Busted Wheel

[Tevit Ramastan]

After nearly three days waiting to be picked up, Tevit Ramastan finally got his escort to what the Alliance had promised to be, "an interesting and diverse collection of vessels which would require his attention."

Interesting and diverse. More like old and crap, but the pay was good, and it was a far cry from building race engines for snooty know-it-all rich boys, so he took the gig. However, the yellow-furred Nehantite didn't know it was to be The Wheel, the fleet of Alliance craft which were often regarded as just being a story rather than a real fleet, and home to what remained of the Jedi order.

Not that Tevit cared much about that. Ancient religions and hokey weapons were no match for a good hydrospanner at his side, he reckoned. And goodness, did this fleet need a good hydrospanning. Even on his approach he could spot obvious flaws - such as an entire engine not working on one of the ships - so he knew that there would be countless other smaller problems to keep him busy night and day. With his own transport, the Lunchbox, safe in one of the docking bays of the Challenger, Tevit had scarcely the time to unpack his tool chests before his beeper went off.

"Work already," he chuckled. Lunch had been a priority, but it was still a bit early, so the Nehantite figured he could probably fix whatever this was in a jiffy, then eat. Taking up his main toolkit, he let his heavy mag-boots thump down the corridor as he headed off to his first job. With toolkit in paw, and sporting a pair of brown, short-sleeved coveralls, he looked every bit the classic Nehantite mechanic he was, and nothing more.

"So, what's broken?" he called out before fully rounding the corner into the room where he'd been summoned.

[Abarai Loki]

The answer struck him in the face, hot, wet, and white. It was a wall of steam. Thick milky curls of it poured through the open door into the comparitively frosty hallway. And through the fog limped a couple of highly-disheveled padawans, who between them supported one of their fallen comrades, a young Corellian, hanging unconscious from their arms. A voice called from somewhere deep inside the room.

"And, when he comes around, tell him he has failed!"

Abarai Loki was in one of his darker moods. Since Ilum, he had endeavoured to keep himself occupied with a series of productive and challenging new excercises for the padawans, and since Ilum, every single one of them had come undone. Perhaps he was trying too hard. Perhaps he was pushing them too hard. Or perhaps the rigorous new training programme wasn't for the padawans's benefit at all. Not really. It was the thought that haunted him. The thought that suffocated him, although admittedly, not quite as much as the oppressive humid heat in which he found himself presently engulfed.

He was crouched, half-naked, scrutinising a fogged datapad on the floor. On the wall, a computer panel spat blazing sparks, casting his silhouette against the gloom. His skin glistened, sweat beads tracing a labyrinthian network of fine white scars all over his torso. There was a voice. Across the room, he saw a familiar shape framed in the light of the corridor and scowled.

"So, I see they've finally let you out of your cage."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Really? That's how it was going to be? Tevit had figured that at least the Rebel Alliance would be accepting to more animalistic races, but already his first job talked about keeping him in a cage.

And what the hell could do all this... mess? If this was the sheer level of incompetence and disrespect he was going to get in this position, maybe he was better off going back to being a racing ship mechanic.

Tail flicking with anger, the Nehantite didn't step into the sweltering, steam-filled room, instead calling out, "Damn, and I thought the Imperials were rude. Fix it your own damn self, if that's how you're going to be."

With that, he turned and shook his head, still on the fence about making this job work vs. getting some respect for once.

[Abarai Loki]

"Still with the self-pity, Halajiin Rabeak? The gall of you!"

His voice snapped and echoed in the unseen corners of the room, cutting through the fog, sharp with contempt. He was on his feet, angrier than he'd realised, and closed the distance between him and the mongoose in an instant. His boots squeaked to a halt on the soggy durasteel. There, standing in the doorway, he glared holes into the back of his furry head. His eyes tracked south, consuming the Nehantite's appearance in one unsavoury gulp.

"You look like some common grease-monkey. This is scraping the barrel, even for you."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Who the hell was this kid, and where were his parents so that Tevit could get permission to smack him silly. He had gall? What kind of place was this? He had heard the Jedi were weird, but this was just intolerable.

And then it got worse. Common? Common! The word left a bitter taste in the mongoose's mouth, and he could feel his hackles starting to raise as his brow went down, the whites of his eyes beginning to fleck with red as they started their unnatural transition to full red. Tail flicking with rage, he shifted his tool bag into his left paw and let his heavy, booted foot stamp forward as he drove a thick, calloused finger squarely into Loki's bare chest, shoving the boy back with the force of the stab.

"Fuck you!" he spat. "I come here to fix whatever the hell it is you broke, and this is how I get treated? And we're not all named Rabeak, you racist son of a bitch!"

[Abarai Loki]

The revelation was quite instant and struck him like that thunder, square in the chest. Or was that his finger? Loki stumbled backwards, slack-jawed at the sight of the stranger looming over him. He took in his appearance, and noticed the tools in his hand, then recalled his words. He was no Jedi. He was, in fact, the very person for whom he'd requested. What words had been exchanged, he couldn't quite recall, blinded by sheer shock. But whatever he'd said to this stranger, it had made him rather upset, to say the very least. Dumbfounded, his eyes narrowed, and all he managed to say was:

"You are not Halajiin Rabeak."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Y'think!" Tevit snapped back, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Tilting his head back, the Nehantite rolled his eyes and tried to regain some composure before going off on this pipsqueak more. A deep breath later, he looked once more at Loki, the mongoose's eyes fully red as he was far from having calmed down.

"I'm the new fleet mechanic, name's Tevit. I don't know who the hell this Halajiin Rabeak of yours is, but I'm not him. Got it, kid?"

[Abarai Loki]

"My name is Abarai Loki," he replied, suddenly simmering with agitation, "You will not refer to me as 'kid'."

It was a slight beyond his capcity to ignore. Kid, along with all of its hateful connotations, was a word that made his skin crawl. He remained still in an attempt to regain a modicum of composure, which was a difficult enough task in itself when he was being embraced by a billowing shroud of vapour. His shoulders fell slack with resignation.

"What is your full name, Tevit?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Okay, that's it. Jedi were crazy. That's all there was to it, they were every bit as bonkers and self-absorbed as he'd been told.

"My full name is Tevit Ramastan," he replied. "And you'll refer to me as 'Tevit,' and you'll never, ever refer to cages or monkeys around me at all." It was rude, but in his agitated state, Tevit couldn't help but turn the tables on Loki like that.

His eyes then darted back to the sparking mess on the wall, and he suddenly felt the oppressive heat and humidity in the sweltering sauna of a chamber. "Seriously, though, Abari, what happened, here?"

