Ask Chandrila A Belated Visit

[Roland Rook]

THEME​

Sector Rangers were, as their name suggested, responsible for operating as law enforcement in an assigned area of space. Roland had considered asking for Sector One. Anaxes was at the center and the Azure sector offered its perks to a Captain compared to others. It was fairly manageable considering how similar it was to numerous other systems Roland had policed. However, the politics of the Core were not of any interest to the Mandalorian. Most rangers these days were already operating as special enforcement officers and after the attacks on Coruscant he needed to move on the Sith and in a way that was better than what had come before in recent years.

The Kessel Run, the Five Syndicates, they were a main backer and supporter of the Sith Order. While Roland had his own bone to pick with the Crimson Dawn and their affiliates he was hoping to retain his authority and influence outside of the Free World Alliance. The problem existed outside of their borders and without making changes beyond the FWA they wouldn’t have any lasting peace.

Chief Hudson had been occupied with a fair amount of work. Roland wasn't as bothered by it as other rangers were. There was never a shortage of work. When asked he just shrugged. But maybe it was all chocked up to his independence. Mandalorians didn't need a Mand'alor. Especially when one lived the way of the Mandalore He didn't need a boss to tell him what to do and when to do it. But not everyone was the same way. These were dangerous and confusing times that could influence the best of them in the worst of ways.

Roland had read the reports and quickly found himself skimming and satisfaction eluding him. There were no real defining results from the medical reports done under Chief Douglas's instruction for Lieutenant Aran in the wake of Sullust. Even if he hadn't cared for the Jedi's methods he was still glad to have the woman back from the Sith's clutches. That was, until Master Grayza visited.

In his own experiences, Roland had found himself troubled by dark invasions of the mind. The man would have had a different opinion a a few years ago. But now he knew better.

The Captain walked down the halls of the secure hotel. A hiss preceded the Captain's slightly muffled voice. The door of the private room opened to reveal the armored Mandalorian with his badge clearly on his belt. "Lieutenant..." He said to announce himself, adding a knock on the door frame. A box was under his left arm with a datapad loosely held in the accompanying hand. He wasn't sure how to start things off with the woman. "...um...it's...Captain Rook." He knew she had undergone an unimaginable trauma. "How are you feeling?"

In the doorway his cloak settled after the exchange of air pressure. Inside the room was more comfortable than most hospital rooms though far more guarded. His armor had dulled in the years since he had first met the woman but had been repaired and replaced. Trys looked different than she had as well. How much of you did they shed? Roland thought and was glad for having the helmet over his head not for the first time.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys knew that Rangers were being slowly notified of her awakening. It was a delicate subject, and she knew she would be a social pariah for a bit until everyone was convinced she hadn’t suddenly turned into a Sith. Trys had been laying low in a hotel on Chandrila since she and Hannibal parted ways. She knew he would follow through on his word to reunite her with her son, and she also knew she couldn’t risk going to a Jedi world just yet.

She had contacted her partner Nick and Duke, two Rangers that she had worked very closely with before. The only things she had to go off of were threads to further back in her past. Recent memories or any critical memories were tampered with and vague. Trys spent a lot of time attempting to recall things, but unless there was an external trigger, nothing helped.

She had asked to get advance notification whenever someone came by, and that was how she knew Roland arrived. Trys could recall him from a while back, though even then the memories were blurry. She could vaguely recall a T-Visor and Mandalorian armor.

Trys opened the door when he arrived, her face tired and worn. He would notice that she looked thinner than before, having lost muscle tone in the time she had been stuck in bed. Her hair was also slightly longer, now past her ears. She was adorned in civilian attire, jeans and a long-sleeved shirt she had put on when she realized he was arriving. Trys wasn’t in the habit of exposing her tattoos to co-workers.

“Captain Rook,” She said, a smile gracing her lips, “Thank you for coming,” Trys stepped back, allowing him to walk into the room. There was a small living room area and she took a seat on the couch, inviting him to sit down across her.

“I’ve been better. People keep treating me like some kinda ghost and it’s sketching me out,” Trys said to his question, sighing, “How about you and the Rangers? I keep hearing so much about them on Holo and it’s...not good.”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland looked around the hotel room before walking in. It was a comfortable enough looking place. But it was still just as alien to the woman as a hospital room only with better decor. "I meant to come sooner." Making his way to a seat Roland continued to regard her though his posture was more relaxed. His held tilting to the side a little. He knew more than most the dangers of the Dark Side considering he was not force sensitive. Trys had experienced more than he could image.

Things were complicated with her son. Crix was with the Jedi as far as he knew. Her whole world had been turned upside down and he knew what she meant about being treated. Trys changed the subject to work. "That's actually one reason I'm here." He set the box down on a side table and focused on the datapad in front of him. "...things aren't good. They'll probably get worse before they get better." Everyone, meaning only those that had come to visit or probably worked here.

