Jedi Exile

[Anbira Hicchoru]

After receiving a terrible glimpse of the future (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21088) from the Jedi Spirits, Anbira's heart was heavy. He was at a crossroads between his past and his destiny, a destiny he could not bring himself to face. There was only one way that he could think to avoid what seemed to lie in wait for him, and that was to leave the Wheel for good.

Perhaps somewhere else, there was another path for him that simply hadn't been revealed yet. He could travel to Wild Space, or further along the Outer Rim, to a place he could find some way to endure the menace of the Empire in some manner of peace. To that end, he stowed away the shuttlecraft Black Cat when it was moored in Whaladon's hangar bay, following it to the Valiant. When the shuttle left again, and the activity in the hangar bay was at last at a standstill, Anbira emerged from his vantage, and approached one of the X-Wing fighters berthed there.

It was the best way he could figure to leave.

[Jamo Jakatta]

Sleep was evading Jamo Jakatta once again. After laying in his rack for hours with his last combat engagement playing over and over in his mind, Joker finally give in and swung out of the bunk. Since the arrival of the Challenger, which had brought with it four additional starfighter squadrons, the Rogue's had been given some much needed time out of the combat air patrol – but the shift from ceaseless shifts and sleepless nights was difficult to make.

The Valiant's hangar bay was almost empty now as most of the Wheel's starfighter compliment had been transferred to the Challenger, the Venator-class Star Destroyer now acting as the convoy's flag-ship. Jamo knew, however, that there were at least a couple of X-Wing's undergoing maintenance which hadn't been shipped out yet. The techies wouldn't approve of a pilot poking around inside the 'fighters – but Joker felt that in all years he'd been flying, he'd learned more than enough about the X-Wing to patch up a downed bird.

Arriving at the hangar bay door, Jamo's pace slowed. The last time he'd encountered a Jedi like this (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20915), he'd ended up in a Y-Wing free-falling towards the frozen moon of Improcco.

“Fancy trying your hand at flying, master Jedi?”

[Anbira Hicchoru]

"Wouldn't that be something."

Anbira mused, the mirth somewhat diminished in his expression. Rather, he came off as somewhat preoccupied. He took no enjoyment in what he had to do.

"All set and ready to fly, then?"

[Jamo Jakatta]

Coming alongside the nearest starfighter, Jamo gave the X-Wing a pat on its hull-plating.

“Just about. These two took a beating from the Decimator, but it looks like the deck-crew have patched them up pretty well,” he added, running his palm along the dented plating with all the care of a stable-boy soothing a startled nerf. He smiled to himself as he turned back to Anbira.

“Colonel Vorega is expecting these two to join the rest of Rogue Squadron aboard the Challenger soon. What's your destination?”

[Anbira Hicchoru]

"Oh, no destination, just passing curiosity really."

He admired the fuselage of the fighter, familiar enough with Z-95's to know the similarities between the two, and where those similarities ended. The X-Wing was one of the most iconic fighters since the Clone Wars, and it's reputation was well-earned.

He glanced back at Jamo.

"You look tired, Lieutenant. I imagine the recent stresses of battle haven't been easy."

[Jamo Jakatta]

“Well, none of us signed up expecting easy.”

Morbid as it might have seemed, the talk around the mess hall was how glad everyone was to finally see some action. Even if it did arrive at a moments notice and catch them – sometimes literally – with their pants around their ankles. After all, those were the kind of odds that Corellian's like Jamo thrived on.

He folded his arms over his chest as he regarded the Jedi, noting that he looked as if he'd missed more than a couple of winks of sleep himself. Then again, he thought with a smirk, the Jedi did have a way of looking pensive whatever the situation.

“Personally, I wouldn't trade this assignment for any blue milk run. It feels good to be doing something... worthwhile.”

[Anbira Hicchoru]

"Well, I'm sure the rest of the Jedi would agree with me on this, but you have my gratitude."

With a nod, and a subtle movement of two fingers, Anbira spoke again.

"You should think about getting some rest."

[Jamo Jakatta]

Without even thinking, Jamo replied, “I should think about getting some rest.”

He opened his mouth to speak again, frowned and closed it. Why had he gotten up in the first place? After all, he was dog-tired and like the rest of the Rogue's should have been enjoying some well-earned rack time. He began to turn away, with a hesitant glance back Anbira and the X-Wing's.

“What the hell did I come down here for in the first place...” he muttered to himself.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira waited for a moment for Lieutenant Jakatta to exit the hangar, before eschewing the nearby ladder and jumping directly into the cockpit from the deck. He gave a look around. There was no R2 unit in the ship's socket, but he quickly found the necessary culprit nearby, getting a bit of power from a wall terminal.

"Come here my little friend, don't be afraid."

The R2 unit rocked a few times on its struts, giving an "oooo", which turned into an energetic squeal and babble as Anbira gently lifted the droid into the air with the force, easing it back into the fighter's astromech socket.

It didn't take long for the binary beeps and whistles to translate into text in the cockpit.

"Don't be alarmed. I'm a friend of Jamo's. I won't let any harm come to you."

Anbira, stern faced, eased the cockpit cover down as he began the power-up sequence on the fighter. Any remaining couplings were disconnected via the force as he eased the repulsors on to give the X-Wing a two meter lift from the deck.

[Aris V'larr]

"Thunder Seven to Challenger control. Bravo Flight is in the air. Now beginning our patrol."

Captain Aris V'larr spearheaded the flight of four A-Wing II starfighters from Thunderbolt Squadron, who had been called upon to relieve a flight of Valkyries on FORCAP duty. Despite the bizarre makeup of the Wheel, to the Sikarran pilot this was just another battle group, and the duties of an Interceptor squadron were the same. It was feast or famine - the long, quiet doldrums of combat air patrol or the mad dashes into the teeth of enemy assault squadrons. Interceptor jockeys were specialists, thoroughbreds, obsessive in their focus, virtuosic in their skill.

