Ask An Exercise in Trust. [Hishyim]

[Leon Terrick]

Leon sat alone in the cockpit of his SS-54 in space above the planet Hishyim. He had been tracking the pirates that scuttled his ship back on Rishi and had a good lead they were hiding out in an old Imperial patrol station located on the planet. He would of already went down to take a look for himself, but he had received a message from a Jedi known as Vayla who had gotten his contact information from the Twi'lek Jedi Mila. He was hesitant at first since he didn't know of Vayla but considering the Chief had tasked them with investigating the Jedi and learning more about the ways and beliefs he figured he might as well meet with her.


He wanted to believe the Jedi were 'good' but it was fairly hard to do given the holovid's of someone killing a Hutt with lightning from their fingertips. He worked with a few Jedi before and felt he could trust those few, but he felt if he wanted to obtain solid information and evidence that the Jedi were in fact good, that it would take more than them just taking down some slavers together. He wanted to build a relationship of trust between himself and the Jedi, learn more of their ways and if it turned out he was right and they were good, help them bring that to the eyes and ears of the Sector Rangers. If they shared interest of bringing peace and Law to an unruly Galaxy, it would benefit both partys to align with each other.


So he sat there aboard his ship, waiting for Vayla. He transmitted his coordinates to her and told her he would be waiting aboard his ship when she arrived. Before he went planetside with her, he wanted to get a feel for her and ask her some questions and come to a general understanding between the Jedi and himself.

@Die Shize @Manufactorium

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Music OOC

Spoiler

Spoiler

Between the stars of the galaxy floated more than empty space. It wasn’t merely low density matter that kept the void from being a vacuum, but a mysterious energy field that bound the galaxy together. The Force. It connected this moon to that planet, that sun to this black hole, and one starship to another. The Cosmic Force, in this case, which went hand in hand with the Living Force, and both were the hands of those who used the Force. It was a never ending cycle of give and take. Yet, where there were some who sought to maintain this balance, there were those who seemed to desire the will to upset it.

Exiting from a realm of black and blue, hyperspace was replaced by realspace, the blue lines with yellow dots in the distance, though the blackness was still there. It cradled the cradle between the stars, the Star’s Sanctum, as the 3-Z light freighter drifted along above the planet Hishyim, having arrived at the rendezvous point to find the nearby SS-54 light assault ship. Against the unassuming disc shape of the freighter, the assault ship looked lean and lethal, with wings like a hawk and cannons for talons. As the two ships hovered in space and faced each other, their pilots were enigmas behind the dark glass of their distant cockpits, but one was sizing up the other.

The Jedi Knight Vayla Mirana sat in the pilot’s seat, gazing through the window at the assault ship, fully aware that its guns could lock onto her freighter at any moment and let loose a barrage, if so inclined. The scene was the setting for tension, within herself and within the circumstances of both ships being here to begin with. It had taken but one broadcast over the holonet for the Jedi Order to become hunted, by bounty hunters who wanted their prize and by Sector Rangers who wanted to pry some answers out of them.

Vayla did not blame the latter. Whomever had assaulted those locations in the video, and slaughtered the victims, not even the Jedi knew. Yet, everything pointed to the mysterious individuals scattered throughout the galaxy; strangers who wielded weapons that hummed with burning light, and made objects move with but a push or a pull of the hand. The Jedi of today were not like the Jedi of yore; the citizens of the galaxy did not hail or herald the Order. How could they? The Order was a mystery, hidden from the public by those who lived it, yet now the public were witnessing the unbridled violence of individuals who, by all accounts and appearances, at least appeared to be Jedi. The situation, if nothing else, was undeniably tense.

