Private Isolation

[Zephyr Krayt]

With little in common with the other residents at the station, Zephyr tended to gravitate towards Isabeau and wasn't a keen conversationalist with many of the others, though he enjoyed a few games of pool with Dawil who Isabeau also seemed to take a liking to and would occasionally talk to Zenor as the man's backhanded comment towards the Jedi when they met had earned him some respect. He didn't particularly dislike the Jedi but Zenor seemed to have great respect for the Mandalorians so Zephyr returned the favour.

Occasionally, Cas would join them for sparring which Zephyr didn't complain about as it could help him to understand a Jedi's fighting style, way of thinking and capabilities which would be beneficial if he ever had to fight one. He was unsure if Cas was aware he was essentially teaching them how to hunt Jedi but he wasn't about to tell him. The other Jedi, however, was elusive and Zephyr hadn't spoken to her to even know her name but he wasn't bothered. He was content with just Isabeau.

As Isabeau fell out of step from beside him, Zephyr realised after a few seconds and turned to watch her place cameras. "What are you doing?" He asked. Once they finished their shift, Isabeau suggested going to the training room and with a shrug, Zephyr agreed. "If you think you can win this time." He teased and allowed her to pull him by the arm but pulled free once in motion.

Once they reached the room, Zephyr deactivated his vambraces to avoid accidentally setting off the flamethrower or shooting Isabeau with a dart. He had gotten to know Isabeau better in the time they had spent together which included her fighting style. As they became more familiar with the other, they became more predictable and the sparring became longer as both had to find new ways to outdo the other. It was becoming especially apparent that Zephyr didn't have a great deal of skill advantage over Isabeau which concerned him as it meant the conversation about his past was drawing ever-closer.

His lack of melee combat experience, however, pointed towards his preference of ranged combat, as he had explained previously. At least if anything were to come out of this job then it would be his melee combat skills improving, albeit begrudgingly. He picked up a training sword and walked to the middle of the room, giving it a few short swings to check the balance of it in his hand. "Ready?" He asked Isabeau and upon her confirmation, he swung the blade towards her. Cas' invaluable knowledge had taught them about bladed duels and in time, Zephyr began improving.

Isabeau Cadere Kara Dur Storyteller

 

[Kara Dur]

After losing her fourth match of Quantum chess in a row, the Kel Dor finally noticed the Kiffar standing in the door opening. At first glance, he seemed bored. It was probably why he suggested doing 'something'. Aka, sparring. "Sure, why not?" Her answer could be surprising to the Kiffar. She had avoided training and sparring with the others, but hadn't neglected physical exercise. It was just that she preferred to keep her skills and techniques to herself, until the situation demanded her to use them. But after losing for games in a row, she felt like it was time to blow off some steam.​

As she accompanied Cas to the training room, the Jedi Knight would speak up. "Would you like to record your findings in the morning, or in the evening? I don't know how stable my holocron is yet, so I think it would be best to spread the flow of information as much as we can." She was in a talkative mood today. Plus, this was something she still had to discuss with the Padawan. Crafting holocrons was a difficult task, but she knew nothing about their durability yet.​

Once she stepped into the training room and saw the Mandalorians, Kara immediately had second thoughts. "Are they... going to be watching us?" She asked, keeping her voice down to prevent the Mandalorians from hearing her. Not only was she insecure, but she felt as if it was a bad idea to entrust their secrets to other warrior castes. But then again, would they truly be able to contend with a Jedi?​

Taking a deep breath through her mask, the Jedi Knight took position in an empty spot in the room. She studied the training hall for a moment, looking for anything that she could use to her advantage. After a short breathing exercise to calm down and reach her inner peace, the Jedi Knight reached for her lightsaber. "Anything goes, stop at first contact?" she stated in a questioning manner, making sure that they were on the same page. If Cas would approve of it, the Kel Dor would nod in response.​

Kara began by subtly drawing the energy of the Light side to her. She would allow the energy to flow through her body, as her mind tuned to the Living Force. Her blade sprang to life with a flick of a switch, bathing her corner of the training room in a warm green hue.​

"Whenever you're ready." The tone of her voice changed. It was steadfast, determined and most notably, devoid of emotion.​

Once Cas gave the signal, Kara would immediately seize the offensive. Her breathing mask was seen as a glaring weakness by some, but only a few realized that it had its advantages. Namely the fact that none could tell what she was looking at.​

A slight twitch of her finger and focus on the objects was all she needed. Her subtle command would send ripples through the Force, as she took two heavy iron barrels in her telekinetic grip. They were probably used to store equipment, but they would make excellent projectiles. Her attack would be difficult to anticipate, as the only discernible action she took was the slight twitch of her finger.​

The two metal barrels positioned to Cas his left, approximately two meters away from him,

would suddenly be launched at him. Their trajectory would cause them to collide with his upper arm or chest, should he decide to turn and face the projectiles. She made sure that their trajectory couldn't be used against her, for she wasn't done yet. As soon as the barrels showed any sign of movement, Kara would rely on the Force flowing through her to invigorate her body.​

