Ask Coruscant Living in the Present

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal sure had been coming to the Core Worlds a lot recently. His poor ship already had to work hard flying across the Outer Rim, and the old girl was needing more frequent tune ups from the back and forth. Maybe he should look into finding a new one soon. It didn't look the young Knight was going to get any less busy any time soon.

A few things had piled up after getting out of the hospital, between checking in on current events and tracking down a certain someone's ship. Hannibal hadn't gotten to some of the other things he'd come to Coruscant weeks ago for in the first place. He'd visited the prison first thing on arrival, so he felt a little justified in forgetting some of the other niceties. But now seemed like the best time to get to something he'd been putting off extra hard, especially considering the flashes of insight he was getting ever since he read the Arcanist's lightsaber. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out too awkward.

Dressed in his most common robes and gloves, a far cry from the suit he'd worn on his last visit but just as flashy in its own way, particularly with his colorful tattoos and new scars plainly visible on his arms. He had a prettily-wrapped package tucked neatly under his right arm as he took long strides down the city walkway leading to the Ranger station he knew Lieutenant Aran worked. His lightsaber was the only weapon on him, clipped to his belt in plain sight. A year ago he would have refused to display it at all, but times and people were changing. People weren't so scared of him anymore, and more than once he responded to a greetings or thanks by flashing a friendly grin or a deflecting joke.

Hannibal arrived outside the station itself a little later than he'd intended, ashing the cigarra he'd ended up lighting on the way in an ashtray and making sure his expression was properly intact. He stepped through the doors, offering his hellos to the security up front. He whispered the contents of his gift conspiratorially, receiving a bemused look and a shrug in response as the scan confirmed what he'd say. It's not like he was here to cause trouble.

He briefly inquired about the analysts he'd been working with at the prison, having heard they'd gotten out safely on the Catspaw after, and then moved to the front desk, plopping his gift on top.

"Is Lieutenant Trys Aran around?"

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

The Jedi were very much welcome after the prison disaster, though this made many nervous about Sith being able to sneak in posing as one. Hannibal’s saber was still thoroughly checked and even ignited to ensure it didn’t emit a red blade. After he asked for Trys, he was led towards her office on the second level.

Trys was back to work as soon as she was possibly able. She still couldn’t strain her voice too much and the bruises from the Force choke were faintly still there. However, she was back to analyzing and uncovering as much as she could on the ‘Sith’.

She glanced up when she saw the Jedi, pausing for a moment before she recognized him. He looked different without a suit, but he was still well put together. Trys, on the other hand, looked tired and exhausted already. She offered him a smile and a nod, “Knight Grayza if I recall correctly,” She was always unsure on how to address Jedi, “Good to see you here,” Trys’s eyes temporarily flickered over to the package under his arm before moving back to his eyes.

“Circumstances are entirely different from our last visit, aren’t they…” She said quietly as she plopped down in her seat and invited him to take the one across from her. He would notice she spoke with a low and strained voice, still struggling a bit through her recovery.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

He let the inspection of his lightsaber go with good grace, understanding the uncertainty of knowing what space wizard was what. They couldn't sense the difference, after all. Good thing they were usually color coded, eh?

Hannibal waved and grinned cheerily as he was led let into Trys' office, mentally taking note of how she looked rather overworked. His eyes flicked quickly between her face and the bruises across her neck, a foreign sense of worry from somewhere in a white room briefly flitting through his head before he dismissed it. That was getting annoying.

"Hannibal, please. Or Hans if ya like. Lovely to see you up and about again." He smoothly took the offered seat, placing his package on his lap, one finger idly tapping quietly against it. Now that he thought about it, was he including too many things in one gift? He was already going to send something, but then more happened and he added more. She likes baked goods, right? he thought to himself, then remembered he knows she does. Wait, no he doesn't. Stop that.

"It sure is, isn't it? What a nice change of pace. I don't hold it against you, of course, we're a strange bunch." he leaned forward a little, looking again on the bruises on her neck. He was pretty sure he knew who caused those. A brief pang of guilt ran through him and he leaned back in his chair again. "One of the Jedi could probably help you with that, you know." he pointed out, waving a hand in the general direction of her neck. "Lots of healers."

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys eyed him curiously as he took a seat, and she couldn’t help but have her gaze flicker down to the ‘gift’ he brought with him. She also didn’t miss how his gaze kept going over to her neck and the bruising there. Trys coming under attack was no secret - it had been announced on Holo after all. Her life wasn’t her own anymore, and nowhere near the levels of privacy she was normally used to.

