Adventures on Voss

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

As Celiana readied Thema's ship out of the cargo bay, the Chiss took the opportunity to head back into her chambers, changing into something less skimpy. Taking the liberty of browsing through the older Jedi's wardrobe, she exchanged her shorts for a pair of light trousers, and her gown for a gray tee. Paired with her bomber jacket, it'd look alright, and identifiable. Making sure to lock the mechanical door, she undressed and changed quickly, coming out in a few minutes. She took a quick glance in the mirror, taking a quick spin, before exiting out towards the bridge. There, she could find her hostess already exiting the ship. Hoping she hadn't missed anything important, she joined her, squinting her eyes at the dazzling sunset.

"Oh-" She said, a bit surprised to see the fighter in such state of disrepair. She knew it would be bad, but this was... Well, it could easily pose as a scrap heap. But deep in the mess of a broken hull and snapped wires, she knew the Jedi Starfighter was still one of the best ships in the galaxy. "Do you... Think we should repair it?" She asked Celiana uncertainly, already calculating the immeasurable costs.

 

[Celiana]

As I was standing in the hangar Thema came down the ramp and saw her fighter, I idly noted that she'd switched out clothes and glanced at the sunset. The fighter was in sorry shape but I could fix damn near anything so I wasn't too worried about it. She was looking it over though as if to calculate the costs of the parts for repairs. She confirmed what I thought she was doing when she asked in a bit of a surprised voice, "Oh, do you...think we should repair it?" She looked quite sad at the idea of not having her fighter and I understood that, it was hers.

"Sweetie, I can fix damn near anything. Just look it over and give me a list of parts and I'll have it back working in no time. Though I suppose that can wait a bit, I can always order parts in and get to that after the tour. I believe I also promised a lap or so against me..."

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

Thema released a low whistle as she approached the fighter, clearly displeased with it's current state. The hull was blasted to pieces, that was for sure. Thema was certain the hyperdrive had been damaged in the jump to escape the Sith, but otherwise, the destruction could be anywhere. She'd heard stories of Jedi Ace pilots who could read their ship's condition using the Force, but Thema was lightyears away from that ability. No, she'd have to start a full diagnostic on the ship.

"The exterior damage is terrible." She reported, to no one in particular. "The hull will have to be stripped down entirely, and the cockpit is damaged from your-" she playfully glared at Celiana, "methods." She wasn't actually angry, she'd saved her life at the cost of the airtight seal, which in her eyes was a wonderful tradeoff. She paced back towards the spacecraft's propulsors, cringing at the torn up afterburners and exhaust. Clearly, it was in no state to go anywhere. "The propulsion will have to be replaced too, though the engines... Seem fine, honestly. I know for a fact the hyperdrive is dead. Everything else?" She hummed, making her way back to Celiana.

"Everything else is hard to tell, honestly." She admitted, crossing her arms. "I'm unsure of the computer's state. If the black box is alright, diagnostics would go along easier. Either way, a lot of it will have to be scrapped." She turned towards Celiana, red eyes softening. "Listen- I don't have any way to pay half of this. Unless you can lend me a small fortune, we'd be best selling this for parts."

 

[Celiana]

I heard Thema running through what was wrong with her fighter. I also caught her gorgeous red eyes softening as she looked at her fighter's condition. She explained that she didn't have any way to pay for even half the repairs before saying unless I could lend her a small fortune that it'd be better to scrap it. Little did she know the true extent of my resources.....

Finally reaching a decision I said, "Hmmm....Tell you what sugar, give me a list of your top three choices in fighters, or ships and I'll take the parts from this in exchange for your choice of either ship or fighter. My methods have left me with a large amount of money that most Jedi wouldn't ever see. Nor do most approve of my methods. But I have quite a bit of shall we say play money...."

[member="Thema Csapla"]

OOC: Sorry I just was going through my current RP's and realized I owed you a post. Sorry

 

[Thema Csapla]

OOC: It's cool! I was thinking of sending you a reminder, but I decided against it, at the end. Btw, I'm on vacation, so replies will be on sh*tty mobile til a few weeks.

For a moment, Thema froze, registering and processing Celiana's words. It sounded surreal to her- The ship was scrap, hardly a fair exchange for a ship. The trade seemed like more than a gift, than anything. In a split second decision, her confusion snapped into a dazzling smile of overwhelmed joy, followed by a childish, enthusiastic hug. Giggling, she started speaking breathlessly, "Thank you!" She repeated at least a dozen times, clearly excited by the prospect of having her very own ship. Another squeeze, and she pulled out of the hug, calming herself down a bit, but remaining with that silly grin on her Chiss features.