[Abarai Loki]

It was an apt question: what exactly had happened? When did a second Nehantite join the fleet? What had been said to make him so angry? Why was he talking about monkeys and cages? And why did his eyes blaze like a couple of crimson hells? All pressing matters, to be sure, but Loki felt that, after following Tevit's gaze into the room, he was actually referring to the small environmental disaster unfolding behind him. He turned slowly to greet it, and grimaced. It was a sobering sight that brought him crashing back to reality.

"Tevit Ramastan, it appears the environmental controls in this room have... malfunctioned," he said, and, satisfied with his analysis, gave a curt nod which sprinkled the floor in water and sweat.

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Yeah, I can see that," Tevit replied with no shortage of disdain. "And just 'Tevit' will do, thanks."

Not waiting for a reply, the Nehantite pushed on into the hot, incredibly humid room, and he could feel his fur starting to frizz already. Lunch? Ha, it'd be dinner time before he was able to sort this mess out. Using a pair of insulated gloves as a fan, he blew away some of the steam from the broken and tortured panel.

"And... just what caused this malfunction, Abari?" he called back. It was obvious that it didn't happen on its own. Heat or humidity were possible to be simple malfunctions, but not two at once - no one would let something stay broken long enough for that to happen. "Great, the ventilation fans have shorted out, too. Looks like someone tried to bypass their override. Not supposed to do that. Safety regulations, and all."

[Abarai Loki]

"I was running a combat simulation with the padawans and the environmental conditions were inappropriate," he said simply, joining Tevit at the computer panel, "One would expect the computer systems on a military ship to be more robust. That the technology is so easily broken is disappointing."

Beside the mongoose mechanic, he followed his every move, his expression a carcrash of schoolboy curiosity and the cold scrutiny of an overbearing taskmaster. He folded his arms and frowned.

"What are you doing?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Marveling at your ignorance," Tevit replied nonchalantly. After a deep breath of the heavy, moisture-thick air, he could feel himself calming down, and the heat receding from his eyes.

Setting his toolkit down, he removed a power driver from his bag and began to unbolt the face of the control panel, not flinching with it sparked at him. "For your information, these systems are robust, but they do have limits. And while they are capable of producing this... sauna, they're not supposed to," he explained. With the panel removed, he decoupled several wire connections, then set about restoring power the room's exhaust fans.

"How long have you had the system running like this, Abari?" The question was frank, and he expected a straightforward and honest answer.

[Abarai Loki]

"Sixty-eight minutes," he said, following a glance at his chrono, "The session was supposed to last three hours. The padawans, however, found it difficult sparring in a veritable pea-souper. Then Mobi fainted."

There was no mistaking the drooping note of disappointment in his voice. It had been a tiresome unproductive hour in which his students had whined about the heat, insisted upon innumerable water breaks, and repeatedly slipped and crashed in dramatic heaps like wolf cubs finding their feet. What an ordeal to have endured, and now he was faced with the scathing sarcasm of this grease-stained grunt, who, in the cruelest twist of irony, happened to be his only chance to undo the damage he'd needlessly inflicted upon the computer in the first place. Considering his water-logged surroundings for a moment, he said:

"Next time, I shall opt for a lower humidity setting."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Next time you'll find another room, actually," Tevit told him. "Your students, or whatever they were, might have been complaining about the heat, but if you pull a stunt like this again in one of these rooms, you'll be hearing from me. This much moisture? That's why the ventilation systems shut down. Venting all that water into the air recirculation systems will do nothing but start to rust the whole system, and corrode circuits and cause failures all over the ship. But, I'm guessing you didn't think about that, did you?"

The Nehantite spoke as he worked, first getting the temprature regulator back online. Before he could vent the room, he'd need to condense the steam in it back to water while it could still be reclaimed locally. Still, the longer he stood there in the steam, the more he could feel himself sweat, and that combined with the moisture in the air soon had his fur nearly plastered to his body.

"There, should start cooling, now," he announced. Despite his impaired vision in the mist, Tevit worked with excellent dexterity and accuracy, never once missing a wire junction as he patched and bridged from circuit to circuit, flinching only once as one sparked back at him, the bright sparks extinguishing quickly on his wet fur.

[Abarai Loki]

"So the moisture was the problem," he said, eyes drifting upwards, where the scaly ceiling shimmered and dripped, "Interesting..."

The sudden electrical flash stirred him from his thoughts, drawing to mind Tevit's indulgent reprimand, which was instantly dismissed, "You needn't worry, Tevit Ramastan. The next excercise will focus on survival in the arctic wilderness instead. I must speak with the quartermaster about that..."

In an instant, the mechanic turned away from the computer terminal, and had Loki fixed in his sights. And Loki, wearing a curious frown, glanced over Tevit's shoulder to inspect his handiwork.

"Are you done?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Are all Jedi this stupid?" he asked. He looked both offended and dumbfounded. Sure, he'd worked for morons, before, but this... this was a whole new special kind of stupid.

"You want arctic wilderness, you've got two options: take an away mission to somewhere cold, or go ask the cooks if you can borrow their freezer," he said. Turning his head back to his work, he pulled out what was now a completely ruined panel and tossed it on the floor about an inch in front of Loki's feet.

The heat was still highly oppressive, the steam making each breath heavy and slow, and Tevit muttered something under his breath before reaching into his tool kit. "And, no, I'm not done," he finally replied. "You did a real bang-up job on this thing. Gonna take at least an hour. But if you want to help, there is something you can do."

[Abarai Loki]

First, Loki took a deep calming breath which singed his nostrils. And then he crouched beside the mechanic, eyeing first his tool kit, and then the open cavity in the wall. The complexity of the exposed circuitry was mind-boggling. It appeared to be a daunting task but Loki was, as ever, eager to learn.

"Okay. What can I do?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Another spark fired off as Tevit tried to bridge some power. Snarling, his tail whipped out of frustration, and he added another piece he'd have to replace to the ever-growing tally in his mind. What might have looked incredibly complex and overwhelming to Loki was nothing more than a basic environmental control setup to Tevit.

Pausing to check the levels of current running through some of the wiring to see if it could handle a bridge elsewhere, he then looked back to the young knight.

"Well, in order to get this fixed right, we need to get this room back to normal temperature and humidity so I can calibrate the new sensor I'm going to install in here," he said his voice finally sounding calm and businesslike. "So, I've got an advanced method of accelerating the removal of moisture in here. Run on down to the maintenance locker and get a bucket and one of those sponge-headed mops."

