In Search of Jedi

[Lowrook]

==Ord Mantell==
==Calhun’s Dive==

The dark putrid smoke hid most of what was going on in the Dive. Lowrook, with his enhanced sense of smell hated it. He found it burned his sinus cavities, but in this place, he knew that the smoke masked his odor and his size. That is why he had chosen this place to deal with the dregs of society. The deep rage inside him called for him to unleash the berserker rage on them. Righteous anger called for the deaths of these citizens who had no respect for the law, but his Jedi side kept it in check.

“How reliable is your information old man?”

The sound came out as a low rumble and a mechanical voice from the vox. The man, if it was a man, sitting across the table was completely shrouded with a hooded overcloak. Nothing was revealed. The same could be said of Lowrook. He was wearing a hooded overcloak as well that hid his species but not his size. Out from underneath the cloak he produced one of his massive paws and unsheathed and sheathed his claws so that the informant could see them. There was a visible shudder in the being across from him and Lowrook was sure that his point was taken.

“Very reliable, sir. Worth every credit, I guarantee it.”

“With your life you guarantee it”, responded Lowrook, taking out the credits and setting them on the table. A second later they were gone and replace with a small datacard. The stranger quickly exited the Dive. Lowrook waited for a few minutes and then finished his drink. Standing up, he maneuvered his way out of the Dive and back to his ship, the Berserker. Once inside he accessed the datacard via a small handheld unit. He didn’t want to take any chances with a spy program being introduced to his ship. Quickly the information came up.

{TBC}

[Lowrook]

Coordinates.... Coordinates to what, Lowrook wondered. Coordinates to the Wheel? Coordinates to an Imperial ambush party.....

There was only one way to find out....

Pushing a comm button, Lowrook opened a link directly to the bridge. The Berserker was a 90 meter long capital warship. It normally ran with a crew of 20 to 30, but Lowrook had automated the functions of the ship so that the ship could be manned by 5 bridge crew and still function.

Captain Brandt was someone that Lowrook trusted completely. They had met right out of Lowrook acquired the Berserker. He was an ex- Imp officer who left with his crew after they were convicted of treason for not destroying a village. Lowrook, who had been in that village, fought to free them and ever since, they had crewed for him.

"Captain Brandt, set course to the following coordinates and prepare to leave. There is nothing here for us on this rock and if we wait any longer, I fear the Imps will converge." Lowrook's voice came out first as the normal "wookie-speak" followed immediately by the mechanical sound of his vox communicators

"Yes, Master Lowrook. We have clearance and are ready to launch. The fighters are in the cargo hold and the crew is anxious to leave."

Lowrook could indeed feel the anxiety running through the crew. He knew that they were apprehensive about being on Ord Mantell, but they were also hopeful to find the Wheel for the added protection.

[Lowrook]

“Master Lowrook, we are about to come out of hyperspace at the coordinates.”

That message broke through the meditation that the Jedi Master was immersed in. He felt a sharp point of annoyance at being interrupted, but he quelled it quickly.

“I will join you on the bridge, Captain.”

Lowrook sat there for another minute and then stood up. He pulled on his Jedi robes and attached his lightsaber to his waist. Then he made his way towards the bridge. His feet padded across the cool metal floors of the gunship. With most of the functions automated, there was really no need for a large crew, so the ship was quiet. He felt the thrum of the engines as they were in hyperspace. He could also feel the apprehension of the crew as they neared their destination. Several of them thought this to be a trap, but it was a risk that was necessary to take if they were to find the Wheel.

Lowrook entered the bridge just seconds ahead of the timer counting down to zero. He gave a quick nod to Captain Brandt and watch out into the blaze of hyperspace. Lowrook immersed himself into the Force, feeling the feelings surrounding that area of space. He could detect no devious or harmful intentions toward them at this moment, so it was definitely possible that the informant was on the up and up. If not, then he would soon be dead.

The Berserker dropped out of hyperspace into the darkness of space. There were no planets nearby, no nebulas, no asteroids… nothing that would distinguish this place in space from any other. More importantly, there were no ships. Lowrook was miffed by the initial findings, but he also knew that to keep ahead of the Imps, the Jedi would have to keep moving. They proved to be to valuable a target to remain in one area.

Captain Brandt merely looked at Lowrook. He had commanded for the Jedi Wookie long enough to know to wait. He only had a few minutes to be patient.

Lowrook seemed to be in a trance, but in reality he was searching for the next step on the journey toward the Wheel. They had been here, and not too long ago. While he could have the scanners try to trace ion trails or set up mock trajectories and vectors, Lowrook knew the only way he would find the Jedi would be through the Force.

