Private Mountain Madness

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin woke up in the middle of nowhere. Well, not exactly—he could tell it was a mountainside, and he was lying on the ground at the base of the mount. But given that Starlin was not in the habit of sleeping outside in unfamiliar locations, and he awoke with a splitting headache, it was more than a little concerning.

After spitting out grass and hauling himself into a sitting position, he had a look around. The landscape was blanketed by a white fog that obscured his surroundings. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, it was morning.

His gaze eventually landed on a figure sitting nearby. Clambering to his feet, he approached them. The figure turned out to be a Wookiee sitting in a chair before a canvas. He was painting the mountainous landscape with a brush and palette. Absorbed in his work, he didn’t look up when Starlin drew near.

“Uh… excuse me, could you tell me what planet this is?” Starlin asked.

The Wookiee whuffled a response.

“Alderaan?” Starlin echoed. “Wha—Why am I on Alderaan?”

The Wookiee snorted.

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Starlin muttered. His head still hurt, and he felt slightly nauseous. All telltale signs of a hangover. “Where’s the nearest settlement, or just, y’know, civilization?”

The Wookiee pointed up the mountain. Starlin craned his neck, groaning as he stretched his muscles, then sighed. “Okay. Guess I’m climbing this mountain, then. Thanks.”

He began his ascent.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

The journey from Empress Teta ought to have been a direct one. After all, was not Gala more or less along the Daragon Trail? And yet, despite all of this, the politician they were ferrying seemed to want anything but the swiftest route. Off the beaten hyperspace lanes they veered, closer to the Hydian way than anything else though still not in a manner which made it convenient to hitch the lane there either.​

​

As such the start of their adventure, and in truth his first real jaunt away from the confines of the Deep Core, was one which severely lagged. Away from secure lanes the going was slow, so very slow. They had to monitor for anomalies, and be cautious that their ship did not hit some strange jolt. Beyond that, there was a distinct lack of patrols... After all, how could one possibly keep track of every inch of the abyss around them? It was too much, on too many vertices.​

​

If not bumps, then pirates, or infiltrators from beyond the Alliance.​

​

Eliphas had his work cut out for him, even when he slept he could not keep his duties from his mind and his dreams were filled with all manner of scenarios. The more nightmarish of them had him roused from his sleep, and soon after he'd be back at the bridge resuming his post. Charting the stars, monitoring for debris and strange occurrences, scanning for nearby vessels. At the very least it kept him from the more mundane tasks which were expected of him during the quiet hours on a hyperlane. Sanitization and the likes. Even one with such noble blood as he could not shake such responsibilities out here among the stars!​

​

Eventually they came upon the first of their stops. He realized rather quickly that he was not the only one among the crew hoping it would be their only detour, as some quiet grumblings resounded among those who were bade to wait behind while the politician and his entourage left to visit whoever it was they were here to see on Alderaan.​

​

After cleaning, and changing into his civilian attire - which didn't look too different from the ensemble he wore as a cadet, in truth, still formal in nature as was the Dune way - Eliphas was permitted shore leave. He had one full rotation of this planet to do as he pleased, and so long as he was back on the ship come this time tomorrow all would be well. None would question where he had gone, what he had done.​

​

It was a test, he knew. A chance for him to prove himself competent, and able to exist away from the watchful eyes of his superiors. How would he do? Would he be late? Come back a mess?​

​

He slicked back his hair, and descended the ship with a small satchel of items. Over his clothes he wore a long jacket with a pressed collar. Imagine his surprise then when he took in their surroundings.​

​

Mountains.​

​

What the feth was he going to do in noble garb, in a place like this?​

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Within a matter of minutes, the fog began to disperse. Starlin saw what looked like a parked starship nearby. A starship seemed a better bet than hiking all the way to the summit. He started toward it, only to trip over something still hidden beneath the white mist around his ankles.

The object he had stumbled over began swearing in Zeltron.

Starlin scrambled away. “What the—”

“Bastard!” A haggard female figure, lilac-haired and fuchsia-skinned, rose up out of the fog. “I was sleeping, and you kicked me!”

“I tripped over you, actually.” Starlin smirked, though the lopsided smile was swiftly wiped off his face when she lunged at him. “Feth, lady! Calm down!”

