Knights Errant

[Barton Henning]

Continued from A Damsel Causing Distress (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?p=340053)...

The landing gear of the Knightfall's shuttle hit the deck of the Whaladon with a thump-thump. Barton sat forward in the pilots seat, trying to get a look at who and what else was on deck. There were a few uniformed deck-crew working on a damaged X-Wing chassis, a hoversled of tools and parts alongside the starfighter – or what was left of it. The lines at the edges of Henning eyes and mouth tightened; it wasn't the best first impression, for a woman who'd no idea that her son was part of a military machine, but he wasn't sure that even the sight of a hundred well-rounded cushions, supporting the well-rounded bottoms of a hundred man-servants, would please Taataani Meorrrei.

"We're here," he said, without ceremony. Taataani was already on her feet and looking ready to march her way to her son, with no man or power in the galaxy able to stop her. Barton held up a hand.

“I'll send for your boy, so you just wait here a minute longer.”

He paced to a wall comms unit and keyed in the frequency for the Layla. When the freighter acknowledged, he spoke in a low voice.

“Cirr... got someone here in the hangar bay wanting to see you. I'd appreciate it if you came on over to the Knightfall right away. She isn't the waiting type.”

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

On board the Freighter Layla...

"Njinety-ejight...njinety-njine..."

beep-beep-beep

The comm chime interrupted Cirr's impromptu workout. Suspended over the ground by the pull-up bar he held, Cirrsseeto dropped down with ease, bringing up the bottom of his sleeveless shirt to wipe the sweat from his face as he punched the wall comm.

"Captajin Hennjing?"

He raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like him to get guests. On the Wheel, you learned to play second fiddle if you weren't force sensitive. There were only two women he could think of that might want to break that cycle. One was Master Chief Kochanski, who had no problem being more direct if she needed to schedule a meeting. The other, more likely candidate was Lyanie Quez. Why she'd have Barton be her go-between was a matter of confusion, and Cirr's perplexed expression explained it all.

"Wjith rrespect, you can tell Lyanjie she can talk to me djirrectly. No need to be bashful about jit."

Cirr smiled, certain that the Knightfall's mechanic had for some reason thought it necessary to seek Captain Henning out as an intermediary.

[Barton Henning]

“Not Lyanie.”

Barton glanced back at the guest in question and smiled weakly.

“She came all the way from the Carshoulis Cluster. The least you can do is come say hello.”

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

A sudden strange realization came over Cirr, and his ears slowly dipped down as he figured it out. Nevermind trying to suss out the how's and the why's, he'd be sure to do that later.

"jI'll be rrjight overr."

Guests from the Carshoulis cluster could mean anybody from his sisters to his mother, to possibly even Saarrreeaa Raurrssatta. He quickly climbed two decks up to his personal quarters, ducked in for a fast sonic shower, then suited up and headed outbound in the Black Cat towards Whaladon.

"Cirr, you headed to Valiant?" Sanis pinged through on the comm from the cockpit.

"jI've got company on Whaladon. Shouldn't be long, hopefully."

"Whaladon?" The curiosity was evident in the human's voice. "Not the usual stomping grounds, eh?"

Cirr shrugged as he flew. Whaladon was more or less a flying convent for the Jedi. The fleet proles usually didn't have business there, but it wasn't unheard of.

"Don't worrry, ljike jI sajid, won't be long."

"Who's worried?"

Introspectively, Cirr had to wonder if Sanis's question had more wisdom in it than intended, as he banked the small shuttlecraft towards the docking bay of the capital ship.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Captajin Hennjing, what am jI lookjing at?"

Barely content to stand idle while she waited for her darling Cirrsseeto, Taataani looked out at the dilapidated landing bay.

"Thjiss...jiss an arrmjy? Arrmjy of what?"

She looked back at him with an expression of surprise and disgust.

"jI would be worrrjied forr ssomeone to fjight a ljight cold wjith thjiss, much lesss the Empjirre. Arre jyou all completeljy and abssoluteljy mad?"

[Barton Henning]

“It helps.”

The military presence aboard the Wheel was minimal, but there was no reason for Taataani to know that. If she was dealing with the Empire on a regular basis, the less she knew about the Alliance the better. Hearing the engines of another shuttle power down inside the hangar bay, Henning paced across the common room and slapped his palm against the panel that would release the landing ramp. It ground its way to the ground, hitting the deck with a clang. He leaned down and got a glimpse of Cirr as the big feline neared Knightfall.

