... And I happen to like who I am now. Alot. So... Though he was the trigger to a series of events that turned my life upside down and drove me through the Corellian Hells and back again, I can't -really- be angry with him... You get what I'm saying?" he asked, giving Jaysten a lopsided smile.
He took a long moment before answering, working that through mentally. "I do think I understand. If things hadn't gone the way they did, if we hadn't been there... then I might not be -here-, knowing what I know about the Force, and stuff. But that doesn't help the fact that -- its just hard to accept, ya know? And it wasn't even all that long ago! I have these images -- these memories... I remember seeing him being so gentle with Uncle Sol, working so delicately on his injured knee. I can remember the stories that Grandma told me, about how he had helped her after Ord Mantel. But it just doesn't add up to the man that locked my mother away in deep freeze, or kept me and another kid caged up like animals. I don't see how someone who would take such great care one moment, turn around and do something like...what he did with you the next. I just don't see it, and that's what makes it hard."
-:Caedmon said with a half-smile, "He takes great care in everything he does..." and he knew this because, perhaps he knew better than anyone else Sadhric Tlin. Still he didn't interject... having people understand that Sadhric gave great and incalcuable care to every task he committed himself to was hard to figure out, mostly because the level of care that others employed, even at its greatest length, was merely a fraction of how far ahead Tlin tended to look... In another life, time and place... Cato imagined Tlin would have been the Ultimate Insurance Assesser
Jeryndi turned his head slightly, listening to Cato.. Then smiled slightly. "At this point, Jaysten... I don't question why he does things. I question the what and who of what he's doing and how it will affect him... I don't understand his reasons for doing what he does. But I understand he does things according to his own plan. He marches to his own drum, so to speak. He has... his way of doing things... Which is so different than other people, its really very hard for other people to understand. At least, that's the way it seems to me. When he asks me questions, I've gotten to where I just answer them. Ask him why and he'll say fuck it, fine, don't answer. Or just shut up altogether and you won't hear a peep out of him again about that particular subject... You either cooperate and have a chance of getting a decent and somewhat elaborated-- if not unanticipated answer-- later... Or you -don't- cooperate and he'll shut you out completely. At least... That's what my experience tells me."
The nearby bulkhead doors slid open to the makeshift galley, revealing another figure. Green eyes glittered in the darker corridor, and a moment later the sound of leather against metal was heard. Three quick strides carried her across the room as she grabbed Cato by the shoulder and spun him around. One eye twitched, and her ears laid back flat against her head, then she looked at Jeryndi, then back at Cato. "How many times must you die, before you get it right, or do you just enjoy lying to people, your people specifically?" The Cathar stood there with her saber unlit but in hand, and she turned her attention back to Jeryndi. "And you knew he was alive," she said in a cool, almost accusatory tone as she shook her head. "Why bother bringing me along if you've got a Jedi Master here that can miraculously bring himself back from the dead," she said in a more icy tone.
Smoothly, the Prudence glided toward the rift. At least superficially smoothly. On the inside, there obviously wasn't much that was going smoothly that wasn't purely logistical. But as the freighter approached the switchover--if it really was that--there was no shipwide announcement. Perhaps those sensitive in the Force might have felt something--an eddy, maybe? A bit of bleedthrough? Who knows?--or maybe they were too distracted to feel anything at all, if there was even some sensation that could be associated with traveling from one side to the other. The freighter's lights flickered, and comms died, and for the last fifteen seconds before it passed through it was going on dry momentum alone.
-:Cato was quite aware... regular treatment had kept his illness, for the most part at bay... recovering completely was now merely a factor of time... Perhaps that was the reason both reaching him, grasping him, and spinning the normally highly balanced Jedi Master around fast enough that he might have fallen if not for her Clawed hand upon his shoulder.. His expression had tightened, brown eyes casually regarded the hand that rested on his shoulder, and then the unlit sabre in her other hand... before even acknowledging what might be in those cat-like green orbs. There formed a smile, and a lightness to his tone. "Hopefully just seven more times, I hear I get some sort of plaque after death number ten." The smile waned, he didn't think it necessary to inform her, or anyone else of his travels... be they spirit travels, or physical travels. His eyes travelled to the flickering lights, as he stepped back away from her. "He just found out the day before hand... And if I could miraculously bring myself back from the dead... Why would I bother bringing any of you along?"
Jay had been about to respond to what both Cato and Jeryndi had said when Lepri entered onto the scene. It wasn't but moments after that, that the lights dimmed, causing him to look away from the happenings at the table. "Did you all see that...?" The question was half-heart felt. A part of him had surmised that it was because they had passed through the rift, while the other part was skeptical about the abilities of the ship to stay together under any sort of stress, even for something The Mechanic had a hand in.
Finding a nearby seat, he grasped a belt-strap... to hell with getting sucked into another dimension without being properly fastened into ones seat.
"Yes," Jeryndi said in answer to Jaysten's question... He stared at the ceiling, eyes drifting closed.... As to why Jeryndi hadn't told Lepri... Well, he'd been keeping himself busy for the last day. Since he'd found out. But... Things didn't always work out in his favor. He sighed again, leaning back into his seat. "We're passing through the rift," he murmured, left brow twitching slightly. It felt different, most assuredly. It felt like passing through a cold spot in the Force. Felt like-- just for a brief moment-- the Force was not with them. He shuddered visibly and then got up. Heading up and ahead-- regardless of whether they sohlud be strapped in or not-- to where Sadhric was. Wherever hew as.
The Cathar didn't bother strapping in, only spreading her feet just a little wider, staring at Jeryndi's back, then turned her attention back to Cato. "Excuse me, Master, but you aren't bringing anyone along. Sadhric is hosting this party, and this is his ship, so last I checked it is him bringing us." She turned to go, not really caring about the passage through the rift, then half-turned back. "Dead, or alive. Choose wisely becase when you can't make up your mind you hurt the Order you helped to create by creating uncertainty, indecision, and rumors and disbelief and an unrealistic mythos. You do more harm than good if you cannot decide whether you want to live or die."
Sadhric had gone to the bridge for one reason: He'd wanted to watch whatever happened with his own eyes. He wasn't needed to pilot, or adjust, or... anything. He'd streamlined everything to function through this moment on its own, just in case something happened to incapacitate the people aboard. If they were worse than incapacitated... well. It wouldn't matter after that, now would it? And it wouldn't matter if the ship itself fell apart, because the end result was the same. So... He let the ship monitor and record, and he just stood near the viewport and watched, hearing himself breathe. "Oh yeah, and loose the robes, or you'll get -all- of us killed, not just yourself."
