Private Hitchhiking on the Hyperlanes

[Iona Starchaser]

Ithorian Herd Ship , Restless Trader , Kaia Starchaser

ABOVE KETARIS ​

Working her way through the 'verse, Iona now found herself passage on the Restless Trader, an Ithorian Herdship that traveled up and down the Braxant Run and Hydian Way. The ship was roughly ninety-nine percent Ithorians and one percent 'other' which made her passage all the more interesting. Ithorian monks had taken her on board in exchange for assistance. The monks grew very rare orchids on board, ones prized for medicinal qualities. Her job? Assist in cultivating said orchids.

It was hot, humid work. Iona didn't even know a vessel could support a humid, tropical sub-climate but somehow the Ithorians had made it work. So she was sweating in long-sleeved spacer gear as she worked day in and day out. Beyond the sweaty nature of her work, it was actually peaceful. The monks weren't slave-drivers, and there was time at night to study through her holocron and datapad, so all in all it could be worse.

Now they were docked above the ecumenopolis known as Ketaris, at the start of the Tingel Arm. She had learned so far that Ithorian traders always brought great excitement, which meant today was going to be a busy one. It was probably her last one on the herd ship too. The monks had exhausted the harvest and the orchids would have to regenerate, this meant no work or passage for her.

It was back to the drawing board, yet again. At least she could finish up the day by helping the monks set up a trading stall in a narrow alley where the Ithorians would be setting up to welcome the locals and make their credits.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Venturing the galaxy, saving people, racing around? Kaia did have her A-Wing and her explorer vessel was pretty fast, but that was not all she did. She was out to help people. It was why the Zenith was landed on Restless Trader. The ship was loaded with more medical supplies, a standard cargo for the Mirialan Starchaser. What she was doing was donating it, and getting the cost of fuel covered. Starchaser Enterprises made enough money passively, that so long as she had some money coming in? The girl could continue doing what she did best.

The Herdship was a warm place, and that meant a lot for her. She was typically on her ship, but that got cold, and landing every so often to stretch her legs? Made things even better.

Coming out of Laekia, Kaia was more than happy to spread her help around, and getting in closer to the beginning of the Tingel Arm? Maybe she could do some good. Keep an eye on the Tingel Arm Coalition. Making her way down the main strip of the ship, she was looking for a few different fruits, something to ease the next leg of her travels so she could actually feel like she was eating good.

Her ship was busy being refueled.

Finding the stall she was looking for, she was bartering the price.

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

The space was crammed with temporary trading stalls of all sorts. Exotic wares were at each booth, a hallmark of Ithorian traders as Iona had come to learn. Beings from all walks of life flocked to grab items Ithorians only seemed to procure. Plants and fruits and vegetables were the most popular she had come to surmise. Especially what she had helped harvest ; exotic elements for medicine and ritual.

One last part of her work was to help translate at the booth. The Ithorian Monks were clad in their simple, brown cloth robes behind the booth, directing her on what to do and what prices to take - or not to take.

Was it the life she expected as a Jedi? Not at all. However, she wouldn't trade it for anything. It beat classes at the Temple. Besides, if she wanted to be a Warden, Iona figured the more varied experiences she had the more it would help her in the space lanes. The more she could understand others. At least thats what she told herself.

"No, sorry Miss...they say the price can't go any lower. Do take advantage if you can spare the credits, this is the last orchid stamen harvest of the season. Nothing will be available until the herdship comes around again."

Iona offered a shrug to the Monks as the woman huffed away.

Kaia Starchaser

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

She had no problem existing in the space lanes. It was what her father wanted for her and her brother and for Kyra too. Be the people he couldn't be. The ones who helped. Who didn't need to exist in a governments rule. Who could be who they wanted. And that meant a racer. A smuggler. A pilot for hire.

A warden of the skies.

It meant surviving where others didn't. And knowing what was needed each time.

She smiled as she finally got a price agreed on. And the. The upsell came. Additional vegetables and some nutrient packs. Kaia didn't mind that he ok much.

As another woman huffed off, Kaia took a look at the one doing the translating. Was that… could it be Iona?

"What was that one looking for?" She inquired as she handed a few of the old Outer Rim Talons over. Aurodium spent wherever she went. Gratefully.

"And what are you doing out here? Another job?" She smiled at her cousin.

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"A cheaper price on the orchid stamens. They are very rare..."

