Private A storm in the sky

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

Choli caught the weight of Trextan's words, and for a moment, a pang of uncertainty flickered through her.

Three years, she thought. Too long. But then, how does one even start to explain that it hadn't been about the time; it had been about the space between them. After everything that had happened, the thought of seeing him again so soon had been harder than she expected. Harder than she wanted to admit. That's why it had taken so long and why she'd tried to get information out of Chloe for what Trextan was up to rather than try and reach out for him herself -- not to mention, risking the chance that he just might not have wanted to talk or see her at all.

She bit down on her lower lip, her brow furrowing slightly as memories stirred. She'd wondered, in the silence between then and now, what it would be like to see him again. But here they were, sitting together in the meditation chamber, trying to find their way forward.

"Yeah... maybe we can fix that," she muttered, eyes flicking toward the hologram. Fix it was probably the wrong phrase, but it was a start. They had been close once -- hell, they had practically been inseparable after the Alliance fell living on the tight confines of the Verre.. Maybe trying to get back to the friendship they initially had wouldn't be impossible.

Her gaze drifted toward the Dathomiri woman projected in the air, a faint hum of tension in the air as she waited for Trextan to ask his question. She was distracted enough to let a small sigh slip past her lips before she added, "More like knowing what to look out for and how to fight Dathomiri Sithspawn and Nightsister majick."

She glanced at Trextan, one brow arching, "We are short on time. Best to make it as precise as possible."

Shae Koda's voice filled the space, the hum of the Force laced within her words as she spoke of Nightsisters, alchemy, and control over beasts. The information was valuable, but limited, as she had no reference of Sith alchemy combined with Nightsister majick.

Choli chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "Hmm...we will need to check the other datacrons or holocrons for more specific details. If we're talking about Rave Merrill's work, it's been pretty recent -- maybe within the last fifty years. Might be something in the Jedi Acadey Library archives." Her tone was casual, but the flicker of frustration she hid behind it was all too real.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Fix it.

It was an interesting choice of words, but given his own choices he decided not to read into that. It was an offer. Trextan hadn't had any real relationships before Choli. In fact he hadn't had anything similar since. There had been a brief fling with a girl on Corellia and then his friends with benefits meetings with Lossa.

He had a brief mental image of Choli asking exactly what 'friends with benefits' meant as a concept and felt his heart sink into his stomach.

He distracted his mind with the task at hand.

"Hmm...we will need to check the other datacrons or holocrons for more specific details. If we're talking about Rave Merrill's work, it's been pretty recent -- maybe within the last fifty years. Might be something in the Jedi Acadey Library archives." Her tone was casual, but the flicker of frustration she hid behind it was all too real.

"Yeah. I'll check the network."

He stood to activate the link to the Jedi academy network. Choli knew the holocrons Chloe had stored in more detail than he did.

"This really might be outside of my abilities to deal with," he thought out loud. "I'm not exactly good at going into weird and mystical. I wonder if I could even sense a spell coming, let alone stop it."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

Choli glanced up, her gaze lingering on Trextan as he focused on the network feed, checking data streams and security logs. It was strange, seeing him here like this after all this time -- older, no longer a boy from his profile. They'd done this routine a hundred times before, and yet the sight of him now felt oddly surreal.

She slid the Shae Koda holocron carefully back into its secure place, fingers brushing the cool casing with a familiarity that grounded her.

"Well... if you wanted to, you could learn more about it," she began slowly, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Chloe's has ties with the Witch Clans, especially the Rekalis. I spent some time with her visiting them. Learned a thing or two, though I would recommend having a guide if you're thinking about heading to Dathomir." Her expression turned serious, warning in her voice.

"Depending on where you land, you could run into a Nightsister or one of the more traditional Witches who would be all too eager to stake a claim. Not every clan out there is friendly." some still very enthusiastically kidnapped men to claim for their own or did not take any men coming to seek knowledge seriously unless they came with a female sponser.

Choli's mouth set in a line as she secured the holocron with a quiet click, thoughts drifting to the unrest she'd heard about since the Neo-Crusaders started to rise. Not the best time to be on Dathomir without backup, she reckoned. "But we do not have the time to go down that path anyway," she added, shutting the vault door. "Doubt we can detour to learn from them in person before diving into one of Rave's vault ships."

She moved back toward him, crossing the quiet of the room until she stood at his side, craning her neck to see what he'd brought up on the screen. A thought came up, recalling the conversation in the cockpit not a half hour prior.

