Sifting the Detritus

[Siloo Jaska]

"Squadron check in."

The shift of the kaleidoscope of hyperspace into the real was a jarring experience to a green pilot. Some got a round of nausea. Most took seconds to get their bearings. To Captain Jaska, it had become as natural as breathing - as if the galaxy as a whole took one moment to let out a pent-up breath. Apparently some Verpine pilots could nearly read their bearings by the way the vortex swirled. She'd never be that salty of a pilot, but it didn't take long at all for Siloo to get the gist of where they'd ended up.

Well, the corona of garbage around Raxus Prime also helped.

As her squadmates in Gold Squadron began to report green status and successful reinsertion, Siloo was already looking for the best approach vector. The Tion Cluster was officially Republic space, insofar as a feral dog might claim territory by pissing on it. There was law on Lianna, because Lianna built Republic ships. The rest of the cluster had about as much law as Hutt space. It made a good place for the First Order to lay in hiding, though it wasn't the First Order they were hunting today. The General had a special mission for her.

"Kanno, cut throttle and fall behind. We're gonna run out of sky here."

"What the hell are we doing out here anyway? We routed the dome-heads at Sojourn, shouldn't we be back on the warpath?"

Thin-lipped, Siloo adjusted her transponder frequency as she glided her T-70 X-Wing past the shattered remains of an old Corellian cruiser.

"The General disagrees, that's all I can say. She was specific on our destination. Something about an old friend."

"Old friend? Thought we'd run out of those to piss off."

Captain Jaska gave a half grin as she glanced portside out her cockpit.

"It's a big galaxy, and the General's holodex is about as big. I guess she found a bridge that wasn't quite burned up."

[Master s'Ilancy]

Cresting the apogee of Raxus Prime, the great winged warship swept up and around, the contours of a rakish design clearly visible before dipping back down towards the planet. Like a Katassa Hawk swooping down to pluck its' prey from water, the ship angled itself into a slow dive. It kissed the upper layers of atmosphere briefly before plunging further into the gale, hull plates gleaming brilliantly in flashes of red, orange, and blue.

On the bridge, a stern-faced Loklorien s'Ilancy sat forward in her seat, muscles tensing as if she was about to leap to her feat. The initial glow of Raxus Prime had dulled as they passed through each atmospheric layer, and the Lupine watched intently at the deceptively calm scene before her on the forward viewer.

No signs of the enemy, yet.

She kept her eye ahead, acknowledging the old droid, KHER, with a simple nod.

"Good."

The years that had passed had left their mark... in so much as they did for those of her kind. Her features held more age and a strange level of determination that was borne from old wounds. And yet there was still a hope. A hope for something better. It could never die.

Passing through the final layer, the ship settled into a smooth glide, and the Lupine finally rose to her feet. She let a fleeting look pass to her partner and companion before sending final orders to her pilot.

"Mr. Nakka, keep us in the air, yes?"

"Aye Ma'am."

They had done this enough time before, and s'Il merely nodded before turning once more to the man waiting for her at the door of the bridge. Both stepped through, and they started down the corridor to the lift.

"You smell as though you've Changed, recently."

[Siloo Jaska]

"Siloo, got an active power signature in orbit."

Head back on her instruments, Captain Jaska was quick to confirm the readout.

"Got it. North polar ascent."

Kicking the data back to her astromech for analysis, Siloo frowned. R7-G3 had a sagely databank, and if he couldn't match the ship, it was a rare kind of bird.

"I don't know what we're looking at. Doesn't match any known configuration. Cruiser class, going by tonnage. Five, you got visual?"

At the nearest flank, Gold Five gracefully threaded two large pieces of space debris, on approach to the sensor reading.

"Coming into range now."

Feeding the visual data to the rest of the squadron, Gold Five was silent for a moment, but that was broken with a "Wow."

"Doesn't look like one of ours. Definitely not a First Order ship though."

"She's not running Republic tags. Could be the Hutts."

"Maybe." Jaska muttered, breathing onto a shop rag as she leaned forward to wipe a smudge from her canopy. "Awful fashionable for a garbage scow though."

"So...do we say hello?"

Siloo remained silent a moment, then switched to another tightbeam band.

"Diva, follow me in close. We'll cut across the bow and strike colors. Maybe they'll be in a talking mood."

[Old Zem]

"You smell as though you've Changed, recently."

"I sleep better that way." Zem Vymes gravelled as the doors closed before them. Unlike his companion, the years weighed heavy on the older Jedi. They may have left him one with the force if it weren't for his decision to accept young Teagan's gift a year ago. It was a tie that drew them closer together as a family, even if it was one the old Jedi was still getting used to.

"Guess I look a little less raggedy in front of a mirror too."

[Master s'Ilancy]

"It takes time for the cells to regenerate," was all that she offered as the lift sent them to the lower levels. Truth be told, the Lupine had never encountered anything in her readings that mentioned individuals turned later in life, or how their bodies reacted.

"Or so, I imagine that is the case."

There was a touch of perplexed inflections in her tone, and s'Il merely offered a shrug before giving his shoulder a gentle pat.

It was still a thing that she was getting used to; his scent had taken on a strange accent that was at times intoxicating in the simple fact that he had become one of the House. He was as she, and there were times that she could only stare at him in wonderment. Their years since the attack on Ossus had been - in some ways - much like their years after the Purge. Except, this time around they had agency. They had control of so much more than before. Before they were simply running and trying to stay one step ahead of the Empire.

Now?

Now they had a much more firm grasp of their capabilities. They knew what they could do, and what they were capable of.

No longer were they in such fear.

Now they were the protectors.

And yet, they still worked in the shadows, apart from the Republic and those who'd turned their backs on the Jedi.

