The Grasslands

[Thall]

OOC: In late 1999 the first 'proper' roleplay scenario featuring an actual storyline and plot was started by jjwr. He originally envisioned it having multiple threads to represent locations with a GM ('Raistlin') helping control the story.

Instead, everyone ended up just posting in one thread (titled 'The Grasslands' as that was the actual location) and forgot about the GM. :)

So, in honour of that momentous (:lol) occassion I present 'The Grasslands', another RP which admittedly has no plot at this stage.
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The old Jedi Master slowly strode out through the field, feeling the movement of the grass as it slid through his fingertips.

The Jedi grinned to himself. Most of the Jedi order had presumed him dead - Master Turbogeek had even released a eulogy on the Holonet. But no - Jedi Master Thall was still alive.

Looking around at his pleasant surroundings, Thall admired the sunset. One hand began fingering his old lightsaber - Varscona - an ancient weapon with a handle made of stone. Slowly Thall's hand perused the weapon, feeling its ancient grooves and markings.

The breeze began to pick up. Someone else had arrived ...

[Estelle Russard]

Estelle Russard, recently promoted Jedi Master, had watched Thall and allowed him the peace of the sunset before catching up to him, wending her way slowly in the trail of bent grass that he had made ahead of her.

Her former Master, ReaperFett, would have said her plan was folly and to save herself a trip. He would have told her to abandon such feelings of revenge - which she was determined to lable 'justice' - and dedicate herself to the peace of the galaxy. But Fett was not alive to admonish his former student. And this was the reason Estelle had come.

Fett was dead, murdered at the hand of a Sith, Lilaena De'Ville.

Russard held the information as gospel truth, though, admittedly, she had no hard facts. It was to this end she had sought out Thall who, unlike Fett, was not dead - despite his good effort to foster that belief upon the Order. She had come to ask his aid, she would need it if she was to make De'Ville answer for her crime.

"Jedi Thall" she called over the breeze, her voice reaching him from out of the twilight. "You are recalled to service, old Master"

[Thall]

Thall turned to where the voice had come from.

A female was approaching. Thall did not know who she was ... yet there was strange familiarity about her as she walked through the grass towards him. And she had known his name.

Thall eyed her closely. Whoever she was, she was clearly intent on a purpose - he could tell by the determination on her face and the way she walked through the grass. Still he strained to picture her from his past. Then the image of an old friend appeared to him in his mind - ReaperFett, fellow Jedi Master, though Thall had heard that he was now deceased.

"This woman is associated with Fett", the elder Jedi mused to himself. "A former padawan perhaps? No matter - I will find out soon enough."

"Well met, fellow traveller. Clearly you recognise me, though I unfortunately cannot same the same in return. How is it that you have come here?"

[Estelle Russard]

"I recognise you from descriptions only, Master Thall" Estelle extended her hand in an offer of greeting, "I was a student of Master ReaperFett - an old friend of yours, I believe. He had always speculated as to where you had gone hiding." Her words were a deliberate goad, an unsubtle attempt at shaming the Jedi into his assistance, should it be necessary. "I would give you his regards...if I could" she said.

Her face was soft, despite her effort of bravado, her eyes had a gentle quality to them. She was a Jedi - a life dedicated to the Force and the light it cast in a galaxy cloaked in darkness. She was not much good at being harsh, though, she had come to the Grasslands prepared to be.

"My name is Estelle," she added as an afterthought, "A Master of the Jedi Order"

[Thall]

Thall felt the wind blow through his hair and whiskers. "So she recognises me from descriptions?' he thought. The idea amused him - his hair had grown increasingly white and long in the intervening years since his disappearance, and his face more haggard and wrinkled.

"... A Master of the Jedi Order ..."

The elder Jedi threw his head back and let out a sharp, hard laugh, ignoring her hand of greeting.

"A Master? No doubt you hope to impress me with your title. However, I care little for them - a Jedi that is will always be, whether they are acknowledged or not. I have served with and known padawans who had wisdom and power well beyond their years, and masters who had neither wisdom nor power."

Thall eyed Estelle intently, curious to see what reaction would result, if any. The female Jedi merely opened her eyes ever more slightly and stared straight back at him.

"Well, she looks the part at least", he thought to himself. "Though perhaps could be knocked down a peg or two."