-:Caedmon found his heart wring. Where it a personal decision, he would have died. He would have just faded to nothingness. Or maybe even run to the far corner's of the galaxy and live as a hermit. Anger claimed clenched around his belly, and with a single breathe, he released that anger to the force. He didn't owe her any explanation... he didn't owe any of them explanations.. "There was far and away all those feelings before my bussiness took place. It is far unbecoming of a Jedi to make assumptions such as yours Lepri, especially without knowing -anything- of the situation. Your quite right I'm not bringing anyone along, but I was going on your assumption that i could rise from the dead at will... which would mean I was far and away the most powerful Jedi since Skywalker... so, this mission would clearly have to have been my undertaking." Hands clasped together, and still he held that soft smile. "Run along now, before you unbalance the ship with ill will... Beware your darker tendancies as well Lepri... I do not doubt the dangers of this place we enter... or that whether I wear white robes or black camoflauge that The Imperials have methods beyond sight at singling out Jedi... after all, they did indeed kill many... many Jedi, who were better trained than anyone on this ship." And with that, the Jedi's head bowed, and he seemed to have fallen right to sleep.
Lepri just stared at Cato for a few moments, then shook her head and stalked to the forward sections of the ships finding a observation section to look out from. Pompous asshole, she thought to herself. No wonder half the people in the galaxy want to kill us. If that's how the posterboy Jedi is, I'd wanna kill us tell. Hell, I'm not sure if I don't wanna go back there and shoot him in the head right now. "And people wonder why I've always had a problem with him. He really ought to keep his mouth shut about who is trained how too." She stopped herself realising her thoughts had become so loud they were popping out of her mouth out loud. Oh, there was going to be some hell to pay before this was over. Sadhric was right. This was all probably going to go to shit, especially now with Cato on board.
Jeryndi walked up to stand next to Sadhric, staring out the viewport... His hands were tucked into his pockets, eyes narrowed as he watched their surroundings. Saying nothing... There was nothing -too- say.
The Mechanic glanced at Jeryndi after a few minutes in which he barely moved at all, and might have seemed like he hadn't even noticed him. Eyeing him sidelong, he asked very quietly, "How are they doing back there?" At some point, he'd pocketed his Lenses. Probably when the comms had gone out, and the power had gotten iffy.
Jeryndi was silent for a long moment... And then sighed, glancing over at Sadhric. "I don't know... I know Lepri's pissed. Cato seems pretty calm. As does Jaysten." He shrugged slightly. He didn't know what else to say... He was at a loss for words in this awkward moment with Sadhric.
"What about the other one?"
"Dunno. Haven't seen him since we boarded... He doesn't give off a strong presence unless you're in the room with him."
Sadhric nodded, and automatically thought Someone needs to check on him, but didn't say it. Not yet. The stars ahead of them and behind them were the same stars, but the odd space they were passing through was playing with the light of them, blurring them into broad splotches. They went in and out of focus. But beyond that, there wasn't much to that was in anyway out of the ordinary. "All right, so... What are you doing up here?"
"I'm calm enough," Decon said from the darkness of the doorway before he slipped into the room. "Unlike everybody else here, I don't have any personal interest in this little project. I'm here as a favor and a chance to get some time in the field." As he stepped into the light the eyes that regarded them both weren't human. Humans didn't have eyes like that, nobody did really. They were silver, but they weren't mechanical, and they fairly glowed in the dark, and apparently had no trouble seeing in that darkness. His blackened goggles were gripped in his fist.
"Thanks for asking," he said quietly. "Starting to think that some opinions around here may not be too far from the mark." With that the pilot turned his attention to the view outside, prefering to see with his own two eyes what kind of skies he would be dealing with.
"I wanted to see it for myself," Jeryndi answered... He turned, giving Decon a small smile and a slight nod of acknowledgement. He turned his gaze back to the viewport, walking a few steps closer. Pressing a small, slender hand against the clear material that kept them safe from the cold space outside. He rested his forehead against it, eyes drifting closed... His expression peaceful and contemplative. Seeking. Wasn't something one would see in him on a regular basis.
His question to Jeryndi cut short near the end, The Mechanic turned at the sound of the new voice and treated Decon to a brief and neutral glance. But as his eyes went back to the viewport, he was frowning thoughtfully at what Decon was actually saying. 'Calm enough... unlike everybody else.' That, plus what Sadhric viewed as unnecessary establishment of the man's reasons for being there, had him wondering if he'd missed more melodrama than he'd actually witnessed. Which was possible. And exhausting to contemplate. Despite that, and an inward groan, he heard himself asking the man: "What opinions might those be?"
"Oh, I'm sure you're aware of your own reputations," Decon replied. "As I'm sure by now you are aware of mine. Hell, you probably know what I had for breakfast ten years ago by now." He shrugged.
"Pretend I'm oblivious, and tell me." His tone was subdued, though; he'd thought they'd be through the distortion by this point, but it was hard to gauge linear distance just by eyeballing it here, under the circumstances.
"I'm not here to entertain you, Mechanic," Decon said sharply. "I'm here to do a job."
Sadhric laughed shortly, and the laugh seemed to reanimate him, to knock him out of his thoughtful space. "Enjoy the view," he said as he moved to leave.
"Glad somebody thinks this situation is funny," Decon said quietly, then turned his attention outward.
Jeryndi had not moved or spoken or even acknowledged the exchange between Sadhric and Decon... And he continued to stand there, seemingly oblivious. But he was good at that. Seeming to be oblivious. As Sadhric was about to cross the doorway, he lifted his head. "Sadhric."
On the threshhold, Sadhric just stopped and waited, only actually half-turning back after several heartbeats had passed.
He walked away from the viewport, hopping lightly to catch up to Sadhric. "How long has it been since Murra's contacted you..." he asked quietly.
"Why?"
"Because I'd like to know. Not anything more, really... Its been a while since she contacted any of the other Tekals. Were you the last to speak with her?"
How should I know? But what he said was: "Most likely. We have a common task, she and I."
"Or: had."
"I see," he says quietly, nodding. "Thank you."
The Mechanic nodded once and left.
Station One only grew by word of mouth and the test of time. There were always those who came and left again, who didn't like the rules, or didn't like the company. Far fewer were those who made the choice to stay, and the commitment to the whole that stuck solidly as months passed, but the galaxy had been in such turmoil that for a lot of these people--some spacers, others just families who'd heard about it, and no doubt still others who were bent on testing the place for weaknesses--hanging out in spitting distance of The Mechanic's lab seemed like the only place where they might really be safe. Whether that was true or not, those committed to the station now numbered in the low thousands, and there were relatively few internal disagreements.
All of those Sadhric expected, or half-expected, had been given clearance to come into the heart of the Station, where his labs were, and where the Station's main medical facilities were... and there were no people in these areas at all. Only droids. Only Sadhric's silver droids, made in a stylized way that served as a uniform: everyone knew who they belonged to.
