Mirror

[Ugoto Chivaro]

HUMBARINE
ZOPP'S BULK BUY

So many interesting things were happening in the Humbarine Sector today!

This wasn't one of them.

Zopp Vheriki was just getting ready to close up his bulk buy store for the evening. Then, just as he was closing the door, some big-ass lizard put his foot in the door, keeping it wedged open. Zopp's beady eyes shot up, eyeing the impudent Trandoshan. "Can't you read? We're closed." Zopp jerked his head over to the window. The "open" sign had been turned around, now reading "closed." Zopp was not an inherently honest man, but in this instance he was telling the truth. He was just about to lock this door, shut off the lights, and leave out the back. The Trandoshan smiled... Or maybe he just bared his teeth. It was hard to tell. "We'll just be a minute," the Trandoshan said.

Derrenger's clawed hand wrapped itself around the frame of the door and forced it open. Zopp was but an elderly human male. Old and decrepit, he could only grunt as it was forced open further. Now Zopp could see. The Trandoshan had a giant gun slung across his back. A bowcaster? Behind him stood several armored humanoids, all decked out in the same gear. Bull's eye helmets. Quite the freak show, but they all looked like they were packing heat. On this level of the city, there weren't a lot of law enforcement and Zopp's holdout blaster was still under the counter. Could he get to it? Maybe. Could he live long enough to get off a shot? Probably not. With this in mind, Zopp's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. He then relinquished his fragile hold on the door.

The Trandoshan stepped inside, reptilian eyes darting around the interior of the store. His mooks filed in after him, unholstering their weapons and checking around. Zopp could not help but whimper as he backed up against the counter. The sound seemed to remind Derrenger that he was there again. He fixed Zopp with those cold, unfeeling eyes of his.

"Is your son here?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"I respect your decision, Tai. I'll do my level best to make sure what's coming doesn't impact you or your people."

***

SUREC and SIARC probes and S-3 scout fighters tracked the Marasan fleet as it approached Trellen. Half a light-year outside of the star system, along the Trellen Trade Route, another contingent of S-3s -- Besh Flight -- deployed SIARC and TRUL probes. Forty astrononomical units outsystem, the Naboo contingent gathered away from prying eyes.

On the bridge of the scarred old RNS Naberrie, Director General Cardei felt at home. From her command chair, she could see the Star Destroyer's rough angles all the way to the prow, and the escorts forming up around her. The Naberrie had come out here with half a dozen Handmaidens and another half dozen Admonitions; both were quite small for escorts. The same went for the old flak boats and LACs streaming out of the Naberrie's ventral hangar. They came into sight as they passed the Star Destroyer's edge.

RNS Jamillia, her normal command, wasn't here. There was a time to scan, but this situation called for other priorities.

Besh Flight reported contact: the Marasan fleet had tripped the non-mass hyperwave links between the SIARC probes that surrounded the Trellan Trade Route. That meant the Marasans had passed, in hyperspace, through the overlapping distortion fields generated by the TRUL probes.

When the Marasan warships exited hyperspace a few seconds later, they did so out of position relative to each other. Fighters collided with motherships; precise formations scattered in confusion; capital ships grated against each other and maneuvered away with unseemly haste, shields compromised. The Marasan fleet crumpled -- largely intact, but deeply discomfited. It didn't hurt that they'd been yanked out of hyperspace by Cresh Flight's line of INCIS tactical interdiction probes.

The INCIS probes obtained high-resolution short-range in-depth customs scans, evaluating the Marasan ships' capabilities and design. Back at Trellen itself, forty astronomical units from the engagement, RNS Jamillia assessed the probe data and informed RNS Naberrie that this was, in fact, a warfleet with bad things on its mind. No civilian vessels, nothing to indicate a need for restraint.

At that point, Ajira gave the order, and the LACs began unloading torpedos with extreme prejudice.

