Ask The Rodian and The Padawan

[Preef Callo]

As the ship was in hyperspace along the super-hyperspace routes towards Tatooine, Preef was pondering something as he held the lightsaber in his hands that had been on the Jedi Padawan's neck during the auction. It had been ages ago, but he remembered shooting Jedi on Sullust and Kessel. He also remembered how the Sith Empress had ambushed him in his own home with that awful power that was the Force.

He was sitting on the only stool in one of the crew quarters. On the bed three feet from him sat the padawan, while the upper bunk was empty. This was her cell. It was as comfortable as a cell on a spaceship could possibly be and probably better than where she stayed while in Baghra Desilijic' palace. Preef had made sure she was still wearing her shock-collar and the other Force-neutralizing technology that the Hutt had adorned her with, so surprisingly he felt remarkably comfortable holding her lightsaber in his hands.

"I actually met Talak Rand once, you know-" the rodian began, referencing the time he helped Talak rescue a sector ranger from a Sith prison on Sullust. "I think he was a Jedi, right?" Unbeknownst to Preef, the former Arcanist had become one of the most secretive Jedi Shadows in the current order's history and it was perhaps unlikely that this young padawan would know the man he spoke of.

"I wonder if everyone with your powers will inevitable turn out to become like them," the disdain in his words would be clear to the padawan, but also his worry. While uncaring about his own life or his redemption, he did worry that his son would inevitably grow up to become such an evil creature as Darth Raze or the former Sith Empress Andruil.


@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

The young, blonde padawan's usual spark und bubbliness was still dulled and she was simply not the same girl she had been when she had first landed on Jakku. She had never expected a mission to escalate that much within literal minutes and the loss of her three friends still ran deep.

She hadn't received any news from the boys, nor had she mananged to process the image of the lifeless body of her best friend. She was not believing she was gone. Somehow she was assuming she was still at the temple and she herself was enroute and would also run into both, Ezra and Kieran back there.

Her gaze was directed to the floor and she felt so cold and alone. Her knees were pulled to her chin and she was hugging them with her arms, her dark blue orbs seemed dim and she was not moving when he adressed her again. As she was rather absent-mindedly trying to to realize that she was enroute to a new location as property of the Rodian who had taken over the auction, it took a few moments until she managed to make sense out of his words.

The name didn't ring a bell, but that was probably because Lia was mentally not in this place. Her gaze flicked up, studying the man as attentively as she could, but it was still hard for her to move. She knew if she wouldn't answer, he would probably make her and so the fear prompted a reply from her. "No...", she muttered quietly, before she managed to bring up a little more strength. Judging from the context, something bad had happened to him and so maybe he was talking about a fallen Jedi.

"No", she repeated, but thus actually answering the second question he posed. "The light is powerful. Whenever there is darkness, we just need to find it". While she answered him, she was actually saying that to herself as well. It was a reminder. A powerful one even and as difficult as it was for her to hold on right now, she knew she had to. She had to fight this and somehow survive. Find the silver lining. Despite being chained up and still a slave, it seemed like the Rodian was treating her better than the Hutt, but she had no idea what his plans were...

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

The old rodian smiled, "Seems to me the other way around works, too-" he began as he shook his head and twirled the lightsaber around between his suction fingers, "Whenever the suns are at their highest, there's always a shadow you can hide in." That was how they saw it, right? The Jedi Order always claimed their path was hardest while the Sith went the easy way and were tempted by the comforts of the Dark Side.

Clearly this girl had only yet learned the mantras of her Order and not experienced the same things Preef had at her age. She was sheltered and innocent, much like Jon, in a way. "Tell me," his smile disappeared and his face read worried as he looked at her, "Can guilt of your own actions," he paused, seeming to mull things over, "or that of a father, make someone get into that shadow?"

Jon Callo had become a Sector Ranger to try and make up for his father's misdeeds. To hunt down outlaws and bring justice. But what if that very crusade could make him... become like them?

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

The broken padawan still felt the tension in the room as the Rodian has proven to be ruthless and unbelievably quick with his gun. While he had bought her, he could still decide to end her life within a split second as well, like he had threatened before, so she knew she had to be careful what to say and how. It was fairly obvious that there was no way out of it as she was not able to use the Force or access her lightsaber and so she quietly sat on the bed, her gaze now at least up at her new owner.