Those droids gave him the creeps. They always had. But, who could blame him? The last time he'd come into contact with one of Sadhric's droids, Jaysten had been on the wrong end of a business deal which had led to him, his mother, a girl named Khetya, and Kenzo Van trying to find a way out of a knot. That had ended very badly, -very- badly. Skirtting some issues within his own mind, Jaysten chose to stay out of the way, and quiet. He'd learn more that way, at least for now anyway.
Jeryndi stepped off of the ramp to the Lickity Split with a sigh... His ong black hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail. He wore his civilian clothes, for the time being. Running a hand over his hair, he followed after Jaysten. The only weapon he wore, for th moment, was his silver-handled saber at his belt. "Is it just me or does he choose creepy places to hang out?"
Local space shivered and spat out a dull hunk of metal that resembled a turtle with oversize thrusters at the back end. She didn't look like mucht at first, but on closer inspection one could see the sweeping lines that suggested hidden speed, unassuming as she was, this ship was not chosen for looks, or ferocity, not as the owners last ship. No this ship was from the glory days of blockades and fast getaways. The design was clearly the result of CEC and Soro-Suub engineering. Incursus flashed her IFF and began approach to dock. When clearance was given she touched down on deck, and almost before it could finish settling the ramp lowered letting Lepri leave. She was dressed in street clothes, for the most part. Thick-weave blue pants tucked into a pair of hard-soled boots blaster slung low on her right thigh, showing its worn-from-much-use grip showing. The nerfhide jacket, well.. that was almost always present whenever she wasn't wearing a uniform.. which really wasn't very often anymore. These were her uniform. Regular civies. She could feel the weight of her saber in her sleeve, and her backup gently bumped against her lower back inside the coat. For any regular person she was armed to the teeth. Spotting Jeryndi in the docking bay she waved, but there was no smile as she joined them.
"I think," Jay said, casting a glance over his shoulder to Jeryndi, "Creepy fits just about every aspect of Mr. Tlin, not just the places he chooses to hang out."It was at that moment that he spotted Lepri coming their way. A small nod was given to her, and then he turned to the rest of the port. "Any idea on where we were supposed to meet him?"
There were no greetings or anything of the kind from the Station droids to any of them, but, if asked, any of the droids could have directed the Jedi to either the purchasable food and drink in the Station's commerce districts, or the more utilitarian stock of either that was here in the heart of the web--or to quarters where they could rest, or to places more conducive to general business. The droids--and the Station itself--would only prevent them from entering the lab or the Antenna: their clearance permitted them everywhere else. But everywhere there were viewports, which mostly looked out onto the mess of ships and free-floating debris, but from the docking bay... along the sides... there was something that suddenly shifted out of the blackness, an odd crescent of light that wavered between being only slightly-less-black than the space around it, and being unmistakably blue in hue. It was the reason why Station One was located where it was. It was a rift.
"No clue," Jeryndi said, shrugging... He glanced behind him, seeing Lepri. He flashed her a small smile, stopping just long enough to let her catch up to them. "And yes, Jaysten, I think you're right... Sadhric is definitely creepy. Though he does have his off moments in which he can be borderline understanding or almost 'nice'... But meh, they're pretty few and far betweene."
"Yeah, especially when you're on the operating table," she grumbled under her breath as she joined them.
The timing was pretty good: There was a threat floating around that Sadhric would leave behind anyone who wasn't at the rendezvous point before he got there, but the Zion's Breath was only coming in now, and without any noticeable--ahem--"upgrades"... at least from the outside. It settled in in short order, and Sadhric emerged, looking much the way Caedmon had last seen him in a holo, which is to say that he was dressed like someone who had found compact ways to carry as many tools as weapons as possible, as though he wasn't sure when he'd see civilization again. Just about everything was black--no big surprise there--and The Mechanic had his Lenses--no big surprise there, either. "This it?" he asked when he spotted them from halfway across the bay.
An odd expression crossed his face at that, and he glanced at Lepri. Jay had been privledged enough to catch a glimpse of Sadhric as he worked on Solomon's knee after they'd been released from captivity. It hadn't been an indepth look at the way The Mechanic worked, and it hadn't been enough to erase the ire that Jay held toward Sadhric, but it was enough to give Jaysten a glimpse into the kind of compassion that Sadhric could be capable of. It was confusing in a very great sense, very opposite of the image Jaysten had in his head of Sadhric Tlin. That image, the one that Jaysten carried, was one that was shared by nearly everyone he knew.
The only persons who seemed to see The Mechanic differently were his late grandmother, and his Uncle Solomon. It was during that lull in converstion that Jay had turned his attention toward the veiw ports. At that very moment, or shortly afterward, Zion's Breath had begun it's docking. He knew the ship instantly, and as such found himself wondering why his Uncle and mother had changed their minds. Or better yet, why they hadn't even given warning that they had done so. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't Ureala, or Darien stepping through and into the port. With eyes narrowing in contemplation, Jay just watched Sadhric for a moment. If he had Zion's Breath, then who's ship was his Uncle Darien, and his mom flying around?
Jeryndi sighed, crossing his arms over his chest... HE didn't have anything to say in response to Lepri or Sadhric. Things were pretty self-evident to him, anyway.
Lepri looked over to Jaysten and Jeryndi, then Sadhric as he disembarked from the vessel. She couldn't help a low and quiet, almost silent snarl, but other than that, that was the only sign she gave that she had nothing but loathing for the Mechanic. "Actually, we're not all here yet." Nearby, local space distorted again, and this time an X-III popped out of hyperspace. The fighter gave a barrel roll and approached on a broad while squaking it's identifier Wraith 1. "Ah, there he is," Lepri said, pointing out the spiky, spindly fighter as it came in vectoring for a gentle approach. Nearby lighting caught the squadron symbol emblazoned along the side with. "That would be an invited guest of my own, figure we could use his help. Do you want to let him in?"
"Who is he?" Station One's sensors were all over the fighter just as a matter of course, and that intensified when Sadhric's curiosity was turned in that direction. Still, given how things were, it was sometimes just faster to ask--if not always more accurate. All in all, The Mechanic put in usual effort for him, and swallowed as much of his annoyance as he could.
Jay stood, just watching and waiting for the formalities to be done with. There really wasn't much else for him -to- do.
Jeryndi smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Decon Prater," he says quietly. "Haven't seen him in a while." He glanced to Sadhric. "Leader of Wraith Squadron."
Lepri gestured to Jeryndi with an off hand. "There you go. Decon Prater, ex-pirate, former Captain of the Resistance Fleet 4th Division, still retains Captain's rank as a mercenary. Sniper, elite pilote, special forces.. Corellian.. among other things."
"Excellent," Sadhric said as he pointed himself toward the far doors of the bay. "You can all ride with him. I'll provide you with a ship that has the capacity."
Bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, Jay just shrugged. It seemed as if it were time to get under way, and with that realization came a crawling urge to back out while he still had the chance. He wouldn't do that, though, even if he wasn't Jedi. It was Solomon in danger over there, and if they could make it through then they would be his only hope of returning. Or at least, that was the way it had been painted to him by Darien and Ureala. "Let's get going, then."
In this particular case, the word in Basic for 'excellent' had been synonymous with any given curseword, and Sadhric was already feeling like he was physically dragging the combined weight of all of these people around with him. And he'd only just gotten there. But this wasn't so much a matter of him already feeling pinned down as it was a matter of this entire situation, from start to finish, being one crazy circus balancing act. In that spirit, Prater was given clearance. In that spirit, Sadhric kept his opinions to himself for the moment, as well as his knowledge of what this whole jaunt would inevitably degrade into.
"Why." It was a simple enough question.
"Prudence," Sadhric said in reply. The turbolift doors opened for him. Two droids came out to tend the Zion's Breath, and he stepped on. "Jaysten Tekal--Get over here."
Lepri looked over at her partner. "You have to ask? Mr. Tlin is antiseptically phobic of other people and social interaction to the point of paranoid skizophrenia, either that or sociopathic tendancies... the galaxy hasn't quite figured out which yet. Either way, he doesn't want company while he schemes and plots and belittles those he considers beneath him, especially those that are his puppets and playtoys." She shrugged. "That and he would prefer to have us all under thumb so that as soon as he decides that one of us is expendable, or he simply just doesn't like us enough, he can space one or all at his leisure, simply because it maybe 'convenient'. We're expendable bantha shit to him. You still haven't learned that have you."
Sadhric nodded toward Lepri--but it was indicating her, rather than agreeing with her. "That's why," he said blandly, still waiting for Jaysten.
Ignoring what Lepri just said, and chalking it up to whatever caused the dislike between her and Sadhric, his attention went to The Mechanic as he was beckoned toward the turbolift. He could tell this was going to be a blast, already. Still, he glanced at Jeryndi, and then Lepri, and then took his leave, heading toward the turbolift that Sadhric had gotten on. Once there, he entered, feeling all kinds of awkward with having to be so close to Sadhric. A part of him truly wondered if Lepri wasn't correct in her assesment.
"Oh, no, I know that to be fact, Lepri," he says quietly. "I want to go with Jaysten... I gave Ureala my word I'd stay with him."
"I'm sure she'll understand why you broke it." That was to Jeryndi, of course. And the turbolift doors were already closing.
"Yes, I'm sure she will. Its not like we can force the masterful Mechanic's hand," he muttered sourly under his breath.
On the lift, Sadhric seemed like he's switched off any reaction to the previous exchange, just excised it entirely like bad code. "You're fifteen, correct? What good are you?"
"I bet you could, if you tried hard enough," she said quietly then waved as the grey colored X-wing sat down on deck. The pilot popped out and hopped down to the deck, doffing his helmet. Goggles black as night covered his eyes and he walked up to the Cathar and Jeryndi. "Hey fuzzy," he said with a grin, then turned to Jeryndi. "Hey troublemaker. Where's the fire y'all?"
Now, if he wasn't feeling odd before hand about being alone with Sadhric, he certainly was after that little altercation. What the hells was this guy all about? He'd begun frowning as the turbolift began it's motion to where ever they were going, and it only deepened as Sadhric began talking. "I'm adabtable, Mr. Tlin." That was all he could really say. He didn't want to guess at the kind of answers Sadhric was looking for. That would have just wound up giving Jaysten a headache, of that he was sure.
"Hey, assmunch... The fire's..." He gestured vaguely. "Thataway... I guess we'd better get going. Ugh."
The lift didn't descend far; just three levels down, to the largest of the docking bays. It was empty, but there was a corridor that led out to a large, Empire-era freighter. "Good. Stick close to the vicious one, out of all of us. That's my advice. We won't break even on this if by some longshot we rescue Solomon and lose you."
Nodding silently, Jay took in the Emperial era ship. "You got it, Mr. Tlin." He was suddenly more glad then ever to have that lightsaber hanging at his hip. The thoughts of trading places with his Uncle brought about thoughts of entertaining suicide should it even look like the bad guys were gonna get him.
"Assmunch, eh? If I remember right it was you that taught me how. Get your junk, let's go," he said quickly then turned back to his X-wing, popping the bottom cargo access and pulled out a duffle and his Merr-Sonn sniper particle rifle, and slung it over his shoulder, heading for the other ship. Lepri ducked her head inside her own ship and pulled her own bag out and joined at the ship as well. "Well, this little psycho-fuck family should do about as well as dew on a dewback's ass."
He retreated to his own ship, fetching the bag of stuff he'd prepared beforehand... Then headed back to meet up with Decon and Lepri. "Psycho-fuck? Hey, I resemble that remark."
Lepri looked over her shoulder. "Me too, considering last I checked I'm fucking you." With that she stuck out her tongue and made a beeline for the ship that their master of ceremonies had indicated.
The freighter was getting powered up as The Mechanic moved toward it, the near silence of its drives enough to suggest that, though the shell was old, some work had been done to update it. Sadhric commed up to Jeryndi and said, "Come down. I'm just going to check your ship over one last time, and I'm sure your friends will want their own chance to make sure I haven't set it to decompress on command." He cut comms immediately after that, and glanced at Jaysten, stopping in the middle of the corridor. "This is going to fall apart," he said. He waved a hand. "This group. Not the ship. Don't be too alarmed when it happens. Just expect it, and prove your claim that you're adaptable."
"Wether this group falls apart or not, Mr. Tlin, I would think depends on if all of us are team players, or not." He had spoken while moving to follow Sadhric down the hallway. "If we can't work together, then obviously, it isn't going to work."
"Were you struck temporarily deaf up there?" Sadhric shrugged, headed into the freighter.
"Of course," Jeryndi answered to the comlink comment Sadhric had given him. He rolled his eyes slghtly, letting out a soft sigh.
"I'd rather take my own fucking ship, or yours," she said to Jeryndi. "I dont trust the Mechanic as far as I can throw his scary ass... welll then again, he's only about eighty five kilos, so that might be kinda far."
"Having an opinion, and expressing it, is far different then proving one's self to not be a team player, Mr. Tlin. We still have a chance of pulling this through, and to start off thinking that we are going to fail as a team...well, some would say that you've just jynxed us, Mr. Tlin." By that time they were very close to the frieghter. Up, and in. Jay had brought very little with him. He had just the clothes on his back, the lightsaber at his hip, and the rucksack slung over his shoulder. He'd learned to travel light from the best influences he knew: the rest of the Tekal line. Never go in carrying more then you might be able to handle at any given moment. In that bag rested a back-up blade, and a couple changes of clothing.
That was about it. Sadhric turned and headed off in some direction to take a look at this, or that. This left Jaysten alone for the moment, giving him plenty of time to ignore the nagging thoughts of just what might go wrong.
