Faction [Foundation] 'Cause Somebody Will Soon Arrive

[Coren Starchaser]

Some tasks were just so much more worthwhile than others. The nice thing about being Coren Starchaser? He could pick the tasks he wanted. Part of living the life that he did, that actually worked for him, was that he became a name in many different avenues. From warfare to exploration, to general Jedi services. As a Wayseeker, it gave the man freedom to move how he wanted, and live his life how he wanted.

And now, that meant passing on what he had learned. All the while making a good amount of credits.

But that was secondary, he’d always tell himself.

He was sitting on the bridge of one of the Pathfinder frigate Long Strider. A ship that was owned in entirety by his corporation, but was used for many different jobs.The ship had its cloaking device to make it just a bit more sneaky when it needed to be. Which was good. As a training and research vessel, it didn’t have much in the way of weapons and ships. Mostly training fighters and personal support craft. That included Coren’s personal vessel, the Tachyon Rising. Tucked away and ready to go should he need to get the team out of problems. So staying off the radar, especially with pirates out in the galaxy in force? It saved the day more times than he cared to count.

But for now? He was watching the hyperspace tunnel before him. He had opened up this mission to a few people who he knew and laid it open to a few students. One way or another this path would be made, so having more minds, more navigators on it? It mattered. He even pulled a few strings and got some independent pilots and shippers to join the team. Different ways to look at the same problem.

When making jumps through these spaces, it mattered who was here.

Standing up, he looked to Porter, his faithful droid. The ship reverted to real space and Coren nodded, signalling the droid to activate the cloak. The rest were gathered in the map room.

Striding in, the Corellian Jedi Wayseeker saw the others and smiled.

“Welcome to Ryloth, folks. We’ve got a bit of a trek ahead of us. A long way to go, and we want to take the shortest time to get there.” He tapped a key on the map projector, and it highlighted the system. “And we’re hoping to make our way out to the Unknown Regions. Sure, we could take the Trade Spine, but that’ll throw us to the Deep Core before we get out the other side… And that costs food, fuel, and time. Thoughts?”

Teaching seemed to suit him. The group had been given a rough understanding of what he was approached to build. A path to connect the Unknown Regions and the southern systems of Wild Space and the Outer Rim. Great for relocating refugees from their home area to another area they’d hopefully feel more at home in. The request was fairly bare bones, find a way to connect the galaxy’s edges to each other.

He’d take the credits for that work.

Choli Vyn Okkeus Dainlei Iona Starchaser Trextan Voidstalker (???)

 

[Iona Starchaser]

Location : Pathfinder Map Room | Weapons : Force Pike | Interacting With : Choli Vyn Coren Starchaser Trextan Voidstalker Okkeus Dainlei
​

If there was a Starchaser who wasn't skilled at astronavigation, she was it.

Piloting. Exploring. Mechanical work. These were the traditional Starchaser traits she was good at. Iona figured she had too much of her mother's side in her genetics, more Mirialan in her beliefs and actions that crowded out much of the traditional Starchaser trope. It didn't help when one had famous cousins such as Jared Starchaser or Kaia Starchaser out in the 'verse defining what the family was.

Yet she still wanted to tag along. To prove useful.

Looking up at the map projected, she immediately raised a hand to speak.

"Master Starchaser? Yes, will we be using any of the GUIDE works in this endeavor? I've been studying the work of Magdalena Lithe and GUIDE. She created a hyperlane called Crusader's Way....are we to link with it at any point in time? Or do you feel a secret charted path is more prudent? Are the refugees in real danger as a whole? I don't think I've heard genocide tossed around but..."

A lot of questions but Iona had many. She was on the cusp of being an adult and learning under Kaia. While Kaia was a Warden, Iona didn't find many Masters currently following the Jal Shey philosophy and her cousin was an excellent second choice while she did independent study. The more questions she asked, the further she learned about different belief systems and perspectives.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Location: Pathfinder, Map Room.
Inventory: Field Apparel, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol, Navi.
NPC's: Chip.
Interacting With: Choli Vyn , Coren Starchaser , Trextan Voidstalker , Okkeus Dainlei & Iona Starchaser .

Standing aboard the Pathfinder, Balun Dashiell found himself surrounded by unfamiliar faces, save for one— Iona Starchaser . She was the reason he was here, the singular thread tying him to this particular voyage.