"From what Chloe mentioned, you seemed more interested in blasters than anything mystical anyway." She raised an eyebrow, arms crossing loosely. "Guess some things do not change." considering he had always had one with him besides his lightsaber back then.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Depending on where you land, you could run into a Nightsister or one of the more traditional Witches who would be all too eager to stake a claim. Not every clan out there is friendly."

"Stake a claim?" he asked.

Trextan had listened to the general overview of the night sisters but her turn of phrase didn't quite resonate.

He sat patiently and tapped at the screen as she returned the holocron. Even training with the Sith, knowledge and power were revered. They were not cautious, like the Jedi, but they were still respectful. In the accoustically sealed chamber of knowledge, it felt appropriate to sit still and talk softly.

"From what Chloe mentioned, you seemed more interested in blasters than anything mystical anyway." She raised an eyebrow, arms crossing loosely. "Guess some things do not change."

He glanced over his shoulder at Choli. The peaceful state broken by that single raised eyebrow. He grinned.

"I refused to use my lightsaber against the first Ren we met. As I expected, they took it as a sign of disrespect and got angry."

He knew that after what she had been through and with his father's warning of the dark side and his own potential, that he should be looking back at recent events solemnly. Instead there was a touch of spite and a little pride at punishing those who had captured Choli.

"Anyway... I won't get to be an expert by the time we get to the ship but maybe there is something here..."

He looked back at the screen.

"Most things on Rave Merril have to be unlocked and I haven't the time to find an ally in the Jedi library at Coruscant to give me access. However we've got a lot of files on sith poison. Molecular composition...hang on. A guide for jedi healers in the field..."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

"Stake a claim?"

In the old days, Choli might've blushed explaining this kind of thing. But years on the move, drifting from world to world, had taught her plenty about different cultures, ways of living -- and yeah, after time spent on that SIS ship, Choli already was familiar on how people could be; Omar had been the worst. Explaining about the witches and their mating methods wasn't an issue.

"Mmhmm," she nodded, leaning casually on the console. "The Witches of Dathomir and the Nightsisters run a matriarchal society. For a lot of clans, men are still seen as property -- whether for labor, breeding, or whatever else the head matriarchs decide. Some of the more progressive clans give men equal rights, even let them hold leadership. But in others? They're second class, left vulnerable to all sorts of claiming games unless they've got a female sponsor or some bond to a woman."

At the mention of Sith poison, her brow lifted, and she leaned in, eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the holoscreen. Standing nearly eye level with Trextan now, it would be easy to catch a whiff of her shampoo, a familiar, earthy scent that had lingered whenever they previously had access to a water refresher. Bits and pieces of the past that she had left on the Verre; how much of her things were still there or had been packed up?

"Good," she muttered, nodding at the information displayed. "Chloe thinks there could be Sith poison traps. We need to prep for any way to counter it -- or at least brace ourselves. If we can not figure it out, we might have to dip into witch territory for help." She sighed at that, knowing how thin their time already was but unable to shake the need for thoroughness.

Her eyes flicked back to Trextan as she took a steadying breath. "Alright, we should run through the Jedi field healing guide to make sure we're on the same page. I know you have plenty of Force potential, but did you leran any healing skills?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

For a lot of clans, men are still seen as property -- whether for labor, breeding, or whatever else the head matriarchs decide.

"Spend my life having people fight over me for..."

Trextan was close to making a complete joke about a life being chained up and put to work but decided they had important matters to look into. Power dynamics

"...I'll make sure not to go there alone."


The scent of her hair immediately took him down a path through his memories. It wasn't that he moved quickly through his memories, it was that the path drew shorter.

Before he could stop himself, he lifted his right arm as if to place it around Choli. It very quickly dropped back to his side.

I know you have plenty of Force potential, but did you leran any healing skills?"

"A little."

He used a round knob on the side of the screen to scroll down the pages of green text on black.

"I've accelerated my own healing, but not very well."

"This says... Slow the heart to slow the initial spread. Sedate the patient and seek help. That's not useful. Simple war time principal is that two people carrying wounded takes three out of the fight. More here. Keep calm. Meditate. Several drugs that have a side effect of 'emotional blunting'. "

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker


There was a subtle motion behind her that Choli barely discerned, glancing back up at Trextan to see what it was. But when she turned to look over her shoulder to face him, he seemed to be adjusting himself and glancing at the holo screen and not at her.

Although, it was a double-edged sword because there he was again, the reminder of how close he was.

"Well, a little is better than nothing," Choli admitted, giving an incline of her head. Although a frown came over her face when she was thinking.

"Drugs that give off a side effect of emotional blunting?" A few more blinks and a shake of her head, "Well, not something I would want to have to face so let us see what we can do to prevent that if any of the Force users in the group are affected by Sith Poison."

