Private Escort Duty

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve chewed the inside of her cheek, straining to remain calm.

The New Way, a terrorist group that had struck fear into the hearts of many in the Core, was still at large after they had killed hundreds in last week’s bombing. Little could be said of when they might next attack, or who might be their next victim, but if one thing was clear, it was that anyone suspected of harboring pro-Jedi sentiment made themselves a target. For Maeve, there was no greater target than Senator Lorson, the man she had been tasked with escorting off-world.

Lorson was a generous man with a history of charity towards Force-sensitive children, and given his strong relationship with the Jedi Order, there was no reason for the New Way to stage an attempt on his life as well. He made an important figure in Core World political circles, and with him out of the picture, turning public opinion against the Jedi would take only a matter of time. Which was why Maeve was responsible for keeping the old man alive.

Some might’ve taken the straightforward route. Extra security, more weapons, armored cars. But rather than take a convoy or a motorcade fit with loyal Republic soldiers, Maeve had chosen to hire out an anonymous pilot to take them to the embassy. It made for quiet, discreet transportation. The less people involved in the transit, the less clues the New Way had in tracking them down. If all went according to plan, Maeve would have Senator Lorson safely dropped off at the embassy without anyone else knowing.

As she crossed down the landing platform, a disguised Lorson at her back, Maeve looked ahead to where the ship had settled. It wasn’t quite the sleek shuttle the senator might’ve hoped for, but that was exactly the point. They needed to be conspicuous. And what could be more conspicuous than having a driver plucked from the Coruscant underworld, with a ship that would typically be found in a Jakku junkyard? It seemed a foolproof enough plan. Even the pilot fit the general idea of what she was looking for. Perfectly ordinary.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

He'd been SUPER suspicious when Baar had said that she'd found a piloting job for him. He knew that she frequented some of the seedier dives in the undercity more than he did, but he made sure she carried his mag pistol wherever she went. She actually carried Clemency with her everywhere, these days. He didn't want her getting jumped without some form of defense. Still... The job just seemed weird. He'd gone to the bar and had met with a stranger who'd said that someone higher up the chain needed flown somewhere, discreetly. No big weapons or anything like that.

Stranger still, Raphael was flying these people through Coruscant. He frowned as he checked out the ship, slowly correcting some systems and even rewiring a few things. He was making sure that the ship was in top shape; well, at least, in top shape for his personal tastes. Looking at the systems, he knew that it wasn't going to have the handling or speed that he preferred but it would at least do. He didn't need to go fast, if he were to fly through Coruscant, to just taking someone to the Embassy.

Still... This whole thing made him uneasy which is why, despite what he'd been told, he'd brought along his blaster pistol and lightsaber in his coat. The New Way was keeping an eye out and so he wasn't going to be seen with these things. He could only hope the jedi either was more focused on their task and didn't feel his presence in the Force with them or just didn't pay attention.

"Alright..." He pulled out a wire, tossing it aside, pulling a wire from the emergency supplies and merged the old wire with the new piece. "That should about do it. Bypass internals to get power right to the engine." Then he exited and began the waiting game. Thankfully, that didn't take too long. He felt HORRIBLY underdressed, but that was life. Still...

"Welcome and thank you for flying with us today. My name is Raphael and I shall be your pilot for the day. All standard safety measures are in place, the ship has been checked and we're ready to take off at your discretion. Did you have any questions, concerns or comments before we takeoff?"
Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve raised an eyebrow at the pilot’s introduction. Friendlier than she’d expected. If he wasn’t dressed like he’d just finished smothering the engine, she might’ve thought he’d pull out and offer them a tray of champagne like some first class flight attendant.

Senator Lorson cleared his throat, “As a matter of fact, I do have several—”

“No, Raphael. Thank you. That should be everything.” Maeve nodded and gestured the senator up the ramp and into the confines of the ship. They had no time for questions or pleasantries. She’d much rather have Lorson safely escorted to the local embassy and be done with it. The sooner he was with his local security detail and out of the New Way’s reach, the better for everyone involved. It might’ve been brutish of her, especially with an important politician involved, but that was the way she handled things.

Effectively.

As the senator begrudgingly boarded the transport and climbed out of earshot, Maeve traded a look with the other man. Decent height, normal build. A scar slashed over his left cheek. His hands were calloused, the telltale signs of a mechanic. There was nothing suspicious, nothing that told her he was hiding something, but for some reason she felt a strangeness about him, like an extra weight in the air. She couldn’t explain it, but she wouldn’t question it. She didn’t have the time.