"We don't know that either of our ships would make it through," he pointed out, shrugging. "But he said to take it down there, so lets do it and get it over with..." He sighed again, shaking his head. Leading the way.
Lepri's gear was similar in nature. Spare pair of shoes, a couple changes of clothes, a third spare lightsaber, and enough spare parts to build two more, and a small tool kit. No personal effects other than a datapad and comlink, but the latter was on her. The life of a Jedi required being constantly on the move, but most of the time she was on the move with Jeryndi, so any personal effects would be aboard the Lickety Split. She just sighed and followed Jeryndi, already having a knotting feeling in her gut. This was probably going to go very badly, with Sadhric knifing them all in the back to save his own skin.
Decon looked over at the other two. He recognized the looks on both of their faces and he felt his own bright mood starting to darken. This was going to be hell on wheels. He ran a mental checklist of his own gear. Rifle, a pair of DH-17 blaster pistols, various grenades, box of explosive charges, macrobinoculars, several vibro-blades, plenty of blaster packs, a two spare assault carbines, and two mini-repeaters. All in all enough to start a small war, or finish it in the right hands. Behind him, the X-III had begun lowering and loading into the main hold bay on their ride into hell. "Aww come on you two.. this is gonna be one hell of a party."
"Don't you mean we're the ones crashing the party?" Jeryndi retorted, grinning to himself. He sifted through his own bag, nodding to himself. He'd brought two change of clothes, one that was more rogue'ish and his Corellian Jedi robes. A couple of blasters. Two spare sabers. And a few miscellaneous electronics... "Either way, its bound to be fun in one way or another."
Sighing to himself, Jaysten just began to talk a stroll around the frighter he was to be occupying, apparently with Sadhric. He had been optimistic when he'd heard Darien talk of him going with, instead of his Uncle. But, now, standing there and wandering the ship, Jaysten was beginning to wonder if he was the right Tekal for this job. He wasn't as experienced, he had never been on a mission before. Hells, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been away from the Academy, it'd been so long. He was there, though, and there was a reason for it. Taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly, Jaysten found himself an occupied cabin and tossed his rucksack onto the cot there. It was going to be a long ride.
Lepri divested herself of her bags in one set of quarters then swept every nook and crany and even passed the bare edge of her saber over every surface before she was satisfied the room was clean, at least for the next five minutes. Flopping down on her bunk she sighed, then began reviewing the data she had, over and over. At that moment, she wasn't so much Lepri, as she was closer to the identity she'd used to infiltrate the Underworld Alliance.
"Alright, Mishka," Jeryndi says quietly from the door. Crossing his arms over his chest with a smile. "Im' sorry this was all such short notice."
Flopping himself down on the cot, having thrown his rucksack to the floor the moment before, he stretched out. It was quiet. Too quiet. He never liked things when they were this quiet. It always made him feel as if a storm was on the way. It caused an itch at the back of his neck, one that just lingered in that hard to reach spot that no matter which way you turned, it just wasn't possible to get. Sighing, Jay pushed himself up, dropped his feet over the side of the bed and stood. Patience. He needed to have patience. Rolling his head around, using hte motion to release the tension in his neck and shoulders, Jaysten just worked on concentrating on the here and now. That is all that mattered, for the moment, anyway.
Decon also found suitable quarters and settled in. He'd been shuffled a datapacket on this operation. He hated going solo, but this was supposed to be very discrete and well, a dozen special forces soldiers would be harder to manage anyway. Sighing, he began to check his gear too.
Lepri looked up at him. For a moment she almost looked as if she was going to throw the writing stylus she had in her hand. Then she just sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against the bulkhead and gestured for him to come in. "It's clean... for the next few minutes anyway."
He nodded slightly, sighing again. "I didn't think you'd want me to leave you behind...I feel pretty strongly about this, after all." He sat down next to her, leaning back against the wall. Allowing it to thunk against it. "Meh... He's got something up his sleeve... I can feel it."
She nodded softly then leaned her head on his shoulder. The catling was scared and she knew she didn't have to say it. Mostly it was because of Sadhric. Yes, she hated him, hated him more than any Jedi ever could, and maybe perhaps more than she ever thought she could contain at times. But so too, was she scared of him. Not because he'd managed to kill half the galaxy by proxy. No, it was because of what he'd done with the man sitting next to her. Jeryndi was one of the toughest people she knew, tougher than her, she was sure at times... and yet that psycho had gotten to him. It had only been the intervention of other and possibly greater forces that had brought him back. "I know. I feel it too." Even more than that.. she hated being scared. It was wrong, especially for her. It was frustrating and generally ground home how powerless it could make one feel.
"Relax. Relax, relax, relax, relax." He was working on his breathing, trying to untie the knots of stress that were building in his shoulders. Jay, as with Jeryndi and Lepri, couldn't help but feel apprehensive about this entire thing. It wasn't just the risk of not making it back, or failing completely to rescue Solomon, and in the process become obliterated by the Empire. No. Some of it was as basic as him just being green at this type of thing. He could recall in his younger years watching Murra as she readied herself to go off and fight. The kind of changes that the prospect of not coming home had caused in her. He wasn't even close to being half of the Jedi that woman had been. Everyone had to start somewhere, though, and he knew it. This was just a milestone. If they made it back, and he survived to go on his next mission, he'd be stronger for it.
The Mechanic had heard Jaysten, and had just given it up as a lost cause right then and there. Later, maybe, things would be clearer. For now, though, the freighter had to be set up for someone else to pilot, to house his GDR and any other ships they could fit, it had to be positioned right so that when the rift stabilized as much as it was going to, they'd be ready to go through... and besides all of that, there were about a million other tiny things he had to finish, and he knew he was only going to get to a tiny fraction of them. Currently, he was on the bridge, but he was about to head back down to the Prudence's hold, ricocheting from one job to the next like a pinball.
Jeryndi noded, wrapping an arm around her for the moemnt. Leaning his head against hers. The unease he felt wasn't in regards to Sadhric, exactly, but what lay on the other side of the rift. He was fairly certain they'd make it back, but he couldn't help but think aobut the what-if's... And he worried, naturally, for Jaysten most of all. Who had seen the 'bad' side of Sadhric more times than he probably wanted to remember. And now he was stuck alone on that other ship with sadhric. With only Sadhric's creepy droids to keep him company... Hes ighed once more, then kissed her cheek. "Level head, catling... Lets make it thorugh this together. And bring Jaysten and Decon's asses back... Leiyn might kill me if we lost her brother-in-law-to-be."
He'd finally got to the wits end with waiting. He had to do something constructive before his mind melted from all the thoughts that were running to, and fro. So, he sought out the Mechanic, and found him in the hold of the frieghter. "Anything I can help with? And, please, don't say 'no.'"
