Many Bothans: Let's Make A Deal

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

[fancybox2]

BOTHAWUI
1400 Hours

Rebels meet with the head of the Bothan Intelligence agency and obtain information on the Bothan Council to convince them of an alliance with the GA

Mission Page ; Self DM ; @Wit
@EmilyHuene ; @Raydo [/fancybox2]

It was no surprise why Jedi Knight Kae'Leigh Tameris had been dispatched again for a mission of diplomacy. The girl was a natural spokesperson and with her friendly and welcoming demeanor about her personality it was hard to be angry with her. But another reason, if not unspoken by the council, was that Miss Tameris was of Twi'lek dissent. That, and her Padawan was a Kushiban. Both were of non-human species and would likely present a receive a better reception from the Bothans than if a pure human might.

Kae'Leigh didn't care for the reason. She was good at her job because she understood the stakes. The Galactic Alliance was nowhere near strong enough to handle the Sith Empire alone. Especially now that the two sides had finally come together as one. The Mandalorians could help them in their cause, but the jar-head clans seemed to have plans of their own.

With the reputation of the Bothans as master spies and the close proximity of Bothawui to rebel space, the time was ripe for the Galactic Alliance to make a push to convince the Bothans to join their cause. Being somewhat of a spy herself, Kae'Leigh felt it might not be the best idea to bring along her usual slicing deck. They were sure to see through its disguise and then all hope of them joining the cause would go out the airlock. So, she stuck with bringing along only the necessities.

The most important piece to Kae'Leigh person was that of her brylark lightsaber hilt, cut from the Life tree on Kashyyyk. Inside this wooden hilt was a Kyber crystal she'd taken from the icy cavern on Ilum. And with it, a vision of her future. A vision she shared with very few, not even her own Padawan. It was a secret she kept dear to her heart for fear that if she told too many people, the dream would not come to fruition and Kae'Leigh could not bear that in her soul. Aside from that, she carried a basic utility belt with random tools she might need for slicing on the run, say if she ran into a locked door while trying to escape. Not that she planned on running into any hostilities here.

The two ambassadors were currently flying in Kae'Leigh's Mynock-series freighter with a little KLT-astromech droid doing the actual flying. Kae'Leigh was sitting in the pilot's chair but Johnny -that was the name he'd been given before she took custody of him- would bring them all the way to the hangar and dock for them. Kae'Leigh knew how to fly, but she didn't waste her energy on simple things like docking. In combat, sure. She'd thought about maybe teaching Firen how to fly...but then she didn't want to insult him by figuring out how to make a booster seat for him to reach the controls.

As she sat there, she kept her hands held palm up in her lap. Her brylark saber floated gently around in circles. She'd open it's pieces so the blue gem in the center shined brightly in the light of the hyperspace tunnel. She hadn't been sitting here this whole time; she'd come merely to wait out the last twenty minutes of the journey as they'd been exiting Light speed in the next few minutes.

The blue skinned Twi'lek was wearing her usual Jedi Knight outfit which was tailored with black leather and had durasteel plates woven into the fabric for better protection and lighter dexterity. The armor zipped up in the front and came all the way down to her ankles, but not before tucking into heavy duty boots. Over her head was a simple leather headdress common to the Twi'lek people that wrapped around the ears and held her lekku in place. On her left shoulder was a heavier looking duraplast plate that had adorned in the leather a symbol of an eagle surrounded by some sort of angelic light. The symbol was that of Kae'Leigh's last name translated in Basic: Lighthawk.

The droid would beep and Kae'Leigh spoke without opening her eyes, "Thank you, Johhny. Go ahead and bring us out."

The ship would feel a slight pull as it slowed down and the light of the tunnel vanished and Bothawui appeared before them in the black open space among the stars. The planet was a beautiful green and blue system that had not been plagued by smog and grime like so many other planets Kae'Leigh had come accustomed to. It reminder her of her home on Ryloth, a place she wished to visit very soon. She had yet to take her Padawan there. In time.

 

[Firen]

They always got sent on the boring missions. Go here and talk or go to this other place and talk. Firen wanted action, wanted excitement! To say he had been pouting would be too extreme, but his discontentment for their current mission would pretty obvious to the Jedi Knight.