“You may call me Maeve,” she told Raphael, a truth she rarely offered to strangers. She had more than a dozen undercover names and identities, but today, she was just herself, the Jedi Knight.

“I expect it’s only us?” she asked him. “No support droids? Because I’ll be taking the co-pilot’s seat.” Maeve folded her arms over her chest, a bit of her cloak parting to reveal the glint of a lightsaber handle hidden underneath. “If anything happens, I can deal with protecting the senator. No heroics, please. Just get us to the embassy in one piece.” She nodded to the boarding ramp, motioning him to head inside first. She never turned her back to anyone. Not even allies.

She had learned long ago not to trust a soul.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

Glancing briefly to the man as he began to ask, he was quick to turn his head back to the jedi in front of him, giving a light nod. The man headed up the ramp, seemingly a bit frustrated at not having been able to ask any questions and Raphael had to resist the urge to chuckle. He didn't really know who it was that he was flying around today, as he didn't ask but given they were escorted by a jedi? Yeah, important. He was simply standing by hands folded in front of him, as he watched the woman, smiling.

He nodded, smiling, and memorizing the name. Maeve. He would do his best to remember that, not that that would be difficult. He'd wiped his face as best he could but there was definitely still some grease, he knew. He listened to her questions, caught the glint of her lightsaber and nodded.

"Indeed. It's only us. I do not use support droids. I either..." He paused a moment, thinking. "I either memorize where I'm going or figure...it out." Then he nodded again. "Understood. If anything happens, I will not engage in heroics and I will make sure that I focus on flying." Then he gave her a light smile, patting his own jacket and she'd be able to see the outline of a blaster pistol and the similar cylindrical appearance of a lightsaber as well. "You needn't worry. I'll get us all there in one piece." He gave a smile, bowed and then headed on into the ship, made his way to the cockpit and began to start the ship up.
Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Figure it out? Maeve hoped the statement had been in jest. If there was one thing she didn't like when it came to a mission, it was working on impulse. She always had a plan, and then a back-up plan. She never trusted gut instinct or luck.

When she opened her mouth to argue, however, Maeve found herself at a loss for words. Raphael had brought his own weapons. Which, at first, seemed like an excellent idea—he needed to protect himself somehow—but she could have sworn she saw the shape of a familiar tool underneath his jacket. A weapon eerily similar to her own.

Was he carrying a lightsaber?

Maeve gave herself an internal shake. Of course it wasn't. This was an ordinary mechanic, and she sensed nothing particularly special about him besides the smell of engine oil on his jacket. If he was a Jedi in disguise, she'd have known. And if he was a Sith, well, she'd have long already killed him.

Shaking the thought aside, she boarded his ship.

The interior seemed decent enough. A little cramped, but perfect for holding Lorson and maneuvering through the Coruscant skyline. She could tell it was custom-made, too, which gave her all the more reason to believe Raphael must have been a smuggler in the past, or at least, worked as one part-time. Good, she thought. If he had experience with running from the law, then he'd have the experience she needed.

"I was told you were a good pilot," she told him as they settled into the cockpit, switches and levers across the dashboard flashing to life. She cast him a long look. "Were they telling the truth?"

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

He didn't like the way that she'd stopped when he'd shown off his weapons and as he continued with the ship's diagnostics, he heard her enter. He gave her a polite smile as she began to settle in and spoke. If there was anything that Raphael disliked, it was talking about himself and as she asked, she would be able to feel the discomfort practically rolling off of him. But also just the slightest bit of prefessional indignation.

"Given that I've only either flown, fought pirates, raiders and slavers and worked on thing mechanically, I'd hope that I'd gotten to be a good pilot over the years." He frowned a bit, and toggled the autopilot off. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed both his blaster and lightsaber, putting them into small holsters on the sides of the seats and buckled himself in. And, as he kept working, pressing buttons and pulling levers, his voice dropped to the point that only she'd be able to hear him. "Yeah. I'm a good pilot. All the ships that I've either made or have, are able to compete well, if not better, than the base models and I know my way around just about every ship that exists."