He took his place at the back of the bridge and sat on the ground, folding his legs crosswise and closing his eyes. He was aware of the bridge crew and those down in the engineering hold but he extended his awareness out, using the Force to see what was unseen.

Voices and possible futures flashed through his mind as the Force brought all time together for his viewing. Still in a trance and with his eyes closed, the Force led Lowrook to the navigator’s console. Without a word, she moved from her station and let him walk up to it. Lowrook pulled numbers out of the air, using the Force to determine them. He began to punch them into the Hyperdrive Motivator. Once the last number was entered, he opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

“That is where we have to go next.”

Captain Brandt didn’t argue. Too many times Lowrook had done just what he did and was able to find what he was looking for. Brandt wasn’t a huge believer in the Force, but now he was starting to rethink his position on the matter. He looked over at the navigator, a young human female named Shalla Itris. She nodded and plotted the course. It was away from the galactic center and skirted them along the edge of Middle Rim and the Colonies. It too wasn’t near any noticeable body or planet.

“Setting course sir.”

“Execute.”

The Berserker jumped back to hyperspace, on its new heading. Deep down, Lowrook knew that they were getting close.

[Jamo Jakatta]

Somewhere in Space - The Wheel...

“Rogue Seven, nothing to report.”

“Rogue Eight, clear.”

At the edge of Rogue Squadron's third flight, Lieutenant Jamo 'Joker' Jakatta keyed his X-Wing's sensors one again and turned his helmet to look out across the vast emptiness of space that surrounded the Wheel. Ordinarily, clear skies would have been something said with delight – but as the finest pilots the Alliance had to offer, the men and women of Rogue Squadron soon grew restless with endless, eventless air patrols. Jamo flicked his comms channel open with his thumb, as if he were swatting away a fly.

“Rogue Nine, nothing to see here.”

He peered from the cockpit at the loose scattering of asteroids that lay ahead. For a moment he wondered if maybe, just maybe, there could be an enemy ship hiding amongst the debris – but only a fighter the size of space-dust could have hidden there. The boards were clear and there was nothing to do but sit tight until they hit bingo fuel and were relieved by the next patrol group.

[Lowrook]

Somewhere in Space - The Wheel...

Lowrook’s eye flicked opened. He roared a command which his voice vox translated. “Drop us now.”

<O:p</O:pCaptain Brandt looked over at the Jedi Master and gauged his seriousness. Then he nodded over at Shalla, the navigator. Shalla hit a few buttons and the Berserker dropped from hyperspace. The scanners picked up a dust belt that was nearby, but nothing of great size could hide in it. The rest of the space was empty… no planet or comet or gas clouds that they could see.

Still Lowrook knew that they were in the right place. The Force was a powerful ally and this is where it wanted him to be. Then the scanners began to pick up ships on the fringe of their sensor range. The Sensors Officer, Jeremiah Coltran, spoke up.

“We have contacts, sir. Four fighters… speed indicates X-Wing or better. Profile suggests they are X-Wings.”

Lowrook smiled, showing his fangs. Without any contact, he was certain that they had found the Wheel. “Open a hailing frequency to the X-Wings.”

The Comm Officer nodded and opened an unscrambled frequency.

“X-Wing Flight, this is the Independent Freighter Berserker. Please respond.”

Lowrook was cautious about identifying himself, as this could be a trap. Instead, he settled into a meditative semi-trance, reaching out to the X-Wings to get a feeling of them.

{tag X-Wings}<O:p</O:p

[Iyar Thiled]

What a waste of talent. What a waste of time. Ok... so at the end of the day Flipper did have to admit to himself that what they were doing was pretty damn important but did it have to feel as aimless and dull as... well... flying patrol around a secret convoy that no one knew the location of and since no one knew the location never made contact with?

"Rogue Ten," the words came out in a slow drawl as Flipper actually considered holding back the yawn that crept forth for a second but ended up letting fly anyway. "Yeah, I've got noth-"

And then the sensors went crazy.

Crazy with a purpose, after all a freighter had just dropped out of hyperspace right on the edge of their patrol round. It was like someone had taken a wet towel and smacked them all in the face. Or maybe that was just the impression Flipper got from it.

It was a good thing the hail broke through their communications when it did. It covered up the unflattering girlish scream and string of curses that had left the Zeltron pilot.

Well, at least whoever it was and whatever they wanted were nice enough to say hello. Might as well return the favor. Now to just hope he didn't sound as startled as Flipper guessed everyone actually was.