Why had she even given him a lightsaber if he never got to use it! The ship lurched out of hyperspace and jolted him out of this own frustrated thoughts. He pushed himself out of the chair and fell to the floor. She had told him he didn't have to wear the more traditional Padawan clothing, and while he didn't really like the garment he was growing used to it. Plus, it let others know he was a Jedi, a fact he was quite proud of.

He yawned as he walked out into the hallway of the freighter and walked into to cockpit and pulled himself up into a chair. She would still feel his frustration, likely not even needing the Force to know.

"So where do we meet this council?" he asked the Twi'lek Jedi as he kicked his feet as the hung from the chair. He had a horrific time sitting still for more than a few seconds.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Her anxious Padawan would ask her where they were meeting. Kae'Leigh turned her head for a moment to look at him, before looking back to the space ahead of her. "I've got the coordinates. Some government building. Can't say I've ever been. But careful with your feelings, Firen. As a Padawan, your will is going to be tested. Your patience, tried. I know it will be tough."

Her voice turned less strict and more comforting. "I am sorry though. I told you the first chance I got I would take you to Ryloth and I still mean it. But the Alliance is just at a crucial point right now and we can't afford to take a break. I will still try to train you as much as I can when I'm able. Until then, be mindful. Watch me, learn from me. You will be a good Jedi in no time."

The ship would start to pull into the atmosphere and Kae'Leigh switched the engines. The ship rattled for just a moment as it made the transition. Kae'Leigh took good care of her ship; it was something she took pride in. She'd bring them down to a slow coast around the city as she circled around heading towards their designated hangar. She had Johnny relay their landing codes through the radio and he'd beep to her their directions. If Firen had learned Basic he'd understand the serious of numbers and directions being spoken to the Twi'lek.

Coming to a slow descent, Kae'Leigh gently moved The Silver Bullet into the hangar bay and set it down. The ship rocked again with just the slightest movement. Another gift of the skilled hands of Kae'Leigh Tameris. She'd then power everything down until there was just the slight hiss of the engines letting off steam. She would pull her chair back so she could stand up and then brushed a gentle hand over Firen's head.

"Come, my friend. Let's do what we do best."

 

[Firen]

He listened to Kae'Leigh's words, still mildly annoyed. He felt like he had been waiting forever. He felt like he was so close to understanding...something. He couldn't put a finger on it and that irked him endlessly.

He knew they had to do these things, the rebellion was counting on them but the other Padawans were out there doing things..exciting things and Firen was stuck going to meetings. He nodded to show he had been listening but remained uncharacteristically quiet as they made their final approach.

"Yeah yeah." he said as stood and brushed a hand over the top of his head. "Talk talk talk." he said pushing himself from the chair and falling to the floor. He put his annoyance away for the time. He wouldn't let it get in the way of anything serious, and these talks were serious. He let out a deep breath as they walked down the ramp.

Once out of the ship, a speeder had been sent to pick them up and bring them to the government building where the meeting was to take place. They were ushered into a waiting room. They were always waiting it seemed. Why couldn't these things ever start on time. If they were late, it would be seen as rude, but no one ever thought twice about making Jedi wait.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Firen was annoyed at her. She understood why. It was frustrating. He wanted to live a grand life not be some diplomat stuck behind meeting halls. It was boring. She admitted it. Her life was so much more fun when it came to hacking and stealing. That was the life she'd lived for. But the work they were doing now was so much more important and it would save so many more lives than her and her saber would on the battlefield. They could fight Sith all day long and be no closer to winning the war. The people had to stand up for themselves otherwise the Empire would continue to grow new Sith and new enemies.

The two would get into a shuttle and take off to the government building. Although Firen probably didn't want to hear it, Kae'Leigh was not done with her teaching for today. "Being a Jedi isn't all about fighting you know. What we're doing is a great service. If we can convince the leaders of these systems to rise up and rebel, it will spark a fire for other systems to do the same. We are not warriors, Firen. It's that mentality that caused the Jedi masters to leave the Alliance and go into exile. They felt like they were being treated as nothing more than soldiers, so they left."

Her tone would get sad for a moment as she remembered Vu'thari, "I don't know where my master is. I can only hope he's out there training the next generation of Jedi. But we are still here. We are fighting this war. That's why it's so important for us to do our duty. As Jedi. I do hope you see that. I hope you see all the great things we're doing. That you're doing."

