Ask Scrub Squad Strikes Again

[Dash Pavan]

"Well you can requisition a specific ship if you really want" Dash answered, though he had hardly had the time or interest. Maybe he had made a mistake, perhaps such things were what other Jedi expected. What they would respect.

When Leon brought up the Pantoran, Dash struggled for a moment. It was quite a personal question, but he had to recognise that their occasional enmity had not been entirely private. Leon had seen most of it.

"He's just a dick" Dash said "at times". He tried to moderate his feelings but he was still too angry. "He's cocky, ignorant, self-absorbed and he hasn't liked me from the start". The Rhinnalian didn't want to say the words, didn't want to make it real. "He likes Ez, man". Dash did not know if Leon would have guessed "he always has, I can see it. I got there first, so he takes any chance he has to shoot me down". He made himself stop. Though Ferrin had never openly tried to take Ezra from Dash, he feared he would try. The banter, the clothes, the blowing smoke up his-

Dash closed his eyes for a second and grabbed Leon's elbow. "Yes, let's just be Jedi for a minute".

They slowly made their way towards the Archive, in the direction the map had set. The Rhinnalian thought Leon was walking a little funny at times, but he had too much on his mind to think much of it.

"My snow stuff?" It was quite the topic change. "Has someone given you a book of my ten least favourite questions?". The start of his Force journey was something he did not particularly like to relive, even now. But Leon had to be interested for a reason and the Adumarian was still a friend despite the group spat.

"It was gradual" he explained as they walked "in the beginning it was just temperature I could mess with, but I was working in a med centre and that was a big help. It felt good I suppose, like natural...". He considered his next words. "The first time the frost came though, it was too much. I hurt someone. That pushed me to run, find help."

He saw the intervening years flash before his eyes, still unsure whether he had made up for his mistakes. "It's different now, I know how dangerous it can be, but I have more control over it than I ever thought possible". He glanced at Leon, eyes narrowing. "Why you asking? Feeling something yourself?". He did not know if everyone had a specific talent, but an affinity for one thing over another seemed to be common. Dash had seen the Adumarian perform many feats, any one of which could be a hint of something just as challenging as his own power.

@Zay @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”Word? Okay, that’s kinda dope,” replied Leon, spirits lifting marginally at the option of choosing his own ship upon knighthood.

Leon was relieved when Dash began to open up. Initially he’d been worried Knight Paven wouldn’t feel comfortable bullshitting with a lowly padawan. Dash vented and Leon listened. Baudelaire wasn’t interested in making Dash feel worse than he already did. He hadn’t been much help back in the spat, and the last thing he wanted to do was add insult to injury.

“Yeah, I’m not blind,” he chuckled, “The tension gets pretty weird when you guys have literal fashion shows in an attempt to one up each other every time we go on a mission. It’s really stressful,” he said with a tease, “I think you're forgetting love's not a race. For what it's worth, I don’t think it would have mattered if Ferrin met Ezra first. I know constantly feeling on edge around someone has to get old, but don't forget that when it mattered the most, Ferrin, stepped up without hesitation," he said with a caring smile before adding, "I think you guys just need to beat the shit out of each other and get it over with,” with a laugh.

As Dash took his arm he smiled, “To being Jedi!” proclaimed Leon with a triumphant fist pump!

Leon laughed at Dash’s exasperation, “Secret time? I love reading Ezra’s diary when he’s knocked out. I know A LOT about you, bud.”

In stark contrast to The Adumarian’s general jocularity, Leon was thoughtful as he listened to Dash. He compared his experiences with the manifestations with Dash’s own and wondered if he was just broken.

“Well, this has been happening,” he said, holding out the palm of his hand. At first nothing happened and Leon cleared his throat muttering, “Sorry, uh, performance anxiety…” Then a crack of brilliant pale electricity popped across his hand.

“First time it happened was back on Ellora, scared the shit out of me, but seemed like a one time thing, so I didn’t think much of it…” he sighed, “Then we got hit by Sith lightning and, well, it just started happening randomly,” he shrugged. “I’ll be real, I’m kinda scared of it.”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra shrugged vaguely, “Can’t really fight when someone just bails,” He muttered with his gaze flicking briefly towards the direction Dash wandered. He had little desire to engage with him then or anytime soon, his avoidance behavior always surfacing whenever he found anything unpleasant. Ezra sighed and finally got to his feet.

