Back to where it all started.

[The End Narrator]

OBJECTIVE - Artifact Hunting
Yavin IV.

Mandalorian Space.

Specifically, where [member="Ember Rekali"] was, a dangerous place for her to be in a way. Not that she was going to be blown out of the sky, more so the purpose of her here was going to cause a bit of angst. She frowned as she hit the comm button on her vessel while pulling back the throttle to stay a decent distance from the defense fleet. "Mandalorian Forces, This is Aaralyn Rekali, I come to speak to my father Ember." She made sure not to mention the Jedi Order or the Republic. That obviously would be a smart move in on itself.

She knew she had to play it cool, her hand staying close to the throttle as she stared out into the viewport at the looming fleet near the moon. Any sign of hostility and she was out of there, of course, she'd find another way to come about and get planetside but hey, she'd find a way.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

The artifact was, by any stretch of the imagination, bizarre, and so he kept that sucker in a nullification-resin vault in the bottom levels of the Lost City of the Jedi. Reception wasn't great down here, so he'd run a hardline down to a comm unit near the vaults. Meant a little jog if he was in the deep vaults, but he got to it pretty quick this time.

"Rekali, this is Rekali." This signal was routed through a buried cable to a transmitter near the Great Temple. "Landing permission granted for the Great Temple. Good to hear from ya, kid."

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn chuckled softly at him calling her "Rekali". He had a way, but it was his way and that was what made Ember...well Ember. She would only nod to the voice on the other end and maneuver the ship through the atmosphere, quickly making her way to the Great Temple landing platform. She stared out the viewport at the trees of Yavin IV and the Mandalorians doing different duties around the pad. As she came in for approach, she shifted the thrusters into a vernier mode and made a quick landing on the pad. Small bits of dirt and debris went in different directions as the ship touched down on the pad.

Aaralyn sighed heavily and leaned back into the pilot's seat for a moment, her hands came to her face and rubbed it gently. "This is going to get interesting."


[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]
The time she spent entering the grav well and touching down on Yavin, Ember spent taking a low-sensor-profile speeder from the Lost City's aboveground exit to the Great Temple. On a less overgrown world, he would have varied his route, but the demands of reconstruction -- twenty mil he'd poured into this, most of what he had -- and his desire to avoid detectable air traffic meant that a pretty decent little fresh-cut roadway led from the Lost City to the Great Temple. Other roads and trails branched out from the Great Temple, of course; this was just one among many.

The main landing facility was inside the temple's base, where Rebel and Jedi X-Wings had once docked. The Coronet couldn't dock here; it remained in orbit, and Ember's battered Niathal-class shuttle took up a chunk of the landing bay. That's where he waited for her, leaning against his ship.

"Hey there, kid." He shoved away from the Niathal to stand free. "Welcome to Yavin Four. What's the occasion?"

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn walked down the ramp cautiously and chuckled as he questioned her. "Well, I came here for some artifacts that I think you might have overlooked. One is of personal nature and the other needs to be returned to the Jedi Order." Her hand came off the rail near the ramp as she walked down, her boots clanking against the durasteel. "I would like permission to search for them."

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

Ember scratched his chin. "Well, let's be real here. I trained here under the Solusars, this place has changed some but not that much, I been training Mando Forcers here for a couple years now -- what makes you think I've overlooked'em, these nameless things? I mean, I'd love to go all treasure-hunting and such with you, but giving you a blank check for historical whatnots from a Mando world ain't something I can do." He grinned without much humor. "Not to mention the whole 'which Jedi Order has a legit claim to this stuff' thing. Bottom line, kid, my job is, I gotta ask you for a fethton more detail."

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn groaned slightly and pulled a small data chit fr her belt and tossed it into Embers awaiting hands. "The New Jedi Order once had those two items and they were lost in time. Their last location was here on Yavin IV about 400 years ago if the data is right."

