With Friends Like These

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"We have come out of hjyperrljight, rrou'a. Now enterrjing the Osssuss ssjysstem."

Preita'rrou Serinaathri coolly announced the end of their hyperspace journey, deftly handling the deceleration from her helmswoman's terminal.

The serene starscape over the Jedi sanctuary world of Ossus suddenly split with a burst of energy as a ship decelerated into realspace. The Korri-class Galleon Haifa'Iro'Iro of the Cizerack Trade Navy trundled the last leg of their journey at sublight, lumbering into a high orbit around the planet.

At the center of the command dais, seated on the representation of the grratta'Saanja that represented her right to command by Royal decree, Huntress Captain T'yeellaa Meorrrei watched the planet approach on the viewer. There was no battle alert, nothing to raise alarm. This was as so many missions of the Trade Navy were - a mission to deliver goods and services upon contracts that either the Pride Mother or the Baroness Oligarchy commanded. Nevertheless, part of this ship's function was as a ship of war, and Captain Meorrrei was, if anything, thorough.

"Commsscan, rreporrt on planetarrjy actjivjitjy. Sshow locatjionss of weapon ssjysstemss, fjighterrss, orr anjy otherr thrreat."

Preita'rrou Aanjakaari looked up from her terminal in record time.

"Nothjing to sspeak of, rrou'a. Therre arre a numberr of ssmall ssettlementss, but thejirr amenjitjiess arre meagerr, and jI detect no weaponss."

Meorrrei crossed her arms. Just as expected.

"Hajil the larrgesst ssettlement."

[Abarai Loki]

When Abarai Loki overheard that a Cizerack vessel was scheduled to bring the settlement supplies, he promptly imposed himself upon the dining troops to extract every drop of information about it. Little was known, it being the first of its kind to visit the Jedi's new homeworld, but what he did get was a time and a lift to the landing pad. Upon his arrival, he was granted access to the comm station while he waited, and listened intently to the technical chatter. The soldiers on site had become quite accomodating to his curious requests and accustomed to his regular visits. He kept it no secret that he quite prefered the company of disciplined military sorts; although he was a Jedi, and a proud one at that, he couldn't abide the superstitious waffle and pseudo-mysticism to which so many of his peers subscribed. Certainly, soldiers could be rough around the edges, which was why Loki chose to associate with them only when they were on duty. If it bothered them, they were too polite to say so.

Presently, he was watching the scanner when a blip drew the attention of one of the operators in attendance. In an instant, he turned to a nearby monitor, where a technical readout was tumbling down the screen. A finger on the transmit button, he spoke into his headset, and beckoned Loki close with a tilt of the head.

"Galleon Haifa... Iro Iro," he sounded a little uncertain, "This is Sanctuary One. State your cargo and destination."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Preita'rrou Aanjakaari received the inbound communication, filtering it to bridge-wide audio. A mere nod from Captain Meorrrei was enough to clear the specifics. The dark-haired officer transmitted a full data manifest to Sanctuary One, outlining several thousand tons of prefabricated building units, power generators, medical supplies, water treatment systems, and of course, food.

"We have orrderrss underr the Trrade Admjirraltjy to offload humanjitarrjian carrgo and worrk teamss to assjisst wjith jyourr...ssettlement'ss consstrructjion. We rrequjirre coorrdjinatess forr landjing carrgo barrgess and perrssonnel sshuttless. Trranssmjit prromptljy."

[Tell Cho]

Captain Zhen Du cocked his head. If he was human, he'd be frowning. The Gossam Trade Fleet had only four ships, and the Kaiken, a Providence-class destroyer, was the largest and most powerful. Cho-zhu had personally given him command of the ship, once his personal vessel in the Corporate Sector Authority fleet.

«A Cizeri ship?» he asked the sensor technician. The technician rumbled an affirmative. He paused in thought for a moment. «They are aggressive, but we will be safe. Bring us out of hyperspace.»

The destroyer entered the Ossus system's outer reaches though quickly moving in through the asteroid belt, and Du gestured toward the protocol droid by the communications station.

«Hail the planet. We have Gossam settlers and supplies for the Gossam settlement and our Jedi allies.»

The protocol droid bowed and turned to the comm station.

"Ahem. Excuse me, but this is the Gossam Trade Fleet vessel Kaiken, carrying passengers and supplies bound for the Gossam settlement of Miwù Shanmà, as well as supplies for the Jedi encampment."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Drreadnought on apprroach, Rrou'a! Prrovjidence classs, wjith esscorrtss!"

Captain Meorrrei's eyes immediately flicked to commscan.

"Battle alerrt! Wjing Commanderr, sscrramble Taithaa and Keerrta ssquadrronss! Brrjing uss about and charrge porrt ssjide Gorroka batterrjy!"