"I am sorry to hear of Master Fett's passing. No doubt he would have fought the brave fight and died like a true Jedi. Whether or not he passed something, if anything, onto his students remains to be seen."

By now the sun had begun to set over the horizon, and the breeze had already begun to turn cold.

"But come now Master Estelle - surely you have not sought me out merely to inform me of Master Fett's passing. What is it you want?"

[Thall]

OOC: Just a quickie - all my edits are merely me fixing my Italics (since I couldn't make up my mind how I was using them). No sudden plot revisions or anything (yet). :)

[Estelle Russard]

ooc: No prob :)

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"Ive come to ask your help" she answered simply, allowing her hand to drop.

She felt no need to impress him, as he'd suggested, but merely wanted to make it clear as to whom he was dealing with and the levity of her purpose for seeking him out. She was not some wayward padawan out for kicks.
Perhaps her youth made him assume certain aspects about her character, or it could just be that he didn't appreciate her manners. Or, maybe, it was just because he was an old guy. Whatever the reason, assumptions and preconcieved ideas would work themselves out in time. Hopefully he would grant her that much leeway atleast.

"I want you to help me find the Darksider that killed Fett and bring her to judgement"

Her choice of words was not a mistake. Russard did not want justice, though that is what De'Ville's punishment would be. Estelle wanted to bring Judgement, to see the Sith pay for what she had done. To stop her from doing the same to others.

Thall looked bored.

"I am aware that the Jedi are above such aggresions as vengence" she went on before she lost him completely, "but we have a duty to right the wrongs where we are able. There is still a battle raging between light and dark - Or have you forgotten that, strolling about here in your rural paradise?"

She was being too confrontational, she knew it, but an idle Jedi was such a waste. What had he been doing all this time anyway? Why had he removed himself from the Order when every soul was so greatly needed?
She tried to reign in her emotion. She took a deep breath and when she spoke again it was with a resumed calm.

"Ive come to a wall in my search, a deadend, and thought if I found someone who knew Fett - perhaps from his past - he, you, may be able to find a thread as to why De'Ville chose him."

[Thall]

"Perhaps, perhaps not. And my own affairs, Master Jedi, are none of your concern."

Thall frowned slightly, and turned to face the horizon as the last speck of sunlight vanished. He didn't take to kindly to the rebuke, especially from one so young who knew nothing about his circumstances, his past ... his own mission.

However, the old Jedi Master promptly put any such thoughts out of his head, and began to consider her request.

"So it was vengeance that led her here," the Jedi thought to himself, the grass brushing against his legs in the night breeze. He turned back and looked at her again. Yes, vengeance was definitely on her mind - her own words had betrayed as much.

"Clearly this wasn't a Council sanctioned trip - none of those old Jedi has-beens would ever sanction such a request, though that may be just as well." In the initial surprise of her arrival Thall had forgotten to query the methods she utilised to locate him - it had been several years since his 'death', and although he knew rumours were commonplace of his survival he had never seen so much as a hint that anyone knew of his whereabouts.

Now he had a Jedi Master standing right in front of him, asking for help in tracking down a notorious Sith Lord, "... or should it be Sith Lady ... pah, all these useless titles people give themselves for their own amusement".

"The Force works in mysterious ways, young Master. I will ask you, right now, to put these thoughts of vengeance out of your pretty head. Regardless of what stories you may have heard of me, I still honour the Jedi code and expect all Jedi to adhere to its teachings."

Thall snivelled his nose up, as if he had just smelt something unpleasant.

"Nonetheless, I agree with you that Lady De'Ville must be located and dealt with. The loss of such a Jedi as dear Reaper is a black mark on the Order, and although I have long since surrendered my membership I still feel the burn of it."

Varscona - still in his left hand throughout the conversation - was smartly rebuckled onto his belt. The frown on his face disappeared - his poise became that of a person on a mission.

"Very well, Master Estelle, I shall accompany you. The fact that you have had to approach me in such circumstances makes it clear to me that my old colleagues on the Council are not treating this issue ... appropriately."

***

OOC: Thall's character sheet is now up on the wiki if you wish to peruse. :)

[Estelle Russard]

ooc - Thanks. Good job.

