Panic Now, Avoid the Rush

[Morgan Evanar]

Much of the infrastructure built on Vortex was underground. It had to be. With Vortex's steep axis of rotation, the storms were fierce and would tear apart the vast majority of conventional structures. The largest port was piddly by galactic standards, and not more than 10 kilometers to Vortex's only real outside attraction - the Cathedral of the Winds. A semi-annual Vor musical celebration of the seasonal transition that heralded the coming of the powerful storms.

The Rebellion had removed even their token residence from the Jedi's enclave on Vortex, and Adia was itching for news. It was a good excuse to talk to Morgan alone. On the last trip, they had generously left behind a small freighter and a land speeder, in case they needed to pack in a hurry. The winds were calm by Vortex standards, but Morgan had to compensate a little to maintain heading. She had been a little surprised at how skillfully he handled the speeder, given his background as a slicer. Most slicers weren't much for any pursuits beyond slicing. The Cathedral was a good hundred kilometers out from the Enclave. She glanced over at Morgan, who was going a good clip faster than most people would have thought prudent. Adia said nothing. He knew what was up ahead, and his body knew exactly what to do to adjust. It wasn't blind faith in the Force, like many Jedi of the past had. Morgan used his eyes plenty. Further, just like Wyl alluded to, he could drive.

"Where'd you learn to fly?" Adia asked.

"Nar Shadda." Morgan said, not letting his eyes off the rolling plain.

"Rough place. I've been through before. What area?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Morgan shrugged. "I dunno. I worked all over."

Adia looked down for a moment, not sure what to say.

"I don't know anything about you." She said. "But I want to."

"Oh. I grew up on Nar Shadda. Things went pretty well until Vera Evanar was run over by a speeder. Killed by someone blasted out on some kind of drug. I was nine when she died. Dad fell apart over the next few years, started gambling and drinking. Debt caught up to him. The loan sharks had him offed him."

Adia nodded.

"Ran with a street gang for a few years until someone figured out I could slice. Did that, transitioned over to mostly slicing when I was fourteen. It was nice not getting stabbed ever few weeks, so I ran with that. I always broke into a place instead of being really clever. It was faster if the target was on Nar Shadda. And for me, it was easier."

"You learned how to fly by stealing speeders." Adia said, not questioning.

"Sometimes. I bought one legitimately when I could get a license. I didn't want to have to worry about getting caught in it. I did some really stupid things in it, and it was fast when I was through modifying it."

"How'd you end up with Serena?" She asked, not wanting to pry too much right now.

"She needed help and I didn't want to be on Nar Shadda anymore." Morgan said.

"She found out you were Force sensitive."

"Yeah. I'm glad it was her and not someone else. Nar Shadda can leave your morals flexible. So what about you?" He asked.

"I.." Adia gathered her thoughts. "You know about the Clone Wars and the troopers?"

"Yeah, some. I know what was available publicly."

"I was a prototype. Before they picked Jango Fett as a mold, they experimented. I was one of the later revisions. But I was too expensive and... wild. They couldn't fast-clone me, either." She explained. Morgan brought the speeder to a halt.

"You're saying I'm the offspring of an experiment." Morgan looked shocked.

Some of the color drained from Adia's face. "Yes."

"That explains so much."

Adia quietly sighed, relieved.

"I mean, most people think I weigh at most 80 and change, but I'm about 120."

"I weigh 83 kilos." Adia said. Morgan nodded, knowingly. He had gotten the speeder moving again, this time more slowly.

"So what happened?"

"I trained Clone Troopers after I settled down some. Did some missions as an ARC trooper. The Emperor found me a few months after the war. I became one of this Hands, essentially a personal agent, until Lianna changed my mind..."

"You were the Emperor's agent?" Morgan choked out.

"Was. After he died, I lost my stomach for it. Many in the Empire have slowly been losing resolve. Lianna and I have been traveling for nearly a year, looking for her mother and then you."

"Oh. Did you find her?"

"I know Lise Tarkin personally. I put Lianna forward as a body double candidate which was a ruse to allow them to meet."

"That was clever." Morgan acknowledged.

"I like to think so. And I do want to properly apologize. I am very sorry for running you through with that metal scrap." Adia said.

"Serena told me you were drugged heavily. It would have killed any human. You gave Lianna a nasty lump on the head." Morgan added.

"I did." Adia agreed, with a sigh.

"This is going to be awkward for a while. We just met. Let's give each other some breathing room when things get weird." Morgan suggested.

"I... okay. Let's be honest, but reject any questions we can't handle yet."

"Sure. Who's my genetic father?" Morgan asked.

Adia blanched. "It's a long story."

"Okay." He waved a hand, dismissing the question.

"I almost said no to letting you come along. This supply run is my only real quiet time."

Adia smiled at that.

"I'm not used to having any sort of regimented schedule. Until about a year and a half ago, I did whatever I pleased. You get used to that sort of freedom. I miss it sometimes. I don't really talk to anyone about it, because... I dunno. On some level I don't think they'd really understand." Morgan explained.

"Sometimes I'd have a month of downtime between assignments, and wouldn't really have anything official to do."

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I... I went to a spa, three times."

"And?"

"I hiked and rock climbed for half the day and soaked until my feet looked like prunes." Adia blushed a little. It was silly.

"Oh. I've never been rock climbing, but I scaled more than a few sections of Nar Shadda's buildings."

"Buildings are much easier. Rocks are not consistent. There isn't a zen to scaling a building. You can stop worrying about where your feet and hands are on a building, because it's probably going to be the same or similar the next floor up." Adia explained.

"We're talking about scaling buildings."

"We are."

"You're a weird mother." Morgan said, with no humor in his voice.

Adia was about to object, but caught herself.

"Yes." She said. He grinned.

The speeder pulled into the small port, which was mostly a series of opened cave fronts with curved doors obscuring hangars bored from the land.

"Now I can really say 'My mom can beat up your dad.'" Morgan added with a chuckle.

"Well, yes." It was a joke, she noted. "Do people really say that?"

"Heh. Yeah, they do, but usually it's 'My dad can beat up your dad.'" He said as he climbed out of the speeder. They didn't really want for that much in the way of supplies beyond some of the less basic foodstuffs that Morgan seemed to be wiping out too quickly.