Her orders from the Trade Admiralty were clear. The security situation on Ossus was very sensitive. Any unauthorized intrusions were to be considered aggressive. Haifa'Iro'Iro began to come about slowly, her bay doors opening as fighter squadrons screamed out in wing formation. The massive weapons blister on the port side of the galleon's hull containing the gorroka particle weapon began to power up, tracking towards the Gossam fleet.

[Tell Cho]

«Captain! The Cizeri ship is assuming an attack stance. Weapons are charging and locking on. It is releasing fighters.»

Zhen Du regarded the view of the Cizeri ship with consternation. All four ships in the fleet were filled with cargo and civilians. They had two squadrons of droid fighters and the rest of their weaponry was, while powerful, still slightly dated compared to the ship in front of them.

«Raise shields. Open a channel that we can hail them. Ziyou, Shunshou, Fúxiao, raise shields. Do not ready weapons.»

He glanced at the holographic display, showing the modified Recusant light destroyer Shunsou's colouring reflect its defensive status. Fúxiao, a Munificent, and Ziyou, a Nebulon B, both followed suit.

«Communications channel open Captain.»

He gestured to the droid.

"Cizerack ship, this is Gossam Trade Fleet vessel Kaiken. Do not fire. I repeat, do not fire. There are civilians aboard all vessels. I repeat, there are civilians on all vessels."

[Abarai Loki]

In an instant, the comms station was ablaze in flashing red lights. The red-haired specialist, who had been temporarily stunned by the Cizerack's pushiness, suddenly found his voice the moment the alert sounded. The rest of his team flew to their respective stations to contact the Gossam fleet and any other ships in orbit. Loki watched events unfold, upright and rigid like an alarmed lurmen, and couldn't help but notice the urgency in the specialist's voice as he resumed his dialogue with the Cizerack galleon.

"Galleon Haifa'Iro'Iro, stand down. The Gossam fleet is not hostile. You must stand down."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The call-off signal from Sanctuary One came up on Preita'rrou Aanjakaari's screen, and she turned to face her Captain on the command dais.

"Jedji basse confjirrmss Gosssam flotjilla asss frrjiendly, rrou'a."

Captain Meorrrei turned immediately to the section of the crew pit at her left, where the air attack was being directed.

"jIssue rrecall orrderr to all ssquadrronss, Wjing Commanderr. Sstand down battle alerrt."

"Sstandjing down, rrou'a."

T'yeellaa frowned in her command chair. While she wasn't itching for a fight per se, she was certainly prepared to provide one. The disregard for procedure from the Gossam was amateurish, and she worried if this kind of casual affinity for naval protocol was something to be expected now that they were a member nation of the Alliance. Brooding, the Huntress Captain turned to Aanjakaari, the snapping twitch in her tail betraying her annoyance.

"Ssend messsage to both Ssanctuarrjy One and the Kajiken. Frrjiendljy sstatuss...acknowledged."

Meorrrei's claws kneaded at the arm rest of her chair.

"Ssjignal that we have the rrjight of wajy, and jinforrm Ssanctuarrjy One to prrovjide clearrance forr ourr landjing crraft."

[Abarai Loki]

As the hysterical beeping subsided, and as red lights turned green, the tension in the room evaporated. The operators deflated into their seats with a synchronised sigh. Specialist Ruawn, however, was swift to attend to his duties. His limited, and singular, experience with the Cizerack had taught him not to keep them waiting, and that strange rolling voluptuous voice was already demanding clearance and landing co-ordinates for a second time. He cleared his throat, flicked a couple of switches, and said:

"Transmitting landing co-ordinates now, Haifa'Iro'Iro. You have clearance to land. Welcome to Ossus."

Once he was done, he leaned back and glanced at Loki with a relieved grin. His brow was bright from the sheen of sweat.

"Looks like you picked a good time to visit, my Jedi friend. It ain't always that interesting."

Loki frowned, "I should hope not."

[Tell Cho]

"Captain Du," the droid called. "The Cizerack indicate that they have the right of way, and we will have to... ahem... wait our turn."

Zhen Du shrugged.

«Very well,» the Gossam commander said. He turned to the technicians whistling commands and coordinating the removal of supplies and passengers from the ships. «We will wait our turn. Lower shields to normal.»

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Aanjakaari monitored the comms traffic between their galleon, the Gossam flotilla, and the Jedi outpost below. When the Gossam fleet signaled their compliance and held their position relative to the Cizerack vector, she informed her Captain.

"The Gosssam flag acknowledgess jyourr prrjiorrjitjy, rrou'a. Ssanctuarrjy One acknowledgess, and we arre clearred to land."

Captain Meorrrei, impatient as ever, was quick to reply.

