Look, I Can Explain.

[Tobias Wraith]

“So I was an icicle like him, and you have no information on any of that?” Phrases from the reports he had read came to his mind. All of them spoke of how honorable the man was, and how he was the epitome of what a Jedi could and should be. Records on his mother, or the woman that he now knew to be where scarce. He would have to dig further to learn about them, that much was becoming clearer as the tears faded. Crippling sadness was still there, he wanted to run far away and scream. Whatever he could do, drink an entire bottle of ale or shoot up on some spice. That won’t fix this ache Toby, only one thing can do that now. Realization shot over him, and that sadness began to turn into something else entirely.

A burning desire to learn, and learn everything.

“That’s fine if the Jedi are fragmented,” he said as he looked up at her. A few stray tears burned hot against his cheek, and he didn't’ bother to wipe them up. Those locations had been saved to his map during his search, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be working for Silk much longer. The huts were another matter he could deal with, every muscle is his body ached to get up. Scouting missions in the past had conditioned his mind to follow all leads, and this was the biggest one ever. Small embers of patience made him sit still, and he kept a calm expression.

“I will never join the Sith, I’ve seen their brutality. I’m not even sure I want to be one of these religious warriors, what I want is answers. So if you have suggestions on other paths to discover everything about myself. I will gladly listen.”

What he didn’t ask was how a CEO knew so much about the Force.

[member="Selka Ventus"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tobias Wraith"]

"My...files are almost as fragmented as the Jedi, Mr. Wraith. I'm not sitting here holding back chunks of your life -- there are things, many things, that I simply don't know. Trust me when I say it can be nearly as frustrating for me as it is for you." She leaned back a little farther, folding her arms across her belly in a relaxed sort of way -- not remotely the picture of a good CEO in a business setting. But there were no cameras in here, and no funds riding on Wraith's approval.

"All right. Let's talk about the Force. My background is Jedi -- I washed out of the Order and then the AgriCorps for being weak in the Force. I've done business in the Tion Hegemony and the Levantine Sanctum, enough to see shades of gray everywhere. I have no love for the Sith or the Jedi, I'll never be some great power player, and I have no stake in the great philosophical battles. Light and Dark don't interest me; I am what I am. And from that balanced viewpoint, or at least more balanced than you'll get from the Jedi or the Sith, I've been able to examine a good few Force traditions neutrally. Some of them might suit you. The Wardens of the Sky, for example -- Captain Merrill was one. Hand-to-hand combatants, secretive about their Force abilities, paying their way as freighter crewmembers, keeping the spacelanes safe. Or the Gray Paladins -- think Jedi without lightsabres, more pragmatic, more reliant on tools and technology, using the Force to bend blaster shots.

"You might get some traction out of the Kilian Rangers, though there aren't many who remember their ways. Shield-gauntlets and Force-enhanced, bayoneted blaster rifles. A chivalric order. Then there's the Matukai, who focus on enhancing their bodies' strength and durability. The Order of Shasa, a Selkath tradition that favors cortosis swords, mental attacks, and some really unique abilities." She grinned. "The Jarvashqiine blood shamans, exactly what it says on the tin. The Dagoyan Masters, who the Old Republic's Jedi considered equals, but who focus entirely on insight, sense, and mental defense. The Keetael, trackers, hunters and farseers who can use the Force to accelerate small objects and guide them to the target. The Baran Do, masters of electromagnetism, capable of hiding their mental activity from sensors -- appearing dead at will. The Blazing Chain, pragmatist pirates who don't care whether you get your power from Dark or Light as long as it works. The Disciples of Twilight, who can bend light and shadow. The Nuns of G'aav'aar'oon, who can bend fate. The Zeison Sha, masters of telekinesis; the Jensaarai, who defend their home and families above everything, use cortosis armor, hold their lightsabres backward and can use the Force to put a dozen pebbles through your chest before you can blink. The Gand Findsmen -- but I could go on forever."

 

[Tobias Wraith]

Hyperdrives, that’s what Tobias was thinking of.

Yeah, he had just learned his entire life had been a lie. The whole story about him being some orphan, left by some parents who couldn’t deal with him had just been destroyed by this woman. Finally, after years of wondering, the ring on his necklace had been solved. That one riddle had bothered him on many a rainy day, or the long nights he had cried himself to sleep as a boy. Sure, he knew his name wasn’t cross. Tobias hadn’t really cared for that name anyways, he liked Wraith much better. Millions of questions needed to be answered, and he knew he would have to go to the Jedi first and foremost to learn more about his family and hopefully discover more about what happened.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the thought of his hyperdrive while talking to [member="Selka Ventus"].

Sure, the Jackdaw was an amazing ship, and he loved that vessel. Her hyperdrive was a completely different animal, and it was one that frustrated him. No matter who looked at her, or which scanners he used, she would always fail him. That lack of information on her frustrated him, but he knew the component worked most of the time.

That frustration was manifesting in the office, he felt like she was lying but telling the truth.

“You sure do know a lot about the Force, for a woman who’s been in the business world. It’s almost as if you know more than you want to let on.”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tobias Wraith"]

"I'm Force-weak," she snapped, good feeling gone, "not a moron. I washed out of the Jedi for lack of talent, not lack of dedication or intelligence. I pushed myself harder and farther than any other Padawan I knew. Excuse me for taking a moment to live vicariously through someone who has an opportunity I wanted and never achieved."

She gestured at the door.

"Goodbye, Mr. Wraith."

 

[Tobias Wraith]

"Sure, your office your rules."

He left without another word, his path now clear. Though, he would keep a close eye on iBorg when he could.