But she got a hold of his coat lapels, and before he knew it, they were rolling down the mountain together, Starlin’s panicked screaming echoing through the valley.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

The sudden change in pressure, and the wild wind, whipped his hair into disarray as he stepped foot on solid ground for what felt like the first time in an eternity. He had always read about how difficult it could be to navigate away from the hyperlanes, but to experience it first hand had made him realize just how poorly the words read or uttered did at preparing one for the real experience.​

​

No more harsh durasteel flooring beneath his feet, instead it was plush grass which gave way to his every step. Dirt which compressed down as though fleeing from his very presence. He allowed himself a few moments more to simply breathe and exist around it all, cherishing the air so fresh that it burned his lungs. Coming from such an urban world meant that he had never really seen anything quite like this before. Their surroundings were gorgeous, and he wondered why more of the crew were not taking advantage of their down time to breathe it in.​

​

The tranquility he was feeling was quickly cut short, however, when a shriek resonated around him. Eliphas reached for his standard issue blaster, and turned in the direction of the scream. He primed the weapon, aiming it upward for now so as not to accidentally loose a shot at some random passerby - as if such existed on a remote mountainside - as he hastily approached the kerfuffle. Two individuals were rolling down the mountain, practically entangled due to the incline and the rate at which it forced them to tumble.​

​

He returned the safety to his weapon, though he did not yet reholster it, and approached them as they finally came to a crumpling halt where the ground levelled out.​

​

"Woah there," he chimed, not bothering to hide his bewilderment at such a perplexing sight, "Sir, Ma'am, are you both okay? Do you need me to fetch a medic?" A tumble down a mountainside was no laughing matter, he presumed. There were rocks and things of that sort nestled within, right? Eliphas may not have experienced such surroundings before, but even he could deduce as much with the education he'd received. Mountains were rocky... Repeatedly rolling over such could be painful, and possibly leave cuts in their wake. Right?​

​

Right...​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Though he tried to avoid overusing the Force, Starlin had had quite enough of this. He reached out and took hold of the earth, tethering them to it and bringing their downwards tumble to a halt. It was too late, though, as he found the ground beneath him had already leveled out.

Maybe it was the pain in his head in addition to the woman’s attack, but Starlin had progressed past annoyance into actual anger. Staggering to his feet, he grabbed her by the collar, provoking a yelp from the Zeltron, and raised his fist.

The voice of a third party made him freeze. His back was to the speaker, but the Zeltron in his grasp was facing Eliphas. “Cops!” she exclaimed.

Now Starlin did turn—and found not a policeman standing behind him, but a youth in fine clothes wielding a blaster. The Zeltron tried to use the momentary distraction to free herself, but Starlin’s grip was firm.

She did get him to stop and think about what he was doing, however. The Jedi Knight stared at his clenched fist. It was his right hand, the prosthetic one. Solid durasteel bones encased in synthskin. An image flashed through his mind: the bloody pulp that had once been a man’s face after Starlin punched him a few times in a bar on Bespin…

He unclenched his fist and let go of the woman.

“Uh…” He glanced sheepishly back at the kid with the gun. “I think we’re good, thanks.”

He was mainly saying that to avoid having to answer any difficult questions. His body was covered in bruises and scrapes, his head hurt worse than it had when he first woke up, and while Starlin couldn’t see it, his right eye was inflamed and beginning to swell shut.

The Zeltron, however, was eager to take advantage. “He attacked me!”

“I tripped over you! I couldn’t see you through the fething fog!” Starlin snapped. “Who the hell sleeps out here like that, anyway?!” Take one to know one. Speaking to the kid, he lowered his voice. "I'm just trying to get out of here. You wouldn't happen to be, I dunno, a park ranger or somethin', would ya?"

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Given that the pair had already come to a stop at the foot of the mountain, Eliphas did not notice anything strange about the way in which the male halted himself; he did however sense a shift in the air, though he had no way of deciphering it. Truth be told he put it down to a change in weather, and let the matter go entirely.​

​

He watched as the pair made to brawl, his eyes widening in surprise at so brazen an act, and it took him a moment for his body to catch up with his brain to try and do something to stop it. The boy took barely one step forward though before everyone was forced to halt, as the Zeltron woman yelled out about the arrival of authorities. Eliphas turned to peer behind himself, but found only the yacht there. No officers.​