"Do jit. Prreparre the barrge forr launch, and rreadjy mjy sshuttle and esscorrt fljight. Majintajin ourr possjitjion."

"At jyourr command, Kaithra'rrou."



* * *

In a manner of minutes, the main hangar of Haifa'Iro'Iro was buzzing with activity. The enormous frame of the old Confederate-era C-9979 (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/C-9979) landing barge was assembled, taking every bit of the free hangar space to do so. Hundreds of Jaanni'saari marines worked in quick succession to load the tons of cargo and equipment aboard the craft that would be required on their mission. Once all material was stowed, the enormous lander began to trundle out of the galleon, her broad wings barely clearing the hangar bays as she coasted into planetary descent. A trio of Cizerack shuttles followed the barge, followed by four Tai'thaa class interceptors, which easily caught up with the slower landing craft.

The Cizeri ships peeled through the cloud cover on their approach to Sanctuary. Massive shadows were cast over forests, causing birds to take flight as the barge and shuttles trundled to the designated landing zone, a broad pitch of even terrain due south of the Jedi camp. The enormous landing barge eased down, flanked by the shuttles as the fighters looped overhead. They screamed forward in acceleration, coming about for another pass, and would continue to pace in the square until they were called back to the galleon.

Now at a full rest, the landing barge's clefted bay door parted thunderously, and a company of Jaanni'saari began to march out of the craft in formation.

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit Ramastan wasn't supposed to be able to access the channels through which the Cizerack and the Jedi had been communicating, but as he'd repaired the radios around here a few times, he figured he'd set up his own comm station, just in case. It was because of that need for things to work properly that the yellow-furred Nehantite had dashed out of his ship, hopped aboard his dirt bike and sped off toward the landing Cizerack craft in a furious buzz of two-stroke glory.

Pebbles and scree kicked up in a rooster tail of dust and debris as he threw the bike hard into a corner, then ripped the throttle, the engine giving a high-pitched fart before blasting off down the hard-packed dirt and gravel road to the landing site.

This is going to be a disaster. The site foreman can't even cope with the schedules I turn in, there's no way he's going to be able to handle.... this! He thought to himself, tail flapping along as he buzzed along toward the barge. Dread was the sole emotion that filled his heart as he could already see the craft unloading. He was specifically told that things like this wouldn't happen. It was in his contract. But, apparently contracts meant nothing to the Jedi, and they were so poor it wasn't worth trying to sue. Still, this was a step too far, even for them.

Sliding the bike to a stop, Tevit scarcely had enough time to pop down the kicktstand before the engine wound down and he was off it. Yanking off his goggles, the mongoose held his paws out and shouted, "Woah! Woah there, hold on! New construction hasn't been approved! I demand to see your building plans before you get any supplies unloaded!"

Tevit wan't a foreman, but he'd be damned if he was going to be walked all over like this. Someone had to stand up for common sense and make sure the Jedi camp was built properly. Little did he know what manner of responsibility he was about to take on...

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

A Jaanni'saari officer with a short crop of tawny hair separated herself from the assembling battalion, heading to the perimeter where some furry alien had parked a crude motorbike. She walked with purposeful strides to him, gesturing abruptly at his bike.

"Clearr the ssquarre. Thjiss jiss a sstagjing arrea forr humanjitarrjian ajid."

She squared her stance, jawline tight as she waited for Tevit to leave in no uncertain terms.

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Yeah, not gonna happen," Tevit replied, still striding toward them. "If you're gonna be part of the building crew, I need to see your plans, supply manifests, construction timetables and everything else to make sure everything for this camp is done right. And I do represent the building crew, here, so I'm not taking no for an answer."

Like hell Tevit was going to let another crew come in and steal his job out from under him. He wanted Nehantites, and Cizerack were a step in the completely wrong direction, as far as he was concerned.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Let me ssee jyourr jidentjifjicatjion chjit."

The Sergeant's tail jerked slightly. Two male Jaanni'saari diverted from the staging area, approaching to her flanks. They hung back at a distance, but kept eyes forward nonetheless. This was ostensibly a mercy mission, and they weren't kitted in combat gear. Nevertheless, they were prepared to serve in a military police role if the need were to arise.

The tawny-haired Sergeant held out an impatient hand, a testy frown on her face.

[Tevit Ramastan]

"You're the ones trespassing, I should be asking for yours," Tevit spat. "I'm part of the groundbreaking crew. I say what can and can't be built, if I think there's an issue," he continued. "But if you really want to check, here, have fun scanning it."

From a pocket on his toolbelt, the Nehantite drew his ID chit and threw it at the officer as if it were a flying disc. Despite its rectangular shape, and off balance, his aim was remarkably accurate. "And when you're done, you'll take me to whoever can actually show me your building plans."