The thing was, however, that she could still sense the worry radiating off the Rodian and regardless of how absent her own gaze was, she could still read it in his features and hear it in his voice as well. It was obvious that he was taking about someone and that special someone seemed rather close to him. He was worried, afraid even and expected answers from the padawan.

While Lia was always honest and especially now that she was still technically held at gunpoint, she wouldn't lie, yet she already knew it wouldn't be a pleasant answer for him and she felt sorry about it. She was sensitive to grief right now and it obviously weighted her down, still, the question he posed reminded her of how she couldn't give in, regardless of how desperate the desperation. "It can...yes. We need to be aware of the threat and actively fight it and hold onto the light in order not to be consumed by the darkness". What he had said first, was obviously true, yet she did not dwell on it. In order to achieve balance, one had to understand that there were both sides of the specter, yet holding on to the light was the only right path.

"You sound worried", she finally stated what she noticed after a little break, her features softening. It gave her the chance to focus on something else instead of her own painful thoughts. The word 'father' kept echoing through her mind and she couldn't help but to wonder, "do you...have a child that is walking on that thin line?". She didn't want to be pushy and worded it carefully in order not to irritate him, but it seemed like he needed...help.

She herself was nothing more than a child, and she tried to imagine how terrible it must feel for a parent to notice your own kid descending a path of no return. "Guilt needs to be processed correctly", she added softly, again as a reminder for herself. She couldn't let herself be consumed by the guilt, even if she still assumed she was the one to blame for not having been able to help the other three, but she had learnt that she couldn't save everyone and that some things were simply out of one's control. By now, she looked at him with a hint of worry too.

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

The rodian was silent for a bit as he reflected on the young girl's words. "You say these things like they're simple," he eventually sighed and shook his head. "I had everyone I cared about die when I was younger than you," Preef looked away for a second as he remembered exactly how he had no only escaped indentured servitude, but had ended up alone after witnessing the stripped and viciously maimed body of his tutor. Life for him hadn't offered many lights. Marissa and the rest of the Zaa Fenn had, but Covax had forced them into hiding. His wife Tumi and their son had for a while until Jon found out who his father was..

Correctly processing guilt was -from Preef's point of view- impossible. If you wanted to settle an argument you'd pull your blaster faster than the other one could and that'd mean you won. There was no guilt at play in simple Outer Rim conflict resolution. It couldn't be. Still, he had tried to give Jon a different childhood. "I'm not a good father," he admitted more to himself than to the child in the room, "A bad rolemodel, you see." Except for aspiring gunslingers that were looking to get killed before reaching adulthood maybe.

Suddenly the rodian snapped out of his sorrow filled memories and looked at Liana with a frowned look of suspicion. "What's your name, where are you from?"

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

She didn't break eye contact even if his sheer presence made her nervous. The lightsaber made it worse, but she knew she had to face her fears and stay strong. It seemed like he didn't plan on killing her just like that or else he would have done that and so as long as he saw a purpose in keeping her, she would at least survive, which was something she definitely wanted to stay this way.

She swallowed at his words, slowly shaking her head from left to right once as she said "No, it's not. That's why we are life long learners". What he said next made her even more sad than before and she really felt sorry for him. Yet, it also explained why he was the way he was. "I'm...sorry. That sounds horrible". He didn't need her pity, that was obvious, yet the distraction from her own grief and pain was welcome. She saw it as her mission to save children like he had apparently been, but she couldn't stop wondering how old his own kid was.

When he spoke about himself she pondered on his words for a moment as she didn't even know whether he wanted a reply. She bit her lip as she studied him for another moment before she quietly added, "Even if we sometimes stray from a path we can find our way back, if we follow the light". Did he even see his child anymore? The sadness in his voice suggested otherwise, but she didn't dare raise any questions. Instead she shared teachings she had internalized and those she really believed him. It was not to late to turn back.

Lastly, when he asked for her name, she faced him again, wondering whether she should lie, but she didn't saw the purpose and she didn't want to risk irritating him if he somehow got that information. "My name is Liana...I was born on Echan, but I spent most of my life at the temples".