“It’s possible to get this operational,” Ezra said after a moment, “If we had Charlie with us, it’d take seconds,” He said moodily before he walked around a bit, “I just need to find a scomp link and route into the terminal,” Ezra looked through his oversized back, digging around till he pulled out a hydrospanner and raised it triumphantly.

“Now with this I can fix up the ports and then insert an empty code cylinder..” And he rambled on as he worked, suddenly tinkering and banging on things with the hydrospanner. It was perhaps the most Ferrin would have ever heard him talk and it was all engineering jargon.

@Zay @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin didn’t have any witty comment or quip when Ezra mentioned the fight with Dash. In truth, the Pantoran wasn’t exactly pleased about the exchange himself - and there was nothing positive that was going to come from talking about it at this point. Instead, the Pantoran simply crossed his arms over his chest - watching with renewed interest as Ezra slowly rose to his feet. There was no masking the way his eyebrows rose, listening to everything the quarter-Sephi said.

The fact that they could get the station operational brought a small grin to Ferrin’s lips - but that was roughly the only thing he understood. Though he didn’t interrupt or allow his smile to fade, the Pantoran had a slightly glazed over look in his eyes when Ezra started talking about scomp links and routing into terminals. His knowledge in mechanics went far enough to hotwire a temple speeder once or twice in the past, but that was about it.

“Whatever you say Mr. Fix it,” The Pantoran said with a smirk, walking over to stand beside Ezra. “Tell me what I can do to help and I will,” He didn’t particularly mind listening to the quarter-Sephi talk, even if it was gibberish from his perspective. Instead, his gaze roamed the interior of the station - spotting a few symbols plastered across the metallic walls that he didn’t immediately recognize. “You think those things were part of why this station crashed in the first place?” He grimaced a bit.

“We all felt it - they weren’t just weird monsters.” They were powerful in the Dark Side - and had been trapped within the place for centuries. “Whoever brought them here knew that.”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[The Storyteller]

For several centuries, the Space Station had sat undisturbed - derelict and forgotten since its unceremonious crash onto the surface of Eiram. It’s original benefactors had abandoned the ruins and left it to be swallowed by the swamps of the planet, even if many systems were still operational and could be brought back online. The simple truth was that Ezra was the first person to make an attempt to do so.

As the quarter-Sephi began tinkering with the terminal equipment, he would immediately see results for his efforts. As he began turning the scomp link and tapping into the terminal, the equipment around them began to hum with life. Reserve power and generators were still active throughout the years, and they still carried enough juice to start bringing rudimentary systems back on line. Lights began to flick on around Ezra and Ferrin, while the terminal screen clicked on for the first time.

Starlight Beacon Administrative Portal

Please Insert Credentials: ...

It blinked repeatedly, clearly waiting for an answer. The pair could likely attempt to guess at said credentials - unless Ezra was capable of hacking his way through the ancient system.

---​

Elsewhere in the station, Leon and Dash would immediately recongize the work that Ezra was doing back the way they came. Out of seemingly nowhere, lights along the hallway began to surge with power - humming to life and illuminating the dark passageway. Several of the bulbs popped and shattered instantaneously, while others flickered ever so often - indicating just how old some of the equipment on board was. Just as they arrived at the entrance to the archives, they were stopped by a holographic figure that materialized right in front of them - inches from their faces.

After everything that occurred thus far, it would almost certainly catch the pair by surprise.

“Welcome to the Temple Archives,” The voice of the Holographic Zabrak said, staring back at them with an impassive expression. “Please state your search inquiry, so that we may be of more assistance.”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[Dash Pavan]

Part of Dash wanted nothing more than for Leon to join in some good Ferrin-bashing. He was still running hot and his fear and anxiety yearned to be vindicated.

But Leon was not that kind of guy and Dash knew it. Instead, the Adumarian reminded him what they had been through together, the hits the Pantoran had taken for them all. Dash snorted, but the image of the slashed blue throat flashed unbidden before his eyes. Whatever Ferrin's flaws, it was impossible to deny he had risked his life for more than himself.