It was this level of friction between the denizens of the worlds and the factions that permeated them that had led Vayla on this mission. She had consulted with other members of the Order first, appealing to the wise and experienced, gaining insight and inspiration on how to carefully carry out her concerns and curiosities. She wasn't alone. Everyone wanted answers. It was the paramount need in the universe right now, and surely the will of the Force. So, the knight had reached out to a certain Sector Ranger who was apparently a little more sympathetic to the circumstances: Leon Terrick. His dealings with other Jedi had stated as much.

Vayla had taken her Padawan, Ke Eoto along, who had already expressed his desire to work with the Rangers for his own benefit; a request that his master had been glad to hear when voiced in the Jedi conference of Ajan Kloss headed by Oren Zapan. This was no publicity stunt, however. This was the first step to prove that the Jedi were not responsible for this outbreak; they were not the enemy. Was it not, then, only prudent that they appeal to the Sector Rangers, the police of the galaxy, who might both come to vouch for them, and the two aid one another in investigating the real culprits? Time would tell.

“That’s the ship, Ke Eoto,” Vayla stated in a low voice as though unwanted ears might be listening. Her Padawan was seated in the co-pilot’s chair just beside her. “Right where the Ranger said it would be. And here we are.” The cockpit was comfortable, not too warm and not too cold, but she felt a chill creep up her spine as though the space outside her ship was slithering inside. We are alone. In the space between the stars. In the dark. In the cold. “If you have any second thoughts about this, Ke Eoto, speak now. Because, moments from now, we’ll either be walking beside a Sector Ranger or in front of one, with stuncuffs on our wrists.”

Even as her Padawan expressed no intention of backing out, the knight had to take in a breath to steady her nerves, closing her eyes for a spell. Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. I am here to make and to keep peace. To show this Sector Ranger that the Jedi want the same. With emotion, I fear. Yet with courage, I will gain knowledge. I will gain truth.

With that, Vayla opened her eyes, pressed on her console to hail the SS-54, and spoke clearly. “Greetings.” A pause. A risk. A first step. But only one name for now. “I am Vayla Mirana of the Jedi Order. At your acquaintance. May I ask who pilots the assault ship before my freighter?” There was, of course, only one correct answer to that question: Leon Terrick of the Sector Rangers.



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[Ke Eoto]

For Ke Eoto's part, he was staying quiet for the most journey, either in the pilot seat or somewhere further in the back of the vessel where he wouldn't expose himself to the sight of the hyperspace stream too much and coming out to the co-pilot seat just when their journey was coming to an end. The Blood Carver tried to distance himself away from the technology, his senses not used to the insistent buzzing and flashing that usually came with it, and ships were of no exception it seemed. Unless directly addressed, Ke Eoto plunged himself into deep meditation, attempting to let his mind flow with the streams of the Force, expand it as much as he could without growing too aimless and senseless, forgetting what was the point of his rumination in the first place.

He hoped that by listening to the Force, and the patterns of his inner feelings it rearranged to its whim as it flowed through him. he would be able to divine which course he should take to preserve its desired pattern, which choice held the most balance. He also hoped that through meditation he would be able to commune with the ancient echos and spirits of Jedi long gone, should they be willing to talk to someone of his low rank and experience. Although the Blood Carver was well versed in the philosophy, laws, and codes of the Order, thanks to his meticulous note-keeping and the perseverance with which he took on all assigned literature, the practical application of the Force still eluded him for the most part, outside of the most basic and superficial abilities.

His mind was just flowing aimlessly through the currents of the Cosmic Force, lost in its many connections and pathways, the thought of reality and what he was searching for in that esoteric labyrinth long gone. Perhaps he even fell asleep again while attempting to meditate in the pilot seat, although he turned slightly to Vayla when his master mentioned the ship, pulling him back from the rumination and bringing his focus to the material space.

"This needs to pass."

He croaked out slightly in an affirmation that he was still willing to see the meeting with the ranger through. Like Vayla, he wanted to take part in establishing trust between the two organizations, although unlike his master, he did not thought that it was his part to investigate who these Jedi doppelgangers were, or even that they should be involved in the matter. He knew that other knights were already focused on the task, so he would rather leave such judgements to them, but in turn he trusted that his master would make the right choices.