“The Jedi have enough going on without concerning themselves with me,” She waved her hand as she spoke, thinking about the losses they had taken. Trys was still having trouble believing that the Jedi had endangered themselves like that and defended her people with their lives. She looked at him for a moment, leaning forward in her seat.

“You were there,” It was a statement, not a question, “You and other Jedi put your lives at risk for the Rangers,” Trys glanced down, sighing, “I can’t even begin to understand why. I arrested a Jedi Master within your ranks and…” She shook her head, “Things have a funny way of turning out.”

She looked at him again, “I can assure you that the Jedi have the full backing of the Rangers after the prison disaster. There is no doubt anymore that the Jedi are here to help. We have begun social campaigns to reassure the public of that,” Trys had personally begun to oversee those operations to ensure that the civilians didn’t continue to mix all Force users up.

“So….what brings you here exactly?”

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal waved away Trys' comment about Oren's arrest and the Jedi fighting to defend Rangers with all the seriousness of a man turning down a free drink. "Don't regret what you did. If we stopped defending people just because they didn't like us, we would be pretty shit Jedi, if you ask me."

Hannibal himself didn't entirely trust the Rangers simply because they were tied to a government, and his own personal experience of how mutable governments and laws were across the galaxy showed him that governments and those who enforced their laws weren't always out for the good of the people. They enforced order and law rather than peace, technically speaking. But Hannibal would still throw himself into the line of fire to protect them should they come under assault again, and was steadily warming up to the Rangers as an organization in general. They did good work.

"I do appreciate the change in policy, though. Let's call it a cautious mistake and leave it in the past, yeah? We're both working to keep the peace. You and your people have worked just as hard without the benefit of special powers. Which segways me nicely into the reason I'm actually here."

He stood, lifting himself along with his package out of the chair. It was wrapped in a childish blue and gold paper with what were definitely cartoon Sector Rangers on it, oversized boots and wide hats and everything, all tied together with a gold-colored bow in a fancy arrangement at the top. He offered it forward over the top of the desk with both hands, bowing at a precise forty-five degree angle as he did. His tone switched abruptly to something very formal, in stark contrast to his earlier casual attitude and resembling the mannerisms he'd taken up during his last visit to the station.

"Thank you for your efforts in risking your life to capture the dark sider. During the attack on the prison, I tried to prevent him from escaping, and failed to do so. In my failure I wasted your hard work, and you have my sincerest apologies. Please accept this as a get well gift as well as an affirmation of the newfound friendship between Sector Rangers and the Jedi Order, and my personal promise to work hard in future to correct my mistake. It would be very much appreciated if you did."

This was a thing from Hannibal's culture much more than Jedi culture, though he doubted the distinction would make much difference. He had failed in what he meant to do and succeeded in others, and he felt the need to make up for it in some way. Besides, he was already going to give half this stuff to Trys anyway.

Inside the box beneath the wrapping, which was actually a two-tiered wooden box, were several items. The first and most obvious was a clearly unloaded RSKF-44 heavy blaster alongside three power packs, a macroscope, and a set of manufacturer's instructions. In the tier beneath it was a collection of home-made and wrapped baked goods including brownies, cookies, and an absolutely massive eclair that sat alongside a bottle of aged Corellian brandy.

He'd only paid for some of the stuff, as the blaster had been sent by his mother in response to hearing about the attack on the prison. That woman meant the best, but her idea of a good gift was usually some form of weaponry. Not that Hannibal could judge considering he was doing the same thing, but Lieutenant Aran seemed like someone who could use a reliable blaster in these troubled times. Plus, who doesn't like brownies? Probably the Sith, those damn weirdos.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys quirked an eyebrow as he spoke, “It wasn’t a mistake,” She said after a moment, “He did, after all, assault some folks and mutilate them. I only wish the first interactions with Jedi hadn’t been the arrest,” Trys shrugged. But Hannibal was right - the past was the past and there was no sense in lingering on it now.

When he mentioned all the gifts were for her, surprise was visible on her face. She watched him begin to unwrap everything and the surprise became more pronounced till her mouth was actually open. Trys simply stared after he finished speaking, looking over blaster and the assortment of other things, “Wow...I…” It was then that she unexpectedly began to laugh. She grinned as she looked at him, “Is this because you heard the rumors about me stubbornly clinging onto a stun blaster that’s never served me right?” The entire Ranger department knew about it and they kept nagging her to get a real gun. She had even tried using it on the Sith that hurt her.