"Independent Freighter, Berserker. Identify your purpose for being in this sector." Not exactly the most eloquent way of putting something, and it certainly wasn't a question. But at least Flipper had avoided stating that the Berserker had entered a secured zone and was at risk of being obliterated. Very few conversations that started that way ever ended well.

[Jamo Jakatta]

Although dwarfed by the MC50a light cruiser Valiant (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Valiant) – flagship of the Wheel – the sudden arrival of a capital warship wasn't exactly a laughing matter. Jamo keyed the silent distress signal that would bring the rest of Rogue Squadron to their aid, though he was sure none of them could have failed to notice the presence of the Berserker. One flight remained alongside the Action VI transport Whaladon, the lumbering hauler that held most all of the fledgling Jedi Order, but the others soon fell in line with Joker, Flipper and their flight-mates. In minutes, Valkyrie Squadron (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Valkyrie_Squadron) would be with them too. They kept their distance, positioning their 'fighters between the unidentified gunship and the Rebel convoy itself.

“Valiant, Rogue Nine. Awaiting orders.”

As he spoke across the secure Alliance communication channel, Jamo felt himself tense, his thumb poised over the trigger on his joystick. They always flew patrol's with weapons free and with just a word from the officers aboard the Valiant, Rogue Squadron would engage and open fire.

[Lowrook]

Lowrook chuckled to himself. He could feel the anxiety in the pilots, but was please to see that they quickly overcame the surprise and formed up face the Berserker. Images of the X-Wings were finally coming across the holo and the insignia on the wings showed them to be Rogue Squadron. Who else would be protecting the last of the Jedi other than the Rebels most talented squadron? Lowrook looked over at Captain Brandt and nodded. With all the comm. distortion, Lowrook’s voice vox would probably get lost in the translation and all they would hear would be a howling wookie. That might have worked for someone like Chewbacca, but not for Lowrook. Captain Brandt handled the conversation.

“This is Captain Brandt. Let’s just say that I am carrying an Ambassador of Good Will to meet up with the delegation that your mother ship is escorting. That is all that I am willing to say over the open airways. We’d like to keep some things private about our tasks, as I assume you do as well.”

During this time, Lowrook had used his abilities to find the ships that the Jedi were on. It was actually easier than he thought which he attributed to being in close proximity to them. They all seemed to be gathered in the smaller ship. Lowrook touched the screen to enhance the image. A battered ship that was quite familiar to almost anyone who had flown into the Corellian Sector appeared. It was an Action VI Freighter going by the name Whaladon. Lowrook spoke low to Captain Brandt and then straightened his robes. He calmed the Beserker that was inside of him and gripped his lightsaber at his side.

“If at all possible we would like to send a ship over to the Whaladon with our passenger.” Captain Brandt eyed Lowrook. “He is quite insistent on meeting with them.”

[Daria Nytherciria]

Aboard the bridge of the Whaladon, the arrival of the unknown gunship had injected a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the men and women that crewed the ship. The bridge communications officer pressed a fingertip to his ear-piece, his eyes flicking down from the pensive face of Jedi Knight Daria Nytherciria as he listened intently to the voice of his counterpart aboard the Valiant.

“Preliminary reports from Colonel Vorega indicate an armament of eight turbolaser cannons and eight concussion missile launchers. Sensors are unable to confirm the presence of a starfighter compliment.”

With sightless eyes, Daria peered out across the distance between herself and the Berseker. What worried the Jedi Knight was not whether or not the gunship was carrying 'fighters of its own, but how it had found them in the first place – and more than that, how they knew the name of the Whaladon. Ever since they had been ambushed by the Imperials, a matter of months ago, security had tightened within the convoy. Perhaps it had not tightened enough.

“Open a channel,” the Miraluka said, her voice firm. “Captain Brandt – you may inform your passenger that this is a secure vessel, and that no unidentified shuttles or passengers may be permitted aboard. Please, explain the purpose of your arrival in this sector.”

[Sanis Prent]

"Rogue Thirteen, looking live."

With the biggest sensor package in the Rogue set, my console of course blew up into a kaleidoscope of lights at the realspace contact, even though I was the farthest Rogue on the picket from the approaching capitol ship. I banked Layla about and hit the sublight burner to full, sending the YV-666 freighter thundering ahead to meet the potential threat.

"Looks to be a capitol gunship or corvette, weighing in at 90 meters. I don't have a make on it."

About that time, Cirr shimmied up the ladder well into the cockpit, leaping into the co-pilot seat.

