It's Me. Again.

[Kahlil Noble]

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​

Which planet was this? What number was this on his pilgrimage through the galaxy? Kahlil had no idea. After Umbara, after watching so many innocent people die, he needed to get away. So he left Kashyyk, found a star freighter, and went back to being a spacer. He'd return to the Jedi some day, he had to. His father needed to be stopped. But he couldn't be among them. Not with how much those deaths had affected him.

And the betrayal of some of the Jedi who had promised to help him.

Now he was just in between jobs and crews, relaxing in the space port as he scanned through a datapad for the next destination. Another coffee shop. How many of these had he been in? No real way of knowing, given how much he enjoyed his coffee. No longer was he getting the overly sweet and ridiculously gaudy iced version. Now he had a small mug of Caf with just a bit of cream, idly sipping at it here and there. Life changed in the strangest ways.

And still was.

[member="Kelsie Sylvan"]

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Kelsie has a lot of bad habits.

Honestly when she woke up very hung over in the wrong room of her ship she wasn't surprised -- it kind of sucked that she couldn't remember why she'd been drinking last night but she had so many reasons at this point that she didn't really care. As she wandered out of her ship she felt a chilly breeze push her slightly. The cold made it a little easier to think. She rubbed her temples, then her eyes, then set out to get a good cup of coffee. That'd wake her up.

It became obvious why she'd been cold outside as soon as she entered the spaceport's cafe. She was wearing an almost threadbare white shirt and a simple pair of jeans... and she was barefoot. At least she had a few credits in her pocket, so she tiredly wandered up to the counter to order herself whatever strong espresso they had on hand. It was the best coffee she'd had in a while.

The young woman moved over to the bar at the window and found herself a seat at the end. She watched the ships come and go as she waited for the caffeine to kick in.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Business as usual it seemed. The only jobs he was finding on the datapad were mercenary jobs. The galaxy was on the fringe of another galactic war, so there was no surprise there. If there were no jobs with less violence, Kahlil would have to spend the night on world. Not exactly his favorite way to spend the night, but he wasn't going to help fight any wars. Not any time soon at least.

He was still lazily flipping through the various job advertisements when something caught his attention. A sensation that he hadn't felt for some time now. Blue eyes fell on [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] as she stepped past, and he did his best to stifle a laugh. No shoes and a poor choice of clothing for the cold planet they were on. What in the world had she been doing to forget her shoes of all things?

Kahlil watched for a moment longer in silence, and once she took her seat he wandered over to sit across from her, setting down his cup of caf before plopping in the chair. "Rough night?"

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

"Not now, Kahlil. Mama's gotta get some coffee in her system," she said tiredly. The young woman took another sip of her coffee as she put her head down on the counter, her eyes still settled on a freighter leaving the spaceport.

The caffeine kicked in. She recognized that voice.

Her head practically snapped to the side as her eyes focused on Kahlil. Her eyes were filled with disbelief as she stared at him for a moment -- only a moment before she basically tackled him in a big bear hug. As well as the young woman could, considering the difference in height between the two. It felt like every time she saw him he was either getting shorter or taller somehow... didn't matter much. She squeezed him for a few moments before letting him breath again.

"Kahlil, where have you been? We haven't talked in ages and I've heard nothing about you for so long..." She glanced down at her coffee and quietly wondered if it was some kind of magic substance before taking it in her hands and draining all of it. She then looked back at Kahlil intently, wanting to know what he had been doing.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Another stifled laugh as he watched [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] slowly come to terms with reality. She had always been rather dependent on her caf. The stifled laugh escaped him once she lept across the table to tackle into him. He caught her with one arm, using the other to pick up his own glass of dirty bean juice so she didn't knock it off the table and waste the precious life waters.

"I've been good. Mostly. I'm a Jedi now, though I took a bit of a break after the incident on Umbara. Sorry about not talking to you sooner. Everything's been.. Hectic to say the least." Kahlil began rubbing the back of his head in his nervous tick. Being around Kelsie always did make him nervous. Mostly because he didn't want to disappoint her. "What about you?"