The lift slowed to a stop, and s'Il led the way out. Two Jedi Masters, bent on a quiet war against the First Order.

"Your contact - you are sure they are trustworthy?"

It was an almost teasing question. Zem's sources had an almost perfect record of solid information.

"If we are ahead of the First Order, then I am glad for it, but... "

[Old Zem]

With tired eyes and a knowing smile, Zem raised a hand to stifle Lok's concerns.

"They're not one to break a promise, and they wear their heart on the outside, so to speak. The junk warrens of Raxus prime peddle in more than rust and used wiring. Those that choose to eke a living here tend to hear all manner of things from the travelers."

Zem paused, a frown on his face as his eyes turned downward.

"It would have taken this news months to reach the Republic. Perhaps one day they will earn the namesake of what they aspire to be."

Even as he said the words, Zem's eyes turned suddenly to a wall, as if seeing something plainly that wasn't visible to any other eye.

"We're not alone."

[Alis'ans'amey]

"Sounds like fun." Sansa, callsign 'Diva', replied. "Hope they're in a mood for a fight. I'm bored." Like most obnoxious and spoiled teenagers, Sansa was still of the belief that she was completely invincible, and of course, considerably more skilled than anybody else. Therefore, she didn't sensibly fear confrontation, but crave it. She hadn't yet had her chance to prove herself outside of the simulator, and she was excited for the chance to do just that.

Her fighter broke away with an unnecessarily flashy twirl, spinning around to fall in behind Gold Leader. She did, at least, appreciate being part of Gold Squadron. Mainly for the colour. After all, if the Resistance would refuse to have a Pink Squadron, Gold seemed the next best settlement to have on the side of her starfighter. She adjusted her speed to just fast enough to be impressive (and break in to evasive manoeuvres if fired upon) but slow enough to make a show of them being there, and followed her leader with practiced skill. Sansa might have been the biggest spoiled brat most people would ever meet, but she really did have skill behind the controls of a starfighter, and seemed to fly as naturally as most people walked.

Of course, Sansa herself always walked like she was on a catwalk, she was such a budding fashionista, so perhaps that analogy didn't really stick for her...

[Siloo Jaska]

It hadn't taken long for Sansa to get Siloo's respect - in the cockpit at least. On the ground she was obnoxious and insufferable - and not in the endearing obnoxious and insufferable fashion that Siloo considered herself. But there was no denying results in space. A joint-squadron mission a month ago was all Captain Jaska needed to know. She wanted her. She pushed her weight around and threatened all the right people to get Sansa into her squadron. As long as she didn't have to bunk with the Naboo Princess Doll, it was instruments-all-green to her.

An unguarded smile formed on Siloo's lips as she caught sight of Diva's fuselage to her starboard. They flew slightly staggered, but they were so close that their wing cannons nearly touched. Sansa had a feather touch and intuition, the sort that no flight academy could really create. You either got it, or you were someone else's squadron. Someone else's problem.

"They've cut back into the atmosphere. Must've been spy-hopping in low orbit. Hopefully they're not the shoot first and ask questions later sort."

The polar cloud cover obfuscated the unusual ship from their vantage, but that wouldn't remain the case for long.

"Set descent vector three-three-eight at three quarters power. Follow my lead. If I break, you break. Got it?"

[Alis'ans'amey]

"Got it." Sansa replied almost lazily, falling in behind perfectly as ordered. She couldn't deny, however, that things seemed slightly suspicious. The ship must have seen them by now, and yet, it hadn't responded to their flyby and only dived lower. They weren't running, but they weren't turning to fight either. It was like they were ignoring the Resistance fighters. Did they not see them as a threat? It was possible, of course, especially if they considered themselves allies, but not comming them was just rude. Sansa had already texted three of her friends back home on her comm device while on this mission (a fact she should probably not tell Siloo, but hey, she was always texting friends, right?). They could at least hail them!

"We've still got no response. Should we lock S-Foils?" She asked, wondering if they should be ready for a fight or not. The situation was still a difficult one to read. At least to Sansa, who had a natural flight ability, but not much experience in situations like this one.

[Master s'Ilancy]

Aboard Khera'Va'ss'io


She felt that small itch almost as soon as he did, and out of instinct her hand reached out to push the 'halt' button on the lift's command panel. It shuddered to an almost instant halt as her own eye took on a distant look of its' own. Like Zem, she peered beyond. She looked past the bulkheads of her ship and out into the aether surrounding them.

"They are not First Order," was all she could immediately divine.

She returned inward, her gaze sweeping to her companion for only a brief moment before letting out a thin-lipped breath.

"KHER," she addressed the air around them.

Yes Ma'am.

"What's outside?"

There was a pause, then KHER's tinny voice came through the ship's internal comm once more.

Looks to be two X-wing's, Ma'am.

She blinked at that, then turned her attentions once more to Zem.

"I wasn't aware we were going to have company."

Words spoken without malice, yet at the same time with a measure of concern. Their contact with the Republic (as the Alliance styled itself these days) had been non-existent since the massacre on Ossus. For obvious reasons.

KHER cut once more into her thoughts.

Shall I have Nakka break from atmospheric descent and leave orbit?

She grimaced, the recommendation a tempting one to agree with.

[Old Zem]

"This isn't the work of my contact." Zem shook his head in response to Lok's subtle prodding. "He's not that showy."

Still, the old man didn't seem quite ready to balk at the encounter either.

"KHER, are the ships broadcasting Republic markers?"

A momentary pause preceded the droid's answer. Negative.

Zem ran a hand through his unkempt mane of thinning hair, a twinkle of intrigue appearing in his eyes.

"Maybe we've been drawn to Raxus Prime for more than one reason."

[Master s'Ilancy]

She gave him a look of carefully controlled patience.