And so Aris did not miss the anomaly of a lone starfighter launching from the belly of the Valiant. IFF tagged him as Rogue Nine - Lieutenant Jamo Jakatta, if she recalled the rosters correctly. There was, to the Sikarran pilot's recollection, no flight plan on file for the X-Wing this evening. She switched her comm to an open frequency.

"Thunder Seven to Rogue Nine. Please confirm your intentions. Can we assist?"

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira heard the incoming comm, and didn't bother with a response. Rather, he let the line go unattended and put the astromech droid to work mapping the quickest vector to hyperspace. He didn't have time to explain his reasons to anyone.

Flipping sublights to full burn, he put distance on the flotilla, and the A-Wing flight that had hailed him. He didn't have a lot of time, if they got nosy about his intentions.

[Aris V'larr]

Failing to answer a challenge could be written off as typical Rogue behavior. But there was no mistaking an escape vector at full burn. Aris hammered the pedals to swing her bird around in pursuit of the fleeing strike.

"Thunder Seven sounding a general alert, Rogue Nine refusing to answer hails. Challenger be advised, Bravo flight moving in to intercept."

Her three flightmates mirrored her maneuver with only a split second's delay. As redoubtable a fighter as the X-Wing was, it couldn't compete with the performance of a pair of expertly tuned Novaldex-J77 "Event Horizon" engines. The Interceptors began closing on the maverick fighter. Within seconds, it would be within range of their fixed laser cannons.

"Thunder Seven to X-Wing pilot, identify yourself immediately. If you spool up your hyperdrive, you will be fired upon."

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira knew that his pursuers had superior speed at their disposal. He would have to place his faith in the force to see a way to find his escape without bloodshed.

Switching his deflector screen to double-back, he peeled off and banked around Valiant, putting the pocket carrier between himself and his pursuers. That wouldn't delay them long, and he still needed those jump coordinates.

[Aris V'larr]

"The hell - do we have any ID on this guy?"

Aris didn't respond directly to Sleeper - instead she keyed into Valiant's frequency. "Valiant command, can you identify the X-Wing pilot? I need instructions!"

Absent any orders to the contrary, her obligation was clear - to prevent any possibility of leaking the existence of the Wheel to the Empire. If the X-Wing carried a spy, a moment's hesitation could doom the entire Jedi Order. She pulled back on the yoke to swing Valiant out of her line of sight with the strike, but in doing so, she gave up valuable ground.

She thumbed open the trigger on her concussion missiles. She was at the outer limits of their effective range, but she could only hope the threat of a missile lock would make the pilot reconsider his options.

"X-Wing pilot, this is your final warning! Power down your engines or be destroyed!"

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira stared out ahead through half-lidded eyes as he reached out with the force, becoming attuned to his surroundings. He felt the missile lock before his indicator beeped that it was on him. Both hands on the controls, he breathed in deeply, and exhaled.

There was no fault in the pilot. She must do what she feels is right.

The coordinates were starting to come in for the jump. It would still be a good minute before he had them all.

[Aris V'larr]

Red rings encircled the X-Wing on Aris's HUD, confirming her missile lock. Her thumb hovered over the trigger button, waiting for some iota of confirmation either way.

"Valiant command to Thunderbolt Seven, we have no identity on the pilot or log of his launch. Repeat, this is an unauthorized launch. You are authorized to use deadly force."

Aris was frozen in her seat. She'd already pressed the trigger several times in her mind, but she couldn't transfer the impetus to her thumb. Why? It made no logical sense.

Sleeper's voice bawled in her ear. "Angel, what gives? Take the shot!"

She built a mental compartment around whatever hesitance was keeping her from firing and closed it off from the rest of her mind. "Fox three, missile away."

The concussion missile streaked toward Anbira's craft on a smoke-white contrail.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira felt the conflict inside the pilot, and felt the point of no return pass. The missile launch, too, he felt. As the weapon streaked closer to his ship, he felt the missile's weight in space. He felt it's speed. As he banked the X-Wing into a starboard roll, his feelings reached out to push against the missile's path, passively denying it a killing vector, so that the missile careened ahead out of it's effective range and detonated. Anbira passed through a light cloud of shrapnel from the exploded weapon, the fragments having lost any kinetic impetus to harm his ship. He continued onward, waiting with depthless patience for the astromech's signal to go to light speed.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris's eyes tightened as the pilot evaded the missile with preternatural instincts. Her hesitation had cost her the kill, and had possibly cost the Wheel its security. She would not let it happen again.

"All pilots, weapons free. Take him down."

The A-Wing IIs unleashed a torrent of laser cannon fire and two more concussion missiles on the receding X-Wing, intent on wiping it out of the sky.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Reaching out with the full extent of his power, Anbira sought to feel the approach of every pilot as they thundered toward his position. His X-Wing was in motion before the torrents of laser fire cut loose, sending him careening just a fraction of a second ahead from each fusilade. Even with his Jedi reflexes, there were only so many shots he could avoid. A pair of blaster strikes cut his rear deflector in half, and Anbira banked again, yearning to stay one moment ahead of his destruction. Missiles approached him yet again, and rather than push both away, he moved with the path of least resistance, using their relative closeness to each other to push their vectors together, causing both missiles to detonate short of their mark.

[Aris V'larr]

"Damn it, who is this guy?"

Aris filtered out the meaningless chatter. All that mattered was stopping this pilot before he computed his escape trajectory - even if they tracked him, by the time they plotted a pursuit course, he could have made another jump and evaded them completely. For all its advantages in sublight performance, the A-Wing II was the X-Wing's equal at hyperlight.

Aris shunted away all her shield power into engines and weapons - if he turned on her and fired now, she was as good as dead, but her flightmates would tear him to pieces before he could draw another breath. This pilot was not natural - the same part of her brain that had told her not to fire before was warning her that now, as absurd and irrelevant as it was. All pilots were equally vulnerable to the violent disassociation of engines and fuselage.