She followed up her telekinetic assault with an impressively quick dash, as she crossed the five meters between them in an instant. She ended her dash in a Makashi lunge, aiming the tip of her lightsaber at his gut. The attack was nearly simultaneous; should he respond to the barrels coming at him on the left, her saber would certainly make contact. Should he decide to parry her lunge instead, the barrels would get him. From her point of view, the only true option he had was to retreat and move backward, but that would result in another disadvantage.​

The training hall wasn't as large as the Temple's sparring grounds. It was made to sustain a small group of about 10 people, which meant that the training room was made as compact as possible. If she had to guess, she would say that the room was about 10 meters in length. It meant that he only had two meters behind him before he would hit the wall, not a lot of space to pull off some beautiful acrobatic manoeuvres. If she could corner him here, the duel would most certainly end in her victory.​

@guys&frog

 

[Cadere]

The Padawan's face lit up when the Kel Dor agreed to spar with him - now he had an opportunity to really get to know her which was exciting. As the two Jedi made their way to the training room, Kara would ask him a question in relation to their assignment. Cas simply shrugged and responded simply "Evening I guess? That way it's more fresh in my brain."

Upon entering the training room, Cas would see Zephyr and Isabeau already there - either about to train, or just finishing up. He smiled and gave them a friendly wave "Hey guys, surprised seeing you here." he greeted sarcastically, it seemed like all they ever did was train and spar, Isabeau in particular but... he had no judgements. Cas would raise an eyebrow as he gave Kara a sideways glance at her question "Maybe?" he replied in a whisper, shrugging and rubbing his neck "Don't worry about it." he assured her. Despite showing the two Mandalorians on how to use a lightsaber, he didn't show them all of a Jedi's tricks - the Force being a key one.

Cas would stand opposite of Kara in their training space, stretching his arms and legs before preparing himself. Then taking out his lightsaber, he nodded in response to the Knight's suggestion on first contact rules, with that his lightsaber was ignited, its snap hiss echoing through the room. With a fancy twirl, the Padawan would signal to the Knight that he was ready.

Cas watched Kara, trying to analyse what she had planned - suffice to say, it was difficult due to her mask. Still, he prepared to rush toward her but to his surprise, the seemingly timid and passive Kara took to the offensive. Cas' head whipped in the direction of the incoming crates before returning to Kara who was mid-dash toward him. She was tactical and had practically trapped him, the Padawan would need to think fast, adapt, and make a sacrifice.

The Padawan would sacrifice his manoeuvrability and dash backward with his back just a few inches away from the wall. Which is exactly what she wanted in hindsight. Cas wouldn't go down easy however, with his arm extended he would attempt to use the Force to send a crate, from the same pile she had used against him, at her from behind. If this would work, it should give him enough time to get out of the corner Kara had him in, if not, he would quickly have his lightsaber at the defence - ready to take her head on.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur Storyteller

 

[Isabeau]

She never really replied to why she was setting up the cameras. But then, that's not what he asked - she had indeed truthfully replied "Setting these up" But that was all of little importance now. Now, they were going to spar! With her helmet on and practice sword at hand, Isabeau stood ready, simply nodding at his question - and with that, it begun. Just when the Jedi entered, she gave him a nod and a quick "Olarom" Welcome, before turning her attention back to Zephyr.

He commenced a swing towards her. Isabeau, knowing that Zephyr was quite a bit stronger than herself, decided to intercept his blade early before the attack could build any real momentum, additionally putting him in a somewhat more awkward position where he couldn't utilise all his strength. Not wanting to give him any time for respite, she drew her practice sword upwards and in towards Zephyr - once the two weapons stopped touching each other, it would turn into a potent attack.

Still, one way or another, he would probably be able to find a defence against her attack, perhaps even producing a counter attack. With her own weapon pushed towards him, aiming to slash at his arm, the two training sabres might soon lock in a clash. Slowly, Isabeau tried to drive both of their swords side-wards, leaving their torsos relatively unprotected.

The Jedi had already commenced their fight and hearing a sound quite rare in duels and throwing a glance towards the force users, she was what was being flung towards them. With numerous objects heading their way, Isabeau let out a loud "Crates!" and almost reflexively folded to Zephyr's blade push on the one side, only use that momentum to send out a powerful kick on the other, hopefully removing him from the path of the crates.

If successful, both would remain unharmed and although standing ready to continue the fight, Isabeau would take a step back, fully intending on letting her friend to recover. A victory after a surprise attack from the Jedi would be hollow, and with that, she waited for Zephyr to reengage. The quiet Jedi, Kara, had interfered in their sparring. Isabeau would remember that.

Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur Cadere

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

When the Jedi joined them, Zephyr gave Cas a nod in response and his eyes briefly followed the other Jedi who offered no such greeting before turning his attention back to Isabeau and the imminent duel between them. The Mandalorians had started to get on well with Cas, though it wouldn't stop Zephyr from hunting the Padawan in the future if he had another bounty placed on him. The other Jedi, however, he cared very little for as they had hardly seen each other, let alone exchange words.

Once the sparring started, he was focused on the duel, keen to develop his melee skills. At first, he focused on defence while trying to predict Isabeau's next move before moving onto offensive attacks. The skills Isabeau had been displaying in their recent training, among other personal qualities, had instilled a respect in Zephyr and he was unsure who would win this duel as he believed them to be almost evenly matched in melee combat in terms of skill.