It had been years since they had last spoken, back before he had thrown himself into the ranks of the Tingel Arm Coalition. She had warned him then, gently but firmly, that he was too fixated on the war effort. It wasn't meant as an insult—just honest advice from a friend. But her words had lingered, buried beneath the weight of battle and responsibility. And, in the end, she hadn't been wrong.

Once a Jedi, then a soldier, Balun had spent those years fighting with the Aquilian Rangers. The Coalition had lost the war against the Empire of the Lost, scattering like dust in the aftermath. The battles were over, but the lessons remained, etched into his instincts. Though his skills extended beyond combat, experience had taught him that when stepping into the unknown—as exploratory missions so often demanded—it was never a bad thing to know how to defend oneself.

Silent but watchful, he took in the scene before him, studying the people around him with quiet scrutiny. Coren Starchaser spoke, welcoming them to Ryloth and outlining their next moves. Balun kept his thoughts to himself. He was a guest here, an outsider, along for the ride with no clear idea of why Iona had invited him. But if he could be of use, offer his support in any way—well, it wasn't as though he had much else occupying his time.

Business was moving along steadily in its early stages. Dashiell Retrofit™ had a capable staff overseeing the Starship Manufacturing Yard, and with modern communication, he could manage it from a distance. His role as Liin Terallo 's personal bodyguard was another obligation, though it didn't demand his presence full-time. That left him with room to maneuver, to take on something different.

Since the fall of the Coalition, Balun had distanced himself from politics. He had parted ways with the New Jedi Order at fifteen—six years ago now—and held no lingering ties to any particular institution. So when Iona had reached out, unexpectedly after all this time, there was no reason to refuse.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Coren Starchaser Trextan Voidstalker Iona Starchaser Balun Dashiell

Surviving Rave's vault had been a near thing -- too close for comfort if Choli was being honest. Between the traps, the cursed relics, and a run in with the Knights of Ren, she and Trextan had barely scraped by with their skins intact. So when Coren Starchaser's comm came through, offering a job that didn't involve Forcewarped death traps, it sounded like just the kind of gig she needed.

Charting a hyperlane for refugees, something off the beaten path, away from prying eyes, felt exactly like a Warden's kind of work.. and after everything, Choli figured she could use the time to clear her head, breathe a little easier. What she hadn't expected was Trextan signing up too.

Chloe wasn't able to come, she had to deal with whatever fallout came from the vault's relics, but the Corellian said she'd catch up later. That left Choli here, arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the bulkhead of the Pathfinder as Coren laid out the job.

Seeing Coren in person was a little like flipping to the back of a history holo and finding a legend standing there, real as anything. But work was work, and right now, credits mattered more than starstruck moments.

So far, Coren was the only familiar face. A Mirialan and another human were here too, but she hadn't gotten a read on them yet. What mattered first was figuring out how this was all gonna run.

She raised a hand. "So..." she started, cocking a hip and giving the room a once over, "who is actually paying for this?"

A slow whistle left her lips as she glanced at the map projection, then back at Coren. "We are slicing through uncharted space, dodging all the lovely horrors the Unknown Regions has waiting for us, to carve out a backdoor for folks who need to disappear fast... without tipping off anyone who'd care to stop us." She let out a breath, shaking her head.

"Sounds like a fun challenge."

She shot a look at Iona. "GUIDE's solid, but if we are keeping this quiet, might be better to stay off their maps. I have a copy of the Merrill - Blake Star Map, Chloe lent me for this. Less chance of the wrong eyes catching on. Still, would not hurt to crosscheck, make sure we are not flying straight into a black hole."

Her gaze slid back to Coren. "And yeah, I need to know if this is a 'get paid for the job' kind of deal, or if we're expected to scrounge credits along the way. Fuel, supplies, repairs..." her mouth quirked as she flicked Trextan a sidelong glance "...inevitable damage control. Just wanna make sure we are not running on hope and good vibes."

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

Thoughts?”

Trextan immediately had none.

He had known Coren - a close friend of his father - for a long time. He felt slightly embarrassed to have nothing to offer.

The mirialan asked a scattergun series of questions.