Pulling ahead of her flightmates, Aris squeezed of a narrow burst of laser fire, intent on cracking his shields and hulling his engines for good.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

At the right moment that his instincts demanded action, Anbira rolled port, getting ready to draw into a tight 180 degree turn. Aiding that radius, he killed his sublights, the intent to have the pursuing A-wings overshoot and pursue on him with a wider turn radius. As he decelerated rapidly, the astromech chirped in with a positive coordinates lock, and as Anbira felt the pilots again pulling the trigger for another pass, he punched the hyperdrive, sending his fighter into the ether.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris nearly flinched when he turned his guns in her direction - but she'd already committed herself. She fired one last pair of blasts into the teeth of the X-Wing as he burned his engines to kill his velocity, then, unable to stop her own momentum, rocketed past him close enough to scrape his back teeth.

She mimicked the X-Wing's bootleg maneuver, but she knew she was, for all intents and purposes, out of the hunt. It was up to her flightmates to take what recompense they could out of the maverick before--

A long, low beep from her targeting computer indicated that the X-Wing had vanished. Failure burned across Aris's ears.

"Thunder Seven to Valiant command. Bandit has escaped into hyperspace. Repeat, bandit has withdrawn. Computing possible pursuit vectors now."

"That's a negative, Thunderbolts. Disengage pursuit and return to Combat Air Patrol."

"Damn it! What the frell was that?"

"Can it, Sleeper," Aris said, regaining her composure. "We'll be notified on a need-to-know basis."

"Yeah, we frellin' never need to know."

"Consider yourself reprimanded, Lieutenant," Aris snapped. "Form on my wing. We're resuming patrol."

Three missiles down already, against one of their own. Something was rotten in the Wheel.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Bantheel System

The X-Wing shot into realspace nearly as soon as it had begun it's journey. The Bantheel system was off the major space lane, and fairly sparsely populated. There hadn't been a tremendous amount of premeditation in his choice, but this one felt right. It was a place he could disappear, whether that was for the short term, or for something longer.

The X-Wing banked across a wide-open grassy steppe, sinking down to earth beyond a grove of trees that grew along the bank of a small creek. He'd looped around a few times to make note - there wasn't a town in sight for fifteen miles.

Working the power-down sequence, Anbira climbed from the cockpit as the R2 unit likewise rose from its socket. He guided the droid to terra firma with the force, patting it's dome appraisingly.

"Time to get used to our home, at least for a little while."

The droid warbled mournfully.

"Well, I'd rather it were some other way. I really would."

He pulled a tan-colored camo net from the fighter's utility bin, and began the task of laying it out over the ship's structure to make it difficult to spot from the air.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

It took the better part of a few hours on foot to close the distance to the nearest town. The little astromech rolled alongside Anbira as he walked, chirping and warbling occasionally, no doubt noting how little of anything there was on this backwater.

"That is the idea, my friend. We're here in a place that the galaxy has forgotten. At least, I hope that's the case."

Inwardly, he was unsure if his flight from the Wheel would be a permanent exodus. He had a lot of meditating to do on this, and he hoped to find something within the force to explain away what the spirits had revealed to him. There had to be more, surely there had to be.

He'd discarded his armor, hiding it not far from the hidden X-Wing. He stopped short of parting with his lightsaber, instead keeping it hidden among the otherwise unremarkable clothes he'd changed into. He was still a Jedi, just a Jedi looking for direction. Here, he'd have to find some other path. It started at the nearest town, where he approached down a winding dirt road to a cluster of earthen hovels rising over the flat land.

"Ahoy stranger!"

A man tending field, Twi'lek by the look of him, narrowed his eyes against the sun as he held a hand up high for Anbira to see. The Jedi reciprocated the gesture from a distance, walking to meet the shepherd.

"You've got an offworld look to you. Whereabouts are you from?"

The shepherd had a no-nonsense, salt of the earth look to him. His clothes were simple and his mannerisms honest. He took a moment to wipe his brow and lean against a fencepost as his lekku betrayed his wary curiosity.

"Last port of call was Subterrel. Seems my luck and my credits have run out."

They were necessary lies. Anbira extended a hand.

"Anbira Telson."

The shepherd shook his hand with a firm, warm handshake.

"Gelik Taweeta. Welcome to Norto, Anbira. Passing through, or?"

The Jedi looked to the animals, and beyond to the village.

"Don't suppose you'd know of any room and board to be had? I'll work for my keep, if you can get the word out."

The Twi'lek gave Anbira an appraising look, and then a gruff nod.

"You've got the look of a worker to you. Don't suppose you've tended field before?"

A few curious Shaaks came close to the talking pair and honked in a wary greeting.

"Can't say I have, but I'm no stranger to hard work if you'll point me to it."

Gelik was silent for a moment, turning to spit on the ground off to the side. He turned towards town, gesturing for Anbira to follow.

"We'll find something fit for you, stranger. Come to my home and have some water. I can only imagine you've had to walk far to get here."

Anbira nodded to that, following Gelik to the village.

"I'm in your debt."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

With a cryptic smile on her face, Tionne Thanewulf ambled through the narrow corridors of The Whaladon towards the confined cabin the Felucian hermit claimed as his. Having returned from Oseon where she and her Orryxian apprentice experienced the phenomenon of The Flamewind, the redhead was anxious to see Anbira again. The flutter in her stomach persisted, her heart buoyant in uncharted oceans of emotions; a quivering hand knocked against the durasteel plating of the door and the Knight awaited, standing on the tip of her toes.

Silence. Tionne knocked again, only more vigorously this time, but no response came from within the chamber. The door hissed opened and the emptiness of the room confirmed what the Force had told her before - Anbira Hicchoru was nowhere to be found - on this ship, the next one or anywhere near in the radius of several parsecs. His armor was still there though, leaned against the wall, tarnished from years of extensive use. The inductive clockwork of Tionne's mind turned and ticked, her head canting to the side as she processed the interior of his ascetic room.