"There are more people here than normal." Morgan quietly noted an increase in both the number of Vors and other species. Adia nodded discretely.

"I wonder why?" He pondered quietly.

Adia, meanwhile, immediately changed posture. She discreetly found a news kiosk and purchased the latest issue, especially with information pertaining to this sector. Morgan continued purchasing the miscellaneous goods required. She perused the datapad as she walked back. Her eyes lit up when she got to the local sector news, and quickened her pace back to Morgan.

"The Vors are going to start the Concert of the Winds again. In thirty days." She explained.

"Oh." He said, not understanding.

Morgan soon had accumulated enough food to feed several people for weeks, the foldable crates loaded with cheeses, fruits, vegetables and a small selection of meats. He liked to eat.

"Want help?" She offered.

"Sure." He said and allowed Adia to slip the news reader into the crate and remove it from his grasp. They loaded the speeder's cargo hatch and got back in after the short walk back.

"What's the Concert?" He asked.

"The Cathedral is actually a giant musical instrument. When the winds start to pick up, the Vors hold a celebration for the change of seasons."

"Oh. That's amazing."

"The Vors have not had a Concert since Palpatine took power, in protest." She explained

"There are going to be a lot of people here soon. This is not good." Morgan said gravely as he eased the speeder free of the port area. Once in the open, he let loose, feeding the speeder full power whenever he could.

"We need to warn everyone." Adia managed of the drone of stress engines.

"I'll start packing. Krasst. I was just getting used to the caves, too."

[Rhianna]

It was midmorning. Rhianna had some free time to herself. The other inhabitants of their little 'home' were all busy. Everyone worked together here, with responsibilities of their own. Everyone pitched in and helped in some way. Even little Wyl had duties that were specific to him. Working together, they made sure that everything ran smooth and thrived. It was not an unfamiliar routine to Rhianna, that was how her clan had been as well. At the moment she was sitting in the empty lounge, just off from the little hangar. It was quiet, and there was a breeze coming through the half open doors.

The speeder was gone. That meant that Morgan wasn't here. Must be a supply run, she'd assumed without really thinking on it. It was becoming a familiar schedule to her. She'd brought along her mission for the day, a pile of fabrics that she intended to turn into dresses, and robes for herself. She was going to make some shorter ones for Wyl as soon as she finished the ones she was working on for herself, knowing how having official Jedi robes would tickle him.

Besides, she'd run around in the tattered remains of her own blue dress, and borrowed clothes long enough. She just wasn't as tall as the other females in the enclave and was always tripping over her skirt hems. Sure she could have had some droid whip them up or something, or she could have just gotten ready made garments, but that was just not her way.

A pale green dress, with shorter elbow length sleeves and a high waist was almost complete. She was embroidering a circle of little green leaves along the bottom of the skirt, absently singing to herself in her own language. It was nice to tune out and do something mundane. It felt like, all too often lately, she tried so hard not to think. Trying not to think just made her think more, and it was an exercise in futility that often gave her a headache, but when she did think.. her thoughts inevitably drifted to the same subject.

A subject that should be arriving at any time. She sighed..

There I go again.

It was really becoming vexing and had, on occasion, disrupted her meditations and excercises. Trying not to be distracted was far worse on her concentration than being smitten had ever been. There was not much to be done for it though, she'd made her promise and had to stick to it now.

[Adia Issoris]

The speeder slipped smoothly into the mouth of the hangar, gliding to a halt. Adia exited first, grabbing one of the bags of supplies from the hatch.

She looked rather grave. Rhianna had gotten more used to seeing her smile sometimes. Adia came to a halt in front of the young woman.

"Rhianna." She said, making sure she had her full attention.

[Rhianna]

She'd only just set down her finished work when the speeder returned. Tucking everything into a quick, neat pile she huried out to see if she could help Morgan unpack anything, but ran into Adia instead.

Rhianna's eager smile faded as soon as she saw her, instinct whispering that something was going on. "What's wrong..?"

[Adia Issoris]

"The Vors have revived the Concert of the Winds. We all must start packing. Vortex is no longer safe." Adia said with a cold certainty. Morgan somberly waived with his free hand as his mother disappeared into the kitchen. They would simply load the refrigerator lock and stock instead of unpacking it.

"Hi Rhianna." He said. He sounded down.

[Rhianna]

Leave? They had to leave? They had just become something like settled! Rhianna watched Adia's departing back, in quiet distress, until her attention was claimed by Morgan. She walked over and grabbed a bag out of the speeder.

"We're really going to leave here? Will we be able to come back after the concert?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"I don't know if we'll come back or not. This looks like a pretty typical Vor installation from a casual inspection." Morgan said with a shrug.

"But yeah. We have to leave."

[Rhianna]

Rhianna just stood there, holding the bag, wondering what was the point in unloadig anything? She looked down, deep in thought and clearly a bit tense.

"How long do we have?"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan shrugged.
"A week, I guess. Sooner is better. There will likely be some important people with security teams poking around."

[Rhianna]

She wrapped her arms more securely around the bag she was carrying, shifting it's weight a bit. "So soon?" It wasn't really a question. She understood the reasons they couldn't be found..

That meant they were going to have to hussle, not only to leave the Vor caves behind, but to remove the traces of their presence there as well. Rhianna wasn't fond of the caves, so the news that they would be seeking a new haven didn't bother her. Wyl would be disappointed though. The little boy simply loved scampering through the dark caves, returning with little treasues of auspicious childhood importance. They would just have to continue their grand adventures with some new chapter wherever they settled next..

Rhianna toted the bag into the kitchen and set it down. "Well.. what can I do?"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan was doing yet another pass of the caves. It was crucial to make sure they left as little behind as possible, down to any waste. Packing the emergency provided freighter had taken less than 24 hours, everything folding neatly into the YV-666 provided by the Alliance on extremely short notice. He was impressed, but no one had experiencing running light like they did. Years of pressure from the Empire had taught them how to stay on the move.

After living for the better part of a year in razor grass and increasing winds, Morgan (and Rhianna, he suspected) was glad to be leaving Vortex. It's rolling hills and fields had been educational, and idyllic. As a city dweller, it didn't suit Morgan very well, and, in a way, he was glad for it to be behind him.