[Lyanie Quez]

Ever since the realisation of who Taataani Meorrrei was dawned on her, D'Lyanettea Meresco Quez had been holed up in the engine room, feeling more or less mortified and to a lesser extent, ashamed that she had mouthed off the cat-lady, consider who she had claimed to be. Furthermore, Lyanie felt a little stupid.

Cizerack didn't all look the same and she hit herself over the head that she didn't see some resemblance. Granted, it would have been easier to see, had she known to look. There was just no way that this occurrence could have been predicted. And now that the power-down and post-flight checks were long since finished with, she was having an increasingly difficult time finding excuses to stay in the engine room, as there was currently nothing wrong with the ships' engines - all thanks to her. For once, she cursed her depth of skill.

And now Cirr was coming on board. It would delight her to see him, but... sitting in the engine room, the ship's engineer and mechanic dealt with a certain level of emotion-imposed paralyzation. All in all, a 'fun' time.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr didn't pause or delay in heading to Knightfall from the Cat. That would only make things worse, in his estimation. Rather than that, he figured it was best to get the encounter over with. He bounded down the gangplank, heading towards Captain Henning, and...

"Mama?"

How in the blue milk run hell did she get out here? Cirr's mouth went agape. Glad to see his mother but in some ways, not so much. He looked from her, to the Captain, and back.

"Welcome aboarrd?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Under happier circumstances, Taataani would explode into a hurricane of affections. She was delighted to see Cirr, but not here. Not here.

She paused at the gangplank before proceeding, holding her hand out to Captain Henning expectantly. He may very well be a boorish uncouth mercenary, but she expected him to at the very least know when it was appropriate to escort.

With that done, she took a few steps toward Cirrsseeto.

"Captajin Hennjing tellss me jyou've jojined the Rrebel Alljiance."

She canted her head back in some degree of stoic disapproval.

"jIss that trrue?"

[Barton Henning]

You didn't need a degree in Cizerack studies to feel, and understand, the unease in the air at that moment. Barton laced his arms over his chest and half turned away, looking back towards his ship. His eyes narrowed, as if he was studying some part of the freighter's hull. He fully expected to see someone peering out of the view-ports, quite possibly pressed up against the transparisteel in an effort to hear what was being said.

[Lyanie Quez]

As the remainder of the ship's occupants filed out and down the gangplank, an almost eerie quiet settled over within. It was enough, with the engine at a quiet and restful state, that Lyanie could hear everything. Cirr's voice... and Taa's disapproval. That was the thing she could not take, that would act to weedle her out of the nerve-wracking state that had overtaken her. That Cirr's honest choices were being called into disdainful question.

It was something she was more than familiar with. Setting her jaw and picking herself up from where she had settled in a nook around the far end of the engine, Lyanie marched herself out of the engine room, down the corridor and right down the gankplank, only to come to a screeching halt halfway down when encountered with the narrowe eyes of Captain Henning and beyond that, the tense tone of atmosphere set by one mother and son.

She had to wonder exactly what it was she had been thinking of doing. It seemed not to be a good idea, now. Settling herself down to crouch on the gangplank, her eyes drifted over to Cirr and there they remained, for now.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr normally wore his emotions on his sleeve, or rather his ears. Ears back, he was itching for a fight. Ears down, he was on the receiving end of something bad. That his ears didn't so much as flutter when his mother asked about his new life spoke some degree of volumes.

He looked past Taa's shoulder, found Lyanie on the gangplank, and a small confident smile formed on his face. It was all so clear now.

"You always told me to make somethjing of myself, and what jI was good at. jI djid ljike you sajid."

He'd seen that look from Mama Taa a thousand times over. Usually it wasn't even him that was the recipient of it, but he'd had it in his direction enough to know that his mother was hard to win over when she was mad.

He stood his ground.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

It was true!

Lightning flashed in Taa's eyes, and she looked back to glower up at Barton and Lyanie, and just as quickly, back to her son.

"jI djidn't take the rrjisskss jI djid forr jyou jusst to ssee jyou thrrow jyourr ljife awajy forr ssome losst causse rromantjicss. jYou'rre ssmarrt enough to make a ssafe carreerr forr jyourrsself."

A sign of her own frustration, Taa's ears did flip back slightly. She crossed her arms, displaying her vexation with every ounce of body language she had.

"Thjiss wass Ssanjiss'ss jidea, wassn't jit? And jyou followed hjim rrjight along then?"

She'd exact her vengeance on the Nar Shadaan in due time.

[Lyanie Quez]

The glower given her by Taataani was not something she appreciated very much. Cirr looking back at her, that one smile, however... it gave her the strength needed to not sit back and stay out of it. Because she couldn't just let this happen. She knew that Cirr liked what he did as much as she liked it.