[Korlen Tarask]

I jog up to Ramastan and the Cizerack, waving away some of the dust from the landing. "Hey boss, everything all right over here?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The sergeant caught the disc, her nostrils flaring as an angry look crossed her expression. She'd been briefed to expect bizarre behavior from forrda, but the lack professionalism and belligerence on display here were deeply vexing. The Major probably wouldn't want the first contact with the ground mission on Ossus to end in an arrest or a shooting, so due diligence was probably advised here. After all, this was a mercy mission. Another alien arrived, human from the look of him. While he nevertheless was violating the space of the staging area, he at least wasn't brazenly interfering - yet. The Jaani'saari sergeant noted that the human seemed to report to the furry alien, implying some degree of command structure. Hopefully he knew well enough how to follow Cizerack orders, once this matter of authority was settled.

"Wajit herre." the Sergeant growled out, ears flipping back as she took Tevit's ID chit with her to consult with her command. The two trade marines remained, arms clasped behind their backs as they stood aloof.

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit raised his paw to stay Korlen, not taking his eyes off the Cizerack until she disappareared. Once she was out of earshot, the Nehantite turned to his new assistant and whispered, "No, everything's not all right. The Ciz think they can come in and take over my build site!"

The furious ficking of his tail and his lowered ears were enough to show just how angry he was, but yet his eyes remained their normal red. Tevit was ticked, but not yet truly mad. "Just follow my lead as I deal with this, okay?"

[Korlen Tarask]

"Sure but," I pause, then continue with a lower tone, "You aren't... I mean if they're checking you aren't going to come up as in charge of the build site." I raise my eyebrows. "I'll follow your lead but not into a Cizeri brig if they're working with the Jedi on this."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit's red eyes locked onto to Korlen's, and he spoke through mostly grit teeth. "I may not be foreman, but I'll be damned if I haven't done his job several times over by now. Besides, my position says I can halt or alter build plans if ther are issues or complications, and this is one hell of an issue and complication, so technically, I can tell them what to do, here."

And then hope the Jedi will back me up, otherwise they're going to have a real nightmare on their hands...

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The sergeant returned, this time with another woman alongside her. Beyond the two advancing officers, teams of male soldiers were already unfurling large prefabricated frames to use as the basis for a modular palisade. Support beams were snapped into place at pre-determined distances as the Cizerack ground force quickly went to work to establish a cordon around their landing site.

The two officers approached Tevit and Korlan. The new officer wore the pips and piping of a Jaanni'saari Major. Though a few inches shorter than the sergeant, she had a compact, muscular frame. Her blonde hair was cropped precisely into a tidy flat top, and the stern expression she wore on her spotted face was sullied somewhat on the right side with noticeable scars and an ear bobbed nearly two inches shorter than the left.

"Rramasstan" she gruffed, blue eyes flicking between the two taller aliens in front of her, waiting to see which one of them she was here to see.

[Tevit Ramastan]

Unlike the crisp, military figure before him, Tevit appeared every bit the blue collar worker. His clothing was durable, yet worn, and the tool belt around his waist hung with a sag formed into it by years of use. Even his fur, golden as it was, was pocked with specks of grease or dirt, or singed in some cases. Still, despite his lowly appearance, Tevit stood tall, his red eyes meeting those of the Major, and he nodded.

"Ma'am," he replied.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Majorr Untaaura Verratoa."

The forrda tradition, Untaaura remembered, was the salutatory act of shaking hands. It was entirely too familiar for her tastes, so she abstained from it entirely.

"Mjy sserrgeant tellss me jyou worrk forr thjiss camp'ss forreman. jI want to meet herr."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Him," Tevit stated. "But he's not here, right now, so you can talk with me, Major."

In the back of his mind, Tevit slowly began to realize the danger of the game he was playing. Before, he had been blinded by his own anger and bull-headed ego, but now, watching the Cizerack camp unfold, he could realize just how small he was, and how many they were. If they were truly on Ossus in an attempt to foster better relations with the Jedi and the Alliance, then he could not afford to upset them. But at the same time, he also couldn't afford carefully-laid plans for the settlement being tossed aide so carelessly. Taking a deep breath, the Nehantite calmed himself before continuing.

"I can speak for the building plan of this settlement, and I can also halt construction if it's going against plan, or going to disrupt something. If you checked my chit, you'll know that's true," he said. "Now, I'd like us to get off on the right foot, but I seriously do need to see your construction plans before I can let any of your crew into the settlement site, Major."