The government building looked about as similar as any other government building she'd ever been in. Tall pillars. Beautiful architecture. Same old same old. They would depart the speeder and enter into the building where they then sat in a waiting room. Kae'Leigh would go to the window as she often chose to do and keep a view on their surroundings. Her eyes watched ahead of her, her mind kept an eye on the things around her.

One such thing was Firen. Again the poor thing seemed so agitated. She'd hoped her little speech in the transport would soothe him if even a little. She wanted to think of something to say to him, but there was only so much guiding she could do without being strict. And she really didn't want to have to scold him. If he spoke up or talked out of line it would be necessary. For now, she'd let him sulk a little.

After a good moment of waiting the doors would open again and an entourage of Bothans would enter. Not just four or five it seemed, but a good dozen. A few were dressed in long robes and their manes were coiled like beards. They were surrounded by armored Bothans, though the leather was not meant for combat so much as it was for hunting. From what little Kae'Leigh knew about Bothans as a species, she knew many of them were excellent trackers. A few even gained reputation as thieves and assassins.

But it was not the guards that put the blue skinned Twi'lek on edge so much as it was the tallest Bothan of the pride. He was clearly a fighter of some sort for he was wearing a longsuit cloak made of leather with metal shoulder plates. Had had knives of all sorts under the jacket and she likely deduced a vibroblade behind his lower back as well. His mane was long and thin, giving him a sleek sort of look that when added to the small scar on his left cheek made him appear rather handsome.

This would be the first time Firen (if he was even paying attention) would ever see Kae'Leigh flustered. Her eyes watched this man as he entered with his troop and sat at the long table. The other leaders in the robes would sit around him while the guards stood back and waited. They all took their seats and stared at the Jedi who was just staring straight ahead, lost in her daydreams and swooning over this beast.

"Master Jedi?" one of the elders would speak. "Is there something wrong?"

Kae'Leigh shook her head causing her lekku to bob, "Oh! No sorry. I was merely waiting for permission."

A good cover. She quickly hurried into her seat and awkwardly twiddled her thumbs under the table where no one could see them. The main lion would cough and began speaking to his men. "Members of the council. When I was summoned here to a meeting between us and the Galactic Alliance I figured it would be more than just a girl and her pet."

To that, Kae'Leigh's crush shattered and her head cleared right up. "My Padawan is not my pet. He is a capable apprentice and worth any challenge set forth upon him."

 

[Firen]

He would have rathered been yelled at than lectured, a skill almost any Jedi Knight seemed supernaturally gifted in. He knew she was right, but that didn't do much to ease his discontentment. He had fought with the Rebellion before he even knew what a Jedi was. He had seen people die, he wanted to help before others died. He had seen a single Jedi turn the tide of fights before. He wanted to be that for soldiers.

"Yes, Master." he murmured as they entered the building. He was sure the discussion would pick back up later, but for now, he was glad the mission at hand would distract his Master. He followed her lead as they were ushered into a meeting room. Moments later they were joined by a group of Bothans. Firen climbed into a seat as they also sat down, everyone except Kae'Leigh. He tilted his head slightly as he looked towards her. She seemed, distracted. Maybe that was the wrong word for it. She seemed weird, that was for sure.

She quickly sat down, Firen continued to give her a confused look. Firen's ears twitched as the tallest Bothan spoke up calling him....a pet. Anger flashed through the young Padawan. He had done nothing to provoke this man. Letting his emotions get the best of him, he spoke up before the Jedi Knight could. "And we didn't come to be disrespected, but if you want a demonstration, I would be more than happy to make you eat those words." he shot back. Yes, it was a mistake. Yes, it would make the previous lecture pale in comparison to the one he now would face, but for the moment he didn't care.

He stared daggers into the Bothan's eyes as he looked up across the table. To others, it may have looked comical to see the Kushiban act in such a way, but the room grew silent.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Moving her hand over to the side she would gesture to Firen not to lose control. He was quick to anger and that was something the little Kushiban was going to have to get over. She couldn't blame him though. No one it seemed ever took him seriously for his size. Regretfully even she didn't, for the first time they'd met she'd picked him up and squeezed him like he was some domesticated animal....a pet. She understood exactly where his rage was coming from. But that did not make it anymore better. He knew the temptation of what the Dark side housed. He'd have to move past that eventually or fall to its malice.

