Rock Within the Shadows

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Before she would sit down she'd hear the click behind her causing Kae'Leigh to jump. Juvenile indeed, but it worked. It might have had something to do with the fact she was already riled up, no thanks to Ayasha. He'd then come and bump her which intimidated her even more. She was not receiving the kind of welcome she had hoped for. In fact this was exactly the opposite. She was beginning to feel like she was not at all welcome and in fact had done something wrong coming here. Weren't they all on the same side? She'd signed up to save the galaxy and all that jazz. No easy decision on her part. Kae'Leigh was leaving her entire life behind. And for what? A gun pointed at her by two different people and a grumpy show of force to assert dominance. No, Kae'Leigh was not in a good frame of mind.

Vu'thari, thank the gods, would try to remedy the situation. He first coaxed her to eat. She still felt hesitant to do so. Even so, she pulled the plate closer to her and gave him a small smile. He'd then explain to Prax her being there and then his own reason. She'd give Prax a look that wasn't all too friendly. She wasn't going to be bullied. Not with Vu'thari here to stand up for her. That thought alone made Kae'Leigh feel kind of weak though. Couldn't she look out for herself?

Trying to change the subject, the conversation then moved to their mission. A trip to the deep core. Now that was a dangerous trip. Kae'Leigh had not once set foot in the inner rings. That part of the verse was like...was like....she didn't even know how to make sense of it. It just wasn't done. Even worse now, their oh-so-wise master was instructing them to get along. Kae'Leigh wanted to scoff. Vu'thari would feel her distrust in the situation. It could be read in her eyes. She wasn't going to ask this bully for anything. Him help? Yeah right.

But Kae'Leigh wasn't the one to argue. Not when she signed up for this. There was no going back. She had already packed everything she needed to start living in a new home. All her possessions now lie in that backpack of hers which she had cradled between her feet under the table. She gave Vu'thari a nod showing she was ready and then took a bite of the food to show him she was going to do whatever was necessary to fight back against their enemies. It was a small gesture, but she did so without thought to herself. The fact the food tasted amazing right then had very little to do with it.

 

[Ayasha Waya]

Ayasha shot Prax a smile as she moved passed the armed man. She was thankful that he was just as quick to act as she was. Clearly, both of them were on the same page when it came to strangers. The woman had been rather guarded when she first left Galtea, but was perhaps even more so now after training under Vu'thari. He had told her the stories of the Sith and how they would hunt and kill the Jedi once they knew of their existence. Nobody was safe and to think otherwise was simply ignorant.

The raven haired woman moved over to the seat beside Vu'thari so that he was flanked by his two senior padawans but as he did, Prax moved to sit beside her and across from the Jedi Master. “Musical kriffing chairs...” Ayasha thought to herself as she suppressed the strange emotions that were welling up within her chest. She had never experienced such a thing before, and she had to actively remind herself of Vu'thari's promise to the bond they shared. The presence of another female was no threat to their attachment, though the sting of jealousy within would have her believe otherwise.

The Jedi Master invited the blue skinned twi'lek to eat as she joined the table. Ayasha had to wonder if the girl was one of those that viewed the consumption of food as an assault on her body. She had been made aware of the type, but they typically hugged the street corners of the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa. The woman's honey colored eyes studied the blue face across from her before shifting to meet Vu'thari's gaze. He introduced Kae'Leigh to Prax who had yet to meet her. Ayasha knew very little of the blue skinned alien outside of her name and at the moment, she had no desire for more.

“Vu'thari, I hope it's alright me showing up out of the blue like this,” the twi'lek began. Ayasha rolled her eyes and glanced at Prax. “Out of the blue...” she thought to herself in regards to what could have easily been mistaken as a pun referencing the alien's skin color. How she wished she knew Prax better so she had someone other than Vu'thari to bounce her internal commentary off of. “I wasn't sure how to go about...you know...this.”

The Jedi Master was incredibly patient. He explained why it was that Ayasha and Prax were very cautious. Her presence was certainly unanticipated, the primary reason for their response. He invited the twi'lek to join them on the trip to the Deep Core, something Ayasha immediately though silently protested. The flow that existed between she and Vu'thari while out in the field was something that had kept them alive. After briefly seeing Prax in action when faced with a perceived threat, she was confident in his addition to the team. This Kae'Leigh however...the Galtean native did not trust her.