[member="Ember Rekali"] OOC - Typing on my phone.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]
His eyes narrowed fractionally as he examined the two list items. "Asli Krimsan holocron and Kenobi's blade, eh? They must have found'em after my time. Second one's not a problem. Sentimental symbolism, go for it. First one, the holocron, what I've got here is spotty. Doesn't cover all its bases. This bit says it's for teaching children, and Force knows the Mandos have better things to teach their children. But this other bit says it'll teach anything, everything you'd need to know. Even some commentary from Dooku. Bit contradictory, maybe, and I'm not comfortable handing that over to anyone, presumin' it can be found, until the ambiguity's evened out. Security issue."

 

[The End Narrator]

"You're handing it over to me. And it will stay with me until I can ensure it's secured." She looked at the 2nd item on the list. "The second item is for my own personal collection so to speak, more so, for myself." She nodded. "Master Kenobi taught me a thing or two, you know that." She shrugged lightly and brought her arms up to her chest and folded them. "Let me worry about the security issues and what exactly is going to happen to them. I can do the same as I did with the Codex of Tython and keep a little piece of insurance..."

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

"No. Feth no. You misled the Mand'alor, my leader and my friend, about that Codex. The holocron of Asli Krimsan is Mando property, under my custody, until I'm satisfied that it's not something the Jedi can use against my people. If it's only a tool for teaching kids, like this bit of text says, that shouldn't be a problem. But it's not standard procedure to believe Jedi files, and having led the Jedi Shadows for a good while, I'm pretty fething comfortable with that bit of standard procedure."

 

[The End Narrator]

"Your people?!" Aaralyn took a step forward and jabbed him in the chest. "Last I checked, I was your daughter and you trusted me with the Codex. I didn't mislead him with it, he lied to me about his damned intentions." She threw her hand up, and pretty close to his face. "Might I add..." She turned and pointed back to him. "That he said people who were gifted with the Force shouldn't have all this knowledge. You know what I say? People who can't handle this type of power and ability shouldn't be running loose with it. It belongs with me, where it can be kept safe."

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]
"Aaralyn, you were my Padawan, you're my last child living, I will always love you, and you're old enough to hear the unvarnished truth: You've let the Jedi turn you self-righteous, arrogant, and criminally entitled. I wouldn't hand a holocron over to you if you were the last Jedi alive, because you're right: Some people just can't handle power."

 

[The End Narrator]

Those words stung and made her eye twitch a bit. She thought she had grown up quite a bit, especially since all hell had broken loose in the Galaxy. All she could do was chuckle slightly, and offer him a gesture with her hand. "Arrogant huh?" One hand went to her hip as she made the gesture. "Self-righteous?" Her facial expression went grim, a bit of disbelief into his words. Her brows furrowed as she brought her hand off her hip and crackled her knuckles. "Criminally...entitled?" Another step forward she would take, and her voice got low as she leaned forward. "You ever call me arrogant again, I promise you...you'll be picking yourself up off the ground."

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]
As before, he made no move, just let her keep stepping closer.

"Maybe. Or maybe you just proved me right better than I ever could. Either way, won't change the fact that you ain't welcome in the Yavin system anymore, kid."

 

[The End Narrator]

Aaralyn took a deep breath and stepped back, she shook her head softly and waved her hand. "I won't be baited into this because of your personal fear about the Jedi. Whatever failures you made as a Jedi, don't condone me for my choices." She turned away and moved back towards her ship. "Your responsible for their deaths, you and your people. Had you done a better job as a Jedi, maybe they would all still be alive and I wouldn't have come back around." She said as she approached her ship. "From day one [member="Ember Rekali"], you have done nothing but chided me, bastardized me and condoned me for staying true to my oath. For what?" She turned and motioned. "Because of the deaths of our family which you somehow link to a weak Jedi Order or a weak Republic. You ever looked in the mirror...-Dad-."