"Calm yourself, Firen. You do not have to prove yourself to anyone but yourself. There is no need to draw the point any further. I have already defended your honor leave it at that." Turning then to the prince she'd add, "And I'd appreciate you doing the same. We have come to talk peace. Surely you want the same?"

The first Councillor would speak up to reply to her, "You are correct. Long has war been on our minds. But it is not something we wish to bring to the table. Tell us, Master Jedi. Why do propose we introduce death and destruction to our lands?"

Shaking her hand she would close her eyes for a moment and then reply, "You are mistaken, my lords. We have not come to ask for your assistance in battle. While that would be a nice addition to our Naval forces. We simply come asking for funds. Our Alliance is short on credits and we seek systems who could do us help. Any matter of assistance would be greatly appreciated, and we would keep things secret on our end. We don't want the Empire finding out and targeting you. We would do everything in our power to make sure the allegiance remains a secret."

"And how much of our gold would you take from us?" the prince would sneer.

Again Kae'Leigh shook her head, "My lords, it is not my intention to rob you of anything. What you give is of your own volition. The more you can provide, the more help we can give to other systems in need."

The elder councilors would all start talking the idea out for a moment until the price stood and clasped his hand around the hilt of his blade behind his back. He pulled it out and stabbed the metal into the wooden table and then crossed his arms. The room fell silent.

"I will make you a deal, Jedi," he said the word like it was an insult. "I will give you all the credits your company needs. If, your pet can beat me in martial combat."

The blue skinned Twi'lek's eyes opened wide. That was...not what she wanted to hear. Turning her head to Firen she gave him a look not knowing whether or not he was ready for a battle. His training with a lightsaber had been going slow. It was her fault really; they'd yet to make him a blade that was of his size. If he fought this prince now in battle, Kae'Leigh wasn't sure he could win.

 

[Firen]

Firen scowled at the larger creature. He took the chastisement of his Master, remaining silent as she tried to negotiate with these Bothans. They were too stupid to see that death and destruction were already going to come for their lands, they just needed to decide if they were going to do anything about it.

He waited for the big stupid prince to open his mouth again. They stared at each other as the council began to deliberate. As the prince reached for his blade, Firens hand moved to his lightsaber.

Firen never backed down from a challenge, and he wouldn't start with this jerk. "Deal." he spoke up before Kae'Leigh could stop them. He had a hard look on his face, well, as hard as the Kushiban could make it. He wasn't afraid. He had been training with Kae'Leigh and others and had been standing up to bullies his whole life. "Let's go." he said standing.

Firen assumed they would go somewhere for the fight to take place, but his lightsaber was already in his hand if the creature decided to attack him here.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

"Firen!" Kae'Leigh scolded in a hushed whisper.

But it was too late. The deal was made and her little Padawan was already leaving the table. The Bothan smirked and picked his weapon up and would take them out the back where a large garden was. The prince descended the steps and onto the lawn overlooking the large walls of the scenery behind him and took his stance on one end. With the elders and Kae'Leigh standing at the top of the stairs in the middle of the two fighters, they would be judge to a fair fight.

"Give me your best, little pet."

Kae'Leigh had a worried look on her face. She hoped Firen would be alright. He'd never fought someone before. And she knew his weapon was not akin to his size. Even if he tried to hold it the reversed grip like she fought and trained him in, it would still be awkward and he would have to fight defensively. That what the style she strove to teach him. A Jedi should never fight to kill. So already Firen was at a disadvantage. How ruthless would this Bothan prince be?

"Here I come!" the prince roared as he began rushing the tiny Kushiban. Kae'Leigh bit her lip as she saw the battle unfolding in her mind.

 

[Firen]

He walked out, refusing to look to his Master. Subconsciously, he was afraid if he did he would lose his nerve. He was in over his head on this one, but this is what had to be done for the Jedi, for the Alliance.

His feet padded along on the soft grass, finally turning to face the Bothan. He had seen that look before so many times. He was being underestimated. He glanced up at Kae'Leigh, obviously worried. She underestimated him to. He had worked so hard, done everything she said and still she didn't trust him.

"No." he said to himself. He wouldn't let his emotions take control of him. He pushed them from his mind, letting himself center like he had been taught. He put a hand on the oversized lightsaber hilt but froze. It was his most dangerous weapon, but he hadn't trained with it enough and it was made for someone his size. No, it would only slow him down. He let go of it and pulled a knife from his belt. The normal sized vibro-knife still looked large in Firen's hands but he had practiced with it, used since before he was a Jedi.