"I'm not going to risk my ship being baited. Nor am I going to endanger our already lovely status of 'missing and presumed dead'."

Despite all of their years together, there was still the innate desire to protect those under her care, and the Lupine was loathe to even think of any sort of contact whether it be formal or otherwise.

"We are successful because we are invisible. Otherwise... "

She knew there was no reason to finish her sentence.

[Old Zem]

"If we spend the rest of our days hiding, no presumption will be needed."

Zem groused, the age on his face showing his mileage a lot more plainly than Lok did.

"I never enjoyed hiding then, and I don't enjoy it now. Patience is a Jedi virtue, but so too is knowing when the time has come."

That was all of the elder Jedi's protest, however. His face defied gravity in a little smile.

"It's the Captain's decision. All I'm here for is the advice and the scenery."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a brief moment that she stared at him, trying to suss out the reasons for his smile. A sigh, and the Lupine closed her eyes as she shook her head, and a hand went up to give a light pat to his cheek. Perhaps a fraction of a second her touch lingered, but she soon enough pulled away.

"Bring us back up, KHER. And inform Mr. Ieno that we'll be remaining aboard."

Yes Ma'am.

The lift started back up.

Looking away from him, she let her mind wander back through the years of relative solitude. Of operating within the shadows of the galaxy. Was it inevitable that they would eventually be found and pulled away from the protective layers of the darkness? More than likely. It was always a matter of time she supposed.

"We should've gone back to Schwartzweld for good all those years back," she grumped.

"It is First Seeding there, now, for the Kera Grapes. The orchards are getting their first buds of green now, I imagine. And the yield from last year's crop is ready to drink... " a wry chuckle, "... if you don't like to wait for your wine, that is."

But the wistful look in her eye didn't leave, and s'Il bowed her head.

"It is selfish, I know."

[Siloo Jaska]

"Unidentified cruiser, this is Captain Siloo Jaska of the Resistance. Do you copy?"

The T-70's began their descent, and Sansa stayed as a perfect shadow in formation, even though the polar cloud cover was thick as pea soup.

"Sansa, cutting to one quarter power. Keep your S-foils at ease...but go double front deflectors."

And then, it happened. A shadow began to coalesce beneath the cloud bank, it's edges quickly becoming sharp and defined right in their flight path. Siloo's eyes went wide as instinct kicked in, throwing her fighter into a tight turn relative to engine output in the atmosphere.

"Segnor right!"

In the midst of her turn, Captain Jaska cut her starboard burners, causing an already tight turn to overpower. Her entire X-wing juddered in the thickening atmosphere against the strain, but the extra finesse on her engine balance helped to add an extra 180 degrees of turn, which not only allowed her to clear the lane of the still-silent cruiser, but to put her guns where they needed to be - if they needed to be there.

"Sansa, you still with me?"

[Alis'ans'amey]

Sansa had the advantage that being slightly behind Siloo she had slightly longer to respond, but the suddenly looming ship had really taken the pair by surprise. Whoever these people were, they were flying strange. Ignoring the X-Wings, flying silent knowing they were out there, it was like they wanted a collision. She hauled on the control sticks, throwing her fighter to the right, pulling it tightly around to stick behind Siloo, even as the ship's collision alarms began to blare. Unlike Siloo, she didn't risk cutting her starboard engines (an old trick her Mom was fond of too) because in atmosphere, the risk of throwing the ship in to a flat spin was too high. In space there was no resistance so it was easy to counter spin, in atmosphere, you could lose control.

Instead she lifted the control yolk back pointing the ship up and away from the big cruiser, and hit her engines full power. The fighter juddered and screamed against the sudden change of direction, and BB-L, her astromech, seemed to wail in complaint. But in doing so, the afterburners fired and got additional thrust off of the hull of the cruiser, lifting her fighter up and away at the last moment (not to mention scorching the cruiser's hull a little).

She fell back in behind Siloo as the ship's alarms screamed in complaint before finally beginning to quieten down.

"Roger that, Gold Leader." Sansa confirmed. "I hope they weren't too fond of their paint job." She added in a quip. "Now ​do we lock S-Foils!?" She asked, irritated, and now determined this ship was messing with them. They could only be fooled so many times before they got ready to take action, right?

[Siloo Jaska]

"Yes, goddammit!" Siloo growled, already hitting the switch to bring her wings into attack array. "Give that goddamned helmsman a haircut and remind him to watch where the hell he's going."

Captain Jaska punched it back up to three quarters power, skimming past the cruiser's bridge as her wing cannons barked in a string of ZAT ZAT ZAT ZAT, missing just off the starboard, but close enough to wake up the shit-for-brains flying this heirloom.

Again, she flicked on her tightbeam comm to the cruiser.

"Cut the bullshit silent treatment and check your vector, unidentified!"

[Master s'Ilancy]

A steady stride brought her back onto the bridge just in time to witness the warning shots that sailed starboard. With Zem close on her heels, the Lupine felt her shoulders hitch back instinctively at the gall with which their unknown 'guests' had made themselves an obstacle.

We're getting an incoming comm.

She moved to her chair, lowering herself to sit.

"Put it through."

The pilot's voice pierced the air of the bridge like a knife.

'Cut the bullshit silent treatment and check your vector, unidentified!'

A sideways look was sent to Zem. Her features held a mixture of acceptance paired with an iron-willed and stubborn scowl. It seemed their time as a lone entity was fast coming to an end. Whether she liked it or not, the fact was now glaringly obvious. It really only made her scowl deepen as she leaned back in her seat, her eyes moving to stare ahead.

"Open a channel, then."

Ma'am?

"Do it."

Another moment of hesitation from the old droid passed before her gave a mechanical grunt in affirmation.

Her voice rose slightly, steely overtones laced all throughout.