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Oh no. Kelsie wouldn't let him get away from her questions so easily. They had so much to talk about, so much to catch up on... how long had it been, anyways? She'd been starting to forget his face. That wasn't good. But now she was free -- no plans for the next few days. No shoes either it seemed. She'd be able to spend a little time with her former protege.

His response to her initial question was... a fair bit to unpack. "Wait... what happened on Umbara?" For now she held her tongue on the Jedi -- she hadn't said much the last time they'd spoken, but the young woman had never been a fan of the 'hokey religion'. Even so, if Kahlil was happy then she wouldn't complain. She hadn't met many Jedi as of late, perhaps they'd changed in the eight hundred years since she'd been told all about how horrible they were.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

The smile faltered. Of course [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] hadn't heard of it. The galaxy was huge after all, and all the terrible things that happened throughout couldn't be known by everyone. "Mandalorians attacked. Slaughtered hundreds, captured more. They put.. Bomb collars on the captives. I tried to save them, but the Jedi I was with.. He was more focused on trying to fight. So many died." Kahlil let out a sigh as he picked up his cup, sipping from it. He wasn't sure what else to say.

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Kelsie was given pause by the sober look on her friend's face. It was a surprise to hear about what had happened -- she kicked herself with not adequately following galactic news more closely. She was supposed to be an intelligence agent, after all. But she honestly still had no idea who Kahlil's dad really was aside from big bad giant Sith dude number one. "I didn't know," she said softly, looking down at her own cup. Maybe if she'd been there she could've helped -- she was never too big a fan of most Mandalorians.

"It's horrible, watching that happen." She was speaking from experience, of course. There were 'bad guys' who she wouldn't hesitate to take down, but seeing innocents enslaved and chained wasn't something she was a fan of. "Do you want to talk about it?" She felt like she didn't know enough about Kahlil now but she knew she wanted to help. Oddly enough it reminded her of when they'd met -- in part at a coffee shop. But something made her want to help him, so she did. Kelsie was a creature of impulse.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Not really, honestly. Right now I'd like to enjoy the company I have." He flashed a grin, trying to lighten the mood as he sipped at his caf. But Kahlil was still disturbed by the memories. He certainly would talk to her about it later, if they spent enough time together. "How long do you have anyway? I imagine being a commando is something that gives a whole lot of time off. In fact, how is that going? I'm rather curious about how the CIS handles things."

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Kelsie smiled softly to Kahlil. If he didn't want to talk about it she wouldn't force him to -- she wasn't exactly in the best position to help, she still needed to properly manage her own feelings of grief and regret. There were a few people she needed to talk to. "Mhmm, me too." They needed to catch up and all.

"I'm actually off for about a week. I'm a squad leader and all, so I've got to take care of my people... I'm getting two newbies once I get back." She shrugged. Part of her regretted asking for green troops to start, but now that she had a functional squad to work with she knew everything would work out. She'd molded herself a fighting force... and she'd avoided molding Kahlil in the same way. Well, mostly. "Life's pretty good. I think I've found a bit of a home. The commander's great, I've got a good group, lots of free time, and I get to travel. Might actually get into front-line combat."

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Oh?" A smug grin took over his features as he took another sip of his caf. "Then I have you all to myself for a week." It'd be good to spend time with [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] again. Especially with everything that's happened. Kahlil leaned back in his seat, glancing up at the ceiling. He had almost become one of those commandos under her. How different would it have been? Would he still feel this regret?

Thoughts for a later time.

"So long as you don't up and die on me, that sounds good." His gaze returned to the woman, a half smile on his features. "Though, I doubt anyone could kill you."

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

"You mean I've got someone to clean my toilets all week. And I'm telling you now, it's gonna take all week," she said, returning the smug grin with one of her own. She definitely felt like she taught him to smile like that. Really, it had been far too long -- sometimes she missed Kahlil in the same way she missed her own son.