"A place where armour is redundant?" she reflected internally, trying to make something out of this sudden disappearance. A mix of worry and disappointment stirred within her; turning on her heel, Thanewulf stormed out of his quarters, determined to clarify the circumstances of Hicchoru's sudden, unannounced departure. When the galaxy beheld but several Jedi Knights and one of them mysteriously vanished, the Council needed to be notified. The Order could not afford losses of that magnitude, not now.


***

Several days had passed since Anbira's was gone, with the Alliance debriefing the Jedi on the unauthorized hijacking of one of their X-Wings. Security tapes provided just bleak images where nothing was to be concluded with certainty; upon reading the official report, Thanewulf decided to snoop around a bit, perchance acquiring information that would help in her search.
With eye circles the size of moons, the Knight walked into the hangar bay of The Challenger, tired gaze scanning through a sea of engineers and flight officers.
A few sleepless nights made her feel as if ran over by a speeder truck, so the easy route was to be taken; she stood on a crate well above ground level, hands strategically positioned at hip's height.

"Which one of you is Aris V'larr?" the Coruscanti quizzed loudly, gaze browsing though the crowd - "I owe her coffee."

[Aris V'larr]

A slender woman with raven-black hair and sharply piked ears slid down from the open access panel on the side of her A-Wing and stepped toward the stranger, pulling off her work gloves.

"I am Aris V'larr," she said. "How can I help you, Master Jedi?"

She already had an inkling what this would be about.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

A ginger brow was lifted at the revelation of the Sikarran pilot, Tionne's xenobiology expertise immediately kicking in.
"Not many of those outside their homeworld, let alone with the Rebel Alliance..." the Knight mused, jumping down from the crate to offer a hand.
"I am Tionne Thanewulf, Jedi Knight." said the redhead, augmenting her introduction with a firm handshake, then stepped closer to gain some privacy.

"I need to speak to you, regarding an incident... but not here." the Coruscanti uttered lowly, eyeing the surroundings out of sheer precaution. The rest of the pilots needed not to know of the mysterious taking of the X-Wing, but judging by the amount of rumouring around them, the word had already spread.
"I'd kill for a cup of stimcaf. The entire corridor smells of freshly roasted beans."

[Aris V'larr]

Aris lifted an eyebrow at the Jedi's bid for secrecy. Either propriety was the thing, or she had no idea how fast news spread through a fighter squadron. "Of course. This way."

The Sikarran pilot fell into step alongside Tionne as they left the flight deck in the direction of the pilots' club, offering little in the way of small talk. Moments later they were seated with two steaming mugs of Corellian roast.

"I trust the caf is sufficient to forestall any latent homicidal impulses?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"Uhm... I have trouble sleeping lately. Damn space." the Knight admitted, rubbing soreness out of her glassy eyes. A hand reached down into the left pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out her pipe, already stuffed with herbs and ready to be lit. Before addressing the matter at hand, Thanewulf drew in a lungful of thick white smoke; just as first of nicotine infusion percolated into her bloodstream, she relaxed and brought the rim of the mug to her nose, sniffing the aroma.

"From the official report, I can see you were on duty when the hijacking happened. We have a good reason to believe the fugitive is one of our own. Tell me, was there anything unusual you encountered? Anything unusual at all?" asked the redhead and finally tasted her coffee in a series of minute sips.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris stirred a pair of creamers into her coffee, turning it milky brown. She'd reluctantly given into the liquid vice during her academy days and still had to temper the taste to get it down, but at least caffeine wasn't so disastrous to her neurochemistry as alcohol.

"To put a finer point on it, I was in command of the interceptor patrol that responded to the situation," she said. "The entire situation was unusual, to be honest."

She took a measured sip of her caf and sorted through her memories like items on a datapad.

"The pilot displayed unnatural reflexes," she said. "He responded to our incoming missiles more rapidly than his telemetry could possibly have allowed. Even a droid could not have maneuvered so precisely. Furthermore, he made no aggressive overtures toward me or my flightmates."

She felt a twinge of ego, but her personal prowess was irrelevant to the conversation. "Even when I miscalculated and presented him a prime opportunity to disable or destroy my ship."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"If it was indeed a Jedi piloting that ship, I am surprised you managed to pursue him long enough to present him with an opportunity to even aim at you." said the Jedi as she pondered over the reason of Anbira's departure. What was he thinking? With so few X-wings up in the air, hijacking one would certainly not go unnoticed, especially with patrols frequently surveying space around The Wheel.
Taking public transport would have been a more discreet and far more difficult to track. Perhaps he wanted to be found?

"From what I've read...and from what you now confirmed, I have every reason to believe that the missing X-wing had been stolen by Jedi Knight Anbira Hicchoru, a very good friend of mine." she stated, keeping the steaming cup of coffee close to her mouth, intermittently sipping in short pauses.
A ginger brow was lifted in slight bewilderment, Tionne rubbing her chin curiously as she nervously noshed on the tip of her pipe. After drawing yet another lungful of thick smoke.

"This is why I am even more confused how you managed to keep on his tail before he jumped to hyperspace, given the fact that Anbira is one of the most versatile pilots in the Jedi and generally is very gifted in the Force. Usually the rule is - takes one to follow one."

[Aris V'larr]

The Jedi knight had only confirmed the rumors that were now common knowledge among the Thunderbolts. The mystery pilot's ability to shrug off missile locks was enough fuel for the imagination; the fact that he had eluded Angel, the bloodhound of Thunderbolt Squadron, added to his mystique with the other pilots, but it only vexed Aris even more. He hadn't eluded her - she'd had him dead to rights, and she'd let him go. And she couldn't explain why.

"I had always been under the impression that a Jedi's skills were best adapted to ground combat, that they were wasted in a starfighter," the Sikarran replied. For a moment, she appeared preoccupied. That in itself was a warning sign for anyone who knew Sikarrans; preoccupations were never supposed to make it to the surface.