[Abarai Loki]

Eyes forward, Loki allowed the absurdity of the request to wash over him and shrink back into the pronounced silence that had risen up between them. Bored, and heavy with the weariness of knowing exactly where this sort of discussion led, he stood. On the other side of the room, he located the rest of his clothes, and started to wring his tunic dry. Over the rush and pitter-patter of expelled water, he spoke:

"You appear to think of me as some common dogsbody. You are mistaken. If it is a deckhand you need, then I suggest you contact maintenance on the comm."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"And you seem to think I'm some common technician, Baldrick," Tevit replied without looking back. Baldrick, why did he use that name? Oh yes! Loki had said, "dogsbody," which reminded him of some old foreign holovision show he liked when he was a teenager. A light smirk worked up Tevit's face as he began to survey what to do next.

"But seriously, if you really need to synthesize an atmosphere like this again, I can look into where on this fleet it can be safely done," he then said. The olive branch of peace had been long in coming, but Tevit knew there was little to be gained in arguing with one of the people he'd have to be working for.

Even if said person had just made a right proper mess of an entire environmental control system...

[Abarai Loki]

The damp tunic was heavy on the shoulders and sucked at his skin. A minor humiliation to endure, given the apparent gravity of his mishap with the environmental regulator, and when the only other option was to parade around the ship topless, he concluded it was the lesser of two evils. But at the sight of his drenched, yet immaculately folded, haori, he winced. The old family heirloom was gathered up in his arms for inspection. And then, through the thick haze came the sound of opportunity, an unremarkable slog of words that were at once as promising as they were unexpected. Loki squinted, attempting to read the Nehantite at a distance, but he was obfuscated by the fog.

"Exposure to the elements is an experience many Jedi are deprived in this fleet," he said, adopting a teacherly tone, "It stands to reason that, when selected for away missions to hostile environments, padawans need to be prepared for any challenge that faces them. Including the weather."

After taking it upon himself to indulge in a spot of improvised engineering, with such catastrophic results, it felt important to him that he elaborated upon his intentions and made a strong case for his environmental simulator. Tevit seemed to be coming around to the idea. If he could sell it to an engineer then his efforts will not have been in vain. The distance between them shrunk again, and he noticed a small mountain of disembowelled computer parts was beginning to pile up beside the mongoose, each component a testament of his own failure.

"Do you think you can do it?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

The Nehantite breathed a sigh - one which was easier as the air had begun to cool. This unit was beyond repair, and would have to be completely replaced, he had determined.

But Loki did have an interesting idea, and while it wasn't terribly practical, he didn't see why it should be entirely impossible. Disconnecting his line scanner, Tevit let several wires hang free from the panel, and he turned back to look at Loki.

"Well, I can't make it rain, or give you a snowstorm or hurricane winds, but most things should be possible, given time and the right resources," he replied. "But you're going to have to give me some time to familiarize myself with the fleet so I can find you a suitable location for... whatever it was you were doing in here. It's still my first day, after all."

At last he smiled, now over the insults he'd taken at the beginning of their meeting.

[Abarai Loki]

"I assumed as much. You are the second of your kind in this fleet, and you are a... conspicuous sort."

Upon finding the correct words, Loki gave a curt nod. Inwardly, he was bristling at the thought of Halajiin Rabeak becoming allied with a fellow from his homeworld, and wondered if it was actually possible for him to become even more intolerable. He considered the man stood before him, making no attempt to disguise his scrutiny, and concluded that the only immediate similarity that could be drawn between Tevit and Halajiin was the tail and an excess of fur. Then again, important though they were, first impressions could also be misleading.

"I have heard many positive things about the mechanics from Nehantish. And while it may well be your first day, Tevit Ramastan, whether you know it or not, you already have a reputation to maintain."

[Tevit Ramastan]

A noticeable change came over the Nehantite. Tevit's ears perked, and those familiar with the body language of his species would know that the change in both speed and angle of his tail flicks indicated interest.

"Wait, there's another Nehantite tech on this fleet?" he asked. A mongoose's curiosity was a thing that, once riled, would not rest until it had become sated. Sure, curiosity might have killed the cat, but it had put many more scars upon the Nehantite race, all in the sake of learning. The compliment about his race forgotten for the moment - an odd thing considering the amount of baggage Tevit had associated with the common denigration of his species - he looked intently at Loki, eager to know more of the fellow engineer he'd surely be working alongside, some day soon.

Funny, he would swear that someone would have told him he was the second Nehantite on the engineering team, when he first arrived.

[Abarai Loki]

"No."

Loki was quick to answer, and just as quickly found himself hesitating, reluctant as he was to discuss the other furball. By this point, Tevit was already hanging on his every word, it was plain to see, written in the tilt of his ears and swish of his... damn mongooses. Loki steeled himself.

"Halajiin Rabeak is a... Jedi," he said, promptly adding: "For want of a better word."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Ears frozen in palce, tail still swishing, Tevit waited for the punch-line.

It didn't come. At last he blinked, head cocking a bit sideways in confusion before a sly smile came over his face. Then he chuckled, his body relaxing as he started to shake his head.

"Good one, you almost had me there," he laughed, letting one paw lightly smack Loki's upper arm in compliment of a joke well played. "But seriously, do you know what shift he works? Be good to see another Nehantite around."

[Abarai Loki]

Distracted by the spot on his arm where Tevit had landed his peculiar, appreciative jab, Loki frowned. There had been no room for misinterpretation of his words. Jedi - it was self-explanatory. He tried for another tactic:

"You will be hard-pressed to find him anywhere, other than the brig. He was incarcerated by the Jedi Council for gross misconduct following a mission to-"

Now, he was annoyed. The expression on Tevit's face remained suspended, stupidly, between bemusement and amusement. He clearly wasn't being taken seriously and, despite his cutting betrayal, he would not see his former comrade denied the title he earned long before this grease-monkey was but a twinkle in his father's eye.

"Halajiin Rabeak is a Jedi Knight!"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit had not missed any of Loki's words, nor had he misunderstood them. Nehantites were generally known to possess greater hearing than most humans, so he knew he had heard each and every word correctly. The problem was that they just didn't make sense.

The smile left Tevit's face quickly and he looked long and hard into Loki's eyes. There wasn't deceit to be found, there, but still, things just weren't adding up. The engineer couldn't presume to know every Nehantite to ever go off-world, but there was one thing he did know: such an anti-Imperial race as his own would surely know if they had a Jedi out there, somewhere.

"You must be mistaken," he shook his head. "There hasn't been a Nehantite in your ranks for... over a century. Maybe you've mistaken his species?"

[Abarai Loki]

"No, I am not mistaken," he countered, irritably. And then suddenly, reflecting on Tevit's words he was struck with a thought, and deflated, "I did however neglect to mention that this particular Jedi Knight had spent over a century frozen in carbonite."