The Bothan charged at him, and Firen remained still. He waited until the last second as the sword came for him. He dodged to the right, calling on the Force to increase his already impressive speed. The sword bit into the dirt as Firen slashed the Bothan's calf before jumping backward out of his reach.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Nodding to herself Kae'Leigh was proud that Firen would use his vibro-knife instead. Smart. Calculated. That weapon would hold up in a fight but be riskier to use in terms of strength. Cutting someone with a sword still took strength to break metal and flesh; a lightsaber did not need nearly that same effort. But in this instance, Firen wasn't trying to hurt the Bothan prince. But...could he really stop the man without doing any damage?

And then the battle started. Kae'Leigh bit her lip as the prince jumped at him and swung. Firen was quicker. She felt the Force come to life around him as he charged his muscles with its energy. He moved out of harms way and used that borrowed strength to slash at the prince's calf before moving out of reach. The man picked his sword out of the ground and looked down at his leg where a shallow cut was now in his leg.

"You are a fast little mouse, aren't you?" the Bothan replied in a laugh. Clearly he wasn't bothered by the flesh wound. He began to charge again only this time, he feigned where his blade was going and would jut at Firen with his elbow at the last second, expecting the Kushiban to dodge the way he did. This prince had years of battle expertise and as such, had been trained to deal with people faster than him.

 

[Firen]

He remained silent, gritting his teeth together. He wouldn't beat his opponent with a simple knife, he needed to be creative. The Force gave him the advantage in the fight even if it looked like he was doomed.

The Bothan charged, but before he could swing, Firen outstretched a hand calling on the Force. He pulled forward the top half of the Bothan who was already starting to bend down to swing. Being off balance, the Bothan fell forwards.

Firen jumped straight up in the air, over the blade that was being swung clumsily as the Bothan fell. Firen flipped and turned, aiming to land on the creatures back. He would hold his tiny knife the back of the Bothan's neck. While it was a tiny blade compared to others, it would be more than enough to cripple or kill the Bothan if it was plunged into his spine.

"Yield!" the Kushiban said even as he remained ready to either press his attack or jump away to safety from the Bothan's back.

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

The prince came again and prepared to cut down the little bunny where he stood. He would not hold back. This was a challenge of men. There would be no pulled punches. His arm curved in a deadly arc meaning to sever the Kushiban's head from his shoulders. That's when Kae'Leigh felt a powerful tug from the Force. Her eyes lit up as she could already see the events unfolding. Almost in slow motion she watched her Padawan jump over the incoming blade while also pulling the Bothan prince forward to sway him off balance. The prince crashed into the ground from the unexpected and invisible grasp over him to which then Firen would land on his back and place his blade to the back of his spin.

The battle was over. The prince had fallen -literally- and was now at the mercy of the Kushiban. The prince squirmed for a second as he growled but clapping was heard from the balcony which made him stopped. The councils were applauding the Jedi Padawan for defeating their best warrior. Kae'Leigh then jumped into the air a little as she punched her hand upwards, in a very unprofessional Jedi manner.

"Whoo-hoo!" she shouted for her trainee. "I knew you could do it!" She then looked around as a few of the elders gave her funny looks. She blushed while giving an apologetic smile and crossed her arms in front of her and clasped her hands in her lap.

The elder who spoke before would announce over the group, "The battle is over, Prince Azeris."

Grumbling in defeat, he let go of his weapon in good faith that Firen had bested him. He'd then stand and brush himself off, leaving his sword on the ground. He then stared angrily at the Kushiban, until he bent down on one knee and bowed his head. "A true warrior admits defeat. I was wrong to doubt your skills, little one. It will not happen again."

The elders would then turn to Kae'Leigh and explain the deal would be made and she thanked them once more. Down below, The prince would take his blade and sheathe it before allowing Firen to rush off and join his master. There wasn't anything else to do, so they bid their farewells some few moments later and were on their way. The Prince kindly invited them back whenever they pleased and boasted how next time for their rematch that he would win. Kae'Leigh couldn't have been happier. Not only was this yet another Alliance victory for her and her Padawan, but Firen had shown tremendous skill.

"Firen....I think it's time we go visit Ryloth. I have a promise to keep."

~END THREAD~
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