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

"Liana," his supicious frown relaxed a little as she gave more information than he had expected and that made him think. All she knew was a temple. Preef had never even set foot in a temple. Not a Jedi one, anyway. Her childhood, in a way, was probably worse than Jon's. Preef might be an old murderer, a gunslinger of legendary reputation and one of the most infamous rodians in the known galaxy, but when Jon was still a child he had just been a nice rodian. Jon had two parents that loved him, Nice Rodians, and all the freedom to learn and and be happy as a child should.

It seemed that Liana had more in common with Preef than with Jon. "I'm Preef," he replied, knowing that she most likely already knew him and his reputation. Still, it was the courteous thing to do. His hand went to a device in his pocket, but halfway through he seemed to change his mind. Had he just been close to giving her free access to the ship? That would've been foolish.

"I'm taking you with me to Tatooine," he averted his gaze and went back to twirling the lightsaber between his suction fingers, "I work for the cartel-" but he still couldn't condone turning children into slaves like they had with him. His efforts to end it while he was still part of the leading body of all the Five Syndicates had been in vain. The Sith had thrown him off the board and cleared the way for the return of the Hutts. "-but as long as you-" he stopped twirling the lightsaber hilt and used it to point at her shock collar, "-don't use the Force, you'll be fine. People like me have an itchy trigger finger when we see someone use the Force." and with kriffing good reason, too.

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

As the blonde padawan still sat on the bed she was rather motionless as she didn't dare to make any quick moves. She had seen how quickly the criminal Rodian had managed to pull out his gun and effortlessly aim with murderous precision, so while she was in no position to stop any bullets, she wouldn't take any chances.

She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but the way he pronounced her name made her a little uneasy. Without taking her still frightened gaze of him, she slowly shifted on the bed, straightening her back and clearing her throat before while softly nodding in order to signal her understanding.

Tatooine. Another desert planet. She hadn't been there yet, but obviously knew much about it. She assumed he had his personal residence or whatsoever there, but couldn't help but to wonder what he even wanted with her. His remark about how she would be fine didn't actually soothe her as she knew it was unwise to trust a criminals word, however she wasn't as terribly afraid as before after their little chat.

"I won't", she quietly replied after a little while. Lia was not one to harm anymore, but maybe she'd get the chance to get out of this whole chaos. She had a few questions in her mind, but wasn't sure whether she'd like the answer, yet she still build up the courage to raise one important question after a few more moments. "What are you going to do with me on Tatooine?". It wasn't hard to tell why he wanted the dancer...but what did he expect of a padawan? She could feel how her heart began to race and how her throat went dry. He didn't fully seem like a man to just acquire things he didn't need...If he planned on selling her again, where else would she end up?

@Eccles

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef was surprised by the question, "With you?" He paused as he realized that while he definitely had a plan with the Zygerrian, Zira, who would get her own room in the basement brothel and perform her little dances upstairs in the saloon to attract customers down there, he had to admit that for Liana, the kid, he didn't quite have the same idea. "I'm not gonna give you to the Hutts, if that's what you think."

He could perhaps test her. Let her see the dark side of the galaxy and see if it would turn her mad like it has the Spicelord, aka Darth Raze, and lose any notion of importance attached to the lives of others, like he himself had lost. If she could stay 'normal' then there'd be hope for Jon, too.

"But," he smiled as he stood up, "it won't hurt if you experienced what the galaxy really is like outside your temples."

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

Her gaze lingered on the Rodian, breath held and her pupils dilated as she awaited his answer apprehensively. She honestly had no idea what to assume, but after what he said about not giving her back to the Hutts, she was potentially a little relieved.

The Hutt that had previously owned her hadn't purposely mistreated her, yet the shocking stories that were out there about them had left her terrified. She questioned whether the famous gunslinger Rodian was much better, but something told her that he saw more in her than just a fancy slave.

The smile that preceeded the answer made her nervous. Was this supposed to become a study trip?! She was admittedly a little shocked by his reply, especially because he seemed to have phrased it rather vaguely on purpose, but the blonde padawan was still too shocked and apathetic to give an elaborate answer.

In fact, she didn't reply at all at first, simply not sure what to make of it. No...seeing more of the galaxy never hurted, but she had a bad feeling about what he meant by that. She swallowed hard, her eyes still widened as she instinctively scooted back a little. "When will we arrive?", she only asked for now, wondering how much time she'd have to prepare. She wasn't sure whether she could find some time to mediate in peace but she felt like it would help her in getting ready for what was about to come.

@Eccles