"Come on then... We can go over what this is guiding us to do if necessary. I can teach you how to apply it to someone else just in case." she told him, glancing back up at him as she singled out the information on Jedi Healing.

"I may not be as great of a Force user as you, but I have learned a few tricks since we last met."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"You've always been talented and I've always been quite limited in the few things I can do so well," Trextan admitted.

He tried to catch the colour of her eyes. It was difficult to do at such proximity without appearing to stare.

"Yeah we can do that. That might actually be the best we can do to get ready."

Trextan was about to ask what she had learned and how they would practise together when he scrolled onto the next page. He read out loud.

"Whilst not recommended, a relatively... Benign toxin cam be ingested and healers can practise removing this with the Force."

"It doesn't say alcohol, but I think it's sting alcohol? Take a shot and try and force it out?"

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

It was a good thing Choli wasn't looking directly at Trextan, or the faint flush creeping up her olive complexion might've given her away. At least, that's what she told herself.

Her focus shifted, pale gray eyes swirling in thought -- until she caught him watching her. That look made her stomach do an odd little twist, and the gray deepened to a darker hue, betraying a flicker of nervousness. She quickly dropped her gaze to the holoscreen, hoping he hadn't noticed.

Trextan's suggestion broke the moment, his voice steady as he brought up practicing with benign toxins.

"... So take a poison and practice removing it?" Choli blinked, processing the idea. Then, after a moment, she nodded, her tone laced with consideration. "Actually... that could work. If it is something mild enough to just make me queasy, you could practice on me."

Coming from someone who had just been on an interrogation chair hours ago that said something.

Then again, Choli had always been the sort to just push forward, regardless if it was good for her or not.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Yeah, I wasn't joking about the alcohol. That's poison right? Maybe chloe has got some vodka and..."

Trextan frowned as the idea of her offer sank in.

"You just came out of the medical bay. You've probably still got drugs in your system. Probably shouldn't. Why don't you practise today?"

He scrolled down the screen, but there was little more information. Sith poisons varied in molecular structure and the magic used in their creation. There was no simple cure. Mental fortitude and cleansing of the toxins were the only real defence.

He was not as strong as her. He never had been. Together with his brushes against the dark side of the Force and he started to suspect that Chloe was most worried about him. Going from their valuable asset to a liability bothered him.

Trextan turned off the computer.

"Besides, you're a lightweight anyway," he quipped. Veering away from a little self doubt caught him up in memories of how a few drinks had often eroded her remarkable self control.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

I wasn't joking about the alcohol. That's poison right? Maybe Chloe has got some vodka and…

"She has plenty of Corellian Whiskey along with --" Choli began, only to be interrupted by Trextan turning to her, a furrow over his brow and his voice curt in response that she had just come out of the med bay and very well could still have medicine in her system.

"Alright then," Choli replied, lifting her hands up as if leaving him to it. Ye,t all the while, the ruddiness over her face darkened just a shade. Bringing up that she was a lightweight and anything having to do with drinking brought to the fore memories of how the few instances that they did partake had resulted between the two of them. Trextan wasn't the only one to remember just how her ridged sense of control seemed to wane, inhibitions seemingly disapearing in the ease they once had in getting lost with each other.

"Well, Let us see how Chloe takes to the suggestion we get you intoxicated, and I practice cleansing it out of you." She told him, stepping away from him before even more images decided to pop up and distract her. Three years should have been enough to let her forget. Clearly, they weren't. Then again, he'd been the only one she'd ever had let that close.

"You will need to make sure you have food in your belly at least. No need to have you tossing up your stomach contents across the deck if this doesn't work."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Er yeah, good call,” Trextan replied.

Choli had always been a pragmatist.

“Please don't think less of me when I pull a face,” he added. There was a soft hiss as the sealed chamber opened.

“I don't exactly drink spirits very often. I won't eat too much though, we do need it in my system.”

If this went wrong, he realised, he could end up alone with Choli and quite drunk. He could be quite terse, although that aspect had softened over time. When drunk he could be a little too honest.

He could end up blurting some private thoughts about how he had been feeling. He hated talking about his feelings. Or he could admit feeling guilty at realising he liked the change in the athletic shape of her hips when he should have been worrying about sith.

“We should go somewhere quiet where we won't be distracted by one of the loud ones,” he said as they reached the kitchen.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

He didn’t normally drink spirits often? Oh. So then that didn’t change…

The thought rose before Choli could reign it in. One of the many curiosities that came up from time to time when the Epicanthix had wondered how he’d been doing, what he was up to, who he was with.

