Campaign Flight of the Sirocco

[Jared Starchaser]

Letting folks rest and recuperate was definitely the challenge of working in a team. Jared worked solo for so long that this was new and different. Looking to Cato, as the Mandalorian seemed to come to play, Jared nodded. They could have that storm and the dark of night on this planet at the same time. If there were more traps, he wasn’t sure they’d be able to see them, or even sense them as things went further. Maybe it was good to stop.

Watching Delila and Kinsey, Jared nodded. It was better to stop. He’d have kept going if it was just him, but with these others? And another Starchaser? He was going to have to think differently. The stim could keep her going, but if it wasn’t to heal? Jared wasn’t sure it’d get Kinsey the perk she needed.

They kept moving and as Kinsey indicated the cave system, the Mirialan Starchaser looked at his datapad. It was still several klicks, not ones he’d want to do in the dark, especially in the dark in this storm.

“Roger,” He said, as he lead the swoop that direction. Hearing the crack of thunder in the storm, and the call of something big, bird? Reptile? Bit of both.

“Maybe hurry.”

Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon Cato Fett

 

[Cato Fett]

To emphasize Jared's sentiment, a distant furl of bruised cloudbanks, backlit by a tangle of cloud-to-cloud static discharges and blasting heaving subsonic notes of thunder, parted aside and hurled down a spear of white-on-white lightning. The bolt cut and scratched across the sky, leaving behind too-bright afterimages that briefly burned into their retinas. It lanced and struck the bald cap of a flint boulder lying further ahead along the edge of the canyon vale, shattering it apart and hurling a small landslide of blackened and blued flint shale down the slope of the canyon wall. The sequel of thunder following hard on the lightning's heels seemed to overpower the air, filling their heads, their lungs, and hammering the meat of their diaphragms.

Cato blinked away the opaque anti-glare shielding in his helm-visor, pushed his toes deeper into the Starhawk's footpad controls. He followed Jared and Kinsey toward the mouth of a wind and rain-worn cave mouth. The cave itself was a long, bowling tunnel that wormed back into the canyon-side, that'd been virtually 'eaten' out of the stone as eons of water runoff ate and washed away the light acidity of the limestone vein that bored in between layers of rough magma-rock and compacted sediment.

A low note of shallow wind seemed to moan from deeper within the length of the tunnel. Cato coasted himself and Delila in past the cave mouth, gently drifting the 'Hawk around until it's forward control-vanes and outrigger rods faced the open entrance-way. Then he geared the swoop down, toed its landing kickstands out, killed its powerplant off, and settled its weight onto the dusty floor.

Cato waited until Delila had risen from her passenger seat before standing and flexing the meat and tendons in his legs. The swoop-flight had numbed some of the musculature, leaving him briefly wobbly until he regained his natural balance. Rapidly, he next strode to the rump of the 'Hawk and opened one of the cargo panniers. He retrieved what looked like rubbery curtains and lengths of raked netting, along with a handful of long, spiked poles, several black, boxy modules affixed with little hooked feet, a spool of translucent monofilament, and a hard rubber and epoxy edged speaker box no larger and longer than his palm.

Counter-shading, counter-illumination camouflage nets. Black market-bought motion detectors. And a tired-but-true virtually invisible tripwire rigged to a viciously loud mini-speaker that could wake the sleeping dead. As the others went about readying the overnight camp, Cato worked at the cave entryway to give their chosen hovel some extra cover and a modicum of security.

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Delila Castillon]

Delila didn't feel as bad considering it looked as if Cato was unsteady as herself getting off the swoop-bike. A small stretch to get rid of the pins-and-needles feeling, but the redhead knew there would only be relief once she moved around enough. An easy task considering all they had to set up and handle.

The redhead briefly considered collecting some firewood but the smell and light could easily lead others to their location. If there were others. She was unsure the status of sentients on the planet.As far as their scans went and visuals, she had seen a whole lot of nothing. Didn't mean anything. Once the camp was established, she thought it might be wise to sleep and rest in shifts - something to bring up to the group perhaps. She wasn't in charge here, merely an assistant on the journey.