"This is Captain s'Ilancy. State your business, Pilot."

[Siloo Jaska]

The General had been right all along. This wasn't a fool's errand.

"Weapons cold, Sansa. We've found who we're looking for."

Siloo veered her X-wing about, this time for a friendlier pass with more personal space. She drew her wings back together, and once more passed with her colors exposed. Switching the tightbeam back to the cruiser, Siloo acknowledged their response.

"Captain s'Ilancy, just who I was looking for. My General wants to meet you. Years ago, you served her in the Alliance."

[Master s'Ilancy]

A single eyebrow rose at that, and s'Il leaned back in her seat. Was she surprised that someone would come looking for them? Not really. It still didn't make this encounter any more enjoyable, let alone desired.

She shifted in her seat, leaning to the side a bit to afford Zem a look. Her expression was a semi-questioning one. She had a notion on who this 'General' was, but chose to keep her guess to herself for the time being. Finally she spoke once more.

"Pilot, I served a lot of people in the Alliance. But that was a long time ago, and I've no satisfactory reason to go back. Now. I recommend you and your little friend take yourselves back to where you came from."

[Siloo Jaska]

"Well that makes two of us, because it isn't the Alliance that's calling, ma'am."

Captain Jaska smirked as she banked around for another pass.

"Besides, they're too comfortable calling themselves the New Republic these days. Pretending the job's finished."

[Old Zem]

A bit of dawning recollection brightened old Zem's eyes.

"They're with the Resistance."

[Master s'Ilancy]

She snapped her head to look at him, the already deep frown she wore getting more severe. The Resistance?!


"I don't care if it's the ghost of General Dodonna come calling," she hissed at him.

[Old Zem]

"We've been out here, in the expanse, for many years, Lok. And before that, many years more."

The old man clasped his hands in front of him, looking very much his age.

"If our path doesn't follow those who seek the Jedi, then where does it belong?"

[Master s'Ilancy]

Her brow knit, and the Lupine turned sharply away from him to stare at the viewscreen. Mr. Nakka, from his seat in the pilot's nest, had turned around and his narrowed eyes peered at her in question.

Finally, she blew out a snorted breath.

"Fine."

She made a face, rising to her feet while turning the KHER.

"Inform them that they may berth in docking bay 2."

Yes Ma'am.

[Siloo Jaska]

"Resistance fighters, you are cleared for landing in bay two. Follow the incoming vectors."

Captain Jaska smiled at the good news, easing off the power on her engines as she widened her bank to align with the incoming waypoints.

"Must've been our charming personality. Sansa, you still with me? Relay to Gold Squadron to maintain a holding perimeter. Looks like we get to make friends today."

[Alis'ans'amey]

"Gotcha. Finally." Sansa huffed, glad that they had finally made some progress, even if she was a little disappointed nothing exciting was going to happen. Like many youthful pilots, she craved something dangerous and fun. She was too spoiled and too coddled to know to be careful what she wished for.

She piloted her fighter inside the hangar bay with plenty of skill, suggesting that whatever she lacked in experience she more than made up for in technical aptitude. The cockpit opened and Sansa lifted off her helmet, but didn't descend from the ship right away. Instead, she first produced a compact mirror and checked her appearance, quickly touching up her red lip gloss and spraying hairspray in to her hair, to make sure it had plenty of bounce and style after wearing her helmet. She ran her brush through it until she was satisfied, and even sprayed on a little more perfume (something Sansa definitely didn't need), before finally descended, in stiletto heeled boots and pink flight suit.

She walked across the hangar towards where Siloo had landed, sauntering on click clacking heels with her hips swaying wildly like a teenage fashion model.
"Ugh. What a dump." She wrinkled her nose at the old hangar. "Who the heck could live here that's worth recruiting?" She asked snobbily.

[Master s'Ilancy]

Once more she had left the bridge, though this time with not only Zem, but KHER as well. The three of them occupied the lift as it sent them downwards, and with her arms crossed over her chest, the Lupine stared ahead, brooding over this turn of events. It was not ideal. It went against the already carefully laid plans in her head. She had suddenly been cast out into a sea of unknowns and it was that that so greatly agitated her.

At the very least, KHER kept whatever was going on in his processors to himself. The last thing that she wanted was to play the game of twenty questions with a ship's AI that had too much of the old habits rattling around in its' databanks.

Inhaling through her nose, she slowly released it back out through thin lips before turning to her life partner. Her next words were heavily laced with doses of cynicism and amusement, and just a trace of laziness.

"Any last words?"

[Old Zem]

Zem wore a settled face that spoke to his contentment with the moment, and his confidence in his wife.

"You've never been one to easily make a friend, have you?"

It was as much observation as it was prophecy. The old Master knew the mind of his opposite, and he had a good inkling as to her disposition.

"You've made the right decision and I think you know it. We're old hands at this, aren't we? The force speaks through us, and we listen."

[Master s'Ilancy]

"You listen, I just drag my heels."

There was a measure of truth in her words, as s'Il felt the lift slow its' descent. It seemed as though she'd more often than not been cajoled into doing what she knew needed to be done. And perhaps it was a flaw in her own mindset, but Zem had never once lost his patience over it; it was something that she had many times over remarked on whenever they found themselves a private moment.

The lift stopped, the doors hissing open, and the trio departed, moving down the corridor toward Bay Two. KHER strode behind the two Lupines, his footfalls a steady beat as he followed.

"It is only that... this dance. It feels painfully familiar," she finally offered.

[Old Zem]

Zem kept up his pace, remarking initially to Lok's observation with a grunt.

"I think the last time it happened, a smuggler was involved."

[Master s'Ilancy]

A frown, and s'Il ground to a halt just beyond the threshold of the hangar bay.