Ke Eoto remained silent as Vayla spoke, already clad in his light-colored battle armor that hugged his frame tightly in its protective plates and did little to hide the alien shape of the elongated and too-thin-to-be-human body beneath. This time he decided to not wear any of his robes or tunic, still bringing his lightsaber along for the mission, but his vibrosword and hunting rifle as well. He understood that appearing as a Jedi would is a sensitive and dangerous matter at the time, and he was glad that he was one of those Jedi in the order that had training in more conventional weaponry before he joined the ranks.

 

[Leon Terrick]

A ship dropped out of Hyperspace and drifted toward his own ship. A 3-Z Freighter to be exact. Leon watched through the transparisteel shield as it crept closer to him. After a moment a female voice came over his ship's comms, identifying herself as Vayla Mirana of the Jedi Order. Guess it's now or never. What's the worst that could happen? He thought to himself before responding to her.


"This is Sector Ranger Leon Terrick aboard the Swift Justice. Glad to see you made it safely." Leon rises from the pilot chair and makes his way toward the docking ring on the starboard side of his ship. "I'll extend my docking ring so we can discuss our current situation face to face. All I ask is that you leave your weapons on your ship. Mine are currently locked up as well, as you will be able to see before you come aboard." Pressing the switch to extend the docking ring, he stands there on his side of the airlock. He was telling the truth. All of his weapons were locked in a weapon's locker directly behind him and the airlock. He wore a simple black tank top, pants and boots. The Sector Ranger emblem was tattooed on his right forearm. Voxx, his surveillance droid sat in its docking bay and Bravo, his astromech roamed around the ship

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[Vayla Mirana]

Music OOC [Recurring]

Spoiler

Vayla listened to the man’s voice over the com, determining that it sounded amicable enough. That meant little and less if this were all a ruse to capture some Jedi. Trust, Vayla. It does not come on its own. Sector Ranger Leon Terrick of the Swift Justice had a name to his ship that still gave the Jedi some second thoughts, but no thinking could pull her out now. Can it not? I can take the controls and fly us out of here in a heartbeat. We’ll never have to see each other again. If she did, would he follow? Would he turn his cannons on her ship? He was even asking his visitors to leave their weapons behind, and who knew what arsenal he kept in the armory aboard his assault ship, supposedly ‘locked up’? Trust. Trust.

“I will comply.” She spoke plainly across the channel. “Maneuvering now.”

And like that, the Star’s Sanctum broke from the staredown between both ships and approached the Swift Justice. Vayla stationed her ship alongside the docking ring, and it was only that and a couple of hatches that kept the two crews apart. She performed a final check around her cockpit, all too aware that it could very well be the last time that she ever saw it, but she was prepared for that outcome. Her DL-18 pistol was holstered beside her seat, her lightsaber placed beside it, though only after she grazed a thumb across the hilt as though bidding farewell to a friend. This. All because of this. No, not the lightsaber—the ones who abuse the handling of it.

“Here we go, Ke Eoto. Worst comes to worst, we have the Force. May it be with us.” Vayla rose from the chair and offered her Padawan a smile that was sincere, even while suspecting that the fear of the unknown had a greater hold over her than him. As much as she longed for discovery, sometimes the journey could be dangerous, and this situation was no exception. Her resolve reigned supreme as she stood at the hatch staring at the door, before a series of beeps and boops stole her attention and she turned to receive her B-G astromech droid. Somehow he had calmed every nerve in her body.

“You stay here, Panda. Watch the ship. We’ll be back.” We’ll be back.

Moments later and the Jedi stood face to face with the Sector Ranger.

