That's Not Very Diplomatic

[Reuben Azari]

Location: Gyndine​

It was pretty standard to send two Jedi for protection, one to secure the threat and the other to lead the target to safety. More often than not the threats were only perceived rather than actual threats but they couldn't afford to take liberties with these things, though with the threat to the Jedi themselves beginning to heighten after tensions in an escalating war then it would seem that priorities would need to be made to ensure the survival of the Order- if it could survive this next hurdle. Gryndine was under Galactic Alliance control so Reuben hoped there wouldn't be too many adversaries but if one of the diplomats, Kai Nafaar, had a reason to believe that someone wished him harm then they could not ignore his concerns.

Reuben had been paired with another padawan, though he had wished it would be an existing friend of his he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity of making a new one. He didn't know much about the other padawan since they had never met before, only her name which he had been told when being briefed about the situation by his master. He had arrived a few hours earlier and was waiting in the shipyard for the arrival of his partner, though he didn't know what she looked like he assumed she would stand out among the others since this was one of the few planets where they wouldn't have to always have to hide their Jedi status. They had been tasked with accompanying Kai to establish whether or not there were any real threats to his life after he had received death threats for some of his more controversial opinions. He hoped the other padawan was easy to get along with since it seemed they would be spending quite a bit of time together in the upcoming days.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

En route to the planet of Gyndine, Iden had passed the time researching the diplomat, Kai Nafaar. From her reading it was evident that Kai Nafaar was vocal with his sometimes controversial opinions, and this no doubt made certain people very angry.


It was possible that the death threats Kai Nafaar had been receiving were nothing more than a crude attempt to intimidate the diplomat into backing down on one or two of his political stances, and it was possible that the diplomat had legitimate reasons to fear for his life. If so, it was wise to have two Jedi around.


Iden was unfamiliar with the other Jedi Padawan she had been partnered with on this assignment. All she had been told was his name, but she was looking forward to meeting him. You couldn’t have enough friends in this day and age.


“We are arriving,” the droid pilot informed Iden.


The small transport ship touched down on the landing pad, and a moment later the ship’s ramp slowly opened with a hiss. Iden descended the ramp, taking in her surroundings. Despite the reason for her visit, it was refreshing to stand on ground controlled by the Galactic Alliance. Her eyes settled on the lone Jedi at the other end of the landing pad, awaiting her arrival, and she walked toward him.

@Sunfrog

 

[Reuben Azari]

As the blonde haired young woman approached, Reuben smiled at her to try and show that he was friendly and hopefully soon she would learn he was easy to get along with too. She appeared to be roughly the same age, possibly a couple of years his junior and a couple of inches shorter. There must have been a reason for them being paired together, perhaps they shared some similarities which they would soon find out about which made the people who had chosen them for this mission to think they would work well together.

"Hi, Iden." He greeted her as she came closer. "I'm Reuben." Redundant information no doubt since she likely already knew his name but he confirmed it nonetheless.

A mission such as this one would require teamwork and possibly compromise, although all missions required teamwork this was different as neither was a knight and so could not take orders from the other except when they chose to do so, he hoped she would trust his judgement as he would have a few years more experience than her but likewise, he would have to learn to trust hers too.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

As Iden drew closer to the Jedi that she was soon to be working with, she took in his appearance. He looked to be around her age, probably a few years older than she. He had well kept light-brown hair and blue eyes, but it was the diagonal scar across his left eye that caught her attention. She wondered how he had acquired such a scar.

Iden already knew his name of course, but she was glad he had introduced himself. She appreciated his friendly greeting and got the feeling that he would be easy to work with, which was a relief. Still, it would be interesting to see why her superiors had assigned them to work together.

“Hello, Reuben,” she smiled, extending her hand. “I look forward to working together.”

 

[Reuben Azari]

Reuben shook her hand when it was offered to him, he had almost completely forgotten about formalities after spending so long with his informal master though he never meant any disrespect. When she spoke to him, he looked at her inquisitively, she spoke in a similar accent to his own so he couldn't help but wonder if they shared their home planet. "Are you from Corellia?" He asked. Planets with well-established human societies tended to have quite distinct accents with Corellia and Coruscant being among them.