"So..." she started, cocking a hip and giving the room a once over, "who is actually paying for this?"

He turned towards Choli. Trextan hadn't signed up deliberately to follow up on his promise to spend more time catching up. It was a pleasant accident.

Trextan gave a slow nod as that seemed a good question, but Choli then rattled through an entire series of ideas.

Along with an accusation that he might be the cause of damage along the way. He grinned for just a moment before he his the expression and shrugged.

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Aboard the Pathfinder

Coren Starchaser | Iona Starchaser | Choli Vyn | Trextan Voidstalker
​

The Jedi slowly returned to reality as the frigate dropped out of Hyperspace.

Okkeus had been studying the effects of Hyper-rapture for a little while now. There was a strong correlation between Hyperspace and the Force. Yet it would take time before that code would be cracked. When not lost in thought, the man had now been spending his time helping with causes such as this. The pamphlet which had initially informed him of the Foundation sat folded in his bag as a reminder of why he was here. Too many systems have suffered from the wrath of war. Innocent lives lost because of meaningless conflict.

Holding his chin in one hand, he thought out loud in response to Coren's question.

"If we run too far Rim-side, we have the risk of entering Sith territory...but running too close to the Core could mean legislative issues regarding the Alliance..."

Everything had become far too political these days. No one could venture anywhere without prior approval from someone. And parsecs of space becoming privatized - how does one even privatize the stars? It made no sense to him. Okkeus was unfortunately losing his understanding with the way the galaxy was today. Turning towards Iona, he listened thoughtfully at her mention of the Crusader's Way. It had been some time since he last travelled that route. There was a chance it could work, but again, he was not too sure.

Now the mention of the Merrill-Blake Starmap was something that fully caught his attention. Okkeus had only seen fragments of the map stored within the Jedi Archives. It was a spacer legend at this point. The knowledge stored in there could help the Foundation for generations to come. His droid Apollo, who stood modestly by his side, contained a large starmap of his own which had recorded countless travels of the duo. Perhaps combining all of these together would be beneficial.

"What if we were to run Core-side of the Sanctuary Pipeline? Charting further into Alliance space keeps us out of that active warzone with the Sith Order. And as far as I know that whole region at the end of the route is uncontrolled by any major power. Might be our best shot."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

A few were gathered, that was good. Some he recognized, some he knew very well, and others he knew by reputations. Jedi did tend to flock together, Wardens of the Sky? Well, they understood their roles, and tried to avoid one another if they could help it. Better to help others if you weren’t overlapping areas of concern. An old Jedi Watchman idiom as well.

His niece was here, good. He hadn’t seen her out of the Sanctum space in a bit, though he knew she was running around with Kaia, which was also a good move for her. Kaia kept far away from the war zones, which was something the Eldest Starchaser envied. When she spoke up, he turned and grinned, but tried to not knock her off balance with a bit of enthusiasm. “I hadn’t considered GUIDE. The client is looking for some way to cut across to connect where fighting is to where it isn’t. We could consider linking to other trails. It would give a way to make the path a bit more challenging.

“Thats the long and short of it, Choli. Starchaser NavSystems have a decent history with the Unknown Regions, but not since the cataclysm at Csillia. And how updated is the copy? We can use it, the ship’s a closed system.” Had she the understanding, there was a Selab Tree as one of the designs above one of the doors. Using the Merrill-Blake map was definitely something he didn’t announce often, but he kept a copy in the Tachyon Rising for when he was doing his own work. “We can cross reference that map with GUIDE’s current maps. I did upload the observatory at Kattada’s maps as well before we all got here.

When he looked around, he heard Choli, the Warden he knew by reputation, one of Chloe’s finds, if he recalled correctly, speak. “Starchaser Enterprises worked out a deal with the client. They and their organization were looking to keep themselves off the record, the initial payment is already being sent to the few of you here, minus cost of fuel.” He was working Pro-Bono, as it’d been so long since he had a real solid reason to trailblaze. “And should we need it, we can top off any smaller crafts you all brought with you.”

Seemed others got the message of what they were doing here, and having Trextan do something that wasn’t rescue Kyra was probably good for the guy. If Coren could keep him away from the war zones that he knew were coming, that were always there? It was a good move.