Kelsie put down her mug and hopped to her feet, putting her hands together. "Let's get out of here, I need socks." She'd spent her youth on one of the coldest planets out there, so one would think she'd be perfectly acclimatized to this kind of place, but... socks are comfortable. Kelsie's hangover was beginning to subside -- she felt she needed a bit more dignity, and now that she'd found a friend she felt the need to get out and do something. And do something she would.

The young woman began to head towards the exit, pushing open the door long enough for Kahlil to step out behind her. "So why are you here? Have you gotten your own ship? It better be nice."

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Oh god." It was all Kahlil could say about the toilets. How many times had cleaned them for [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] ? Or replaced them. He had done that a couple times. Still, it meant hanging out with her, so he'd put up with it for now. He laughed as soon as she spoke about socks, glancing to her feet as she stood up. "Yeah, might be a good idea to get you something for your feet. Maybe even some shoes, hmm?"

He stood up and stepped with her, following her out of the Caf shop with his hands behind his head. "On a job or two. Not sure yet. No ship though. I've got my eyes on one, but I need some more money to get it. Couple more jobs, then I can start making up my own crew. You'll have to meet them of course."

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

"Socks first. Then shoes. Everything else, too." She was feeling a bit of a chill being out here, but she managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other as she headed back over through the landing pads. It didn't take the two of them too long to reach her YT-1300 -- Kelsie always liked to set down close to the spaceport, out of habit, in case she needed to make a quick escape. She shoved her hands into her pockets and searched around, finally pulling out a small comms device and bringing it up to her mouth. "Hey, Missy, where's the Carry-On?"

<<You asked for it to to arrive in the system last night, around twelve minutes before you passed out.>>

"Oh. Convenient." The young woman scratched her hair and yawned, continuing to her ship. As she got closer the ramp lowered automatically -- it really was convenient, having an AI to help her out -- and she stepped inside, assuming that Kahlil was just behind her. "We're heading up, Missy, get a hangar ready."

<<Of course, Miss Sylvan.>>

Kelsie slipped into the cockpit a few moments later. It felt funny, having a co-pilot again... sure, she loved spending time with people, and having someone to watch your back was great, but a basically omniscient AI running every system in her life was a thousand times more effective. Kelsie strove to be effective. "Oh, is that the reason you're coming to me? You need money and a ship?" She shot a grin over her shoulder to the tall, white-haired young man. If he asked, of course she'd give him some money... and maybe she would, even if he didn't.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Carry-on? Kahlil raised a brow as he glanced to [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] , curious on what that meant but unwilling to ask about it just yet. Really, he was far more entranced by the idea of an AI being part of the ship. His eyes slightly widened as the voice emanated around them. That was pretty freaking handy. Who needs a crew when you could have an AI take care of everything.

"Wha- no! I'm not here for your money. I've got jobs and everything already planned out. You don't have to worry about me." Yep, that embarrassed him. The faintest bit of red formed on his cheeks as he glanced away, running a hand through his hair. He thought he might of gotten over that small tick, but being around Kelsie seemed to bring it right back. It was like he was still that kid from the Empire looking for a way out.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Change the subject. That'd work, right? Yeah. It had to.

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Kelsie leaned back lazily in her seat, putting her feet up on the control board. It really was handy, having an AI -- it was just as handy that she had enough money to throw around so that she could buy such an expensive system to run her life. She didn't even need to fly her ship anymore, she could just ask Missy and bam, they were launched. "Missy, fly us up, will you?" So that was exactly what happened. The YT-1300 powered up and lifted off smoothly, the engines pushing the vessel to cruising speed as it headed towards orbit.

"Oh please, you know I have more money than I know what to do with. Missy here isn't helping, I had her start investing for me and now I've got over four million creds in a shipyard. I don't know how the celebrities and corporates do it, y'know? I'm not about that fancy lifestyle." Honestly, if Kahlil ever needed anything, she'd be more than willing to provide. But she understood why he wanted to work and all -- she'd been doing that when she was working as a spacer all that time ago. She didn't really need the money but she enjoyed the thrill, the feeling of having some kind of purpose. Now she had a more stable job... her spending habits hadn't improved all that much, though.

