A Helping Hand

[Rosa Gunn]

​

TETH​

THE SILENT TEMPLE​

​

​

Deep in the heart of wild space, the jungle planet Teth lay mostly undisturbed though riddled with old strongholds that nature had reclaimed. As the Golden Rose broke through its atmosphere, Rosa angled its nose towards an old yet familiar route above a sea of green. Below her clouds of colourful birds exploded into the sky, alarmed by the noise of the ship's engines. It seemed strange to be back here after so many years, but with Teth sitting in unclaimed territory once more, it made sense for her to come back.

Grey cliffs, pckmarked with green vegetation rose out of the jungle ahead of her, nestled in its crevice a place that she had once called home. The Silent Temple had been a sanctuary for her and her friends, friends that had become family. Many had moved on, even perished but the Temple stood strong as ever and entirely vacant. If she was serious about The Boolon Foundation, here was the perfect place to start. Vines had grown to cover the hangar entrance, but with a little encouragement in the force, the receded allowing the golden bow of her ship to pass beneath them. The landing struts kicked up small clouds of dust on the hangar bay floor. By the looks of things, no one had been here for a long time.

No matter, it was nothing a little TLC couldn't fix. Disembarking from the Rose, she padded quietly across the hangar bay floor, heading for the temples entrance, a great stone archway that rose high above her. Even here out of direct sunlight, moss and vines were desperately trying to reclaim the grey stone, to return the temple to the wilderness. No doubt there was a wild animal or two lurking in the shadows, but Rosa was no threat to them, and she made sure that they knew as much.

There was, of course, another reason for her visit. Ardan's did not much care for strangers from the sky and while she and Seydon had been integrated into the community, they did not approve of their visitors. As it was, this was an ideal place, not too far from home, that she could meet the first person to show interest in her foundation. [member="Kaili Talith"] had reached out to Rosa upon hearing about the task she'd set herself, and wanted to offer her assistance. She knew next to nothing of the woman, save that she was a Jedi and that her surname could be traced back to an old Sith Emperor, but we can't judge everyone by their ancestors.

She had provided Kaili with coordinates and instructions on how to enter the temple. From there it would be a simple matter of following Rosa's footprints oin the dust. Kaili would find her in a central room on the same level as the hangar. A great circular garden, whose ceiling was open to the skies above. Numerous corridors led off from this welcoming sight.

Rosa knelt at the edge of one of the beds and began to hum softly to herself. The beds began to change before her, weeds subsided allowing the flowers beneath to flourish. She had passed away many an hour with the ithorian Boolon tending to the Temple's gardens. Never really speaking, but content in each others quiet company.

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Kaili had been a bit surprised at first at where she had been sent to meet Rosa. In many ways it reminded her of what it was like to visit Mara on Kilia IV. It was one of the few things Kaili could really think of as her ship pierced the atmosphere. The instructions on how to get here had been very specific to the point where Kaili almost feared deviating even just a little from the procedures she had been provided with. Part of her wondered it was because this was a planet that had yet to see the wonders of the galaxy for itself. Kaili had found a planet like that once, and now they revered her as a goddess. She had tried to show show and tell them otherwise, but they wouldn’t take it, and after she used a few connections in The Underground to get them up to speed with the rest of the galaxy it only got worse. Was this what Rosa was doing here?

No, the pamphlet she had gotten about the Boolon Foundation didn’t seem to imply anything like that. It was a humanitarian effort, and with all that had happened recently there was little doubt in Kaili’s mind that it was the least she could do. To draw and donate a set of droids for the sake of spreading some good was the very least that Kaili could do. In the end she felt compelled to actually get herself involved with something. If a humanitarian effort wasn’t it then Kaili wouldn’t be quite sure what was. She had spent several years, almost too many years, living in her own little bubble. Enough time for her to feel disheartened in herself over how little she had given. Oh she knew she couldn’t help everyone, but to try and fail at such a thing was better than helping none.

Dust swept into dusty clouds as the boosters of her ship eased itself down upon the designated landing spot. The few glimpses that Kaili had caught of the outside coming in had left her in awe. It was a temple she had landed in, or around, of that there was no doubt. An odd sense of tranquility filled her soul as she stepped out of her ship to let the smells settle in. It smelled of dust mainly and Kaili raised an arm to cover her eyes and let the clouds still themselves before she pushed through. Spires of grime waltzed into a gentle rest against the hard ground, and with a great measure of curiosity Kaili let herself approach the temple proper.