"No, not that."

She turned to face him fully, allowing him a glimpse past her ever-so-carefully guarded exterior. He was the only one she allowed such sight. Her memory of their old sanctuary world, and of her reluctance to leave... of her resistance to joining with the Rebellion.

And in a way, that very same reluctance was rearing its' head now.

"We are beyond our younger selves I understand," she exhaled a long breath.

"... but the situation smells the same regardless."

[Old Zem]

The old man laughed at that, not out of condescending tone, but one of intimate understanding.

"I'm not much older than you, you know. But maybe I feel older still. This new blood in my veins, the gift of your bloodline, it's given me a little extra time. More time to think about not just where we've been, but where we're going."

They finally arrived at the door to bay two, and Zem held up his wife before crossing the threshold.

"What we've seen and done, it feels familiar. I don't think this is accidental. There's a music to this universe. We've known it all by another name, and maybe we've only listened to the song a line at a time. Take the time to listen, Loklorien s'Ilancy, and you'll hear the verses rhyme."

[Master s'Ilancy]

Held back for the moment, s'Il stared at him. Her gaze was level, her eye softening into the only look that he could pull from her. Her husband. Her mate. Their lives would always remain wound tightly, and she so often thanked not only the Force, but the Bloodline as well for that.

She blinked then.

Resisting the urge to deliver a tender kiss to his cheek, the Lupine settled for reaching out to grasp his forearm. She smiled a smile of complete understanding, yet playfulness all the same. In all of their years together, he had certainly managed to pass along some of his own oddities to her.

"I may be unable to sing, Love, but I will listen" she whispered good-naturedly.

Her grip tightened for a fraction of a second, and in the next, she released him to turn back to the doorway and Bay Two. She could already see the X-Wings and their pilots, a sharp contrast to the older models berthed close by.

[Siloo Jaska]

"Ugh. What a dump." She wrinkled her nose at the old hangar. "Who the heck could live here that's worth recruiting?" She asked snobbily.

Siloo had tucked out of her flight helmet and accompanied Sansa to the fore of the hangar. Despite exiting last, she had the least amount of preening to do, so she spent a bit more time fixated on the architecture. It certainly had a bit of use on it. Carbon scoring, oil leaks, all tell-tale. This ship had seen use. But there was something else to it. Even in the hangar interior, this ship seemed so starkly different from other ships she had seen. Siloo figured that she'd get a better sense of the thing from an inside view, but even here, she drew a blank.

"Strange looking ship. Almost reminds me of those old Hapan ships of the line."

Before Siloo could inspect any further, the hangar doors began to open. The Captain drew her gloves off her hand, rapping Sansa on the shoulder with one.

"Heads up. Looks like the General's friend is here."

[Alis'ans'amey]

"Ow." Sansa whined when she was rapped lightly on the arm, before turning to see the two oldies approaching. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Great. More old people." She grumbled, mostly to herself. Weren't militaries supposed to be made up of young and fit fighting men? Where were all the hunky young men to recruit? God, she swore, the Resistance must be the only fighting force in the galaxy with an average age for its combatants of over fifty...

"Hiya!" She waved, trying to sound cheerful, but only so they could get this over with and get out of there. She didn't say much else because anything else, well, that was Siloo's domain. Sansa just flew. She wasn't a diplomat. For very, very obvious reasons...

[Master s'Ilancy]

The Captain and her Jedi closed the distance in relative silence. She acknowledged the called greeting with only a concerned look, but it wasn't long before s'Il's eye went to the other pilot. The woman had the look of someone who didn't much care for puffery, which in any other case the elder Lupine would've appreciated. As it was, right now was a particularly bad bit of timing to be approached by, well, anyone really.

"Which on was it," she spoke quietly, addressing KHER.

The droid wasted little time, his internal sensors scanning both ships. A moment later he answered.

The one with larger amount of kill-count decals. Serial number-

"Yes thank you."

She really didn't need to know the technicals of the fighter belonging to the pilot she planned to single out. Another few seconds, and s'Il slowed to a stop before the two, her eye on Siloo. Her gaze shifted momentarily to the woman's X-Wing, then back again. She stood, her head angled up at a slight tilt. A thoughtful breath in, then back out.

"I don't take kindly to warning shots, Pilot."

And before there was an answer, s'Il's fist came around in an impossibly fast right hook, catching the other woman square on the jaw.

[Siloo Jaska]

The old lady threw a punch like she had a roll of credits in her hand, and the shot took Siloo to a knee. She could feel the coppery wellspring of blood along her bottom lip, and she came right back to her feet as alive as anything.

"Yeah, well if it's not across your nose, it's up it! You're the one not broadcasting tags or striking colors! My squad could've mistaken you for a pirate or a First Order collaborator, and your cross-eyed helmsman isn't doing you any favors!"

The Captain's fists balled up, waiting for an excuse to use them. Right now, they were at the simple misunderstanding phase.

[Master s'Ilancy]

"There are reasons," came the counter, "... for my silence."

Despite her short stature, s'Il stood seemingly taller than all. She was as an overprotective mother sandpanther, and she bristled.

"I strike no colors because I have none, and I don't want any."

She let the jab at Mr. Nakka's piloting fall to the wayside, choosing instead to turn the other woman's words back around.

"Perhaps the next time you descend into cloudcover, be sure to run with your active sensors rather than just your eyes."

[Alis'ans'amey]

Sansa screamed when the scarred woman struck Siloo, jumping out of her skin (and several feet back) in case she was next. She might have been an ace pilot, but now she was on the ground, she was more than useless. She was weak, feeble and terrified of physical violence. Plus, well, she might mess up her hair if somebody attacked her, and she couldn't have any of that.