However, it seemed they would not find out now as their sparring was interrupted when Isabeau let out a warning and kicked Zephyr out of the way. He fell a few feet backwards and onto the ground, putting his hands out behind him to stop himself falling flat on his back. He quickly came to the realisation of what was happening and from the seated position he raised his right arm, activated his vambraces and used the repulsor to send the crate back at Kara in a matter of seconds. The angle may not have been perfect but the message was clear.

Zephyr got to his feet and started approaching Kara as he addressed her. "Watch what you're doing!" He snapped at her, knowing that as a Jedi she could do nothing but heed his words. He turned back towards Isabeau and spoke to her. "<I don't see why we need Jedi here anyway.>" He told her in Mando'a.

Storyteller Cadere Isabeau Kara Dur

 

[Kara Dur]

Cas lost his ground quickly as she advanced. His reaction time and speed were impressive, and her lightsaber just missed its mark. As she moved forward herself, her opponent made his counterattack. He launched one of the crates at her, likely to buy the time he needed to recover and reposition.

Normally, she would've kept up the pressure until the duel ended in her favor, but there were more pressing matters at hand. All Jedi knew to be aware of one's surroundings in the training halls of the Temple. It was common for projectiles, both large and small, to fly through the training halls and hit unaware Jedi without prejudice. In fact, she was so used to the telekinetically thrown objects, that she forgot about the Mandalorians. Luckily, one of them could redirect the crates.

In the blink of an eye, Kara extinguished her blade and raised both her hands. All three of the flying greats suddenly lost their momentum, dropping to the ground as if they had hit the walls of the training room. Understandably, the Mandalorian was quite angry at her apparent lack of control. All she could utter was a soft "I'm sorry..." in return. She should have taken the Mandalorians into account from the beginning, it was her own, dumb mistake. There was too much on this station that plagued and clouded her mind; it made her wonder if the strange patterns in the Force were partly to blame for her negligence.
​

@kiddos

 

[Cadere]

The duel, spar, training, or whatever was over as quick as it started. A few stray crates from the fight nearly clocked the Mandos - which he felt pretty bad about. Kara immediately shut off her lightsaber and apologised for her mistake in a soft tone which surprised the young Padawan - he would have expected literally any other Jedi to have fired back and only escalated things further but Kara, in fact, did the exact opposite.

In response, Cas also shut off his lightsaber and laughed awkwardly "Sorry about that, guys. Try not to start another war over this please." he quipped, in hopes of further deescalating things just in case the Mandos took the little crate accident to heart. However, he was concerned for Kara, approaching her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder "You good?" he asked in a low whisper "I feel like you're taking this harder than you should be." he added, sensing that something else was troubling her.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara Storyteller Kara Dur

 

[Isabeau]

Zephyr's response was aggressive, to say the least. Not only did he send the crates right back at the jedi, he also hurled a confrontational comment at them while at it. Still, Isabeau would have her fellow Mandalorian's back and was quick to follow, staying close to his side in case the 'sparring' would reach a new level. However, that did not seem to be in risk of happening as the offender let out a timid apology. Isabeau shot Zephyr an awkward look upon hearing his comment in Mando'a and replied, also using her native tongue "Don't scare her away! I wanna spar with her sometime!" she said, jaw clenched and eyes staring at him intently from behind the T-visor. Putting a hand on his shoulder, the younger Mandalorian said "Be nice" whilst applying a little pressure with her hand, holding him back as she stepped forth towards the Jedi.

The helmet quickly came off and was held under her left arm whilst the right arm untied the bun to let her hair out. Trying to balance Zephyr's justified outburst against her own desire to stay on good terms with the two, the girl's lips shivered a little and formed what could almost be described as a soft and barely detectable smile. "Just mind yourselves in the future" she said in a rather boring voice, neither expressing anger nor kindness. "We can deal with interruptions, but it disrupts the flow of combat and there is no honour in winning against a foe who had a crate thrown at him" she continued, turning to throw a glance at Zephyr before continuing "But we're alright" she said, looking at the masked Knight.

A joyous chuckle escaped her as she thought of Cas' comment. "We have started wars over less in the past. You should be grateful that we are in such a benevolent and merciful mood, Jetii" her tone was lighthearted and she smirked at the Jedi, clearly joking. "You should repay us by sparring with me more often. Or even better, convince her to spar with me" she said, first looking at Cas, and then at Kara. It wouldn't take long before she turned back to Zephyr, hoping that he would still be up to continue their match after the events that had just taken place.

Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur Cadere

 

[Storyteller]

For quite a few days, almost a week went by with nothing on the recordings from the cameras that Isabeau had set up. It almost as if Morgan knew about the placement of the cameras. But then a late weekday and another boring patrol with nothing to do, the cameras caught Morgan walk down, even catching Cas off guard in the hallway, talking about some rather stale and dry subjects.

Isabeau also caught how he managed to get the jump on them as one of the doors in the hallway to slit open, having him walk out of some kind of room behind the door. However, If Isabeau went to check out the door, she would find it locked and the sign beside the door, stated, chemicals and a label of a skull on it.