In other engagements, by other names, she'd used LACs to deploy HELIX warheads in obscene bulk. She'd shredded a Rhandite fleet, humiliated the New Order against staggering odds -- happy memories. But Naboo wasn't the sort of government that used weapons of mass destruction. Instead, Theed Hangar had found another way to use the Naberrie's LACs.

Other ships contributed too, mainly Naboo starfighters and vessels equipped with probe dispensers. In total, almost one thousand static torpedos detonated short of impact, without visible explosions. The Marasan warships took no visible damage, but weapons fire decreased, maneuvering became erratic or ceased entirely, and running lights flickered along their hulls. Computer glitches and wholesale data wipes plagued every system. Navicomputers and targeting computers and other mainframes lost large portions of their operating frameworks.

The little Admonitions slashed into the jumbled Marasan formation in a storm of heavy ion cannon fire. Five minutes later, it was all over.

***

Once the speeches ended, Ajira took the first polite opportunity to slip out of the celebratory banquet and get some air on the balcony. From here, she could see nightlife celebrations at various points throughout the city. The air smelled of street food and spices.

"People aren't supposed to be afraid of Naboo," she said, hearing Thirriken talons on the balcony behind her. She rested her elbows on the stone railing. "Now sure, I was the defender, I was protecting your people, I took down the Marasan fleet without losing a single Naboo ship or citizen, and the total Marasan death toll was in the dozens rather than the tens of thousands a victory like that normally costs. But people aren't supposed to be afraid of Naboo, so it's been made clear to me I've overstepped. And it’s not the first time: there were questions about the shootdown incident during my last visit."

She turned and leaned back against the rail, folding her arms. "I'm being transferred, Tai. Oh, it's a very polite and accommodating process, but His Majesty's Office feels I need to spend some time on the other aspects of Naboo's interstellar goals. Starting quite soon, I won't be Director General of Strategic Security Branch. They want me back in uniform. They're saying Commodore, somewhere in Expeditionary Branch, with a diplomatic and scientific portfolio.

“It's an adaptive phase-out process, meaning they still want my eye on most of my files for quite a while. So I'll be around, I'll still be able to work with you in the Humbarine sector as time permits, but with the Marasan threat neutralized and the Marasans suing for peace, there's no more need for an armed Naboo presence here. I'd imagine I'll be given command of a shiny new science vessel, with discretionary powers to request and command escorts as needed -- but with mission parameters that keep me to non-combat operations for a while. Maybe they'll let me keep the Jamillia. I don't know at this stage. It's a unique feeling to me, being powerless. I can't say as I enjoy it."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

Unique to most Sith Lord Fa had no issue simply listening.

In this instance it seemed as if Lady Cardei had and needed to speak, to let the weight on her shoulders dissipate in the face of the words flowing into the air and down the currents. This was fine, he could listen, especially to the woman who was already being hailed as a savior to the sector. His own reputation received a bump as well, in the wake of the incident his voice had rang clearest and directly to negotiate for peace.

A peace that was profitable for the Humbarine Sector without being considered a draconian measure by the people of the Marasian system.

Difficult, but if there was one thing that Lord Fa was capable of, it was reasonable negotiations and compromises.

"To hold so much weight in your hand one moment... just to see it disappear the next? I can see how that would trouble you, Ajira." The Thirriken finally responded, filling in the void left by her voice with some contemplation. He did not bother underlining how much her assistance had helped them in the moment and the days later.

She already knew.

The medal weighing down her neck told her enough of his own appreciation and the appreciation of his people. His people, when did that subtle shift happen? When did his vision suddenly turn protective, instead of simply profit?

"At least they did not file you away behind a desk and cubicle. There are worse things than exploration and scientific pursuit, no?" He pointed out gently, before pushing himself off the floor and landing softly on the balustrade itself. There the sight of the citiscape was far more impressive.

The peacock did not seem to mind the height.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"Anything can be a punishment when it's forced on you," she said, then grimaced as she weighed the pettiness of her words. Her head slumped over her clasped hands as she leaned on the railing. "This is beneath me. Being provoked to this extent, making judgments that don't line up with Naboo ethics and doctrine, letting myself get shipped off to a toothless assignment."