He assumed she was wondering about the scar, her gaze didn't linger but most people did wonder and it wasn't exactly something that was hard to share, not any more at least. "I got it from a duel with a Sith a couple of years ago." He told her, referring to the scar. It didn't bother him any more although the blindness in that eye that came with it was definitely an annoyance and was something he had to learn to adapt to, though having the use of the force helped with that.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden noticed the inquisitive look he gave her, and when he asked if she was from Corellia, she understood why. It had been so long since she had stepped foot on her home planet, and the fact that it was a distinctive accent had slipped her mind. He, too, had this same accent. “I am,” she answered in the affirmative. “Are you?”

At the mention of his scar, Iden hoped she hadn’t been staring. She hadn’t meant to call attention to his scar; her gaze had just naturally drifted to it. He didn’t seem to mind though, and on the contrary seemed relaxed, so she offered a small smile and said, “It sounds like quite the story. Perhaps one day I can hear it.”

@Sunfrog

 

[Reuben Azari]

"Yeah, I've never met anyone else in the Order from Corellia apart from my cousin." He replied, almost excited at the prospect of meeting another Corellian, though he tried to remain indifferent since they were expected to be professional, this wasn't a social event after all. He had made friends with people from different species and cultures throughout his time with the Jedi but it was refreshing to meet someone who shared the same culture, the culture that he missed so sorely. "It was, it's something to tell at parties at the very least." He joked, trying to show he was at ease with the situation, though there weren't many he was uneasy with.

"Jedi!" A cheerful voice from behind proclaimed, prompting Reuben to turn to greet the man who he immediately recognised as the senator they had been sent to protect. He was a blonde man in his mid thirties and was wearing a bright shirt with an unusual choice of patterns mismatched into one questionable outfit with a pair of more mundane trousers- it was a good job they weren't the fashion police. "Senator Nafaar." Reuben greeted him with a bow of his head. "I'm Reuben and this is Iden." He said, gesturing to the other padawan beside him. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He held his hand out to the man who shook it with unexpected enthusiasm. "The pleasure is all mine." He replied, offering his hand to Iden next.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Neither have I, Iden thought to herself. She wondered if he had been to Corellia lately. Had it changed in the eight years since she had been there? She was sure it had. Where had he grown up there? Did he still have family there? Had he ever visited Doaba Guerfel, her hometown? Was it still as she remembered it? There were a hundred questions she was dying to ask Reuben, but she knew this was neither the time nor the place. Instead, she attempted to clear her mind of these thoughts and focus on the assignment at hand.

Iden recognized the approaching man as Senator Nafaar. He appeared just as he had in the pictures Iden had viewed earlier, though his choice in clothing was...surprising, to put it kindly. Was this what passed for fashion here on Gyndine? At least it would be easy to spot him in that shirt.

At first introduction, the senator’s personality appeared to match his choice in shirts—bright and exciting. Iden hadn’t been sure what manner of reaction to expect from him until now, considering the circumstances.

Iden bowed her head in respect and shook the senator’s outstretched hand. “Senator Nafaar. I hope we will be of assistance to you.”

@Sunfrog

 

[Reuben Azari]

It had only been a few months since Reuben last went to Corellia, but it was under Mandalorian control then, before they declared war on the Jedi. Now it was under Republic control and its future was uncertain since alliances between factions remained undecided. He hoped both of them wouldn't be prevented from going back to their home planets because of political enemies made by people higher up in the pecking order than them. There would be plenty of time for them to compare life stories later but for now they would focus on the task at hand.

The senator shook Iden's hand with a smile. "Oh I wouldn't worry yourselves too much, most of the time these things turn out to be nothing." He said with ease. "In any case, we should set up a trap to see if anyone would actually come forward to take an attempt on your life, that way we can ensure there is no threat or that it is eliminated." Reuben suggested, glancing over at Iden for confirmation. "How would you propose we do that?" asked Kai, sounding intrigued. "You need to make a public appearance of some sorts..." Reuben said thoughtfully. "I'm giving a speech outside the town hall tomorrow if that would work?" Kai asked, glancing between the padawans. "And I have a spare room in my apartment so you can stay with me." He added. Reuben looked at Iden to check that she was accepting of all of this.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden listened carefully to the conversation between Senator Nafaar, her hands clasped together behind her back. It was only right that Reuben take the lead on this assignment since he was a few years her senior, and he had arrived here first. She would follow his lead and speak up only should she have a suggestion or objection.

