All Aboard the Brynjar (Sindy & Token)

[Manu Xextos]

Having Padawans again was one of the slips of normalcy which helped bring Manu back to the land of the living. While [member="Felix Emer"] resided happily enough in the medical facilities aboard Manu's flagship, it had been long since time to decommission the Victory-II Class Star Destroyer which had been his first home since awakening after the Krystallsøvn. The antique had been as regal as himself, but even with retrogrades the ship was still an ancient tall ship in the time of the Bismarch. If this new time was his to maintain, he'd need new digs.

Provided mysteriously enough by fellow Confederacy Master [member="Isley Verd"], and the military arm of the Templars. Sv'yato Fleet was Manu's to command, and the flagship Gunray Class Star Destroyer was a massive improvement of modern technology. Moving his crew and personal force of loyal House Xextos and House Keth Echani to the new ships, Manu knew he couldn't keep up the fleet alone.

His Padawans would have their chances, too. So it was that Manu sent word to [member="Siyndacha Aerin"] and her .. ahem! associate [member="Token Waters"] that a Corvette, the CSS Indra, would pick them up wherever they were and bring them to rendezvous with the Admiral on his new Flagship. Nearly all of Manu's Echani officers had disseminated to various Carriers and Destroyers in the Fleet, yet the Viceroy of Tythe was beginning to take further volunteers to flesh out the small navy. Before she left, his former XO had decked out Manu's personal quarters, ready room and bridge with the colours and badges of home, and thus the simplicity of Echani design began to disseminate through the rest of the ship. A quiet place, but for the bustle in the various technical harbours, the very air they breathed seemed rejuvenating: a minor trick for a Master Healer, and one which served many purposes, not the least which was keeping the physically frail Master in better health himself. Pulling on a thick white wool robe, Manu tugged the hood over his head and settled in his Captain's Chair on the Bridge.

"Lieutenant Raste, once Aerin arrives send her to her chambers to freshen up, before I shove down. Understood?"

"Isn't she meeting you on the Bridge, Sir? Or in the Ready Room?" A crisply uniformed Echani man sat up from his Station and cocked his silver head to the side.

Manu sat back and craned his head to the side. "Now that'd be a mighty intimidating way of introducing her to our baby girl, eh? Trust my intuition."

"Always, Patriarch."

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

Life was kind-of right again. Sure she wasn't at work, her head deep in the beloved toils of the mechanical and electrical, but once she had gotten through the separation anxiety, the only thing left was the growing time of separation from [member="Token Waters"], the one person that had easily provided some form of much-needed stability when the half-echani padawan had uncharacteristically done something very unstable by up and quitting her job without any back-up plans or another setup to move on to.

Even Sindy.... no, especially Sindy had her limits.

Though, life was getting stable again, and a little unstable as things changed, but each experience with change, when handled right, made her more able to weather change each time it happened. She had been working with the Techno Union, had found Manu (or he had found her - it was a bit 'tip-yip and egg' at this point) and had started - or rather continued - on the path of the Jedi. Or, at the very least, on the path of the force user. She'd tried to tell herself that anything was fine so long as she could keep doing what she loved, but somehow not following her grandfather's ideals to at least some degree didn't quite feel right.

And Token was here with her, finally! Their schedules hardly ever matched up since they had come into the fold of the Confederacy, but through either miracle or (admittedly) effort on the part of the other blonde, they manage to eke out some time together, here and there. Now the simple will of following her master, [member="Manu Xextos"], was leading her in directions she had not thought of. And was making her consider things she had not considered before. The beat of Manu's drum appealed to her for how off-kilter it was compared to the family she had grown up in, how he didn't seem quite normal.

It was something that had been missing since Marezius Aerin had passed. And she was like a moth to a flame, in that way.

The CSS Indra was almost at rendezvous with the flagship, and Siyndacha Aerin, the last force-user of her line, was nervous. Nervousness was something you would never catch her trying to hide. As the corvette came in to dock with the flagship of her Master (who was also an Admiral! Geez!), the girl from Cularin glanced at her somewhat shorter companion, managing a partly forced smile. New things always brought on the nerves. Sindy slipped her fingers around the bend of Token's nearest hand.

"It's good. It's better that you're here than not," she admitted quietly, breathing in, and out slowly, and slipping her hand away.

 

[Brooke Waters]

That was the thing with Token. She was always trying to make time for Sindy. Not that the other girl wasn’t, but for Token, the relationship, whichever state it was in, was her most important thing. It wasn’t for lack of ability, but Token enjoyed just kind of bartending and dancing and traveling around. It made her life easier and she didn’t have that much to stress on. It was nice. Totally.

But here she was, heading to a… military ship? That was going to be interesting. Plus uniforms! What was she really going to do here? She knew that she wasn’t going to fit in, but that was fine with her. She wasn’t a military person, she was barely anyone who could use the Force, she wasn’t trusting herself with it yet, but this was important for [member="Siyndacha Aerin"], so it was important to her.

Gooey cheese

She even changed her typical outfit. She was going to wear a dress, mainly to try to tease some reaction out of Sindy, but opted for nerf hide boots, slim fitting denim and a fitted top. Her hair was in a typical braid, and she was biting her lip when she felt her girlfriend’s hand on hers.

Leaning over, she gave Sindy a peck on the cheek. “Its going to be fine!” There were just meeting someone, right? [member="Manu Xextos"] couldn’t be that intimidating!