Then Leon spoke of love. Dash was less sure of his friend's credentials on that subject, but Leon's words still chipped away at his simmering irritation. "Beat the shit out of each other...." the Rhinnalian entertained the thought for the moment. It appealed to him right now, but he was not fool enough to think a win would be easy.

Dash decided to swallow Leon's advice and think on it. He was strangely more comfortable talking about Ez. "He does NOT keep a diary?!" for a moment it seemed ludicrous, but the more Dash thought about it the more it was entirely possible. Ez found a lot hard to say, maybe he was an avid writer instead. Equally, Leon could once again be pulling his leg and he rather hoped for that. A diary could tell far too much at this point.

The spark of electricity on the Adumarian's palm was a welcome distraction. What it meant was still deep, but child's play by comparison right now. "Don't be scared of it" Dash said suddenly. Being afraid of his powers had led to nothing but trouble. "The Force seems to work for us all differently, this is obviously your thing. Take my advice buddy, embrace it".

They had not gone much further when the world around them flashed to life. The station was coming alive, but how? Panels flickered on all around, emergency lighting blazing and illuminating their way. Dash just had time to picture Ezra's little face back there somewhere, stoic smile curling into a smug grin.

A hologram appeared right on top of them and Dash jumped back. The ethereal Zabrak hovered unmoved, greeting the two Jedi.

"What is this place?" Dash blurted out.

"This is the Starlight Beacon sir" the Zabrak replied as if it were self-evident "unique among the High Republic outposts. The station provides navigational and communications data to several worlds...." the hologram trailed off "external sensors currently appear to be malfunctioning, interpreting space as soil. Perhaps you have another enquiry?".

"You crashed planetside" Dash replied, assuming the holo could cope with the news. "can this place be brought back online?". Evidently Ez and Ferrin had managed to push a few buttons, but he coud not imagine for a moment they could do much more.

@Zay @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“No, not that one, the other one-” Ezra called out to Ferrin to hand him different tools from his oversized bag. Both his hands were occupied and he was arched backwards to fiddle with the underside of the terminal. Ferrin would run through several layers of packed underwear as if Ezra planned on having a bathroom disaster every five minutes on the trip. At some point Ferrin would run into a few suggestive things that Ezra always carried with him, “Put that back!” Ezra practically screeched, hitting his forehead on the console as he tried to sit up without looking.

His ears bright pink, he finally took the parts he asked Ferrin to retrieve. He was fixing up some wires when everything suddenly came to life. He had a smug grin on his face - he knew he could bring the station back. He could hear the terminal flick to life and he finally slid out from underneath it to inspect. His hair was covered in soot, but he was far too excited to care.

Ezra pulled out his slicing gear and began to fiddle with the terminal. This could go either very well or end in disaster, “Let’s hope there’s no self destruct protocol if it flags me as an intruder…” He muttered quietly, almost nonchalantly, as he worked. If that terrified Ferrin, well, there was plenty of extra underwear to go around.

Roll: 20/20 for slicing

@Altaris @Alhon @Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Ya know, I’ve never heard someone say, “Beat the shit out of each other,” with more longing than you just did,” he teased.

Leon was relieved to see Dash was starting to come out of it, “Sorry for earlier, I was a little out of it after the plant thing, I think we all were really, but that doesn’t change that I should have listened to you. Thanks for not bailing on us then.” he said with an apologetic smile, with just the right amount of puppy dog eyes.

“He does, it’s way bigger than you think, and it’s filled with the nerdiest shit I’ve ever read in my life, well, except for this bit he did on slicing that was actually really interesting.”

Was Leon lying? Yeah. But it was funny to watch Dash sweat.

“Really? You don’t think it’s like,” Baudelair looked over his shoulder as if they’d seen anyone other than a carnivorous plant in this dark ass station since they entered, “You don’t think it’s bad?”

The relief that washed over Leon was staggering. He hadn’t told anyone about the weird manifestations, and being able to share it with Dash was more comforting than the knight would realize.

“Alight, I mean, like I’m not gonna do it right now, but cool,” he said with less confidence than he’d hoped.