“I hope she doesn't need to go away and think about it when we find ourselves in a life and death situation,” Ayasha's telepathic words gently touched Vu'thari's mind while remaining concealed from the others. It was a genuine concern. If she had struggled with answering the call that had been placed upon her life, that raised some serious questions regarding her ability to make decisions. The padawan smiled and nodded as Vu'thari spoke, albeit a forced expression. “There are no enemies at this table...” he added. He did have a point there and while Ayasha did not see Kae'Leigh as an enemy, she did see her as incompetent.

The Jedi Master concluded by informing the group that the trip before them would take a fortnight. He instructed the trio to collect their gear as they would be departing that very night. “I call shotgun...” Ayasha's telepathic voice trailed off within Vu'thari's mind. She was not used to sharing him. The seat beside him aboard the Apogee was her's. The Apogee itself had been acquired through a hard fought and won series of events that took the pair through life threatening situations on Anoat and through an asteroid field. The jealousy inside of her was not a jealousy of Kae'Leigh...it was a jealousy for Vu'thari. She was struggling with the fear of slipping through the cracks, of taking the proverbial backseat when she had always been his copilot.


@Mithias
@Critas
@Lucid
@EmilyHuene

 

[Prax Dek]

Prax sat in the chair opposite Vu’thari and kept his hands in his lap. He could feel the sting of the small red crescents along his palms where his fingernails had dug into his flesh. He still had issues with the concept of strangers just waltzing into his life, yet it seemed a regular occurrence in Vu’thari’s life. It was yet another aspect of this new world that he found himself in that he would need to work on. He looked up at the Jedi as he spoke, his words calming to Prax in a cathartic sort of way.

Vu’thari spoke of heading to the Deep Core and a mission there. Prax had never been to the Deep Core and really had little idea how one might get there. With the addition of a fourth to their group, Prax looked over the newcomer. There was obviously more to her than met the eye as Vu’thari had chosen to allow her into their circle. As he stated there were no enemies at their table, Prax thought to himself that there may not be enemies but there were certainly strangers.

Prax found himself almost laughing out loud as Ayasha called shotgun for the trip. Prax had not done such since he was a boy, before he was a slave. It brought back good memories, there were but a few but they were good. He smiled and looked to Ayasha in gratitude. He was sure she had no idea the reason for the gesture but let her draw her own conclusions. He felt a dash of jealousy from his fellow padawan but could not determine its source. He could take three guesses however, and the first one would not count.

Things would need to change if they were going into danger so Prax, out of character, determined to go off the deep end. He extended his hand towards the new twi’lek female, “I am Prax.” He tried to keep his tone upbeat and conversational. He smiled widely and then faltered a little when he noticed the red fingernail marks on his palm. Returning his gaze to the new arrival he returned the vigor to his smile, he was trying, that had to be considered for something after all.

@Wolf
@Mithias
@Lucid
@EmilyHuene

 

[Vuthari]

North Varren Spaceport
Corellia Sector
Nar Shaddaa

Vu’thari could not help but chuckle at his padawans. They were all so wonderfully different, yet, there were threads that connected them all as one. Ayasha was a ball of beautiful emotion, a gifted mentalist, an eager learner and the twi’lek had a love for her that was strong. Prax was a stoic warrior and talented lightsaber combatant (Vu’thari had the bruises as proof) who was beginning to find his place in the galaxy with a raw determination that the Jedi “Master” admired greatly. Kae’Leigh was an independent ball of fire who hide her emotions deep, but she was full of skills, both socially and technically, he wished he had. She didn’t know it yet, but he knew she would be a great Jedi one day.

He loved them all in different ways.

The twi’lek had seen other padawans and heard stories of others. While his padawans were not perfect, and he never expected perfection from them, they were all on a course to become great Jedi Knights. It was something he foresaw at the Life Tree. The future was fluid and the pieces were different, but fate had a way of righting the course. Crix was not meant to be one of his—he could see that now, but he would be there for the young man if he was needed. Kae’Leigh, Prax, and Ayasha were meant for him. That much he knew. But he also knew there were a few more who would fall into the mix. Vu’thari was not actively seeking any more padawans. It was important to the twi’lek to give each of his padawans as much time as he could give. This was a vulnerable time for corruption, this road to becoming a Jedi Knight. It was harder now than it ever was, at least according to the conditions of Jedi in the past. But if fate put a potential padawan in his path, he would answer the call…

Looking behind him, the three padawans had all their gear, following him through the spaceport making their way to Vuthari's ship, the Apogee. With them was Ayasha’s “new” droid, SawDip. The droid had been a loyal servant of Vu’thari’s for many years, but he knew that SawDip and Ayasha were a much better team together. The quirky droid was excited to belong to the Galtean woman and bebopped along with them.