Digging through her bag, she addressed the Jedi.

"You need me to render first aid?"

Cato Fett | Kinsey Starchaser | Jared Starchaser​

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

Thanks to that pain stim, she only winced a little bit as she unsaddled her bike. Reaching in her bag, she fished out a few nano-lights and tossed them into the air. Small, wireless twinkle lights - almost like stars, spread above them and illuminated the space with a warm, soft light. It would help the other see as they got to work setting up camp and some perimeters and safety measures.

The spacer looked up, surprised at @Delila's offer.

Kins was used to working on her own. She'd forgotten what it was like to work as a team. And it wasn't...as bad as she thought it was gonna be. A glance down at the charred skin beneath the rip in her pants. She thought about old wounds. The blaster burns in different spots along her body. The lightsaber scar and vibro-blade marks. Old scars each with their own story. Stories she no doubt this redhead shared in other ways.

"Wouldn't turn down another set of hands." Easing herself on the sandy-rocky soil, she let her injured leg stretch before her, bending her other at the knee. "Want to hand me the cutters and we can see how bad it is. Think with some bacta spray it'll be fine. Do I wanna know how many times you've been hit with a blaster?"

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Jared was no stranger to odd worlds, worlds far flung with their own secrets and challenges. It was typical when he was on his own. The Outer Rim, and Wild Space, had its fair share of broken worlds. Worlds where something wasn't quite right. Could it be Celestials and their experiments? Problems of a forerunner experiment and terraforming. But now? With others, and with a mission, he was going to be more cautious.

Pushing the swoop to its limits, he sped ahead with Kinsey, Cato and Delila behind them. The Starchasers were both unique in that they were working with a team, and preferred to be a solo project. One of the curses of the family, he supposed. Great explorers, and confident in foreign lands, but not so much when you bring other people into the mix. Still, he was a captain of this mission, and had to get people off this rock safely.

Once in the cave, Jared slowed his swoop and pulled it to a park. Looking to his own pouch, a commuter bag, really. Cloak, bed roll, small bits of food. That was what he had to survive out here. He hadn't gone as prepped as Cato, but did worry about at least a few hours out, or getting stopped for a night. Standard adventure gear, really. Looking to the Mandalorian, Jared laughed.

"Came prepared, huh?" Hopper bounced off the swoop and started to issue a few beeps and clicks.The droid made its way a little deeper, scanning and using its light to illuminate parts of the cave.

"Careful." Jared muttered to his droid.

Cato Fett Delila Castillon Kinsey Starchaser

 

[Cato Fett]

"Came prepared, huh?"

"Just a touch," Cato chortled. He was finishing affixing a few last touches to the camouflage netting and checking the monofilament wire-trip was properly staked into the earth, giving the nearly invisible length of wire a quick twang with one hooked finger.

The motion-sensor modules were likewise reinspected. They were boxy, rectangular, about the dimensions of an average humanoid's forearm with six spiked anchor-poles ejecting at an angle from the edges of its casing. Cato depressed a small hatch-lid that slid aside at his touch, exposing a small liquid-crystal display page above a basic control pad. For each module, he had the on-board software run brief diagnostics before simulating intruder events that tested the veracity and sensitivity of its detection instrumentation. Finally satisfied, Cato replaced each module-box behind the camo-curtain, checked again that said curtain was well anchored to the mouth of the cave entrance, before joining with Jared and the others at the makeshift camp.

"Those droids," Cato said aloud. He was at the Starhawk, pulling a foam bedroll and a portable grilling stove from its saddle-boxes. "It's common pirate practice to leave their caches guarded by droids and such. Especially if they're not confident whatever they've hidden will remain that way. But still..."

The Mandalorian had paused. His helmet was canted back, eyes behind the visor briefly gazing off at some unknown middle distance. Cato's hand rested beneath the guard of his longsword. "Something's off. I don't know what, though."