"Quad cannons on my contrrol."

I gave a slight nod.

"Easy on the heat for now. We're just mean-mugging this guy until we get a reason not to blast 'em."

I shook my head.

"Unless they've got a real good reason to be here, they're not gonna be around for long...concussion tubes armed."

As we crossed through the flotilla body and linked up with the other fighters, I swung Layla into a parallel flight trajectory to the ship. For now, we were simply a well pissed-off escort until told otherwise.

"Rogue Leader, might be a good idea to watch their vector. No need for any personal space invaders, if you get my meaning."

[Lowrook]

Lowrook looked over at Captain Brandt. “Let me take the comm. Prepare a jump out here in case they are not so welcome to us being here.”

Lowrook stepped in front of the holo emitter so that his image was transmitted. He growled his response in Wookie-speak, but the mechanical voice was transmitted across the frequency.

“I am Jedi Master Lowrook. The Force led me here, I obeyed. That is all that I really wish to discuss over an open channel.”

Inside, Lowrook felt a pang of uncertainty. Since his “reawakening” from the frozen carbonite prison he had been in, the galaxy had turned upside down. His last memories were of the Jedi Council on Coruscant with Master Yoda leading the Jedi. He had faint memories of his padawan being murdered and desecrated by pirates; of passing Jedi he had trained with.

Then, when the carbonite prison thawed, he fought himself in a nightmare of a galaxy that he could not wake up from. He also found himself with an uncontrollable rage… the inner wookie crying for revenge for him and his Padawan. The Jedi were destroyed by one of their own and now… here… they were being hunted down to the last. Lowrook had no knowledge of who these jedi were or even if they would accept him. If the destruction of the Jedi Archives was as complete as he had heard, they might not even know of him. They may view him to be more of a threat than a help.

The appearance of a freighter closing in on their location along with a full squadron of fighters… Rogue Squadron… didn’t concern Lowrook too much. The Force had led him here… either to help or to his death.

He waited for their response.

[Daria Nytherciria]

I am Jedi Master Lowrook.

If ever there was a bold statement made, that was it. Spoken out into the dark uncertainty of space, to a convoy of arm starships which might well have been under the command of the Galactic Empire. It was a gamble that many would have said only the brave or foolish would make. Yet, by his own admission the Force had led him here. How else could he have found the Wheel? It was astronomically improbable that one wandering starship should stumble across them, without some higher power plotting their course.

In the silence aboard the ship's bridge, Daria felt the weight of leadership upon her shoulders, yet it was not a burden she felt unable to shoulder. It was time to make a gamble of her own. She took a deep breath and began.

“Master Lowrook... you may dispatch your shuttle. The starfighters of Rogue Squadron will escort you and your companions to the Whaladon. Please comply with their requests, and you will have your meeting. Whaladon out.”

Then, switching the communication channel to Rogue Squadron's secure frequency, she added.

“Bring them in, Rogues.”

[Jamo Jakatta]

Behind the visor of his helmet, Jamo's eyebrows arched upwards. They weren't the orders he was expecting, but then again, the Jedi rare did anything you could plan for. It was all 'the Force tells me to go here' or 'the Force tells me to do that.' It was a small mercy, he thought, that the Rogues had tangible superiors providing their instructions, rather than the whole squadron having to collate every vague, whimsical fluttering of instinct that occurred to them.

“Rogue Nine, acknowledge. Standard escort formation, guys and girls. Weapons at the ready, just in case this gets interesting.”

[Lowrook]

Lowrook nodded. “Acknowledged Control. Shuttle will be inbound in 10 minutes.” Lowrook looked over at Captain Brandt, indicating that he should cut the communications. As soon as they were cut, Brandt spoke up.

“I don’t like this at all. We should send the flight of fighters with you.”

Lowrook shook his shaggy head. “No, the Force has brought us this far. It would be disastrous to change what we do now. You hold the ship here and wait for me. Don’t arm weapons or make any threatening move unless specifically ordered by me. If they blow up the shuttle, jump out of here. Otherwise, we follow this to the end.”

Captain Brandt nodded, but didn’t like it. He rarely like seeing his charges be put into vulnerable situations.

“You have the bridge, Captain.”

Lowrook left and made his way to the portside docking clamp. Because the hanger was small on the Berserker, it would only fit a flight of starfighters, but not the shuttle they had picked up. It was an aging Lambda class shuttle, whose armaments had been stripped from it. While it still had heavy duty shields, it could not attack if an enemy presented itself. That was something that would have to be changed in the near future, thought Lowrook as he climbed through the clamp.