She couldn’t blame Rosa for wanting to meet here. What had been an impressive sight from the ship on the way in was an even more awesome experience when seen from up close. It looked a bit decayed and unused in a few spots here and there perhaps, but only a fool discarded the value that two diligent hands could bring to a place such as this. An even greater fool would discard what two metallic hands could bring to it. Perhaps that was what she needed droids for? To refurbish the place? Kaili was more than able to help with that, amongst other things.

Kaili stepped into the gardens and there she was, up ahead by a flower bed. Rosa Gunn herself.

“Hello?” Kaili called out from across the courtyard. “Miss Gunn?”

The blonde kid approached the master ever so slowly as to not intrude upon the work she was doing. “I’d knock on the door, but some of them seem to have sort of… Fallen off the hinges.” Still careful she raised her hand before her for a handshake. “It is good to finally meet you,” She smiled. “I am Kaili Talith.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

By the time Kaili had reached her, half the flower beds were under control. Rosa lifted her head as the young girl entered the from and rose to her feet, brushing the dirt from her hands, chuckling at her comment about the doors. "Yes, it is in a slight state, isn't it?"

She accepted her extended hand and shook it with a surprisingly firm grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Kaili, but please, call me Rosa."

She smiled warmly before gesturing around the room. "Welcome to the Silent Temple. Sanctuary for all who need it and headquarters of the Boolon Foundation. At least it will be. There's a great deal of work to be done, but no matter."

Rosa beckoned her through a opening on their left. The room was set lower than that of the gardens and the steps down it were well worn. Stone benches encircled a large and rather dated holoprojectorn in the centre. Rosa clicked her tongue at the vines and swept them away with a small wave of her arm.

"This will do. Mind your step." She warned, descending the stairs to the centre. "You must forgive the location, I'm still in the process of getting things off the ground. Tell me, do you have much experience in term of humanitarian aid?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

The handshake surprised Kaili. There were times when she shook the hand of people, menfolk mainly, only to find herself grasping at something similar to a sloppy fish or a wet rag. But that was certainly not the case with Rosa. The handshake was firm but precise and gave an impression of someone who was strong yet independent enough to take care of themselves. It reminded Kaili of the same kind of woman she liked to think of herself as. Independent enough to know how to take care of themselves, strong enough to admit that there would be times in which they needed help. Perhaps it was a lot to assume from a simple handshake, but a gut feeling told her it was an ideal that they both shared.

“Okay then. Rosa.” Kaili snickered and bowed her head to show that she would respect her preference. An arm extended to draw a circle around the room and Kaili couldn’t help but perk her brows as she followed it and took in her surroundings. It was a bit dated, worn down and such but-

Was that a holoprojector?

That was a holoprojector!

Kaili knelt down by the machine and proceeded to sweep away the dust at its base. Rosa continued into the room and Kaili started to lag behind. Eyes set on the master and then the piece of equipment before her. She hadn’t seen one of these in ages. It was a sturdy build, one of the few pieces Kaili could have sworn she’d never ever try to replace herself. It was an odd kind of technomancer’s respect sort of thing. It was old, it was ancient almost, but it was beautiful and-

Crap, Rosa was getting away. Kaili would have to come back to this beauty later.

Eyes lingered on the machine as the girl caught up with the black-haired master with a small jog. Vines were swept aside and Kaili managed to catch the end of what Rosa was saying. Mind her step? Had she done humanitarian work before? What?

Kaili took her first step down the stairs and just like that it became all the more obvious what Rosa had meant. The place where she had expected there to be a step was now a gaping hole. The blonde felt her leg slide along the angled surface as her heel skid and threw her off-balance. Her rump smashed against the very top of the staircase with a loud thud and an ‘ooph.’

A few awkward chuckles split the girl’s lips into a grin.

“No, I don’t.” She said and scratched at the back of her neck. “I helped a friend of mine reconstruct parts of Coruscant by drawing up a few droids for Silk Holdings, but beyond that… Nah, not really.”

“Me coming here is more about me wanting to change that.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa looked round in time to see Kaili fall, smiling slightly at the embarrassed giggle that slipped between the girls lips.