[Abarai Loki]

The deep rumble as the barge descended resounded across the valley as if the mountains themselves were cracking. Loki felt it like a second heartbeat within his chest as he crossed the camp towards the area. Less impressive was the phlegmy cough of a dirt bike as it buzzed away in hot pursuit of the great winged landing craft. He followed the dust trail to its conclusion, where he discovered a couple of Cizeri officers engaged in discussion with the engineer, Tevit Ramastan, and a man Loki didn't recognise. He overheard the Nehantite's last words, which suggested there was some sort of dispute going on, so, upon arrival, he wasted no time and addressed the shorter, more sour-faced of the two Cizerack females, assuming she was the superior.

"Greetings. My name is Abarai Loki of the Jedi Order. Is there a problem here?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Major Verratoa's patience was scraped beyond thin at the Nehantite's insistence, and with deliberate movement of her hands still at her sides, she cracked her knuckles.

"jIt'ss forr jyourr forreman to make that decjissjion to jinclude jyou jin that converrssatjion. jI have sspecjifjic orrderrss, none of whjich jinvolve fjigurrjing out jyourr own chajin of command. Perrhapss jyou can sstop wasstjing both of ourr tjime and fetch hjim.

She was just about to step into Tevit's personal space to make her point even more clear when another alien arrived. Another male of course, and not even hardly a man yet. She was about to turn and have her guard physically remove this rabble from her presence when his name tinkled on her ears. Verratoa looked back at the young Jedi, a flat expression of disbelief on her face.

"jYou'rre...Abarraji Lokji?"

[Abarai Loki]

"...Yes," Loki said, waiting for the other shoe to drop, "I did not stutter."

Then, the old doubts resurfaced. Perhaps he should've let another Jedi approach the new arrivals first, because Loki, much to his chagrin, appeared to be cursed when it came to first impressions. He wondered why the Cizerack officer was looking at him like he'd just slapped her across the face; he hadn't just slapped her across the face and he was fairly sure he'd done nothing to warrant such a look. Unless that had been a note of recognition he'd detected in her voice. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Have we met before?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Verratoa ignored his question, a weary sigh the only real reply as her ears drooped in frustration.

"Sserrgeant, get jyourr perrjimeterr up at once. jI won't enterrtajin anotherr pajirr of currjiouss ejyess jin mjy corrdon, jiss that clearr?"

The taller female stiffened, her ears and eyes going forward.

"Clearr, rrou'a!"

With that taken care of, the Major looked up at the slightly-taller Loki. Despite his young age, he had a kind of martial seriousness to him that she recognized when she saw it. A careful smirk crossed her scarred face.

"The Captajin wantss to meet jyou, Gai'seetalo."

Major Verratoa glanced behind Loki at Tevit and Korlen, and frowned.

"jYou too, come. Trrjy not to touch anjythjing. Ourr brrjig hassn't jyet been consstrructed, sso jI'll prretend jit'ss mjy good grrace that keepss jyou out of jit."

[Korlen Tarask]

Perimeters and brigs and oh hells no. It looks like the Cizerack are about to plant a flag up the ass of the Jedi and I really don't want to get involved. "If it's all the same, I think I'd prefer to stay here. Or over there," I jerk my head over my shoulder, trying to indicate an area far enough away not to ruffle anyone's feathers.

[Tevit Ramastan]

A world of curses coursed through Tevit's mind like a rampaging river that had broken its banks to flood into every aspect of his thought. Yes, the build crew could use help, and efficiency, but not the sort that the Cizerack would inflict upon them, he was sure. Tail lashing out of frustration, it was only Korlen's words that brought him back to some sort of reason, and words that wouldn't require a beep on holovision.

"Yeah, you stay here, Korlen, if I don't come back, you pick up where we left off come morning," he said.

"Lead on, Ma'am," he then said to the Major, intentionally dropping her title. For all the things that could go wrong, he did at least feel good that Loki was along. They hadn't interacted much outside of professional dealings, and talk about construction and camp layout, but the kid seemed to have a better head on his shoulders than most, and the rest of the Jedi respected him. And best of all, whatever feelings Loki held against Hal didn't seem to extend to Tevit, as far as he had seen.

[Abarai Loki]

Gai'seetalo. Loki had been called that before and it rankled him greatly. He stiffened, and before departing, he shot the stranger, Korlen, a look of disbelief. Such cowardice, and from a man the size of a Jaanni'saari, too. Tevit was unsurprisingly eager, for a grease-stained dogsbody, he was quite the vociferous firebrand. And although he wielded words like great clunking hydrospanners, what he often had to say was right, which made him an asset. A graceless cantankerous asset.

Then, remembering the Major's slight, he fell into step with her as they approached a staging area and a long line of shuttles. Eyes forward, he said, "Major, I gave you my name so that you can use it. We can be civil with each other, or would you rather I referred to you as Kitty Cat?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

It would seem nothing would get past the Jedi's notice, and Verratoa instantly knew she was in the wrong. She stiffened a bit, offering a conciliatory nod.

"jYou'rre rrjight, Abarraji Lokji."

