Private Layover

[Tenn Kalos]

SPACE
Shem Spinner​

Tenn hadn't been off Coruscant since the very first time he got set foot there. After fleeing the confines of slavery, exchanging one struggle for another: surviving the streets of the underworld. It was strange to him, how casually others treated the concept of flying from one planet to another. But here he was, sitting on a public transport filled with travelers of all kinds. A simple fee of credits, and they were jumping between stars. At least in Tenn's case, the Jedi Order was footing the bill. But the rest of these people: they had the money to do this kind of thing? Regularly? Wealth inequality was an intimately familiar concept, but the things people actually did with all that money still threw him for a loop. He just shook his head. There were other things to focus on.

Tenn and another padawan had been assigned to help with a relief effort near the Alliance border. It was supposed to be a simple journey, designed to prove that they could operate independently without explicit supervision or a Knight or Master. So they boarded the transport, and were soon off. Still, it was enough of a journey that they would need to be making a pit stop at a refueling station along the hyperspace route. A stop which was soon coming up.

The kind that left the shuttle vulnerable to sublight interception…

But that wasn't the kind of concept that even crossed Tenn's mind, as he stared at the endlessly swirling vortex of blue and white. He nearly bumped into a passing crewmate in the aisle, awkwardly snaking out of the way and forcing him to take his attention off the viewport. Tenn found his seat next to the other padawan, who he had hardly even talked to thus far on the trip, and quietly slinked beside, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

 

[Shem Spinner]

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Oni was not familiar with the concept of public transportation. It was quite unusual, but made sense the more the thought on it. This was a far larger, more interconnected Galaxy that he had found himself in, after all. One would assume that there was a way to easily traverse that wide space.

The Pantoran wasn't there to be engrossed in the wonders of the trans-Galactic shuttle system, however. He and a fellow padawan had been sent on a relief mission to a world that lie of the fringes of the Galactic Alliance's boarder, an unusually distant location compared to what he was used to. Oni hadn't said much. He had spent much of his time pondering on the complexities of public transit, and his peer was content to do the same. If they were going to be working together, the least he could do is try to break the ice. There seemed no better time, seeing as he had neglected to do so thus far.

"Oni," he finally greeted. "My name, I mean. I don't believe I gave it. Apologies if you were expecting a longer title..." He had thought a lot about titles recently, in no small part do to the long winded introduction given by Corazona von Ascania in the first lecture the two of them had shared. "I don't believe I've seen you around since before Iris Arani 's class. Are you new as well?"

 

[Tenn Kalos]

"Oni."

Tenn blinked and looked over, "...What?"

"My name, I mean. I don't believe I gave it. Apologies if you were expecting a longer title..."

"Oh, nah. Tenn." He smirked a little, picking up on the implication of 'longer titles'. For his part, Tenn was quite content to end the conversation there, even shutting his eyes to rest a bit against the seat. Then Oni spoke again.

"Uhh… Kinda. Guess it depends on what you consider 'new'." Tenn shrugged, leaning forward a bit now, assuming that he would not, in fact, be avoiding the interaction. "I just… keep to myself, usually." It was one of those things he just hoped he wouldn't need to admit to. Almost as if he were embarrassed about sharing it. But that was about as straightforward as he could be about it without specifying all his reservations. "You're… new, then?"

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[Shem Spinner]

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"You're… new, then?"

"Basically," Oni responded. "I must admit, I wound up with the Jedi accidentally. I found myself unceremoniously taken from my previous order. I made a... less than calculated flight. Hyperspace is what you call it, I believe. It's properties are quite bizarre, though I'm afraid most things are strange to me."

He had only just barely learned of the concept of intergalactic travel and now he was on a shuttle bound for a distant planet. It was something he and his old order could have never dreamed of. Oni had known that something was out there. Tho Yor was evidence of this, after all. The swordsman just hadn't expected there to be so much.

"What of yourself?"

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn raised a brow, not quite understanding the real intricacies behind Oni's story, "…What, the Jedi just… took you?" For all he knew that was genuinely the case. He didn't know what all the Jedi got up to. Prior to joining he just assumed they were some wack religious cult manipulating galactic events. Maybe they still were, and he was just desperate enough to turn a blind eye, "I just know it gets us places a hell of a lot faster," Hyperspace, similarly, what outside of his wheelhouse. He'd only ever experienced it once before.