“Don’t be shy to speak up, Trextan… Balun, was it? Even if its for clarification, hyperspace, as was told once upon a time, isn’t like dusting crops. And navigating it is a challenge. We’ll be bouncing down whatever path we chose and probably hitting gravity wells. But it all helps the ship learn what the Force is showing us."

As for Okkeus? Well, the guy was right. Sith and Alliance territory were there. “Yeah, but the thing is… I don’t rightly worry about regulations? Besides, not to brag but we do have a stygium crystal projector aboard, and I’d really like to see either of the Core world groups catch me.” A bit of pride in that statement,a and a whole lot of ego, most of it well earned.

“Part of the client’s request was to think of a challenging route and execute it. I’d be more than happy to ride between Artrisia and Byss?” Though a jump through the Deep Core is fine in a fighter or some other corvette and blockade runner, not so much in a bigger ship.

Coren pressed a few commands and a few different paths popped up. One going between Ryloth to Kinkoss, practically straight. Another one that went in and bent around the Core, another favoring the Sanctuary Pipeline, one trying to smooth out the Crusader’s Way by using the most Core-ward points, and finally the map updated with non-descript-no-fly-zones, from the Merrill-Blake map.

“Who wants to start running some simulations on any of these? Anyone feel the need to meditate yet?” Coren grinned as he nodded to his droid Porter to start running some astrogation trials.

Iona Starchaser Trextan Voidstalker Choli Vyn Okkeus Dainlei Mother Askani

 

[Iona Starchaser]

Location : Aboard the Pathfinder | Weapons : Force Pike | Interacting With : Balun Dashiell | Coren Starchaser | Choli Vyn | Trextan Voidstalker | Okkeus Dainlei
​

Immediately, Iona nudged Bale in the ribs when the one girl mentioned being paid. It was followed by an eyeroll and an unspoken message of who thinks refugee work pays? When she had signed up, it didn't seem like a money making adventure. Which is why she still basically lived with her cousin-slash-Master out in the hyperlanes.

In her opinion, if they cut through Sith Order space, they may be ignored. Would the vessels have Jedi designation? If they just kept going and didn't stop, perhaps it would be worth charting that route. However, she would keep her mouth shut. Iona guessed she was one of the youngest gathered and to be frank with herself she just didn't know as much. Her father was a mechanic, Iona had grown up between working with him and the hidden enclave she had been educated at.

All she knew was fixing things and the small circle she had been exposed to. Maybe she would be quiet until something broke, then it would be time to shine.

"I'm ready to run simulations."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Location: Pathfinder, Map Room.
Inventory: Field Apparel, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol, Navi.
NPC's: Chip.
Interacting With: Choli Vyn , Coren Starchaser , Trextan Voidstalker , Okkeus Dainlei & Iona Starchaser .

A surprised grunt escaped Balun when Iona Starchaser jabbed an elbow into his side. He quickly cleared his throat, masking the sound in an attempt to play it off, but his reaction was already betrayed. Turning toward her, he shot a mock-glare—one laced more with amusement than irritation. If anything, after all the time that had passed since their last meeting, he was just relieved to be catching up with her again.

The details of the planning and preparation weren't his concern. He had come along without question, and he had no complaints about simply going with the flow. Still, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the mission's overall objective. From what little he had gathered, it involved charting a new route through space. The mention of the Sith Order had made him subtly tense, though he kept his gaze neutral. Trouble was always a possibility when dealing with their kind—it wouldn't have been the first time he had crossed paths with them.

Leaning in slightly, Balun lowered his voice to a whisper, just enough for Iona to hear without disturbing the ongoing discussion. "So what exactly have you gotten me into here?" His tone carried a hint of dry humor, though there was an underlying curiosity. After a brief pause, he added, "Are these people connected to the Wardens of the Sky?" He recalled how, back when they had first met, Iona had been searching for a way into their ranks. Had she finally found her place among them?

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with: Trextan Voidstalker Iona Starchaser Coren Starchaser Balun Dashiell Okkeus Dainlei

Getting paid for this gig? Yeah, that was a bonus. Choli had been willing to help out either way, but credits lining her pockets made it a whole lot sweeter.