He didn't really pay attention to her reaction to the saber as he spoke. "Nor do you need to worry. I've deal with tons of close calls and getting shot at." The engines roared to life, with another flick. Raph didn't look at her as he spoke, finishing off the last of the checks and lifting off. "And sorry about my joke." The smile he'd been wearing the whole time that they'd spoken outside had disappeared. "I tend to use the Force to navigate to where I'm going, if I get that lost. It guid--" He sighed and shook his head, dismissively waving a hand. "Forget about it." And off they went into the skyways of Coruscant.
Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"You draw on the Force to pilot?" she questioned, almost slack-jawed. She hadn't known Raphael was a Force user, and to use it to drive a ship? That kind of precognition took skill, experience and talent. Not just anyone could pilot by feeling alone, not even most Jedi, and especially not Maeve.

She eyed him suspiciously. He should have let them know about his Force sensitivity before he'd been hired. Revealing it now, while the mission was already underway, only made him more suspicious in her eyes. She should've been relieved he had put aside his weapons, leaving it on the dashboard where she could see them, but still, she could not trust him.

Sure, he might not be an agent of the New Way. They espoused ideals that stood in direct opposition to both Jedi and Sith, Light and Dark, and demanded an end to the practice of the Force. If Raphael was actively using it to pilot, then he was just as much a target as Maeve and Senator Lorson. He might not be a questionable ally, but he was not an enemy.

"The lightsaber," she said, nodding to the hilt. "Where did you get it?"

It was a roundabout way of asking to which side he was aligned, and a very careful way of wording: Can you be trusted? If he revealed himself as a former Sith, it didn't matter if they were up against the same enemy, she would sooner drive a blade into his neck than work alongside him. Anyone who touched the Dark Side were suspect to temptation, to corruption. Anyone.

Maeve didn't settle comfortably into her seat, not even as the ship lifted into the air and slipped into traffic. Instead, she waited for his answer, and considered.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

"Navigate," he replied, matter of factly. "And even then that took years before I was able to do it properly. I'm sorry that I didn't explain that I was force sensitive. Nobody knows it on Coruscant, except for my adopted sister. I largely use it for hyperspace navigations. It's the only thing...that I ever learned of the Force. Mom and Dad ran away from the Force and hid me from jedi and sith alike." He turned the car into the main skylane. "You don't need to be concerned, however. I know at least three routes from our exit point to the embassy by heart and a few more a bit less so." He didn't look to her as he flew, though whether from embarrassment or another emotion, he didn't let on.

There were things about himself that he didn't often want to reveal. All the jedi that had met him so far had found out about his abilities in the Force one way or another, and he knew that she would've eventually. "I try not to use it, if I can. It helps lead both jedi and...others, to me and that's attention I tend to try and avoid, when I can do so. I greatly respect and appreciate what you all do for people, though. It's the same stuff I tried to do in the Outer Rim."

When she asked about the saber though Raphael visibly bristled, though he kept himself quite calm as he turned his head to her, still piloting the car as though he was watching the sky. "I didn't get it from anywhere. I made it with my own hands. At first to try and prove that I could and then..." He turned back to the sky. "...then I found the crystal and...things changed. I still don't quite understand what happened, or why it happened. I sat there for a whole day trying to discern what it was about the crystal... Then when I focused on it while just...relaxing I could feel...I don't know almost like I was getting a bit closer to someone. I meditated for a week on the thing... And it now it feels...almost like a friend." He smiled a bit staring at the lightsaber sitting on the dashboard. "If we weren't in a confined space, you could turn it on. It's a calming light silver color, almost bordering on white. You can hold onto it for the flight, if you don't trust me." Raphael sat back, calm and collected as they flew. If she felt him out, she would find that he trusted her quite a bit.
Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Don't apologize," she told him, even if his secrecy had put her on edge. "These are dangerous times. I know the risk that comes with openly practicing the Force, especially while a terrorist organization bent on its destruction runs rampant in the galaxy. What you do with your gifts is your choice. I won't hold it against you."

Mostly.

Maeve still did not trust him, but she could see he was no threat, no risk. He was just a man trying to figure out where he belonged, what his purpose was, and without drawing attention. Although he left himself vulnerable to temptation to the Dark Side, he at least gave no indication of corruption or weakness towards it. He was strong.

She looked towards the hilt of his lightsaber and considered Raphael's offer of carrying it. "It's fine," she said, shaking her head. "The blade is yours. A kyber crystal chooses to whom it belongs to, and it belongs to you."

Maeve stared outside the cockpit windshield, the neon lights of Coruscant flashing by them. "My only question is, have you never considered becoming a Jedi?"