What of himself? Tenn blinked, "Uh, yeah, I guess I'm the same way," He half-assed, not quite sure how else to answer the question. Most things did seem strange to him, especially after joining the Order, he was expose to a great many new and strange things.

It then occurred that wasn't what Oni was referring to, "Oh- I mean. I just lived in the Coruscant sub levels for the last several years. When I figured out I had this Force stuff, I came up top to see if the Jedi would take me. Figured anything would be better than living in those slums much longer." He shrugged, glancing away to hide from his own faux-pas. Around then, a bit of commotion came from a different part of the ship. Out of the galley, a black and orange charhound bounded into the aisle, skidding to a halt beside Tenn, "Hey Shep," He reached out to pet the dog, who had evidence of food messily splattered on his muzzle. One of the ship's staff tromped up soon after, looking a bit disheveled.

"Please keep watch of your dog, young man," He said sternly, and out of patience.

"S-sorry…" Tenn said a bit shamefully. They were pretty used to stealing food wherever they could find it. Shep was well-trained for a street dog, but he still got into plenty of trouble. Soon after, the vortex outside of the viewport rematerialized into realspace. An endless black void, dotted by bright stars. Tenn's gaze turned curiously to the sight, "Where's the refueling station?"

"We still have to fly in at sublight speeds. Shouldn't be too much longer now." The staff added, having regained a bit of composure, before finally taking his leave.

"Hm." Tenn replied, before turning to Oni once more, "Oh. This is Shep," The dog immediately came in to give the Pantoran a few sniffs, wholly unfamiliar with the concept of personal space.

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[Shem Spinner]

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Oni didn't have much time to respond to Tenn's story before a strange canine-like being was in his face, whom his fellow padawan introduced as 'Shep.' It seemed highly friendly, and curious of the Pantoran. Judging by the creature's maw, it had also been stealing food. Oni gently pat the dog on the head, an inquisitive look on his face.

"You are a strange creature, aren't you?" Oni remarked. "I've certainly met beasts that behaved like this, but I must admit that I've never seen this kind before."

Most certainly not on Tython, and definitely not in the short time he had been with the Jedi order. He was quick to note the words of the shuttle staff before continuing.

"I must apologize for being rather unfocused at the moment," the Pantoran stated. "It's unbefitting of a swordsman, I'll admit. My people lived in relative isolation. Sudden departure has introduced me to a lot of new concepts. All of this is... foreign to me."

 

[Tenn Kalos]

"Is he?" Tenn asked. He wouldn't know. His interactions with animal species were relatively limited, "Do they also barf fire?" That, he was fairly certain, was exclusive to Shep. The rest of what Oni spoke of more or less flew over his fellow padawan's head. He could tell that he was perhaps a bit distracted, maybe even overwhelmed, but Tenn was in not too dissimilar a position. "You and me both." Was all he said. Shep seemed to get a sense for Oni, and found him to be acceptable. He tried to lick the Pantoran once, before resting at Tenn's feet.

The ship continued on for a while longer, when it seemed to lurch into an abrupt halt. Tenn looked curiously out the window. There was another vessel, a little smaller than their own, but covered in war paint and armed to the teeth. "Our systems are down!" One of the staff relayed. They were sitting ducks, fried by ion damage. It was quickly clear this was more than a malfunction.

"That doesn't sound good." Tenn muttered, standing up. The other ship seemed to be coming in to board. Perhaps it was best they try and beat them to the entrance, "You coming?"

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[Shem Spinner]

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There was a sudden lurch, followed by the panicking of staff and passengers alike, which made Oni completely miss the fact that Shep had licked his hand. It seemed that something had cut the vessel's power...

"That doesn't sound good."

"You coming?"

"Naturally," Oni nodded, jumping to his feet. "I've read about cases such as this. Sub-light travel can leave vessels open to attack from what I've studied. I think it's safe to deduce that this may be such an attack. I suggest you have your weapon ready."

The Pantoran turned to the rest of the civilian passengers.

"Remain calm," the swordsman told them. "No pirate will step foot on this vessel. Of that I give my word."