Serena had become somewhat distant lately. The sudden disappearance of two of the other Jedi Knights seemed to weigh on her, and Wyl asked Morgan if he knew where they were every other day, usually while he was lifting something heavy. He always answered the same: no, but Adia left a message where to meet in three weeks. Rhianna was doing a remarkable job keeping both of them busy, mostly by using Wyl's vivid imagination to look for errant objects. Serena had taken it upon herself to fly Daria's ship, trusting Morgan's reflexes and experience to manage the bulk of the cargo in the YV-666. Since Adia, Daria and Lianna had left, the winds had picked up a great deal, and it would require focus to manage the atmospheric flight.

Off to the left, Daria's small freighter took flight. Morgan watched as it taxied out, it's repuslor-lifts thrumming, and subsequently fight the violent crosswinds that rippled across the grassy plain.

Morgan took a deep breath and eased the freighter off the ground.

[Rhianna]

Aboard the YV-666 freighter with Morgan, Rhianna shuffled around with last minute details. After checking, and rechecking that Wyl was safely strapped in, she ruffled his hair and claimed the seat next to him. She made sure all her own safety restraints were in place, tightened to near crushing, and then took a deep breath. She turned to look out the viewport for her last look at Vortex, which had been home for so long now. She understood the reasons they had to leave, and had done her very best to make sure that they could be packed up and gone in a timely manner, but still... It was kind of sad.

She didn't know much about the new world they were leaving to possiby settle on and start over. Talasea, Morgan had told her it was called. All she knew was that there were misty forests, and that it was not a populated place, as it had been abandoned to nature. It sounded perfect.

They were leaving the Winds and the elemental power of Aer, behind for the more grounded element of Talamh, earth. It was her much biased opinion that they were more inclined to find permanent shelter in such an environment. Air-ruled places enjoyed whispering their secrets on the breeze, teasing them with the thought that their location might be betrayed with the coming of the Concert of Winds.. Earth was more inclined toward shelter and protection. That was just the way her kind saw things..

The freighter bobbed a bit as they bid farewell to Vortex. Rhianna gulped. Wyl grabbed her hand. Even he knew she was still not fond of space travel.. "You ok, Rhianna?"

"Yes, I'll be fine.." She pressed her fingers to the viewport. "Slán a fhágáil ag duine.. Goodbye..."

[Morgan Evanar]

"So long, Vortex." Morgan said, saying it for himself and for Wyl's translation. In some ways, he was glad to be leaving Vortex to an even lower-profile planet. Talasea was an abandoned settlement, and it had been so for at least 20 years. Still, Morgan would likely spend the better part of several weeks combing it over for any sentient presence. Half of him hoped for someone to be there, just to have something to do, or avoid... or something. Half of him would be glad it would be just them, and trees. He'd be happy for a more vertical orientation alone. He found Vortex's rolling plains monotone, as that was pretty much the entirety of the terrain on planet, and he certainly didn't relish the storm season that would leave them mostly cut off from the outside world.

The universe had forced their hand, and he breathed a sigh of relief as they broke Vortex's turbulent atmosphere. Ahead, Daria's shuttle winked out of existence as it jumped to hyperspace. Their route would be a twisted one, jumping into four charted but un-inhabitable start systems. The first would be a short hop, not too far from Vortex, and actually a little divergent from Serena's course. They would merge flight plans on the next jump, and take advantage of the YV's more powerful navicomputer. It would take a great deal of effort to follow the two ships, and given the lack of traffic, Morgan felt there wasn't too much to worry about immediately, especially given their extra jumps.

The navicomputer signaled they were clear of the planet's gravitational influence, which Morgan knew already.

"Ok, seat belts, she's ready to jump." He said, and checked to make sure everyone was still strapped in. Rhianna certainly was. Space travel made the Wild Space native nervous. Wyl's face began to pull into a smile.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Morgan pulled the lever and engaged the hyperdrive. There was a brief moment where he felt spread across more of the galaxy than was proper, a slice of completely unnatural between-ness before he saw the swirl. He fought the very brief urge to wretch, and was fine after a shake of the head.

[Rhianna]

As her presence became displaced in space and time, Rhianna had the impression that her insides were showing and might come flying out her nose at any moment, leaving her looking dumb for all time. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, then slowly counted in her head until the feeling passed. When it was over, she cracked one blue eye open and looked at Wyl, who seemed none the worse for the experience, maybe even enjoying himself.

He looked at her like she'd done something clever. "You're funny."

A big exhale preceeded her response. "I'm so pleased you think so.."

Wyl looked ready to hop out of his seat, no doubt to go offer his assitance as co-pilot, or navigator, or space pirate, whatever the scenario for the day was, but Rhianna put a gentle hand on his arm.

"Not so fast you! Not until Morgan says so."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl rolled his eyes in the laborious manner of put-upon eight-year-olds. No matter how many times Morgan or Rhianna explained it, he didn't see why the otherwise adventurous woman didn't like flying. Making the jump was the best part, too; your guts swirled around and your heart felt like it was being pulled backwards and you were sort of almost dizzy, like after you spun in a circle for too long. What couldn't you love about that?

To show her he wasn't a complete baby, Wyl undid his safety webbing and scooted to the very edge of his seat. He made a goofy face at Rhianna, to show he was just playing, not not-listening. "O-kay." Wyl squirmed, the fact that they were on a real adventure making him more antsy than usual--which was saying something.

"Morgan? Can I move yet?"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan cracked a smile.

"The proximity alarm is set to two minutes, so as long as you come back to your seat then, it's fine. Just be careful about touching things. This Triple Six is pretty old, I'm not sure what sort of shape it's in beyond basic space-worthiness." Morgan instructed. Wyl was a good kid and could behave well enough for 30 minutes without touching too much.

"Okay." Wyl said, grinned, unbuckled and bounded off. The passenger section of the 666 wasn't cramped, and the pressurized cargo area was massive. The door to that was locked, just in case.

Morgan unbuckled himself and stretched a little. Rhianna hesitated, but did the same. She never liked the cramped spaces of a ship, nor the isolation of spaceflight, but he suspected she might manage on some of the larger ships with more open spaces. She was so in tune with the nature around her that the metal and fake gravity was disorienting to her. He could feel the subtle differences, but for Morgan, it was just another way to stick to things.