"No, Miss Meorrrei..." Lyanie piped up, hauling up to her feet and beginning to make her way down the remainder of the gangplank. "...it wasn't."

She reached the bottom and glanced again at Cirr, before looking back to Taa, whose attentions were now clearly on her. The engineer smiled and poised hands on her hips.

"Your son... Cirr, he can think for himself. This choice was his own."

[Barton Henning]

“Everyone here came of their own free will, and they're all free to go when they like.”

Barton looked to Lyanie and couldn't help but smile.

“Some things you can walk away from, but others.. you need to stand for. No shame in that.”

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr looked up to Barton and Lyanie with a slight, knowing smile. He appreciated their show of support. This was, he supposed, an inevitable confrontation that had to happen.

"Mama, these people arre my frrjiends. Sanjis jis my frrjiend. But jI made the chojice to be who jI am today. jI know how harrd you worrked to make a betterr ljife forr me. Please, hearr me out. Walk jin my shoes. You taught me to do what's rrjight. Let me do that, even jif jI rrjisk my ljife to do jit."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jI could ssee one of jyourr ssjissterrss dojing thjiss...thjiss...Rrebelljion."

She paused, cursing under her breath at the duality of the phrase.

"jYou've neverr djissobejyed me, Cirrsseeto Naithaaro Meorrrei Raurrssatta. Neverr. What a tjime jyou've chossen to do sso."

Still seething with anger, she diverted her eyes, massaging her temples.

"Jusst how do jI explajin thjiss to jyourr Grrandmotherr? jIt wass harrd enough explajinjing jyou'rre no longerr marrjied. Now, mjy sson jiss ssome kjind of extrremjisst rrevolutjionarrjy."

With a mirthless laugh, she shrugged.

"'Mjy sson, the terrrorrjisst', thejy'll ssajy!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"What they say should never matter."

It was a voice that Taataani would know despite the many years between them. That same quiet, assured tone that the Meorrrei Clan Matron remembered from their last meeting held something else beneath it. An undercurrent of steel now ran through Loklorien s'Ilancy's voice.

She came up from behind Cirr, unseen by Taataani, who was more or less so focused on her son that all else was inconsequential. s'Il moved to stand beside Cirr, a slight figure held within Jedi robes of white.

While most of her business was conducted on board the Valiant, it wasn't all too uncommon to see Loklorien s'Ilancy on the Whaledon as well; it just wasn't where she spent most of her time while with the Wheel, is all. It was a fortuitous thing, her presence here now.

"Ja'iirra korra nai," she said, respectfully nodding to Taataani while speaking the very same words she'd spoken upon their first meeting.

"Your son is with the Jedi... "

She gave an uplifting smile to Barton, then finished.

"... isn't that correct, Mr. Henning?"

[Barton Henning]

Barton's eyes lowered instinctively. Whether or not Loklorien s'Ilancy had intended to implicate him as one of the Jedi, he felt conscious that there were eyes on him now, perhaps seeing him in ways that they hadn't before. Most of the crew aboard the Wheel knew Barton is Captain Henning, or the Doctor – but few were aware of his past as a Jedi.

“That is correct,” he answered, lifting his gaze back to the Cizerack matriarch.

[Lyanie Quez]

She had been watching his face again. A face she was coming to know more and more as time passed. The expressions of it, the tones of his voice, among other things, were such a presence for her. The cup of defending Cirr's position and his right to these choices he had made was making the rounds and it came to her again.

"Your son...." Lyanie began, her gaze making its way over to the matriarch again, dropping her hands from her hips and finding the Cizerack woman's face with her eyes. "....your son is with me. Cirr is with me."

It had to be said, she was certain. And her nerves suffered so little, compared to what she expected. Inwardly, she sighed in relief at having said it, but braced herself for how Cirr's... mother... might react.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Beset upon all sides, Taataani looked around at each of them. That Cirr was tasked with protecting the Jedi gave her a little more pause. She knew Lok s'Ilancy and respected her. She couldn't write this off. Closing her eyes momentarily, she opened, and focused on s'Ilancy.

"Nai a'keenaa, jaaffrri. Madam ss'jIlancjy, jyou make jit harrd forr me to fjind offensse."

She looked back to Barton Henning, seeing him in a new light. What she had previously mistaken as shyness seemed to be a cool and calculated reserve.

That led her to Lyanie, the dirty-faced mechanic standing next to her, insisting that she speak on her son's behalf. She looked her over, and looked to Cirrsseeto. He betrayed nothing that would suggest she was being anything less than truthful.