She was appreciative, however, of the glance he cast her way as he spoke with the senator, wanting to secure her approval. It was a kind gesture.

“It seems to be an acceptable plan to me,” Iden replied formally, eyes shifting from the senator to Reuben as she gave a small nod of encouragement.

@Sunfrog

 

[Reuben Azari]

"Follow me then! It's only a short walk from here." Kai told the pair as he led the way. Reuben walked slightly behind the older man and gave Iden a look of amusement due to the man's effervescent personality which stood out as much as his flamboyant outfit. "Have you travelled far?" The man asked the padawans. "No, I only came from Jedha." Reuben replied, the planet was only a mere few hours from here, as he looked at Iden to encourage her to answer.

Reuben made sure to keep alert as they entered a more residential area of the city which was more populated as a result, though it would be unwise to try and strike the man down now, the people who had sent death threats didn't seem to be the most intelligent since they were allowing themselves to be thwarted.

A few minutes later, they stopped outside a tall building in what appeared to be the heart of the city. "Welcome to my humble abode!" Kai said enthusiastically before opening the door and leading them through the lobby and into an elevator which took them to his penthouse apartment which was pretty modest for a man of his position, it just seemed like any normal home. "The spare room is through there." He indicated to a door on the left of the apartment. "Feel free to take anything from the fridge." He offered. Reuben looked at Iden, trying to contain a smile as he found the situation rather comical. Somehow they had ended up having a sleepover with a senator.

@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Iden walked alongside Reuben as they passed through the streets and into a residential area. “I travelled from Alderaan,” she replied, her eyes bouncing from building to building.

When they reached the senator’s apartment, Iden was impressed by the senator’s choice of lifestyle. She had assumed he would have a large, extravagant, over the top home. Quite the opposite, his apartment was modest and homey. The senator was full of surprises.

Glancing about the room, she heard the senator say, “Feel free to take anything from the fridge.”

Feeling Reuben’s eyes on her, she turned to see that he was trying to stop himself from smiling, the corners of his mouth ever-so slightly curling. Iden couldn’t help but smile widely at the look on his face. It was a rather comical situation, she had to admit, and the senator himself didn’t seem to be taking the situation too seriously.

@Sunfrog

 

[Reuben Azari]

It wasn't like they had brought anything to unpack so Reuben shrugged and sat down on the sofa, embracing the casualness of the situation. The senator seemed like quite a nice, genuinely modest man, Reuben couldn't fathom why someone might want to kill the senator but then again, he hadn't acquainted himself with the opinions the man held which were deemed controversial by some- apparently controversial enough to justify death threats.

It had been evening when they arrived so he hoped they wouldn't have to continue trying to keep up with the man who felt the need to fill every second of silence with a question or anecdote from his life, mostly the latter. After several hours of the man rattling on and the padawans politely listening, it seemed like Kai didn't get much company, the man finally retired to his bedroom.

Reuben let out a sigh of relief, the senator was nice enough but exhausting. Finally the padawans would get some time to talk without a third person involving himself in their conversations. "How long have you been with the Jedi?" He asked.


@llamallove

 

[Iden Farlander]

Settled comfortably on the senator’s couch, it took all of Iden’s self-will to keep herself awake and attentive as he rattled on. It wasn’t that the senator himself was boring, but a good amount of what he talked about was. He was a pleasant, kind fellow. She enjoyed his company, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed everything that came from his mouth.

If there was one silver lining to be found in the senator’s ramblings, it was that he rarely required a reply from either padawan. A nod of acknowledgment, a short “Mhmm,” or a “Yes, I agree” was sufficient to please him.

Eventually, he decided he was going turn in. “Goodnight, senator,” Iden bid him as he left. She had been hoping to get an opportunity to talk with Reuben before they turned in for the night, without the senator. Turning toward Reuben, she answered his question. “About eight years. And you?”

@Sunfrog