Ask Ajan Kloss Something Wild

[R'ashtaro]

With a whoomp, a black-hulled ARC-180 starfighter snapped into real-space. From the pilot's seat in its cockpit, a Reiko Fiani - orange-furred, with white patterns on his face, paws, and tails - bared his vulpine fangs in a grin. Ahead of him, on the space vacuum-side of the transparisteel viewport, a green marble floated in front of a much larger orange orb. A gas giant and its smaller satellite.

"It's here, alright," said R'ashtaro - or 'Ash' - over his shoulder to his two colleagues, who would be sat in the co-pilot's chair behind him and in the ball turret in the aft, respectively. Not that any of them or he himself had doubted that it would be. It was more an acknowledgement that the planet Ajara and its moon, Ajan Kloss, was indeed where they had expected it to be. These days, the Fiani Knight considered it a blessing when things turned out to be what they were promised to be. The Jedi Order could certainly use a little predictability.

Ash twisted in his seat to look at the Jedi behind him. "That's Ajan Kloss, my friends," he said, loud enough for the Jedi in the ball turret to hear it too. "Small and luscious and likely peppered with abandoned equipment from way back. It's probably old, but some might be salvageable. And at this point, beggars can't be choosers, no?" He winked at the Jedi in the co-pilot's seat. The Order wasn't exactly penniless, but in comparison to the vast assets of the Empire and the Sith, they might as well be. Hence why Ash and his compatriots were even there.

"The way I see it, we've got two options, no?" Ash said. "Option One: shoot straight towards one of the known Rebel bases we've got the coordinates for and start salvaging, smoothing things over with any local communities that might take offense at our presence if and when we encounter them. Or Option Two: seek out the locals and negotiate our way into our little salvage mission. What do you think?"

@StephDLegend @ByteBox

 

[Paxil Vociif]

Paxil found himself perched in the ball turret. Some might question the wisdom of putting a blindfolded Miraluka in the gunners seat. Whilst technically the species accuracy with the force made them formidable shots this sadly that wasn’t the case for Paxil who was personally among those questioning why you would put someone with no eyes in such a role. Then again he couldn’t fly much better than he could shoot so it was perhaps damage limitation, he couldn’t shoot their own ship down but he most certainly could’ve crashed it.

Paxil had eagerly joined this mission, enticed not only by the promise of adventure but also by the potential for diplomatic engagement. Adventure fueled his passion, and diplomacy was his forte. The prospect of exploring Ajan Kloss intrigued him, and the opportunity to negotiate with any local inhabitants aligned with Paxil's past experience.

As the ship orbited Ajan Kloss, Paxil couldn't behold the lush scenery unfolding below, but through the Force, he sensed the teeming energies of life. The abundance of life force was palpable, and Paxil marveled at the diversity of energies that surrounded them. Despite his lack of visual perception, he found a certain beauty in the symphony of life that played out beneath the ship.

A wry smirk played on Paxil's lips as he responded to Ash, "Impressive navigation. Looks like you're more than just a pretty face."

Paxil then considered the options before them as he subconsciously brushed his white hair off his blindfold and over to the side. "We could attempt a stealthy approach, slipping in and out like ghosts in the night but how much could we carry in one trip? My vote swings toward diplomacy. We might be here to salvage, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do some repetitional repair on the way. If we sneak in or wind up making an entrance, and we’re caught then we burn some bridges. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, but life advice: Always ask for consent. It's like choosing pizza toppings - everyone gets what they want, and no one ends up with unexpected meiloorun.”

“That’s my vote but if democracy decides to stealth it, I'll be a loyal wingman. It's not like I can say no, right?"

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan was pretty quiet during the travel towards the planet they were headed to. He had spent the travel time meditating and trying to center himself in preparation for the mission. He didn't have his satchel on him since he didn't need it. He did however have his lightsaber attached to his belt. He had a lot to learn about using it but he was still pretty proficient in form V. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to use the weapon at all on this mission. This particular mission was supposed to be a recon mission.

When they arrived, Kaedan opened his eyes to see the planet that was below. Master R'ashtaro spoke of the planet and their choices. Being in the co-pilot seat, Kaedan thought about what would have been best for them. They could easily go to the rebel's base but was that better than speaking with locals and trying to get the information? On one hand, the rebel's view would be myopic and biased whereas a local would have a different outlook on the situation at hand. That very outlook would be important in making a decision that could impact the planet.