Then the lights exploded, “What the FUCK?!” yelped Leon as shards of glass rained down on them from the ceiling. The bulbs that managed to handle the overload lit up the dark, as the station's emergency lights flicked on, casting the dimly lit space in revolving red light.

Leon cocked an eyebrow at Dash as he jumped back, “What are you-FUCK!” screamed Leon startled by the iridescent holo of a Zabrak that had materialized right next to when the lights came on. He let Dash do the talking for two reasons, first as an attempt to let the knight lead, and secondly because he wasn’t 100% he hadn’t just shit himself.

@Altaris @Alhon @Sreeya

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash was not so sure an apology was really needed from Leon, but fortunately there was little time to say so with the Zabrak holo appearing from nowhere.

The projection's brow furrowed at the news the station had crashed. Its eyes seemed to go opaque as it span off down power lines and sensor arrays momentarily, processing what information it could draw to itself. When it came back into focus, its expression hardened.

"Crashed?" It looked from Dash to Leon. "Then you are not the Jedi keepers of this station. In addition, an unauthorised user has gained access to our systems. Security protocols apply".

A ray shield shimmered to life around Dash, pinning him, though the one intended to catch Leon crackled and failed. Down the hall, a similar shield will activate around Ezra, almost certain to catch him and separate him from the controls. The station was still living off limited power reserves however, and the ray shield intended to pin the Pantoran would be a fraction slower to engage.

Further back down the hall between them, a unit of security droids flickered to life and emerged from their dusty slumber, breaking into groups and heading to intercept the intruders.

"Please remain stationery. You will be apprehended shortly" the Zabrak said.

Dash thought furiously, looking from the Zabrak to Leon. This was exactly what he had feared coming in here, though no one was sadder to be proved right.

They had to negotiate or defeat the station's AI, or they were in serious trouble.

@Zay @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[The Storyteller]

Even in the current state of disrepair, the defenses of Starlight Beacon were comedible. Dozens of droid units had sat in hibernation within the ruins, charged to defend whatever remained of the ancient Jedi outpost. Ray shields, stun fields and other defenses were charged with reserve power - aiming to sequester any invader and avoid actual confrontation that might lead to bloodshed. It was meant to protect against anyone attempting to gain access to the Station systems unauthorized.

Which was precisely what the Padawans and Dash were doing.

For a few moments, the ray shields materialized around Ezra, Dash, Leon and Ferrin - giving each of them little time to react. Even if the latter two were given more leeway, their odds weren’t good. The sound of heavy, mechanized footsteps could be heard marching down the hallway towards Dash and Leon - revealing the silver, etched hulls of five droid sentries. Each of them lifted their arms towards the pair, prepared to stun and apprehend them without a sense of hesitation within them.

Atleast, until Ezra’s attempts to slice through the systems proved fruitful.

Perhaps the Squad didn’t give the quarter-Sephi enough credit for his skills - as he worked elegant and deftly to slice through the main systems of the Station. There was not a single second to lose - and wasn’t a single error to be made. Just as the Ray shield appeared to block Ezra physically interacting with the console, the last of the Station firewalls was disabled. The equipment he was using was unceremoniously caught between the Ray shield - slicing it in half, and narrowly avoiding the quarter Sephi’s fingers in the process.

At once, Ferrin and Ezra would see the Ray shield drop and the console open past the user login - allowing them remote access to whatever data was stored on the derelict vessel. With a bit of poking around, Ezra would quickly be able to determine which systems were damaged the worst, which were still functional, and what essential machinery needed to be repaired to put the station back in Orbit. Even if they were successful, it would be quite literally months of long and costly repairs once the station was operational, to return it to its former glory. But bringing it online was doable.

Similarly, Dash and Leon would see the Ray shield drop almost immediately after it appeared - lights flickering as power was once more returned to the lights. The five droids suddenly grew stiff in place, lowering their blaster arms. The photoreceptors they bore clicked from red to green - as the last of Ezra’s slicing was able to disable their previous directive, and reoriented their Friend-Foe identification. Each droid offered a salute to the pair, quite literally at their disposal for whatever purpose. Given their likely path of repairing the station, perhaps it would come in handy.