Still resting her elbows on the stonework, she turned to face the Thirriken perched beside her. "Every once in a while, I've gotten the sense that you wonder if I'm not entirely what I appear to be. You're right." She stood now and faced him squarely. "What I am is so much more than this bundle of traditions and preconceptions and insubstantial pomposity that they're trying to cram me inside. I've spent years, irreplaceable years, settling for limits and fools and pretense. I've let them believe I'm the kind of person who'll accept a reassignment. I've let them believe, made them believe, that I'm like them: that I'm comfortable in a society built on high-minded justifications for cowardice.

"So tell me, Tai. In my position, what would you do? If you had conquered a quarter of the galaxy, walked on Mugg Fallow, dived ten thousand kilometres down the Spires of Hell, ridden a Basilisk from orbit to break a Sith stronghold, invaded a Yuuzhan Vong fortress world alone, ripped half the face off the deadliest Sith Lord in the galaxy and called him your servant, taken a turbolaser to the chest, bent the Dark Forge of Aza'zoth to your will, and sat by right on the Obsidian Throne of Ziost - how long could you settle for less?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

There was a long silence after that.

Not an uncomfortable one all in all. She knew he was not one to fill the void simply to fill it with words, he was patient and thought things through. If there was nothing to say at all... then why speak in the first place? His perceived attention was still on the city spread out beneath them, going on and on until the horizon and further than that, just outside their view.

They had build it together in a sense.

"I imagine that a person with such a long resumé would take one look at the job offer given and then decide there is a better, more gratifying path elsewhere. Which path it might be? I would not know. Sadly my own resumé is more humble than of this person. Equally I am confident that such an individual already has a path in mind." The words came sure and certain and only once they were done, did the Thirriken look next to him and met her searching eye.

The beak inclined itself, before he returned to his exploration of the urban vista.

"That said..." Tone turned wistful now. Secret for a secret, was that not the way the Galaxy turned? "The true path to success is to take a goal... any goal - be it the creation of a galaxy-spanning enterprise or to become the greatest baker in a single city - and do whatever it takes to accomplish it, regardless of obstacles laid on your path."

Words spoken decades ago by a different person.

Words of a Sith.

They still rang true today in his opinion.

"I always had a silent regard for the speaker of those words."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

Transition from body to body had, admittedly, worn the sharp edges off Ajira's memory; so had growing older. Nevertheless, the quote sounded intensely familiar, a mix of the teachings of Vectivus and Lumiya. As Ashin, Ajira had said similar things many times. Context suggested a decent chance she'd said those exact things, and that Tai was using the quote to let her know that he'd recognized the elements of her little rant.

"Dim-U monk indeed," she murmured past a smile, leaning on the stone railing again. "That person was completely correct. The difficulty I face right now is that, for the last several years, my goal has been nothing like any goal I've ever set for myself. It has no endpoint, no definable victory conditions. I can achieve it today and still need to achieve it tomorrow. That goal is secure survival. In a way, I've been marking time, and a lot of my frustration comes from knowing that I could set the big goals I used to set. But I've done it all, Tai, and it would bore me to do it again. So I've settled for this little day-to-day challenge, this game.

"When I was young I used to play dejarik with my grandfather. I'd beg him to take the gundarks off the board so I would have a fighting chance. When I taught...someone else to play, I did the same. Now my whole life is an exercise in restraint, because fighting with one hand tied behind my back is the only way the fight interests me anymore. Why do you think I run all over the galaxy in ships that mount scanners instead of weapons? Give my allegiance to pacifists? Victories against long odds are the only victories I savor now."

She coughed out a laugh.

"Now, by that logic, I suppose I should find a job offer that places me squarely with the underdogs. Because I don't have a plan - I have ten, and I don't like any of them."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

It was interesting to him to see the many repressed sides of Ajira unfold itself the more she spoke.