Aris cleared her face of the pensive expression and returned to the matter at hand. "It probably is not even worth asking whether Knight Hicchoru acted with the knowledge or consent of the Jedi Order," she said, "but do you know anything of his intentions?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"The Jedi specialize in great many things, yet not all of those end up in children bedtime stories." Tionne reflected, calling upon the usual sword-hacking, hero stereotype associated with the Order. Memories of glory faded in the collective consciousness, the iconic guardians of peace and justice now nothing more than a voluminous data entry in historical archives.

"At the time of the Clone Wars, Jedi were Generals, flying ships, healing people, excavating and even helping to grow crops! I remember even knowing a Jedi geologist back in the day; somehow, I doubt his calling was too exciting." she jested, instantly smiling upon remembering of brighter, carefree times.
"For instance, I am a xenobiologist. Sikarrans probably have the most profound nervous system in the galaxy. A complex, fully functional brain is something a person of my age learned how to appreciate over the years."

Under risk of turning her disposition into a monologue, Thanewulf concentrated on the matter at hand, finally plucking the pipe out of her mouth.
"To be honest, I don't think anybody knows what's going in that male mind of his. Surely, the council would notify your command if a ship was to be borrowed. Perhaps he just went shopping or maybe he defected to the Empire. I don't know." the redhead voiced her thoughts in utter sincerity, shrugging.

[Aris V'larr]

"Surely he did not defect."

Aris said it with certainty - the certainty usually ballasted by careful observation and unwavering logic. But as soon as she'd spoken, she realized she had nothing of substance to support her intuition.

"That is... surely you do not believe so, based on you own experience with Knight Hicchoru."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"You seem more certain than I am." the Knight remarked, now genuinely intrigued by the Sikarran pilot. There was no way a person could sense intentions of another being, especially when not confronted with them face to face, if there wasn't a glitch of Force sensitivity in them.

"My experience with him suggest he would not defect, yes..." the redhead confirmed upon locking eyes with Aris, her lower lids twitching as her field of vision narrowed, senses sharpening - "...yet you had no way of knowing this. Unless..."

With the power of her mind, Tionne swiftly slid the sugar container off the table, merely to test just how quick Aris' reflexes were. Given prior, intended distraction, most people would simply be to slow to pick it up on its downward trajectory and the container would end up on the floor.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris, like her half-brother, had always had an intuitive and virtuosic understanding of moving objects in three-dimensional space, but, if anything, her reflexes were even sharper. Before the sugar cellar even left the table, she knew where it would hit the floor, and she was already leaning to intercept it. She snatched it out of the air and returned it to the table, giving the Jedi a puzzled look.

"Are you quite well, Master Jedi?" she asked.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

As Aris caught the container, Thanewulf observed. The speed at which she reacted could be partially attributed to countless hours spent in the sim; quick reflexes were the difference between life and death in a life of a pilot. Straining her senses, Tionne picked up a vibe, weak and shy as the first blossoms littering the Alderaanian mountains. A diamond in the rough, the Jedi concluded and graced the Sikarran with a cryptic smile.

"Oh, I am perfectly fine, Aris. The true question is - are you?" the Coruscanti inquired, intentionally cornering her to maim out a sincere response. Discretion was, of course, implied.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Captain, hm?"

[Aris V'larr]

Aris tilted her head quizzically. Though this was the first time she had ever spoken to a Jedi, she had been warned about their cryptic way of communication.

"I..."

Tentatively, she wet her lips with her tongue. The grace of the Sikarran multipartite brain meant that she could soundly berate herself for betraying such emotional weakness while simultaneously trying to work out the riddle behind Tionne's smile.

"Actually, Master Knight, there is something I wish to ask you," she said. "Is there, to your knowledge, a way that a Jedi Knight can control the actions of an unseen foe?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"Control would be a bit of an overstatement; a Jedi can suggest thoughts and emotions to another person, not necessarily having to look at them. Depends on how gifted in the Force one is." the Jedi explained, now wondering what kind of a trick the Felucian hermit pulled out of his sleeve. Sympathetically smiling over her coffee, Thanewulf aimed at releasing the tension this awkward sequence of events had caused. Judging by the look on her face, V'larr was genuinely disturbed by the prospect of being manipulated through the Force. The feeling of helplessness would have been rather unpleasant, the Knight imagined.

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much. Repeated occurrence of such problem is highly unlikely - simply because you don't have people of such midichlorian count trotting around the galaxy, let alone actively engaging in space combat with the Alliance. Nature makes only one Anbira every several thousand years." said the redhead, then decided to probe some more in her unquenchable curiosity.
"Tell me, Aris, how did he feel when you pursued him?" she asked mellowly, tucking the tip of her pipe back into her mouth. It was hung loosely by her lips, small clouds of smoke puffing from her nostrils at regular intervals.

[Aris V'larr]

More riddles. Aris had the distinct impression that Tionne knew something - or suspected something - that she wasn't saying.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," she said. "My scanners detected nothing unusual about his ship."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"I'm not talking about his ship, nor the scanners. But him, as a living, breathing person. How did he feel to you?" the Jedi clarified, eyes narrowing as she searched her visage for even slightest changes in facial expression. The complexity of Sikarran neurology made V'larr's mind a maze where thoughts, feelings and intentions could not easily be palpated. While most other people kept their mind afloat, memories and knowledge residing in Sikarran brains were catalogued like in a library, coded in some ancient script only they understood.

"Surely, you can recall. Might sound stupid, but it's important. Try to remember." she encouraged, her tone slightly seasoned with suggestion.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris's eyebrows pinched together slightly as she concentrated. There had been something out of the ordinary, something she couldn't explain, something that was interfering with her higher functions at what had seemed at the time like a crucial point of decision. That was why she had walled it off in a tiny corner of her brain. She hadn't accessed that sector again, fearing what might happen if she did. Now she was mentally tiptoeing in circles around that little partition, as she were were studying a caged animal inside and trying not to wake it.

"I had an overwhelming sense," she said hesitantly, "that he meant us no harm, and that it was imperative that he not be destroyed. The compulsion was so powerful I could not fire on him."