She looked to the mechanic again, her voice somewhat softer now.

"jYou've chossen mjy sson then?"

Inwardly, Taataani found some relief in this. She'd naturally feared for her son's ability to find anybody at all outside of the Pride. Mind you, this one hardly seemed to be able to provide a decent living for her Cirrsseeto. There was still the normal apprehension of such a rough and tumble lifestyle.

She looked to Captain Henning again, speaking with her preferred aristocratic lilt.

"Captajin Hennjing, jiss therre ssome place on thjiss wrretched sshjip jI mjight have ssome tjime alone wjith jyourr pluckjy mechanjic?"

Her eyes again met Lyanie's.

"Prreferrabljy ssomewherre that sserrvess drrjinkss?"

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Cirr looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He hadn't expected Lyanie to out herself so soon. Not without...ahem...extensive coaching. He'd hoped to be able to delay this sort of meeting for a year or two, but there was nothing to be done now.

He gave Lyanie a sympathetic look, extending a hand to her.

"Mama, all jI ask jis that you keep an open mjind, alrrjight?"

He wasn't sure exactly how all of this would go down, and he glanced to s'Ilancy with an apprehensive look.

[Barton Henning]

There wasn't a bar on board, no matter how much the crew complained they needed one. Instead, they drank their home-brew whilst lounging in their bunks or crouched around crates, playing endless games of sabacc. Barton had a hard time picturing Taataani doing either.

“I'm sure a crewman can point you towards.. an empty meeting room. As for drinks, I'll see if I can sort something out.”

The Knightfall had its own supply, but again it wasn't likely that any of it was to the Cizerack matron's taste. In the interest of making things easier for Lyanie and Cirr, Henning didn't mind going out of his way to barter for something a little fancier.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The look she returned was the same look that she had given to him during their trip to Schwartzweld - that Taataani was a rich woman indeed to hav such a son as he.

Stepping to the side to allow Cirr and Lyanie the space they wished, she folded her hands into her cream-colored robes. She and Taataani would of course talk at a later time, but now...

... now was time for mother and son - and Lyanie - to understand one another fully. She had never talked with the Knightfgall's mechanic to any degree, but s'Il knew that if Cirr enjoyed her company, that was all that mattered.

She didn't need to say anything, and her step sideways said as much as her gaze held gentle.

[Lyanie Quez]

Lyanie stepped forward, lifting her hand and sliding it comfortably into the larger grasp of Cirr's hand, curling her fingers around with a slightly shaky smile on her face as she looked on him. She hadn't expected this reaction at all and perhaps that just went to show how little she really did know about the Cizerack and their culture. It, quite frankly, had been something that didn't really come up in conversation with Cirr. Although, she supposed there was good enough reason for that.

The mechanic had watched the Jedi woman step aside and had given her a smile all the same, thankful. She knew of Loklorien s'Ilancy, had seen her about, knew she had a history with Sanis and Cirr, but that was about as far as it went. They had never spoke. The farmer's daughter wondered if that might ever change, but that thought was stolen away by the weighing presence of Taataani Meorrrei and the situation at hand.

There were, after all, things to discuss. The Knightfall's engineer squeezed the hand she held, took in a deep breath and released it slowly, looking at Taa and nodding.

"Preferably."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani studied the way that Cirr regarded Lyanie, and the way she regarded him. With decades of practice, she could certainly tell if there was something to a couple by the way they looked at each other. Cirrsseeto always wore his emotions on his sleeve anyways, so that was no trouble. Her son knew this was to be between her and Lyanie, and he went on ahead to make sure they had privacy. Fortunately, a vacant crew quarters was easy to find, although alcohol was a more elusive quarry. Taa shrugged it off, giving Cirr a stern look before he turned away to leave the two alone to talk.

Taa sat on the cot at the far wall, and patted the space next to her.

"Ssjit wjith me,"

She sat with her fingers laced over a crossed knee, watching the human decide whether to take her advice.

"jI have a lot to ssajy to jyou, and jI hope forr jyourr ssake jyou know how to ljissten."

[Lyanie Quez]

The motion was much the same as her mother had done on many an occasion, patting the seat next to her for a 'heart-to-heart' or 'girl talk' about what at the time had been embarrassing subjects from boys to sex, so on and so forth. Oddly, it had always been far less embarrassing with Father. Almost shop talk-like. He was definitely more straightforward and businesslike, a man of little visible emotion, but his love had shown in other ways. Aspects of both her parents seemed to converge on this time. Lyanie had just turned her head away from watching Cirr leave to see this, just catching it.