As in, bottled in very small vials with six to eight stamens each. Iona had come to learn that the stamens were used in traditional medicine and cooking for some species. In her opinion, then one would be acquainted with the high price of such a valuable item. Yet one couldn't please everyone in the 'verse, and no doubt someone else would be along soon to buy the wares.

"Hey cousin."

Iona could recognize her from a kilometer away. Starchaser Mirialans seemed to be able to do such a thing, perhaps due to being a little island of green in the ocean that was the Starcashers.

"Yeah, working for the monks. This my last stop, no more work after the trading day's end. What are you doing out here? Doesnt seem like your usual haunt."

Kaia Starchaser

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

The galaxy was a difficult place on the best of days and for the most well off. But for those who were trying to find themselves? It was even worse. It felt like things were closing in on all sides. And that was why Kaia never worried when people were trying to make some ends meet by a bit of quick bartering. She looked to her cousin and the woman she indicated. “I mean, I get her, but people have to survive too.” The Mirialan Warden nodded.

The family had a lot of Mirialans in it, and that made it easier for them to identify the others. Jared and Iona being two of them. Some of the other Starchasers weren’t, typical Corellian humans. Blue eyed, pale, wild on a starfighter stick.

“I’m just dropping off medical supplies. Met someone through the Jedi, Vonuuvi Enclave I think its called. Called for some help, and I figured it was time to do a drop off. Honest work and it does help people. You’re still between ships, aren’t ya?”

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"Yeah...I mean, I've been working with these things all harvest. Its worth the price."

With no interest in the stall at the moment, Iona could speak to cousin Kaia Starchaser for a few moments with interruptions. Most of their customers were folks looking to make their own traditional type medicines or special dishes for occasions such as weddings or funerals. Iona had yet to meet anyone buying the orchid stamens for fun.

"No ship. Just catching rides on the hyperlanes in exchange for work. Hoping some Warden will notice me but....doubtful at this point. I've been reading on my own, learning on my own. Not much else I can do."

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

The Starchaser family was a larger group, larger the more someone stared at it. It seemed that a cousin or half sibling was coming out of the wood work. She had Jared, sure, then Kyra, Kinsey, the twins, Iona… Not that she was complaining, it was good to have a larger family. And one that was strong with the Force, it made it easier to stand tall, with the others, even if they all weren’t Jedi, not like her father and step mother, but at least they leaned on the right side. The light side. And made their dynasty that way.

Between that and the star lanes.

“I can imagine. Most things are priced the way they are because they’re that good.” However, her little rebel-born heart told her sometimes there were things that needed to be easier to procure. And that was alright. Survival was one thing. Luxury, that was something else. But well, medicine was not quite a luxury. It was why she smuggled it, especially close to the Sith and Empire space.

Maybe she was as much a rebel as her father.

Opening up her metal water bottle, Kaia took a sip as she spoke to Iona. The girl was hitching rides, smart move. “Planning on getting one? I know we have a few spare just in need of repairs on the Chaser.” Ah, but she wanted to find a Warden. “Warden? Like of the Sky?” She was playing coy here, the family had a fair few, well, her and her father. Jared technically but he was out doing his hunter thing. “What sorts of things have you learned?”

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"Uh...when I get enough credits, yes I plan in getting a ship."

Was cousin Kaia Starchaser just as dense as the rest? Even if she managed to get her hands on a mangled vessel, it took a great deal of credits just to find parts and get something spacelane worthy again. Forget her parents, without her being at one of the Jedi Temples in the Tingel Arm, learning and staying put, she couldn't expect them to give her any kind of credits towards her goal.

"You know what I've learned Kaia? That these mystical Wardens are annoying. Here I am, begging to be one, and not a single one wants to bother to train me. Sorry I'm interrupting their lone wolf style, y'know? Sorry I just want to continue tradition. Yet...there isn't much else I can do. Continue to travel, see different things, experience different cultures...and hope that helps me in my end goal."

Shoulders shrugged. What else could she do? Go back to a Sanctum Temple? The Dawn Chaser? That wasn't happening.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

“If you wanted to, you could take one out from the company…” Starchaser Enterprises, clear as day to Kaia, maybe not to Iona “and pay back. May be tasked with some delivery missions, or some trailblazing if thats what you like…” She laughed and shrugged. “I know I got the skill from my dad.” And while Coren tried to be the quintessential Jedi Master, he was definitely not any longer. Wayseeker who became a trailblazer once again. The Mirialan couldn’t help but smile.