At Coren's question about their last update, she uncrossed her arms and gestured as she spoke. How they had last updated the map had cost Choli more than she'd like to admit. Getting imprisoned by the Knights of Ren had not been the best experience. That Chloe and Trextan had managed to save her and Tiny had been the will of the Force...

"They were last updated on our last blue milk run after tangling with the Knights of Ren in the Hard Roil," she said. "That includes the hyperlane routes one of Rave Merrill's vault ships took -- constant micro-jumps to stay off the radar." She gave an incline of her head. "Might give us something to work with."

She hesitated, scanning the crew again. Iona, Balun… and her gaze landed on the last guy, Okkeus... at least, she thought that was his name. Were they all Wardens, or just a bunch of drifters looking for work? Hard to tell. They had the look of people used to scraping by on the edges of the galaxy.

, “Part of the client’s request was to think of a challenging route and execute it. I’d be more than happy to ride between Artrisia and Byss?”

Choli huffed a short laugh, shaking her head. "Between Artrisia and Byss? You really do like tempting fate, don't you?" There was respect in her tone, but also a healthy dose of skepticism. "Unless we're packing a miracle in the cargo hold, we're gonna need more than a stygium projector to stay off the radar through there... last I heard the Alliance were attempting some heavy monitoring in the hyperlanes."

Still, credits were credits, and a job like this tracing a path through the Unknown, keeping people out of the wrong hands, was exactly the kind of work that made all the near death experiences worth it.

"I can run some simulations," she offered. Not only had she mentored under Chloe Blake but also Asmus Janes - the former with her vast expanse set up maps, and the latter had such a brilliant mind at mental calculations for routes that had saved them time and again during her SIS times with Wraith.

"See if we can map out a reliable route." The nav computer hummed to life, processing the data as she flicked her gaze back to Coren.

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

“Don’t be shy to speak up, Trextan…

"I, er, definitely will if I think of anything," Trextan replied. "I listening!"

Given that his sum knowledge of hyperspace plotting was asking the computer or a droid to do it for him, he was planning on learning. He wanted Coren to know that he felt comfortable enough to ask stupid questions when they came to him.

" I will... Watch people do some simulations," Trextan said. He glanced from Choli to Iona. "See what I can pick up."

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Aboard the Pathfinder

Coren Starchaser | Iona Starchaser | Choli Vyn | Trextan Voidstalker | Balun Dashiell
​

Running that close to the core like Coren suggested was going to make their job a little more difficult.

Their client was kept anonymous, which made sense from a security standpoint. But that also meant that they had no idea what their alignment was to the Alliance. Running through those systems would be just fine if you didn't have to worry about patrols stopping you. Granted, hurling through hyperspace would make your ship harder to stop. But rumor has it that there was new interdictor technology in the works. Nevertheless, they had a job to do, and Okkeus was not one to back down from an astrogation challenge.

"Let's run some tests, see if we can find anything."

Apollo hopped up onto the table, his holoprojector beginning to display a map of the Core systems. The little droid then produced hundreds of little red lines, exploring many possible routes to take. Okkeus stared intently at the display, his lightning-blue eyes darting across the map, trying to see if there were any hidden paths that could be found. A route favoring the Inner Rim seemed to be promising. That was until the red line ran next to Fondor, the capital of the Alliance. Nope. Onto the next one.

The mind of the spacer raced as routes started to form within his head. Okkeus had been a user of Instinctive Astrogation for decades now, making it one of his most powerful Force abilities. Charting systems had been a favorite pastime of his, finding new ways to travel the stars. It would only be a matter a time before the group found a suitable lane for Coren's client.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

It was definitely showing that he was getting old. He was slowing down, because really, a younger Coren would have called up Jorus and Chloe, and grabbed a case of Whyren’s and probably have pounded this hypertrail out in a week, tops. The challenge was, he didn’t know where Jorus was, and Chloe, well, getting ahold of another Warden who wasn’t as loud as Coren himself was, it was a challenge. Sure Starchaser was, to some, the Warden, or the Jedi Warden, and that was fine. He knew his roles in the galaxy now.

And they were so much better than the war time roles he had.

Granted, then he wouldn't have been where he was now, with such fervor. And being in a place where he ran his own Temple, even as a Wayseeker, was useful. Sure, it was Jedi in name-only, and a front for other Force activities and a hub for the Explorers Corp, but it was still a Temple. A place where, he surmised, the ones on this should would feel safe to use it as a layover, provided they couldn’t make contact with the Dawn Chaser or the Oasis.