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Delila Castillon]

Knowing her luck with life in general, Delila had brought a decent amount of medical supplies. Being out here in the black around no civilization one had to be prepared for the worst. No one, absolutely no one, was going to come save them. Maybe the Starchasers. The redhead knew they were from a very famous family, well known in Force using circles but also in explorer circles. Since 'retiring' and becoming a spacer, she had heard their name spoken with reverence once or twice.

Delila found some scissors and handed those over first so Kinsey Starchaser could cut her pant leg to her liking. A small frown from the redhead, it looked dirty, and that was a big problem. Attention went to finding the bacta spray and something to clean the surrounding skin.

"Multiple times. Got shot so bad once it obliterated my liver. Had to get a cloned one in the battlefield. Don't recommend that but its a good conversation starter for those who are lucky enough to see me topless."

She chuckled and shook her head, finding some antiseptic to clean the surrounding area and the bacta spray. Dells carefully placed them next to the Jedi - she seemed keen on doing it herself. Probably in pain and knew she was probably a little rough around the edges and may get a little over eager cleaning the wound.

"I'm sure you've been shot before."

Jared Starchaser | Cato Fett

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

A roll of her eyes at her cousin's overzealous droid even with a small smirk on her mouth. Reminded her of Pibs. She'd left her pebbledrone back on the ship.

"Whelp, I expected to at least get some kind of treasure after the trouble of getting shot. Hells, even a new shirt," she quipped over to Cato Fett with his comment about droids guarding a pirate's cache. With the help of Delila Castillon , she made quick work of that charred pant leg. It was a grazing. Not as bad as it could've been. Didn't mean it still wouldn't hurt like chit.

"Kriff, Delila." A glint of respect hardened in her Starchaser blue eyes. "Can't say I ever came close to losing an organ." Picking up the bacta spray, she began cleaning the wound. That charred skin began to foam and bubble with the ointment and Kinsey clamped down on the inside of her cheek but didn't yelp out in pain.

One steadying breath and then another before that pain that broke through the anti-pain stim began fading.

"Yeah, been shot. Swiped and stabbed with a lightsaber and vibroblade. Even clawed." Head shook. "Hazards of being a force user and having a famous last name I guess." A small risk and fall of her shoulders as if she could shrug it all away. "So who dragged you into this mission? Was it my cousin or your boyfriend over there?"

 

[Jared Starchaser]

It was good to see other people prepared. When he was separated from his ship, Jared really only carried enough for himself. With his E-Wing he had what he needed, but when it came to his personal shuttle, that he could typically house a team. Too bad the thing hadn’t been completed before this trip. The Jensaarai-Warden-Jedi-Witch-thing could just nod. Cato was here to play and that was perfectly what Jared needed.

Someone had to be in charge of weaponry and protection. The Starchaser clan had the Force, and it made Jared grow a bit complacent. With droids? More would need to be done.

“I’ve heard that done. Been more hyperspace prospecting and out doing good deeds rather than treasure hunting. Haven’t seen a set up quite like this. More trip wires around something. Booby trap type things.” He looked over as Delila and Kinsey were tending to the latter’s wounds.

“Do you think they got some message off? We’re here for the parts, if there is any treasure to be had, yeah we’re taking that too, but first and foremost we need to get the Sirocco ready to fly again and get off this rock.” He looked to Cato, knowing that droids could sure as hell send for help. And if something did come from space? They’d be in trouble. If it was airspeeders? Well, that they could handle.

Cato Fett
Delila Castillon Kinsey Starchaser

 

[Cato Fett]

"Entirely depends on their state of repair. Or disrepair," Cato answered. He was knelt down roughly in the centre midst of the cavern floor, working at digging out a firepit with a short pick-shovel, scooping handfuls of pebble-slurry free of the shallow basin to expose a dish of dark, humid earth. Beside him, waiting by a knee, was a dismantled field cooking kit simply waiting to be reconstructed. Cato paused to clap and scatter the warm soil and dust from his gloves.