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She sensed a certain judgement in his tone when he spoke of the Council...a residual bitterness perhaps? Or maybe Thall had simply spent too long isolated from his peers.

But it didnt matter. He'd agreed. Agreed! His acquience to join her in the search had been an outcome she'd barely allowed herself to consider she might actually succeed in. She put his decision down to the fondness he held her former Master and did not question it.

In the creeping darkness, Thall's face seemed changed. The shadows hid the deep lines of his skin and the palor of his beard so that Estelle saw the profile of a younger man. She wondered if he ever felt he'd squandared his time or his influence. She pushed those thoughts quickly aside for the more immediate task.

"We will start at the Academy - in the Temple Archives" she announced. "We may find something in Fett's record that might trigger your memory"

As she spoke of returning to Coruscant, to the Order, she saw Thall stiffen slightly. It was a big thing she was asking of him. She took his posture as a bad sign. Given what little history she knew of him, Estelle realised it would not be a home-coming he would naturally seek out.

"You might not see anyone you knew before" she suggested unrealistically, "And if anyone asks who you are...I'll say your my grandfather..." she scanned the hair and the bushy beard once more and ammended, "or Great Grandfather maybe.."

[Thall]

"... We will start at the Academy - in the Temple Archives ..."

Thall felt his heart harden. Clearly they would have to travel to the Jedi temple on Coruscant - probably even spend days there digging around for information.

Travelling to Coruscant did not disturb the old Jedi. He had travelled there numerous times before in the preceding years - even going so far as to stand at the foot of the temple steps and observe its continual rebuilding since the Empire fell. Jedi had be coming and going right past him and nobody had ever paid him mind, probably presuming he was a tourist frrom some backwater planet admiring the grandeur of the temple's architecture.

No, certainly no younger Jedi would notice him. Even those old enough to remember the heyday of his career would probably be hard pressed to recognise him now. Back then, he had been lean, fit, younger, with a clean-shaven face and head - a far cry from the old Jedi that now stood on the grasslands.

"But wasn't Master Estelle able to recognise me?", the thought suddenly entering his head. "Then again, I had my hood off with my face completely exposed, as aged as it is. And she was deliberately seeking me out - no one there would be doing as such".

No, it was unlikely anyone there would guess his identity. Except maybe his old coleagues on the Council - "... but then they'd be too busy debating trivial matters in the council chamber, and unlikely to be wandering around in the pit that is the archives. And some of them are deceased anyway like Fett".

The risk of identification was there, albeit remote.

Thall grinned slightly at Master Estelle as she was finishing off her suggestion - something about pretending to be her brother or something, the old Jedi had been too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay complete attention. Estelle then broke out into a small laugh - she seemed to assume that his grin meant he had found her words funny.

"No disguises or fake identities are really necessary, Master Jedi. I doubt anyone in the Order would ever give a wretched specimen of humanity such as me a second look, except maybe to ask that I don't touch anything lest I spread the plague."

Thall leaned in closer to Estelle's face, a sly smile forming on his face.

"In fact, you can even tell everyone who I am. Shout it from the rooftops if you like! I really don't care. Of course ... doing so might cause a bit of, how shall we phrase it, excitement within the place perhaps? Maybe a little bit too much for your liking."

Thall gave a small, mean-spirited chuckle.

"No, not necessary. If anyone asks, just say I am an aged friend. If they persist, just tell them to come and talk to me directly. Somehow, I doubt anyone will ever take you up on that offer."

Thall leaned back and readjusted the front of his robe. Like everything else about him, it was aged and bore the marks of extensive travels.

Then a memory appeared within Thall's mind - a memory from long ago. He was much younger then, as was his fellow Jedi companion that had been with him. He looked at Estelle in the face and smiled and nodded.

"Ahhh, it has become clear to me now how you are have found me here. I guess age is catching up with me in mind as well as in body ..."

Thall chuckled, more warmly this time.

"... I guess I should have known better than to make my recent travel arrangments under the name of Scarloc, which is of course an assumed name I used, one time, many many years ago. I don't suppose it's any coincidence that Master Fett happened to be my companion on that very same mission, eh? Some clever detective work on your part, clearly."

Thall let his head back again and let out another, hard laugh. "The Force does weave patterns in our lives in such mysterious ways. Incredible how such a small thing can be brought back in such unlikely ways years and years after they've faded from memory."