"Hey! Stoppit!" She shrieked, terrified and making sure there was plenty of space between her and the very scary older woman. "W-we were sent here by our General! That's all! H-he thought that, like, maybe you'd want to join our cause!" She tried to explain, stammering with fright as she did so...

[Old Zem]

He followed Lok at a slower gait, content to allow her to introduce herself in a way that was easy for him to see coming. For the lead pilot's sake, she took a punch well, and came up to her feet looking like she might aim to dish a few out. Her companion clearly wasn't having any of it, though, and her shrilling rang out in the hangar.

The old man addressed the Chiss girl.

"Your General? I'm not sure what we have to offer him. We're two old souls. Our battles are behind us."

It was more an act than anything, a response designed to test the resolve of their visitors.

[Siloo Jaska]

Siloo's shoulders eased some of their tension when she realized they weren't about to trade shots. She relaxed, pausing a hand to brush gingerly at her jaw where the older woman had rocked her.

"General Meorrrei said you were one of her most trusted allies during the civil war. Maybe she just had her rose tinted glasses on."

[Master s'Ilancy]

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Taataani, and s'Il crossed her arms over her chest in slow, calculating fashion.

"Maybe she did, at that," came the reply.

There were a few moments of silence that passed, as she looked to the Chiss woman. She let Zem's words hang in the air, mulling over what the elderly Meorrrei matron could possibly want from her. There was no telling, really. There were notions, but with Taataani Meorrrei it could really be anything.

She let out a long breath, her eyes still on the Chiss despite her voice addressing the other pilot.

"Names."

[Siloo Jaska]

Siloo's jaw tightened up, keeping her mouth in check that would rather pop off than take a near-interrogation lying down. The only glue holding her together was the mission. This was worth putting her people into harm's way. The General said so.

"Captain Siloo Jaska. Gold squadron leader."

She indicated in Sansa's direction with a head nod.

"This is Cadet Alis'ans'amey."

She'd remembered the girl's actual name, which came as a surprise. Not Diva, not Sansa, not Cadet Bimbodoll. That was a testament to how much she'd started to respect the young hot shot.

[Master s'Ilancy]

A Chiss. Even out in the Expanse, one didn't come across a Chiss very often. It was intriguing, and s'Il blinked.

"Don't see many Chiss about," she spoke to the other pilot; Alis'ansa'mey.

[Alis'ans'amey]

God, this woman was rude! So who cared if she was some big hotshot super pilot or, like, whatever! She was still being totally rude! And if she was some super old Rebel member, then she should know her Mom and stop being rude to her about that too. Her Mom had flown for Rogue Squadron! And, well, okay, used to be in all the gossip holozines. Which she doubted a grumpy old woman like this ever read, but that was beside the point!

"I'm only half Chiss." She replied. "And like, my family haven't lived on Csilla for three generations." She added, because most people were seeking explanations for why Sansa was, well, anything but the typical Chiss. Even 'half Chiss' was technically a little off, but she didn't want to get in to the extreme maths involved to work out what she technically was. Her mom was 3/4 Chiss, her father human, the combination got overly complicated. It explained the lack of fully glowing crimson eyes both her and her mother had, however. Just red iris's. While Sheena, her Mom's, would often glow a soft red in low light, Sansa's were much more natural looking, and her blue skin tone a shade paler.

At least to Sansa's math-phobic mind. Flying she could do. Anything else she struggled with or found boring. Still, she was pleased that Siloo got her name right. Most humans struggled with Chiss full names. While on Csilla, it was cultural to expect only those close to you use your core name, her Mom had long ago abandoned that practice out here in the galaxy after so many people tripped over the proper pronunciation, and Sansa followed suite.

[Master s'Ilancy]

A single brow raised, and s'Il gave a longer than normal look to the halfbreed. Presently though, her gaze shifted back to Captain Jaska. A huffed breath, and she folded her arms behind her at the small of her back. Normal procedure at this juncture would've been to introduce herself and Zem, but after so many years of isolation, the elder Lupine had somewhat fallen back to old, contrarian habits. Which meant that she dove into the heart of the matter at hand.

"What does Taataani want."

[Siloo Jaska]

Siloo gave her squaddie a glance to make sure she wasn't about to boil the pot over. In a weird way, they both shared the same thin skin. The only thing that differed was how they responded when it got rubbed the wrong way. When it became clear that Sansa wasn't continuing into a comeapart, Captain Jaska met s'Ilancy's pointed gaze.

"What do you think, ma'am? There's a war on. The good people of the Republic can act like a bunch of kaadus with their heads in the mud and pretend it isn't happening, but it is."

Siloo's eyes moved from Lok to Zem and back. She was going to have to say it, wasn't she?

"She needs your help. We all do."

[Master s'Ilancy]

Silence was Captain Jaska's only answer. Certainly not a long one, but it was present and apparent regardless. s'Il blinked, eyes narrowing as she looked up at the taller woman. She studied the face that stared right back at her, noting each line and tick. There was no outward indication that Jaska was insincere, and the Force gave credence to the honesty in her words.

Finally.

"She does, does she."

Words spoken quietly and in a level tone.

"What does she think I can do for her... ?"

[Siloo Jaska]

The old Jedi was playing too coy for Captain Jaska's taste, and she shifted her feet with irritation in response.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask her yourself. All I know is that she's been looking for you for a long time, and has put a bit of effort into it."

[Master s'Ilancy]

She took the answer in silence, her brow furrowed in thought as she mulled over the other woman's words. That Taataani had apparently been looking for her for a while was intriguing enough, but now that the she'd been found, as it were, there was more desired than a simple bout of quiet contemplation.

A long breath escaped her lips, and the Lupine half-turned to Zem. A single eyebrow raised in invitation for him to put in his own opinion.