This was not a surprise to him. To spend such a long time suppressing yourself, folding yourself into bits and pieces, until you looked into the mirror and could not recognize yourself anymore... difficult, very difficult. It took a strong mind to go through such a feat and still come out relatively unscathed on the other end. The floodgates were open and they would not accept anything less than that which had been bottled up for so long.

Very interesting.

"If it is the underdog that you are interested in... hmmm." The Thirriken thought on it and could not help but smile, before his wing gestured all around them. "The Core Worlds, perhaps?"

A shrug of the shoulders followed suit.

"Once they were humanity's greatest feat and achievement. Now? The One Sith ruined much of that."

The worlds were struggling... one little push could be enough to pitch them over the edge or to save them from obscurity, such as Lord Fa had done and was still doing with the Humbarine Sector.

"You always have a place here. Still much to do after all."

But that wasn't the only option and it was probably not the right option for them.

They were amicable now, friendly even, but such a thing could change if they were put in the same environment. If competition started to rise up and they began to pull at the threads, each trying to secure their own base of power. This wasn't a foregone conclusion, but it was a possibility that could not simply be excluded because you wished it so.

The smile grew wider.

"I also hear the Silver Jedi are struggling."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

For the first time in a very long while, Ajira found herself laughing uncontrollably. When that settled, she pushed away from the railing and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I needed that," she said. "Thank you. Oh, the Silvers. Who would ever have thought that the weak end of the Jedi Order would build the longest-lasting, most stable interstellar government in the better part of a millennium? No, they don't need my help. They'll outlast all the petty new empires through sheer dumb stubbornness."

She chuckled again, just to get it out of her system, and turned back to the nightscape. "And you guess right about the Core Worlds. There's little to interest me here apart from profit and adulation. I grew up in the Unknown Regions and cut my teeth in the Stygian Caldera. I enjoy finding worth and quality in obscure worlds; I take satisfaction in spotting the opportunity that nobody else has recognized. Consider the little interstellar powers that might still become significant: the Imperial Remnant, maybe, or Ession, or the Iron Empire if Isamu Baelor hadn't been part of the Dark Council." She glanced at Tai. "You should know that while I have no quarrel with Sith in general, the One Sith tortured my wife, and any power player in their ranks at the end is probably my enemy by default. But by all means, if you have any other suggestions..."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

Lord Fa frowned slightly at the admission offered.

The One Sith broke before his true first steps into the Galaxy at large - he had mostly been in the background, learning, studying, trying to figure out what it meant to be Sith, what it meant to be a Thirriken.... what it meant to be Tai Fa. By the time that he felt himself ready to join the Galaxy the great Sith Empire had fallen once again in the Core. Instead of retreating with dignity into the shadows to plot their next move?

They had burned much of their accomplishments in the fire.

Like a petty child throwing a tantrum.

As such it did not surprise him that they made an enemy of the conqueror of a thousand worlds by torturing her wife. By all accounts the One Sith had lost most of its ambition, purpose and long-view in the latter parts of its reign.

"I prefer order, moderation and caution to widespread mayhem, Ajira." The Thirriken finally responded. "The One Sith and their ilk never had my admiration."

A shrug of his little shoulders.

"I profess my focus has been mostly here - and I will not make claims of knowledge where there is none. But from what I have heard the Imperial Remnant is unfocused, lashing out left and right, petty and without aim. Ession? I have not heard much of that one, as of yet."

It could go either way with the slow Empire rising there, but they kept invoking Atrisia... over and over again. Atrisia. Why would they keep using the events of that war as their rallying call?

Who was behind it? Why? Questions, many questions and yet his focus must remain here.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"I've heard the same, but I've leashed petty things before."

Aira shrugged. "Anyways. I'll find my way. I'm not truly so lost as all that; sometimes I just like to talk things through, and as you can imagine I don't have many opportunities to talk openly. So tell me, Tai, at the risk of putting our relationship on a somewhat different footing...

"...what can you do?"