From there, he turned back to Tenn. He, being a 'veteran' of the Force Wars, had a fair bit of combat experience. Tenn, on the other hand, was a different case. He didn't want to force his fellow padawan into combat if he was not yet ready.

"I plan to go on the offensive if they seek to board," Oni informed him. "If you so choose, I would appreciate having a second blade to cover my back, but I'm aware that my combat experience is... unique to my circumstances. If you do not feel ready, I understand."

Oni was nothing if not polite. If anything was to be debated about the Pantoran, how well the Je'daii raised him was certainly not on the table.

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Oni's deduction seemed reasonable enough. Hyperspace left ships more or less untouchable by other ships, save for a few unique methods of interdiction. So it stood to reason that popular stopovers would be equally popular with pirates and raiders. "Right…" Tenn muttered, already grabbing the hilt of his saber.

The Pantoran gave the crowd a bit of a reassurance, to which Tenn just tried to give them a firm look, although how effective it was he couldn't be sure. This wasn't really a position he ever found himself in before. A nearby crewmate shot the teenagers a skeptical look, "W-what are you going to do?" Tenn said nothing, but silently drew attention to his lightsaber, reminding the man of their Jedi status. Begrudgingly, he seemed to back off.

They headed towards the airlock, and Oni gave him one finally out, but if anything, it only made Tenn feel more compelled to prove himself, "A handful of pirates against two Jedi? No problem." A bit cavalier for a learner, but the Order had shown him a great many things that once seemed impossible. He was confident. Or overconfident. It remained to be seen.

For now, the airlock remained sealed, and they stood at one end of it, having little choice but to wait and see. There was a heavy metal thud, and the ship shifted again. "I think they just docked." Tenn gritted his teeth, and held up his lightsaber, though for now the blade remained unignited. The metal doorway of the airlock suddenly shot out a burst of sparks from the top corner. The sparks then began to move, trailed by a line of superheated metal. They were torching their way through the door. Shep bowed into an aggressive posture, hackles raised and bearing teeth. The only sounds filling the nervous silence were that of the hound's growling, and the showering sparks of the door being torn through.

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[Shem Spinner]

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"W-what are you going to do?

A crewmate had stammered this, but Oni did well to ignore it. It seemed that the people of this time were far more skeptical than they had been in his era, and for good reason. The galaxy was far more dangerous in this era, even without an empire of cannibalistic war mongers out to enslave the masses, though the Sith were arguably their modern stand-in. Wordlessly, he drew his sword, the ancient weapon he had forged with the Je'daii and imbued with the force.

"I think they just docked."

Sure enough, sparks began to be produced from the sealed air lock. They were preparing for entry. It seemed that the two of them would need to prepare for attack, and quickly.

"I have a plan," Oni assured Tenn, situating himself in front of the entrance. His sword was drawn, radiating with a blue aura and held in an offensive stance. "This entry is small, and their only point of access should they wish to take this vessel without collateral damage. I've had... unique training in telekinetics. When that door opens, I can clear us a path into the enemy ship and allow us to cut off the head. Unfortunately, this ability is... difficult to control. I will need immense focus to ensure no unnecessary damage is done to bystanders..."

Force repulse. It was an ability that the Je'daii had recognized him to have a natural affinity for. He had learned the basics of hos to use it, but Oni knew that his employment of the ability was incredibly crude. The swordsman would need great focus to ensure no harm befell those within the transport.

"If such a plan is to work, you'll need to cover me for a moment."

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn watched Oni draw his sword, and perked up a bit at the mention of telekinetics. The former was no slouch himself, though the description Oni gave seemed to indicate it was a bit outside of Tenn's level of expertise. Intense and explosive, compared to Tenn's more refined and dextrous skills. "Okay…" He muttered, already pushing Shep back a couple inches just in case.

"I'll do what I can," Hopefully it wasn't needed at all. Tenn ignited the golden beam of his saber at least, readying a defensive posture. The sparks continued to slowly circle around the door, until the shape was completed. There was a long, tense moment, where nothing seemed to happen, and only the faint hum of the padawan's weapon filled the silence. Then, the door suddenly burst forward, and Tenn immediately raised a hand to stop it from flying right at them. The metal slab froze mere inches from his face, and was flung back inside, causing a commotion from the pirates' end of the ship. Another beat passed, before blaster fire flew through the smoke, forcing Tenn to block and deflect the oncoming shots. "This gonna take long?!"