Now things were beginning to make sense. It had been a large omission on his part and, upon seeing Tevit's reaction starting to take shape, it all at once occured to him how singularly strange was the story of Halajiin Rabeak. A sentiment, he gathered, that was shared by the mechanic. He elaborated.

"Halajiin Rabeak was born one hundred and thirty years ago," and then, brow furrowed in confusion, added, "For a mechanic, you have a curious interest in Jedi history."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Woah, wait, what?" Tevit blurted. His mind reeled with the information he'd just been given, and he looked at Loki with a healthy amount of disbelief. No, this boy appeared to be telling the truth, and it could account for what happened to his race's one and only Jedi.

"Actually, I know Nehantite history," he clarified. Then it was his turn for his brow to lower, his ears tilting back while his tailtip began to snap irritably. "You guys froze him in carbonite? Good Garfife, man, why the hell would you do that! You can kill someone, that way!"

The fury of (mostly unconfirmed) reports of other races using Nehantites as test subject and guinea pigs for dangerous sciences and medical procedures flooded back to Tevit's mind, and it was all he could do to keep his tempter under control at this outrageous confession.

[Abarai Loki]

"Are you touched in the head?" Loki snapped, "What purpose would it have possibly served for the Jedi Order to flash-freeze their warriors into metal blocks? It wasn't as if they were short on statues!"

His mood had been instantly soured by the implication. When it came to the old Jedi Order, despite having reservations of his own, he would not see its reputation smeared in such a way. And he couldn't help but wonder, bitterly, if that was the sort of thing the rest of the galaxy assumed the Jedi were capable of doing. His arms folded with a squelch of wet cloth.

"His last mission went awry and, a century later, he was discovered and thawed. The medical reports state he suffered no permanent damage although I personally cannot vouch for his sanity."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Flecks of red began to appear in Tevit's eyes as Loki went off on him, but with a great deal of self-control, the mongoose calmed himself once more. He'd gotten the wrong impression, that much was now clear. What else was clear is that he'd have to pay this Halajiin Rabeak a visit.

"I'm sure the history books will be glad to hear from him, again," Tevit replied. "Last we knew, your Order had lost him, and from what I remember studying in school, weren't too keen in helping search for him. That's why we never sent you another one of us."

The steam in the air had begun to thin dramatically, thanks to the re-introduction of air conditioning to the room, and Tevit glanced up to see if the ventilation system covers had re-opened on their own. Nope.

"Nuts," he muttered to himself, then turned his attention back to Loki. "I take it this is the guy you mistook me for? Sounds like you don't much care for him, despite him being one of you all."

[Abarai Loki]

"My quarrel with him is personal."

And that was all Loki was willing to divulge on the matter. In the briefest instant he had revealed to this lowly mechanic far more about himself, about Halajiin, and about the Jedi than he'd ever intended. Simply because Tevit had been mistaken for his former comrade. It was a mistake he wouldn't make twice.

"Now, in the interest of setting the record straight, perhaps the next time you are on Nehantish, you could inform your historians of the truth regarding the disappearance of Halajiin Rabeak. They say history is written by the victors. In this case, it was written by the survivors, and of the old Jedi Order, there was a distinct shortage of those."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Gonna be a while before these paws step on warm sands, again," Tevit replied. "Signed on for a year's contract, here, and I intend to see it through."

As much as he wanted to ask more about this Halajiin Rabeak, this was neither the time nor place to do so. The steam in the air rapidly condensed back into water as the cooling systems engaged under their re-routed power and command systems, and there was little more that Tevit could do until the entire moisture problem had been addressed. That, and he was soaked, which was a very unpleasant sensation when covered with fur.

"Think this is all I can do, for now," he concluded. "Though I still have to put you down as the one responsible for the breakdown. Rules, and all that."

[Abarai Loki]

"As it should be," Loki said, his face creased with confusion as he wrestled with the implication lurking amongst Tevit's words. Then, his eyes lowered.

"You have an impressive length, Tevit Ramastan," he noted, conversationally, "And a rather formidable girth, too. While my scope of experience with these sort of things is limited, it would not be amiss to state you must be considered... a 'catch' amongst your kind, yes?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Woah, wait, what?

Did he just check us out?

What're you asking me for? Since when do we talk to each other like separate entities? Get your act together, man!

Tevit froze where he stood, not sure what in the black depths of Garamond's pit had just happened, here. He'd been talking about repairs, and suddenly Loki complimented him on his length and girth. A cursory glance down over himself showed that, yes, he was still fully dressed, and, no, nothing was amiss downstairs. So what in blue blazes was this boy talking about?

Was Loki coming on to him? Oh, crap, he'd heard about male Nehantites who'd been off-world too long, and... Tevit didn't much care for where this was going.

"Excuse me?" he said. His voice was firm, though there was more than a trace of cautious confusion in it, and he eased back a step, just in case. "What?"

[Abarai Loki]

"Although it's not the size that counts, of course, but in how it's used. Well, so I've been led to believe. However, I'm sure it can't hurt to have more to work with..."

He trailed off, ponderously, rubbing his chin in deep contemplation. There was no mistaking the long shadow of curiosity that swept over his youthful features. Again, he considered Tevit, who appeared to become rather cold to this sudden line of questioning. He assumed the quasi-intellectual frown of a scholar, and continued:

"I must confess myself intrigued by the possibilities," he said, and gave a casual gesture to the mechanic's nether regions, "Could it be used, for example, to twist the cap from a bottle?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"What?" Tevit echoed his last statement. His face screwed up in bewildered horror as Loki not only kept going, but then started to make truly bizarre allegations as to what a certain - and very private - bit of Tevit's anatomy might be capable of doing.

The Nehantite's tail began to brush as he felt his heart race increase, his body reacting on instinct to what it perceived as a possible threat to his physical dominance, and that tail soon started to flick with agitation, warning Loki that he was not to be trifled with.

"The fuck, kid? You're messed up, you know that?" he stated. Quickly gathering his tools, the mongoose sidestepped so that he could bypass Loki once the opportunity arose, and he said, "I don't know what you plan on doing with yours, but I'll thank you to never talk about mine like that again. Cap from a bottle? Seriously?"

[Abarai Loki]

"Mine!?" Loki blurted in alarm. He wheeled around to follow the mechanic, rubber-necking like a dog chasing it's... well, it's...

"But I don't have one!" he said, baffled, and brimming with annoyance at not only Tevit's erratic behaviour but also the fact that he had elected, despite his warning, to refer to him as a kid once again.