Not wanting to make Celiana uncomfortable, she clasped her hands together, rubbing them in excitement. "Gah-" she thought for a minute, trying to decide on a ship. An X-wing? A dynamic class freighter? Maybe even a Fang Fighter... "I can't decide." She finally stated, clearing the jumble of thoughts from her mind. "But," she offered, "the ship is all yours, if you help me find one I like."

 

[Celiana]

Having Thema hug me was....nice. She started saying the words thank you in rapid succession then she said, "it's all yours if you can help me find a ship I like. An X-wing, Dynamic class freighter, a fang fighter? Gahhh! I can't decide." Chuckling to myself I said, "I'd recommend a light to medium sized freighter for you sugar, better shielding than a fighter and you could fit a small fighter inside the freighter. Though I tend to use swoop-bikes more than anything. Force knows I've got enough to buy one."

"We can come back to the hangar later though, I still owe you a tour and a few laps on the Voss swoop track."

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

"Yeah, a light freighter seems nice." She agreed, humming dimly and crossing her arms, rubbing her sides. "I'll search for a few later, just remind me to ask for your judgement." Her eyes flicked over to the ruined scrap heap, scanning it in a new light. A ticket to independence, it seemed like. Regardless, she'd miss the thing.

"Alright. I'm ready to go when you are." She offered, turning back towards her hostess, pulling her eyes from the fighter. "Thanks again for the swoop race. Gosh- It's really exhilarating." Not necessarily very Jedi-like, but she wasn't about to add that.

 

[Celiana]

I read into the meaning behind her words. She told me to remind her to ask for my judgment on the ship later. I caught her eyes flicking over to her ruined fighter though now with a look as though weighing the possibilities, though there was also emotion there almost akin to losing a good friend. The next words she spoke were amusing to be sure, "Alright I'm ready to go when you are. Thanks again for the swoop race. Gosh-it's really exhilarating."

Chuckling out loud I said, "Also not quite good Jedi behavior. Though nor is bounty-hunting, smuggling, or theft of valuables with Sith research inside. Regardless I wouldn't change the lifestyle." Walking ahead of her a bit I asked, "the temple tour first? Ride against me at sunset? You honestly look like you could use a good meal first before we do anything else."

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

Thema furrowed her eyebrows at the prospect of food. After their shared nap, something to eat seemed nice. Hell, maybe some caf to go along with it. "Food sounds great." She said immediately, before her cheeks flushed, and she added politely, "but it's your choice, of course. I'm new to this place, of course."

Quickening her step, she followed on behind Celiana, letting her previous words sink in. She seemed like a rogue, that was for sure. That said, the light was strong with her. "As long as you aren't hurting the innocent... May the Force be with you."

 

[Celiana]

"Brilliant! So food first then." Leading the way to the turbolift I gestured for Thema to get in. She'd said something though as long as you're not hurting the innocent may The Force be with you. That hurt, not the fact that she'd said it but rather the stigma of Bounty-hunters, smugglers, thieves and the like. That we were heartless criminals with no moral compass. I hoped I hid the hurt and that it didn't show to Thema anyways.

In my lines of work it was utterly impossible to avoid hurting someone. I'd never make the choice to hurt someone innocent but what about Aria? That hurt to think about, that it was a possibility of my hurting her, or my work hurting her... As we'd made our way to the lift I'd rather forcefully pushed the button that'd take us both to the Cafeteria and food for us both.

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

Thema picked up on the slight ripple of emotion as they walked. It wasn't a push or anything - She could notice it in her features, and uncharacteristic silence. Out of embarassment, she followed suit, not speaking as they boarded the lift.

Taking ahold of the railing, she looked at the dusty city, quietly thinking. Finally, after a few minutes, she said something. "Should we order breakfast?" She asked, trying to break the ice that had formed between the two. "I'm not used to the time here. Sorry."

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

Speaking my thoughts aloud I said,"Well I'm good with breakfast, plus the pancakes are to die for I've always been a fan of breakfast even as a little girl." I'd caught the way she'd looked at me and the fact that she'd picked up on my emotions if even slightly. I never was the best at concealing them. Then she said, "Sorry." That irritated me and I quickly said, "An instructor of mine used to correct my blade work and I made quite a few mistakes. Her response when I apologized was don't be sorry just fix it. The fact is that being a Jedi we're taught to control our emotions, that's not the proper way to do things. It leads to bottled up barely controlled emotions."