The question had been an inevitable one. The moment Raphael had revealed himself to be Force sensitive, and unaligned, Maeve had to wonder why he'd never chosen to pursue the path of the Light. Now, as she consciously reached out in the Force, she could his presence in it, rolling off him in waves, a strength and resolve that made him an ideal candidate for the Order. Like a sword, it could be tempered, sharpened, until one day, he could become like her, a Jedi Knight, a guardian of the people.

Perhaps even stronger than that.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

He was surprised when she told him not to apologize; after all he hadn't been forthright about pretty kriffing important information. Yet here she was, a jedi, a paragon of light and truth and justice, yada yada, telling him to not apologize. He felt bad. She'd hired him for his piloting skills, most likely to be a way to throw the New Way off their back and here he was potentially jeopardizing that. At least no one else really knew. He was that weird kid from the Outer Rim.

When she stayed her hand, however, and didn't mind that he had his saber, he blinked in surprise. That seemed to be a fair point of contention for her. Perhaps she was afraid that he'd been part of the dark side? It made him think inwardly. He'd met some of those that utilized the dark side of the Force and he couldn't imagine being like them. The way that their ripples tore through reality... He visibly shivered and shook his head. "Thank you. I'm...still not--"

Then came the question, the one that he still asked himself. As the three flew through the skylanes about a third of the way there, Raphael gave a small smile. "Eh? Of course I did! What kid didn't wanna be a jedi? Especially if they found that they could kinda see the future or even lift stuff with their brains?" He laughed very weakly, and almost insecurely and then his face fell, as he continue to also look out the windshield. "...I have. I just... I don't know. I have never felt great about myself, if you know what I mean."

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Greatness?"

Maeve looked at him this time, trading his smile. She shook her head. "There isn't a requirement to be great when it comes to being a Jedi. You only need to have the courage to do what's right, and the strength to resist the well of darkness that lives inside of all of us." Even the most powerful Jedi battled with their own desires. The call of the Dark Side was loud, and its voice only grew as you strengthened your presence in the Force. That was what being a Jedi was. Keeping to the Light.

"You should consider it," she continued. "The doors of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant are always open to you. No matter your age, your creed or your past, anyone is welcome. Even the simplest mechanics can become members of the Jedi Council, so long as they have the heart and will to do good."

As the ship lifted farther into the sky, above the clouds and cramped traffic and artificial lights of the lower city levels, they caught their first glimpse of the sun. The cockpit was bathed in a warm orange glow, enough for Maeve to feel it on her skin, and she smiled against the light. "What it means to be a Jedi is not a concept limited to the strongest of us, or the most confident, or even the bravest. It belongs to those who choose to believe."

"Do you believe you could be a Jedi one day, Raphael?"

It was like her previous question, only slightly rephrased. Maeve was not much of a recruiter, but she'd heard the eagerness in his voice, his honesty. He'd dreamed of becoming a Jedi once, even if it was as a child. Maybe that dream existed still. As long as it did, then perhaps she could pull Raphael out of this ordinary life, and put him on a path to doing more than serving as someone's chauffeur.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

Greatness wasn't needed, huh? The only thing that he needed in order to be a good jedi was c-- No. He couldn't... could he actually be a jedi...? Is that what Jedi Master Noble had been trying to get at? He shook his head. He would simply listen for the time being. The more that he tried to fight against it instead of listening the less that he really would understand. The most annoying thing about the way that he tended to view.

Consider it. "...that's..." Slowly they pulled away from the normal skylanes and lifted high into the air. "...doing good is all I've ever wanted to do, but even then, I don't necessarily want to be on the Jedi Council. I...just wanna help people, ya know?" His voice fell a bit, though he kept his eyes and ears open at all times. He wasn't about to get caught with unprepared.

When the sun began to stream in, Raphael couldn't help but smile. Her words seemed to be resonating with him. Jedi wanted to help people, to master themselves, learn how to utilize the Force. Raphael sighed as they flew through the air and nodded down at it. It was there. He knew, almost intrinsically, where he was going.

That was when she hit him with it.

"D--Do... do I feel like I could be a Jedi?!" He looked at her, a bit of panic and uncertainty in his eyes. "Uh, well... I, uhm, I mean it was definitely a dream of mine as a kid..." He looked, momentarily at the lightsaber sitting on the dashboard, and he took a breath before he finally answered. "I do, yes." For a moment he wondered if he knew what he was doing.