"We can hope whatever droids that remain here haven't been maintained as required," He said. "Inclement weather, moisture, inevitable wear and tear, there's a thousand factors working against any autonomous 'security' that's been left here on-world. We might get lucky. Their internal communicator modules might be damaged, or malfunctioning. Truth is - -"

He returned to the makeshift fire-pit, packing down the gently sloped walls of the basin-bowl with a flat length of old slate stone, re-adding the pebble slurry to the pit's tamped floor before piling on handfuls of select, age-smoothed stones. He fitted a grilling screen over the stony gravel and rock, balanced a butane-fusion cook-stove atop that. The stove itself was a refurbished, double-burner model that'd been a premium model some years beforehand. Its titanium-white casing was yellowed with use and spattered with patches of heat-hardened sauce stains and grease. Cato punched his thumb against a starter nub and nodded with some relish when the burner plates coughed alive before emitting thin licks of blue-white flame.

"Good. Truth is," He continued, looking up and about at his companions. "With the Sirocco more or less out of commission, we can't take advantage of its sensor-suites to provide us with any over-watch. We won't know if those droids summoned any more trouble until we spot it, or it lands right on top of us."

Cato hummed a small note, shrugging against his shoulder-guards. "In the mean time, let's get some supper going."

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Delila Castillon]

"Yeah, been shot. Swiped and stabbed with a lightsaber and vibroblade. Even clawed." Head shook. "Hazards of being a force user and having a famous last name I guess." A small risk and fall of her shoulders as if she could shrug it all away. "So who dragged you into this mission? Was it my cousin or your boyfriend over there?"

"Yeah, you Jedi types seem to love your lightsaber wounds. Do you still have all your limbs attached? That seems to a thing too."

Always losing their hands. She wondered how much the Jedi government....religious organization?....spent on cybernetic and prosthetic replacements for their members. When she was bored, alone in her ship after this, she would have to dig deeper into such a thing. Not that she cared, it was more for her own morbid curiosity.

At the mention of 'boyfriend', Delila let out a sharp laugh. Eyes rolled and she handed over a hypostim for pain and spray-bandage.

"Date a Mando? I'm not that desperate, they do have things that run on battery power." Glanced was tossed in the direction of the men before looking back at Kinsey. "I suppose your cousin then. I was in a bar looking for work and I fit the bill. Took the opportunity, seemed like a good way to make credits and possibly shoot something. Very win-win."

A pause.

"Why are you here? Boyfriend problems or family obligations?"

Kinsey Starchaser | Cato Fett | Jared Starchaser ​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Unknown opponents, on an unknown world with weird, seemingly unpredictable weather? Yeah, it did not make for a great situation in Jared's mind. He had been all around the Outer Rim, and still now, was finding new and different ways to get him, and his apparent team, stuck and in trouble. He took jobs where he had no idea what was going to be waiting for him behind door number one, or two. But now that there were others, it made it a challenge to prepare for.

"Something about this world screams that nothing has been properly maintained in an age. But the fact that they're still working, and still laying in wait as a trap? That also indicates that something, or someone was keeping them in line." He mused, at that point more to himself. Perhaps it was a droid maintaining the other droids? That would be a bit of a wild circumstance, if Jared was to be asked. He'd seen it though, hovering droids that would attach to another droid, and complete some form of junkyard repair, typically from pieces of fallen similar droids.

The nightmares of machines he'd seen…

"I'll have Hopper…" He indicated his droid. "Send a quick message out to the Sirrocco. Have them work to intercept, or at least monitor, any communications from the surface." Jared nodded as Cato then turned them to dinner.

He started going through what supplies he brought for himself. Mostly dehydrated foodstuffs that wouldn't go over too badly once they were given a warm water hydration. But they were definitely survival rations.