"What are you talking about?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

This kid didn't have one? Tevit's step stumbled, and that stumble was magnified by his clunky mag-boots. Recovering from it with what grace he could muster in his short-tempered state, the mongoose came to a halt and looked back down at Loki.

No, this one was surely male, he could smell the difference, so surely he had one, right?

"I think the more important question is, what are you talking about?" he blurted. "Despite what you may have heard about us, I haven't been off-world long enough for that to have kicked in, yet!"

[Abarai Loki]

"There was nothing about your last sentence that made the slightest sense."

Once again, Loki was finding himself struggling to parse some meaning from an encounter with a stranger. The nonsense made him snippy. Sometimes it felt like he spoke a different language to everyone else in the fleet. Conversation, at almost every turn, proved to be more exhausting than his most rigorous training sessions. Tevit was waiting with mirrored impatience. After a deep breath, Loki resumed the discussion with a measure of resolute diplomacy.

"Tevit Ramastan, I was merely commenting upon your tail. Is this a violation of some sort of Nehantite code of etiquette?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"My... tail?" Tevit asked. Frustration became confusion, and confusion led to a great deal of regret as he re-played the conversation over in his mind once more now that he knew that Loki hadn't been talking about his... manhood.

The brushiness of his tail calmed, as did its angry flicking, and the mongoose breathed a sigh of relief. "Holy Garfife, man, it sounded like you were talking about my dick."

[Abarai Loki]

"Talking about your... your-!?"

In an instant, the cool facade of diplomacy was shed. Loki stood rigid, a stony embodiment of moral outrage, wide-eyed, and with a curl of disgust carved dramatically onto his lip. Violent pink clouds blossomed on his face, betraying his statuesque appearance, and he started hissing at Tevit like an angry goose.

"What in the blasted galaxy possessed you to think such a thing? It is surely possible for two strangers to have a conversation without the mention of genitals or... or smut!"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"You started it!" Tevit shot back. He was unimpressed by Loki's display of prudishness, and his tail snapped again.

"You looked right at my crotch and then complimented my length and girth, then said I must be a real 'catch.' Then you go on with the classic, 'it's not the size, it's how you use it,' line that only guys with small dicks say. Though the whole bottle cap thing... I don't even want to know!" Tevit broke down the conversation to the point where he prayed that Loki would get where he'd gone so off the mark.

[Abarai Loki]

"I was looking at your tail, you fool!" Loki snapped, "It caught my eye because, well, granted I've only ever seen one other so I have a limited basis for comparison, but it's a rather large-"

Right there, he cut himself off. His hands, parted and open in a generalised gesture of size, were suddenly clamped at his sides. Struck with the sudden absurdity of the discussion, he attempted a tactical shift in his approach to... demystifying the debauchery.

"Since, in Nehantite society, the tail is an ancient symbol of status, I was attempting to... engage you in a discussion of your culture. Not your- certainly, not anything else."

[Tevit Ramastan]

At last things were beginning to make sense, and Tevit inwardly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Loki hadn't meant any harm, but the boy certainly hadn't done himself any favors, either.

Everything about Tevit's posture relaxed, including his tail which began to swish idly, no longer threatened in any way.

"Gotcha," he nodded, a smile starting to crack on his muzzle. "And, yeah, you could say that the tail is pretty important in our species. Especially for... that. But, uh, I wouldn't have pegged a young man like you as someone who was interested in that meaning of our tails. Hate to break it to you, but I don't really swing that way. Sorry."

[Abarai Loki]

"Once again, you are failing to make any sense whatsoever but I'm rapidly discovering that, whenever that happens, ignorance is bliss."

The hostilities had at least been neutralised. Tevit was smiling and there was a jovial rythmn to his beating tail. Loki felt the tension seep from his muscles, but remained on his guard as the mechanic veered the conversation off course towards the rocky turbulance of unnattractive subjects. The young Jedi was quick to take control with a handsome flex of his Nehantish knowledge.

"What I find fascinating is that, outside of its role in securing a mate, the Nehantite tail has proven to be incredibly versatile throughout the ages. Take the story of Jennesar the Juggler, for example, who became famous for his ability to juggle tangerines using only his tail. He had sixteen wives at the time of his death so I suppose, in a way, the juggling was just an elaborate mating ritual after all. Still, it's a shame such unique skillsets have been lost to time. I believe that is what Halajiin Rabeak meant when he said 'It's how you use it that counts.'"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Who the what now?" Tevit asked, his brow crimping. Again his tail's movement changed, a testament to just how much his species truly did use it, and the variety of subtle motions it could make.

"Never heard of Jennesar, Loki," he shook his head. "And while I can whip this thing all over the place, it ain't no good for holding anything, so it sure as hell can't juggle. What holovision show were you watching?"

There was no possible way that Loki had heard of this from another Nehantite. No mongoose would be dumb enough to brag about so impossible a trick, knowing they'd be at least asked to attempt even the simplest version of it, themselves. He didn't argue with the sixteen wives, though, as harems were not uncommon up until nearly two hundred years ago.

[Abarai Loki]

"I do not watch holovision."

There was a faint note of offense in Loki's voice, and it was reinforced by the incredulous glance fired the mechanic's way. What abhorrent part of him belied that he, Abarai Loki, was the sort of person to indulge in such wretched banality? The thought was cast aside, replaced by renewed ruminations upon Tevit's troubling words. He frowned.

"It is true that your ancestors were endowed with tails that had a certain prehensile quality to them, is it not? After all, according to... Halajiin... Rabeak..."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit, on the other hand, did watch holovision. And he read magazines, liked microblogs, and all the other fast-paced delivery methods of information. Unable to take the time and spend hours on one particular study, the mechanic had learned to take his information fast and whenever he could get it. Also, there was just something about sitcoms that he found to be entirely addictive, but that was neither here nor there.

"Afraid not," Tevit replied, trying to stifle a chuckle. Someone had pulled the wool over Loki's eyes, and were it not for the young man's superiority complex, Tevit would have been more careful to let him down easy. "Sounds like someone's been pulling your leg, there. Good for balance, good for body language, good for just being there, but our tails have never been useful for trying to hold anything. Not enough muscle, there. Never has been."

Of course, that hadn't stopped Nehantite animators from making cartoons where the tail could do a great many things, over the years, but that was hardly realistic. Maybe Loki misunderstood a relation of one of those tales?

[Abarai Loki]

After a beat of silence, in which a clamp-jawed tight-fisted Loki considered how to tackle this new shame, he gave the mongoose a curt nod, and said, "Apologies for my ignorance."

Behind him, water droplets pinged on the hard metal floor, providing their encounter with a backdrop of sweetly melodic percussion. If only the reality of the situation was half as picturesque. He gave the room a sweeping inspection.