The spaceport was full of activity as usual and it didn’t matter the time of day on Nar Shaddaa. The North Varren Spaceport was one of many spaceports that dotted the top levels of the Nar Shaddaa skyline. There was no central spaceport to the Smuggler’s Moon—everyone wanted a piece of that pie and the Hutts did not like the idea of someone running a “central” spaceport.

Vu’thari purposely had a slot for the Apogee on the far side of the small spaceport, tucked in the corner of the structure. Not much traffic made its way to this section of the spaceport. As usual, the gray and green ship sat alone in its “slip” waiting to be taken out again. Always alert for mayhem on the Smuggler’s Moon, it seemed like the small group of four were alone as they approached the Apogee—but the Jedi “Master’s” instincts told him otherwise, but he did not sense danger...

Looking to his sides, he told his padawans, “We are not alone here…but do not be alarmed.”

*Lucid will post next.

@Wolf
@Critas
@EmilyHuene
@Lucid

 

[Alexander Ayers]

Alexander jumped up the moment people entered the hangar. It was, indeed Vu'thari at last. Or someone who looked a lot like him and planned on using the Apogee. It wasn't a huge leap of faith for the young man to surmise the man's identity. The people he brought wit him though...he had seen the lady once before as well but the others were a mystery. He was already walking up behind the party when he heard Vu'thari say something about not being alone.

No kidding. Alex had been waiting for a couple of days...all he had to do was look behind him rather than in the Force. Alex could feel the man reach out before he turned. So unnecessary, he had a neck after all.

"I mean, yeah," he said sarcastically. "I've been waiting too days! Took me ages to figure out where you went. I had to have someone in the GA give me the deets to find you." He stood before the man, his arms crossed and a half smile on his face. He wondered how in the world to phrase what he wanted to say and couldn't think of anything particularly delicate so he just blurted out: "The Wookiee family on Kashyyyk lied to you," he said gracelessly. "But they were doing it out of respect for my family so don't get all bent out of shape. You weren't the first person to have visions from the tree of life; both my parents and I had the same experience. Though, that's a bit of a family secret, one that we asked the guardians of the tree to keep to themselves."

Alex wondered where he was going with this. True to form, he had just lunged into the conversation giving no context or anything. He sighed and back peddled a bit. "Ooooookay, right. Uh, I'm Alexander Ayers and I grew up on Kashyyyk and I saw you there. I overheard a bunch too. The Jedi thing especially...my Dad once mentioned that our family had been Jedi way back when but we were always told to be quite about it. That's why I was so surprised to see you there! It's awesome!" He grinned, very pleased with himself though unaware of just how Vu'thari might react to all this.

It wasn't as though he was speaking particularly loudly so he doubted they'd be overheard. It was just a lot all at once and a bit scatterbrained in its presentation. Alex had glossed over the fact that his family had been passing down core--what he had recently discovered was Jedi--knowledge of the Force to the Force-sensitive children the Ayers line produced. "So yeah! You guys left before I could find the time to come and talk to you so I decided to track you down. Looks like you're pretty busy though..."

@Wolf
@Critas
@EmilyHuene
@Mithias

 

[Kae'Leigh Tameris]

Well it was obvious that her would-be attacker did not trust her. Kae'Leigh could just feel this girl's hatred. But why? What had she done to...oh. She caught a glance of the girl looking to Vu'thari. Was that it? Was this...jealousy? It had to be. And naturally since Kae'Leigh and Vu'thari would both Twi'leks, it was only natural for Ayasha to assume she was here to get closer to the pink-skinned man. But maybe Ayasha had forgotten Vu'thari had had a wife once. And kids? Kae'Leigh would never ever dream of trying to insert herself into that man's life to replace the memory of them. Plus...Kae'Leigh was in no way ready to settle down. Now.....for a night maybe....Curses! Why was she having these thoughts now. She pouted and bit her lip against cursing Ayasha for something unintentional she'd totally done.