She would soon find that the way Morgan has managed to catch them all off guard, had simply been by having a key to the doors. Though one thing that did stand out, whenever he entered one of the rooms in the long hallways, he didn't exit them again, yet the next morning, he joined the rest of the crew for breakfast.

~~~~~~~~

Standing in the doorway, Lars looked on as the fighting had evolved between the Mandalorians and between the Jedi, "alright alright, take a breather, it wouldn't be very preferable to have our four new guard members to kill each other. By the way, Morgan and Zenor want a word with us all in the canteen" said Lars, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder, giving them a hint to get to the canteen. With that, he turned around and headed for the mess hall himself with his hands in his pockets.

And sure enough, once Cas, Kara, Zephyr and Isabeau entered the mess hall, they saw everybody sitting by the tables, talking to each other. Morgan stood along with Zenor, facing the rest. Seeing the last remaining people, Zenor began, "good, now that we're all here, we can begin. Over the last couple of nights, Lars has been getting emergency calls from a ship in the Unknown Regions" started Zenor to explain to everyone else. "Lars, Morgan and I have been talking it over and the latest sounded critical, though we were unknown to get much more before we were cut from communication. We did, however, track their location and I won't shoot around the bushes, but it's deep in the Unknown region" continued Zenor and stepped back, giving Morgan the voice.

"I want to hear people's thoughts on what we should do, our small ship will be able to get to them, but it's one trip to it and back" explained Morgan with his raspy voice and looked to the rest. Talks exploded between everyone. Mona was the first to speak up, being a woman of compassion, "why is this even a conversation? We have to help them if they are in need! It could have been one of us, wouldn't we have wanted people to help and save us?" Expressed Mona, and looked to her colleagues and friends. Zika agreed with Mona, as well as Barnet.

However, not all just agreed instantly, one of those was Dawil, "waow waow waow, I understand the need to help others, but we know nothing about this ship or people!" Pointed the engineer out, "Yes, I agree. It seems highly irresponsible to just charge the Unknown Region" Quinn agreed, fixing his glasses with a finger.

"How can you say that? You're a medical professional, and what if it's really somebody in grave need of medical help? how can you not agree to help those in need?" Asked Mona in disbelief by her friend's opinion.

Cadere Kara Dur Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Due to his exchange with Isabeau, Zephyr didn't hear Kara's apology but it didn't matter because Isabeau's response negated any need for an apology. "<She wouldn't spar with you. She knows we're not allies.>" He shot back in Mando'a. Isbaeau's seemingly angry tone didn't deter him from confronting the Jedi but as he turned to approach Kara he felt Isabeau's hand on his shoulder and remained still, watching as she took control, knowing that she would prevent the situation from escalating as she appeared to be more tactful than he was. Zephyr said nothing nor removed his helmet to reveal his expression when Isabeau glanced at him but had calmed down considerably following his initial burst of anger as the situation deescalated, though he was not keen of the Jedi Knight.

Zephyr turned to the doorway after hearing Lars speak then accompanied the others to the mess hall. It was an odd sight to see everybody which made him suspicious that there was something seriously wrong so he took a seat at a table and braced for potentially bad news. As the reason for their gathering began to unravel, with various members of the crew pitching in their thoughts, Zephyr was quick to do the same. "What if it's an attack?" He asked before continuing. "What if they're lying to us to get aboard?" He asked, glancing around the faces in the room from behind his T-visor.

They had been made aware of the station's issues with pirates when they had been contracted so he was sceptical of any space craft that claimed to be in distress within reach of the station. They were far from civilisation so it begged the question what anyone was doing out here. "If you want to risk it, by all means go ahead-" He raised both palms for a moment and then lowered them as though in defeat as he expected to be challenged. "-You're the ones without armour." He concluded.

Kara Dur Storyteller Cadere Isabeau

 

[Kara Dur]

Kara was grateful for both Isabeau's and Cas's intervention. Of course, she could have lashed out. But that felt wrong in so many ways. Besides, her attention was still divided between the unusual patterns of the Force and the situation at hand. Something Cas seemed to notice, as he reached out to her.

"No... Don't you sense it?..." She had always been more in-tune with the Force than others. The Kel Dor wasn't exactly a seer, nor capable of the famed shatterpoint technique, but she understood the patterns of the Force. And it currently felt like a receding sea; the first possible sign of a Tsunami that would most definitely arrive.

Their conflict in the training hall was cut short by the arrival of Lars. Because this matter felt important, Kara decided to follow Lars to the mess hall as well.

Seeing everyone gathered in one place made her uneasy. Something was wrong. Something had to be wrong. Otherwise they wouldn't be gathering like this. Her assumption would be confirmed by Zenor and Morgan, who gave all the details Kara needed to find the guidance they needed in the Living Force.

While everyone stood there, furiously debating on the right course of action, Kara instead remained silent. She had drawn the Living Force around her like a warm cloak, falling deep into its flow as the patterns finally began to make sense.

"This is it..." she mumbled to nobody in particular. "The anomaly. The warning cry of the Force." Her silver eyes shifted to meet Zephyr's T-visor as he spoke up. She was not fond of the man, but she found herself fully agreeing with him. "The Mandalorian is right. That ship sends horrendous ripples through the Force. You will find nothing but pain and suffering there." She added shortly after Zephyr's questions. There was no telling what was going to happen. But Kara was sure of one thing. Stepping aboard that ship was a mistake. A mistake all of them would come to regret sooner than later.
​

 

[Cadere]

Cas met Isabeau's comments with a nod and smile "Sure. One day." he answered in agreement to sparring with the female Mandalorian. The Padawan's concern for Kara quickly turned into fear and caution, not of her, but of what she said specifically - Cas wasn't sure if it was the Force or his instincts but throughout the entirety of their time at this facility, Cas felt... off and now that Kara seemed to feel the same, it troubled him.

Before he could give Kara an answer, Lars came in and informed everyone that they were needed in the mess hall. "We'll talk about this later..." he whispered to Kara in a concerned tone. Cas made his way with the others into the mess hall, and seeing everyone gathered caused the Kiffar to raise an eyebrow, this seemed a lot more serious than he'd had initially thought. Leaning against a nearby wall with his arms folded, he listened to what Zenor had to say and his lips parted in shock as everyone else erupted into discussion.

They had to help, right? As a Jedi, it was his duty to service others. However, not everyone felt the same way - such as Zephyr and Kara, the Padawan kicked off of the wall and gave his own opinion "Is this even a question?" he asked rhetorically before periodically glancing at both Kara and Zephyr "Regardless of the danger we can't just sit here and do nothing when we have the power to help. Especially as Jedi." Cas stated, as he said his last sentence, he gazed at Kara with a sympathetic expression.

If there was a chance to even save one life, he had to try.

Isabeau Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur

 

[Isabeau]