Distracted.

She glanced behind Kaili catching sight of the shadow of the holoprojector, and understanding passed across her features. The words 'Silk Holdings' snapped her attention back to Kaili and he smile widened. "You know the Merrill's then." It was a statement not a question, and on me that wiped whatever minor misgivings she may have had about accepting help from a stranger with the surname Talith. Any friend of the Merrill's was a friend of hers and could be trusted.

"You can poke the the projector if you like, Kaili." She nodded towards it. "There are a number of them throughout the temple, not to mention a great deal of out-dated tech in need of upgrading, if you're interested?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

The girl bobbed her head up and down at Rosa’s statement about knowing Merrills. You could say that she knew the Merrill family, yes. Their daughter had been the blonde kid’s master despite the fact that they were a year or two apart at most. Regardless of that it meant that Rosa knew who they were as well, and that alone was good enough for Kaili to know that she too could trust her. Not that she didn’t. She probably wouldn’t have been here if she didn’t.

Lips thinned out into a small playful smile as eyes shifted from side to side. The go ahead had been granted and Kaili wasted no time to get back to the magnificent construct resting within the center of the room they had just left. Rolling over on her side she caught herself from falling to the floor with her hands as her feet struggled to get a grip and get off the staircase that had already brought her down once before. Shins scraped against the top of the stairs and dragged the girl back on her feet to jog back to the holoprojector.

Fingers began to prod at every nook and cranny it could find again, sweeping away overgrowth and grime from the machine’s lenses in the hopes of clearing up whatever it was that it had kept projecting from its base for all these years.

No luck, it remained a garbled mess.

Rosa spoke up and Kaili set her eyes upon the Master in shock at what she was hearing.

“Are you insane?” Kaili shook her head and feast her eyes upon the machine again. “These babies were not meant to be replaced.” She squinted in search for any sort of panel used for maintenance. “Built around, maybe, but never replaced.”

“These are a rare breed of machines, built to outlast even the sturdiest of blows to its hardened shell.” Kaili found the panel and flicked it open. “They’re not like the crap they make you these days. No, all you need…” Her index and long finger prodded at the screen within as she closed her eyes. The force seeped into the machine to let the girl build herself an image of what the issues were. She felt for it, she really did. Old and running, but not as well as it had when it was younger. A sad sigh burst through Kaili’s nose. It was a shame, but it was fixable.

Finding the source of the problems, a cracked connection on the board, Kaili applied her skills to mend it. The frown twisted upside down, turned into a smile as she felt the machine cry out in joy again. A blue sheen covered her as the old hologram sprung back to life. It seemed to be an hologram of depicting an old hero to whoever lived here before.

Kaili opened her eyes and rose from the floor again to look at Rosa.

“All you need is the right touch and things will be alright again.” The kid smiled. “I would love to help you rebuild this place. It’s the least I could do in order to spread some good in the galaxy.”

“Maybe draw up some means to both rebuild and keep it from going back to, well,” Kaili spread her arm wide to indicate their surroundings. “This.”

“Uh, if you’d have me, that is.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa laughed at the indignation in Kaili's voice at the suggestion of replacing the old projector. She held up her hands in mock defence. "Alright, alright we won't replace them!" She watched the technician with intrigue, both with her eyes and through the force, feeling the subtle way the force shifted around her as she worked at the machine. She felt the genuine empathy the girl had with the old projector, the pity in the way it had been left. Rosa felt herself warming to Kaili more and more.

"You have to forgive me, I've never been much of a tech person. It doesn't speak to me the way it clearly does to you."

She gave her another warm smile at her acceptance of the task. "I wouldn't have suggested it, if I didn't want to have you around, Kaili." She took a few steps away fingers gently brushing the old stone walls, the memories it kept flashing briefly past her eyes. "This is a big place, if you need assistance, I'm not adverse to you calling it in. I do, however, require something else of you."

She looked back at Kaili. "That is, of course, if you're interested?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

There was a lighthearted laughter coming from Kaili’s lips. She was quite content knowing they would not replace the memorial. Perhaps they could move it for a bit, but never outright replace it. It held history, and for all they knew this was a figure that had once been important to the temple itself. It just wouldn’t be right to toss something like that out the window.