“Apologies..” The Zabrak hologram flickered, squinting and shaking her head a bit. “I am Jedi Master Shadra Tin - or rather, a holographic memory of her. I am the resident archivist and caretaker of this library. Please state your purpose, and any way I can assist you?”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

Roll: 20/20 for Ezra to slice through defenses. 5/5 for how many Droids are effected by this.

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Despite his generally laid back personality, even Ferrin was starting to get irritated by Ezra’s awful instructions - not making it clear which tool he needed from the oversized, ridiculous duffle bag that the quarter-Sephi carried around at all times. “Ain’t had a problem with my hands bein’ down your boxers in the past,” Ferrin glanced up, just as he moved another pair to the side. “But this shit is ridiculous.”

He wasn’t even paying attention to what he grabbed when a particular bottle found its way into his hands - immediately earning some screeching from Ezra. Ferrin went wide eyed, though a grin immediately began to spread across his lips in response. “Damn Ez,” He whistled, “You really do come prepared for anything.” The Pantoran flashed him a completely knowing grin.

Of course, even Ferrin had to appreciate just how giddy Ezra was while working the station console - from the wide smile to the admittedly adorable smudges of soot on his cheeks and coating his hair. The Pantoran leaned back for a moment, merely smiling in silence as Ezra excitedly fawned over the station, listening as it came to life all around them. It was beyond anything Ferrin was capable of. “Never doubted you,” He said towards Ezra, though nothing about his tone indicated playful or sarcastic inference. It was a genuine sentiment and was followed up with a smile and nod, whenever Ezra glanced back his way.

This was promptly interrupted by the Ray shield that suddenly appeared between them. Given that he was gawking like an idiot at that moment, Ferrin didn’t actually get out of the way - suddenly finding himself sealed within the bubble of energy. Which promptly dissipated a moment later, as the last of Ezra’s slicing attempts went into effect - disarming security protocols and pulling down firewalls.

Ferrin blinked a few times, staring blankly at the quarter-Sephi. “…Well it didn’t explode.” He said. The Pantoran had no idea what happened with Dash and Leon, nor was he aware of their new friends deeper in the station. Instead, Ferrin walked over to the console - squinting down at it. “Looks like we got our work cut out for us. Getting the main life support and engines on is probably important first?” He glanced up at Ezra. “And we should.. Probably go check on the other two. If we got hit with shields out here, who knows what they got hit with.”

He smirked at Ezra. “For reals though, never doubted you.”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Suddenly, a lot was happening. The AI was freaking out, sirens were blaring, lights were flashing, security droids were charging and ray shields were arming and… dissipating? Leon crossed his arms over his chest confused as he looked around the room.

He met eyes with Dash and shrugged, telepathically he asked, “How often do you think that’s gonna happen?”

As the AI reintroduced herself the killer droids from before fell into formation and saluted Leon and Dash, Baudelaire, couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. He was way out of his scope when it came to technology. He was more of a nature guy, at home in the rough, when it came to consoles and AI, he left it to Ezra. Now it seemed he should have paid closer attention during his lessons.

Leon looked over to Dash then back to the Zabrak, “I’m Jedi Leon Baudelaire,” he jerked a thumb at Dash, “This is Jedi Dash Paven, we were sent to salvage this station,” he lied, “Can you tell us how to reach the station’s bridge? We’d like to run some diagnostic’s and need access to the main console.”

Out of the corner of Dash’s eye he’d see Leon shrug as if to ask, “Can you think of anything else?!”

The AI projected a map directly next to her that laid out the path. Leon snapped a picture with his Nalphone then dropped it into his Nav and let it generate a map of the floor. "There is a lift at the end of the main corridor, take it to level 1313. There you shall find the Bridge, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Leon looked down at Daybreak. He wondered if Master Tin would be able to identify the weapons, but a part of him was too afraid to ask. The weapon had become a limb. He resolved to look into it once they'd finished their objective.

"We should head back to the group and report in. Whatcha say, boss?"

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Dash Pavan]

The ray shield was a problem and Dash had no immediate solution. It was generated from above out of reach and he knew nothing about how they worked. Leon was free through and was likely their best hope, though their odds worsened with the arrival of the droids.