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve listened in silence as he spoke. She'd felt as much as seen the panic in his eyes, and she didn't want to overwhelm him with more reasons or elaborate points, to push Knighthood onto him like a vendor selling their wares. Becoming a Jedi was a decision he needed to make on his own. She didn't know what secrets or stories riddled his past, but if there was one thing she did know, it was his light. His faith.

His answer only proved what she'd thought of him, and Maeve couldn't resist smiling a little. "If you believe you can," she replied, "then you should."

Maeve glanced over her shoulder to check back on Senator Lorson. The man was lounging in his seat, already dozing even though it'd been only ten minutes into their journey. She had to remember the whole reason for the trip was to protect him, not make conversation with the pilot ferrying them across the planet. But this pilot was different. Special. Besides, who was to say the senator was in any trouble? The New Way had made no indication of attacking them.

They were safe.

Maeve shifted back to Raphael, bright eyes following his own to the lightsaber he left on the dashboard. The handle gleamed in the sunlight. "You've made your own lightsaber. You possess gifts in the Force not many others have. Why not follow that childhood dream of yours? The New Jedi Order is always looking for fresh faces, for good people, to lead the fight against evil."

"That is, if you even want to fight. The decision is yours."

She looked at him and smiled. It was only then she felt it—not his presence, but something else, like a needle in her skull, a target on her back. Maeve's head spun around, just in time to see a haulcraft slam directly into their ship.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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[Raphael Gallustrade]

The question was did he want to fight, the answer was of course he did. He'd felt the dark side before, been right in touch with the Maw and had met one of the sith. They weren't...normal. They felt wrong, it was like a pollution of the Force. There was an oddity to such beings that Raphael just couldn't...bear to tolerate, in most ways. He looked over to her, to her light smiling face and then followed her eyes to the saber he'd put onto the dashboard.

He was about to answer, when they both had a strange feeling and he looked over, ship accelerating to the point where it hit the rear of the ship, not the senator. He was josteled and couldn't think clearly for a moment. He realized that he'd hit his head.

--phael...--phael!! RAPHAEL!!! You were hit by a hauler! I crashed into them.

Fight them off of us! Keep them back!

Alright. I will. I got one, I will circle around for any others.

His eyes quickly opened. They were spinning. They were dropping fast. The alarms were going off. "Master Jedi! M-Master jedi!!" He looked to her "Maeve!! Wake up! Check on the Senator! I've got... this..." One retro thruster fired, followed the main thruster as they came out of the dive and he pulled the yoke back lifting them. "...I've got a friend helping us!"
Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

The ship came out of nowhere, like a wave on a stormy sea. When it crashed against the hull, Maeve felt her head whip around so fast she thought it might unscrew from her neck. Instead, she slammed hard against the dashboard. She let out a pained gasp as black began to swamp the corners of her vision, stars shooting past her eyelids. For the briefest second, she lost consciousness.

It was only the sound of Raphael's voice that dragged her back to the light.

She blinked, beyond dazed. It was a miracle she hadn't flown from her seat and gone straight out the cockpit window, but she had the belt tied over her chest to thank for that. If she had been just a little more of a reckless co-pilot, she'd probably be plummeting down five-hundred stories to her death about now.

Of course, she seemed to be doing that anyway.

Lights shrieked, alarms blared. Smoke hissed from one of the circuit panels. The ship had been thrown helplessly out of the traffic lane, falling in a downward spiral to the city. She had no idea what was happening, but she trusted Raphael would regain control of the ship soon enough. Her biggest worry was the man she'd been tasked to guard in the first place.

"Senator Lorson!" she called, casting a sharp look over into the cabin. She was both stunned and relieved to find the man still there, clinging to the edge of the lounge and holding onto dear life. He clearly hadn't buckled in when they departed. How he hadn't pancaked into the wall as a result would remain one of the many mysteries of the Force.

"Belt in!" Maeve ordered, but the senator didn't even seem to hear her voice, his eyes shut tightly as he hugged his own seat. When he didn't respond, she resorted to using the Force, pushing him up against the lounge. With the swipe of her other hand, the seat harness wrapped around Lorson's chest, buckling him in. By then, Raphael seemed to have lifted them out of the plunge, the ship's engines roaring up the Coruscant skyline, but they were not finished yet.

No, they were far from safe.

Raphael Gallustrade​

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