Having caught the necessity of this private meeting from the atmosphere surrounding its coming, Lyanie knew she couldn't refuse. She had no intention to as she nodded and crossed the room to sit as asked, her knees against each other, hands folded in her lap and regarded the Cizerack woman.

"We have two ears and only one mouth, that we might listen more than we speak." She smiled a little, looking away. "My father would always say such things."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani didn't bother to make note of the parable. She spoke softly and directly.

"jI don't apprrove of Cirrsseeto'ss chojice to be herre. jI fearr he'ss jin a fjight he sshouldn't be jinvolved wjith, and he'ss rrjisskjing hjiss ljife rrecklesssljy."

She studied Lyanie's dirty face.

"jI'm worrrjied that he'ss helplesssljy jinfatuated wjith jyou, and jI don't know what kjind of ljife jyou can prrovjide forr hjim, even jif jyou both ssurrvjive thjiss jinssane warr."

Taataani gave a slight shake of her head.

"But mjy ssajyjing no jissn't gojing to sstop hjim."

[Lyanie Quez]

“Miss Meorrrei, I mean no disrespect, but... your saying no shouldn't stop him, if this is where he wants to be. At the very least, he should value what you have to say.”

The smile disappeared from her face, leaving a nondescript expression more fitting to the tone of the conversation.

“Getting to know Cirr, I see a good and caring man, trustworthy and more than capable of making his own decisions and being able to think for himself. In a place like this, not being wholly dependant on the will of another is often needed to survive, the ability to make split-second decisions without having to confer with someone else may have saved his life several times already. Being here is much safer than being out in one lone freighter, as I'm sure has been the case all these years with Sanis. Safety in numbers.”

Lyanie paused, rubbing her cheek with her right hand and looking at that hand after doing so. Her lips showed a light grimace at the grease and a wish that she would have had the time to clean herself up before something like this and also realizing that all she had to say was putting the aforementioned parable in the trash. That hardly mattered. This was important.

“I know your concern for his safety as I've experienced much the same from my own mother who still frets over my well being – it's the way of mothers, I think. And don't you think that he has a far better chance of a good life out here? As far as my understanding of Cizerack society goes, I'd believe that was so, no matter the risk. But, not being Cizeri, I could be wrong. And as for me...”

She looked at Taa, once again, folding her hands back into her lap.

“...I do believe I have it where it really counts, from what I've gathered, in spades. And anyone who maligns your son will not only have me to answer to, but my shipmates, his shipmates, the whole of Rogue Squadron and many more besides. Your son has a place here, a family of sorts. We all look out for each other, no matter what. You just have to trust him, Miss Meorrrei. I know I do.”

After that, it was shutting up time again, as the engineer waited for the next words.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She looked Lyanie fully in the eyes, now reasonably sure she could put some iota of faith in her.

"And jyou wjill be able to prrovjide a home forr hjim, afterr the warr? And what of cubss? He wjill be a wonderrful fatherr, and well, jI love grrandchjildrren."

[Lyanie Quez]

“After the war.”

Such a phrase gave her pause. It seemed like something that might never come. And even then, if it did, it was never too far off before some other conflict took its place again. There would always be disagreements. Some... just bigger than others. Lyanie nodded a little.

“Something I'm certain we all hope for. Either that or it comes to the point where we pass the job on to others and retire to our own private lives, as far away from the action as we can get. I hope the war ends sooner than that. I hope my children's children will know nothing of war.”

She smiled then, addressing another thought, a blush creeping into her cheeks as she did.

“I'm certain Cirr would be a wonderful father, too. But, we haven't really discussed such a thing as... cubs... yet. To be honest.”

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Whateverr jI can do to help jyou fjind the end of thjiss warr, jI'll do jit."

She wanted to put emphasis on what she said.

"jIt matterrss to Cirrsseeto, jit matters to jyou, and now jit matterrss to me. jI have a vasst forrtune, and jI jintend on puttjing jit to worrk herre, jif jit wjill help jyou."

She snuck a furtive smile.

"jYou jusst make ssurre to have that talk wjith Cirr about cubss!"

[Lyanie Quez]

Her smile crept up to her eyes and the blush steadied and muted by a fraction. Taataani Meorrrei seemed a decent enough woman, genuinely interested in the welfare and happiness of her son. This matriarch had many facets - and this was often the facet in people that Lyanie liked best.

"I'll be sure to bring it up, Miss Meorrrei. When it's appropriate, when the time is right."