Overhearing part of Delila and Kinsey's conversation, the Mirialan wanderer about spit his water out. Boyfriend… ha, no. No thank you. "You two done exchanging war stories? Can get some dinner going…"



Cato Fett Delila Castillon Kinsey Starchaser

 

[Cato Fett]

For his part, Cato busied tidying up his contribution to their collective supper: Asahian buckwheat noodles swimming in a prepared vegetable broth, the hot cooking stock supplemented with all-spice and a touch of Zeltronian cayenne and garnished with rapidly thawed, re-hydrated, and sliced hard-boiled eggs, Dantooine scallions, and a host of colourful if slightly sour Commenor peppers. Beside it, bowls of pickled, high-nutrient greens and bean sprouts, brown rice garnished with freeze-dried poultry, tender shrimp morsels, and water chestnuts.

All of it was taken from Cato's Starhawk swoop's saddle-cases, appearing initially as unappealing and mostly unassuming vacuum-sealed packets, some thinner than half a centimetre. Any additional accoutrements came from his own preparation, culled, spiced, dried, and stored away in sterile cartons packed beneath thermal blankets and tarpaulin. Besides food, he readied a heat-scored caff-pot over a secondary butane cooking-element. His own tastes preferred a good tea but the caff was more amenable to differing tastes, where milk and sugar was concerned. He set out a handful of good stoneware plates, notched but rough-and-tumble eating utensils, and a set of utilitarian caff mugs. In the cooking pit, suspended on the anchored grille-panels, the campfire stove cooked and hissed away.

Now, stillness. There was little to do save keep a vigil and sup. While the others either helped themselves to his offerings or drew up their own sustenance, Cato took up a spot beside the cooking pit and sat himself cross-legged on a flattened space of cool earth. Item by item, he pulled his fighting knives from their mag-locked sheathes and inspected them, running their edges under lamplight for traces of rust, coarse, or damage. He saved his daisho for last, though their inspection was only cursory; their full lengths were never wholly drawn, Cato only pulling enough steel free to confirm their metal was still mirror-polished and their edges razor honed. Satisfied, he tucked the re-sheathed blades back through his waist belting and took up an off-hand hold of his hunting bow. He kept sparing a weathered, wary glance across his shoulder, toward the mouth of their current cave haunt.

"Mandalorian romances are... fickle," He admitted, after a lengthy beat. Cato's helm turned up, winking light off his visor. Hint of a smile where his jaw line met the helmet's under-ridge, looking from face to face. "I don't prescribe to them myself."

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Delila Castillon]

Overhearing part of Delila and Kinsey's conversation, the Mirialan wanderer about spit his water out. Boyfriend… ha, no. No thank you. "You two done exchanging war stories? Can get some dinner going…"

"So because we're women, we have to cook?"

Delila raised an eyebrow, staring at the two men before looking back to Kinsey, then back to the idiot cousin who suggested such a thing. Yet it didn't seam they would have to do too much, the Mando had laid out quite the spread. Yet she wasn't sure if it was for all or for himself, so she dug around in her pack and produced a few of those meals in pouches.

Rip off the top, add a little water, and place on a rock while it heated up. They didn't taste the best but had a high calorie count and would keep someone going on the road. She had more than enough currently heating for them all as a just in case. Besides, travelling tended to make one hungry. While her food heated, she reached in her bag and grabbed some nerf jerky, biting off a piece and offering some to the other three.

"Mandalorian romances are... fickle," He admitted, after a lengthy beat. Cato's helm turned up, winking light off his visor. Hint of a smile where his jaw line met the helmet's under-ridge, looking from face to face. "I don't prescribe to them myself."

"Celibate or you just prefer your romances non-Mandalorian? I get it though....romance can be....rough."

Her own thoughts drifted to Xin Boa and how much time they spent apart now. The redhead didn't even know what was going on there, nor was she going to entertain ideas on a dangerous assignment.

Kinsey Starchaser | Cato Fett | Jared Starchaser

 

[Jared Starchaser]

There really had to be some sort of magic and approach to this whole cooking while on-the-go thing that Cato had going on. Jared didn’t plan to be out this long, at most maybe overnight, but even then, he could do with a few packs of protein bars and that was about it. Cato must have had some insight here, or just knew how to travel around and make it more than just an adventure but a whole damned experience.