She snapped her fingers, and a tiny arc of lightning jumped from forefinger to thumb. She'd angled her body to keep it out of sight of anyone inside the ballroom, and of course she hadn't lasted this long without acquiring a habit of identifying all relevant security cameras. When she sensed no surprise from the ballroom's direction, she grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"What did the...Dim-U Monks teach you?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

He looked on with curiosity as the current bounced between her fingers before being snuffed out again.

Of course, from the tales Lord Fa already had an idea of what Ajira was capable of. Many of which were possibly overblown, but the fact that lightning and strength enhancement were her main focus points? All stories agreed on that. This amused the Thirriken, slightly, because it were his focuses as well. In response the Sith resettled himself slowly and beneath the cloak of his wing another current ran across his talons.

"Similar, if less extensive." She had decades on him in terms of experience and power.

All things considered Tai was still coming to his own power.

After a moment of thought the little peacock shrugged, mostly to himself, before letting his talons rest softly on the balustrade he was perching on. For a while nothing happened, until Tai put a little pressure behind his rest.

Tiny micro-fractures started to form within the marble, before he let go again.

"I have still much to learn." The admission came without shame. They were all learning, every day of their lives, there was no shame in that. "At any rate - I suppose we should return to the party."

"Our next meeting was on... Recopia, yes, we have had some rumblings of trouble there for some time now. Before we go back... the executive officer of Dhavin Ironworks has had his eye on you for the entire evening, I suspect he is quite interested in a... conversation. I thought you might want to know."

A smile formed at the thought of Dhavin's CEO trying to spin his charisma around Cardei.

That would be quite amusing to see.

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

HUMBARINE
ZOPP'S BULK BUY

Zopp Vheriki Junior, often called Zeejay, had fallen into some bad crowds before, but this took the cake. Normally he only smuggled drugs, but that was little league stuff. Spice? The most coveted substance in the galaxy? Not a chance. Apparently it was a datachip. When he was running drugs for the local dealers, he had only... What? Like two guys come after him? Three guys tops. And they only ever chased him a couple blocks, all they had for weapons were crowbars and knives. These guys who just entered his dad's shop were packing, as he liked to call it, mad heat. Especially the Trandoshan! A freakin' Trandoshan with a freakin' bowcaster! What was the deal, yo?

Zeejay had no idea what he was smuggling or why. Just that it was apparently very important to the contractor and equally important to the red jumpsuits that just showed up. The young man shrunk back further into the shelf he was hiding in. A stack of engorged mulch bags hid him from sight, but occasionally he could steal a glance through the cracks.

Since the Directorate knew that the Syndicate was being brought in on their case, they had wrapped up everything they could about their shady dealings and gotten rid of it. But they still needed something for their records, so everything except for the index. The hard datachip would be smuggled to a secure deep space station Helix had not yet discerned the location of. But since finding deep space stations was a pain in the ass, it was better to intercept these things while in transit. Normally the Directorate would have just transmitted them, but since with the Syndicate milling about they probably had listening posts set up. No transmission was safe.

"Ahh..." The elder Vheriki chose his words carefully, watery eyes looking nervously up at the Trandoshan. "...Nooo...?"

Zopp Senior had to crane his neck upwards to stare back at the Trandoshan. Derrenger exhaled impatiently, and Zopp felt the warm air on his face. He whimpered again.

Derrenger was not satisfied with this answer. "Start shooting."

"N- now, wait!"

An Enforcer took aim at a canned food display at the end of an aisle. Nicely stacked. He sprayed it with blaster bolts, crumpling the display and ruining more than a few cans. Zopp Senior cried in anguish, as if it had been part of his soul just destroyed.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"Impressive, Tai. Some advice, though: as they tell young explorers on my homeworld, leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories." Ajira flicked a stray chip of stone off the fractured balcony. "And there are times when even footprints are inadvisable."