It was strange, Morgan had been side by side with Rhianna almost the entire week, but had hardly said a word to each other besides: "Could you help me with that?" or "Thank you."

He was similarly short on words now.

"Hey."

[Rhianna]

She shook her head watching Wyl scamper off, grinning. She didn't worry about him causing too much trouble, he was a good boy. After he passed by her, Rhianna stretched out her legs, toes pointed, which elicited a squeak when the tension snapped and uncoiled from her back. Resisting the urge to sink back into a heap, she forced herself up and out of her seat.

Leaning an arm on the back of Morgan's seat she smiled sheepishly. "Hello.. Sorry, I'm still a bit silly about jumps. Really, I know there is nothing to be afraid of. I do trust you."

Wow. Rhianna was certain that was the most words she'd said to Morgan in over a month. Which was a shame really, consdiering that for a long time he was the only person she'd had to talk to and had spent hours doing so. The new concepts of boundaries and 'right and wrong as according to the Jedi' had stuck between them like a chasm. She didn't like it, but so far had done her best to abide by them.

Still, she couldnt help but feel that it was wrong. Ignoring her feelings? Pretending there wasn't anything wrong? It felt.. oppressive..

[Morgan Evanar]

"I know. Growing up without space flight..." Morgan shrugged. It was so alien in concept. Everything could fly, and had to, or Nar Shadda wouldn't have worked.

"I'm starting to feel the transition more, too. When we jump." He added.

"But... at least when it's over, it's beautiful." He nodded towards the swirling expanse of blue that made hyperspace.

Morgan looked back to Rhianna. There was more troubling her than just hyperspace jumps. She looked frustrated.

"Cad é atá cearr?"

[Rhianna]

It was beautiful, if a bit dizzying. She sat down opposite Morgan, crossing her ankles, turning her face to him when he questioned her. Were her thoughts so transparent? Or did Morgan just know her too well?

"I don't know, really.. I just.. feel ..bheith éiginnte de rud. I have felt this way for a while now."

If she was going to open up and talk to anyone, it was him. Better to just spill the kettle then let it simmer overlong, her grandmother would have said..

"I feel like I'm no longer myself, that I am becoming someone different. Someone that the Jedi would have me be, and not Rhianna of the Tincéir anymore. I just thought this was to be a continuation of my training from childhood, but it seems there is much more to it than that now. Rules that I don't understand the reasoning for, yet I must still abide by.. I feel, stifled."

She grumbled a bit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run on . Just sort of came out.."

[Morgan Evanar]

"It's ok. We haven't said more than a few words to each other in a month.” Morgan said.

“I didn't really have any training before I met you and Serena. I understand, though. Different people have different ways. Maybe Serena's aren't compatible with yours.” He shrugged, but it seemed to still bother Rhianna. There was more to it than mere incompatibility.

“You feel like you're being restrained.”

“Cinnte! Yes!”

“Well, how, exactly?” Morgan had a few guesses.

[Rhianna]

"Aside from the most obvious?" Her impish grin chose that moment to make an appearence.

"I miss you.", she started, but that wasn't quite right. "I know.. I see you everyday."

Rhianna struggled with what she wanted to say in her head for a minute, chosing her words with care. Peeking over to see if Wyl was behaving, she lowered her voice a bit.

"What I miss is how natural, and right things felt.. before. I do not mean to sound wicked, or selfish, because that is just not it.." She chewed on her thumb, anxious for the right Basic words to fall out of the hyperspace into her lap.

"I do not like feeling that I cannot follow my own heart, which I have always trusted. The Abhairt Saoil, does not tell me this is the way things must be, and so I am confused." She peeked over. "Am I making any sense?"

As far as being compatible with Serena, she had not given it much thought. It was just how things were. The Jedi Knight had found her upon her homeworld and taken her with her into this new life, it had seemed fated.

Still, Rhianna couldn't help but feel like she was being forced to make a choice she shouldn't have to make.. It was not a pleasant feeling and there was a distance between her and her mentor that had not been there before, because of it.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan shrugged apologetically. He was a bit short on words, and while sympathetic, had given Serena his word.

“It makes perfect sense.” He said, without trying to sound a bit disappointed that things were the way they were, right now.

“Serena grew up with a lot of rules. Conceptually, Jedi are supposed to represent the Order inherit in the universe. They're it's guardians, sort of. Serena wants at least some of the Jedi's ways passed down.” Half of it was how he had interpreted it. Half was supposition.
“I think.” He added.

“I guess this is one of those things we're supposed to understand afterword.” Morgan sighed.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Judging from Morgan and Rhianna's weird looks and lowered voices, they were having a grownup conversation. It was probably boring. Wyl was not interested in boring. Mindful of Morgan's warning about the ship, the boy scrambled away out of sight to look for something to do.

He would have liked to pry one of the floor panels up and play smuggler, but all his tools (Morgan'd sorted out what the Rebel technicians had left behind and given the boy a little, highly-prized kit of his own) were in the cargo area. The locked cargo area.

"This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends... some people sta-arted singin' it not knowin' what it was, an' they'll continue singin' it forever just because this--" Wyl sung softly as he veered towards the mess area. He scrounged up a granola bar and ate it as he walked along, still humming.

What he really wanted to do was sit in the pilots chair and pretend he was flying. Wyl peeked around the corner at Morgan and Rhianna. They were still talking and looking at each other all funny. He rolled his eyes and took another massive bite of his granola bar.

[Rhianna]

She still didn't understand the reasoning behind it. It seemed sort of silly, the way parents gave their children 'because I said so' logic. Many of her people were talented in the ways of the Abhairt Saoil, and there had been no such restrictions among them, but.. she was not among her kind anymore.

Rhianna sighed and sank into the seat opposite Morgan, after peeking back at Wyl again, who was munching away. "It's a silly thing, but if you think it will make sense someday..."

[Morgan Evanar]

“Yeah.” Morgan said.

“I don't really know. I mean, I've learned a lot about you, and your culture, but I wouldn't say I'm qualified to...” He paused, trying to think about the best way to phrase it. “...to make that call. I know Serena is doing things the best way she knows how. The only way she knows how.”