Leon Terrick was a tall man, as solid and stern as Vayla would have expected for a Ranger, though where she might have expected to find a blaster pointing at the door, this man was as unarmed as he had stated. That was a step forward in trust. He was smart to be wearing what he had on, with no obvious spot to conceal a weapon. Or a pair of stuncuffs in his hands. As Vayla looked upon the locker behind him, she spotted the tattoo on his forearm, all but confirming that he was indeed a Sector Ranger.

Opposite him, Vayla was dressed in a dark blue cotton jacket, unzipped to reveal a grey shirt, along with black cargo pants and boots. There were no robes on her person, no garments to hint at any archetype of a Jedi, and the reasons for that would be obvious enough. More than a need for subtlety, though, if this meeting went well then she would be working right beside a Sector Ranger. It was only fitting that she dressed accordingly.

“I am Vayla Mirana,” she reestablished before gesturing toward the Blood Carver standing beside her. “And this is Ke Eoto, my Padawan.” And how many other Rangers in this ship? How many hiding, waiting to spring? Tempted though she was to let her gaze rove the interior, Vayla kept her prosthetic eyes upon Leon’s own.

“Thank you for receiving us, Leon Terrick. We have much to discuss.”



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[Ke Eoto]

It became pretty clear that the Blood Carver was picking up on Vayla's nervousness as he croaked out,

"You seem more anxioos than I am."

As she stood up from her chair and Ke Eoto followed in suite, pushing himself up to stand and follow behind,

"I sense no distur-bance, I trust in what is to occur, we are toge-ther."

He croaked out some more as he went to accompany Vayla by the docking ring hatch, passing by his sword and hunting rifle stowed within one of the ship's storage lockers or closets.

When the meeting finally occurred and they came to face Leon, the Blood Carver was slightly behind and to the side of Vayla. His face was obscured behind a somewhat oval helmet with a nearly featureless smooth faceplate mask. Ke Eoto was currently wearing a black body glove, with a layer of armored plates over it fashioned out of a silvery-grey metal, just as his helm was. The suit had no discernible markings of allegiance or manufacture, and it did little to hide the alien physique beneath. The limbs were far too long and too thin to be human, a waist so narrow it seemed to be spine alone, the hands and feet had three digits, and each limb had one joint too many.

As Vayla introduced her apprentice, the tall, slender alien bent at his waist, greeting Leon with a bow of his two meters tall body,

"It is regree-table we meet in this circum-staances as I wished to meet a Raan-ger for some time now."

The Padawan croaked out in inhuman voice, delivering words through strange intonations of an alien accent as he forced out the sounds through vocal cords not used, or meant, to speaking anything close to resembling Galactic Basic.

 

[Leon Terrick]

Leon didn't quite know what to expect when the Airlock hissed open. He knew of Vayla only by name but other than that he had no inclination of her species. A Pantoran. Should of guessed by the accent. He thought to himself after seeing her. She reintroduced herself as well as her..Padawan? Leon wasn't quite sure what that meant and he ran his eyes over the other being, who was dressed in all black with a full helmet. Not recognizing the species of the other Leon debated on his next step. However, after a moment of pause, he takes a step to the side and motions for them to board his ship.


"Thank you for reaching out. There are quite a few..rumors floating around about the Jedi, rumors that I need to find some truth to. Come aboard, my Ship may not be the most comfortable but she does the job good enough." The 'Padawan' speaks, an inhuman voice that Leon still couldn't place. It was regrettable that they had to meet like this in space, but it was what the current situation called for. "While the circumstances aren't the most favorable, hopefully some good can come out of this meeting." He says, offering a smile. He was on edge, even without their weapon's these Jedi had shown they had powers that Leon or any of the Sector Ranger's understood. If they decided to fry him with lightning from their fingertips, he doubted having a blaster would help him anyway.