She seemed to chew on her words somewhat, before offering again, "Pleasse forrgjive mjy offensse. jI expected to meet a Jedji Knjight who wass..."

This line of discussion was superfluous, and her mangled right ear flicked in annoyance.

"...jit'ss not jimporrtant. Come."

The trio walked into the assembling landing zone, moving out of the way as speeder bikes and transports trundled out of the immense doors of the landing barge. To the right, they could see an assembly of three shuttlecraft that were offloading officers and cargo, and the Major made a beeline towards a taller woman who wore her hair in a tight blonde ponytail.

"Captajin Meorrrei, majy jI prressent Abarraji Lokji."

Her eyes barely flicked to the young man at her side, and went forward once more.

"Jedji Knjight."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"And Tevit Ramastan, building site representative," Tevit introduced himself. Sure, the Jedi might get all the glory, but if it wasn't for working men such as himself, they wouldn't have a roof over their heads.

[Abarai Loki]

Meorrrei. The name fell on his ears like a call-to-arms, and Loki, suddenly at battle stations, stood at attention. Tevit's introduction gave him time to think, and time to inspect the blonde-haired woman for a family resemblance, and, to his horror, he discovered the captain shared the matron's blue eyes and full lips. Spared not another moment to hesitate, he stepped forward and offered a nod in greeting.

"Captain Meorrrei, welcome to Ossus."

Perhaps it was a common name, but deep down, he knew that was clutching at straws.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Captain Meorrrei's eyes fixed on Tevit for a moment. She'd barely put boots on the ground and already the Nehantite's name traveled before him. She'd sort him out in due turn. It wouldn't do to have some kind of firebrand working at cross purposes around her troops. She desired order, and he was at least temporarily an aberration and an obstacle.

Her blue eyes moved to the younger alien. He had a reputation that preceded him, although T'yeellaa had to wonder exactly how much was fact and how much was fiction. Clicking her boot heels together sharply, the Cizerack captain reciprocated the curt nod, her face inscrutable as she rose.

"Ja irra korra'nai, Jedji Lokji."

An eyebrow ticked up on her face.

"Ssenatorr Meorrrei ssendss herr besst rregarrdss. We arre herre to sserrve jyourr needss jin the esstabljisshment of jyourr ssettlement."

[Abarai Loki]

"I am glad to hear it, captain."

He wasn't glad at all. In fact, Loki was utterly indifferent as to who was helping them build the settlement, as long as the job got done. His curiosity was the bait that had landed him in the sort of situation he readily avoided - one loaded with scripted pleasantries and cloying platitudes - and in the great transgalactic game of words, everyone liked to be appreciated, or at least told as much, over and over again. So Loki complied: he found the best way to deal with such monotony was to keep things short and not-too-sweet. As such, the remark about Senator Meorrrei sailed by without remark, but it at least confirmed his suspicions; it made him wonder just how many of Taataani's children were in military service. After all, there appeared to be a precedent for it.

Beside him, Tevit hadn't yet spoken, but he didn't need to: the strokes of his tail signed confirmation of his sour mood. Given his experience with the demanding mechanic taskmaster, it didn't take much for Loki to divine the source of his agitation, and if first contact with their newest neighbours was going to go smoothly, tempers had to cool. And he knew just how to do it.

"Tell me how you plan to contribute towards the site."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Captain Meorrrei nodded, pulling from her jacket pocket a holoprojector, which was flicked to life with a claw-swipe, and held before her Major, the Jedi, and the Nehantite. Now that Tevit Ramastan had the tacit approval of the Jedi to discuss such matters, there was no trouble with including him in the discussion.

The hologram that appeared before them was a model of the current configuration of the Jedi camp. As Major Verratoa was tasked with the administration of the Ossus mission, she stepped forward to explain their mandate.

"We have brrought enough materrjial wjith uss to facjiljitate the consstrructjion of two hundrred modularr houssjing unjitss, an enclossed hangarr, a utjiljitjy sstarrporrt, warrehousse, and a fussjion powerr rreactorr. Asss consstrructjion jiss jin prrogrress, we wjill gjive prrjiorrjitjy to thesse majorr prrojectss asss well asss addjitjional ssurrvejyjing dutjy to antjicjipate grrowth needss."

Verratoa paused, glancing to the Nehantite.

"We wjill alsso esstabljissh a foundrrjy forr morre perrmanent consstrructjion needss, rreljyjing on rrjich mjinerral depossjitss wesst of thjiss locatjion to ssatjissfjy thjiss need."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit surveyed the hologram carefully. On the surface it appeared acceptable, and unobtrusive to the current plans for the build site, and if the Cizerack would adhere to Galactic Health and Safety standards, things should be fine, unless...