Rhianna looked a little distant. She nodded a little, but Serena's lack of flexibility still frustrated her.

“Jedi used to number in the thousands. Tens of thousands, years past. They've been dwindling for two hundred years, and now, there are a handful of us. So even though Jedi aren't supposed to be scared, Serena is probably very concerned that if she doesn't do things the old way, there might not be any more Jedi after she is gone.”

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He could smell the ship. It was old. Traces of a removed fluidics system stained the hull beneath the panels. Corrosion and filler, old lubricant. Bit of Wyl on the seat, and Rhianna...

[Rhianna]

"I understand.." Rhianna said, after reflecting on it a bit. There was a 'but' in her voice, like she wanted to say more..

She did. Rhianna knew that the Jedi teachings were important to Serena and she was not disputing that fact. It just seemed to her that a replica of the past, a past that the will of the Force had seen taken down and scattered, was not going to be possible..

"..But we cannot be those Jedi from the past. We can only be who we are.."

She could learn the ways of the Force if taught, but she would always be Rhianna..

"Alright, I'm done with my sulk." She stood up before she said anything else she'd later regret. Feeling better, having gotten a lot off her mind, she gave Morgan's shoulder an affectionate pat before walking back to see Wyl.

"Well..? Are you feeding us too, or are you going to eat the rations before we get there..?" She smirked at the little boy.

[Wyl Staedtler]

In answer Wyl studied his half-consumed snack and then offered it to Rhianna with a toothy grin. "'S'only got a little bit a spit on it." The boy burst into a fit of giggles, unable to deliver the line deadpan; a comedian, he was not.

Letting out a tickled sigh and wiping his eyes, Wyl shook his head. "Oh man. Where are we goin' again Rhianna?" She'd told him at least a dozen times but he'd forgotten. Again.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan wanted more than an affectionate pat on the shoulder, but he smiled anyway.

“Talasea. It's got big trees, and no one else on it.” He answered for Rhianna.

Wyl grinned.

“You want this?” Wyl offered what was left of the ration up to Morgan.

“Sure, just set it aside. I'll eat it during the next jump.” Morgan grinned back at him. Wyl could always count on Morgan to eat whatever he didn't. So could everyone else, except for Adia. When the two of them trained, they ate enough for six!

[Rhianna]

"Trees, Wyl! Do you know what that means?" Rhianna grinned excitedly passing by him to claim a granola bar of her own, before they were consumed by the two bottomless pits.

"It means.. we can go up climbing instead of down caving, on our next adventure. As soon as we know it's safe of course, right? That will be a change.."

She took a bite and chewed, then started rambling again.. It kept her mind off other things to throw herself into being Wyl's sidekick.

"We can have a fire! I'll teach you to dance." Rhianna winked..

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Dancing," Wyl said loftily as he stowed the chewed bar away for Morgan, "Is for girls and sissies."

The boy stood on his seat and leaned over the back of Morgan's so he could look out at the stars. He could never get over how many there were. They'd never looked like much from his window on Coruscant; most nights you couldn't even see them because of all the lights and haze.

"I saw trees, once. At the bot-i-cal gardens. But we couldn't climb 'em 'cause they were behind a big fence." The prospect of scaling something alive rather than a durasteel play structure was exciting. Wyl scooted until his belly was on the headrest of the seat, letting his legs dangle behind.

"We could play Wookiee, Rhianna. In the trees. I'll capture you but then Morgan can rescue you. He can be the Jedi." He nodded sagely at the man; this was a terrific offer, and the fact that Wyl was willing to admit imaginary defeat showed how highly he thought of Morgan.

"Talasea. Talasea. Talasea." The lad tried it out; it was almost impossible for Wyl to be quiet longer than a few minutes. If there weren't questions to be asked, or things to be said, there were most certainly noises to be made. "If we're the only ones there, does that mean it's our planet? Can we rename it?"

[Morgan Evanar]

He was about to gently rebuke Wyl, but a thought crossed his mind, and he shut his slightly opened mouth. When they had to visit other planets, their special name would be used.

"That might be a good idea." Morgan nodded in agreement. Rhianna gave him a blank look.

"It will be our name, regardless what it says in the star charts." He said and smiled. "But I think we'll need to agree on it." He added as Wyl's brain and body began to wind up.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna gave Wyl her most offended look. "Awww, I thought you had declared me an Honorary Boy because I was so cool.."

She walked back toward Morgan, turning to point her granola bar at Wyl for a mock-scolding. "Ok, no jumping over the fires we build. No energy raising stomping.. and definitely no tribal war paint. All too girly.."

The suggestion that they were going to include Morgan in their new adventures caused her impish grin to reappear. Now wouldn't that be fun.

Taking the seat next to Morgan again, Rhianna pondered personal names for Talasea. Something just for them to refer to what might be their new home. There were a lot of possibilities.. but it was Wyl's idea and she wondered what he would come up with on his own..

[Morgan Evanar]

It was then that the proximity alarm went off. They'd come out of hyperspace near to Serena in some system that was only charted because of an Old Republic Expeditionary Force looking at new worlds. None of it was habitable, and there wasn't even a beacon left behind. But, it was on the star charts, and it wasn't near any sort of nasty obstacles like black holes.

"Back to our seats." Morgan said. Wyl skipped in front, singing some nonsense song about trees. At least the boy could carry a tune.

Hyperspace swirl reverted to star lines as the ship yanked out of hyperspace.

"Ok, Serena should be right... there." He said, flicking on the passive sensor array. Sure enough, Daria's shuttle engines lit up the sensors. They were a scant 20 kilometers apart. Morgan angled his trajectory to match her idle pace so they could couple the nav systems and make synchronized jumps from here on out. Morgan dumped the previous hyperspace calculations and entered new coordinates for the next jump. It would probably take about ten minutes.

[Wyl Staedtler]

With a merry hop, Wyl gracelessly tumbled into the soft cushion of his seat and sat on his knees. He applauded the sight of Serena's ship and added her arrival to the ongoing lyrics of his ditty.

"Aaaaand Master Serena will climb the trees tooooo, because she's a Je-eh-di and that's what they doooo!" He was momentarily distracted as Rhianna deftly pulled his safety straps tighter; Wyl pantomimed suffocation but he doubted if she saw--Rhianna had the determined look on her face which meant she was probably concentrating on not getting twisted up during the next jump. The boy flung out his arms dramatically and directed his next verse at her.