She glanced through the stained-glass doors into the ballroom. "Thank you for the heads up about Dhavin. The Ironworks are a serious player on Humbarine; I'll have to tread lightly on that one. As for the vastly more interesting topic of Recopia, I consulted some private sources while preparing for our next meeting. Were you aware that apart from the acid oceans and poisonous clouds, Recopia used to be home to a Dark Side cult? The seyugi, I believe they were called. One of my analysts tracked down legends about a sleeping king, or a sleeping army. It reminded me a little of the One Sith attempts to secure a Sith army frozen in carbonite. If we handle this disturbance quickly and quietly, we may have time for a...social excursion. A hike of some sort, perhaps."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ajira Cardei"]

A little bit embarrassed Tai inclined his beak in thanks for the advice.

It was eagerness that had driven him to show his own prowess. After all it was not often that he was able to show what he had learned and more importantly to someone like Varanin - one figure of history who didn't fade away, unlike most people had assumed. But it had been a silly instinct, the advice would be taken to heart.

"I have heard rumors, yes." Lord Fa acknowledged, but he had not given it much thought. Rumors were rumors, tales were tales and Tai usually dealt in facts.

But it seemed that his associate was more inclined to them. Which gave him pause, because her judgement had always been flawless before. Perhaps there was some merit to the thing? The main issue on Recopia were the Bandercamp Auctions it hosted annually. In truth, Recopia did not officially belong to the Humbarine sector.

Part of their goal here had not simply been to restore the industrial potential.

But to also restart diplomatic and trade relationships. Recopia had heard of Lord Fa's success here, some of the more morally-inclined merchants had requested his assistance in rooting out the illegal trade in sentient life in the markets.

Something that Tai Fa could get behind... considering his own species.

"I do not foresee the auctions to take up much of our time. We could certainly plan a detour, I will have my people carefully ask around a little bit, so we know what will be in store for us."

 

[Ugoto Chivaro]

HUMBARINE
ZOPP'S BULK BUY

The sound of choked sobs intermingled with the cacophony of crashing displays and overturned shelves. Zopp Senior wailed miserably, falling to his knees and slamming his fist on the floor while Enforcers moved up and down the aisle, breaking everything that could be broken. Derrenger was planning on hitting the fire alarm before they left. The sprinklers would soak and ruin everything not already in shambles. Water damage would probably shut this place down for at least a few months. It was good to be thorough, but if things went optimally there would be no need. The elder Zopp would just fess up his son's location, then Derrenger could leave and replacing those cans would be the most of Zopp's worries.

Derrenger snarled impatiently and informed Zopp of his plan for the sprinklers. Zopp's only response was a prolonged groan.

Clearly both his son and his products were sentimental to Zopp. For anyone else, this vandalism would have been withstood more stoically. Derrenger remained where he was with Zopp, casting his gaze about. He noticed that some bags of mulch had fallen over off of a shelf. Probably one of the Enforcers. Derrenger turned to look at Zopp again and make another attempt to reason, when suddenly the fire alarm went off. And only a second later, the sprinklers came on. Thick sheets of water came down, drenching everyone in the building moments later. Derrenger snarled, depressing a button on the commlink in his ear.

"Who did that?" He barked, "We were supposed to leave first, you idiots."

The Enforcers reported back in from various points around the store, swearing it wasn't then. Derrenger was so wrapped up in finding out the problem that he almost failed to notice Zopp had gone quiet. The Trandoshan turned to regard the human and saw he was staring off at something, lip quivering. Derrenger snapped his head up to follow Zopp's gaze and found what he was staring at - Zeejay, crouching behind something. Little bastard had sprung the fire alarm as a distraction. His father had given him away now. Almost would have worked, too.

"He's still in the karking store!" Derrenger roared. He forgot to hit his commlink, but the Enforcers heard him all the same.

Derrenger lunged forward towards Zeejay, only for his feet to slide out from under him. He face-planted, and Zeejay took off with remarkably more grace down the aisle.

Yes, it was looking to be one of those days.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

Two weeks of other business and prudent preparation saw Ajira and Tai on Recopia. Acid oceans and poisonous clouds made for a barely habitable world that nonetheless nurtured a very old civilization. The local rain gear kept the drizzle from corroding Ajira's skin as she walked an ancient trail above a bubbling yellow river. Tai's protective gear had needed custom fitting, and even after all that money, there still wasn't much funnier than a peacock in a raincoat.