Her petty annoyance at the other female was then cut short as Prax decided to suddenly offer a friendly invitation, or greeting rather, to her. Kae'Leigh was slightly taken aback and blinked several times at him before looking at his hand. "Oh!" she'd exclaim and then go to shake his. "Kae'Leigh Tameris. It's a pleasure to be here."

And just like that they were off. It would take the others a little bit of time to gather their things so by the time she'd finished her meal the group was ready to head out. Kae'Leigh followed behind last as the others trailed behind Vu'thari to the spacesport. Kae'Leigh had traveled this way several times, having docked her ship here once or twice. The place was busy, and that troubled the Twi'lek some. She hand't traveled with others since her teen years on the streets of Nar Shaddaa. This was back when she was in a gang. It wasn't very well known, but the kids all struck together so they were the closest thing she had to of a family. Maybe she'd start having this feeling here...? No. Doubtful. They were here with a purpose. Nothing more.

When they came to the Apogee Kae'Leigh bit her lip in excitement. She didn't recognize it right away, but the wheels in her head were spinning as she tried to place the make of the gray and green ship. She was about to say something when Vu'thari suddenly alerted them to the presence of another. Kae'Leigh of course was quite alarmed and her hand reached for the hilt of her pistol (she wouldn't draw it until necessary). The man mentioned the Galactic Alliance which did not at all ease Kae'Leigh's worries. He ought to shut his mouth before someone heard them. Mentioning the G.A. around these parts were liable to get someone shot. She was already on edge for being in the middle of a spaceport with another Twi'lek. Two in one place? Easy pray for foolish minds. Hopefully Vu'thari knew how to defend his Padawans because Kae'Leigh did not want to get into a firefight here.

Looking around she tried to see if anyone was paying too much attention to them. For now they seemed safe. A few glances here and there but it didn't seem like anyone was watching the rag tag group in the far corner of the hangar. The man then mentioned the Life Tree and that peeked her interest. She didn't take her hand away from her gun, but she would listen to what he had to say. So he saw them there? Funny. She didn't remember seeing him. But then again...she'd been a little distraught after that experience.

Kae'Leigh looked to Vu'thari who didn't seem to be troubled by this man's sudden appearance. He had told them they weren't in danger. And if he mentioned the G.A. then he clearly had to be on their side. Right?

"Can we trust this guy?" she'd whispered to Prax rather than Ayasha (she felt he was more receptive than Ayasha would be to her). Which of course was ironic considering they were the ones who probably didn't trust her considering she'd been the one who barged in on them first.

 

[Vuthari]

North Varren Spaceport
Corellia Sector
Nar Shaddaa

The human’s presence, despite knowing he was there was unexpected. As he listened to the human, he couldn’t help but grin. Vu’thari crossed his arms and simply listened. Looking over at some of his padawans, he thought that they were about to shoot him just to shut him up for talking so openly. Looking over at Prax tapping the top of his pistol, the thought was amusing. Fortunately, there was no one near them and no recording devices this far down. So, he just settled in to keep listening.

Reaching out to the young man, he sensed no malice or no ulterior motive. While such sensing was never perfect, this did seem to be the case. But there was more. The twi’lek felt a strand to this young man. It was a strand not unlike those he already shared with his padawans…he was force sensitive.

“Alexander Ayers…nice to meet you. I can’t say I am particularly fond of being followed, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things, better you than those who would wish me dead. And that nice wookie family lied to us? Well that is untoward.”

A bit of mirth accompanied that last statement. The twi’lek continued, “It seems you did indeed catch us at an inopportune time, however plans change.”

Looking over to Kae’Leigh, Prax and Ayasha, he spoke to them as much as to Alexander, “We are going to postpone our trip for a couple of weeks. It seems I am going to have to accommodate young Alexander here with a chat while learning more about him.”

The Force welled within Vu’thari. As a smile met his padawans, a small voice came into Kae’Leigh, Prax and Ayasha’s head…

***Too many risky variables at work here. I need to find out more. We will postpone this trip to two weeks from now. Sorry.***

As if nothing had transpired, the twi’lek readjusted his bag and turned to walk away from the Apogee. Looking back to Alexander, he quipped, “Well you found me. You have my attention…you wanted to talk? Let’s talk.”

THE END​

@Wolf
@Critas
@EmilyHuene
@Lucid