"The thing is that it wasn't what you said but how it was said. I don't get off on hurting people dear, in fact I'm very particular about what jobs I take and what things I do. My bounty hunting is a way to release those emotions and allow me to control them and not the other way around. But the fact that you said as long as you're not hurting innocents then go for it...." I whipped around on my heel and said, "Love if they're hurting they earned it by attacking me, enslaving others, or the most dangerous threatening or laying hands on people I love."

Realizing I'd probably frightened her with the ferocity of my words I gestured for her to exit the lift. Following after her I got a cup of Caf and began filling a plate with breakfast food. "Love, it's dangerous what I do and I didn't have a choice when I was your age about what I could do. I became a student here for that reason, to be a blade of light in the deafening dark. To protect others at the cost of even my own life, bounty hunting well...as I've said I am very particular about the jobs I take. Bounty-hunters, smugglers, thieves.... we all have our own version of the Jedi Code that we're honor bound to adhere to. Honor is something I take very seriously."

Having sat down I took a sip of my caf and started chewing on some bacon and eggs whilst I began drowning my pancakes in blueberry syrup. Finishing that off I looked at Thema and said, "Any questions as to what bounty-hunting consists of? Better to ask someone who does so than lumping us all together in the future hmmm?"

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

For the first time since she'd met this woman, Thema was honestly shocked. It wasn't out of her words, but of her tone. It reminded her of a scolding, brittle Jedi master, if said master were to be extremely defensive about mercenary work. Of course, she listened to Celiana's words silently, keeping whatever protests she had to herself. For the second time in the past twenty four hours, the thought of abandoning the Gray Jedi crossed her mind. Sure, she claimed her bounty hunting came with a code, morals, and limitations- But she knew better than to listen to her blindly. It took only a stack of credits for an honourable mercenary to turn into a cold blooded hitman.

But even as she doubted Celiana, she couldn't help but consider how her Jedi lifestyle might mix with that of a merc. What exactly were the limits of her moral code? What were her beliefs? Was she actually a Jedi, as she claimed to be?

'Irrelevant questions.' She mentally scolded herself, trying her best to think up of a non-hostile response to Celiana's lecture. She could feel her muscles tense up as her mouth opened, hostility of her body betraying her words. "Well, I'm not one to judge who you are." She shrugged, trying to wave off the confrontation of beliefs. "What you do is your business."

With that, she turned her head from Celiana, avoiding her gaze as she stared down at her caf, trying to relax. Hunger was a pretty good distraction. As soon as she rest her eyes on the brown, rich liquid, she tilted the mug up to her lips, and she could feel the buzz of caffine already open up her appetite.

 

[Celiana]

I saw the shock cross her face. "Thema, I know the idea of a Jedi being a merc isn't something most people consider and that's part of how I could tell of the slight disapproval. But there were several examples of this throughout history dear. Quinlan Vos, Asajj Ventress, even Bardan Jusik who all lived during the clone wars. Asajj Ventress was aligned with the dark side before being betrayed by Dooku. She redeemed herself through the various ordeals."

I saw her take a sip of caf and I took a moment to chew my food before continuing my thought. "Thema, one of the reasons I do work as a bounty-hunter is it gives me a source of income if I ever decide to leave the Jedi. The reason I personally choose which contracts I'll take up is that it gives me control to keep my business clean. Most hunter they don't care as long as they're paid, I couldn't do that. I always have been about protecting others and there's a reason I don't do as well as the other hunters. I don't kill unless put in the position where I have to in order to defend myself but I always try to not be put in that scenario."

I wasn't exactly sure why I was defending myself to this girl but I felt on edge about it. Before I'd flown out to rescue her I'd been looking at the available bounties and there were only two on a list of twenty individuals that I'd considered taking and there were valid reasons for that. One had been a confirmed predator and there was a request to deliver him to the authorities, the other was a serial killer and had just claimed another victim. That offer hadn't been to take him in the government had grown tired of him and needed their people safe and him gone. I could sense questions in her mind about what I believed. She'd said "I'm not one to judge who you are. what you do is your business."

Smiling after taking a sip of my caf I said, "If you've questions about this lifestyle, my beliefs, or how I can be a bounty-hunter and a Jedi then ask them dear. I'll answer whatever you ask honestly."

Pouring a small lake of syrup over my pancakes I began cutting them and took a bite of my large heap of bacon. Crunchy, just how I liked it. Crunching my bacon thoughtfully I waited for her response.