“Sometimes they’re a bit afraid to come out of the black. If they get identified, then someone may try to sabotage their ship. A Warden with a ship offers a lot, but a Warden who hops from ship to ship? They get brought wherever the solar winds blow.” Nodding her head towards a small cafe, Kaia flashed a few Outer Rim Talons at Iona.

“Lets have a chat. What have you been reading about the Wardens?”

She wasn’t about to be as annoying as they had been already, but she knew as well as any others, that a Warden had to find you.

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

Finishing up at the booth for the Ithorians, Iona got paid her meager wage - room and board and food had been deducted after all - at grabbed her small bag, tossing it over one shoulder. If Kaia Starchaser was paying, of course she was going to eat. Iona was very, very careful in rationing her credits, unsure of when the next job would come. When one traveled the hyperlanes, one couldn't exactly pick a piece of fruit off a tree and get by that way. Or go to a cheap and shady gluk stall.

"Reading about them? Oh, umm....no blasters. Which makes me wonder no lightsaber? I don't have one now but if I could, I suppose that would be useful. Gotta learn more hand-to-hand combat and techniques to make up for it....not that I am some sharpshooter with the blaster....but still. It gets dangerous out there sometimes."

She was walking with her cousin to the cafe, then shrugged.

"Enough about me. What have you been up to? The family been doing anything interesting?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Kaia had some funds checked out. Most of the money was currently tied up in a new vessel for the Enterprises, working on mining rare ores on the other end of the galaxy from here. She knew that it was risky, but she had prepped the ship with the best escorts her company had, and the right escape routes. A bit too close to a few suns, but the mining equipment was made for intense situations. Still, she had more than enough to take her cousin out for a very decent lunch at the cafe.

Kaia smiled as Iona got to talking. No blasters was right, lucky for her, she learned some martial arts from the one and only Tiland Kortun, years back. And she had her saber, which did change into a whip, if she kept it on low power it was very much not a lethal weapon. “Its true. Can’t be certain what is behind any one bulkhead or wall on a starship. I mean, can make guesses on the big military or mass produced vehicles, but everything can be modified.”

As they found a table, Kaia looked at the menu, before she took the time to answer Iona.

“Me? Helping Dad moving Jedi kids around, and he has me running the management of the company’s resource gathering arm. He’s still taking point on production and trailblazing.” As the server droid came over, she ordered a caf. “Its been nice and quiet out between the stars.” She even loaned her freighter more to her brother than using it herself, opting for a specialized exploration ship.

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"Oh, I wasn't thinking it was because it could hit someone. I would think that any hole that could open up to the vacuum of space might be a bad thing too. Seems dangerous when you're out in the black with zero backup."

Iona was starving. Ithorian food only carried her so far and since Kaia Starchaser was paying,she was going to take small advantage. Caf, hot cakes, fruit, and bacon were all on the agenda. She was going to take advantage and eat while there was real food in front of her to wolf down. Hopefully her cousin wouldn't mind too much. She cold have ordered much, much more.

"Helping move Jedi kids? Like the ones on Coruscant or the ones out in the Tingel Arm? Sucks you gotta say where these days. So much happening out in the black....but its good to hear things have been quiet in your corner of the spacelanes. I haven't run into too much either, all the work I've got lately has been really run of the mill. Boring is good too."

If she wanted to be a Warden, Iona knew she had to learn different cultures. When it was quiet it was the perfect time to do so. Wars often made others fearful of their neighbor for no reason.

Kaia Starchaser

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Having someone to eat with was a new trick for Kaia. The Mirialan was used to skipping meals when she was navigating, or avoiding work crews so they didn’t uncover her true goals when leaping into the depths of space. Moving Jedi around, or well, more appropriately, Force sensitive children. And sometimes adults who were on a mission. Missions of helping others.

Sometimes it became sabotage, Starchaser and Underground were pretty synonymous.

“Well, what I meant is that you could hit a power line, or fuel line, or water line… All of which would be very bad in a starship.” She laughed, but hitting vacuum? That’d be the worst chance of it.

“Our people, really. Outer Rim kids, Tingel Arm is safe right now, at least some of the worlds we’re using. But keeping them away from the big players is smart. Not everyone wants to grow up to be a soldier. And I think the Levants have that approach down.” She smiled as he watched her cousin eat. Kaia was not going to be offended on that. She had gone too many years out in the Black without the right meals at the right times to be offended now.