~~~~~~~~​

Way too much time had been spent on watching the surveillance tape already. But then, sometimes - especially on the station - life could be utterly boring. Isabeau had made it her nightly activity to skim through the footage before falling asleep in bed. Seeing Morgan get the better of Cas gave her a good chuckle "So much for fancy force powers" she chuckled, trying to keep her voice down to not bother Zephyr. The shared room thing had its pros and cons - on the one hand, she had instant access to him and could challenge him to go sparring or to give him another brutal defeat in pazaak - on the other, he had instant access to her too.

One night, she saw something particularly amusing and brushed away her sheets "Psst, Zephyr.. pssst" after waiting a few moments since having checked if he was awake or not, the Mandalorian got up from her bed and simply assumed that he was awake if he had not replied yet. "Scoot" she said, giving him a chance to make space before she took it for herself. Sitting down on his bed, she showed him footage of Zephyr walking through the corridor "You look like an old man when you walk" she teased, quickly hopping over to first Zenor, then Quinn and finally Barnet, all who in her eyes seemed more energetic in their step - of course, they weren't wearing all the armour that Zephyr did, nor had they been tired out by Isabeau's constant challenges to spar. "Maybe you should take up yoga or something" she continued before hopping to where she had last left off which was a segment showing Morgan stroll through the corridor. "I've been keeping my eyes on this creep. You know how he can just suddenly appear and disap-" her sentence was cut short as he suddenly entered one of the doors which otherwise seemed permanently locked. "That blasted womp rat" she said, looking over at Zephyr with angered eyes "He didn't think it to be a good idea to let the security team know of his personal maze?"