And it was true, this job wasn’t going to make someone flush, but it’d get them enough to get to their next real job and posting. The joys of navigating.

What he hadn’t expected was what Choli said just then. Coren’s eyes, normally ready and expecting just about anything did not expect to hear the name of Rave Merrill. “I’m very familiar with those vault ships. Replicated one of my own ships to do that…” To a degree. The fact that Choli was bringing that name up, someone that was nowadays probably spoken about in hushed tones, spacer legends, said loads about the circles she traveled in. And as she continued, he couldn’t help but laugh

“And thats what makes this whole thing worth it. I don’t care who is doing it, Sith, Alliance, space is free, man.” A bit of an older Corellian lilt to his voice, and a glance into the youth that Coren still portrayed with some of his students, that wanderlust and excitement for going against the grain.

Porter had plugged into one of the ports around the table, and a few other terminals became live. Coren liked to run a ship with most of the electronics turned off to begin. But this was going to require a lot of them working together. As the maps were being compiled, and safety parameters were uploaded to the system, the navigators could trust the parameters that Coren had placed, most of them were tuned to allow for some gravity well pull, even if it wasn’t always great for ships, but the setting was not as low as Coren would use on his own.

As the group started running simulations, Coren smirked. No one wanted to take a chance on meditating? He always approached that first, but… he’d been doing this a long while. He paced the group at the moment, knowing that he wanted to get moving and would want to jump first, Force assisted of course, and then start calculating. “Big trick is to just trust yourself. You have control of the gravity well compensator, and can dial it up or down, whichever you feel is better. Maps should be as close to real time, at least with moons and the like, as we can. Once you’re IN hyperspace, its a whole different dance, and its just the gravity wells and novas that can hit you.”

“Take the trip in bits.” He looked to Porter, and the navi computers shortened the trip into five semi-equal parsec lengths. Based on his instinct, Coren threw up two sets of numbers, disabling that ‘training wheel’ scenario for Okkeus, who he’d known from the Outer Rim Coalition time, and Choli, who he was just now recognizing from his check-ins with Chloe Blake. Suddenly the Merrill claims made sense.

"Porter'll compile and we'll see what the first jump looks like when you're all done."

Iona Starchaser Balun Dashiell Choli Vyn Trextan Voidstalker Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Iona Starchaser]

Location : Pathfinder | Weapons : Force Pike | Interacting With : Coren Starchaser Balun Dashiell Okkeus Dainlei Choli Vyn Trextan Voidstalker ​

"So what exactly have you gotten me into here?" His tone carried a hint of dry humor, though there was an underlying curiosity. After a brief pause, he added, "Are these people connected to the Wardens of the Sky?"

"You could have said no, you're a big boy." Iona whispered back, wanting to roll her eyes at his behavior. "These people? I have no idea who these people are beyond Uncle Coren. You could try this cool thing called communication and ask around."

She hadn't seen him in awhile. Seemed he was just as annoying as when they first met. Iona wasn't completely surprised. Balun always seemed intent on trying to get under her skin. No matter, last she heard he had been fighting out in the Tingel Arm. As far as she knew, that organization had collapsed, but given the nature of the Kathol it wouldn't surprise her if there was a small resistance cell still left that he was attached to.

Looking at the simulator, Iona spoke up to those assembled.

"What if the first jump from Ryloth was to Farstine? It sits on the Five Veils Route. It would be a good jump off point from there."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Location: Pathfinder, Map Room.
Inventory: Field Apparel, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol, Navi.
NPC's: Chip.
Interacting With: Choli Vyn , Coren Starchaser , Trextan Voidstalker , Okkeus Dainlei & Iona Starchaser .

What was it with Balun and women? Or was it just Iona Starchaser 's uncanny ability to misinterpret him in all the wrong ways? He exhaled sharply through his nose, an amused huff that teetered on the edge of laughter before he cut it short. The result was an odd mix of a snort and a heavy breath—quiet, but noticeable enough as he glanced away, shaking his head slightly.

