Private Cracking Crystalline

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Christophsis was a gorgeous planet. The crystal surface was unique, and the turquoise spires beautiful. Aoki Mira only wished she was here just for sight seeing, but instead was here for another purpose.

The Empire usually trusted hunting down traitors to the ISB, but this was a situation more internal to Michael Barran's Pellaeonist group. A member of the circle had been caught attempting to radio the ISB on the more radical intentions of the Serenno Pellaeonists. That simply could not stand. When he fled, Aoki closely tracked him to Christophsis. And that was why she was here, wearing casual clothes as she walked with a troop through a pathway in the crystal forest. Sightseers and tourists babbled excitedly as they stopped by a tree. Mira adjusted her sunglasses, not used to wearing clothes that weren't so Atrisian. The half Mirialan brushed some hair behind her ear as the tour guide spoke about the local wildlife here. Mira was already determined to finish this tour despite her darker intentions here.

Mira had a mere two weapons on her. Her Atrisian hidden blade, tucked in a necklace around her neck, was the perfect concealed carry. She also had her lightsaber stored in a small, regular looking purse. So far, there were no signs of the man. And so, she trailed along the group. She hoped that the man would be found sooner than later. She hated being on such a lookout, fearing while simply wanting to gaze upon the nature around her.

Kahlil Noble

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[Kahlil Noble]

The forests were far more beautiful than he expected. Crystals as trees, growing all around them. The Jedi Master walked with a faint smile on his face. Just being here was a welcome break after everything that had happened on Exegol. Arm in a sling, eyepatch over the rotted eye. His wounds were still being healed, but he'd earned his time to relax. At least according to Valery Noble who urged him to take a break here. Make a pilgramige. Deepen his connection to the Force.

Find a place to put the gem that once held the souls of Panatha within. He glanced to the white crystal in his palm, gently squeezing it. No trace of the darkness Kyrel Ren had put into it was left. No hint of the souls that were once trapped.

Now it was just another Kyber.

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Sunglasses still on her face, the young woman noticed an older looking man who was worse for ware. A sling held a wounded arm, and he only had one good eye. Not to mention, he was scarred on the face. A subconscious twitch took Mira's left face for a moment, as she remembered how she had gotten her own facial scars in battle. In the more civilian area that was Christophsis' city, Mira had been hot with shame as some civilians gave her looks of disgust over the scars she was not able to hide that well.

Mira looked down, noticing a very familiar object in the man's hand. A pure, white kyber crystal. While the white crystal Mira had was merely a synthetic gem, this crystal was white like snow and strong as glacial ice. It was the real thing. Mira's Force Sense was not the greatest in the Galaxy, but she focused on the man's Force Signature and realized that he was strong in the Force. Perhaps, she was so used to using her Force Sense to hunt the signatures of Dark Siders, but it was a relief to sense that this man was Light Side affiliated.

But from the corner of a large pillar of gemstone, her attention was snatched away. She continued to walk, but she focused from the corner of her eyes, her sideways glance hidden by her sunglasses. Indeed, the person hiding in the forest carried the same Force Signature as the one she had chased off Serenno. This was it.

Of course, in this perfect opportunity, she was still surrounded by people. But she had a plan on how to discretely kill the man. She focused on him with the Force, her hand twitching. Her back was turned to him though, and she appeared to be focused on the tour guide. She raised her hand, though the raised hand was more in a ball. Meanwhile, the man behind the crystal tower felt his throat tighten to such an abominable extent, he was unable to cry out as he struggled to breathe.

"Miss?", Mira asked in a somewhat monotone, though also curious, tone, "With the lack of soil to dig roots into, how did these trees grow so big?"

The tour guide clasped her hands excitedly, "Ah! Well, you see..."

As she began to ramble about the unique growth of the trees on this planet, Mira clenched her hand as if rubbing her thumb before lowering it. Of course, behind the distant spire, the man fell dead.

Mira breathed a sigh of relief as she continued to listen to the tour guide. "Fascinating, thank you."

The bubbley tour guide turned and continued to answer questions. Meanwhile, Mira lingered in the back. The other Force user was right next to her. As the troop walked on, Mira was free to simply gaze off into nature with her target eliminated. She was getting better at assassination. Barran's Shadow indeed! But she looked up at the tree tops, the sunlight glistening through. The sunlight further sparkled against the crystals in an awe inspiring display. She was silent as she gazed out, but another question crossed her mind. She could thank the Force user next to her for bringing it to her mind.

"Miss?" She asked again, "How often do kyber crystals truly occur here? I have heard they can grow here, though that information is unverified from my sources."

The tour guide tilted her head, "I... do not know, actually. I apologize! I know much about these forests, but not the entire planet. Though, I can imagine that the unique combination of biology and geography here could allow for occurrences. You may have to look this up in our city libraries for more information."