[Old Zem]

There wasn't any hint of duplicity in the woman's words. That didn't mean there wasn't a hint of duplicity in Taataani Meorrrei. Far from it. The Cizerack woman had never been short on charm or charisma, but she'd never been one to make a habit of full disclosure either. Caring and benevolent. Prideful and vengeful. Even with the force as an ally, she was nearly impossible to fully read. But even as pessimistically as Vymes could interpret the woman, he couldn't see her as an antagonist.

Of course, the road to hell was said to be paved with good intentions.

"I think," Zem began, his voice a bit dry and croaky before a cough. "Mrs. Meorrrei has helped us in the past enough to hear what she has to say."

[Master s'Ilancy]

It was the same grudging conclusion that she herself had come to, and s'Il gave a slow nod as she turned back to Captain Jaska.

"Very well."

A single finger went up then, as if to forestall any further interjections from their guests.

"However, there are other matter that must be attended to before beginning down that route." She sent her eyes to KHER then.

"Time until we reach the rendezvous point?"

Seven minutes, Ma'am. No word yet from Master Vymes' contact, however.

Not surprising, and the Lupine didn't even bother to give her husband a rueful, questioning look. He'd seen it enough times before to know that it was there despite no outward delivery.

"I'm sure they're playing it safe. Can't say as I blame them," finally she turned her attentions back to Jaska and Sansa. "Seems you're stuck with us for now, Captain."

[Siloo Jaska]

"Contact? What contact?"

Siloo's eyes moved from KHER, to Vymes, then to s'Ilancy. It appeared that whatever the old timers were doing over Raxus, they weren't simply laying low out of the Republic's sight.

She could afford to wait, but the more she knew about this, the better.

[Master s'Ilancy]

"That... " she frowned at the question, casting a critical look to Jaska.

"... is my business, and none of yours."

The Resistance had found them it seemed, but in the here and now, s'Il had no interest in bringing them into this particular endeavor that Zem and his parties chose to busy themselves with. For her part, the Lupine was content enough to stay in the shadows, away from the much more illuminated galactic stage. She was always ready to help; to provide the muscle that was needed in their small push-back against the First Order, but beyond that? She had set herself to helping root out and snatch away so many young souls from the clutches of the First Order that actually going toe-to-toe with them was never considered. And those that did choose to do so... well, she had other matters that more often than not took her attentions.

Hells, they'd still not been able to track down Markos and Rocky; a heartbreaking fact that still haunted her as vividly as that awful day. The day that they left. The day that even Teagan seemed to wither away and shut herself off from the rest of the galaxy, retreating to Schwartzweld to live with Erasmus.

She turned to Zem.

"In light of recent events, I'd rather not land my ship, if it's all the same to you. Whatever it is you must do to bring your friends out of the woodwork, then please do so as soon as you're able."

[Old Zem]

Zem gave his partner an understanding nod of his head.

"I doubt we'd find any suitable landing site on Raxus for your cruiser at any rate. A shuttle would negotiate the junk wastes far better than any star cruiser."

The old Jedi Master was already eyeing a suitable craft in the hangar bay opposite their guests' X-Wings.

[Master s'Ilancy]

She gave a nod to a shuttle (http://s255.photobucket.com/user/silancy/media/tfa-khera-shuttle.jpg.html) that sat nestled towards the back, tucked up into a recessed portion of the bulkhead.

While it was not the old Nu-Class shuttle that they were most used to, this one was a bit more suited to the task at hand.

"Are you wishing to fly, this time? Or shall I call for Ms. Varin?"

[Old Zem]

The old man cast s'Ilancy a dirty look at that suggestion.

"I may not be much of a dancer on my own two feet, but I can still make a ship dance on the clouds. Come on."

Zem jerked his head in the direction of the shuttle, and began to heel-toe in it's direction. He paused, glancing to the two Resistance pilots.

"I hear the pilots in the Resistance are supposed to be pretty good?"

[Siloo Jaska]

A pilot's ego was always burning. Sometimes it was a full blaze, and sometimes it was a few red coals in a heap. All it took was an occasional turning-over and a feeding. Sansa's eyes brightened a bit. Captain Jaska's mouth fell into a cocksure smirk.

"Word travels pretty far."

[Old Zem]

An old familiar smile strained against gravity and wrinkles. Zem's eyes turned back to Loklorien but for a moment, before turning back to Captain Jaska.

"Maybe you can keep up with an old timer, then. Raxus Prime may not be First Order territory, but there's bound to be a bad egg or two."

[Master s'Ilancy]

She followed slightly behind, giving a few last minute orders to KHER as he kept pace.

"Keep your sensors on active sweep, and don't play too fast and loose," A pause as a memory tugged at her, and the Lupine gave a sideways glare to her ship's avatar.

"Not like last time. Understood?"

Yes Ma'am.

"Good. I'd rather not have to pull bits of your extremities from the bulkhead again."

Zem was already halfway up the extended boarding ramp when she stopped, turning to face the spindly droid fully.

"And by everything holy," a hand sliced to the side, palm down to accentuate her words, "... do not forget to keep in contact with the buoy. If something drops into the system, you send word."

This is hardly the first time I've done this, you know.

She made a face, turning away and starting up the ramp.

"I know. But you're also old and forget things," was her parting shot as she fumbled in a pocket for a small case. Stepping up onto the shuttle's main deck, the Lupine grudgingly slapped a palm against the large, protruding button that would close the ramp.

[Siloo Jaska]

"You heard the old timer," Siloo grinned, slapping her helmet back on. Sansa had already done the same, and was in full trot back to her fighter.

"Signal up to Gold and let 'em know about our blue milk run. Shouldn't take long to deal with this."