“That’s quite alright, I just get excited sometimes.” Kaili chuckled at herself. “Don’t mean anything by it.”

Rosa needed something of Kaili and the girl couldn’t help but perk her brows. Memories of when her business had simply been a small workshop along a beach promenade on Borleias. How many people hadn’t come in then asking for phone repairs only to come and pick it up within an hour again asking for her number? Menfolk in particular were a hassle like that, and not a single one of them had gotten it. Mainly because she had been depressed at the moment, secondly because she just didn’t see it as appropriate to date her own customers.

Allyson had been an exception in that regard. She had also the one who made sure that people stopped once the rumor that Kaili was taken had spread. Part of her wondered if it was something Allyson had started, it seemed like a thing she would do in order to keep others away. Not that Kaili would complain, it helped with keeping certain people from dropping their equipment on purpose to have a reason to visit.

In retrospect it was kind of pathetic of them.

“You… Need something?” Kaili asked and perked her brow. “What’d that be?”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa settled herself onto one of the stone benches. She would have preferred to have people, but people were hard to come by when you'd spent as long as she had in solitude. Furst she had to reacquaint herself with the comings and goings of the galaxy, then she had to establish what wars were where and who needed her assistant. Then, and only then, would she be in a position to place out a call for volunteers. Resources first, people later. Afterall, what person wanted to face the task ahead without knowing they had the tools nessesary to hand. In the meantime, she could get the Foundation's name recognised and for that, she need some hands.

"Droids." she replied simply.

"As you can, no doubt, make out for yourself, I am desperately short of hands. If I attend I crisis, they're is only me. Not that i'm incapable, far from it in fact, if allow myself to feel a touch of pride." she allowed a wry smile to cross her features.. "Things, however, are always made easier with more hands and droids are the easiest to procure and are, if built by the right hands, incredibly reliable."

She'd need medical droids above all else, but if they could be multinational and be used, for example, to shift supplies or pilot transport ships, then it would make life all the easier.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Oh, droids.

Kaili felt her mind let out a sigh of relief, one that she did not mirror physically. Droids had been her intended donation to Rosa. Credits could have worked too, but in the end droids were a lot more manageable. For one it meant that Kaili had a lot more control over her investment. Yes, she could have called it a donation or something same such, but to her it was both. Kaili spread goodwill, and she got her name out. She had at the very least been raised with enough skepticism to know that nothing was ever done out of a pure heart.

Didn’t mean one shouldn’t try though.

“Oh, of course.” Kaili smiled. “Droids can serve quite a purpose, and I can most certainly help with the creation of such aides.” There was a nod coming from the kid as she found herself in thought of her own principles and ideas. There was something that perhaps needed to be addressed. “Just… I need something from you in return then.”

Kaili opened her mouth to speak only to pull back for a moment. It was all a matter of how bad she spilled the beans on her own overly fanatic views on the subject. On one hand she knew that it was a hopeless cause, on the other she couldn’t help herself from believing in it.

“I just need to know-” She began and set her eyes on Rosa again. “That you treat them with the respect they deserve.” Kaili felt her eyes shift from side to side trying to find the words to explain herself. “Some people just treat droids as droids and nothing more. It’s an insult to both the creator and the droid itself, and I just want to know that to a degree these men-...” And women. “... Machines... Would be seen as…” Equals. “More than just a tool or convenience, you know?”

“Maybe not exactly like humans,” Except exactly that. “But something sort of similar. A friend, or a companion perhaps.”

“That is all I ask.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa reached out in the force, gently probing Kaili's mind, seeing the words she seemed to be avoiding. It was curious that she would try to, but then again, she and Rosa had only just become acquainted, so it was only natural that the girl hold back something of herself. Perhaps she was afraid that impressions may be adjusted by her own fierce views. There really was no need. Rosa was in no position to judge anyone, least of all a young girl with a desire to see machines seen as equals. She understood now, the empoathy that she had shown as she poked the holoprojector.

"Kaili, I promise you that I will treat each of your droids as equals, if not my betters. They will be, in essence, an extension of you and as such, deserve nothing less that my utmost respect and care." Her words were uttered with a solemn expression, but now she smiled again.