Kaedan being the type to think of the people and having their trust, had a small smile on his face. He did however, listen to the suggestion made by the other Jedi Knight, Paxil. "I may only be a padawan but I think the best course may be to interact with the locals. Show them that they can trust us. It is better to maintain a good outlook and having them look at us as allies than for us to go behind their back. In the event we get caught, they would have no faith in the Jedi or trust us for that matter. The best we can do is to speak with them and show them the importance of our mission."
@ByteBox @Casmer

 

[R'ashtaro]

Ash creased a bushy eyebrow at Paxil. He repaid the white-haired Miraluka's remark with a smile that exposed his vulpine fangs. "I haven't had much use for prettiness," he said. His muzzle twitched, sending his whiskers bouncing up and down. "Besides, I'm a bit of an acquired taste to most beings, in my experience, no?"

As for the opinions voiced by both Paxil and the young Padawan, Kaedan, Ash considered them with some contemplation on his face. Finally, he said, "I was leaning towards the silent 'get in-get out' approach myself, but both of you make excellent points. And, as you," - he eyed Paxil - "so succinctly put it, democracy does rule, no?"

He swung back around in the pilot's seat, running his paws across the dashboard. He had made sure to enter in the coordinates of a few of the known settlements on-planet beforehand. He selected a settlement not too far from a desired location for the salvage mission. "I hope you're ready to trade words on behalf of the Order," he said over his shoulder, engaging the engine of the starfighter and gripping the stick to bank the vehicle around and down towards the planet's surface.

The starfighter made quick work of entering the atmosphere and penetrating down below the clouds. Immediately, the ARC-180 was wrapped in a blanket of heavy precipitation that clung to the viewports like condensation on an air filter. The visibility was shoddy, but Ash trusted the coordinates and the ARC's navigational computer's ability to guide them safely through to the outskirts of the settlement. He put the starfighter down a mere few hundred meters from the settlement, in a clearing amongst the jungle vegetation.

The Fiani spun around in his seat again. "We'll arrive at the settlement on foot. Less intimidating than putting a starfighter down on top of them, no? No doubt they're already aware of our presence." He glanced at the Padawan and the Miraluka in turn. "Perhaps it might be wise if one of you took point in the conversation ahead - depending on how they react to, well, me," he said and grimaced. Fiani weren't exactly numerous throughout the Galaxy, and people could react defensively against that which they were not familiar with - however uninformed that was. The Fiani grinned slyly. "I might be the very first Fiani they meet."

@ByteBox @StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan suggested that they speak with the locals and be up front with why they were on the planet. He didn't think sneaking around was a good idea especially since deceit wasn't the Jedi way. If they wanted to build trust with the locals on this planet even if it wasn't on this mission then they needed to show their integrity. If they were to be caught that could not only jeopardize the mission but also put a bad taste in the local's mouth about the Jedi.

Ash spoke of how he was leaning more towards moving with steal but even thought that was what he wanted to do, the points brought up were excellent. He hoped that they were ready to speak on behalf of the order which Kaedan nodded to. "I will do my best to represent the Jedi."

Once the Starcraft touched down on the planet, Ash let them know that they would have to travel to the settlement on foot as it was less intimidating than landing the starfighter down on them. Kaedan nodded as he stood up and made sure he had his equipment. "I agree, Master Ash. Also, I am ready to speak on behalf of us. It would be good practice for me. If things get too out of hand, you can always say something to try to calm them but it won't come to that." He gave a confident smile to the Knight and hopped out of the Starcraft. He walked with the Fiani until they came about the settlement.

When they got to the settlement, Kaedan observe the people as they moved around. The jungle planet was humid but the settlers worked like they were in the most comfortable climate. Kaedan entered the settlement with the knight, mindful of the stares that came their way. That was until he ended up walking up to an authoritative figure with a data pad in her hand. She was a middle aged human and had a stern look on her face, even as she reviewed data on the device. "Good day to you. I am Kaedan Javik with the Jedi Order. We are here on a mission and wanted to let you and those who are settled here know that we don't want any trouble and that we wish to get on with our mission as quickly as we could without disrupting anyone."

@Casmer