Now that she had put it out in plain Basic, they could both examine the phenomenon objectively and arrive at a satisfactory consensus. "As there was no empirical basis for such a conclusion, I believed this intuition could not have originated with my own senses. I concluded they must have been the result of external telepathic interference, so I created a mental partition to block them from my higher brain functions. When I learned that the X-Wing had been commandeered by a Jedi, I naturally assumed that he was responsible for this attack on my reasoning capabilities. But the influence is still there."

The question, unspoken, was clear: How do I excise this cancer of intuition from my mind?

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"Reason has very little to do with it, my dear." Thanewulf retorted from her cloud of sweet-scented haze, waving her hand through it to clear the air. She coughed upon unintentionally drawing too much smoke right into her lungs; clearing her throat with an unpleasant sound of gargling, the Jedi mulled over the Sikarran's rationalization.

"He didn't appeal to your rationale - on the contrary! The sensation was more empathic, stirring your inner moral compass to the inherent good. A mind trick would not have worked over such a distance; he simply resonated in a frequency only Force adepts could pick up. Since you obviously got the message and - quite conveniently - did not blow him to pieces, we can infer the obvious..." the redhead trailed off, taking yet another sip. Coffee was getting cold, just the way she liked it.

"...speaking of which... Have you ever done a midichlorian count test?" the Knight asked curiously, ginger brow lifted in interest.

[Aris V'larr]

Aris looked on in surprise, and now all her faculties were trained on this singularly arresting question, and all the questions behind it.

"Yes," she said, a little too quickly. "I was found to be above average, but within two standard deviations of Sikarran norms. Furthermore my Psi examinations showed nothing out of the ordinary, and I have no memory of extra-sensory perceptions. You believe it is possible that... that I am a Force adept?"

Even as she said it, her memory betrayed her, throwing little incidents in her face, flashes of insight that at the time had no basis in fact but were later proved to be factual, but every sentient had intuition, convictions of uncertain value founded on precepts which were not always apparent at the time. Surely the opinion of a trained Sikarran psionic examiner was inviolate. And yet she had never experienced an episode like this before.

So far she had maintained her placid exterior, though she did not know how effective a mask it would be under the scrutiny of a Jedi Knight. "It is an interesting hypothesis. How would it be tested?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Contrary to the popular belief, Jedi rarely scrutinized, especially when having a cup of coffee after a sleepless night. Not every moment of their lives was filled with mind-blowing insight and mind-boggling cognizance. Sometimes, just sometimes, Jedi were just people. This was one of those times.

"It is possible, yes. But I need your blood sample first and run a few tests with finely tuned equipment. If you want to know, that is. There's always choice." she said, understanding individuals who did not wish to hone their Force skills. On the other hand, Aris was a pilot - and a damn good one at that - perhaps it was time for an old dog to learn a new trick or two.

"My kit is aboard The Whaladon. When and if you feel you're up for it, you should pay me a visit." the redhead suggested upon sucking the last of coffee out of her cup.

[Aris V'larr]

The question of whether she wanted to know was almost not worth asking. She was Sikarran. To deny knowledge, especially of something so personal, would be to deny herself.

"I will endeavor to do so when I have the opportunity," Aris replied. It would be good to have a name for that fount of intuition that she had walled off from the rest of her brain. After that, she would need only to decide how it would influence the remainder of her life.

And that train of thought was quickly filed away for later reference. Tionne had not, after all, come to offer her psychiatric therapy.

"Is there anything else I can help you with regarding the matter of Jedi Knight Hicchoru, Master Thanewulf?

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"You could take me to the bridge of this grand ship, where Master Kizael usually resides. I've never been aboard The Challenger." said the Knight, hopping of her stool. Charred contents of the pipe were emptied into a nearby ashtray, wood knocking against metal. She stashed the pipe back into one of many pockets of her cargo pants and retrieved a few credits, tossing them over counter.
"Keep the change." Tionne said to the bartender and faced her Sikarran counterpart - "Lead the way."

"Better to be escorted and not risk getting lost here. I'm sure some unseen centripetal force would draw me to a nearest bar." the redhead jested as two women progressed towards the elevator.

[Aris V'larr]

It occurred to Aris to refuse - she had duties to attend to, and the Jedi weren't in point of fact part of the chain of command - but she decided it would be churlish to do so, especially after Tionne had so patiently indulged her own questions. "Of course."

Crossing from the flight deck to the command deck of a ship as large as the Challenger wasn't exactly a stroll down the hall, but it gave Aris plenty of time to mull things over while Tionne pursued lighter topics of conversation that demanded, at most, five percent of her active processing capacity. At last their lift arrived in the starboard command tower.

"I regret that I must take my leave of you here, Master Knight," Aris said. "Until our next meeting, peace and long life."

The irony of the blessing was not lost on Aris, given their current line of work.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

"Take care, Aris." the Knight replied kindly, waving a hand as the door of the elevator slid to close. Tionne spent a few idle moments just emptily staring into the floor and mulled over everything that had been said over the coffee. As much as she rejoiced in possible emergence of yet another Force adept emerging, the Knight was soon pervaded by genuine concern for Anbira. Why didn't Hicchoru tell her he was leaving?

His lack of trust disappointed her on many levels; perhaps whatever happened between them had only minor significance to the Felucian hermit, so he could walk out on her without the common courtesy to explain. Expunging all betraying thoughts from her mind, Thanewulf elevated her gaze to spot a voluminous feline figure aboard the bridge of The Challenger.

"Drin." Tionne uttered lowly upon approaching the Trianni from the back - "We need to talk. About Anbira."

[Drin Kizael]

Drin Kizael stood in conference with the First Officer of the Challenger. Though he knew many of his peers thought it odd that he spent so much time aboard the flagship, he thought it just as odd that no one else took as much interest in the security of the fleet. The safety of the Jedi had become his duty since the formation of the new Council. He could not allow himself to simply delegating such a task without hands on involvement.

Times like this he wondered how many others truly grasped that they were in the middle of a war. As if on cue, he felt the presence of Tionne Thanewulf enter the bridge. The former Watchman knew the realities of war all too well.