Mira silently nodded in thanks. Her calm and controlled demeanor showed zero hint of disappointment. When another person caught the tour guide's attention, Mira looked over to the man in the cast and shrugged. She had no idea if he belonged to any Force Orders or organizations against the Empire, but the urge to speak from one Force user to another was in her. Besides, outside of Empire and enemy territory alike, she felt more at ease speaking to a fellow Light Sider.

"Do you know anything about kyber crystals growing here?" She asked nonchalantly.

Kahlil Noble

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[Kahlil Noble]

"Don't."

It was a brief word, and the first thing he said as he walked past Aoki during her questioning of the Tour Guide. A clever ruse, for sure. Here, among all this life, it was too easy for him to feel the lethal intent.

"I'm on vacation."

Whatever the purpose was, whatever the intent behind such a cold kill or reason, it didn't mater. The Jedi Master just gave a friendly smile before moving on. Whatever she did next, it was her choice. This wasn't an Alliance world, and he certainly didn't have the strength to fight and protect the others from whoever this person was. She didn't seem inexperienced, either.

Then she approached him. He raised a brow. The trees?

"I don't, actually. But they are pretty, aren't they?"

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Mira frowned a bit. He did not know either? Alas, she would have to research later. If she had the time. The Atrisian hybrid nodded in response to the man's own question though.

"They truly are."

And she meant it. Starkly contrast to the woman who had just discretely killed a man a moment ago, the woman Kahlil found himself talking to seemed earnest and calm, with a gentleness about her. She was now truly able to relax, with her target eliminated, and it showed. Her shoulders were loose and she appeared no different than any other person here in demeanor. Of course, there were other subtle signs that there was still more to her. Her high awareness of her surroundings, every bird and swaying of the trees, was in fact a practiced instinct from battle. She additionally had the scars on her face, and her atmosphere was a disciplined one. No action was without meaning.

She continued to converse with the Force user, "I don't sense the Force strongly on this planet. Not like others. I would imagine that despite the ideal conditions, without the Force strongly concentrated here, kyber crystals are rare."

Kahlil Noble

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[Kahlil Noble]

"You'd think so, yet it's quite the holy world, to many. A place of peace and tranquility. Not death. Or assassination."

Kahlil kept his eyes on the crystal trees, a sad looking smile now on his face. She'd gone and killed the man anyway. A shame, for certain.

"Why did you?"

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

The Atrisian frowned. Of course he caught it. It was a wonder that he didn't jump in and stop her. Like some light siders. Mira knew that she herself was the type but she had her reasons.

"I hate killing." She whispered. "I never enjoyed the feeling of life sapping from a person. I never relished in war and conflict. But I learned early in life, sometimes you have to do what needs to be done. For justice, in the heat of battle, for loved ones."

"He was a traitor. A threat to my home, my people, and my loved ones I could not let go unpunished. I never enjoy the deed, but he made his choices. This was simply the consequences of his actions."

Kahlil Noble

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[Kahlil Noble]

He'd already asked her not to kill, but she had anyway. He simply didn't have the strength to stop her, not right now. Truly a shame.

"Death is not justice. It's finality."

Kahlil shrugged before turning to walk on. "It should only be the option when there are no others."

Aoki-Barran Mira

 

[Aoki-Barran Mira]

Finality.

Aoki frowned. It most certainly was. She had never taken it lightly. Her entire family had died, so she knew. Despite this, she also knew she could not take criminals and harbingers of suffering lightly either. The Jedi and likewise thinking orders, it seemed, did. How could peace be kept when criminals ran free? Or were simply captured with chance of escape and further harm?

"And that mentality is what makes the Jedi and their types so terrible at their jobs."

Mira walked alongside him, "The Jedi never have been able to keep the peace permanently. Criminals always escape, and evil always creeps out of the shadows. Why is that? Because they don't fear consequences and repercussions enough."

"The Galactic Alliance was weak, when the Maw invaded. They were pathetic against their armies. Instead of heralds justice and peace, the Jedi became the laughing stock of the Galaxy."

A very small hint of a more personal emotion seeped through her calm exterior, when she mentioned another example. "Must I even start on the failure of the Silver Jedi? They went as far as to form a heretical alliance with Sith, and to turn their heads away from what they did within their borders. They were faster to excommunicate their own members for speaking up, than to actually preserve the peace and protect their people."

She adjusted her sunglasses, "In order to truly keep the peace, the Galaxy needs real change. And it needs to take crushing crime and trouble makers far more seriously. If you cannot get your hands dirty to save the people and keep order, then you are too much of a coward to be a true protector."

Kahlil Noble

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