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[Shem Spinner]

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"This gonna take long?!"

"Just a second," Oni assured, concentrating his thoughts.

The Pantoran struggled to focus on what was ahead of him. There were far too many people, making it hard for his mind to settle on the pirates ahead. He stopped. This wasn't going to work. Oni was thinking about this too much. Goto had advised him against the very thing he was doing now. All he needed was the living force. The boy's hair began to whip around wildly just before a burst of visible energy was emitted from his hands. The shockwave rocketed forwards, uprooting all who lay in it's path. Many who had taken the brunt of the blast had visible burses, some even passing out. This was their opening.

"It's done," the swordsman concluded, raising his blade. "Let's move."

Without a word more, Oni ran into the enemy ship.

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn had an intense desire to say 'please go faster', but he knew that was only going to make it harder, and leave Tenn much more dead. A few more bolts rang out, those that came too close earning a quick deflection from his golden saber. If it kept up much longer though, their concentrated fire would no doubt overwhelm him, leaving the lorrdian in a momentary panic as he was forced remain steadfast despite the mounting odds.

His senses then flared in warning, and he slipped out of the way just in time as Oni let loose a concentrated blast of pure Force energy, launching the pirates back. "…Damn," Tenn whistled, joining his fellow padawan after a beat. "How'd you learn that?" He asked, striking one of the downed pirates to knock him out. Their attempts to clear the area were put on hold, however, as another pirate stepped out to meet them. He was heavily armored, like a juggernaut, complete with a flamethrower in his hands, "Woah!" Tenn said, immediately shoving him and Oni against the corner of a nearby wall. Flames licked against the edge, heating their faces to an uncomfortable degree.

"These guys don't mess around, huh?"

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[Shem Spinner]

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"How'd you learn that?"

"It's a... skill I developed with my old order," Oni explained as they ran. "I'm afraid my application of it is rudimentary-"

The Pantoran was cut off as a jet of fire blasted down the hall, to which Tenn was quick to pull the both of them back. The man in question seemed heavily armored. From the looks of it, the tank providing fuel for the flames was strapped to his back. Theoretically, it could befall an accident of some kind and take the pirate out of the picture. Oni picked up the body of one of the limp pirates they had cut down by the torso.

"The fuel source is on that man's back," the swordsman stated. "I'll push up and see if I can knock him off balance. If you can get in behind him we can sever the line between it and his flamethrower."

Everything on the field was a moving part. A piece that could change the outcome of battle, if utilized in an intelligent manner. Oni knew that there was an art to combat. Facing the Rakata had taught him such. There was no pleasure to be had in the art of war, only the actions that must be taken to ensure nothing is lost. To that end, the swordsman had no fear of fire.

Using the torso of the fallen pirate as a shield, Oni charged down the hall. With all the force he could muster, the Pantoran hurled the body at the armored man.

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn flash his brows, evidently impressed by the display regardless of how 'rudimentary' it was. There was little opportunity to express it further, seeing as the two Padawans were promptly beset by a heavily armored pyro. He watched Oni grab one of the bodies from their earlier skirmish with morbid curiosity, but the purpose was quickly pieced together. "Got it."

On the pantoran's cue, he rushed out, making a longer run along the pyro's flank while Oni played the distraction. As he threw the body forward, the pirate stumbled; Whether it was sheer unpreparedness or the psychological affect of having his comrade's charred body tucked at his face, he had no counter.

Leaving him wide open for Tenn to deliver a precise cut in the fuel line. Liquid began to leak out, and with a Force push, Tenn threw him back forward, in Oni's direction.

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[Shem Spinner]

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As the armored man was launched towards Oni, he quickly located a point of weakness in the man's armor. A seam between the plating of his torso and arm. That would be good enough. With a quick, controlled strike, the swordsman cleaved the pirate's arm clean off, allowing him and his dismembered limb to sail past down the hall.

"Well that handles the fire problem," Oni sighed, wiping the blood from his sword. "That only leaves... however many more are on this vessel."