Trys took the brandy out and marveled over it, “Now this...this is something meant to be shared,” She glanced over a few of the baked goods, “What’s a partnership if you don’t commiserate together?” Trys rose and opened up a cabinet, pulling out two mugs. She wasn’t in the habit of keeping glasses for alcohol here, but the mugs would do. She poured some for both of them, sliding his mug over to him. He would notice his mug had a cute little drawing on it with the words ‘I luv mom’ on it.

She also helped herself to a cookie, spinning the box over for the Jedi to help himself, “You know, you seem a lot less…..stiff than most Jedi I’ve worked with,” Trys took a sip from the brandy, “Oren said Jedi don’t even watch Holomovies. Horrifying stuff…”

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal beamed at the Lieutenant. She'd accepted the gift, which was half the reason he'd come. Especially the blaster, which he was originally going to deliver when she was still in the hospital. Stun pistols were okay, but the RSKF stunned harder anyway. Trys could knock just about anyone out with that thing.

"That is the case! Even the analysts I was working with at the prison mentioned it. Plus, if all else fails you can always just hit someone with it. It's a little heavy." He sat back down and leaned back casually in his chair, the formality seeming to drain out of him as suddenly as it'd come. "That is an excellent idea." he said, taking hold of the offered mug.

He couldn't help but smile a little at the drawing on it, bringing it up to his eyes to look at in his gloved hand. "Cute. Kid cute too?" he asked her, taking a sip from his cup before placing it gently back down on the desk. He took a cookie out of the box and held it over his his other hand as he took a bite from it.

Then he made a face, though it wasn't at the cookie. No Holomovies, seriously?

"Good lord, you have no idea. I'll take that as a compliment. A wise man once said 'Solemnity is the armor of fools', or something like that. Being a stick in the mud won't lead one to enlightenment any damn faster, if you ask me." Hannibal certainly wasn't the standard mold of Jedi when it came to his personality and hobbies, but he still was one all the same. He'd just never ascribed being a Jedi to also being a contemplative hermit. It seemed to work for some, but definitely not Hannibal.

"What matters is we do our best to help people, right? The only thing that makes us really different is one of us can make things float when they want to." He demonstrated this point by floating the bitten into cookie above his hand and spinning it slowly on its axis, a few stray crumbs forming a little ring around it.

@Sreeya

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys grinned at his question about her son, “He likes to think he’s a grown man now so ‘cute’ would probably offend him,” She looked over at the cup, thinking back to how little he had been when he wrote that. She barely saw Crix nowadays with how popular and busy he was, and she knew it would only get worse over time. Trys pushed the thought from her mind, enjoying the brandy and the cookies.

“Did you bake these yourself?” Trys helped herself to another, marveling at the taste, “No offense, but I can’t imagine Jedi know how to….cook either,” She shrugged, failing to hide a smirk at the comment. Then again, if she had the Force she wouldn’t waste time teaching herself a lot of life skills.

Trys watched him use his powers to float a cookie and the crumbs. It was almost mesmerizing to watch, “How did you find your way to the Jedi? Did you just wake up with strange powers one day and some mysterious Jedi showed up to sweep you away?” She wasn’t exactly sure how the recruitment tactics worked. She couldn’t imagine people put up posters or social campaigns to recruit more Jedi...

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal chuckled as Trys explained about her son. Somehow to him that just confirmed things. Children were strange little things that never seemed to turn out how one expects them to. He sipped at his mug of brandy.

"None taken! I like to keep some variety in my skills. I'm hardly at the temple and pre-packed meals aren't great. The Force is certainly helpful, but I personally would rather not use it as a crutch. Besides, no one ever makes things spicy the way I like." He laughed again and leaned back in his hair, balancing it on the two back legs in a supremely casual fashion. The cookie gently returned to the palm of his hand and he finished it off before responding to the next question, using that time to think. Hannibal felt like he'd just had this conversation with Talak. Maybe it would be simpler the second time.

If only he could smoke indoors.

"Kinda? I've always seen and heard odd things. It was normal to me. A Jedi my mother and I ran into pointed out my sensitivity to the Force and off I went. I'm better for it, I think. The Force can be used to help people." Not exactly a thrilling tale of magic and mystery, but Hannibal decided to keep some specific details more to himself. The Force had helped him when he needed it, and so he helped others in return.

"What about you? What drew you to the Rangers?"

@Sreeya