@Die Shize @Manufactorium

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Music OOC [Recurring]

Spoiler

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The more that Leon talked, with each word that came between his lips, the more reassured Vayla became. Back in her cockpit, Ke Eoto, her own apprentice, had reminded his master of a powerful tenet when it came to trusting, not in feelings, but in senses. If not for his input, she might have been standing by the edge of this assault ship wondering if the trap would spring at any moment. Trust. Not fear. Fear clouds your senses and keeps you from trusting in them. She might have told her Padawan as much, but even now she was telling herself.

So, Vayla accepted Leon’s offer and came aboard the Swift Justice without further delay. His own voice was a calming thing, and while she had not met many Rangers in her lifetime, she would admit to herself that she had expected most were rough and rugged creatures. This one, not so much. Considering his words, she turned to Ke Eoto if for no other reason than to check his position, not needing to see his face to feel his presence.

“The circumstances are not favorable for anyone right now,” she replied to Leon with a weak smile. “The light is dim on the truth behind those circumstances, and that is why we are here—to find the truth.”

Truth. Trust your senses. This place is secure. Even if by some event it was not, the worst outcome just might be cuffs on her wrists and those of Ke Eoto’s. Vayla had no intention of not cooperating no matter the means. What she had prepared herself for was the very real possibility that even an honest Sector Ranger might deem it fit to follow protocol and take these Jedi captive to in turn take them in for questioning. Whatever happened, happened, as long as any step taken was another step closer toward the truth.

Saying nothing else, Vayla shifted her gaze from Leon to his ship, letting her eyes ask him if there might be a more comfortable spot to talk, no matter the comfort of his ship overall. Both parties had a number of questions, and Vayla felt increasingly fortunate that Leon Terrick had been unbiased enough to grant this somewhat unofficial meeting so that the questions could go both ways, and hopefully the answers.



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[Ke Eoto]

@Grifter, @Die Shize,

Only a subtle turn of Ke Eoto's face hidden behind a helm would betray that he would glance back to Vayla beneath the mask when she looked to him. Even a Padawan could sense the unease emanating off of Leon, although he felt no malice in the man, at least not on the surface, and a sensation of Vayla's own worries being replaced by serenity and trust helped Ke Eoto keep himself in a similar state.

"I hoope you will be willing to answer soome ques-tioons about the Sec-tor Raangers as well, Sec-tor Raanger Leon Terrrick. I haave personal intereest in your organi-zation you see."

The alien Padawan croaked out in a meticulous speech of elongated syllables and strange intonations. As he waited for Leon to lead them deeper into the ship to an area where they could have their discussion, Ke Eoto reached up to his helmet. He unlocked the seals, making the helm give off a hiss of depressurized air as the faceplate mask opened up and the seal at the neck slid apart to release him. Ke Eoto peeled the protective headgear off of himself, revealing the iridescent golden plates of chitin that covered his head. The hardened plates formed his facial features, brows from under which two tight, piercing pale-blue eyes peered out at Leon, scalp of ridges from which black quills extended out at the rear like slicked-back hair, a beak of chitin split into two at its middle protruding away from his jaw.

His facial plates remained unmoving like a golden mask of alien facial expression, watching Leon passively as the alien awaited either the Ranger's retort to his comment, or to be lead deeper into the vessel they were invited in.

 

[Leon Terrick]

Leon politely inclines his head as both Jedi and Padawan enter his ship. The assault ship was, just that and its interior showed as much. They were currently in the main 'hold' of the ship which was normally meant to carry a number of troops or light cargo. It had some minor modifications to it, as to include two 'cells' as well as a small bed next to the weapons locker. On one wall there were a number of foldable seats but this was obviously where he transported criminals as well as slept aboard his ship. His jacket, blast vest and other items were neatly laid out on his bed but other than that there were no other personal items in view. A ladder led up to the cockpit and a small hall led to engineering. He motions to the foldable seats on one side, while he himself pushed his jacket and blast vest aside and sat on the edge of the cot-like bed.