The elder Jedi quickly regained his composure.

"No matter - I will be sure to make my future arrangements more carefully. Let us be off, Master Estelle."

[Estelle Russard]

Thall certainly was a bit of a character. Estelle had expected a certain degree of eccentricity given the old Jedi's known history and the rare off-hand remark ReaperFett had occasioned regarding him, but she did not recall her Master ever mentioning he was prone to fits of mirth that vascillated from bitter to good natured and back again within the space of a blink. She wondered if Thall was perhaps not quite all there..

"Very well, I had hoped to make the return journey immediately, but I dont wish to rush you, we can linger in the Grasslands if you need to arrange any of your affairs. This will allow us to collect any items you will be needing to bring with you, if you like."

Thall began to walk, and Estelle moved in step with him.

"You are quite right, you know," she picked up the conversation, "I did pick up your trail through your alias. It was a little over-confident on your part to have used it, even after all this time" she ventured to say.

It was that same arrogant characteristic that Estelle had recognised in the old man which convinced her that he was the one she had been seeking. It was a recognition of the spirit through the exploration of the force, not a physical resemblence as he may suspect. Thall was a contrary fellow by nature - his past deeds attested to it. His frequent disagreements with fellow Masters regarding padawan training were well recorded and the isolationist approach with which he conducted his behaviour, and by extent - his life, were sometimes used as an example of how not to serve as a Jedi. It would seem time had not mellowed the old boy. And why should it? Who or what would presume to? He would probably welcome someone to dare try...give him an excuse to fire up that lightsaber he'd reluctantly clipped back to his belt.

"Perhaps you had intentionally wanted to be found?" she prodded him, just to see what he'd say. He had made it clear he held the Jedi Council - then, as now - in disdain. She wondered if he might reveal why.

[Thall]

"No," Thall responded simply. "Had I wished to be, I could have arranged for something a little more earth-shattering than using an old alias and being located by a dead colleague's padawan."

Thall strode away up the rise in the direction from which Estelle had appeared. Initially she kept in lockstep, but he promptly put on a faster pace that left her tailing behind him.

"And I have no other items to obtain - I have on my person all I require," he said without glancing back. "Maybe the Jedi of this day need a Republican barge to carry everything they need, but I was trained in a time when frugality was a necessity if one was to survive."

Estelle cast a glance at the old Jedi's attire, billowing as it caught the night breeze. Judging by appearances and what he had just said, she wondered if he had worn any other, or had even bothered to wash it.

"Did you come via your own transport, or were you a passenger?" Thall asked suddenly. They had arrived at the top of the rise - the grasslands stretching out behind them as far as one could see. "Needless to say I presently do not have my own."

[Estelle Russard]

"I have my own" Estelle replied, "It's just on the outskirts of town there."
They looked down from the knoll into the valley where the small community of Roshaan nestled. A very rural setting, peaceful. A good place for a Jedi to go to sleep.

"You put the Council down alot, Ive noticed" she said as they began their descent. "You are aware that they are still fighting for the good of the galaxy? The council is made up of Jedi just like ReaperFett, selfless men and women striving to keep the Balance. Its part of why he was killed."

Her voice was conversational, but the words were not. Estelle had a gentleness about her that sometimes made people forget her strength. It was a characteristic that held her in good stead among her fellow Jedi and her time serving on the Council. "You have been gone a long time, Master Thall. Perhaps you should let old injuries go?"

[Thall]

"I apologise if you feel I do not give the Council respect," the elder Jedi responded as they walked down towards the village. "I fully respect their commitment as Jedi to bringing peace and good to the galaxy."

A local was busy repairing some machinery nearby as they approached the village. He gave the 2 Jedi Masters a wave in greeting as they neared - Thall merely nodded to him and continued on.

"However, the Order does not brook ... dissent very well," Thall said, a look of resignation appearing on his face. "I suppose one should not be surprised - after the Jedi Purge and destruction of the old Order some of those who still had memories of such events were very wary of alternative ideas on how things should be done. Chalk it up to inexperience I guess - in re-establishing the Order we were trying to do what no Jedi had done in over a millennia."

By now they had entered a village where a bustling market was taking place. Thall broke off from their previous path to make way to a nearby stall and bought some odd looking fruit. The elder Jedi paid for the produce and, after thanking the seller in the local tongue, continued walking through the crowd, munching on the fruit as he went.