[member="Thema Csapla"]

 

[Thema Csapla]

[member="Celiana"]

Thema, with a thought, set her mug down, and took her silverware in her hands. Her offer was tempting- As per usual, Thema had questions about everything the Jedi had to offer. But she wasn't too anxious to ask those questions just yet. It wasn't that they weren't interesting, it's just that it wasn't the right moment. "Maybe later." She declined, a musing tone as she cut a slice of plainly dressed pancake.

"Honestly... I wanna know more about you." She admitted, before forking a bite of food into her mouth. She was famished, and the food did wonders to her mood. After chewing and swallowing, she looked up from her plate, forgetting about the previous topic. "You're a bounty hunter, okay. But why not join a more militarized faction linked to the Jedi? You could've gotten rich off the Alliance or the Republic- Why the Silver Sanctum?" She gestured with her fork, pointing/stabbing at her in midair as she asked the questions. She didn't want to come off as hostile, she was just genuinely curious. Curious about that, and the Silver Sanctum itself, but the latter would be addressed some other time.

 

[Celiana]

Crunching the piece of bacon in my mouth I swallowed and took a sip of my caf. She had my interest now after saying that she honestly wanted to know more about me. She said, "You're a bounty-hunter. Ok, but why didn't you join a more militarized branch linked to the Jedi? You could've gotten rich off the Alliance or Republic, Why the Silver Sanctum?" Smiling at her logical questioning I took a bite of syrup drowned pan-cakes and after chewing thoughtfully and taking another sip of Caf I answered her questions.

"Because while you're right and I could've linked up with the Alliance or the Republic for that matter had I joined a military branch linked to the Jedi I would've lost the freedom to make my own choices. Something my teachers, my mother before them said was to always follow my heart. In the time since those words were said to me I've learned to do just that but to remain mindful of the consequences as well. Had I joined those branches I'd have been expected to follow orders, odds are I would've disagreed with that. So I went freelance as a bounty-hunter which allowed me the freedom to choose which contracts I would take. Atop that I'm already rich, though I don't spend decadently or obscene amounts for no reason. The wealth I have wasn't earned entirely honestly mind you, I did corporate espionage on Arkania where I stole tech samples and prototypes that were being funded by various Sith orginizations. I also located a diamond shipment they were using to transport research on the Rakghoul plague, along with updated samples of both the plague and cure. I happened to relieve them of that along with the diamonds. I bombed a warehouse with incendiary devices after having made sure nobody else was in that section and I disabled an assassin's ship to allow him to take the fall. So most of my methods would be considered too radical by the Alliance or the Republic."

Pausing to take another bite of syrup-drowned pancake and another sip of Caf I continued. "The difference between the Alliance, Republic and the Silver Sanctum is that I've not been put on trial by ANY members of The Sanctum. They've sought to understand why I've used such methods which I've been very open about but their only warning such as it was was to tell me that I know myself as well as the powers I'm learning and the decisions I've chosen to make and that I should be mindful of the consequences. I'm learning Force-Lightning from a member of the Sanctum. There are those whom use the powers associated with the Dark Side but they're not mindlessly dragged before a group of people who "know best" The main difference I've noticed is that members of The Sanctum including the Masters have a spotty track record but they own up to it instead of condemning it."

"I killed the leaders of an interspecies trafficking ring and I admitted this to a Master here and his words? They were that they were predators and forced you to kill them by firing upon you. He asked what I felt upon having done so and I was crying on my knees before him and he said that I shouldn't feel guilty at having eliminated them but that I'd done what was necessary to prove I didn't do so for the simple fact of being able to do so. His name is Master Joshua DragosnFlame. He then owned up to a similar situation in his past and told me to own what I did but that it was necessary and that there would be times I'd be required to kill again whether on a battlefield of off. But he understood and forgave what the Republic or Alliance would have demanded my saber and my expulsion from The Order."

"We own the mistakes we make here in The Sanctum Thema but we don't condemn or punish others for making their own mistakes. That is why I'm here instead of The Alliance or The Republic. Plus, the woman I love is here so where else would I be. Should she do something that causes her to feel the need to leave The Sanctum all she'd need to say is I'm leaving The Sanctum and I'd ask where do you want to go? Because I love her and would leave The Sanctum should she ask. Selfless service and sacrifice, those are what love is Thema." With that I began cutting my sausage and took another forkful of pancake drowned in syrup and continued eating while she took in what I'd said. It was different here for me I had reason to be here there was so much I'd invested in here I'd found love here and I'd made my own home here on Voss. I hoped Thema would be able to find that peace somewhere in this galaxy and Voss had a lot to offer but I would not try to turn her against her own set of loyalties. There was honor in the Echani, Mandalorians, and yes the Jedi.

[member="Thema Csapla"]