To their surprise however, events shifted again. Shield and droids both disengaged abruptly, only moments after their initiation. It was a mystery, though maybe just another shorted circuit after all these years. Dash thought briefly of Ezra and Ferrin; they had intended to mess with the station’s systems, were they tripping things? He knew he should really go back and find out. Though he had no appetite for it, the sudden danger brought home that there were bigger things right now.

“You’re exactly right” he said to Leon. Diagnostics had to be the priority if they really were looking at figuring the place out. “Thank you for the directions” he nodded at the Zabrak “and good to meet you. We’ll head to the bridge, though if you can monitor us for safety that would be helpful”. The station seemed to recognise them as friendlies now and it would be reassuring to have its protocols working with them, rather than against. Dash needed someone or something in his corner.

He went to turn away but a sudden thought occurred to him. “Does this archive hold any data relating to former Jedi Jadis Charn?”. The station was from another time and had been a waypoint at the edge of the galaxy. It may hold secrets about his ancestor that had been lost everywhere else.

The projection of Shadra Tin seemed to look inward. “Affirmative, Jedi Pavan”. There was a pause, then the holo gestured to a small data drive that ejected from a nearby port. “This drive contains all references to Ms Charn held in our data banks. Some of the data appears to be among the oldest we hold, so i cannot guarantee it’s integrity”.

“Thanks” Dash said, whipping the drive away into a zip pocket on his flight suit. “Just something for a project of sorts” he explained to Leon, almost forgetting his friend was there in his haste. “Let’s head back and we can all go up to the bridge together”. He tried to be upbeat about reuniting Scrub Squad. “If Ferrin is all up in Ezra’s grille, do me a favour and give him a bit of that zap and crackle you’ve got going on. Take it from me, accidents happen all the time with new powers”.

@Zay @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon started to head back the way they’d came when Dash asked his question. Baudelaire wasn’t sure what was going on, but that wasn’t exactly different from how he’d felt this entire trip. Once Dash had his drive, Leon would turn and begin heading for the meeting point. He had plenty of questions about what had just happened, but he felt like he’d pushed enough today.

As they began to exit the archive the security droids fell in and formed up behind Leon and Dash. Great… Now they had ten photoreceptors watching their every move. He did his best to remain calm as they made their way back to the directory. The power surge from earlier had littered the ground with blown out bulbs and the soft crunch of glass underfoot wasn’t helping his frayed nerves.

The path opened up and they were back at the directory. The droids fanned out in a defensive formation along the area’s perimeter. Leon pulled his com out and hailed Ferrin.

“Yo dude, we’re back at the spot, we got stories,” he glanced around at the droids, “Uh, and some new friends, you guys close?”

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ferrin had no shortage of commentary that turned Ezra’s face pink no matter how serious it looked otherwise. However, the remark about never doubting him actually got the part Sephi to glance at him, his expression one of quiet curiosity. Engineering was something nerdy and ‘uncool’ that he usually kept under wraps but had a lot of passion for it. Hearing Ferrin indirectly compliment it actually caught Ezra’s attention more than the Pantoran would know.

The sudden appearance of the shield distracted him and sent him into a panic. However, it was a testament to his Sephi origins that his face and demeanor remained calm through it. He released the terminal, but his slicing was already complete. The shields dropped at once and everything began to boot up.

Ezra’s eyes widened at his handiwork, seeing multiple different systems come to life. Right away several different cameras and sentry droids came back online. He could see various chambers and the station’s AI that engaged with the other two. Ezra got a text log of Dash’s particular query, his eyes narrowing slightly - An entity that despised Ezra and tried hurting him and Dash still couldn’t stop obsessing about her. He still chased after her in secret. The cracks that had begun to form deepend further, but as always, Ezra would stay silent.

Based on the schematics he could see, the space station was massive. While he could identify where repairs were needed, and they would be costly, this could easily serve as a mobile base. Ezra was still making some tweaks when he caught the other two wandering past the droids that came online.

After Leon commed Ferrin, all of the droids spoke up in perfect unison.

“Suggestion: Master Leon Baudelaire should strongly consider getting his genital warts checked and resolved and he should keep out of the personal belongings of his intellectually superior and vastly more attractive roommate.”