"No," Sadhric said, moving out of the way so that some of his droids could bring the GDR in. He looked back over his shoulder at Jaysten with obvious irritation, but sighed a little, clenched his jaw for a second, and it transmuted into something more closely resembling resignation. "If you think telling a group of people that they are going to be murdered by another of their companions is merely the harmless expressing of an 'opinion,' then I have no use for you, and you should find a hole for yourself until you're needed for something that doesn't require any thinking."
Lepri just looked over at him. "Level-head yourself," she said dully after a moment.
Jryndi nodded, smiling slightly... And then kissed her hair and rubbed her ear lovingly. "I'm gonna go find Sadhric."
"Watch out, I'm pretty sure I pissed him off good," she said quietly then once he was gone flopped over on the bed, half dead. "Why do I keep letting myself get dragged into this crap."
"She doesn't like you, Sadhric...Mr. Tlin, and frankly I don't blame her. I'm not going to hold it against her for voicing the way that she feels about you. She might very well feel that you are going to doom us all just for your own betterment, and to be truthful I wouldn't put it past you. I, for one, though, am going to give you the benifit of doubt."
"Remember when I told you to stick close to her? Now would be an excellent time to start doing that."
trapped_in_turmoil (10:16:15 PM): "Alright," he says, then headed off... He walked down to the turbolift, taking it down to where he felt Jaysten in the Force. Approaching slowly. Just by himself. "Jay?"
"I think I'll take my chances this time around, Mr. Tlin." He said, a frown drawing across his face. "...You know, I just don't get you. Not that I've given it an extreme amount of concentration, or thought, but I just don't get you. What's your deal? You've created things that have destroyed billions of lives, you've tinkered with the minds of others, and now you are going after someone that could, potentially, cause you to loose your own life? You don't add up at all." With Jeryndi showing up, Jay turned a look over his shoulder, and shook his head. "Explain him to me, Jeryndi, because obviously I am missing something important. Why would my grandmother trust him? Why would Uncle Solomon trust him? I certainly see nothing about him that is very redeming." Jay was well aware of the fact that he was still talking loud enough, and within ear shot of Mr. Tlin. Perhaps he was doing it for a reason?
"Get him out of here, Jeryndi." Sadhric said, gesturing vaguely toward Jaysten. He hadn't really even glanced at Jeryndi, of course, and his voice had gone oddly hollow and flat, like his only defense against losing his temper was shutting himself down.
"Another time, perhaps, Jaysten..." he says quietly. "Solomon's reasons are not ones I understand... But your grandmother has had and does have her own reasons.. Reasons that only she can explain and-- being a Tekal and bieng the stubborn woman that she is-- will probably never tell anybody. So... Lets leave Sadhric to his work, hmm?" he asked quietly.
HIs jaw tightened for a moment as he regarded Jeryndi. The contemplation was there to push the issue, he wouldn't though. At least not now. In the end, he let out a small resigned sigh and nodded. He wasn't going to give up on trying to understand Sadhric, and where the strange compulsion that his Uncle and Grandmother shared on trusting him. But, he would save it for later. "Fine." He muttered, his tone probably degrees harsher then he'd wanted it to be, pushing himself past Jeryndi in a move that would take him away from the hold of the frieghter.
Waiting until he couldn't hear Jaysten's footfalls on the deckplates anymore, Sadhric glanced at Jeryndi and said, "Thanks." He turned back, and went to secure the GDR toward the back of the hold. "If this doesn't work... and this constitutes the last hour of my existence... the very last way I want to spend it involves getting analyzed by some snot-nosed teenager with a chip on his shoulder." His wince, a second delayed, bared teeth for just an instant. "... No matter how legitimate his grievances might be."
"Its not like you have the most endearing personality to much of anyone, Sadhric. That's all I have to say," he says quietly. "You're worried we won't make it through the rift?" he asked, shrugging. "Is there anything I can do to help make preparations?"
"I don't think so," The Mechanic said with a sigh, straightening up as the GDR powered down and went cold. "I've done everything I can think of. Between every bit of information I've got, and everything Solomon gathered, if we hit the anomaly right, we should be fine. It should be like any other A-to-B run. But this guy who came through? His body...." Shaking his head, Sadhric just shrugged again. "I can't explain what happened to him. And Murra... she knew that Solomon was alive, but had no details. So... What does that mean? Nothing? Or does it suggest that there's some other element in this rift that is as-yet unmeasured? I don't know."
There was an edge to him now. He honestly hadn't intended for that to happen. He hadn't expected for it to happen, but could he blame himself for that. There were things that he had longed to confront Sadhric about, issues that he had wrestled with as a child. In some way, it had an influence on how he grew, and the person he was becoming. Those incidents had dug themselves so deeply that he hadn't known he had held a grudge until he was confronted with actually spending time with Sadhric. Finding himself in the galley of the ship, or what would stand for one, he threw himself into a seat and rested forward against the table.
Jeryndi nodded slightly, listening to Sadhric's words... And listening to what wasn't -quite- said. He sighed after a long moment of silence. "Alright... Well, if there's anything you need from us, or just me, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" he says, drawing back up to full height.
"Thanks," Sadhric said again, quiet and clipped. "I can finish this, here. And if the danger of the rift itself hasn't occurred to... those people... it's up to you if you want to enlighten them. They can still choose to stay here, but I'm not going to wait for any long discussions or pondering or hand-wringing. Enough time has been wasted as it is."
-:"Well then... what are we waiting for?" White and brown robes hung about his being. Black hair in wild disarray about his head, as brown eyes regarded the gathered people. Even with the heaviness of his robes, it was clear he had several extra items that he wouldn't normally have carried.
Leaning forward a bit more against the table, Jay put his head down, resting it against his forearms as they crossed before him. He just breathed, using the rythm to help him find a calm center.
Sadhric glanced at Caedmon, hearing that, and came within a hair's breadth of finally and completely losing his patience. "Welcome aboard. Go sit with Jaysten, please." He waved the Jedi Master off. Now, of all moments, he needed space, or he was going to do something counterproductive at the worst possible time, and the ultimate loser would be Solomon.
Jeryndi left, with Cato, giving him a small pat on the shoulder... Then he went up to the galley, sitting down across from Jaysten. "Alright, Jay, lets talk..."
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Jay slid back in his seat, pulling himself up. He watched Jeryndi slide into the seat across from him and let out another small sigh. "I just want to understand him." He said softly, "I want to know what motivates him to do the things that he does. " He reached up, running a hand through his hair, casting a glance toward Cato followed by a small nod in greeting. "I just wanna know why."