Over the next few hours and following nights, Isabeau would comment on what she saw during her nightly sessions, obviously unhappy with the station manager, and regardless of whether Zephyr was awake to hear it or not. If he was awake, he would learn whatever she did.

~~~~~~~~​

Isabeau was glad that the situation was turning towards the better in the training room with the Jetii becoming less grump and Zephyr showing some restraint to let her deescalate the situation. They had each other's backs and for that, she was happy. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the younger one as he whispered to Kara who just responded with ominous mumbles. Still standing there, she looked at them for a bit before leaning forth a little , letting her face and hair fall within their field of vision. Mirroring Cas' behaviour, she whispered "Guy, we're standing right here, we can hear you" with an amused tone.

It would not be long before Lars, tactless as he was, interrupted them for some kind of meeting. While Isabeau's immediate reaction was to refuse the request, all potential sparring partners seemed to go along with it. Without anyone to keep her entertained in the training room, the girl crossed her arms and followed them with a grumpy expression on her face. It soon disappeared, however, as she spotted her friend, Dawil the engineer. With a bright smile, she walked over and took a seat next to him, greeting him with a simple "Hey" before growing silent to listen to the others speak. Finally, there would be some excitement to replace the boring routine patrols of the station. Seated next to Dawil the engineer, she bumped her shoulder against his once he had finished speaking "Don't be like that, it will be fun. I haven't had something this exciting happen since we arrived here" with a low voice, not feeling like it should concern the entire room. "Maybe we could find you something more fun to fix up. Or would you really prefer to keep working on that loose power coupling in by the hangar that keeps disconnecting? Come on, this will be fun"

Having said that, she heard Zephyr express his opinion on the matter. Bringing the palm of her hand and gently connecting it with her face, Isabeau shuddered in disappointment. Was her Vod truly so cowardly? Didn't he too, hunger for some excitement and adventure? The girl sent him a puzzled look but kept quiet as the others expressed their opinions. She didn't care much for Kara's doomsday prophesies but brightened up upon hearing Cas. Maybe he had taken more than just Zephyr's pride when he escaped capture - because Cas was acting with the courage of someone worthy whilst Zephyr was behaving like a Kath pup. Letting her disappointment and anger brew for a bit, Isabeau finally got up and walked over to Zephyr "We've got armour" she said, voice low along with a fiercely defiant look in her eyes. Turning around to face the rest, she plainly stated "I volunteer to go"

Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur Cadere

 

[Storyteller]

Standing with hands folded behind his back, Morgan observed people talk and discuss the situation. Vek looked at the current people speaking up about the situation and then let his eyes fell on the Mandalorian female as she volunteered as tribute to go. He wasn't sure what the right approach was, but he wasn't about to head out into the Unknown Region for something that might just be pirates waiting in ambush. That was why the Mandalorians was here, after all, to take out the pirates, right?

Zenor nodded at Isabeau's contribution and willingness to venture out, "I will be joining as well" said Zenor as he looked to Dawil, "I won't force you to go, but we might be needing your skills if something were to happens. You'll be protected" explained Zenor to Dawil, asking him to join the group that would be going.

Barnet rose from his chair, "I'll join as well! Sounds like an adventure like back in my days!" Cheered Barnet joyfully, but was stopped by Zenor, "no, we can't lose the cook, sorry Barnet, but you would be best to stay on the station" said Zenor, which Barnet seemingly respected, "well I guess, if you put it that way, I'll stay back" nodded the cook and sat down again.

Inira stayed quiet for most of the discussing, though she was actively listening to people talk about the situation. "That might be true, but did any of you no hear what Zephyr and Kara said?! The likeliness of it being pirates could be huge! Not to mention we have no idea what's out there in the Unknown Region!" pointed the engineer out expressive. Zika, which oftentimes was the quiet type, spoke again, "yes but, what if it is people in need of help?" Asked Zika. Mona chipped in, "Quinn, you heard the Master Cas, we can't just sit here and do nothing when we have the power to help" as she stood up again, placing her hands on the table.

To which Quinn sighed, "fine, I'll go with. Some ought to keep you alive when kriff goes south" said Quinn, agreeing to go along, against his better judgement. Zenor nodded, "good, that makes up 4 people" confirmed Zenor. "Any other? One or two more should be enough" explained Zenor, looking at the people around him.

Cadere Kara Dur Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

It was a surprise when Kara, the Jedi who so brutally attacked him mere moments before, agreed with him, earning her a little respect though he was still not fond of her. Zephyr's gaze turned onto Isabeau as she approached him, her tone indicating irritation which in turn irritated Zephyr as he had voiced a valid reason for concern and she was being dismissive of it for the sake of jumping into some action. While he enjoyed the thrill of the lifestyle, their job here was to protect the station and he was not about to jeopardise that for the sake of a little excitement. He was fulfilling his purpose on the station, nothing more, nothing less so he replied to Isabeau with a bitter "Suit yourself."

Despite the voices around the room echoing similar concerns, it seemed everyone had their own idea on how the situation should be interpreted and it became clear a unanimous answer would not be obtained. As people began volunteering, Zephyr's gaze focused on Morgan who had been considerably quiet about people's thoughts. He had been suspicious of the manager ever since Isabeau had shown him the security footage of him entering seemingly disused doors and ambushing people throughout the station. It had struck them as odd and while Isabeau had wanted to investigate, there had not been an opportunity to do so.

However, if Kara wasn't keen on going on the excursion then perhaps she would be willing to help him investigate the peculiar manager's secret hideouts but then again he wasn't aware how far the Jedi scrupulousness extended and it may well have been something against whatever moral code it is that Jedi followed. Still, the Force could prove to be a helpful tool so it would be better to ask than not. With that in mind, he rose from his seat and approached Kara then removed his helmet so he could whisper to her without the voice amplifier. With a glance over his shoulder to make sure Morgan, or any other crew, were not within earshot, he told her what he knew.

"Isabeau showed me some security footage a few days ago where Morgan is entering a locked room with a skull beside the door. No one has entered it but him. Don't you think he acts strangely?" He asked quietly. While he didn't particularly trust Kara, Isabeau seemed to be somewhat friendly with her so that was good enough for him. "I'm going to try and see if I can get into that room. Do you want to come?" He asked. It didn't occur to him to apologise for his earlier behaviour as he had nothing to apologise for in his eyes, however they were crew mates for now so they would have to work together or at least tolerate each other for the remainder of their stay.

Kara Dur Isabeau Cadere Storyteller

 

[Kara Dur]

Perhaps it was for the best that a Kel Dor's facial expressions were hard to discern. Cas's statement was directed at her, and she knew it. A subtle jab at her warning and plea for caution, one that nearly fell on deaf ears. She understood why he wanted to go. It was a hero's vanity, believing that they could always make a difference. But as his master should've taught him, sometimes there was just nothing left to save. And this was definitely one of those cases.

"And any Jedi should have been taught not to rush to action at the slightest hint of danger." she retorted, her eyes shifting to meet those of Cas.

Despite her warnings, the crew members still happily gathered to board this phantom ship. It exuded an aura of death and Dark side energy, she could tell even from this distance. And she was adamant to keep it on a distance.

The normally timid Knight raised her voice to draw attention. "In case I wasn't clear, that ship will be the end of us all if we decide to intervene. I'm certain of it. In fact, I don't get why this is even up for debate" She would turn to Morgan. "Mr Cage. The 'decision' is yours. But I strongly advice against boarding that vessel." Her voice was stern and authoritative. It was different from her usual tone, and was yet another indicator of how serious she took this matter.