"Would you like to explore the Temple, a little more? See if we can't find some more treasures for you?" She rosa from her temporary perch as she spoke.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

A thin smile spread on Kaili’s lips. It seemed Rosa understood her in the end, and remarkably well so. The promise that her droids would be seen as equals and if anything an extension of Kaili herself was one that she would appreciate, though her mouth would run open with the raise of her index finger for the sky in warning.

“I wouldn’t say betters, the last thing we need is an AI with ego. But equals sounds about right.” She chuckled. “Thank you, Rosa. Not many would hear my opinions without looking at me like some coocoo trust fund kid with dented priorities.”

“And I’d love to find more equipment to fix around here.” Kaili nodded and closed her eyes. “I’d say if we could find the old maintenance chambers we could probably get ourselves a rather good grip on just how extensive the damage to this place might be.”

“Not that nature reclaiming itself would ever be considered damage, but… You know.”

Kaili wasn’t without knowing what she did was in the end considered artificial. Had she been a bit more crazy she might have cut her limbs off and replaced them with cybernetics for that whole ‘android’ look, but as it were she would never even consider such a thing. She replaced things that were broken. An arm that had been pulverized by heavy cargo, a foot cut off in battle. She would only replace that which had reason to be replaced and as far as this temple went she would keep to the same idea and policy. For one it was cheaper, for the other it was deserving of the machinery itself to keep going until it simply couldn’t, at which point it would be reintegrated into the virtual ecosystem as something else.

Sure, it meant a security risk, but so did everything else in the galaxy as well. As long as they kept the doors and defenses on separate links of their own they would be fine. Really, who did that anyway? Morons. That was who. Kaili would help Rosa with this if such was the case. She deserved defenses that were set up to work on their own networks with little or no connectivity to the rest of the temple. Hack one and you hacked just a single turret, keep them connected and you have a whole temple of dead people at your hands.

No good.

Regardless, these were all dwellings on a future that may not ever come around. For the moment Kaili let the buzzing noise at the back of her mind amplify and guide her towards whichever noise brought the strongest signature. She could feel the way they all suffered under the weight of time, but she was there for them now. She would find them and bring them back before she left this place. That was her promise to them, and to Rosa.

“I think the central hub we’re looking for is in this direction.” Kaili said and pointed at a set of doors that looked as overgrown as the rest of them. “Down a hallway on the far-left, I believe.”

“Uh, like I said, if we find it we should be able to maybe assess the damage this place has taken since last someone stepped within these walls.”

Thought crossed the girl’s mind. “... Actually, I have no idea who that would be.”

“Do you?”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa beamed with delight at Kaili's agreement to further asses the damage. Even if the girl didn't have the time or resources to fix it herself, having an assesment available at the very least would give Rosa something to work from. She was not a technical genius, but she knew a few people who were and ifr she didn't, there was no doubt she would find someone to help. She nodded at Kaili's indication of the central hub and led the way across the room to find it, plants receeding ahead of them at Rosa's gentle encouragement.

"Over a decade." she replied to Kaili's inquiry with a small nod "Not many people know it but this was where the Levantine Sanctum actually began. Though back then, we were known as the Silent Conclave. There was only a handful of us trying to do out bit in the Galaxy without getting caught up in the chaos of governments. From there the idea expanded and we moved on. Two of our number died fighting, the rest..." she trailed off with a sad smile. "We stay in touch. With so few of us though, we never did dent the huge amount of work that was required to bring this place back to life. From what I've studied of the place it used to be a stronghold for the hutts, back in the days of the Old Republic. I believe there are more places like this on Teth, but I've yet to find the time to locate them."

They reached the doors Kaili had suggested would be the central hub. She raised a hand to push them open and hesitated. Something was out of place and it took a moment for Rosa to realise what. The door had been replaced, it was lacking the ornate carving that the others had, though someone had clearly tried to make it look a lot older with a splash of wood stain. The vines had also been hacked back, though judging by the new growth from their stems, this was at least a year ago.

"Of course, I could be wrong about it being empty since we left." she commented with a shrug. Pirates, smugglers or even bounty hunters may have used this place as a safe house for a short time. It made sense for them to come here, what with the rest of the Temple less fit to live in. She sensed no danger, so pushed open the door.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Kaili blinked at the mention of the Levantine Sanctum.