She didn't seem particularly interested in explaining why she had invited him along, and Balun wasn't going to press the issue. Instead, he shifted his focus back to the others, observing them thoughtfully. Iona had mentioned that Coren was her uncle. Which one of them was Coren? His gaze flicked between those gathered. Choli Vyn certainly didn't fit the bill—unless she identified as someone's uncle, but that was far too personal a question for a first-time meeting. He frowned slightly at the absurdity of the thought.

It was ridiculous how something as simple as standing aboard a starship full of strangers could feel more challenging than battle. Balun knew how to fight, how to build ships, how to survive in the wild with nothing but his wits—but socializing? Breaking through those initial walls, navigating unfamiliar dynamics? That was another matter entirely. Outwardly, he might have looked composed, confident even, but beneath the surface, he wasn't nearly as self-assured as he appeared.

 

[Choli Vyn]

Interacting with:

Choli pushed off the bulkhead, making her way over to where Okkeus Dainlei was working. She stopped just short, tilting her head slightly as her hazel eyes flicked toward him.

A quick nod, then, "Choli," she said simply by way of introduction. No need for anything more when names were enough out here.

She crossed her arms, gaze shifting to the holomap as it flickered with new routes. Some of them sparked a distant familiarity, old hyperspace trails nearly lost to time, their paths warped by shifting gravity wells. Others? They looked like a death wish wrapped in a thin layer of wishful thinking, the kind of jumps that made nav computers overheat and spacers rethink their life choices.

Leaning forward, she propped her elbows against the console, fingers drumming against the durasteel as she studied the projections. The Five Veils Route had promise that Iona Starchaser recommended, but it wasn't without its dangers. She could almost hear Chloe's voice in the back of her head, warning her about half-charted waypoints and blind jumps that had swallowed more than a few unlucky souls.

She glanced at Okkeus, watching the way his lightning-blue eyes flicked over the routes, tracking patterns she couldn't quite see. He had the look of someone who wasn't just reading the map -- he was deciphering it, breaking it down like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Force instinct or not, the guy knew his way around a nav chart.

"Farstine's not a bad call," she admitted, tapping the glowing route with a fingertip. "But I would not bet credits on it being smooth sailing. Gravity shifts have been messing with those lanes for years. We don't adjust for drift, we could end up chasing our own tail."

Rolling her shoulders, she smirked. "I'll run sims on this and the Sanctuary Pipeline variant. Won't say no to a little help, but I'll leave the meditating to you lot who actually enjoy that kinda thing." She shot a pointed look at Trextan Voidstalker , half daring him to step up. Chloe had taught them both the basics of Astronavigation through the Force, but for Choli, with her barely there Force potential, it was mostly gut instinct. Maybe Trextan could pick up something from Coren Starchaser ; the old soldier had the kind of experience Trex might actually relate to.

Choli cracked her knuckles. "Alright. Let's run it. Ryloth to Farstine, see how it holds up in sim. If it checks out, we've got our first trek. If not…" Her gaze flicked between Okkeus and Balun Dashiell , her smirk sharpening. "Guess we start getting real friendly with Plan B."

And in her experience? Plan B usually turned into Plan 'Try Not to Die.'

 

[Trextan Voidstalker]

space is free, man.

Trextan didn't remember Jacen talking about Coren being such a space hippie. Even though Trextan strongly believed in keeping the space lanes free from the interference of major powers, he wouldn't have said it like that. He held back a smile.

. “I’m very familiar with those vault ships. Replicated one of my own ships to do that…” To a

That impressed him. The vault ship and it's defences had been beyond his understanding. For all the power and potentially Trextan possessed, he had little knowledge and finesse to even start replicating those kind of defences.

Rolling her shoulders, she smirked. "I'll run sims on this and the Sanctuary Pipeline variant. Won't say no to a little help, but I'll leave the meditating to you lot who actually enjoy that kinda thing." She shot a pointed look at Trextan Voidstalker Trextan Voidstalker , half daring him to step up.

Trextan stood tall and rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah..." he muttered under his breath. He wasn't about to find a route through meditation, but he'd learned enough to force a navcomp to map out pieces of a route.

He took a terminal and set the comp running some numbers. Harsh lines and fragments of shapes flashed in and out of existence across the map as it started to chart potential jumps.