The interior of the shuttle was dark as he entered. Reaching over, he tapped the controls to bring the sublight engines online. Lights flickered on all around the consoles and the familiar whine of engines warming up could be heard. Lowrook took a seat at the pilot’s chair, setting his lightsaber down on the co-pilots chair. As the ship finished its start up sequence, he closed his eyes , using the time to meditate on the future.

The voice of the person who he had spoken to was definitely female, but it wasn’t a voice that he remembered. No surprise there, as for the last 60 years he was frozen in carbonite. She had sounded powerful and the tone she had was one of command, but tinged with uncertainty. Again… no surprise with what Lowrook had learned about the galaxy.

He tried to see the future… what would come of this, but the future was so clouded with the Dark Side that several of the possible outcomes led to disaster and death.

Finally the ship was warmed up. Lowrook disengaged the docking clamp and the Lambda class shuttle dropped 100 meters below the Berserker before it moved forward. Lowrook hit the switch that would drop the folded up wings into flight position. A loud whine accompanied the starboard wind and Lowrook looked out the window and saw that it was stuck in the upright position. A loud knock accompanied it then the computer quit trying to bring it down. Now the shuttle had one wing down and another stuck in landing position.

“Great first impression”, Lowrook thought to himself. Still it was better to be stuck in the landing position than the flight position.

Banking toward the fighters, Lowrook increase speed up to ¾ sublight, which for this shuttle wasn’t that fast. He didn’t want to give the pilots of Rogue Squadron to any excuse to open fire on the shuttle. He made course for the ship that registered as the Whaladon and put it on a straight projectory course. The sensors showed the X-Wings falling in formation.

The flight over was pretty uneventful. As the shuttle neared the Whaladon, a hangar bay door had opened and the opening had grown in size. Lowrook pushed the button to bring the only operational wing back up into landing mode. Then he carefully guided the shuttle into the opening.

A flight controller was directing him to an open area near the mouth of the hangar. Lowrook set the shuttle down and quickly went through an abbreviated shut down process. Then he lowered the ramp. With a few deep breaths, he picked up his lightsaber and attached it to his belt and smoothed out his robes. Then he exited the shuttle for whatever fate the Force had for him.

[Sanis Prent]

"I'm on Berserker."

The fighter escort peeled off to run the shuttle to Whaladon, leaving me and a few other Rogues' flying picket on the 'guest'. I matched trajectory and velocity, reclining in my seat a bit as Cirr and I watched the ship from afar.

"Suppose I'd only be doing my job as a paranoid prole, but how the hell did they find us?"

Cirr crossed thick arms over his broad chest, a look of unease telegraphed on his face.

"You know Jedji, 'the wjill of the Forrce' orr somethjing."

Unsatisfied, I sighed.

"Or something, damn right."

I brought up the robust sensor suite controls, and began running the gamut on Berserker.

"MARCUS, anything I'm missing? Any passive transmissions, pulses, HoloNet bands, anything?"

A droid module blinked to life on the console.

"I show no irregularities to speak of. We have nothing but time. I can re-run scans."

"Yeah, do it. If there's a tech on that boat so much as farting in Imperial code, I wanna know. We don't get a lot of jump time if they call in some shit on us."

[Lucy Gray]

“Rogue Nine, acknowledge. Standard escort formation, guys and girls. Weapons at the ready, just in case this gets interesting.”
Rogue 7 cut in her comm. "Yeah, like when does it ever get interesting with you around Joker." Kylie's voice was light with amusement. She loved to throw barbs at Joker.

Still, he had given an order. Kylie brought her fighter around and formed up just on the starboard aft of her wingmate, Captain Jaden Luka, who went by the callsign Monkey.

Evening out her shields, she watched the shuttle make its way toward the Whaladon. She linked her proton torpedoes together to fire by twos and then changed her lasers over the quad linked fire. She slowed down so that she wouldn't overrun the shuttle. She was ready for anything to happen.

[Daria Nytherciria]

The crew of the hangar deck were dismissed and a secure perimeter was set up around the hangar bay itself. The only starships berthed were the X-Wings flown by Rogue Squadron and the Lambda class shuttle in which their visitor had arrived. A handful of the most senior Jedi aboard the Whaladon had assembled at Daria's request, with Jedi Master Navaria Tarkin – the groups de facto leader – at the forefront. The Miraluka stood alongside Navaria and watched as the towering figure of a Wookiee emerged from the battered shuttle, tan robes draped around his shoulders and a lightsaber on his belt. Yet, it was more than this that Daria saw, as she perceived the incendiary light of the Force than shone from within Jedi Master Lowrook. The sight of it left her momentarily speechless.