The sort of things that made her aware was nothing but a black hole to dive into that didn’t have any practicality or purpose other than making her mind wander to what-ifs.

“We can just come back to the meditation room,” Choli offered, wisps of dark hair falling from her makeshift messy topknot to flank the sides of her face and tickle the curve of her neck. The galley was far larger than the one on the Veree, enough for a large round table and booths to eat family style.

Nevermind that going back to the meditation room would mean they would be alone again.

“I will ask Chloe if she can let us borrow a bottle some something that is not too strong then.”

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Trextan asked.

One glance and he knew that she was. When she put her mind to something, it would not be changed easily.

"I'm sorry," he said, deciding an explanation was in order. "Your call. I just..."

He gathered a breath. He had to follow that up with something. She didn't need to hear that he'd thought about reaching out to her until it felt so late that he would have no way to explain himself. She didn't need to hear about the regret he had felt.

He had imagined the torture she had suffered years ago and to see it happening before him had hurt.

"Just care about you. Don't want you to over do it. Or maybe I just don't want to be embarrassed trying to down a glass of whisky."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

"Just care about you. Don't want you to over do it. Or maybe I just don't want to be embarrassed trying to down a glass of whisky."

Care about you. He still cared about her? Hearing that caused Choli to pause, unable to help herself glance up at him, a viridian color shift into her eyes that relayed her confusion and, perhaps, a subtle shift of vulnerability there.

Her jaw tensed and she took a breath, then cast her gaze away. "I was just thinking that we likely do not have time to waste..." She began, biting her lower lip before her right hand came up to rub at the back of her neck.

"The Knights of Ren will not stop for anyone. If I do not do it, then it is up to Chloe -- and she is already exhausted from having to heal me and do whatever she did to make sure getting all of us out worked." slanted eyes would search the surroundings. Trextan was right, once she got her mind set it was hard to pull her off course.

"I can handle myself. I am not the kid I once was," she told him quietly. An adult now, who had passed her rites to show she could be a warrior but also handle what came her way.

"And it is not like I have not seen you get buzzed before, so what is there to be embarrassed of?" At least, that is what Choli was telling herself. Never mind what came to mind then.

"Or does hard liquor affect you differently than beer?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"I know you're not and you were probably strong enough back then," he agreed.

There was cold hard logic behind her rationale. He couldn't argue with any of it. In the past they had jumped into situations without planning the consequences. This time they knew they had to face this challenge.

"Differently?" he smiled a offered a shrug. He didn't smile often and their situation had been grave. "It didn't end so badly last time."

That,hl he thought to himself, was probably crossing a line. Were they allowed to talk about that?

"Let's... See if Chloe is fine with this and make a start."

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

Hearing Trextan tell her she'd probably been strong enough back then made Choli pause, her breath catching as the weight of his words settled. They'd been through so much, more than anyone their age should've had to handle. They'd seen and survived things no teenager should have to, piecing themselves together alone at times, and together when it mattered.

The memory stung, bittersweet, and she had to push it aside before it dug too deep.

But when Trextan brought up that the last time he drank hadn't ended so badly, she couldn't stop the sharp inhale that followed. Her chest rose as she tried to steady herself, glancing away quickly. Choli turned on her heel, moving toward a storage panel. She grabbed some snacks from the compartment, hoping the busy work would hide how much his words -- his smile -- had unsettled her. It was a smile she hadn't seen in years, and one that stirred up feelings she wasn't ready to confront.

"If you get too rowdy, I will figure something out," she quipped, tossing the line out casually as she grabbed another packet. The back of her mind chided her for the weak attempt at banter. She'd gotten better at it over the years, especially after spending so much time with the crews she'd flown with -- the Wraiths, the SIS operatives, and countless other spacers and Wardens. Banter had become second nature.

"Yeah, I will ask Chloe," she added quickly, her voice a little too tight as she cleared her throat. "We will figure out the next step once she weighs in."

She tucked the snacks under her arm and turned back toward him, handing him the snacks, her resolve firming just enough to meet his gaze. Maybe the years apart hadn't erased everything, but they still had a lot of ground to cover.

"Here, eat," She ordered him with that tone that offered no argument. So similar to the past when she'd been more than willing to use the same tone to show him where, how, and what to do.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

But when Trextan brought up that the last time he drank hadn't ended so badly, she couldn't stop the sharp inhale that followed.

Oh, he thought to himself as she turned away. Having known Choli so well, he should have been beyond assuming that all memories of their past would not affect her. She could be so pragmatic and he could still be naive. Of course she had the very same feelings as he did to think back to those moments. She had been there, enjoying them with him.