"Your work has been both adequate and efficient," here, his attention was drawn to the growing puddle of water about his feet, "Until next time, Tevit Ramastan. It has been... illuminating."

[Tevit Ramastan]

For a split-second, Tevit considered correcting Loki on the use of his full name, but enough time had already been wasted on chatter, most of it having had nothing to do with the job he'd come out to perform. The panel was, for lack of a better word, unsalvagable, and would need to be replaced entirely. A deckhand could take care of the condensing water, and he needed to go dry off. All in all, it hadn't been the best first job he'd had on a contract, but it had been far from the worst.

Giving a curt nod, the mongoose passed his tool bag back into his left paw. "Thanks. I'll get the panel replaced when I can get my paws on one," he said. He didn't mention anything about not messing with other environmental controls. Somehow he imagined he didn't need to.

What he did need, however, was a good sonic shower, several towels and a new set of dry coveralls, so it was back to his quarters for a quick change before his next job. And maybe lunch somewhere in his upcoming schedule, too.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei Wu Wei breathed a heavy sigh, and for the tenth time that morning repeated the first line of the Jedi Code.

"There is no emotion: there is peace."

He was getting frustrated with his ship and his astromech. Since his adventures around the galaxy, the Jedi Starfighter he borrowed from Obi-Wan had quite a bit of damage and other problems. Wei was content to have a mechanic look it over, but R4 had been insistent that the pair of them handle the repairs themselves.

Wei laid under the fighter, looking at an open panel and a bunch of tangled, scorched wiring. He wore a pair of goggles with a jack. A cable traveled from the goggles to the astromech. This way, the little droid could project the schematics onto the goggles along with notes, commentary, and other bits of information the R4 unit considered useful. But for now the goggles were displaying an argument.

If we crash land in the field, we won't have a mechanic to handle the problem.

The display returned to a picture of the wiring. Step number 206.

"R4, can I get some wind chimes, please?"

The unit began to play the soft tinkling sounds of chimes. The sound helped Wei connect to the Force, and the Jedi found his awareness increasing.

"I think I have the problem, R4." Wei said at last. "There's a coupling missing. I can't complete this step."

The chimes stopped a moment for R4 to emit a cacophonic blat.

We should keep spare parts in the cargo.

"Is that a suggested future course of action, or are you saying there are in fact parts in the cargo?"

At any rate, there was nothing more to be done. The Force Cripple peeled off the goggles and pulled himself out from under the starfighter. Looking up, Wei saw a furred humanoid with tools standing in the doorway.

A mechanic at last! Wei's face broke into a grin wider than the galaxy itself. "Hey!" Wei said as though he were greeting an old friend, "Am I glad to see you!"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Clean, dry and well-brushed, Tevit felt like a new man after his morning's encounter with the improvised sauna that Loki had set up. Hauling his tool bag along so that he could get to his next job after lunch, the yellow-furred mechanic began to curse the unfamiliar layout of an Action IX transport - this was definitely not the right way to the commissary, and he was hungry.

The published menu said that there would be nerf tacos, today, but what stood before him was certainly no taco stand, but a hangar bay with an unfortunate hulk of a starfighter which had long ago seen better days. And then came a greeting.

Inwardly, Tevit cursed again. This was his lunch break, he wasn't supposed to be working at the moment. But it was also his first day, and he had to make sure to impress his superiors, so it was with a dismal flick of his tail that he stepped forward into the hangar bay, his eyes finding the source of the voice that had called out to him.

"What seems to be the problem?" Tevit called back as he crossed the smooth floor to get a better look at the ship and presumably its pilot.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei scratched his head. "Uh, a lot, but I don't know how much 'a lot' is. I know it's not very helpful. R4 has had me wearing these goggles all day while we've been going over the ship bit by bit. The droid uploads the schematics to display over the section of the ship I'm looking at, but even then I'm not sure I can say I actually know what's going on."

The Force Cripple held out the goggles. "I don't know if you've ever worked on a Delta-7 Aethersprite interceptor--they're mostly considered antique since the Clone wars--but even having mechanical knowledge, you're probably better suited to this than me."

The Jedi glanced at his chrono. "Oh! Lunch already! No wonder I'm hungry! Did you want to eat first before you started working, or would you just rather I brought back something from the galley?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Lunch?" the word fell out of Tevit's mouth before he knew what he had said.

He wasn't sure which was actually more puzzling to him:the motormouthed... Jedi, he presumed? or the ancient claptrap of what used to be a capable starfighter behind him.

"Holy hell, please don't tell me those are standard issue around here," he said. His red eyes stared directly at the Aethersprite, and worry obvious on his face. If the Alliance was using relics like the FPS (Flying Pizza Slice) before him in regular combat, no wonder they were getting their tails kicked all over the galaxy!

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei looked behind him at the starfighter. "Oh, no. That's not standard issue at all. I understand the Alliance makes use of X-Wings and the like. I sort of borrowed this thing visiting Tatooine. It's a very long story."

The Force Cripple gave the old craft a good-natured pat. "Give it a look and I'll come back with lunch. Put on the goggles if you want to understand R4." He started to leave when the droid shrilled. "But if you would be so kind as to wait to start making repairs until after I come back, I would appreciate it. I'd like to know a little about fixing it in case of emergencies."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Y-yeah, got it," Tevit nodded.

He wasn't sure just what he'd gotten himself into. Technically this wasn't on his duty ledger for the day, but then again, nothing really was. He was supposed to be "familiarizing" himself with the fleet and its needs, so fixing a dilapidated, outdated, outmoded and otherwise outclassed old fighter apparently fit that bill.

Barely.

Unable to say much more before the Force Cripple made his way on out of the hangar, Tevit stood there, bottom lip slightly jutting as he stared at the Aethersprite. "What a piece of junk," he muttered. But there was little use in complaining. He could fix nearly anything, and this ship, being so old, should scarcely be a problem, he imagined. So, it was with a trudge of his heavy boots that he clumped on over to the ship, then looked down at the astromech it "belonged" to.

"You do know it'd be way easier just to get a new ship than to keep this thing going, right?" the Nehantite said, glad to voice his opinion on the matter.

[Wei Wu Wei]

The goggles, which were now resting on the nose of the Jedi starfighter, flickered with text. The Jedi traditionally shun attachments. But I don't. I've spent a lot of time with this ship. It's almost a part of me. R4 punctuated the text with a muted sort of tootle.

Meanwhile, Wei was on his way to the galaxy with a mental list of the things he would need to prepare his late wife's best sandwich. It made him happy to be able to share a memory of her with others. Even if it was just a meal.