“Well. Chit.” She said in surprise and looked at Rosa. As a graduate of the Levantine Astronautical Academy it was a name she was familiar, which wasn’t to mention the stories she heard from Mara. If this was where all of that had started there was indeed a history behind the place, and one that Kaili wouldn’t have minded putting back in the books with the pristine tranquility that it deserved to be remembered with. First step was the tech and after that the reimagining of how it was all incorporated around them.

But that would have to wait. Kaili saw the way the vines had been cut clear to the security room. The doors was opened to expose what laid inside. Kaili’s eyes widened in horror.

“It’s fethed!” A hand ran through her hair. “Who did this?!”

It looked like a clear case of looting. Screens had been carved from their sockets as had a few other components of the console. Kaili’s fingers touched against the cold, dead metal and her eyes closed to mourn what she could see. The machine was still alive, even if only barely. Stripped for parts when it had still been in a perfect condition to keep on running. It cried to her with sparking bullets of pain and aggravation where its connections had been broken, the lights of which danced along the floor in a two second waltz before they faded into nothing.

A deep sigh burst through Kaili’s nose. The force filled the room with a vague buzz that even Rosa would feel, the same buzz that surrounded Kaili wherever she went and found comfort in. Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to tell much from it, but to Kaili who knew what was wrong with it there was no good news in it. At least not in its current state. Kaili mended what she could, let the machine experience a brief moment of being whole again so that she could poke at what few backups there might have been.

Kaili peeked inside each report, from beginning to end in order to find the one that was reported last.

“When did you get here?” Kaili kept her focus on the machine but felt a need to question Rosa nonetheless. “This machine was in a perfect working order two days ago.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa cast a solemn gaze over the ransacked equipment, her heart sinking. While Kaili saw the distress of the machine and the sacrilegious way it had been treated, Rosa saw another set back in getting the foundation off the ground. A set back that would cost precious time and money, neither of which were in plentiful supply. As Kaili buried herself in the machine to assess the damage Rosa moved to the opposite wall. The perfect place to see.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rosa placed her hands upon the wall and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes as she did. The walls memories washed over her, flicking past her eyelids in colourful blurs with powerful emotional stabs here and there. A wall could not feel, but it could see and some things it saw were distressing. She forced the flow to slow down as silence descend over the memories and watched the vines creep over the walls and machines before the doors were opened again. She glimpsed two trandoshans, a female twi'lek and a toydarian, she could feel each of them in the force, got a taste of their aura's before Kaili's voice drifted to her.

She withdrew her hands from the wall. Blinking slowly, the faces of the culprits still fresh in her mind, expanding her senses across the temple looking for a hint of them. "Two days...." she murmured distracted, not answering Kaili's question and she expanded her search beyond the temple and across the planet. "Pirates....I wouldn't call them scavengers, scavengers appreciate what they are taking a little more than they did, so we'll call them pirates."

She blinked again. Realising she hadn't answered Kaili's question and offered an apologetic smile. "A few hours before you." she answered. "Can you fix it, or do we need those parts back?"


[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Psychometry. Kaili had heard of it but had no experience of her own.

“Two days.” Kaili repeated before her teeth gritted, her voice went low. “Pirates. Of course it’s pirates.”

As a Warden it was hard to not hate them. It was people like them that made it seem like there was a need for Wardens in the first place. Smugglers were an indirect harm and not something Kaili wasted her time with unless there was cause for it. Cause being drug trade, the things that she could and wanted to act against. As a free agent it was really her own choice what she wanted to act on, and she liked it that way.

Didn’t help her from gritting her teeth at the mention of pirates.

“So it was scum then.” The girl shook her head. “Do you know if they’re around?”

“I’d like to talk to them.” The girl perked her brows and shifted her lips by her side to show her dismay.

“With my fists.” The clarification felt necessary.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Kaili's hatred towards the pirates hit Rosa hard, she drew in a sharp breath and felt Layil stir in the back of her mind, full of malice and hunger. A hand reached for the nearest console to steady herself. Eyes closing breifly before looking again at Kaili with an arched eyebrow. "They might be," she replied curtly "but your hatred and anger is providing a little too much interference, Kaili." her tone was a sharper than it had been. "Calm yourself please, pirates or not, they are still people."

Only when she felt the serpent settle down again did she let go of the console. "If we need to, I can track them. But only if we need to. And when we find them, violence will be our last option. Is that understood?"