"If you get too rowdy, I will figure something out," she quipped, tossing the line out casually as she grabbed another packet.

He grinned at her and gave a subtle shake of his head. It felt good to broach the subject of their past. A younger Trextan might have thought it was some kind of invitation to flirt more seriously, but he saw it for what it was.

"Probably, pain," he said.

"Here, eat," She ordered him with that tone that offered no argument.

Trextan didn't argue. He opened a packet of his favourite biscuits and made a start on them. He could put food away at any time, but if he ate too much then there wouldn't be enough alcohol in his system to purge. At least that was as far as his knowledge of biology went.

As he sat in the archive room alone, disconnected from the sound of the engines, he could consider quite how odd the situation was. He could also consider that there would be a time beyond the Ren. That he wanted to make sure that they stayed in touch this time.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker

The Aurora Hawk hummed gently around Choli as she made her way toward the cockpit, the sound of the ship's systems her constant companion. The corridors felt oddly quiet, though she knew it was just her nerves talking. Seeing Trextan again had shaken something loose inside her, something she wasn't sure she was ready to confront. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Choli reached the cockpit just as the faint shimmer of stars outside the viewport elongated, signaling a micro-jump into hyperspace. Chloe was now in the pilot's seat, hands steady on the controls. The Corellian Warden's sharp blue eyes flicked to Choli as she entered, one blonde brow arching in a silent question.

"Something on your mind?" Chloe asked, her voice calm and steady, as always.

Choli hesitated for half a heartbeat, her determined expression firmly in place. "Yeah. I was wondering if you had any alcohol onboard."

That got Chloe's full attention. She turned in her seat, swiveling to face Choli fully, her expression caught somewhere between curiosity and concern. "A little early to plan a victory party without me, or is this about Trextan?"

Choli crossed her arms, bracing herself. "It is for training. Practicing detoxifying poison with the Force. Trextan's the one drinking, not me."

Chloe's brow rose higher, and for a moment, the older woman studied her, as if peeling back layers Choli hadn't realized were visible. "You sure about this?"

Choli nodded firmly, though she could feel a slight edge to her voice as she replied. "We need to be ready for anything. One of the files on the Jedi Academy network indicated that there is a possibility of being able to remove Sith poison by detoxifying it out of the body with the Force. If there is a chance we will run into Sith poison on Rave's vault ship, we can not go in blind. It's better to practice now than... well, risk it later. If this gives us a little peace of mind, it is worth it."

Chloe leaned back in her chair, her arms folding as she considered. Finally, she nodded. "Okay. Check the galley. There should be a few bottles in the storage compartments. I'd go for something lighter if you're planning to use it for practice. The strong stuff might be a bit much for a test run."

"Got it. Thanks," Choli said, turning to leave.

But Chloe's voice stopped her before she reached the door. "Hey."

Choli turned back, her hand resting on the doorframe.

"Take it slow, alright?" Chloe's tone softened, her sharp features easing just slightly. "I know it's been a while since you've seen him. It's the same for him, too. I've been the one passing updates between the two of you, so I know you both still care. It might be rough seeing him again, but don't forget -- you were close friends before anything else. Don't lose sight of that."

Choli's throat tightened, but she managed a nod. "I'll try."

"Good." Chloe smiled faintly, turning back to the controls as the stars began to shift again, preparing for the next jump. "Now go. And don't come crying to me if Trextan can't hold his liquor."

That managed to pull a smirk out of Choli as she slipped out of the cockpit, her thoughts churning but purpose in her step regardless. Alright back to the galley.

Once there, the Warden spotted Trextan chomping down on some snacks.

"CHloe gave the okay -- just warned not to go into party mode without her." She quipped, moving towards the section of the cupboards that would hold the liquor.

"Her one condition was to not do any of the stronger stuff -- so... pick your poison I guess." she told him, opening the door to reveal the options of the various bottles secured there. "What do you want?"

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

"Oh yeah, she knows us. Hard drinking trouble makers," Trextan replied. He had a good deadpan sarcastic tone down. Talking about drinking together still brought up thoughts of what happened on those fee occasions when they had drunk enough to wear down their inhibitions.

"I don't want open a bottle of wine. Half would good to waste..." he reasoned. He didn't like wine at all, finding it too acrid.

Whisky was strong. That had been banned by Chloe and it would have been embarrassing coughing in front of Choli.

He found a mid strength rum and twisted off the lid.

"This smells alright," Trextan said. He could a sip. He pulled a face as a little colour reached his cheeks.

"I'll manage."