The Clone War veteran could also tell that his mechanic wasn't terribly impressed with the antique craft. He understood Tevit's disdain, but it was more or less all Wei had to remember his Master and the Jedi Order from which he sprang. In a way, the starfighter was like his Jedi Sandwich.

And with that thought, the Force Cripple stepped into the galley with a hearty chuckle on his lips.

[Tevit Ramastan]

A few clunky steps brought Tevit up to the edge of the old fighter, and he looked over it, shaking his head. The toolbag fell from his paw with a thump, and he placed his paws on his hips before venting a sigh.

"Wow. Where do I even start?" he said. The Nehantite had grown up fully knowing that he'd be a technician, and so he didn't need the goggles to understand what the astromech was saying to him in its various beeps and whistles. Still, he picked up the goggles and glanced at its message before looking back at R4.

"Sentiment for people and places, I get," Tevit announced. "But for old hulks like this? I mean, nobody's even made stabilizers for this thing in fifty years. I'll be lucky if I can even find one of the engine diagnostic updates on the holonet, and that power supply? My stomach is more efficient at converting matter to energy than that thing! If you're intent on keeping this thing, we'd be best off replacing half these systems with new ones that are at least younger than I am. Does the shield generator even work, anymore? Those were always cutting out on this model..."

Giving in to his lament, Tevit yanked a diagnostic tool from his bag and borrowed the spare port next to where R4 was jacked in. Then he tapped his display screen. Then shook it. Then smacked it against the hull of the ship before tilting his head back and groaning. "Gar, even the backup diagnostic port doesn't work!"

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei had the sandwiches in a matter of minutes, despite the lines. It was fortunate the sandwich bar was self-serve and most of the crew ignored it. Wei had been wondering if the food stuffs the Rebel Alliance used was any good. He'd find out soon enough.

Wei found the Nehanite mechanic grumbling about the starfighter. "I have to admit, it's not an easy job, is it?" He offered a good natured smile. Let's eat and talk about the ship, then we can work on it together. My name is Wei Wu Wei. What's yours?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit jumped slightly and spun to see the strange man had returned. Weird, he hadn't even heard him at all, and Nehantites had superior hearing to humans - a scientific fact he'd made sure to verify, at one point years ago.

"Easy?" Tevit replied, half joking. "Easy would be modding a port nacelle to work as a starboard one without sending a ship off course. This... this is what you call a project ship." Unlike most aboard the Wheel, Tevit had an alarming knack for saying exactly what he felt when it came to his work. "I really hope you're not expecting to be starside again before tonight, because that just ain't gonna happen."

And then he saw the sandwich. Actually, to be more precise, he smelled the sandwich, and his eyes followed down to it, distracting him almost completely from Wei's introduction

Almost.

Shifting his diagnostic tool into his left paw, Tevit forced a friendly smile and grasped Wei's hand with his right paw, giving it a good shake. "Tevit, Tevit Ramastan. New fleet mechanic. Nice to meet you."

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei accepted the handshake, then put a sandwich in Tevit's outstretched hand. "Tevit, it's nice to meet you."

With nowhere else to sit, Wei and Tevit sat on the ship itself and let their legs hang over the side. "I realize I haven't been gone long, but what do you have on the starfighter so far?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Well, Jedi might be a bit off in the head, but unlike Loki, at least Mr. Wei had manners and was kind enough to bring him something to eat. Anyone who brings you food is a good person, Tevit had decided long ago, and as he sat on the edge of the Aethersprite, he inspected his sandwich to see just what it was.

"Well, as I was telling your 'mech, here, you'd honestly be better off starting with a new ship," Tevit replied, a great deal of frank honesty in his voice. "But, if you insist on piloting this antique, I'm really going to suggest a serious overhaul. I'll need to access the diagnostic port your 'mech is in, now, before I can tell you what needs first attention, but I'd at least recommend a new engine, new stabilizers, definitely a new shield generator, and probably want to strip out and replace all the wiring and circuitry running your weapons systems so they don't short if you never need to use them. That is, if they even still work."

It was a blunt appraisal, but coming from Tevit, it was still fairly gentle compared to his usual take on old craft.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei nodded soberly. "Not unexpected. I'm truly amazed that it served me so well after first serving in the Clone Wars and then sitting in that neglected hangar bay for so many years after."

Then he grinned. "Tevit, I think an overhaul might be just what this ship needs. It has a new lease on life, and can serve a new purpose." Wei bit into the sandwich. Not as good as Charis's, but still pretty nice. He supposed more than anything it was her memory that made the food taste good.

"During the Clone Wars, I served with Quinlan Vos as his Padawan. We spent a great deal of time undercover: he as a mysterious assassin working for Count Dooku, and me as an idealistic, fresh-faced youth looking to change the galaxy forever. The Seps would let anyone work nearly anywhere if you seemed eager enough. But that won't suit me anymore."

The Force Cripple smiled. "But it doesn't mean I still can't do some good as a sort of undercover agent. I'd like to see this starship do the same. If people assume it's an outmoded antique, they won't take it seriously. But under it all it'll be new and cutting edge." Wei paused to look around himself at the ship.

"You know, ever since I saw the A-wings on the holonet, I couldn't help but wonder if it was somehow modeled after this old thing. They're shaped kind of similar to me. Think we could put an A-wing engine into this old thing?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Eh-wung?" Tevit replied around a full mouth. His hunger had gotten the better of him, and with his more animalistic jaws and ability to open his mouth far wider than a human, his first bite had consumed nearly a third of his sandwich.

Chewing quickly, and swallowing what he could, the Nehantite coughed a bit as he nearly choked, then swallowed the rest. "Well, we could, but even A-wings are almost fifteen years old, now. Hardly what I'd call modern."

Taking another look over the ship, Tevit then reached up to scratch one of his ears while his tail flicked playfully - a sign that he was in his element. "No, I think we can do a whole lot better than A-wing tech, here. There's some new Corellian engine designs I've been wanting to play with, and nothing, I repeat, nothing is better for shield technology than what we Nehantites have dreamed up. You tell me what you want this baby to do, and I'll make sure it can do it. Just as long as you get my work orders approved, that is."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"It'll definitely need to be fast and maneuverable. Shields are good. The stronger, the better. Really, this is going to end up being more like a getaway craft than a fighter. I'll still need at least some weapons." Wei scratched his chin as he reached for his datapad. "Oh! These things aren't hyperspace-capable without docking with a hyperspace ring. It's really obnoxious. Whatever you get for the new engine, I want to be able to make hyperspace jumps without having to dock with anything first."