The Captain was here to see if she was up to the task of returning to the field. However it wasn't just in a completely official capacity. "It's good to see you're up and about because I brought you something that's probably not...doctor recommended." He motioned to the box casually between them. "It's refrigerated. But it's not bad at room temperature either." Inside was large chilled unopened bottle of Savareen Brandy. "That box actually was probably...just as expensive as...you know nevermind" he shook his head and shrugged on second thought letting the trivial concern go by. "This place probably will cost you an arm and a leg for just shifting the mini-fridge around. Best to keep the box. Good for picnics."

Reports said she was having issues with memories and recalling personal information. She felt like a ghost because people kept expecting her to be the woman they remembered. "Ever been to Savareen?"


He kept ahold of the datapad which contained low clearance level intel on the five syndicate leaders and information collected on high ranking Sith. The Captain had brought it along just in case the Lieutenant needed a refresher. Some of the names were of the dead or presumed dead but some of which the woman had dealings with. There was some information even on Oren Zapan and the meeting with the jedi in the related investigation.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys eyed the box Rook brought with him, but said nothing about it initially. She glanced at the datapad next, hearing the Captain speak. It didn’t feel good to have him confirm what she suspected, but then again Rangers never were very popular. Her memories were from a time when Rangers were just beginning to be friendly with Jedi and accepting them as allies. She knew that Jedi had given their lives at the prison fighting side by side with Rangers.

“Why is the galaxy always out for us?” Trys sighed, reaching for a cigarra. One of the first things she did after parting ways with Hannibal involved getting new packs of cigarra. She still didn’t know how she felt about bumming at least two off a kriffing Jedi of all people. The man was outright bizarre, and more confusing than most Jedi she had met. Eyes narrowed slightly as she lit a cigarra and blew out smoke away from Rook.

Trys was distracted from her thoughts when Rook gestured to the box. Taking the cue, she opened it and took out the brandy, eyes widening in surprise. She couldn’t help but chuckle, “Jeeze, Captain, this is certainly above my paygrade. Not sure about the box though, I’m not the picnic type m’fraid,” Trys chuckled, getting up to get two glasses, “Hey we gotta celebrate me coming back from the dead, right?”

She returned after a moment, pouring them both a glass neat. Trys shook her head, “Nah, I usually stick around the Core. You know there’s enough bullshit here to keep us busy,” She paused, considering mentioning something about her language in the presence of a superior. But then she decided if she didn’t have her uniform on, she could get a hall pass.

Trys gazed towards the datapad, but she didn’t pry. Her eyes flicked up to his visor, “Has our position on the Jedi changed at all? Where do we stand with all this anti Force drama going on?”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Trys's question echoed in his mind. When it repeated, it came back in his head in Roland's younger voice. He had asked the same question once of his buir. There wasn't a simple answer and any one world had their own sentiment. "Don't take it personally." He replied simply with a little huff.

He was glad she liked the gift. But the point of it wasn't to be an expensive gift. He gave a small murmur when she spoke about the type of person she was. When she grabbed glasses and poured them each a couple of fingers he smiled a little but didn't protest. Roland barely even registered the foul language.

"It's interesting, Savareen. Locals get raided from slavers from time to time. Crimson Dawn...you know the type." Roland stared at the drink as the ripples settled where it sat on the table. "But the Savarian don't much like the syndicates." He gave a little chuckle since that was no surprise and looked over his shoulder towards where the hotel may have straws but didn't see any. A little grumble came from him before he continued. "Lots of them get punished in the form of..." he raised two fingers and gave a snipping action. "...tongue cutting." Leaning forward he picked up the glass of the drink and held it. "Yet despite that...they still find new ways to tell the syndicates to float themselves."

Raising the glass to the rim of his helmet he closed his eyes and inhaled. Roland hadn't asked for a drink and he had bought one other bottle for himself. But the smell alone of home made him be instantly transported to the sandy beaches. The smell of the seagrapes and the sensation of hot sand getting into his cheap sandals. Opening his eyes, the Captain refrained from drinking any still.

"They can't be trusted with official Ranger ops and intel." He said flatly. Indefinite separation of church and state. Roland had never trusted the Jedi Order or had much faith in its capability at handling the criminal element of the galaxy. The Captain had worked along side the Jedi in the past and so had the Lieutenant. The two of them knew force sensitives personally and could vouch for individual integrity. Now that Crix was with the Jedi and hadn't even come to see his mother, how was that going to play out for her? "Our house is karked up, Trys. We need to sort that out first." It wasn't their job to have faith in the Jedi and they had not given the Sector Rangers a lot to work with either.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys drew in from the cigarra as she heard him speak. Her eyes shifted to the drink and then back up to his helmet. She had forgotten about his whole ‘helmet never comes off’ routine. Nevertheless, she mentioned nothing about it, observing with quiet amusement as he nursed the glass. Trys reached for her own, tilting it towards him in cheers before taking a sip.