It was another fifteen minutes before everything was aboard and secured, and the Zion's Breath was now sitting empty and fully repaired, waiting for Darien Tekal to come and pick it up. The data it had carried--the data that had overloaded it--was now housed solely in the GDR's banks. And the Prudence detached from Station One less than an hour from the moment when Sadhric had arrived. For the moment, it was maneuvering on its own, and Sadhric was still in the hold, concentrating on breathing, and trying to find things to do. Out any forward-facing viewport, the anomaly would be visible as an arc of dull light; it was being dissected, also, in several holoscans, displayed on the empty bridge.
-:Caedmon might have rolled his eyes if not for the infinite patience that years as a Jedi, and a friend of Tlin, had brought. He moved deeper into the ship, actually falling a few steps behind Jeryndi... listening at the doorway, well his former apprentice counselled Jaysten.
"I do, too... Its one of those things that doesn't have a direct answer, Jaysten... One of those things that everyone must find the answers for themselves. Alot of people are still very angry with Sadhric over what he did to me... But I'm not, strangely enough. Sounds weird enough, doesn't it?" he asked quietly. He shrugged. "It doesn't make sense to anyone but me... But if Sadhric hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't be who I am today... And I happen to like who I am now. Alot. So... Though he was the trigger to a series of events that turned my life upside down and drove me through the Corellian Hells and back again, I can't -really- be angry with him... You get what I'm saying?" he asked, giving Jaysten a lopsided smile.
He took a long moment before answering, working that through mentally. "I do think I understand. If things hadn't gone the way they did, if we hadn't been there... then I might not be -here-, knowing what I know about the Force, and stuff. But that doesn't help the fact that -- its just hard to accept, ya know? And it wasn't even all that long ago! I have these images -- these memories... I remember seeing him being so gentle with Uncle Sol, working so delicately on his injured knee. I can remember the stories that Grandma told me, about how he had helped her after Ord Mantel. But it just doesn't add up to the man that locked my mother away in deep freeze, or kept me and another kid caged up like animals. I don't see how someone who would take such great care one moment, turn around and do something like...what he did with you the next. I just don't see it, and that's what makes it hard."
-:Caedmon said with a half-smile, "He takes great care in everything he does..." and he knew this because, perhaps he knew better than anyone else Sadhric Tlin. Still he didn't interject... having people understand that Sadhric gave great and incalcuable care to every task he committed himself to was hard to figure out, mostly because the level of care that others employed, even at its greatest length, was merely a fraction of how far ahead Tlin tended to look... In another life, time and place... Cato imagined Tlin would have been the Ultimate Insurance Assesser
Jeryndi turned his head slightly, listening to Cato.. Then smiled slightly. "At this point, Jaysten... I don't question why he does things. I question the what and who of what he's doing and how it will affect him... I don't understand his reasons for doing what he does. But I understand he does things according to his own plan. He marches to his own drum, so to speak. He has... his way of doing things... Which is so different than other people, its really very hard for other people to understand. At least, that's the way it seems to me. When he asks me questions, I've gotten to where I just answer them. Ask him why and he'll say fuck it, fine, don't answer. Or just shut up altogether and you won't hear a peep out of him again about that particular subject... You either cooperate and have a chance of getting a decent and somewhat elaborated-- if not unanticipated answer-- later... Or you -don't- cooperate and he'll shut you out completely. At least... That's what my experience tells me."
The nearby bulkhead doors slid open to the makeshift galley, revealing another figure. Green eyes glittered in the darker corridor, and a moment later the sound of leather against metal was heard. Three quick strides carried her across the room as she grabbed Cato by the shoulder and spun him around. One eye twitched, and her ears laid back flat against her head, then she looked at Jeryndi, then back at Cato. "How many times must you die, before you get it right, or do you just enjoy lying to people, your people specifically?" The Cathar stood there with her saber unlit but in hand, and she turned her attention back to Jeryndi. "And you knew he was alive," she said in a cool, almost accusatory tone as she shook her head. "Why bother bringing me along if you've got a Jedi Master here that can miraculously bring himself back from the dead," she said in a more icy tone.
Smoothly, the Prudence glided toward the rift. At least superficially smoothly. On the inside, there obviously wasn't much that was going smoothly that wasn't purely logistical. But as the freighter approached the switchover--if it really was that--there was no shipwide announcement. Perhaps those sensitive in the Force might have felt something--an eddy, maybe? A bit of bleedthrough? Who knows?--or maybe they were too distracted to feel anything at all, if there was even some sensation that could be associated with traveling from one side to the other. The freighter's lights flickered, and comms died, and for the last fifteen seconds before it passed through it was going on dry momentum alone.
-:Cato was quite aware... regular treatment had kept his illness, for the most part at bay... recovering completely was now merely a factor of time... Perhaps that was the reason both reaching him, grasping him, and spinning the normally highly balanced Jedi Master around fast enough that he might have fallen if not for her Clawed hand upon his shoulder.. His expression had tightened, brown eyes casually regarded the hand that rested on his shoulder, and then the unlit sabre in her other hand... before even acknowledging what might be in those cat-like green orbs. There formed a smile, and a lightness to his tone. "Hopefully just seven more times, I hear I get some sort of plaque after death number ten." The smile waned, he didn't think it necessary to inform her, or anyone else of his travels... be they spirit travels, or physical travels. His eyes travelled to the flickering lights, as he stepped back away from her. "He just found out the day before hand... And if I could miraculously bring myself back from the dead... Why would I bother bringing any of you along?"
Jay had been about to respond to what both Cato and Jeryndi had said when Lepri entered onto the scene. It wasn't but moments after that, that the lights dimmed, causing him to look away from the happenings at the table. "Did you all see that...?" The question was half-heart felt. A part of him had surmised that it was because they had passed through the rift, while the other part was skeptical about the abilities of the ship to stay together under any sort of stress, even for something The Mechanic had a hand in.
Finding a nearby seat, he grasped a belt-strap... to hell with getting sucked into another dimension without being properly fastened into ones seat.
"Yes," Jeryndi said in answer to Jaysten's question... He stared at the ceiling, eyes drifting closed.... As to why Jeryndi hadn't told Lepri... Well, he'd been keeping himself busy for the last day. Since he'd found out. But... Things didn't always work out in his favor. He sighed again, leaning back into his seat. "We're passing through the rift," he murmured, left brow twitching slightly. It felt different, most assuredly. It felt like passing through a cold spot in the Force. Felt like-- just for a brief moment-- the Force was not with them. He shuddered visibly and then got up. Heading up and ahead-- regardless of whether they sohlud be strapped in or not-- to where Sadhric was. Wherever hew as.
The Cathar didn't bother strapping in, only spreading her feet just a little wider, staring at Jeryndi's back, then turned her attention back to Cato. "Excuse me, Master, but you aren't bringing anyone along. Sadhric is hosting this party, and this is his ship, so last I checked it is him bringing us." She turned to go, not really caring about the passage through the rift, then half-turned back. "Dead, or alive. Choose wisely becase when you can't make up your mind you hurt the Order you helped to create by creating uncertainty, indecision, and rumors and disbelief and an unrealistic mythos. You do more harm than good if you cannot decide whether you want to live or die."