"Doooon't worry Rhianna, it will be okay! Because Morgan can fly like re-heally good and it's not far awaaaay!" It didn't seem to help, but she sort of smiled. Wyl beamed. He loosened his safety webbing and leaned forward, tapping Morgan on the shoulder.

"Hey, Talasea is supposed to be like our secret right? So how 'bout we call it," Wyl paused and scrunched his face up so he could pronounce it correctly, "Rúnda? Practically nobody talks Rhianna's language."

[Rhianna]

Rhianna tweaked Wyl's nose. "That is very cliste of you, Wyl.." She threw in a new word for him to ponder while she sat.

She began strapping herself in, as if they were going for a spin through an asteroid field, rather than just making another routine jump. If she had suffocated herself in the effort it would have been ok with her, at least she would know her restraints would be functioning properly..

Maybe she shouldn't have shoved down that granola bar so fast..

[Morgan Evanar]

"You don't have to strap yourself in so tight." He said quietly to Rhianna. She looked up and frowned a little, but said nothing.

"Rúnda?" He repeated back to Wyl. "We should probably pick something in Basic, or something that sounds like one of the other trade languages." Wyl kicked his feet, bouncing underneath the straps.

"Besides, we should wait until we've been on Talasea for at least a few days before picking a new name." He smiled at him.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl mulled that over and nodded cheerily. He ruffled Morgan's hair. "Okay, buddy. You're the brains of the operation. Ahahaha!"

Whatever had gotten him into such a giddy mood--perhaps the prospect of being able to run again--was obviously not going to be quickly dispelled. Wyl sat back again and then tightened his webbing ever-so-slightly. He glanced at Rhianna. Smiling a little, the boy reached out and grabbed her hand. The little palm squeezed reassuringly.

[Rhianna]

Returning the smile, ever so slightly Rhianna rubbed the pab of her thumb across Wyl's hand. He was not nearly as skittish about the situation as she was. Morgan was right, of course.. there was nothing to be afraid of. She was going to live to be quite old, that she already knew. Besides, she was not setting a very keen example for their young companion by being so obvious in her dislike of jumps..

She'd keep her eyes open this time and try to find something to like about it..

"Ok.. ok.. I'll get over it..", she grinned..

"I like Rúnda, but Morgan is right. We should know the place. Get a feel for it before we give it a proper title."

[Morgan Evanar]

The nav computer beeped loudly. Morgan sent the tight band transmission to Daria's ship. A minute later, the comm warbled an acknowledgment. Both hyperdrives were now synchronized.

"Ready?" Morgan asked Rhianna and Wyl.
"Lets go!" Wyl nodded, while Rhianna took a deep breath before nodding. Morgan pulled the levers. Starlines formed as space distorted. The distant, low thrum of the hyperdrive became a loud whine as the ship shifted. Morgan could feel Rhianna's discomfort and Wyl's excitement as they crossed the threshold. With a low thump sound, the ship normalized, and the star lines became the blue swirl of hyperspace.

This leg of the journey was much longer, sixteen hours. It would be a good opportunity for a full systems check.

"All clear." Morgan announced and unclipped his seat restraints.

[Rhianna]

Keeping her eyes open afforded Rhianna an all new experience. Yes, the sensation of being drawn into space like she was fizzade being sucked through a straw was still disconcerting, but it was beautiful to watch and she could see why Wyl found it a thrilling rush..

"See? I did better.. Wonders never cease.." Unfastening her restraints, Rhianna gave Wyl a smirk.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Yeah, you did great!" Wyl beamed proudly at the woman and slithered off his seat, wrapping his skinny arms around her in a hug. After a few seconds the boy broke away, almost shyly. While he was by no means a bashful child, he was still hesitant when it came to honest displays of affection; they were close reminders of a dynamic that had been surely lost all that time ago in the Core.

Eagerly the little boy looked at the control panel, studying each display screen with an intenseness that was startling on his small face. Wyl sighed. "It's gonna take forever, still. Can the ship go any faster?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Hah, no." Morgan said and shook his head. "We all wish. Do you want to know how everything works?" He asked. Wyl lit up immediately.

"Yeah!" He said, enthusiasm bubbled through.

"Okay. Right now, this is the most important screen." Morgan explained, and tapped on the display to the left of the view screen. It was the life support monitor. On it were several bars, all green, but three were bigger than the others.

"This is the life support monitor. It keeps track of all of the different gasses we need. Right now there is a health mix, so each bar is green. The square green lights are for each part of the system; circulation pumps and filters and scrubbers. It's pretty boring until something stops working." Morgan said. Wyl nodded knowingly.

"Now this is more interesting. It's a mass-field detector. It generally stays dark." Wyl noted there wasn't much more than a display grid right now. "When you're going to jump, this will tell you when it's safe, after, of course, you've precomputed everything."

There was a largish screen in the upper-left command console.

"What's that?" Wyl asked.

"Sensor readout, in normal space. In hyperspace it tells you hyperdrive power status and location data." Morgan explained. Rhianna, too, was paying attention. While not attracted to spaceflight, Rhianna was a practical person.

"What about this one?" Wyl pointed at another display.

[Rhianna]

Leaned over the back of his chair and listening to Morgan explain the greater workings of navigation, Rhianna was struck by how peaceful she was now that the jump was done with again. She couldn't have picked better companions for the long flight to their potential new home.

Despite whatever emotional attachments she was not supposed to be developing, she knew it was already far too late for caution. Although she wouldn't let that fact interfere with her training. She still intended to learn all that she must to become a Jedi, but too late was just too late.. She did not see either of the faces before her as members of an Order that they all belonged to, and just happen to cohabitate with.. They were family. Maybe she was stubborn, but it felt like more of a wrong to deny that than to simply embrace it and continue on..

Resolved, she turned away from the happy scene before her and took her own seat again, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her cheek on them.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl listened with the sort of attention that bordered on alarming as Morgan explained everything. Each word immediately carved itself into the boy's brain. He pointed eagerly to a row of switches and toggles.