The story about Savareen lingered on her mind for a bit, “It’s on the Kessel run isn’t it?” Trys asked as she thought for a moment, “It’s all kriffed out there. From what I remember the Syndicates had a firm hold on everything and then…" Trys rubbed her temples for a moment, “...Arcanist. Started killing off some of them. Anti hero type..” She trailed off, her head beginning to throb, “Certain memories really do me in and I got no idea why,” Trys sighed looking at Rook again.

When he expressed his sentiments about Jedi, she remained quiet for a moment. She blew out smoke and looked down, “My own kid is a Jedi, man,” Trys shook her head, “I don’t even know what perspective to have. My boy…” She looked at him, “My boy, my kid. He’s one of them now. I have to believe they’re decent folk. Hell, I don’t even know how or why Crix is a Jedi….for all I know, I could be Force sensitive or some bullshit. Is there some sort of test? ‘Cause god knows Crix’s dad was a worthless lump and definitely no Jedi,” She couldn’t help but chuckle, “Sorry for unloading on you, boss. My only other company so far was some eccentric prettyboy tatted up dude that is supposedly Crix’s teacher.”

Trys ashed her cigarra and took another sip from her drink, “Our house is always karked up, Captain,” She said flatly, “It will remain that way until the FWA decides to pull its head out its ass and form a cohesive military. We’re Rangers. We’re not meant to be out there fighting big wars and battles. We’re supposed to be solving crimes, getting kids back to their families, solving murders. We’re getting pulled into shit way bigger than us.”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The helmet nodded, confirming Try's recollection about his homeworld's location. There was more than one type of bad memory and the pain that came with it. The Sith Temple on Bal'demnic had shown him that much. "I know what you mean."

The syndicates had taken a hit from what the Arcanist had done. But it was just a few heads off of a hydra and not a lasting solution, nor a civilized one. She had investigated some of the Arcanist activities before he had gone dark. But the man hoped what he had on the datapad wouldn't be agonizing.

Hearing her talk about her son had the Mandalorian watch and listen intently. Roland's eyes watched hers as they danced in confusion and honesty. Most of it sounded like she needed to talk with someone and vent. It wasn't like Roland had many people he would consider close with. It took the man a moment to register the 'tatted up' part of Crix's teacher. His brow furrowed in thought and almost opened his mouth to ask who she meant but then stopped. Do all Jedi have hella tats now? He doubted it but made a mental note to check later. Asking that out loud would have probably earned him a strange look. "eh." Roland waved the apology aside. "bet I've had worse company." He almost thought about mentioning the last time he had come to Chandrilla and the trials of escorting a Princess.

What she said about the Rangers' limitations was right. They were far from an army or a navy. When she finished, Roland didn't reply right away. He gave a murmur to let her know he was thinking. After a moment his visor centered on her again. "The Sith and the Syndicates want to keep us down and preferably out." The Mandalorian leaned forward and set the datapad down between them for Trys to take when, or if, she was ready. "I want to do it to them first. But I could use your help."

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

The best part about venting to Rook was that he always had a metal bucket on. You couldn’t tell if he looked sympathetic or was completely skeeved out when you were telling him your tales. This was just how Trys liked it. She despised when people looked at her with pity. An emotionless T visor was much more preferable.

She thought about the Sith and the Syndicates. It took her a moment to remember that the Red Sabers were called Sith. The Sith were also the ones that did this to her. Trys rubbed her temples again as more flashes of memories flooded into her mind. There was no real rhyme or reason to when these hit. She could never tell what was a trigger or no. Trys exhaled slowly, tethering back to reality and taking a sip from her glass.

“I’ve always got your six, Cap,” She said as she looked at him again, “I may need a few days to screw my head on right and see my son, but I can be back at it again.”

Trys hesitated for a moment, “Will the Rangers take me back? They won’t think I’m completely kriffed up ‘cause a Sith got all up in my business?”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Work was a good distraction and focus for the short term. The woman's expression seemed to zone out which didn't escape his attention as he sat across from her. It wasn't like she could stay in a hotel room forever and he doubted she wanted to try and go to some safehouse alone. It would only lead to more overthinking without working anything out. Other than seeing her son, the Captain wasn't sure what he would have expected from the her. Roland was glad Trys wanted to see Crix though he knew things were definitely complicated. He gave a simple bobbing nod. "Of course."