As the freighter broke through the clouds, the pair got a beautiful view of the inky blackness of space. It only lasted a few quiet minutes before a shadow began to blot out the visible stars -- and then it came into view. The Carry-On. It wasn't that pretty on the outside, but Kelsie rather loved what was found inside. Space, comfort, and all the things she could ever want. "Welcome to the Carry-On, Kahlil. Don't mind all the stuff I've got, you know I hoard stuff."

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Hahaha. I'm not too surprised. You never were one to waste a whole lot of money on trivial stuff." Kahlil chuckled as he plopped down beside [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] in the co-pilot seat. Not that she needed him to help her with anything. Missy seemed like the best addition to her crew since.. Well ever. Though it did make him wonder about his life before all this. His life of luxury and death balanced on the fine point of an assassins blade.

"You, hoarding? Like that's possi.. ble.." Kahlil had been keeping his gaze on Kelsie from the corner of his eye as they lifted out into orbit. It had lingered even as she mentioned the Carry-On itself, but once he shifted his attention his jaw practically dropped. She had a battlecruiser now? Or what ever it was called. A full on ship? "What are you in the CIS to get something like that?"

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

"No trivial stuff, sure, but these days there's too much useful stuff on the market." She basically had Missy on autopilot when it comes to her finances and inventory -- though it was definitely time to purge some of the unecessary bits and bobs she'd collected. Surprisingly, she'd kept a few things of aesthetic value, most notably the incredibly detailed necklace that she wore. Well, mostly aesthetic value.

The Carry-On wasn't going to be filled up any time soon of course, so she wasn't planning to stop hoarding all these pieces of gear, just in case they came in handy later. And it was always fun to surprise people -- such a relatively unassuming young woman wouldn't own a ship larger than Star Destroyers, would she? The young woman just chuckled at Kahlil's reaction. "Rich," she replied simply. Money makes the world go round.

The Razor performed a smooth dip, cruising around the side of the massive freighter to allow the pair a scenic view of the vessel. Kelsie thought the inside was much more impressive. It wasn't apparent at first -- the YT-1300 soon set down inside one of the Carry-On's many auxiliary hangars. It was compact and simple, only one other ship sitting in it; an old X-83 TwinTail starfighter. Kelsie didn't bat an eye, and as soon as they'd stopped she hopped to her feet and headed to the exit ramp that was already being lowered. "Come on in, I'll show you around."

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Yeah, I can see that." He mumbled his response to [member="Kelsie Sylvan"] 's rich comment. She had really ended up in good standing with the CIS. For a moment, his smile was gone. Kahlil turned his gaze away, letting out a sigh as they entered the ship, though once they landed he got up to his feet to follow her. Politics, they didn't belong here. "A ship this size might take a while to show me around in. Good thing we got a week, huh?" He laughed, slipping his hands into his pockets as he followed her down and out.

"Where to first?"

 

[Kelsie Sylvan]

Kelsie chuckled softly. It really was a big ship... maybe she didn't need it all. Maybe she didn't need all the random stuff she had stored here. Then again... na. "If I'm being honest, I don't think I've seen everywhere on this ship. Missy is too damn useful sometimes." She couldn't stress enough how much her life had changed since she'd gotten the AI. Storage and management was a breeze... though in some of the rooms with more random bits and bobs they were a bit more messy. She didn't let the drones inside her workshops.

The young woman hopped along towards the hangar's exit. The durasteel hull of the vessel seemed to be relatively clean, and the hangar was well lit... but as the door opened up and the light spilled into the hallway it felt as if the shadows were watching from a distance, only to be chased away by the only two living beings on the ship. Kelsie didn't seem to notice; her eyes were on Kahlil. "Well... I've got tons of stuff. Way too many rooms. Workshops, bedrooms, kitchens, living areas... all scattered about. Plus storage space, extra hangars, all the inside defenses. It's a bit of a maze in here, so stick close, alright? I'll show you some of the stuff I've been messing around with." She smiled, then spun on her heel and headed deeper into the vessel.

[member="Kahlil Zambrano"]