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Aboard the Pathfinder

Coren Starchaser | Iona Starchaser | Choli Vyn | Trextan Voidstalker | Balun Dashiell
​

Farstine was starting to look like the popular vote for the group.

The few micro-simulations that Apollo had been favoring towards the Seswenna Sector were proving to be unsuccessful. The war fleets of the Sith have been tearing up those stars this past decade, so it was no wonder that any path out there was going to be rough. Lifting his eyes from projection, he watched as one of the group members walked over, one that he was unfamiliar with.

"Okkeus."

He offered the reply with a light smile before returning his attention back to the holomap. Possible routes begun to appear in his head once again. Farstine would be a good choice, but then they would have to either run Coreside or Rimside. Heading straightforward would take the route directly to Naboo...and that was a place that no one should really be traveling to right now, especially for a client that is trying to avoid fighting. While the others worked to see if Farstine would work, Okkeus decided to look ahead at Sedesia. From what he knew, the planet was hardly ever travelled to, making it a perfect jump point for the hyperlane.

There was a stark contrast to the way the spacer now spoke. In his youth, he was quick to conversation, trying to prove to others that he was just as smart and as talented as they were. Partially due to the fact that he was knighted at such a young age. But now, many decades later, he found himself to be more of the reserved type. Not that he didn't enjoy talking with others. But sometimes the thoughts and ideas that ran through his head were loud enough. Or too difficult to drive out.

Turning back towards Choli, he wondered how the simulation was going.

"How's Farstine looking? I have a backup jump we could try if needed, but I have a good feeling about this one."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Working with so many pilots and explorers was always a much more exciting task than working solo, it was definitely why Coren opened this whole adventure up to others. The Foundation would have time to get their refugees out. But Coren had ideas that there could be other uses for this type of path. With the right ships? Coren had no doubt that they could move settlers and whole communities across the galaxy.

And for a more close-to-his-wallet approach? Moving goods, namely salvage, and raw materials from the Unknown Regions out to the factory in the Wild Space area. As the others were working hard on the calculations, Coren and Porter were running some scenarios, many from Coren and his droid’s own collective memories, partially from his own mind but mostly from the iBorg implant he wore, the one that was typically just used for navigation data.

But as he worked the controls, and reached out in the Force, he was feeling the first, almost third of the trip. Instinctively astrogating something this far, under nearly laboratory settings? That was not going to give him the push he needed. He wasn’t desperate enough to make the jump like this blind, not like the Daragon’s of ancient times.

Could he pull that off? He doubted it.

Once he was happy with what he felt could get them from New Cov out to Azbrian, he looked to the droid that stored the data. It wasn’t only him on this ship. The others gave their coordinates and angles, their prospective trails. Farstine. That was a good call.

“Well, let’s see what we can do about that… My course was a little different, but I’m playing a second route too. Porter, set it up. Iona, you want to do the honors?”

Coren was actually happy with the idea of Farstine, it’d keep them off the Corellian Run, but at this end of the trip, away from the big governments, they could afford a little bit of a patrolled hyperlane. The Patriarch Starchaser motioned for Iona to head towards the bridge, not far from this map room.

(Lets roll a 1d20, even succeeds)

Iona Starchaser Balun Dashiell Choli Vyn Trextan Voidstalker Okkeus Dainlei

 

[Iona Starchaser]

Location : | Weapons : Force Pike | Interacting With : Balun Dashiell Choli Vyn Trextan Voidstalker Okkeus Dainlei Coren Starchaser ​

"Aww, look at you, making friends."

Iona whispered, nudging Balun once more. She was supposed to be paying attention to the star maps. The task and hand and all that stuff. It was going to be important to learn, to know how to navigate and potentially create one's own hyperlane. It was more or less an academic task for her and she approached it as such. Less about succeeding and more focused on learning lessons from potential failures and mistakes. Iona had a feeling they would be making quite a few. Or at least she would be.

"Honors for what again?" A small pause as she looked over the navigational chart and saw Uncle Coren walking away. "Oh, right. The first step in navigating the hyperlane. Farstine. Glad everyone has a good feeling about the planet. Let's get it underway then, time is wasting."

She was the one wasting that time by not paying attention, but that was here nor there. Inputting the coordinates from their location to Farstine, the navicomp started to do its work, cursor blinking as it calculated.