She was anxious about something, but he could only guess at what.

"We need to talk. About Anbira."

Kizael turned around casually, regarding the red haired human curiously. "Oh?" he asked.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Once the officer left the Jedi alone, Tionne drew closer to the Trianni, making sure nobody overheard their conversation. Internal matters - such as this one - were to be handled internally, as good relations with the Rebellion were at stake. Tionne could not help but to fear that similar incidents in the future could wear out their welcome with the Alliance's fleet.

"Looks like he made use of an X-wing he stole from the hangar of the Valiant." stated the redhead matter-of-factly - "Security shots are bit blurry, but I have definitive confirmation from a pilot who pursued him. A Jedi was piloting that ship, without a doubt."

Hard as it was to hide her concern, Tionne still attempted to bury it deep down, fearing some of her feelings would eventually surface. Drin was no rookie - he read people like books, peeling off masks without even consciously trying.
"What are we to do about it?" enquired the Knight, making it sound she was equally distressed about the stolen ship as she was about Anbira mysteriously vanishing.

[Drin Kizael]

"Hmm, yes." Kizael mused. He started walking toward the command deck conference room on the other side of the bridge. "When Rogue Nine's fighter went missing I spoke with Colonel Vorega about that. I apologized for not forewarning them about his mission, and the way Mister Hicchoru went about procuring the ship, but time was critical."

The door to the meeting room slid open as Kizael continued and stepped inside. He glanced back into the bridge as the door closed behind them. His serious features softened, regarding the subdued tension radiating from the other Jedi.

"Anbira apparently needed some space, which I'm giving him." He held up a hand to stop the question about to be blurted out. "The astromech he also, uhm, requisitioned reports that the ship and pilot are both in good condition."

The trianii smiled, intrigued by Tionne's control over her thoughts and outward expressions. She was very good at it. By all indications, she was voicing concern over a breach in protocol, a concern which he shared. But he also recognized when a sentient's aura was guarded. Hers was too structured, too neat, which said almost as much as if she were broadcasting her emotions in neon.

Though again, at what she was holding back he could only guess. He decided to let the ruse play out.

"Given the urgency of his departure," he continued without missing a beat. "I suspect he did not want to be followed. But not so much that he is trying all that hard to cover his tracks, either. I read his actions as an unspoken request for time alone."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

The Knight looked away, turning to face the viewport spanning across an entire wall. Sparse stars twinkled in the distance, this particular piece of space they floated through being unusually empty. Crossing arms over her chest, Tionne sank between her shoulders, Drin's words eliciting a similar sense of desolation.

"A note would have been nice." said the redhead, letting out a long-winded sigh - "But if the matter was that urgent..."
She couldn't hold it against him. Anbira was a free man; the two of them never agreed on any kind of regularity, let alone commitment to whatever they had together. The more Thanewulf mulled over it, the more she thought it was nothing but a moment of weakness.

"...then who am I to dispute one's right for time alone?" she voiced dispiritedly. A shadow of a smile crossed her lips when her gaze dropped to the floor.
"He's lucky to be able to take some time off. The rest of us fix ourselves on the go."

[Drin Kizael]

"A note would have been nice." said the redhead, letting out a long-winded sigh - "But if the matter was that urgent..."

Oh no, Kizael mused in silence. He remained passive, but did not like where this was going at all.

"...then who am I to dispute one's right for time alone?" she voiced dispiritedly. A shadow of a smile crossed her lips when her gaze dropped to the floor.

Oh, by the Maker not another one.

He knew that the private relationship between Daria Nytherciria and Navaria would not be an isolated event. So few of this new generation had been raised on the tenets of the Jedi Temple. But Tionne was not of this new generation, despite appearances. She was raised as a youngling in the same traditions as he. And Anbira was supposed to have been trained by Yoda! If he would have expected anyone to know better, it would have been those two.

Kizael put on his best diplomatic expression and nodded quietly.

"He's lucky to be able to take some time off. The rest of us fix ourselves on the go."

The trianii stifled a grumble, managing to turn it into a thoughtful, "Hrmm."

If this little outing of his is the result of a lover's spat...

"No, you're right," Kizael said at length. "Furloughs are not a luxury we can afford in times such as these. There's a war going on, and I fear it will no longer let us sit on the fringes watching."

He took a sharp breath in thought. "He's had 48 hours. We'll give him 24 hours more. If we do not hear from him by then, we'll go track him down. Together, so we keep the matter quiet. Agreed?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Tionne recognized that look of disapproval, the way his snout curled up a notch giving it away. Notwithstanding, it was expected. The Jedi of the Old did not allow themselves to plunge into emotional turmoil of relationships for the sake of personal integrity. Yet these very same Jedi were now extinct, whilst the more exotic exemplars of the Order survived. Surely, Temple masters did an outstanding job hammering down the Code into the younglings, but Thanewulf had that streak of roguery inherited from her grandfather. It was only a matter of time before it fully surfaced, bottled emotions taking its toll.

"Drin, me and him are not a couple." the redhead stated in her defence - "As a matter of fact, I don't know what we are. I was hoping to find that out after the mission to Coruscant, but he disappeared."
The Knight spun on her heel to face Kizael, lips stretching into a thin line.
"Just don't give me that look, okay? I'm a grown up person, perfectly aware of my own actions and the consequences. And for Force's sake, don't quote the Code. I'm not a mentally unstable Force prodigy with an ego the size of Yavin. "
The reference was more than obvious; the Coruscanti had strength of mind many envied and the ability to partition her line of work from everything else. This would be no different.
"Drin, you know me. You know I would never let such a thing happen if I wasn't one hundred and ten percent sure this is not going to affect me in any undesirable way. You trusted me before - and I thank you for it - trust me now. As for your plan... do you think its wise for me to go with you? Maybe he doesn't want to see me." she said, earnest and sincere towards her long-time friend and colleague.