"And these control the maneuvering fins, right? Rhianna, isn't this sick?" Wyl twisted to look over his shoulder, checking to see if she was paying attention. There was a grin a parsec wide spread across the child's face, which only grew brighter when he saw the woman's thoughtfully content expression.

"Hey Morgan, when we get to our planet, can I land?" Wyl latched onto the tall man's arm like a leech, shooting him a very beseeching look. With his eyes wide and hopeful, the boy rather resembled a Hoojib (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hoojib)."Pleeeaaase? Promise I won't crash, not even a little!"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan took a deep breath.

"No, not with all the cargo in it." Wyl sank. "Once we get set up, we'll bring her up to space and I'll let you get acquainted."

"Really?" Wyl asked, excitedly.

"So long as Daria allows it. And, if not..." Morgan gave Wyl a wink. The boy began to circle the cockpit, skipping.

"Flying is the finest thing, riding on a wing..." Wyl made a wooshing sound, arms flat out as he tilted and turned.

Morgan gave Rhianna a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna had been about to drop her feet back down to the floor, but quickly pulled them up again as the 'freighter-boy' zoomed past her toes precariously. Lips twisted into a wry grin she glanced up at Morgan.

"At that rate he'll tire himself out soon.." Of course this was Wyl they were discussing and sleep was not his favorite activity, by far.

Sixteens hours of the darkness of space, and relative privacy for two adults who were supposed to be keeping their distance made for a tricky combination. So maybe it was better that Wyl chatted their heads off, she thought.

Regretfully, she moved her gaze away from Morgan's. "Or maybe not.. you know how he is."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Morgan was going to teach him how to fly! Sure it would take a while before they had a chance but Wyl, himself, was going to fly! Like a real pilot!

He circled the cockpit once more and then launched himself at Morgan, attacking him with a tight hug. "You're the best Morgan!"

Slightly out of breath, Wyl dropped to the floor and wrapped his arms around his knees. He wore a dreamy expression on his face, already picturing the barrel roles and complicated maneuvers he would perform.

"You should teach Rhianna, too." He stilled his imagination for a moment. "That way we would all know how, in case something bad happens."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan returned the hug carefully, mindful of how much smaller Wyl was.

"I think that's a good idea." Morgan said, and smiled appreciatively at Wyl's practical thought. "Whenever you feel ready." He added. Morgan suspected it would be a while before Rhianna wanted to try her hand at space flight. In the mean time, it was good to see her grow in confidence with being a passenger. Sometimes Morgan needed to remind himself, that, aside from the different accent, Rhianna was new to the technology that was so ingrained in Morgan's life since birth.

Wyl sat, wrapped back up in imagination of flight. Morgan looked a Rhianna. What he wanted was not what he had promised, and right now, it was very frustrating. He closed his eyes and wiped his brow. He exhaled a little louder than he meant to as he got up. What was left of Wyl's food bar would make a good snack right now.

"I'm getting food, anyone want anything?" He asked while stretching his arms.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna shot them both a look that clearly said she thought they were craiceáilte.. Crazy!

"Yes? Well... maybe we could start with one of those things that stays closer to the ground, hmm? A speeder?" That sounded much safer..

A deep sigh from Morgan claimed her attention. Rhianna eyed him more closely and thought for a minute that despite his apparent greater understanding of the situation that just maybe he was as frustrated and lonely as she was. Her head tilted, her blue eyes roamed over him searchingly.. and then she suddenly stopped and groaned, feeling horribly guilty.

She wasn't even trying!

"Maybe a cold drink..?", she hopped up to follow, thinking that maybe something cold would douse the sudden heat running thorugh her veins.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl wasn't hungry or thirsty, but he wasn't about to be left behind - especially since there was something weird going on. Morgan and Rhianna had been acting funny the entire trip. They thought he hadn't noticed but he saw a lot of things that people didn't think he did.

Worried, he trailed after the two. There was a definite bend of frustration in the Force, and the littlest Padawan narrowed his eyes.

If something bad had happened they ought to talk about it. Wyl huffed and put his hands on his hips. "What's going on? Something's wrong."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan sighed. Wyl had caught wind of their tension.

"We're really frustrated, that's all. Rhianna and I have some rules to adhere to and..." he paused, trying to phrase what he felt. "...we're not especially happy about it. We don't fully understand the rule." It felt good to tell someone else, but he was somewhat concerned that Wyl might dig too deeply. It was too late now.

Uncannily, Morgan located what was left of the ration bar and chewed. He settled into the bolted down chair in the mess. He sighed, and avoided looking at Rhianna too long. He'd end up thinking about what he wasn't supposed to do.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna pinkened a bit, but poured them each a small cup of chilled tea sweetened with honey from a thermos. She glugged her's back and poured another before trusting herself to turn around.

She handed one cup over to Wyl. "Rules are hard enough sometimes, but when you don't understand their meaning it is even worse!", she scrunched up her nose in a silly manner, showing her displeasure.

"..and even worse than that when it just plain doesn't feel right..", she handed one to Morgan, but kept her eyes down, so he wouldn't see her smirk.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Ohhhh." Wyl nodded, slurping his tea. He knew all about frustrating rules. The fact that he wasn't the only one who had to follow them was heartening.

After a moment's silence he chirped, "What kinda rules?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Adult ones." Morgan said, and inwardly winced. Wyl looked unconvinced.

"Ones that are special for Rhianna and I." He said, hoping Wyl wouldn't probe any more. Wyl didn't talk to Serena very much, but who knows what he would tell Daria.

Rhianna looked rather flushed. Wyl was too young for that talk in any of their societies.

[Rhianna]

"Don't worry about it, Wyl..", she smiled, leaning against the counter.

"I'm sorry if we gave you the impression that something was wrong. Everything is fine, I was just being grumpy. I'm done now.. Really..", she really hoped she was.

At least she wouldn't be trying to further talk to Morgan about their unique situation, for now.. Wyl was far too perceptive to be fooled.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl looked at the two of them dubiously and then nodded. The boy put his cup on the counter and carefully poured more tea into it.

He took a thoughtful sip. If Morgan and Rhianna said everything was fine, he believed them - there wasn't any reason not to. But...