[Navaria Tarkin]

It was amidst a training session with several of the younger Jedi hopefuls that Navaria felt a powerful and alien presence in the Force invade this sector of space. It was not of danger that she felt, or the darkness, but a prevailing ambiance of light that could not be ignored. It was just a moment later that she received communication over her comm that an unidentified vessel had just exited hyperspace.

Reluctant to leave the children, she had Abrala, a Kiffar woman that was one of the many mesh of beings that called the Wheel home, to continue to lead the group in their telekinetic drills. Since the Whaladon had become her home, Navaria had committed its layout to memory and within five minutes of navigating the vessel, she was standing alongside Daria and awaited their mysterious visitor.

She had seen scant Wookies in her lifetime because of the Empire's oppression, thus the towering size of Jedi that came off the shuttle did not phase her. But much like the beloved Knight at her side, Navaria was surprised at the intensity of the Force radiating off of him. To possibly believe that another Jedi Master had found them was uplifting.

Stepping forward, they looked much alike in dress. Tan and beige robes were worn by the petite Jedi Master who gave Lowrook a smile of welcoming. "I hope the Rogues did not give you too much of a hassle, but we cannot be too careful out here in hiding our presence. I am Jedi Master Navaria Tarkin." She regarded the Miraluka behind her and continued with the introductions. "This is Jedi Knight Daria Nytherciria, I do believe you've already spoken ..."

[Lowrook]

Lowrook saw the entrance of the group of Jedi’s that came to meet him. The light side of the Force radiated like a supernova from the group. Lowrook hadn’t remembered feeling that much power except at the Jedi Academy on Coruscant… before the fall. They were indeed powerful. A mixture of emotions came from the group. Curiosity was great among them, but underneath that was a little bit of apprehension and from several… calmness.

Lowrook could not help but share in a bit of the apprehension. To go from being the Guardians of the Galaxy for several hundred years to being instantly hunted down was a grave shock to Lowrook when he found out about it.

"I hope the Rogues did not give you too much of a hassle, but we cannot be too careful out here in hiding our presence. I am Jedi Master Navaria Tarkin. This is Jedi Knight Daria Nytherciria, I do believe you've already spoken ..."

Lowrook clasped his furry paws together in front of his torso and bowed deeply at the waist. He spoke softly as the acoustics of the hangar echoed his roars.

“I am honorrrrred to grrrreet you, Master Tarrrrrkin. I am Lowrook. I am… was a Jedi Master during the time of the <ST1:p<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.sw-fans.net/forum/ /><st1:PlaceName w:st=Jedi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=" /><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Galactic</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Republic</st1:PlaceType></ST1:p.” The sounds came out first as guttural growls and whines and then the vox translator in his throat translated them to Basic. It was mechanical and cold, without any influx of emotion or personality… that could be found in his roars.

“I greet you Jedi Master Tarkin. I am glad to be among other Jedi. When I had awoke from my imprisonment and learned what had happened, I felt like the light of the Force had gone out of this place. I am glad to see that I was wrong.”

Turning slightly, Lowrook saw Daria. She looked at him with stare of someone who was looking at him through the Force… not with sight. It was she that had addressed him when the Berserker approached. She had an inner light, a grim determination to her. He had thought her a Jedi Master…

It will probably be a short time coming for her to reach that rank, Lowrook thought.

“Jedi Knight Nytherrrrrcirrria.” Lowrook’s R’s rolled through his vox. “It is also an honorrrrr to meet you. The pilots have ample skill and quick response time. I have heard of their accomplishments, usually spoken with hatred, from several of the Imps that I have encountered.”

Suddenly, Lowrook felt awkward. He has envisioned this moment of rejoining his brethren, but hadn’t thought much to what to do after he had found other Jedi. He looked at each of them and a smile crept across his face, showing his fangs.

“So what now? Is there a secret handshake or testing that I need to go through?”

[Lucy Gray]

Kylie watched as the shuttle enter the hangar. She keyed in her comm system to Joker.

"Hey so does this mean that we can open the liquor cabinet on the ship and drink until I fall into someone's bunk in a drunken stupor?"

[Jamo Jakatta]

Jamo smirked and shook his head faintly as he thumbed the line open again. “Any excuse with you, Seven. I don't think Razor appreciated your advances last time that happened.”

Another voice crackled across the Squadron commlink, this time female. It was Rogue Five, Tera "Razor" Uolmi. “Cut the chatter.” Tera's tone was as sharp as her call-sign's namesake.