"Anyway, disagreements led to full blown arguments. Myself and others like me were pretty much ordered to tow the line. It wouldn't be good for the Jedi to be seen in disagreement or confusion, or so it was said. So I did keep my own counsel to myself for a while, at least as much as I could ..." Thall's voice began trailing off. Estelle thought she could see tears appearing in the old Jedi's eyes.

Thall remained silent as they passed the crowd and began walking down a narrow alleyway towards the other side of the town.

"I quit the Council," the old Jedi said suddenly. Estelle stared at him in shock - she had not been aware of this.

Thall looked her with half a grin. "Obviously the Council kept that little tidbit to themselves. Imagine it - Thall, Jedi Master, the Champion of the Force himself, quitting the Council. It would have been a scandal. No no ... good Master Thall is just taking a vacation for an indeterminate time, or whatever silly spin on it they tried to promote."

By now Thall's face had returned to it's more haughty look Estelle recognised from earlier.

"Pah, they can do what they like. For me, I simply removed myself away away, doing my bit and steering clear of attention. Then that whole episode happened, and ... well, the Order thought me dead, and I didn't see any reason to challenge the matter."

They walked on in silence.

"So how did Master Fett meet his end?" Thall suddenly asked, changing the topic - his old, bored tone of voice permeating the question. "I had heard of his loss, but details were relatively scant."

[Estelle Russard]

"The details are still scant, unfortunately. That is the problem" Estelle replied, speaking with an analytic detachment that only the passing of time could bring.

She had been distraught over Fett's disappearance for a long time. Her sheltered life had in no way prepared her for such a loss and it took some recovering from. She had eventually let go of the sadness and believed in some way it had made her stronger. It certainly contributed to the Jedi she now was today.

"Fett was taking some time off, heading to Corelia for a well earned rest" she explained. "He never arrived, however, making it only as far as Vorzyd." They passed a merchant booth offering garments of silk and finely sewn lace. Russard's eye was drawn briefly, "Nice" and then, turning back again, she picked up her narrative once more. "Some time after his disappearance, I was given the mandate by Master Marcus Q'Dunn to trace events and try to find Fett. This led me to Vorzyd, a search akin to finding needles in a haystack. Alot of time had past and Fett had stayed in the entertainment district...a very transient populace. Witnesses were sparse."

She remembered that trip well. Remembered her companion in the journey, Aurelias Kazaar and the frustrations of coming up empty.

"The short of it is this - ReaperFett got into a battle with a darksider, a dark-haired woman. He drowned, to all accounts, when the woman collapsed a bridge taking him along with it. He never resurfaced. Anywhere."

Thall looked at her askance, and she knew what he was thinking.

"Its different than what happened to you" she said defensively. "It is. Fett wouldn't just leave and let everyone think he had been killed. He just wouldn't" she insisted.

The thought had crossed her mind. More than once, she regretted to admit, and only did so to herself and none other. It was part of why she couldn't let it go. When she'd come across Thalls' alias on a travel manifest, the whole bee's-nest got stirred within her again and she saw an opportunity for some closure. And perhaps, justice.

"The woman...?" Thall queried.

"Not much to go on, I'm afraid. My travel companion at the time thought he recognised her from a security holovid from the Hotel where Fett was staying. The pair were seen leaving together..but it was nothing definitive. If he was right, her name is Lilaena De'Ville...and that is all that's known. I know its not much, but if we can find her....find why she was there..." her words trailed off.

It sounded even more hopeless when she said it out loud.

[Thall]

Thall sensed the helplessness Estelle was trying to mask.

"Do not let yourself get discouraged", the old Jedi said simply. "As difficult as our mission may seem, we must start with the basics and work from there. We shall go to Coruscant first and see what we can find. Your information has already been of great help."

Estelle glanced at him curiously. Thall turned and met her gaze.

"Jedi Masters, at least those of Reaper's calibre .. such as myself ... do not just go and have vacations", the elder Jedi intoned. "We're always up to something or other. I am curious as to why he would have been heading for Corellia, if that indeed was his real destination, and why he decided to stop on Vorzyd ... besides the entertainment that is."