"Do all grownups have special rules just for them?" The worry had gone from his voice, and now there was only Wyl's inexhaustible curiosity left, "Does Master Daria and Master Serena?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Yes." Morgan answered. There were a lot of special grown-up rules, he realized. You just sort of got used to it.

"Both Master Daria and Master Serena follow these rules, too. I know Master Serena does for certain." Morgan confirmed, and hoped Wyl wouldn't ask too much more. This was not a topic he was ready to go over with Wyl. He still thought girls didn't like spiders enough.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna very nearly spluttered into her drink at that last bit.

This whole conversation had gone from tricky to ridiculously tricky, and now.. it was just bordering on inappropriate.

She shook her head, auburn curls swinging. "Ok.. Enough, please!"

Rhi grinned a cheeky grin. "We don't have to spend the whole trip to Talasea talking about what we can't do, do we? Surely we can think up something more..exciting to make the time pass.."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Boy, they sure were uptight about whatever it was they weren't supposed to do. Wyl stared at Rhianna - who was still blushing slightly - slyly.

At the suggestion of activity, however, the matter was forgotten completely. Wyl brightened. "Yeah! Like a game! Let's play..."

He was about to say Rancor Tag, but there wasn't enough room for that. Hide 'n' Go Seek was out too; they could do a lot of the latter but none of the former. Wyl ran through all of his favourites and came up empty. His face fell.

"Aw," He scowled, "We can't do anything exciting on here."

[Morgan Evanar]

"No, not really. Wait here." Morgan smiled, climbing down into one of the crew quarters that was below the main deck. Like many other Corellian ships, this one had been modified. Sometimes he wondered how long it took before a Corellian light freighter lasted before something was taken out of spec.

He came back up with a holographic game board. The previous crew had left it behind due to a blown power converter, but Morgan had recored it, so it worked fine now.

"100 games, or so it claims." He said while he plugged it in to the power socket under the table. It thrummed to life, immediately providing a list of games to choose from.

"So, what do you want to play?" Morgan asked. Common choices, like Kempanjang, Pazak and Sabaac were listed. Pazak and Sabaac was meant to be played in concert with actual cards, but someone had taken a deck with them, and there weren't many chances to buy such things on Vortex.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl's face brightened, although he seemed more interested in how the board worked than the actual games themselves. He peppered Morgan with questions (yeah but how do they get the games in? Where do they all fit? What's 'recore'?) and wasn't satisfied until the man pried off the bottom of the casing and showed him the innards.

"Huh." Wyl appeared slightly disappointed by the ordinary construction of the unit, but it sated his curiosity. The boy began to study the list of games, with eyes that were beginning to get a tell-tale glaze to them; he yawned loudly as he thumbed through the menu, insisting on watching previews of every game that sounded interesting.

A simple strategy game displayed, it's players tiny holographic starships. Wyl scrubbed at his eyes. "This one?"

[Rhianna]

"You guys play... I'll watch.", Rhianna suggested.

She had no idea how to play the thing and was honestly more interested in watching the pair of them. Getting cozy a short distance away, she watched Wyl with an almost maternal gaze, noticing the sleepy-eyed look he was taking on. She fully expected him to start yawning, mouth agape like some howling beast, anytime now..

Propping her cheek into her hand, she sighed... It was still a long trip ahead of them and they were about to lose their chaperone.

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan watched the game board intensely. Wyl, while young, had played this game just as many times as Morgan: never. Their initial skirmishes had mostly been to understand the abilities and weakenesses of each of the different units. To a degree, each type had a counter with another type. While it hinted at it in the unit descriptions, it didn't end up being that helpful, especially against the experimental tactics both were using.

Wyl seemed to hold the upper hand, but Morgan had quietly moved a smaller force of ships behind Wyl's main front. Wyl was tired, he had finally noticed, and wasn't really thinking things through. Morgan was nearly ready to spring his trap when he noticed that Wyl's head was no longer upright. The boy's eyes had closed, and he rested his head on the table.

"Aww." Morgan said quietly. The kid had run himself down. Morgan flipped the holoboard into standby and quietly extracted himself from his chair. He picked up Wyl with care to not wake him. Despite his sharp mind, Wyl still was a child, Morgan noticed as the 8 year old settled against his chest. Rhianna in tow, he tucked Wyl into his bunk. He barely stirred, his only movement was to clutch the pillow. Morgan crept back out with practiced silence.

"I think Wyl wore himself out." He smiled at Rhianna.

[Rhianna]

Lingering in the doorway for a moment, Rhianna smiled at the sleeping boy. She had the oddest impulse to go run her hand through his soft hair and press a kiss to his cheek, in his slumber.. but she didn't move.

Stepping out of the door, Rhianna agreed. "Yes, well... zooming about like he was, will do that!"

[Morgan Evanar]

He yawned.

"Yeah. He was due for a nap. Watching someone burn that much energy can be tiring." Morgan chuckled and checked his chrono. He'd planned on trying to catch a nap since it was an 18 hour trip. The pair wandered their way back into the cockpit. Morgan sat in the pilot's chair and stared at the swirl of hyperspace. It was nice to see something other than cave walls and rolling plains. The total lack of vertical surroundings for someone who had lived most of their life on Nar Shadda was disorienting.

"It's so good to be off Vortex. I couldn't have imagined how limited it would have been, not being able to go outside at all."

[Rhianna]

Rhianna was in agreement. Picking your way through razor grass was no way to try and appreciate being out doors! Neither was lurking about in a hangar, just for a chance to have the wind catch your hair.

Leaning against the pilot's seat, Rhianna folded her arms across the back and grinned down at a yawning Morgan.

"Looks like Wyl isn't the only one in need of a nap..", she teased.

[Morgan Evanar]

"Is that your opinion as a trained healer?" He teased back, his yawn transformed into a grin. He reached up, his fingers gently caressed her face down the jaw line.

[Rhianna]

"Absolutely.", she smiled back.

For a moment, her eyes difted shut in happy contentment at the touch. Her face tilting slightly, against his fingers.

Oh, this was going to be a long journey...

Rhianna opened her eyes, still a bit blissfully dazed at the contact after abstaining from contact of any sort for weeks. With slight twist of her lips into a bratty grin, she leaned over the seat and planted a soft kiss on his brow, before moving away to sit in the opposite seat.