@Zay @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Though he didn’t utter a word, Ferrin didn’t miss the way that Ezra’s expression softened at his words - golden eyes flicking over to meet those piercing silvers. Separate from all the color commentary and quips, it was a genuine moment - one that ran deeper than perhaps even the Pantoran realized. Nevertheless, it brought an inevitable smile to Ferrin’s lips - tugging at the corners of his mouth despite his best efforts to the contrary. He didn’t linger there for long - glancing back to the terminal, least he look anymore like a doofus with that sweet look on his face.

Instead, Ferrin listened as the comms opened - Leon’s voice coming over the channel. He brought the commlink up to his lips, clicking it open. “We’re still back by the terminal. Ezra was able to get power back to the station and slice through security.” He said over the channel, revealing that it was the quarter-Sephi they had to thank for the sudden turn of events. “We’ll talk more when you get here - but the station isn’t as damaged as we thought. Still intact enough we can get it online.”

He knew the suggestion would likely irk Dash, but he didn’t particularly care. They’d made genuine progress, and no one could really argue it was a fools errand at this point.

Ferrin only paused when the droids spoke in unison - causing his lips to immediately tug up in response. He glanced back at Ezra at once, flashing the quarter-Sephi a knowing grin until the rest of the group returned. He glanced between them, giving each a jut of his chin. “Sup,” The Pantoran said.

“Find anything useful?” He asked before sticking a thumb towards the terminal. “Ezra was able to get things back on, more or less. Might be able to get it working,” Ferrin paused, looking to the… Five droids that dutifully followed them.

“Especially if those fuckers are friendly.” He said, a smirk spreading across his lips briefly. “Moving on from Charlie already?”

 

[Dash Pavan]

They forked left at the directory and eventually found themselves reunited with Ezra and Ferrin.

From a quick glance, they had been playing nicely, almost too nicely, though Ezra in particular had clearly been working hard. His boyfriend had some kind of black soot on his face and in his hair, looking uncharacteristically unclean. But there was a glint in his eye and he did not seem to care. Dash wondered about Ez’s injured arm, but he knew bringing it up would do no good.

The news Ezra had revived the station sat uneasily with Dash. Of course on one level he was happy for Ez, proud even, having no idea he was this good at this stuff. But it was a risky enterprise, one Dash was still not sure they needed to embark on so soon after the last. There had already been hiccups.

But the project clearly mattered to Ez. Dash had half expected to find his pensive boyfriend still sat on the ground brooding - might have even wanted him to be - but it seemed an engineering challenge and teaming up with Ferrin had soon got him over their cross word.

The unexpected quip from the droids broke the tension somewhat and spoke even higher of Ezra’s slicing skills, but Dash still felt a self-induced pressure to focus on the serious.

“We have the location of the bridge” he said, before Leon could answer the Pantoran first. “A full diagnostic could be run from there. I believe the droids would help”.

He paused, eyeing them both. “I still think the safest thing to do is head to my ship, with these droids as escort, and report in”. Dash looked at Ezra, though it was admittedly a little difficult “But, if there is really a prospect of getting this place going, then perhaps we try the bridge first?”

He had already been down the road of trying to dissuade them and he was not eager for a repeat. Ez and Ferrin were invested now and Leon was unlikely to be more than mediator. Dash was still angry, but the Rhinnalian sometimes simmered down as quickly as he fired up.

They could go on, but together and one step at a time. It was the best olive branch he could manage.

@Zay @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

All of Leon’s anxiety was dumped out of him as the droids offered a suggestion for his genital warts. Leon burst out laughing, “Tell your master if he hadn’t given them to me they wouldn’t be an issue!”

Just like that they were back on stable, albeit thin, ground. Ferrin filled them in on what he and Ezra had been up too, and to the Adumarian’s surprise, Dash spoke for them. Ah, his little Dashy-washy was all grown up and being a great example of a knight. In Leon’s opinion, sometimes the best way through an issue was with a little trust, and from what he could tell Dash was doing that.

Leon’s stupid grin split his face and he stuck his hand into the middle of their group, “Okay, NOW we do the thing!”