Her tone had changed from one full of warmth, to one full of command. Kaili was a Master in her own right, but she was still young, and still very clearly affected by her emotions, and for an empath with an incredibly nasty alter ego, it was important for Rosa, that Kaili kept those emotions in check.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Well, she wanted to disagree with that. Pirates weren’t people, they deserved to at the very least take a small beating for the crimes they had committed against others. They had done worse to others, Kaili was merely handing them the back pay they’d amassed in their lives of vice and sin. But, something in Rosa struck a chord. The kid bowed her head in shameful compliance with the motherly demands. A half-hearted apology was had, but it didn’t ring very true.

“I will let you do the talking if we meet them.” Kaili set off a sidestare at the walls next to her with her head still bowed to Rosa. Wait, this wasn’t becoming of her. Deep breath, roll of her shoulders, and Kaili was back to normal.

“Okay, trying that again.” Kaili chuckled in embarrassment. “I will hold off any frustration I feel, should we run into them.”

“If you think we can find them, I think we should be able to repair that console in-full, might not even have to build a new one if we do.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Kaili's frustration at the pirates was understandable, but Rosa's past granted her a more forgiving attitude. The sins she had commited were likely to be far greater than that of the pirates, and would probably remain so for their lifespan. Perhaps one day, she might explain this to Kaili but today was most certainly not that opportunity. The sternness fell away from Rosa and she smiled her thanks.

"Alright," she agreed "I can find them." She returned to the door of the control chamber and pressed her hands against the wall, picking up the trace of their aura's in the wall's memories. "Come on." she called over her shoulder to Kaili, stretching her mind out in the force, reaching across the planet to find them. The buzz of life from the jungle was interfering but she reinforced the imprint of their aura's touching the walls now and then as she followed their memory trail through the temple. Then she found them, two or three clicks out from the temple, their auras full of glee and for the moment, stationary.

"I've got them." she told Kaili. "About three clicks out at most, its possible they set up camp there. I wonder how they got in, there was no disturbance in the hangar." She received her answer as they rounded another corner, and the sight brought Rosa to a halt. They had blown through the wall of the caves that surrounded the temple, spilling rubble across the temple floor. Artificial light spilled in from the right of the opening as the tunnel veered off. It took a great deal of effort on Rosa's part to stop herself from cursing them, it wouldn't do to become frustrated herself when she had just admonished Kaili for being frustrated herself. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, letting go of her annoyance at them. She understood the logic, if they used the front door, they were more likely to get caught. Making a back door meant an easier escape. Still, it showed complete disregard for the temple itself.

"Ok," she told Kaili. "I might let you punch them, let's see what they have to say for themselves first though."

Rosa led the way through the winding tunnel till it ended abruptly, an gaping hole in the cliff face with a sickening drop below them. Rosa gave a small glance over the edge and retreated several steps, looking pale. "Feth, I hate heights." They had to follow them on foot, taking to the skies would alert them to the fact that they'd been rumbled and they'd be off planet before Kaili or Rosa could catch them. Rosa took another deep breath and closed her eyes.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

The two women went on their way to find the waywards pirates. For a moment Kaili found herself asking the question they were both seemingly asking themselves; how did they get in here? But much like always in situations like these it would turn out to be a question you didn’t really want an answer to. They rounded a corner and what they found was the gaping hole that could only have been left by something similar to a set of controlled charges. Didn’t take an empath to see the way it affected Rosa. What with Kaili being allowed to maybe punch them again.

They stepped up to the hole and Kaili couldn’t help but poke her head out to look down at the world below. Brows perked while Kaili mouthed a quiet ‘oh chit’ at what she saw. Stepping back she looked back at Rosa. Didn’t seem to share her disregard for heights.

“Hey,” Kaili placed her hand on Rosa’s shoulder. She wanted to hug her, but in a state such as this she knew that would just make it worse. “That’s okay, we all get scared every now and then. Just remember that you are in control, okay? Deep breaths.”

“We’ll get the chitheads who did this, and when I get back home I’ll get you a droid that will fix this and anything else you need right up, but we need to get to these scum- I mean, looters first.” Kaili let in a deep breath merely to follow along Rosa. “Whenever you’re ready.”