By now the two Jedi Masters had reached the town starport. It was small in size - only a handful of ships could land there at any one time - indicative of the township's lowly status on this world. A couple of guards stood at its entrance, but apart from that the population in the area was quite low.

"After you, I guess", Thall said, making a hand gesture to the entry way whilst glancing around with a somewhat suspicious look on his face.

***

OOC: Is there an old RP thread I can read dealing with the whole Reaper death thing and/or Estelle's subsequent investigation? Or is it just a created backstory? :)

EDIT: don't worry - Miss De'Ville has linked me to these 2 threads :):
http://75.126.43.122/archive/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11086
http://75.126.43.122/archive/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29883

[Estelle Russard]

OOC: Thanks LD :)


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Russard led the way to a sleek Nubian, in the shifting of light and shadows, its smooth finished revealed a hint of soft emerald tone. It was a pretty ship.

"The Jade Sparrow, thats us" Estelle said as they approached. She turned a sheepish smile to Thall, it is "A'run eth Nemsousn" in Bith and one must be careful of pronunciation...I deemed her "The Green Pelican" to one of their Ambassadors last month and she's been affectionately referred to as that ever since.

The pair boarded the craft, Russard giving a cursory 'tour' as they made their way to the cockpit. The old Jedi seated himself beside Estelle, comfortably sinking into the soft leather of the flightseats. "Nice huh" she said proudly, "They can be heated too if you would like.." Thall's querrelous look forstalled that suggestion and Russard got busy with the pre-flight routine.

"I hope you will find things are not as bleak as you remember at the Order" she said powering up the repulsors and, upon receiving clearance, maneuvered the craft deftly from the Starport bay.

After clearing the atmosphere and entering open space, Estelle relaxed a little in her chair.

"Why dont you tell me more about your life on Roshaan" she prompted, "Are you happy there?"

[Thall]

The old Jedi merely grunted. "Didn't spend too much time there - I've spent most of my time on the move."

The hard expression on Thall's face as he stared out the cockpit caused Estelle to end her attempts at conversation as they entered hyperspace.

In the silence, Thall thought back to his own ship, The Frontier. He still had it, although it had been gathering dust in the port he had left it as he tended to avoid flying it around openly.

"Heated seats, sheesh". Thall's ship had no such features or related mod-cons. Thall's tastes were much simpler which carried through to his starship of choice. And dress sense.

***

The ship exited out of hyperspace - before them appeared the bustling Galactic capital world of Coruscant. As Estelle began making the necessary preparatios to enter the atmosphere, Thall's eyes searched the planet before them.

Coruscant appeared as it had for millennia, though showing signs of the battle scars still present following the Rebellion's (now The New Republic) reacquisition of the planet from the Empire a number of years earlier. Thall had not spent much time on the planet since then - he had studiously avoided the planet, for obvious reasons, during the reign of the Emperor; even after it came back under Republican control the old Jedi had instead devoted most of his time, when not on bunny-hopping around the galaxy, on Dagobah and Yavin at the old Jedi headquarters located there.

Thall frowned. "Why the Council had to move it all - temple, order, the lot - back here is anyone's guess". Having being present when the old Jedi Order fell following the Emperor's seizing of power and transforming the Old Republic into an Empire, the aged Jedi Master had long established a distrust for such establishments of power.

By now they had entered the atmosphere and were streaking through the skyline above the megalopolis below. On the horizon, Thall could see the faint outlines of the new Jedi Temple standing out from the cityscape ...

[Estelle Russard]

Thall had remained closed-lipped for the duration of the journey, a strain that Russard felt but was helpless to remedy. The old Jedi wished to remain aloof to her, and it was his perogative to do so. It just would have been nice to get to know the man behind all the mystery. Especially one of such experience. Perhaps he'll thaw with time, she mused inwardly.

For Estelle's part, she was happy to be home. For that is what Coruscant had become for her - home. It was quite a switch up for a farmgirl from T'r Nuva...but that girl no longer existed in anything but fond memories of a youth uncomplicated and ignorant. She still had family back there, parents, brothers. And she visited on occassion. But her life - her home - was here, at the Order, in this seething, broiling morass of existance that was Coruscant. For the quiet, unassuming Estelle, it was envigorating.