Shortly after she voiced her concerns, the purple Mandalorian approached her. It felt quite out of character, considering the fact that he had been looking down on her during the past few weeks. Nevertheless, she would hear him out. "Are you perhaps referring to the hazard symbol for lethal danger?" she commented, amused at his description of the door. "If that is the case, I agree. No one has informed us of any lethally dangerous researches that were carried out on this station." She had read the reports of every researcher on this station before getting here, just to make sure she knew what she was getting into. None of them worked with any truly dangerous compounds, or she would have most certainly remembered it. Quite odd indeed. "Fine. I'll accompany you on one condition. You won't touch anything inside that laboratory." she didn't need any apologies from him concerning his actions. What she did want, was to be able to trust the man clad in purple, and this seemed like the best way to establish that trust.

​

 

[Cadere]

Cas averted his gaze from Kara, glancing sideways in annoyance - Kara's reluctance completely caught him off guard and disappointed him immensely, she was a Jedi, it was their job to protect others. "It's not about 'rushing into action' Kara, I'm just not willing to sit around when people might need help." he fired back with his fists clenched. Cas wasn't hearing Kara's warnings, if there was truly something up he was certain the Force would have shown it to him in a vision... right?

The Padawan smiled at Isabeau's response to this situation, although he noticed it caused friction between her and Zephyr. Once she volunteered, he immediately chimed in "Me too. I've got your back." with a wink and a thumbs up, he'd seen the female Mando fight and she was damned good, if pirates really were involved he was looking forward to fighting alongside her.

With that, some of the others volunteered to investigate as well which made things slightly better. Much to his disappointment, it seemed as if Zephyr and Kara were going to sit this one out and... unfortunately, some respect for them was lost because of that - Cas expected the older Mandalorian to be ready for battle and for Kara to be eager to aid others.

Noticing Zephyr get up and approach Kara, he watched the two curiously before folding his arms and wandering over to Isabeau and grabbing a seat next to her, he leaned an elbow on the table and faced her. "In today's partner swap..." Cas opened up with a joke referring to Kara and Zephyr, "In all seriousness, since me and you are going to check out the distress signal - as a member of a culture of warriors, you got a plan?" he asked, planning out strategies wasn't exactly his forte as the young Kiffar was more of the impulsive, only reacting to danger type of person.

Isabeau Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Kara Dur

 

[Isabeau]

The Jetii woman was making a fuzz about it all, blabbering on about some force evil, or darkness, or something else just as arbitrarily ominous. Isabeau had learned to respect force users but when they did not provide anything more substantive than "you will regret this" there was really not much to go on and blind acceptance was out of the question. She did, however have a point in that Morgan would have to be the one to decide what to do. Crossing her arms, she looked at the director whilst thinking of what had been said. Something which had really been bothering her was Zenor's way of managing the personel.

Instead of bringing it up with Morgan or criticising her colleague in front of everyone, she instead moved over to where he sat and took the neighbouring seat. "Chief, slow down" she said, quiet enough for only him to hear and leaning close enough to those around them to understand that it was a private conversation "If you can't spare the chef, you sure can't spare the doctor. It's much trickier to do whatever medicine things it is that Quinn is doing than it is to throw an adequate meal together. If we bring Quinn, that's when we truly risk the safety of the station, let Barnet come with us instead. If kolto and bacta aren't enough to keep them alive long enough to get back to the station, they're dead anyways" Her tone was serious and her eyes equally so. While she may not have been the most responsible of the newcomers, she did obviously not shy away from pointing out the risks she saw. Still, she was not quite responsible enough to put much more effort into it than this - she would not make a public argument nor would she turn to anyone else, instead, she simply leaned back and waited to see what Morgan and Zenor would decide for themselves.

Soon after her, Cas spoke up and volunteered himself to go too. A genuine smile grew on her face as she looked over to the Jetii, sending him a respectful look before turning to Zephyr with a less respectful one. It was not long before Cas came along, gathering the trio of those who would definitely go in the same part of the room. Leaning in closer to him, she let out a light laugh before continuing his joke "...we will be seeing Zephyr, the core world daisy" with a sarcastic tone, obviously not too pleased by his actions. Something which would be reflected further as she let out a low "No wonder he couldn't capture you. You behave more Mandalorian than he does" Of course, it was a truth with modification - perhaps not even a truth at all, but the bitterness was there, that much was for sure.

She shrugged lightly upon hearing Cas' question. Maybe it would have been more prudent to ask Zenor. Someone as old as him was bound to have some good insight, right? Nevertheless, if he was more comfortable speaking of it with her for the moment, she would be happy to share her thoughts "We'll probably be in crammed spaces a lot, so if you can keep me safe with what sword of yours, I can take 'em out. If we get some more room to move around in, I don't think I'll be staying still much though" With this, there was not much left to do other than to wait and see what Morgan and Zenor had to say. Still, she kept a weary eye on Zenor, fully prepared to speak up if he wanted to get rid of her jedi friend from the expedition.

Storyteller Zephyr Kumaara Radon Krayt Cadere

 

[Storyteller]

Hearing Kara's doom and horror predicting did not help the situation as the personal started to raise their voices, some agreeing with the Jedi Master, what others thought it to be overdramatising things. "Have you guys forgot the pirate reports?! Shouldn't we trust in what Master Kara warns us?!" Asked Kla'ak, raising from his seat, motioning to Kara with his hand to add to his point. "I trust the Jedi as much as everyone else here! But how can you just agree to doom and death without checking out the place first!" chipped Mona in with a much more serious voice, also raising herself from her seat. Soon others joined in, "do you all hear yourself? Compose yourself" said Quinn, bringing out a more commanding voice. "Seriously doc? Let them voice their opinion!" said Vek, looking at Quinn with annoyance. The debates began to grow louder in volume, "Everyone, please remain calm, this won't help anyone" tried Morgan with his calm and non-authoritarian voice to calm down, but unfortunately, the noise was too loud to punch through.

As Isabeau started to talk to Zenor, he was about to give her his answer, but rose from his seat instead and slammed hard down on the table a couple of times. The loud banging on the tables quickly got people to stop almost yelling at each other. "We have already people volunteering to go, myself included to check out the signal. "I see that no matter the talking, it will just end in yelling," said Zenor as he looked to Kara with a much more dislike than when they first met, "yelling up about doom and death without any backup does us absolutely nothing good Jedi." Continued Zenor, looking down at Isabeau, before looking over to Quinn and then Barnet, "Isabeau makes a valid point, Quinn you can do better back here than taking the chance out there. Barnet, if you still want to come, you are welcome" finished Zenor and looked at everyone who had turned quiet, "not to mention, we still have a Jedi and Mandalorian to help defend the base if it were to come under attack while the rest of us is off" added Zenor, before sitting down.

But in the end, it was Morgan's decision, one that Morgan wouldn't take. "Thank you, Morgan and everyone else. Yelling at each other won't do us any good my friends" began Morgan with a smile, placing both hands behind his back. "Everyone's feedback is appreciated, but I have decided that we will send a team out to check out and help whoever is in need. I trust you five will be swift" explained the older bearded manager.

Looking to Zenor, Morgan nodded, seemingly giving Morgan the "go-to" approval, before looking at everyone else who isn't part of the team, "if everyone else would please return to your duties. I trust Lars will notify us, if anything were to happen" said Morgan, giving Lars a questioning look, "Of course I will" confirmed Lars quickly, before getting up along with everyone else, than the ones to venture out.

As Morgan left, Zenor, waited for everyone to gather, "okay, here's the plan. As soon as we are within scanning range, we'll scan the ship or whatever it may be out there. And from there we will either retreat or investigate further" explained Zenor, taking on the role of leader for this expedition. Dawil sat down on the opposite side of the table, "just for your information, if I die out there, I'm going to haunt all yo asses" said Dawil just to make his point, that he wasn't particularly cheerfully on doing this. Nevertheless, he did see the valid point in maybe acquiring some better tools or parts for the station.