The Nehantite paused. Red eyes squinting, he leaned over the hologram, attempting to get a better look. With a splay of his fingers to zoom, and a few rotations, he backed off shaking his head.

Not good. His mind told him, and he needed no second nature to concur.

Venting a sigh of disappointment, the yellow-furred technician stood square and faced Captain Meorrrei directly. "I'm sorry, but you can't proceed with this plan as it is. I'll have to take it and make some adjustments before you can begin construction on anything outside of this compound," he announced.

[Abarai Loki]

The holoprojection captured Loki's imagination, and he studied with fierce curiosity, like he was observing some mystical vision of the future. In truth, the projection did provide him a glimpse of the future, or at least a glimpse of a possible future, if the mongoose mechanic had anything to say about it - which he did. Everything about his limited interaction with their Cizerack visitors suggested a strong leaning towards discipline and order, so much so, that the regimented comings and goings about the staging area put him oddly at ease. So, it was with a hint of annoyance that he regarded Tevit, the beared of bad news, who had apparently spotted a snag in Major Verratoa's plans.

"Tevit Ramastan, it is my understanding that construction plans are arranged prior to the arrival of the workforce. Please explain. How long will it take to make your... adjustments?"

[Tevit Ramastan]

The Nehantite's tail swayed only slightly, a testament to the amount of effort he was putting into his appearance in order to present himself professionally. He'd come on too strong, too hot-headed, and military types never responded well to that - that much he knew from very personal experience. Still looking the Captain in the eyes, Tevit hesitated a moment before he found the correct words for his reply.

"Plans such as layout on available space are not the issue, at this point," he stated. "True, there are no overlaps, and for the most part the layout of your build projects is - while not terribly efficient - reasonable enough. The problem is the location of your planned construction."

Turning back to the hologram, Tevit zoomed out, then picked and plucked certain buildings off in order to show the terrain beneath. "We encountered some problems with the composition of terrain when we first started building, here. It takes light structures just fine, but for heavy ones, there's issues with soil density, and possible settling. That's my concern. We haven't run a full mass spectrograph on these areas yet, nor have we fully determined if there is any water flowing beneath it."

He could feel the burning glare of Captain Meorrrei as it lanced through him with white hot heat, but Tevit shrugged it off, having felt worse before. "Typically this would take at least a week, but... if I can pull some of the guys from other projects, I think it might be able to be done in two days if we work around the clock. If we don't do it, you risk putting up a structure only to have it collapse onto the men and women who may still be inside. I don't think that's something any of us want, if I may be so bold as to state."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Setbacks were a nuisance that almost any project manager had to face at some point or another. T'yeellaa's ears flicked back as she looked to Tevit, and then back to the hologram. Two days was at least manageable. She'd have to inform the Admiralty of the situation. While Haifa'Iro'Iro was tasked with temporary assignment to Ossus, their posting was supposed to be brief, as she would soon have to journey to the border of the Tion Cluster for additional assignments. Still, something bothered Captain Meorrrei deeply about all of this. Uncontrollable setbacks were one thing, but something had broken down somewhere.

"We werre jinforrmed bjy the Alljiance Cjivjil Corrpss that thjiss ssurrvejyjing worrk had come back completeljy grreen. Thjiss jiss not correct?"

Major Verratoa shifted in her stance, crossing her arms as she frowned. T'yeellaa glanced at her, and then back at Tevit.

"Majorr."

"Rrou'a?"

"Asssjign jyourr ssurrvejyjing detachment to Mjissterr Rramasstan."

The Jaanni'saari commander opened her mouth to beg clarification, and T'yeellaa silenced her with a "Kai'tuuraa na huei!"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"jI beg mjy parrdon, rrou'a. Of courrsse."

The Captain pressed the holo emitter into Tevit's paw, pointing to Verratoa.

"Ssee to jit perrssonalljy. jI want a rreporrt everrjy hourr."

"jYess rrou'a."

Captain Meorrrei returned her attention to Tevit.

"Now, jyou have a dozen extrra pajirrss of handss, Mjissterr Rramasstan. jIf possjible, jI'd rratherr not wajit two dajyss."

She looked to Loki, the unofficial arbiter of their tense meeting.

"jIss thjiss agrreeable to jyou, Massterr Jedji?"

[Abarai Loki]

"It is an unfortunate setback, but a neccessary one."

He gave the Nehantite a nod, approving of his intervention. Tevit was in his element, and demonstrated a remarkable degree of fluency in both identifying the issue and providing a solution. The captain, not to be outdone, provided him with the resources to get the job done in half the time... just like that. What a tragedy it was that the exchange was an exception to the rule when it came to tackling problems throughout the site. Despite the delay, Loki considered it a minor victory.