They had made good progress. At least, Oni hoped they had. He wasn't exactly sure of how large this vessel even was. Perhaps they should have assessed such things before boarding.

"If we can find the command bridge, I assume we can neutralize the threat ," he reasoned. "Any clue where that may lie? Ships are... not my specialty."

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn blinked as Oni severed the man's arm entirely, sending both him and his appendage flying past him. It was a bit harsher coming from the use of a sword rather than the cauterizing plasma of a lightsaber. Not that he hadn't seen worse before. At least the first wave had been dealt with, which was likely the brunt of their forces.

Oni's question earned a shrug. Tenn wasn't much of an expert himself, but deductive reasoning led him to the most likely option, "Well, if it's not at the front, it's probably at the top, right?" It depended on how big the ship was. He gestured ahead down the main corridor, "Only one way to find out," He began to move forward, taking notice of a security camera along the way. He swiped it, causing the feed to blow out with a small shower of sparks, "Someone knows we're here, anyway." Hopefully it was little more than a skeleton crew remaining.

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[Shem Spinner]

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"Smart," Oni nodded. "One of these pirates surely survived given their large number."

The pantoran sheathed his blade before turning and making his way through the path of destruction they had carved. Oni wasn't particularly phased by any of this. He was pretty desensitized to war by now. Regrettable that these people had chosen to walk a path of raiding and murder, but the defense of the innocent was the swordsman's priority. It was an acceptable cost.

A rogue blaster bolt sailed down the hall. Oni's instincts kicked in. He tilted his head back, allowing the crimson plasma round to sail past him. Sure enough, a lone pirate stood at the end of the hall, a skinny human male who appeared to be in his early twenties.

"Oh," the swordsman noted with a blank expression. "I found one."

With some concentrated effort, Oni ripped the blaster rifle from the pirate's trembling hands, ceasing the blaster. He examined the weapon for a moment before tossing it behind him, deeming it useless.

"Alright then," Oni frowned, staring down the man. "We have some questions for you. It's in your best interest to cooperate."

 

[Tenn Kalos]

It wasn't long before the two padawans were best by another attacker. Whether he was foolhardy or just plain foolish, was hard to say, but his gambit didn't pay off as intended. Oni pulled the man's weapon from his hands, and he was quick to surrender. Tenn joined up not a moment later, looking between the Pantoran and his new captive. "That was easy."

"You're Jedi, ain't ya?" The man said with some mixture of fear and awe. "Ain't ever seen one before…"

"Yeah," Tenn answered bluntly, "And if you do what we say, you can get out of this mess in one piece," Not without criminal charges perhaps. But in exchange for keeping his life and all his appendages, that seemed fairly amenable. The pirate nodded vigorously. He was clearly young and in over his head. It didn't excuse his choice of career, but even from their short interaction it seemed like he was just a dumb guy looking for money and thrills. Not a marauder with a thirst for innocent blood. "How many of you are there?"

The pirate peeked behind the padawans, "Well, uh, I'd say that was about most of us, heh," He chuckled awkwardly, earning a stone-faced reaction from Tenn, "The boss is still on the bridge though. He won't go down easy like these chumps, if that's what you're thinking."

"We'll see about that. Where's the bridge?" Tenn saw it as a challenge now.

"Second floor. There's a lift just down the hall."

Tenn looked to Oni again, "Alright. Anything else you wanna ask?"

The man looked nervously between them, "Am I uh- free to go?"

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[Shem Spinner]

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Won't go down easy? That was certainly descriptive. Still, they had the information they needed.

"Oh yeah," Oni responded, "You're free to go."

With one swift motion, Oni hit the man on the temple with the butt of his sword, knocking the man out cold.

"I'm sure there's a cell that would love to have you," he continued before grinning. He turned to Tenn. "Is that a good one-liner? I've been practicing those. A lot of Jedi use them."

The swordsman shook his head a little. He was getting off topic. They had a job to do. The momentary emotion had faded and his serious expression had returned. All that was left was to head up to the bridge, take out their leader, and send this operation packing to the nearest Alliance prison.

"Right..." the Pantoran continued, recomposed. "I guess there's one thing left to do then."