“I will have to say, the smell coming out of that is professional grade. Figured this was going to be a bit of an in and out for us, and didn’t prep for much more than that.” Jared laughed as he looked it over. The Miralian looked to his own protein bar and re-wrapped it, helping himself to a bowl of the offerings from Cato as he began his own probably-meditative approach. Then he looked over at the redhead.

“Nah, not what I meant. Spacer, remember?” And a Levant. Meant that he supported himself. He’d cook, or just eat the most pre-packaged trash he could. At least it’d keep himself stocked on his vitamins and nutrients. Watching Cato finish his dealing with his weapons. Jared had what, two on him now. Lightsaber, blaster pistol. He’d need to probably get his compound bow out once again. He wasn’t the type to become a sniper, but sending specific ordinance around did have its advantage. Could be good here, if he had an ion popper.

“Probably why people like all of us just keep moving.” Jared sipped from the bowl and nodded to the gathered. Hell, he had his sometimes run in with a very well known Jedi Master, but aside from helping out some small settlements along the Rim and very grateful women, Jared kept most people at arms length himself.

Meanwhile, Hopper came back in and started to inform Jared that there was contact, scattered as it was, with the Sirocco, and the droid was fairly confident they understood to keep scanners peeled.

Cato Fett Delila Castillon Kinsey Starchaser

 

[Cato Fett]

"Celibate or you just prefer your romances non-Mandalorian? I get it though....romance can be....rough."

"Frankly?" Cato said, answering Delila's query. "Wooing is beyond me. I'd rather not have the distraction. And I don't trust other Mando'ade enough to humour their presence, let alone a relationship. Please - - "

He gave the set of deep-bowled dishes a careful nudge with the edge of one his tabi-socks towards Ms. Castillon, whom he noted had been eyeing the small picnic's worth of campfire fare since the moment he'd left his food offerings to cool. "Help yourself. There's enough here for everyone. ...And thank you."

Cato nodded at Jared, now. "Cooking for me is meditative. My... teacher said that warriors should strive for excellence in all things, not just war-making. If I could not cook satisfactorily, then I was to repeat a portion of the day's lesson or practice, then try again. Food preparation helped slow my thoughts, helped make my teacher's instruction more digestible, no pun intended. It made the lessons that came later more bearable...

"It does not mean I can't sup on nutrient paste and recycled water," He clarified. "But a good meal helps remind you of your humanity. A warm, full belly is very helpful. So, please, everyone, have as much as you wish."

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Delila Castillon]

"Thank you."

Taking some soup, she added in some of the meat-from-a-pouch she had opened, grabbing a spoon. She found it interesting the Mando didn't trust his own kind. What was the story there? Something obviously transpired. Given they didn't know one another well at all, it would remain a mystery for now. Perhaps as they continued on this journey she may find out more.

"A good attitude. I can't really cook. Nor can I really pilot a vessel well. I can do both in a pinch but the results...vary." A small grimace at the remembrance of some of her exploits, most of which in the kitchen or cockpit ever ended well. "Not for a lack of trying. Just when I was a soldier our focus was on fighting. There were always cooks for us. Always pilots for us. When one joins the military at seventeen....you can imagine the skill gap I have."

Shoulders shrugged and she dove her spoon into the soup to eat some.

"This is very good though Fett. I appreciate your efforts, especially in the field. Yet...perhaps more than humanity the shared meal build comradery. Important when trusting one with your life."

Cato Fett | Jared Starchaser | Kinsey Starchaser

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

Kinsey checked the bacta patch over her wound one last time, then stood. Limping only a little. She'd be fine in another hour or two. Once that healing got to the deeper layers.

"Why are you here? Boyfriend problems or family obligations?"

"Luckily, neither." She answered quietly. Her past history with relationships was quite complicated. First serious one was a psycho sith-lord who essentially brainwashed and really karked her up. Kinsey would accept some of the responsibility. She'd also been really young...and stupid. And when she'd sworn off any kind of relationship, the 'verse had a funny way of putting a male right in the middle of her path. One she'd fallen for, hard. One who was a really good male, Rune Shamalain .