[Drin Kizael]

Kizael held up his hands defensively. "And notice that I did not say anything about any of that, nor was I. You raised a legitimate concern that I should have taken more seriously."

The trianii took a breath before continuing, his voice returning to a more serious tone. "But since you bring up your, whatever it is you want to call it. No matter what the motivation for Anbira's little jaunt, I trust you to do the right thing. It is none of my business until one of you makes it my business.

"As long as you remain discrete so as not to send mixed signals to the initiates who might prove less capable than you, and neither of you let your emotions lead you to do anything rash -- like stealing an Alliance starfighter and running off without a word -- then I have nothing to say on the matter. I do trust you. And I hope this incident does not give me any reason for that to change."

His words had a definite tone of finality to them. The elder Jedi had no desire to debate the subject further.

"Suggesting you come with was based on the assumption that you were merely concerned over the breach in protocol and the safety of a colleague. I was playing along with your cover story." A smile crept into his features on that note.

"In truth, I can handle it myself, and I agree that perhaps your presence might muddy the emotional waters, so to speak. I already know where he took Rogue Nine's X-Wing. If he's not with it, I am not inexperienced at tracking people, myself."

He straightened his posture a notch for emphasis. "You must prepare yourself for the possibility that Anbira has left for good. I will follow his trail only so far. If he ditched the ship so we could find it, only to cover his tracks better from there to take off for parts unknown, I cannot force him to come back. He is a free man."

He felt compelled to add, "And we've done a security sweep to insure that he was not a spy. He did not steal anything else, and he hasn't been here long enough to learn anything valuable. I would have been shocked to learn otherwise, given Daria's confirmation of his connection with his spirit mentors."

Kizael put a hand gently on Tionne's shoulder. "Relax. If he is meant to return, he will. I'll see to it."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Putting her hand over Drin's paw, Tionne dipped her head, gently shaking it.
"I will deal with this once you return, once the entire matter is less hazy. I have an obligation towards my student who needs me sane and rational." she said, exhaling deeply to vent off some tension in her chest. The weight of unresolved matters mercilessly pressed upon the Knight, threatening to deprive her of sharpness of mind.

"However, there is one favour I need to ask of you..." the redhead pleaded, looking up and turning to face the the Trianii - "Please, don't tell Anbira I told you. We both agreed it would be a secret and nobody would ever know. I also don't want him to come back because of me. He has to feel the call of the Force."

With all being said, the Coruscanti slid past Drin, his hand slipping off her shoulder. She headed for the exit, craving some solitude to compose herself.
"I'll be on my ship. Send me a message once you take off to find him." the redhead said from the door, thanking the feline Jedi with a sincere smile before disappearing down the main corridor on Challenger's bridge deck.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Back in the town of Norto...

The Taweeta home was bucolic and humble, and Anbira took to life there immediately. The sound of children and heavily Twileki-accented Basic were constantly heard in the low-vaulted home. Having spent a day among the family, sleeping where room was available and working for Gelik by day, the cautious family was starting to open up to the offworlder.

The second day found Anbira hunched over a steaming bowl of mushroom porridge for breakfast. The barest glow of sunlight was starting to creep up outside, signalling the beginning of another day.

"Misser Telson!"

An insistant hand tugged at the hem of his tunic as he endeavored to eat his breakfast, and Anbira paused to see Wey, a green-spotted youngster that couldn't have been more than six years old. Having got the Jedi's attention, the Twi'lek said nothing, a bashful smile on his face threatening to cause him to dash away. At the last moment, he pushed a handful of something upward to Anbira.

"I made tis fa you!"

Carefully, Anbira unrolled what looked like a strip of linen, on which there had a lovingly-rendered drawing made, obviously done in a child's hand.

"For me?"

Putting his spoon down, Anbira unfurled the whole linen. It was a picture of several figures, the lines at the base of their heads made it obvious they were the Taweeta family. They stood beside a house, and some very blimp-like looking Shaaks, locked hand in hand with a figure who had no head-tails.

"Is that me?"

Wey's smile grew big and he gave a little nod of his head. Gelik, getting his own breakfast, took a moment to peer at it and complimented his son's talents in his native tongue. Anbira reciprocated his thanks as well.

"Thank you Wey, I love it."

By this time, the other children, Zaya and Radik had gravitated to the breakfast table. Jara Taweeta, Gelik's wife, portioned out their breakfasts in turn, and all gathered at the table.

"My children like your hair. It's not something they're used to seeing every day."

Jara laughed at their understandable curiosity at the stranger's appearance.

"Can you make sign wif yer daara'lek?"

Zaya, the oldest child and most assertive, eased past Wey to sign at Anbira with her lekku, while ignoring all propriety to handle his hair directly as he ate.

"Zaya! Nesa chedu carathi!"

Gelik sternly chided his daughter, but Anbira waved it off as permissable.

"It's hair, Zaya. I don't feel it, and can't move it."

For emphasis, he traced a finger along each of his eyebrows, an act that she mimicked, understanding the difference, but also a bit bewildered about how one could effectively talk with just words.

"Daddy says you come from space. Whats space like?"

Radik, a bit of porridge on his nose as he ate, talked to Anbira with his elbows propped on the table.

Anbira thought the youngster's question over.

"If you stood on your house, and looked as far away as you could, out to the horizon, where the sky meets the ground, it's much farther than that to find anything."

Giving his porridge a stir, he continued.

"Space can be a lonely place. But, inbetween space, you meet interesting people. People of every size, shape, color, and language. As many stars as you see in the sky, there are even more kinds of people out there."

Zaya was confused at that.

"But you could go anywhere Misser Telson, and you come here?"

At this even stoic-faced Gelik leaned in, curious to hear why.

"Sometimes in life, you come to choices you have to make, and they might not be easy ones. I'm travelling to see if I can find an answer to a question, and to see if I can make a choice."

Seeing that his words had very little effect on the children, he added carefully.

"It's something you'll understand when you're older."

Stealing a glance at Gelik and Jara, he knew they had an idea of what that was like.