Hopefully, at least. Captain Jaska hoofed it to her T-70, climbed in, and worked with her droid to fire up the converters.

[Old Zem]

Zem strapped in, warming up his systems as Lok made her way to the cockpit. The old man wore a smile that just wouldn't go away as he listened to the power plant spool, easing the repulsors into action.

"You know, I think I've grown to like that old droid. You pick on him a lot more than you pick on me."

Vymes cast his partner a wink, then gestured to her crash webbing.

"You'd best cinch that snug. I might be in the mood to show off."

And with that, Zem pushed the thrust, the inertia pressing Lok firmly into her seat until the moment the shuttle cleared the bay. Once they had sky below, Zem banked hard into a spinning dive, leaving the surprised X-Wings to reside in his wake...at least for a moment.

Zem's smile got bigger and bigger.

[Master s'Ilancy]

"If you keep on, I'm going to throw up on you," her hands, outstretched, had been placed along the sides of the admittedly confined space of the dual cockpit.

"... again."

There was a moment that followed, that the Lupine could swear her husband dove just a little steeper, pumping as much power into the sublight jets as he could.

"Zem-El!"

Her barked warning was laced with frustration, as she stopped just short of uttering his full name.

[Siloo Jaska]

"Karabast," Siloo's eyes widened as she cleared the bay, getting a windscreen full of the old man's contrails as he burned sky. "The old man's a hot rod. Tuck your stabilizers, we're hot to the deck!"

Captain Jaska powered on to match burn for burn, her T-70's linked engines howled as the scrams fed the atmospheric thrust. Kniving on a dive played hell with the stick, but the veteran pilot kept the juddering to a minimum as they pursued the two Jedi through the hazy smog of the junkyard world.

"R7, scan to the deck. I don't want to become a permanent exhibit here."

As the shuttle continued to bleed altitude, the X-wings played it close. Siloo was smiling ear to ear. She punched an open comm.

"You are a crazy son of a bitch, old timer. Arrest your descent, don't break a hip on the G forces."

[Old Zem]

Zem looked back to s'Il like the Loth cat who swallowed the nuna. Just before she could upchuck or slug him in the shoulder or both, he carefully leveled out the dive. The shaking in the shuttle began to subside, as the Jedi Master replied to his escort.

"I'm just glad I've got an escort who can keep pace. Follow my lead in."

Vymes began to head toward the wreck of an old Lucrehulk class armored transport. The massive ship had split in half, resting partially on a mountain of garbage. The portion of the ship that remained at the summit was dominated by a yawning cargo bay, wrenched open to let in the vestigial sunlight. The gash was also large enough to allow any number of smaller craft entry.

[Master s'Ilancy]

Eyes squeezed shut, the Lupine clenched her jaw as she felt the shuttle level out, then shift into a much more manageable descent. Her stomach still threatened to rebel, but Zem's... kindness, in arresting his dive helped to settle it somewhat.

Cracking a single eye open, she peered at the Lucrehulk as it loomed before them.

All previous thoughts left her in that moment, and in sudden surprise at the sight, she leaned back, both eyes opening fully.

"Is that... "

It'd been a long time since she'd laid eye on one.

"I've not seen one of those in a very long time," she let out in a whisper.

[Old Zem]

"Since Boz Pity." Zem landed on the specifics. The massive cargo ships had a service life that went back before he was born. They'd been a staple of merchant fleets, then the armed battleships of the Trade Federation and Confederacy of Independent systems. Everyone from the Cizerack Pride to the Rebel Alliance had fielded them in service, and if Zem were a betting man, he wagered you could still find a few in the galaxy still in working order.

Finding a spot on the empty bay deck with little detritus to clutter the landing, Zem righted the wings of his shuttle, and eased down on the skids. As he made the pivot, he could see the X-Wings following suit. The Resistance fighters were showing their age, but they still harkened back to the original in the series with their distinct long fuselage and S-foils, which remained closed upon final approach.

Zem began to power down, pausing as he glanced out the cockpit window.

"Company."

A trio of what appeared to be scavvers approached the landing site from a fracture in one of the bulkhead walls. They carried weapons, but didn't appear to be alarmed at their presence.

[Siloo Jaska]

"Watch the ships, Sansa. I'm gonna go in for a closer look."

Captain Jaska was down the debark ladder with a quick slide, pulling her helmet off as soon as boots touched deck. Immediately from the slight angle to the floor, she could tell this wasn't where she wanted to spend a lot of time. It was probably stable enough but resting half a lucrehulk onto a mountain of space garbage was probably a very large Short Term solution. That being said, never let anyone from Raxus Prime be accused of not being resourceful.

Her hand didn't rest on her blaster, but she brushed fingers against the leather pancake holster to know exactly where it was if she needed to. If the locals with guns weren't having anything to do with their new company, they'd likely have those shooters up against shoulders.

[Master s'Ilancy]

Removing herself from the shuttle was a relatively quick affair; the less time she spent in the damn things the better. Moreso when Zem chose to fly. She'd often enough actively avoided him when he took a notion to go out for a spell. Some days she was successful at making herself scarce. Other days she was not so lucky. But, at least she was game about matters when he did corner her. She simply took her medicine, closed her eyes, and clenched her jaw as her husband took them out into space. The larger ships she could handle, but the shuttles? The shuttles presented a much more complicated situation for her gut. And after all the years that had passed, it had not gotten any better. Thankfully it'd not gotten worse, though often enough she accused Zem of actively trying to do just that.

Stepping out into the cavernous bay, the Lupine blinked as she turned a look behiind her, watching as Zem made his way to her.

The small group that'd come out of hiding was a motley bunch, but much in keeping with what she was used to. Zem's network of informants was impressive despite seeming unorganized and a shamble. There was a method to her husband's madness, and she trusted him completely.