She still missed him.

Wherever he was.

Before there had a been a few others but she tended to remember the best and the worst.

Taking out a bowl, she sat with the others. "Thanks, Cato."

Digging in her pocket, Kinsey took out some small disks, plopping them in a free bowl with water. They instantly expanded into some hardy looking loafs of bread. Kinsey scooped one up and offered half to Cato Fett . Bobbing her head for the others to help themselves.

"So how does it work if you're dating someone?" A small wave of her torn piece of bread in the direction of his helmet. "Do you kiss with your eyes closed?" A sideways glance at her cousin. "Aren't you dating someone these days?"

 

[Jared Starchaser]

He could already tell that the ones they had gathered were definitely complimentary of each other. And that was good, especially if they were all going to be part of this team that was making the journey through the Spur out to Tatooine and wherever they were going. A great spin. Jared just knew he was happier on the space lanes than he would be on some planet somewhere. He had a few good throws planetside, keeping himself both entertained and well, satisfied, but he always kept running into Jedi.

Maybe they saw his lightsaber as a sign that he was one of them. And while he wasn’t a Sith, he was no Jedi.

“Did you ever meet the Jedi Tiland Kortun? He was one of those peaceful warrior types. Could, and did, stand with my father on many a battle, but preferred to find his resolutions with words and tea…” Not that a Mando Chef and a Jedi Tea Master had too much in common, but Jared felt that they were cut from a similar cloth.

“Me? No, at least not since the situation at Csilla went upside down and the family pulled our interests back out to the Sanctum…” He offered a shrug. “Besides, there is always more work to be done, rather than getting tied down.” Figuratively, of course.

Cato Fett Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon

 

[Cato Fett]

"So how does it work if you're dating someone? Do you kiss with your eyes closed?"

"With our eyes - - Oh," Cato paused from undoing his own helmet chin-latches and looked across to Kinsey, shaking his head. He accepted a proffered loaf of insta-bread. "Truth be told? The Death Watch - " And there was no masking the sharp note of contempt in the word. "And their own inter-sects, such as the Children etcetera, keep those sorts of protocols to themselves. If we wish to be more... intimate, in expressing things, the helmet is simply removed and we indulge in a good kiss. Mostly, at least between Mando'ade, we give our helmets a gentle bump together. Small gesture, deep meaning. Context is important, naturally.

"...Not to be confused with mirshmure'cya," He added, gently chortling. "'Keldabe kiss', a headbutt. Some like that more."

"Did you ever meet the Jedi Tiland Kortun? He was one of those peaceful warrior types. Could, and did, stand with my father on many a battle, but preferred to find his resolutions with words and tea..."

"Hmmn... Only by reputation. 'The Grey Pilgrim'," Cato replied. He was busying with spooning a helping of the buckwheat noodles into a shallowly scalloped metal bowl, stirring up the broth with a pair of metal chopsticks and layering on several of the hard boiled egg-halves. "Like an echo of the old Jedi Watchmen, millennia ago. But he sounds like he understands what violence is."

He finally undid the last of the chin-latching that kept his helmet still firmly bound to his scalp and brow, pulling his headgear aside.

From behind the dark armour-glass of his T-visor came a pale, sharp-featured face; with sharply angular cheekbones, tersely cropped black hair, and a jawline that made Cato's expression resemble the edge of an axe blade. As he turned to pour out caff into a battered tin cup, the lamplight caught the left-side of his skull, revealing: a trio of deep laceration scars that swept from his hairline down past his jaw, terminating in a series of snowy cicatrice scar-knots. So rending were the old cuts that they left the bone naked and exposed, leaving great spans of jawline and cheek structure that refused to properly heal. A pair of haunted, dark green eyes looked out.

"You mentioned soldiering," Cato said to Delila, about to tuck into his noodle bowl. "Where did you serve? Alliance space?"

Jared Starchaser Kinsey Starchaser Delila Castillon