"I trust you both to co-ordinate your efforts to effect a swift and safe resolution. If there is anyway the Jedi can assist, contact either myself or a member of the Jedi Council."

[Tevit Ramastan]

Flicking the holoprojector off, Tevit unclipped one of the pouches on his tool belt and dropped it inside. Inside he smirked. Because he was but a "lowly" engineer, they hadn't thought to check his person, and the handgun in the pouch near the small of his back had gone completely unnoticed. Had he known what lay ahead of him, Tevit might have made the choice to reveal it in a loud and discharge-y method, but he couldn't know the hell he had just been thrust into. After all, the Captain was giving him men to help, how could that not be a good thing?

Nodding to the captain, and then to Loki, the Nehantite relaxed his stance. "I'll see how quick I can get it done," he said. "But I'm not going to compromise build safety. You're right, that land was supposed to have been surveyed, but... other issues came up and that was put on the back burner. With you here, now, it's priority again. I'll go ahead and get back to the main build site to start requisitioning the equipment we need. You can tell your men to meet me at the supply depot, there, ma'am."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa smirked at the colloquialism. Men. Build projects put together and organized by men, and they were surprised the work was shoddy? The Captain's response to Tevit's statement was to look to Verratoa. The Major nodded in affirmation.

"jI wjill take jyourr leave wjith perrmjisssjion, rrou'a, to gatherr the ssurrvejyorrss."

The Captain nodded her subordinate away, who saluted with an open palm before disappearing into the throng of assembled Jaanni'saari beyond the motorpool. As the speeders were filed off the landing barge and assembled, she flagged one of her subordinates down.

"Drrjiverr."

The young woman trotted up to stand front and center with a salute.

"Rrou'a?"

"jI want a tourr."

She looked to Loki.

"Would thjiss be agrreeable?"

[Abarai Loki]

"I have time."

It was what Loki identified as a diplomatic answer: evasive, yet polite. The thought of him playing tour guide was anything but agreeable, however, he knew it was in the Jedi's best interests to accomodate the captain. An old Gossam proverb came to mind - something about biting hands - Anbira had mentioned it to him more than once, and Loki was quite sure it applied to his predicament, whatever it was. The woman was dismissed, and double-timed it towards the motor pool.

"Unfortunately, there is not much to see, Captain Meorrrei. Sanctuary One is still in its infancy. A tour will reveal how much work lies ahead of us, if nothing else."

[Tevit Ramastan]

"And it'll show how much we've already done on our own," Tevit chipped in. "Yeah, I'd be down for giving you a tour."

His tail flicked behind him, semi-brushy with annoyance, while his red eyes narrowed slightly. "And I can show you just why you can't proceed without that survey."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI'm cerrtajin jyou wjill."

The 'you'd better' was unsaid, steel hidden behind polite lace as Captain Meorrrei gave a nod in deference, gesturing ahead as her driver opened the door of a waiting speeder to receive the passengers. T'yeellaa deferred, allowing the two aliens the larger and more accommodating rear seats as she took shotgun in the front passenger bucket. The speeder started up with a muted electric purr, and gently taxied towards the perimeter as the driver mindfully kept the pace leisurely.

"Therre arre manjy matrronss who rrememberr the dajyss when we werre enemjiess of the Jedji. Therre jiss...a lot of attentjion on ourr alljiance."

[Abarai Loki]

"I do not care for the opinions of hand-wringing bureaucrats. I am confident our alliance will prove prosperous provided we all do our duty."

Loki sat, cautious of Tevit's tail curled up beside him on the seat. It was no luxury speeder, but it betrayed the sort of build quality Loki associated with the military: strong, efficient, expensive. The humid Ossus air swept over him like torrents of warm water, rippling through his hair and lashing at his face. As the speeder carved a path along the dirt road, the metal bones of some infant structure rose out of the red horizon on their right.

"That is the first of several planned residential structures for our non-military personnel," he said, and then pointed to the swelling hillside to the left, populated with shuttles, tents, and prefabricated little shacks, "Specialists in construction, science, terraforming and the like, this... shanty town is where they currently live."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa's attention moved in the direction of the build site. She watched teams of construction crews in the midst of assembling prefabricated structures, but didn't dwell for long. She only needed a sense of the form and direction of the projects at hand so that her ground team could properly assume their tasks once annoying disagreements were settled. It didn't appear, on casual inspection, that the contractors were military. Perhaps they were, but she was used to a more regimented division of labor than what seemed to be handling the task.

To the other side, the current camp housing could be seen, and the Huntress Captain frowned. This was practically squalor. Unacceptable.

"The longerr we delajy, the morre thjiss camp jiss at rrjissk. We arre luckjy Osssuss jiss fajirrljy agrreeable jin cljimate and fauna. jIf we had to ssufferr Onderron orr Felucjia jin a tent..."