Sadhric had gone to the bridge for one reason: He'd wanted to watch whatever happened with his own eyes. He wasn't needed to pilot, or adjust, or... anything. He'd streamlined everything to function through this moment on its own, just in case something happened to incapacitate the people aboard. If they were worse than incapacitated... well. It wouldn't matter after that, now would it? And it wouldn't matter if the ship itself fell apart, because the end result was the same. So... He let the ship monitor and record, and he just stood near the viewport and watched, hearing himself breathe. "Oh yeah, and loose the robes, or you'll get -all- of us killed, not just yourself."
-:Caedmon found his heart wring. Where it a personal decision, he would have died. He would have just faded to nothingness. Or maybe even run to the far corner's of the galaxy and live as a hermit. Anger claimed clenched around his belly, and with a single breathe, he released that anger to the force. He didn't owe her any explanation... he didn't owe any of them explanations.. "There was far and away all those feelings before my bussiness took place. It is far unbecoming of a Jedi to make assumptions such as yours Lepri, especially without knowing -anything- of the situation. Your quite right I'm not bringing anyone along, but I was going on your assumption that i could rise from the dead at will... which would mean I was far and away the most powerful Jedi since Skywalker... so, this mission would clearly have to have been my undertaking." Hands clasped together, and still he held that soft smile. "Run along now, before you unbalance the ship with ill will... Beware your darker tendancies as well Lepri... I do not doubt the dangers of this place we enter... or that whether I wear white robes or black camoflauge that The Imperials have methods beyond sight at singling out Jedi... after all, they did indeed kill many... many Jedi, who were better trained than anyone on this ship." And with that, the Jedi's head bowed, and he seemed to have fallen right to sleep.
Lepri just stared at Cato for a few moments, then shook her head and stalked to the forward sections of the ships finding a observation section to look out from. Pompous asshole, she thought to herself. No wonder half the people in the galaxy want to kill us. If that's how the posterboy Jedi is, I'd wanna kill us tell. Hell, I'm not sure if I don't wanna go back there and shoot him in the head right now. "And people wonder why I've always had a problem with him. He really ought to keep his mouth shut about who is trained how too." She stopped herself realising her thoughts had become so loud they were popping out of her mouth out loud. Oh, there was going to be some hell to pay before this was over. Sadhric was right. This was all probably going to go to shit, especially now with Cato on board.
Jeryndi walked up to stand next to Sadhric, staring out the viewport... His hands were tucked into his pockets, eyes narrowed as he watched their surroundings. Saying nothing... There was nothing -too- say.
The Mechanic glanced at Jeryndi after a few minutes in which he barely moved at all, and might have seemed like he hadn't even noticed him. Eyeing him sidelong, he asked very quietly, "How are they doing back there?" At some point, he'd pocketed his Lenses. Probably when the comms had gone out, and the power had gotten iffy.
Jeryndi was silent for a long moment... And then sighed, glancing over at Sadhric. "I don't know... I know Lepri's pissed. Cato seems pretty calm. As does Jaysten." He shrugged slightly. He didn't know what else to say... He was at a loss for words in this awkward moment with Sadhric.
"What about the other one?"
"Dunno. Haven't seen him since we boarded... He doesn't give off a strong presence unless you're in the room with him."
Sadhric nodded, and automatically thought Someone needs to check on him, but didn't say it. Not yet. The stars ahead of them and behind them were the same stars, but the odd space they were passing through was playing with the light of them, blurring them into broad splotches. They went in and out of focus. But beyond that, there wasn't much to that was in anyway out of the ordinary. "All right, so... What are you doing up here?"
"I'm calm enough," Decon said from the darkness of the doorway before he slipped into the room. "Unlike everybody else here, I don't have any personal interest in this little project. I'm here as a favor and a chance to get some time in the field." As he stepped into the light the eyes that regarded them both weren't human. Humans didn't have eyes like that, nobody did really. They were silver, but they weren't mechanical, and they fairly glowed in the dark, and apparently had no trouble seeing in that darkness. His blackened goggles were gripped in his fist.
"Thanks for asking," he said quietly. "Starting to think that some opinions around here may not be too far from the mark." With that the pilot turned his attention to the view outside, prefering to see with his own two eyes what kind of skies he would be dealing with.
"I wanted to see it for myself," Jeryndi answered... He turned, giving Decon a small smile and a slight nod of acknowledgement. He turned his gaze back to the viewport, walking a few steps closer. Pressing a small, slender hand against the clear material that kept them safe from the cold space outside. He rested his forehead against it, eyes drifting closed... His expression peaceful and contemplative. Seeking. Wasn't something one would see in him on a regular basis.
His question to Jeryndi cut short near the end, The Mechanic turned at the sound of the new voice and treated Decon to a brief and neutral glance. But as his eyes went back to the viewport, he was frowning thoughtfully at what Decon was actually saying. 'Calm enough... unlike everybody else.' That, plus what Sadhric viewed as unnecessary establishment of the man's reasons for being there, had him wondering if he'd missed more melodrama than he'd actually witnessed. Which was possible. And exhausting to contemplate. Despite that, and an inward groan, he heard himself asking the man: "What opinions might those be?"
"Oh, I'm sure you're aware of your own reputations," Decon replied. "As I'm sure by now you are aware of mine. Hell, you probably know what I had for breakfast ten years ago by now." He shrugged.
"Pretend I'm oblivious, and tell me." His tone was subdued, though; he'd thought they'd be through the distortion by this point, but it was hard to gauge linear distance just by eyeballing it here, under the circumstances.
"I'm not here to entertain you, Mechanic," Decon said sharply. "I'm here to do a job."
Sadhric laughed shortly, and the laugh seemed to reanimate him, to knock him out of his thoughtful space. "Enjoy the view," he said as he moved to leave.
"Glad somebody thinks this situation is funny," Decon said quietly, then turned his attention outward.
Jeryndi had not moved or spoken or even acknowledged the exchange between Sadhric and Decon... And he continued to stand there, seemingly oblivious. But he was good at that. Seeming to be oblivious. As Sadhric was about to cross the doorway, he lifted his head. "Sadhric."
On the threshhold, Sadhric just stopped and waited, only actually half-turning back after several heartbeats had passed.
He walked away from the viewport, hopping lightly to catch up to Sadhric. "How long has it been since Murra's contacted you..." he asked quietly.
"Why?"
"Because I'd like to know. Not anything more, really... Its been a while since she contacted any of the other Tekals. Were you the last to speak with her?"
How should I know? But what he said was: "Most likely. We have a common task, she and I."
"Or: had."
"I see," he says quietly, nodding. "Thank you."
The Mechanic nodded once and left.