"The light is dim all together right now, I think. Not just on the truth. My job is to find that dim light and rip it open into a roaring sun." He pauses, watching the Padawan remove his helmet. Tilting his head slightly, he tries to place the origin of the Padawan. While the species looked familiar he still couldn't place the name of it. "Now then, shall we get to business? I have questions and" He pauses looking toward the Padawan. "You do as well. I want to see a peaceful end to this between the Jedi and the Sector Rangers. We have enough enemies that I'd rather not add a force of magic wielding individuals that have laser swords that can throw my own blaster bolts back at me."

@Die Shize @Manufactorium

 

[Vayla Mirana]

Music OOC [Recurring]

Spoiler

​

At the sound of an unmistakable hiss, there was no mistake to the action that was being performed right beside her. Vayla had moved to sit down at Leon’s gesture but found herself doing so slowly, watching the helmet come off of Ke Eoto’s head like it was a whole new ritual. In truth, this was the gesture of an individual who had given his trust to the setting—an assault ship owned by a Sector Ranger, of all places. No, more than that, Ke Eoto had given his trust to the Force. His senses. Something so simple, yet so strong. She had to force herself to look away as she smiled, the boy not knowing the power of his own persuasion when it came to the nerves of his master. What a Blood Carver's really were, she could as yet only wonder, but each day with her Padawan was a new day of understanding.

When Leon spoke, Vayla leaned closer in her seat, half-expecting the man to recite poetry as he mirrored her own words and spoke of the dim light all around them. When his tongue gave way to ripping that dim light open into a roaring sun, Vayla found herself leaning slightly back. Goodness! Poetic, yes, but fierce too. That wasn’t terrible. As they sat there and talked, the Jedi Knight was feeling more comfortable and more like they were actually talking. There were no demands coming from the Sector Ranger’s mouth. In their stead, he spoke of requests and of one in particular: peace.

“Lightsabers.” She smiled politely while correcting him, then herself with a shrug to even the odds. “Well, as light-sabers they are swords, in a sense, like the metallic ‘sabre’, a word that in Basic may mean “to cut”, but it is not a laser that protrudes from the hilt but a beam of plasma.”

Vayla took a breath to continue before realizing that the story might not end until the tensions between her order and his organization did. Clearing her throat, she looked from Ke Eoto to Leon Terrick. “Anyway, we share your desire for peace, Leon. Not just the Jedi before you but those whom we call our friends—our family. Our hope, my hope,” she personalized the meaning. “Is that the Jedi and the Rangers become friends because, as you say, there are already enemies out there. Some of those enemies, well, the Jedi are not entirely prepared for, and if we are not then take no offense when I say that you and yours are not.”

Vayla thought back to the HoloNet recordings from Durr the Hutt, and the subsequent footage that she had been privy to during gatherings on Ajan Kloss. As they played back in her mind within mere seconds, she saw one image flash before her eyes on top of it all. A red blade of hate.

“There is a darkness growing around this ship, one that is somehow shrouded in shadow, and we must be the light that breaks it. So, I will defer to you, Leon Terrick.” With that, she sat up straight and cupped her hands in her lap, giving the man a gaze with barely a blink amid her prosthetic eyes. “Ask away.”


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[Ke Eoto]

@Die Shize, @Grifter,

"Our recoords show that once the Aancient Repuublic and Jedi Oorder worked together cloosely. Although I do not belieeve we should return fully to these daays, I believee that our Ordeer is ready to be more activee in helping the planets bound by Pax Gaalaa-ctica of Free Woorlds Aliaance."

The alien apprentice croaked out as the trio moved over to the foldable seats that Leon pointed out to be their meeting point. Ke Eoto followed in suit behind Vayla, carrying his helmet under one arm and sitting next to his master before pivoting on the seat to face Leon once more. He didn't said anything more at that point, instead just faintly nodding in agreement when Vayla gave up on any further comments or pressing the ranger and just allowed for Leon to begin his inquiry about their order.

So he looked to Leon once more and in silence awaited for the ranger to begin his questioning.