The Captain could hear Trys's worry in her voice. She wasn't asking if she would get her job back. The Lieutenant was concerned about being accepted by the only other family she knew. He didn't have an answer for her right away and didn't want to give her the same old phrases she had already been told a dozen times over. "It might be weird at first. But...give it time. Having each-others' backs goes both ways." If anybody gave her grief over the ordeal she had suffered, they would have Roland to deal with.

"Is your kid coming here....orrrr..." He looked around the hotel room as a possible hosting place for a family get together. "...you heading to see him?" The Mandalorian didn't know the young zabrak very much personally. But the youth had literally made headlines and as she had said, he was a Jedi now. He hoped it wasn't going to be on Ajan Kloss.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys couldn’t help but smile when Roland reminded her that he would have her back if she met difficulties returning. She wasn’t used to having an outpouring of support, and it didn’t hit her till now. The Rangers were her family and they were there for her in her time of need. She quietly sipped from her glass, still marveling at how smooth the drink was.

The smile faltered when Roland brought up her son, “He’s coming to see me,” Trys said as she gazed off into the distance for a moment, “I can’t risk going to their world right now. I heard how they messed with the Chief’s mind,” She grimaced, thinking about the attack on the HQ. She heard it was still not entirely back to normal.

Trys looked at him for a moment, “Hey uh… any chance I could get my guns back?”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The man's brow furrowed a little underneath his helmet at seeing her smile fade. Her expression changed as her mind turned to other concerns. Roland wasn't entirely confident that Crix would be safe among the Jedi. But he was also growing up and by Mandalorian standards was charting his own way. On all accounts, the kid had delved into a Sith base and brought his mother back from behind enemy lines.

"I can come by and meet the kid maybe. He happen to have any hobbies?" Communication over long distances was a luxury. Roland still found himself needing to take extra steps to insure secure contact. "I Bet it would annoy him if you could live chat him every second of the day." He grinned a little at imagining the woman acting motherly with a batch of younglings over the young zabrak's shoulder on the other side.

"Of course. Those and your badge are on my ship." He hooked a casual thumb over his shoulder even if it wasn't the real direction of the Cobalt Viper. The weapons were in the armory locker and he had been prepared for the Lieutenant to be ready to leave right away if she wanted to. "You want them now?" The Mandalorian set the glass down as he made the offer. A stroll over to his ship would be fine. "You don't have to stay here though. You know that right?" There were other places the woman could stay that were arguably better than this.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys eyed him curiously and he spoke of meeting her son. She couldn’t recall him ever showing much interest in her life before, and she wondered if having a Sith muck up her brain suddenly made her interesting. Or perhaps he was simply suspicious of her and wanted to learn more to ensure she was cleared. Nevertheless, he would catch her analyzing him for a moment.

“He likes tinkering,” She said as she took another sip, “Fixing up speeders, droids, all of that. I used to fix up speeders so he picked up a few of my habits,” Trys also kitbashed as a hobby, but she had little time for it in recent memory. She met his visor, “I don’t like this either. I don’t want my kid to be a Jedi. But I have no idea how to deal with Force stuff….and let’s face it, neither do you or any of the Rangers. He’s much safer being with people that know how to regulate it or have a system in place of some sort. Can you imagine if Force users ran around unchecked?”

Trys shook her head. When he mentioned her guns, she nodded, “I’d like them please,” She honestly felt naked without her weapons. Her blasters had been within reach at all times - those were memories that hadn’t been taken. Trys grinned when he mentioned she didn’t have to stay in the hotel.

“I’ll be fine,” She said simply, “I’ve been in far worse living situations.”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The man grumbled a little bit. Truth be told, Roland wasn't at all surprised after an account of a zabrak involved in a swoop incident around her residence had come to his attention. Honestly it was endearing. Everything following, it only made sense in hindsight.

Too often the Mandalorian found himself comparing everything to the idealism of his own people. By all means he felt like Crix was blessed. A loving mother, force powers, not to mention the fact the kid was a badass in his own right. The only benefit Roland as a youth had over the kid was anonymity. Even so, there were prices for that.

There was growing anti-force sentiment in the galaxy but Roland wasn't the one to quickly judge others. There was a lot the man had learned in the past few years. He liked to think of himself as a good judge of character. Too often the judge and the executioner. Taking a swallow before speaking, he stopped and took a deep breath he looked towards Trys, letting her know he fully intended to look her in the eye to answer her question. "...I don't think force users are the problem." He spoke from also a history of being able to match the Jedi and Sith. War in of itself was part of his culture.

Tilting his head slightly he continued. "Hate...is a burden." He would stand still, and shake his head slightly and open his stance a little. "Don't hold onto It." Letting a suggestion hang for a moment, his own blood throbbing in his ears at the hypocrisy of it despite his relaxed pose. Blinking under his helmet the next moment he inhaled and turned away from her. It wasn't an order or threat of any kind. Simply, wisdom from experiences. "...Ship's this way."

@Sreeya