~~~~~~~~Meanwhile out in the corridors~~~~~~~~​

People were quick to split out as they talked about the situation and debate while heading for their workplaces. Lars headed for the security room, Quinn disappeared into his office, Vek returned to his patrol duties, the doctors returned to the laps and Morgan? Morgan slowly walked down the corridor, whistling a little song, heading down one of the long corridors, away from everyone else.

Cadere Kara Dur Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

As the situation descended into relative chaos, Zephyr looked over his shoulder and shared a look with Isabeau though neither exhibited any warmness in their gaze. The fact she was abandoning her post for some irrelevant side quest was irritating. Her job was to protect the station from danger, not incite it from it from elsewhere, but it seemed both had very different ideas on how the situation should be handled. Nevertheless, with some of the crew gone then with any luck it might be easier to gain access to Morgan's secret room without getting caught by a passerby - A task that would be easier with Kara on board.

It seemed convincing Kara took little effort but not allowing her to see his visible irritation at her comment took more. "Yes." He replied plainly. Weren't the Jedi supposed to be a humble people? He had little knowledge of the reclusive Jedi but from his experience he did not like her butwith her agreeing to accompany him then perhaps his impression was due to change. Her condition, however, caused him to frown as she treated him like a child. He was reminded how this was something which bothered Isabeau and so for her sake he went along with it. "Fine, whatever." He agreed to her terms.

Zephyr replaced his helmet and indicated for Kara to follow him once everyone began dispersing. He followed Morgan, keeping a fair distance between them to avoid arousing any suspicions but he soon went out of sight so Zephyr took a turn down another corridor and led Kara to the room with the hazard symbol by the door. There was no one outside so he approached and immediately focused on what appeared to be an electronic lock by the side of the door which he promptly inspected. "The footage also showed him entering a room but not leaving it again. It could be nothing but I thought it might be worth mentioning in case you make anything of it." He told her with a glance in her direction.

The Mandalorian produced a tiny electromagnetic charge and placed it on the lock system. Its size meant it would only produce a small disruption with no destruction so he needn't stand more than a step away to ensure it didn't affect his own equipment. Once activated, the charge created a small spark and the system went offline but the door didn't open, suggesting failure or a secondary security measure. "Can you use the Force?" He asked Kara, stepping away from the door.

Cadere Kara Dur Isabeau Storyteller