Once they’d wrapped up their angst the Scrub Squad made for the bridge. Leon slid in next to Ez, “Dude, fucking nice job,” he said sliding the comically taller dude a low-five, Leon’s favorite way to start their abridged high-five.

To all of them he said, “Alright, cuties, I think we all know at any point this can and will go sideways. The AI in the archive room was ready to melt us before Ezra intervened. So, stay on guard, there’s no telling how many droids got powered up or how many are under Ezra’s influence.”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“-I mean we’d have to upgrade the intermix cowling, of course, because this is old tech,” Ezra said matter-of-factly. Ferrin was likely only pretending to be interested in the topic of ship mechanics, but it worked like magic. The part Sephi was rambling for the first time ever, excitedly detailing what it would take to get the space station operational. It wasn't often anyone else showed an interest in this passion of his, “-And it’ll probably take about six months.”

He trailed off slightly when he came across the others. He gave Dash a neutral look before glancing over at Leon. His expression softened then as he did one of their prolonged greetings. He even participated in the Scrub Squad cheer.

Ezra checked the bandages on his arm, grimacing as he saw some blood seep through. He fiddled with it as they walked to the bridge. He had remotely sliced in and was still carrying his datapad around. The doors to the bridge hissed open after he used a probe on the door terminal. As soon as the doors parted, a group of droids immediately leveled weapons at them.

“INTRUDER ALERT!”

Instead of panicking, Ezra quickly typed a few things on his datapad. Almost immediately, the droids powered off, their weapons landing with a thud on the ground. The part Sephi heaved a sigh of relief, walking to the central command. He used one hand to type on the console and plugged his datapad in. Within moments, a full station diagnostic was taking place and transferring the data to him.

“Once this finishes, we should have enough to take to the council,” Ezra said to the others. He knew this would be enough to warrant coming back to the planet - even for the stubborn council.

Roll: 15/20 on Ez handling any bridge dangers

@Zay @Altaris @Alhon

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Despite his best attempts to not look like a total doofus, Ferrin couldn’t control the way he smiled when Ezra started rambling. It was the most animated and giddy that he’d seen the quarter-Sephi in the months they’d known each other, and there was something about the soot in his ear and that spark of enthusiasm that was downright endearing. He nodded along and pretended to be interested, despite the fact he didn’t know the first thing about what Ezra was talking about. If at any point the quarter-Sephi looked over - before Ferrin glanced down at some very interesting tech - he’d undoubtedly see the way that the Pantoran was smiling.

Wide and toothy, with a notable glint behind his golden eyes. It was entirely different from the smirks and playful smiles he wore most of the time, and very clearly came from someplace deeper.

Nevertheless, the Pantoran managed to rein all of that back in when the others arrived. He gave Dash a typical jut of his chin in greeting, glancing back to Leon. He flashed a grin before participating in the group cheer. Things were.. Relatively back to normal, albeit with some clear tension still in the air. Fortunately, Dash wasn’t trying to herd them back to his ship quite yet - which meant there wasn’t a tremendous amount to argue about.

As they walked, Ferrin didn’t miss the sight of Ezra fiddling with his arm. The Pantoran knew that his own healing was enough to cleanse the poison and stop the worse of the bleeding, but the wound still remained and had likely been torn during all the moving around they were still doing. He gave the quarter-Sephi a small nod - as if to acknowledge the injury and make clear he intended to address it - but also hoped not to draw unnecessary attention and derail their mission as had been the case before with the injury.

Instead, he followed Ezra and the others into the bridge - his hand immediately shooting down for his lightsaber when the Sentry Droids emerged. Only for them to drop their weapons and go limb thanks to Ezra’s slicing. “Can you do this with security droids back on Ithor?” He asked randomly, staring at Ezra for a long moment. “Would make some shit a whole lot easier..” He muttered.

“Did either of you learn anything from deeper in the station?” He glanced over to Leon and Dash. “Might be able to slice in and access some archive records from the bridge. Take whatever data we can salvage, in case something happens between now and the time we come back.”

He jutted a chin towards the droids that were apparently their friends. “Gettin’ to Charlie doesn’t seem like such of a bitch now.”

@Sreeya @Zay @Alhon