[Lucy Gray]

Jamo smirked and shook his head faintly as he thumbed the line open again. “Any excuse with you, Seven. I don't think Razor appreciated your advances last time that happened.”

Kylie decided to play along. “Oh that was just a misunderstanding. She was more than welcome to stay.”

Before Joker could respond, another voice crackled across the Squadron commlink. It was Rogue Five, Tera "Razor" Uolmi. “Cut the chatter.” Tera's tone was as sharp as her call-sign's namesake.

Kylie smirked at the rejoinder. “Copy that Ma’am.” Then she turned off her comm. system and continued to fly in silence. It really was a mistake. She should have known that Jamo was involved or taken, but when Kylie saw a target, she went after it with everything. Usually her situational awareness would kick in when danger approached, but that time it hadn’t. Ever since then, there had been a cold relationship between her and Razor.

Oh well, she thought. Just another junk heap on my path to love… or at least a good fling. She continued to follow her wingman, showing precision flying.

[Daria Nytherciria]

What now, indeed. It was a rare occasion that the Wheel acquired another passenger, rarer still when that passenger arrived without a hail of blasterfire and in a state of frenzied flight. Instead, they were lined up opposite one another, offering bows and polite greetings. That the Jedi standing before them claimed to be a survivor of the purge made his appearance even the more startling, as there were scant few pre-Imperial Jedi still left alive.

“There is no test, Master Lowrook. I sense that your words are true – though I and my fellows would be grateful if you could, perhaps over refreshments, explain more of you story. Your.. awakening.”

[Lowrook]

Lowrook nodded to the Miraluka Jedi. “Indeed it would be my pleasure.” Thinking back, Lowrook had to be amazed with the wondrous ways that the Force worked. He had been imprisoned for over 60 years. At the time of his release, he had wondered why. Now, with the Jedi left a mere remnant of itself, he could see that his imprisonment saved him from the slaughter of the Purge.

Now, he was in a position to help them and, in turn, maybe someone was here who could help him.

Lowrook looked out the hangar containment field. The escort fighters were lining up to land.

“I think we had better leave the hangar and let the pilots have their bay back. I look forward to being in the company of the Jedi again.”

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria offered a thin smile as eyes diverted their attention to the pilots
coming in. "Yes, I'd have to agree. It's about to get quite rowdy in here."

Returning her attention upon the Wookie Jedi, her smile changed from playful to respectful. "One of the nearby conference rooms should be sufficient to relax and converse."

Taking a step back and with a respectful dip of her head, Navaria extended a hand towards the docking bay exit. "After you Master Lowrook."

[Lowrook]

((OOC - Sorry, I had forgotten that I hadn't finished my post))


Lowrook bowed and then led the way out of the hangar. Behind him, X-Wings began to enter the hangar to land. He heard the whine of engines as the ships broke into atmosphere. The sound became muffled as the large blast doors leading from the hangar to the ship shut behind the group.


Even though Lowrook hadn't been on this ship, he did know the basic layout of the Action VI freighter. If there hadn't been much alteration to the ship, there should be a conference room down the corridor. Fate was on his side as he reached the conference room. The door opened and he entered. In the middle of the room was a large table, surrounded by chairs. Along the edge was a staging area for food and drinks. Lowrook liked the fact that the table was round, offering no one a chance to grab the head of the table. He stood behind a chair halfway around a table and then turned to watch the others grab their chairs.


His chair was too small for his frame so he stood behind it and rested his elbows on the back of the chair. It squeaked under his weight, but held. As the last of the group entered the room Lowrook to a second and then he began.


“I was born over 320 years ago on Kashyyyk. It was found out early that I was force sensitive when I used the Force to blast a predator who was tracking my brother. The Jedi had a presence on the planet and they tested me and my Midi-chorlians. I was found to have a high number and was sent to Coruscant to the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comhttp://www.sw-fans.net/forum/ /><st1:PlaceName w:st=Jedi</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Temple</st1:PlaceType> to be trained in the ways of the Jedi. I became one of the younglings to be trained by Yoda. As I grew in the Force, I was chosen by Jedi Master Herck Willts to be his Padawan. I was with my Master for 6 years before being chosen from the Trials. I passed and was awarded the rank of Jedi Knight. At that point I went through training to become a Jedi Watchman, as my first master had been one for the Tapani Sector. After I completed that training, I began my duties of a Watchman at Large for the Jedi Order. I spent the next 200 years travelling around the galaxy, settling disputes, upholding the laws of the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Old</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Republic</st1:PlaceType> and looking for other potentials. After 175 years I was called back to Coruscant where I trained padawans in lightsaber and un-armed combat for another 45 years.”


