Open [Kol Iben] The Favor

[Oren Zapan]

​

The gentle hum and beeps of the navigation board could be heard across the tight cockpits of the ship, as the blackness of the endless void and twinkling stars in the distance could be seen stretching across the blast window of the ship. It had been a quiet ride, mostly hidden within the darkness of sub-light transfer, meaning it had been a long and bumpy travel. Thankfully, he was no longer alone on this journey--Lilith had tracked him down from the Unknown Regions of space.

It had been months since the Jedi had stepped into more populated sectors of space, he needed to get away, to find the truths within himself and to study the force. It seemed the war had only picked up during his absence, this time he knew what was needed--what he must become. Before he could return to the temple though, he had something that needed done.

The gas clouds began to swell around the viewport of the shuttle as the two of them began to make their way into the upper atmosphere of the giant gas planet. The scanner's beeped as the nav-coordinates began tracing for the exact location for where they were heading. "Hold onto your seat, this may get a bit bumpy."

The Jedi Councilor sneered as he held onto the controls, shifting the ship to avoid small gas explosions and bursts within the clouds. The ship's alarm systems rang out with a cry, but if Lilith looked to him--she would see no fear or anxiety in his mangled alien flesh. "The mining station should be drifting within these coordinates--do you see it?" His eyes would squint, all he saw was the rolling dark greens and blacks of the toxic gas.

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Whatever Oren was up to, Lilith wasn't entirely convinced she wanted to be part of it... yet, she'd put weeks into tracking him down and wasn't going to leave his side now. She wanted to learn more from him, and this time she wasn't planning on running away. She knew what she wanted. Now, if he returned to a Jedi temple after this she wouldn't follow him that far, but she'd keep in touch.

When the alarms went off she felt herself tense, but her eyes fell over Oren and his distinct calmness. She wasn't sure she'd ever have that kind of peace, and watching him filled her with more doubts than anything. That was probably the opposite effect he'd expect of someone who wanted to be a student.

Her eyes turned away when asked if she saw the mining station. At first she saw nothing, but her voice broke the silent with a "There!" as she pointed in a direction.

"But, what are we doing here?" she asked, looking back at the man for a moment. "Oren, a lot has happened since you've been gone. Things you should know... including things in the Sith."

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

​

The Jedi shifted the controls forward before quickly pulling back on the thrusters, which caused the shuttle to shift and weave among the smog filled clouds. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lilith's slender digits reach out to point towards a small speck floating among the clouds. There it was, the Teppanini Mining Union's Station 251.

Why were they bothering with this? When a war was on the brink of breaking out across the galaxy. He could feel the unease and the tension in her words, he felt the darkness rising--the final battle, the climax between light and dark was on the verge. That much the councilor knew--and that was why today was important.

"We're helping an old friend," he'd say quietly as he brought the ship towards a platform, which was manned by several Ugnaughts and Jawa. Many of which beckoned and shifted their gaze towards the ship. Oren would quickly step from his ship, his lighsaber clipped clearly for all to see.

Before them, shuffled a silver plated protocol droid, his arms stiff and rigid, "Good evening Sir...you must be Oren Zapan, Tryls Margath, will be pleased of your arrival." The droid shifted it's receptors to the small slender woman, "And who might you be?"

Oren looked to her with a gentle smile--his hand resting on her shoulder. He was ready to listen to her concerns while they made their way into the grand mining complex.

tag: @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

"Helping someone..." she echoed. She wasn't sure why, but she followed behind Oren anyway.

A frown tugged at her cheeks when the man asked who she was however. Her eyes, that were now slightly less yellow, flicked to Ore before flicking back to the man. She was not accustomed to simply handing out one of her names without preparation. Usually she choose which alias she was going by before she went anywhere. Today, however, she never planned to do anything besides talk to Oren.

"Aelia," she said after a moment, without explaining who she was. It was her birth name, one she rarely used, but she'd probably never return to this place again so it was safe to drop it.

Her eyes scanned the area as they walked forward, until she felt Oren's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him again, at that smile of his; it both frustrated her and somehow made her feel safe around him. "I..." she paused, feeling a pang of guilt. "They've taken over Sullust and a few neighboring worlds. The Order is thriving." It was a start, she left out the whole 'I helped lead the takeover' part for now. "And a Sith experiment went wrong. The experiments are loose in the galaxy and whispers of the chaos they're already sewing is starting to float around the Order."

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

​

The two of them would slowly enter the heart of the station, finding out that it was more of a city than a mining station. Various Domed and Squared buildings stretched across the world, connected by platforms. Below more structures could be seen, and Oren himself imagined this was where the actual mining and processing of Gas occurred.

What was odd was that the platforms seemed mostly empty, except for a few various worker droids and some Jawa which scattered about. No humanoids could be seen, though the Jedi could see that the city was active. He paid it no mind for now, they still had a few more platforms to cross before they could arrive at the location he was probed to meet.

"Sullust?" Oren would ask, a frown forming on the near-human's mangled face, "They won't stop, not until they have taken every planet. This is the first of many." He'd say with a sigh, his eyes shifting to Lilith, "Some sort of abomination? Don't tell me it involves those undead creatures."

tag: @Dread