"There's a place of visions not far from the Naboo system," she said, just barely audible over the rain. "I visited and took a look, and I think I know where we're going. I'm not much for sensing things, so if you feel anything relevant or dangerous, don't assume I've already felt it."

She paused on an acid-slicked bluff. Ugly sandstone sloped away down to the river.

"Do you have any trouble with heights, Tai?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ashin Karrde"]

Tai Fa waddled across the path and wondered if this was how a stuffed turkey felt like.

Probably more invasive than this, but in the moment Tai could not come up with anything that was worse than this. No maneuverability, flexibility, no reach nor speed, just the eternal waddle as his body moved across the path next to Cardei. It was quite the pickle, but sadly there wasn't much else for them to do here.

Mostly because just running around without protective gear and letting the Force do the protecting for them, would probably tip off people that they weren't who they said they were.

Besides, the acid rain seemed a bit... too strong compared to the things he had trained for.

"As a child... we used to glide from great cliffs and fly over magnificent valleys." Tai's voice took on a distant tone as he forgot for a second where they were and the acid rain became less of a trouble. "It does not, it makes me feel alive."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

"This place reminds me of Vjun," she said absently, picking her way along the slippery path. One misplaced step and she'd begin a long slide toward a corrosive lake. She could handle a situation like that, if necessary, but she preferred not to. Self-discipline, controlling her nerves, would likely forestall any such necessity.

"Bast Castle -- have you ever been there? It's been years for me, before the Mandalorians came and went. One of Vader's strongholds, once upon a time. Acid rain even worse than here. You're safe enough inside the tower, but getting there through the canyons, moving between outbuildings and overhangs -- that's a genuine test of how consistently you can protect yourself with the Force. That's my specialty, and places like Vjun helped me hone it. You showed me you have some talent for strength, but strength is only half the equation. It's about becoming stone."

It had been an uncomfortably long time since she'd stretched her connection to the Force in any really serious way. A whim became an object lesson. A haze of dense distortion surrounded her, a nimbus of hardened air and incarnate no. She took a false step deliberately, and plunged down the slope into the acidic river.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ashin Karrde"]

Tai listened with a measure of curiosity, before shaking his head in the negative.

"Sadly, I cannot say I have." His travels had taken him to strange places, but Vjun had never been one of them. In truth it was because he wasn't entirely interested in worshiping the ancients as some did. Using their lightsabers, wearing half-forgotten robes they claimed belonged to them, it was a strange practice to the Thirriken. Especially when you blew hundreds of millions of credits on it, enough money to shift the economy in any regular sized star system's economy.

It was different when you tried to learn something, of course - but Bast Castle had been picked over for generations. If there was anything to find there, it was probably planted there for one purpose or the other.

"Ashi-"

Before Tai could say anything more, she had already taken the plunge. He watched as her form brushed past the slope and went for the pool of acid. A frown marred his expression - he did not enjoy taking risks such as these ones without deliberation - but then he sighed. His eyes closed and Tai focused on the Force, letting it flow through him and strengthening the exterior force around him. Trying to mimic Ashin, he took the plunge himself.

This was going to be horrible.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Tai Fa"]

Some part of Ashin would never cease to wonder that the fabric of the universe obeyed her and would keep obeying adaptively - that she didn't need to maintain a perfect mental image of her body's outline at every single moment. She could, of course: she often did that as a training exercise. But at moments like these, plunging below the surface of an acidic river, she didn't have the attention to spare, and yet she felt like she was wearing a full-body drysuit. The corrosive water pressed in on her, but she didn't get damp or feel acid burning. Her knees bent as her feet embedded themselves in the riverbed, and her Force protection changed shape naturally, clinging to her outline. Part of that was focus, and part of it was the natural continuation of the pattern she'd established. Miraculous.

A heavy ripple carried through the water, and she looked up to see a peacock on a raincoat plunge into the river after her.

Oh dear.