Lowrook remembered his past like it was yesterday. He could remember all their young faces, eager to learn and have a sense of purpose. He also remembered those that would move on to create a legacy of destruction and pain. He remembered well the day that a Jedi named Dooku passed his trials to become a Jedi. He had been arrogant in his abilities and Lowrook had seen much of his future clouded.


“At the end of the 50 years, Watchmen were needed so I was sent back out. Before I left, I took for myself a Padawan who was close to completing his trials. His name was Jentz Montave, a human male from the Corporate Sector. We traveled around the Outer Rim being assigned as an “At-Large” status again. Just after the Mandalorian Civil War, we were responding to a call from a group of settlers out on the planet Osirus IV. They were being attacked by a group of slavers. We ended up ambushing the slavers and delayed them long enough to let the settlers escape. We were outnumbered though and the slavers gunned down my padawan as he was protecting a young girl who had fallen.”


At this point Lowrook’s shaggy head drooped.


“At that point, I lost all control. I don’t remember much of what happened except in visions and dreams. I grabbed Jentz’s lightsaber and cut down 104 of the slavers before I was stunned. The last thing I remember was the slavers tearing apart the body of my dead Padawan. Everything else from that time on, I have only found out through tracking down eye witness sources and mind probes.”


“I was encased in carbonite and I hung on the wall of several pirate groups. They encased me with both lightsabers. Years went by as one pirate group would steal me from another. During that time, somehow, I was still conscious. My mind screamed out for death and for revenge. I nearly went crazy.”


“Sixty years later, during a fire fight in the base I was hanging, the controls on the carbonite casing were damage and I thawed out. Imperials must have found me and when I recovered, I found myself in a Slave Labor Camp. They implanted this vox on me so that my words would be translated into basic and make it easier to speak to.”


“One day, I saw an Imp beating one of the younger wookie females for falling down. Something inside of me snapped. A rage I had never felt before urged me to battle and I used the force and my claws to kill every Imperial in the camp. That act, while freeing my people also caused me to become an outcast. Only mad wookies use their claws in battles. I was labeled “MadClaw” and I cannot return to Kashyyyk. I took one of their gunships and left the bigger ship for the slaves to use. A group of the non wookie slaves joined me and they became my crew of the Berserker. I was able to find that base where I was awakened and find both my and my padawan's lightsabers.”


At this point Lowrook stop and looked up at the group. “I see now that my imprisonment saved me from the Purge, but I still struggle with the Berserker’s Rage. I feel the desperate need for revenge for my Padawan. I meditate daily to control that side of me.”

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria listened in sober silence as the Wookiee recounted the story of his life. For all the beings aboard the Wheel, the time that had passed since the fall of the Republic – almost three decades – seemed like an eternity. When Daria tried to reach that far back into her past, to the eve of the Clone Wars, she could scarcely remember how life had been then. How, she wondered, must it have felt to have lived for centuries? The wealth of experience he had was almost possible to comprehend, but by a similar token she knew from both his words and the flow of the Force around him, that his long life had left Master Lowrook with a great deal of scars.

He had killed – and he recalled the precise number of lives ended by his own hands. For all her dedication to the Force, the Miraluka had experienced a brush with the Dark Side, as physical and emotional pain combined had pushed her to draw upon its seductive power. Yet, as monumental as that moment had been to her, she could not imagine what the being standing before her must have felt – must still feel – when he thought of what he had done.

A stunned silence had settled in the room, but Daria was compelled to speak.

“Your student is one with the Force now,” she said.

[Lowrook]

Lowrook gravely nodded his head. Even now, he felt the emotions of Jentz’s death. It was seared into his mind. Now, was the hard part… getting past it.

“That he is, though I am realizing that the efforts of his life are still with us. The little girl that he died protecting became a member of law enforcement and spent her life protecting those that could not protect themselves. Also, Jentz was able to give me… us one last treasure.”

At that Lowrook pulled something small from his robes. It was small resting in his big paw. It was a cube that seemed to glow with inner power and light. Once he sat it on the table, it was easily recognized as a Jedi Holocron.

“The Gate Keeper’s name is Yorec Drassar, a Jedi Master before my time. I was using it to teach my Padawan when we met the slavers. It is only by the Force that I found it and now I turn it over to you.”

[Lowrook]

(Possible Bump. I don't know if we are done with this thread or not.)