 

[Manu Xextos]

Alas, fair maidens! The someone they were about to meet was none other than a seven foot monster of a man, who's skin glowed with a pale luminescence and whose hair and eyes were quicksilver pools of an ancient cognizance which found and grasped a person in their penetrating gaze. He walked over to the engineering department with a stern faced Echani woman, whose cheeks could have used a smile and a sandwich. The Lieutenant Commander kept her hands behind her back as she walked, and turning into the Engineering bay clicked her heels to elicit a response from the Brynjar's crew.

A response she got, as the men, women and sentients of Manu's crew snapped to attention. Manu sighed and nodded to their salute. "Go get Sindy and Token. . . oh, and Lt. Commander Nej'meda! Smile eh? Ms. Aerin is my Padawan, which makes her your superior." The Lieutenant Commander saluted and briskly paced off - someday Manu would get the woman to lighten up. He paced the engine area, hand falling on the scaffolding railing as he felt the thrum of power circuits and engine alike.

The Lieutenant-Commander met [member="Token Waters"] & [member="Siyndacha Aerin"] with an eyebrow raise and clicking of her boot-heels together. "The Progenitor Admiral Xextos awaits your company in Engineering. . . he told me to smile and be polite." The Lieutenant Commander's lips curled up in a macabre attempt at a smile, her cheeks low and eyes dowdy. "I shall strive to improve that attempt as we continue forth. . . Ms. Aerin may I ask a question?"

The Echani officer stopped, swerved on her heels and glared pointedly at Sindy. "What is 'chill'? Admiral Xextos called you 'a chill girl', and said I could learn to 'loosen my boots' by knowing you. Am I missing a piece of Common language?" How terrible, how odd that she might be deficit!

 

[Siyndacha Aerin]

At the appearance of the Lieutenant Commander, Sindy stiffened, her eyes tracking the movements of this unfamiliar entity that had come into her presence. For a moment, she said nothing in response, her hands curling tightly shut. Then she breathed out, the tenseness going out with the air expelled from her lungs. Her hands unfurled, her silver-blue eyes glancing sidelong at [member="Token Waters"], a muted smile appearing on her face the moment she had decided how she should act, and what words to use in response. Her eyes returned to the officer, and she spoke.

"I think your Admiral means..." her brow furrowed, then, "...that you need to relax?"

Her head turned and she looked full-on at Token, a quizzical look on her face. Did she know how to relax? Maybe the other blonde would be a better judge of that. Otherwise, this was confusing. Sindy looked back to the Lt. Commander, giving the woman a blank look to her glare.

"I do not believe the Admiral has ever seen me at work. Which with the exception of recently, I usually am." The girl from Cularin, let out a long breath, and put on a firm smile. "Well, let us not keep him waiting."

 

[Brooke Waters]

A new friend? Probably not. But still someone was approaching. Token always got excited when she had the chances to meet new people, regardless of the situation. Hearing the military uniformed woman speak in such common terms made her face light up. And she let the smile run even as [member="Siyndacha Aerin"] looked at her. Was Sindy having fun with this officer? Hmm...

Relax was a good choice of word. The Corellian runaway nodded. "Days off help with that." Something she knew a great deal about. Relaxing. And not working too hard.

Tight lipped, Token nodded. Sindy did work way too much. And this trip seemed unique. Why was she here? Was the Admiral-Master [member="Manu Xextos"] ok with her coming along? Only one way to find out.

 

[Manu Xextos]

"Relax. I find hand to hand combat training quite thoroughly relaxing. Perhaps we shall duel later?" The Lt. Commander saluted [member="Siyndacha Aerin"], hoping the offer was accepted as all Echani knew to get to know each other better through combat. "Perhaps your associate can teach us of this days-off business? [member="Token Waters"] Follow me, please." The Lt. Commander snapped her heels together and rocketed down the corridor at a brisk walk, taking the two women through the bustling halls of the Brynjar: a 1200m star destroyer.

"The Progenitor Admiral Xextos ensured the Confederate Navy would allow him complete autonomy on the staffing of his fleet. We have been fortunate that Admiral Xextos has allowed House Keth to repay its life debt to the Xextos Line as officers and soldiers on board the ships. All but the elders and the very young are posted. Those unable to are settled on Tythe. Other Houses present are the venerable House Xextos, bearers of the Royal Line and House Najwa. Admiral Xextos asked that I deliver you to engineering. This is one of the seven engineering decks." Pressing a button on the door panel, the Lt. Commander opened a vast hatch and standing in the middle of the busy hubbub was Manu Xextos, his hands outstretched as he moved a gigantic component of the Brynjar's engine block out of place with his telekinesis. The component began deconstructing in mid-air, Manu's eyes a sheen of white.

"Tell me when you get to the one, Lieutenant. . . or better yet. Sindy, welcome! There was a calibration error in this engine component, we weren't jumping to Hyperspace. Help find it. Whose your friend?" Manu waved at Token, a brief smile on his face as he went back to concentrating on keeping the invaluable equipment aloft. A test? A show of skill? A proving ground? What had the ancient Master been thinking to invite Sindy in to the Engineering Department with its well-stocked supplies and vast collection of top of the line tools?

Hey, after eight hundred years at least the man could be sneaky. "Lieutenant Curran, if you could lend my Technomancer assistance that would be spiffy. Downright spiffy." Manu winked at Token as the Lt. Commander squirmed. "I like to add the slang in to remind these guys to lighten up! Gosh! Your house dishonoured me eight hundred years ago it's okay to live a little, Kethlings!" He tsked and kept his mind at the telekinesis project just in time to avoid dropping one of the valuable pieces.