“Boring is never bad. So, you are serious about taking a Warden approach? Jedi not doing it for you?”

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"Jedi are hypocrites. I can't see myself ever aligning with their teachings or vision."

Iona was, at her core, a product of her Tingel Arm upbringing. Small Jedi sects had drifted to this sector, bringing vastly different ideas then the all-powerful New Jedi Order. She had grown up under the belief Jedi were nothing but puppets for a governmental system rather than peacekeepers, diplomats, and problem solvers.

"All they know how to do is pull out a lightsaber. I don't want to do that. If I wanted to fight all the time I would join the military."

A small frown on her face as she bit into a piece of toast. She might have spouted her views a little too freely, after all she didn't know cousin Kaia Starchaser views on the New Jedi Order and their use in battles and wars. Who knew, maybe her older cousin was all for it.

"I am all in on the Wardens. I figure if I can't find a Warden to teach me....I might try to find a old sage or scholar for insights and philosophy and just couple my spacelane skills. Make my own path, you know?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Kaia couldn’t fault Iona here. She was a Jedi, sure, but she was definitely her father’s daughter. A Watchman, sentinel type Jedi, not the ones who were going to be running in for any old reason, no. The type who were doing what was right, no matter how hard it was. “I mean, some of the teachings are solid,b but I think its more the branch you learn from.” Even her father had his growing pains of being a War Horse during the old Sullust Alliance.

But being along the Tingel Arm, and the Rim? It gave her so many other options. But out here? Being a Warden with a Jedi upbringing was a bit better. Plus, she knew how to work kyber. Not necessarily how it worked but this is what works to make her saber.

“You do know you’ve got some Wardens close to home, yeah?” Kaia grinned as she took a sip from her caf.

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

"I guess so? Some of the Enclaves seem my style if anything. Not that I'm eager to go....I'm just saying if push came to shove...no way I would touch the Jedi Order with a ten foot pole."

Frown made its way to her features. Enclaves, small sects, off-shoots had more Jedi teachings in her eyes. Not that she would consider a 'right or wrong' answer, if one was following the Light then perhaps that was all that mattered. She could argue the New Jedi Order was not following the will of the lightside of the Force, but that was a philosophical debate for another time.

"No cousin, I did not. Mainly because these Wardens are mystical and secretive. Even within their own family."

Kaia Starchaser

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Kaia had learned her Jedi Training in relation to the Sith, not from an actual Enclave. Her father’s found-family taught her enough about being a good person, even if they allowed for a more aggressive approach to the Force. Something she eventually simmered as she grew older. Yes, she had her saber-whip, but it was probably the most deadly thing in her arsenal.

Martial training, and the Force in a way to stun and mesmerize others, or improve her body’s response to outside stimuli were the big hooks for her. All in line with the Warden dogma. It all lined up with her beliefs.

“Sometimes we just don’t want our station known. Dad and Jorus Merrill were always open about it. I opted to kind of… hide?”

Iona Starchaser

 

[Iona Starchaser]

“Sometimes we just don’t want our station known. Dad and Jorus Merrill were always open about it. I opted to kind of… hide?”

Sipping her caf, Iona raised an eyebrow at her cousin. She didn't find it odd Kaia Starchaser was hiding. It was more the why. The other Mirialan didn't strike her as someone to shirk away from living up to the Starchaser mantle. Brows furrowed together for a moment as she ran down the possiblities ; safety, providing a point, lone wolf, didn't want to teach.

She didn't know Kaia well enough to pretend to guess the reasons why.

"So why are you hiding out in the black? Running from love? Lone wolf? Annoyed by your family?"

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Kaia just didn’t want all that attention. She had a semi-successful resource harvesting/salvage company that focused on trailblazing to manage. She wasn’t a super executive, but if one of the Starchaser Enterprise flagged explorer ships, or even worse, mining ships, were seen and it was known that they were associated with her as a Warden? It’d slow down the operations. And she flew a modified version of the Seeker shuttle, and wasn’t everywhere all at once.

Her father being mostly public as a Warden was bad enough, but they all knew he was in his little YT-2000.

Running from love? Ha. Kaia had to put her caf down for that one. “Maybe more the running from family, and being a lone wolf. Dad being a publicly known Warden is bad enough, if they found out more Starchasers…” she definitely meant Jared and possibly Kinsey “...were Wardens I doubt the company could get anything done besides rescues.”

But as she said that, it could be a good business model to have. A rescue team…

Iona Starchaser