She and Thall exited the Sparrow, walking together down the lowered ramp with the ship still expelling steam from its hydraulics. They were greeted by one of the many padawans of the Order, who, as a courtesy, updated Estelle on recent events while she had been absent. Minutiae and not important, but updates nevertheless.

The trio stepped across the threshhold of the Greater Jedi Order, its huge arches towering above them in grand welcome. Estelle turned a quiet smile to her companion, "Welcome back."

[Thall]

"Thank you", Thall responded stiffly. In reality for him it wasn't home. The building in front of them was foreign to the old Jedi - he had 'died' whilst it was still been built and apart from standing outside of it a couple of times had never been inside.

The 2 Jedi entered and into the main hall. Jedi were coming and going everywhere - a indicator of how much the Order had grown, even in the last several years. Thall scanned the hallway for signs of where they were to head when his attention was drawn to a series of busts along the side of the hallway.

Whilst Estelle engaged another Jedi that had momentarily stopped to greet her Thall stepped away for a closer look. As he approached, it became clear what the busts were - they were of old Jedi heroes, warriors, names of legend. Figures such as Figrin D'an, Master Yoghurt and Mace Windu were amongst them. As Thall began to stroll past and look at them one by one he came across a very familiar figure ...


~ In Memory ~
THALL
JEDI MASTER
CHAMPION OF THE FORCE
"A Jedi must remain focused. Mastery of the Force requires that all unneccessary actions be purged from daily life."


Thall looked at the bust of himself. "Hmmm, not bad", the old Jedi mused to himself. The bust was of him when he was a younger man - clean shaven face and head, no wrinkles. Thall could tell that whoever had sculpted it must have based it upon a likeness of himself in much, much younger days - Thall had smashed his nose a number of years prior to the Empire yet the bust still had his original, straight one.

"Yes, not bad at all", Thall again thought as he made his way back to where he had left Estelle near the entryway. She had just finished chatting to her acquaitance who, after given a polite "Hello" and nod to Thall, quickly disappeared amongst the throng.

"Where are the archives?" the aged Jedi asked his companion before she could say a word. "I need to update myself with Master Fett's prior comings and goings as a starting point."

[Estelle Russard]

"This way" Estelle replied, and guided Thall down a marble stairway that led from off the left corner of the great entry hall. From there, they entered a turbolift that sped them down many levels to the Archive Depository.

The room was cavernous and seemed to extend on for atleast a mile. The pair's footsteps echoed against the floor tiles and bounced of the granite walls. There were rows upon rows of desks with holovid screens, set up for the purpose of research and study. Peppered among them like so many owls sat studious Jedi - old Masters and young Padawans both - reliving a variety of documented events - learning, questioning minds receiving insight and understanding from those who have gone before.

"I can often find my padawans down here. I encourage them to take advantage of the experience and knowledge that can be found among these records" Estelle said, her love of things scholarly revealing itself.

"There is an entire section on you" she quipped, arching an eyebrow. "But you dont prove much of a favorite.."

[Thall]

Thall shrugged with indifference. "Their loss", he said simply.

The old Jedi sat himself down in front of the holovid screen and began accessing files as Estelle looked on. It didn't take long for them to find ReaperFett's data files, from which they spent the next hour or so reading through. At one point whilst trying to access a particular point of information a NO ACCESS PERMITTED screen suddenly appeared - Thall grunted in annoyance at the setback but Estelle quickly leaned over and typed in her own access code to allow them past.

After a couple of hours had passed and many of the other Jedi in the area having left, the 2 Jedi masters could still be found going over the information that was coming up, their eyes fixed on the steady stream of data with only the odd cough or stretch interrupting their search. Eventually Thall leaned back, scratching his chin, and a look of perplexion on his face.

"Incredible", the old Jedi muttered. "It seems as though there was no plan or mission afterall - Fett really was going on a holiday. Lazy bastard."

Thall stifled a yawn and looked at the screen in annoyance - despite a fairly exhaustive record of information regarding his old fellow Master so far the search had turned up nothing that would appear to be of use.



***



OOC: Thall said earlier he believed Fett was on a mission, but I now know from reading the 2 threads LD linked that wasn't the case so I've acknowledged it here. I've got no idea on where to take this at present - maybe we can look up info on LD, however I left an opening right there in case you had another idea that we can work with here. :)