She slapped the button on the hatch and sighed as it began lowering, her droid rolled down the hatch as it lowered, chirping and beeping. "Come on Rowdy, we're not welcome here anymore." She turned back quickly before she stepped up on the ramp. "Why don't you go hit another Cantina or take in another fifth...maybe your liver will shut down and then we don't have to worry about you anymore."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

With a grunt, Ember leaned back against the hull of the Niathal and watched his last child board her ship. He said nothing. There was no response that wouldn't turn into a diatribe, mirror her anger, and he had no real need to have the last word. So he just stood there, and would keep standing there until she flew away, at which point he would use the Niathal's sensors to watch her hit hyperspace.

 

[Chloe Blake]

Blood has a way of showing no matter what generation. Perhaps it is in a gesture or in the glint of the eyes. Mayhap it be that stubborn edge that shines through 'sides the token physical characteristics that show the ties that bind. Either way, it was clear there was more going on here that the eye would behold.

Ain't like it was hard to determine just what the status was 'tween the two. Heck, just from their stances one could gather the familiarity of a family roe. Coming from a large family born and raised on a Corellian farm, Chloe knew right well what those types of stances meant --- and it didn't take much other than hearing Ember's low steady deadpan voice to strike home each and every word.

Accusations were flung. Tempers would flare. The hurt would reflect one way or another, be it by the inflection of a voice or the gesture of a hand. Or more apt, the sharp words flung like jagged pieces of broken glass. It was a situation Chloe had no real reference to and for once, she felt a bit lost at what to do.

It wasn't long 'fore his broad form would fill the doorway, his attention on Niathal's sensors. In that moment, sitting quietly while Ember silently observed the console, Chloe would come to know more than she'd expected to. Things would click, from what he'd said earlier to the now.

Quiet moments would pass, then the rustle of her movements would bring Chloe alongside Ember. One hand would rise, coming to rest along his upper arm, squeezing in comfort, her expression relaying that if he wanted to talk, she was here to listen.

Either way, they would both need to make it back to the Lost City. At the very least, she'd be able to guarantee a hot meal for them both.

Along with the rest of that bottle of Whyren's from her grandaddy's farm to ease the sting of the day away.

 

[The End Narrator]

The 3D transmitter installed in Ember's suit would beep a few times before her signal would patch through.

"No, you know what. I'm not done." She held up a hand. "I may have said some harsh things, but it's no different than your actions or your own harsh statements." She took a deep breath. "All I am trying to do, is something you make difficult each and every time it becomes an issue. Some form, or some fashion you throw my choices up in my face. You don't believe the Jedi can handle the artifact, then that's fine. You need to have faith in me. That's all I'm asking."

[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Aaralyn Rekali"]

He routed the signal from his ship and helmet to his handheld imagecaster.

"A tip, kid, for next time. Don't start to patch things up by sayin' that your accusations -- things that you aimed to hurt, things that've got no bearing on reality -- are the same as me tellin' you what you need to hear to grow up. I woulda given you the holocron an' the sabre both, if you hadn't done such a fine job of remindin' me that you just ain't ready. If there's one thing I should have drilled into you better, it's -- well, no, two things. Don't lash out irrationally when you don't get what you want, and don't put the job above actin' like a human being. Comm me ahead of time next time you feel like visitin' Yavin, kid. Your name won't get you landing clearance again."

 

[The End Narrator]

"How about you start being a Dad?" She took a breath. "Yeah, I said it. Maybe I'm a bit angry that I didn't have you around, you know and I never knew what happened between you and mom. Maybe I'm angry I was left to fend for myself until Master L'hnaar found me." She gulped a bit and waved her hand in the air. "Ever since you took me in as a Padawan, I spent years trying to impress you, as a student." She held her breath for a moment and then let out a rough sigh. "Then, you know after all that when I find out who you really were, I wanted to impress you as a daughter by accomplishing whatever I could. I can't help it I wasn't around for the family, I blame myself too just as much as you do but you know maybe you need to realize that you still have people that care about you and maybe there is something you can learn from me." She shrugged lightly. "Or you can continue to assume you know everything and act as if I'm some pompous child who was wrecked by ideals and oaths she committed to."

She bowed her head softly. "I can't take back what I said, and it's probably something I shouldn't have said because they were my family too and it's just as much my fault as well, the next person."

[member="Ember Rekali"]