Ask Layla and Sarella on a Farming Adventure-la

[Layla Tamm]

N'croth, M'haeli​

At the best of times padawans didn't always get the best of missions, psuedo-padawans like her even less so. But she had heard that there had been some sort of Jedi-Con on Yavin, and people had been worried about padawans hanging out with the wrong sort, and getting into trouble, and that had just made things worse. Not that Layla was bothered by that, she was okay with staying at the temple and minding her own business, she had no interest in handing out with the wrong sort. But that hadn't been the extent of the discussion, and there was renewed interest in the AgriCorps. And so another level of bad had been added to the list of missions that you could be sent on, and this one she did care about. She hated agriculture, being in nature, getting your hands dirty, she didn't like any of that.

The Jedi she was with, whom she kept on giving nervous glances as they walked through the streets of N'croth, had probably pissed off the wrong people and had been assigned what was the double whammy. Babysit a youngling while on an AgriCorp assignment. Layla assuming she was as pissed at the situation as she herself would have been, even though she had seemed perfectly polite on their flight over, and was quiet as they walked, giving her careful nervous glances while doing her very best to avoid eye contact. Not that she needed a reason to be quiet, it was almost her default state of being.

Regardless of the reason for her being quiet, she was quiet, keeping her focus on how great she would be on this mission. She wasn't really good at talking with strangers, and from what she knew this mission was just going to be a lot of talking with suppliers and farmers and buying the right equipment, fertilizers, seeds, and a bunch of other stuff. She wasn't really sure how farming worked, but she was sure it definitely involved those three. Social skills, and required knowledge, the only two things she needed, the two things she didn't have. And of course, as was to be expected, things somehow got worse. She sensed something, or to be more precise heard it, and suddenly she had a whole other reason to be worried. Picking up her pace, she almost bumped into Sarella and nudged her to get her attention.

"I think," she whispered as she glanced back over her shoulder, "I think we're being followed."

 

[Sarella]

It had only been a few days since the impromptu meeting on Yavin, and Sarella had almost immediately thrown herself into the new surge of activity that swept through the Order. For all the years that the Consular had been a Jedi, she had largely clung to the far reaches of the Galaxy - light years away from the war and the public eye, often relegated to isolated and backwater worlds within the Rim. In truth, it was where she was most comfortable - with only her own thoughts to keep her company. But, things were changing across the Galaxy - and it required the reclusive Jedi to roll up her sleeves and pull her own weight within the Order, and she took her new charge in stride.

Of course, Sarella couldn’t help but roll her eyes ever-so-slightly at the mission she was assigned to. While the Agricorps certainly had its place, the Consular frankly found the organization to be exceptionally low on the list of things the Order ought to be prioritizing. She had vocalized as much back on Yavin, and the Consular was convinced a certain Jedi Councilor was responsible out of pure spite.

Nevertheless, she was committed to completing the assignment on behalf of the Order regardless. She promptly boarded the shuttle bound of M’haeli, strolling down the durasteel ramp as it landed within the spaceport of N’croth. Her silver-blonde hair was tied up into a braided ponytail, and she was adorned in her signature Jedi tunic - shades of blue and gold that clearly distinguished her from the crowd. Her hand were wrapped within leather gloves, and there was notably no saber hilt to be seen on her belt.

After a long while, her gaze flicked down to Layla - cerulean eyes lingering briefly on the youngling. It wasn’t often that Sarella found herself around the younger generation of Jedi, and had neglected to take on a Padawan since becoming a knight - but she nevertheless was nothing but kind with the young Togruta. “Come on,” She said quietly, giving the girl a small nudge. “It isn’t so bad,” The Consular flashed a small smile, jutting her chin head. In truth, Sarella felt right at home on the agricultural planet. She was Fallanassi, and her own village upbringing had been filled with basic farming and husbandry. M’haeli reminded her of home and brought with it a sense of comfort difficult to verbalize.

Minutes passed, however, and Sarella didn’t miss the subtle shift from the people all around them. She caught the long, empty stares that were cast their way - and the Consular had long-since detected the trio of men who trailed them distantly. She didn’t know why, but there was no question they were being closely watched and followed.

“Yes, we are.” Sarella said quietly down to Layla, still keeping her pace forward. “Stay close to me.” Her words were a bit firmer just then, seriousness bleeding into her tone. “We were scheduled to review grain storages - if they follow us to the facility, we will confront them.” Her melodic voice was spoken barely above a whisper, just loud enough for the youngling. “Until then, don’t give them reason to believe we know.”

@Wit