The Jedi Knight filled out most of the form on the datapad. "I'll leave the actual parts information to you," he said. Wei handed the pad to Tevit. If you want to stay and do some preliminary work, you're welcome to do so. I can even lend a hand. Or, if you would like to wait and do it all when the parts arrive, that's also acceptable. Either way, I appreciate you helping me with this."

[Tevit Ramastan]

The sandwich occupied far more of Tevit's attention than did Wei's words. He wasn't sure what all was stuffed between those two pieces of bread, and he wasn't even sure if he actually liked the unusual combination of flavors, but it wasn't unpleasant, so he continued to eat.

When at last it was gone, the Nehantite wished he had a cool glass of beer to wash it down with, but drinking while on duty was against his contract. Being against Alliance regulations was something else entirely, as he'd signed on as an independent contractor, not as an Alliance member, and Nehantish had declared no affiliations with any galactic body. But, with his sandwich finished, it was time to get back to work. Unfortunately, because his sandwich was finished, that also meant Tevit's mouth was free to speak his mind once more.

"All that, and need to add hyperdrive capability? Seriously, this is going to be more work than this old hull is worth. What is it that you Jedi just don't get about technology?" After his experience with Loki earier that day, Tevit didn't exactly consider his new employers to be masters of the obvious. Though, to be fair, he didn't actually know what the Jedi did, anyhow. He guessed it had something to do with being a religious order, and somewhere along the line he'd heard that they made cheese, but he really wasn't sure.

[Wei Wu Wei]

Wei cleared the datapad, set it aside, and turned to look at Tevit full-on.

"Well, I can't speak for all Jedi, but there's a lot that I certainly don't understand about technology. That's why I'm asking you about these things. And I appreciate your honesty. But you see, it's not about the ship itself. Yes, it's old, and yes it's an antique, but that's just what this old boat is. I'm more interested in what this ship could mean to the Jedi of this new order."

Wei set aside his sandwich. "Before the Emperor ordered the extermination of the Jedi and sullied their reputation, they were a symbol of order, balance, and peace in the galaxy. We protected the weak, defended the oppressed, and prevented conflict and bloodshed however we could. We taught folks to not let their emotions and their pride get the better of them, to understand people and their point of view, and not to let their fears guide their actions."

The Jedi Knight motioned to the ship. "The Empire destroyed the bulk of the Jedi Order's written teachings and history. Some of the Jedi, like myself, survived the Clone Wars and the Jedi Purge. We carry some of the history and tradition in our memories. I'm concerned that it might not be enough. This starfighter, which has been so closely associated with the Jedi--with keeping peace and bringing balance to a galaxy in turmoil--can be a symbol of that purpose. It can sit in a hangar like this and be something for people to look at, sure. It would suffice to leave it here like a museum display."

The Force Cripple smiled. "But if it could fly! If we could update its systems and make it spaceworthy, it could mean so much more! It could be a concrete example of what Jedi ought to be: agents of timeless wisdom and goodness but able to be relevant and helpful to a modern galaxy. And when people who remember the Clone Wars, and remember what the Jedi were see it on the holonet or flying across their own sky, they might remember peace, balance, fairness. It might bring them hope."

Wei took up the datapad. "I know that as metal and glass it's not worth much. But as a symbol that can boost morale and remind people of hope and freedom, I believe it's priceless." He sighed. "Tevit, I won't make you waste your time if you feel your time would be wasted on this. I won't try to make you understand, if Jedi thought and philosophy are something you don't want to hear. I only wanted to know what could be done and if you wanted to help."

Wei shook his head. "In any case, I'm sorry if you feel I've wasted your time. Even so, I'm glad you did at least take this seriously enough to be honest."

[Tevit Ramastan]

At first Tevit's ears drooped as he realized he was suddenly on the receiving end of a man in lecture mode. But as Wei spoke, the Nehantite began to see what he was getting at. Sure, there was stuff about peace and order and all that, but really it came back to the ship.

Then Wei nailed it when he spoke of the ship being a museum piece vs. being able to fly. Back on Nehantish, there were automobiles hidden away in museums, and those who looked upon them could only imagine what they were like to drive. But then there were the collectors who knew the value of using a machine for its intended purpose, and instead of hiding them, they would drive those same types of cars on the street for all to see and experience. This Jedi meant to do the same thing with this old ship, but better than that, he wanted to improve it, and that was something Tevit could definitely get behind.

"Oh, no, you didn't waste my time at all," Tevit replied, shaking his head. "In fact, you've given me an idea. I can make this ship do whatever you want, but I'm going to have to prettymuch gut it in order to do that. Getting the parts will be the big trick, but once I can get them all, it shouldn't be too big of a problem to get everything up and running. Though, I'm not gonna lie, this ship'll be inoperable for a few days while I refit it."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"I won't be going anywhere for some time. I have a lot to discuss with the Jedi Council, the Alliance Generals and Intelligence, and I have to start finding time to train Padawans alongside Loki." Wei smiled. "So I'll be pretty full-up in terms of things to do."

He handed back the datapad to Tevit. "Fill it out and I'll handle the rest. I'll find you when the parts come in. And if there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

[Tevit Ramastan]

The Nehantite's tail flicked as Loki's name was brought up. Certainly the least amusing boy Tevit had ever met, Loki had managed to find just the right nerves to hit, and they hadn't all quite finished calming down just yet.

"You have to work with Loki?" Tevit asked, not sounding terribly thrilled at the prospect. "Now, is it just me, or is that kid a little... different? Or are all your younger members like that?" Then came time for an admission. "I don't exactly know what it is you Jedi even do, really."

[Wei Wu Wei]

"Yes, he is different. The Jedi Council told me before I met him that he's a prodigy in lightsaber combat. I've fought him, and I believe it's true. But he's very austere. He's 14, dedicated to duty, and too serious for his own good."

Wei chuckled a bit. "It's not his fault. This Jedi Order is new, and still trying to establish itself. Loki's skill with a lightsaber has earned him a position as an instructor. Teenager or not, I don't think anyone else could have done the job before I arrived. Now we work together."

The Force Cripple pulled his lightsaber from his sleeve. Even though he didn't have to hide it on the Whaladon, Wei couldn't shake the habit.

"So, about what the Jedi do."

He pressed the ignition plate on the saber hilt. The sea-green blade erupted out of the silver cylinder and filled the room with a steady hum.

"Jedi, in a few words, are the guardians of the galaxy. We put a stop to corruption, oppression, and violence wherever we find it. We're also mediators and diplomats, when a decision needs to be made that requires an impartial judge. We bring peace--real peace--to anywhere we go. We also use the Force to aid us when necessary to provide us insight, improved strength and reflexes, and even telekinesis. That last one is not at all my strong suit."