​

Wait... Had she meant him?​

​

He perked a brow at how ludicrous that was, though truth or not her words had seemingly spared her a fist to the face as the male let her go unscathed. Well, insofar as she could be unscathed. given their tumble.​

​

"Uh..." Eliphas did not wish to be rude, or go against the bodily autonomy of the man, but his face looked pretty rough. He made the subconscious decision to scratch his own cheek, just below his eye, as though temporarily sharing in the pain the man surely must have been feeling. "I mean, if you're sure..." Gaze shifted to the woman, quickly assessing her own state, when she once again tried to treat him as though he was some sort of authority to police them.​

​

From their bickering he almost pegged them as being intimate. It reminded him of the way their housekeeper spoke to her husband when she thought no one was listening, not necessarily mean but certainly with tender frustration. This wasn't so tender, of course, in fact it felt more like children in the school yard pointing fingers. It was difficult to shake that thought, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips before he could suppress it down.​

​

He hastily dismissed it when the male turned to him in hopes of getting his help. Elipas raised his right and unburdened hand slightly, as though warding off danger, and shook his head to relinquish himself of any preconceived responsibility. "I'm just on shore leave," he explained, gesturing with his head toward the yacht which lay a little further afield. "Are you sure you guys don't want to see a medic? Ours is pretty competent..."​

​

Though the man had already dismissed him, the Zeltron had yet to respond. Her eyes seemed to light up though, perhaps at the potential for aid, perhaps at the chance to cry her woes to some other poor sap. Either way she seemed interested, and Eliphas gulped back his dread at having to deal with her for much longer than was necessary. As such, he reached for his commlink in hopes that he might simply give them a heads up so that he could send her over there and carry on his way.​

​

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

The kid wasn’t a cop, nor was he a ranger (ranger in training? Cadet ranger? Power Ranger?). Starlin groaned audibly.

The Zeltron, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased. “Medic? Has he got any Rebound?” she asked, scrambling to her feet. “Rebound”, of course, was the street name of a certain drug that, while meant for other purposes, was known for clearing up hangovers.

“Of course,” Starlin muttered. “You were sleeping on the ground because you’re drunk. Now I get it. That explains everything!”

“Nothing wrong with having a drop of the true every now and then,” she snapped. “Least I’m not a death stick junkie.”

“Oh, so you’re a racist too!” Starlin laughed. “If we’re gonna be making judgements about people based on their species, I guess that means you’re probably a floozy.”

“Not as much as your mother.”

“My mother is a saint, you cow—” Starlin broke off, clutching his eye and wincing. “Oh feth…” he hissed. Turning away from the others, he gently probed the socket with his fingers. Then, clenching his teeth, he popped out his prosthetic right eyeball—a souvenir from a fairly recent duel against a sadistic Sith Lady.

He felt almost instant relief. The swelling had built up pressure around his eye; now that it had been released, the pain wasn’t half as bad. On the other hand, he now had a squishy fake eyeball dangling out of his empty socket, still tethered to his optic nerve by a bunch of wires. Not a good look.

“Yeah, I could use a medic,” he muttered, covering up his eye with his hand as he faced the kid again, smiling nervously. “Lead the way, shore leave.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

He was about to walk away, chalking this up to some random quarrel he had no need to be an onlooker to, when the Zeltron excitably perked up at the mention of a medic. She specifically queried him on whether they had something known as Rebound onboard, though whatever that was Eliphas had no way of knowing. He gave the girl a strange look, before loosely shrugging his shoulders.​

​

"Can't say for sure," he informed her, though before the topic could go much further the pair were at it again. It was difficult to resist the urge to roll his eyes, in truth. But like a good Dune he remained rather stoic and removed from the situation. He had offered what he could in terms of aid, and was increasingly more aware of the free time which was trickling through his fingertips with every passing second.​

​

Gaze flicking between the two, he was about to walk around them when the strangest thing happened. The man literally removed his eye from its bulging socket with a rather satisfying pop, and allowed it to dangle there as if nothing was wrong. Eliphas' own eyes bulged in response, widening in surprise, and it took him just a few moments after the fact to realize that it was bionic.​

​

His cheeks flushed, whether or not anyone had witnessed his brief scare, though he hastily composed himself once more when he finally agreed to see a medic. The Zeltron also made to follow.​

​

With the ragtag couple of injured strangers at his back, Eliphas led them down toward the yacht. "Medical, this is Cadet Dune. Two civi's inbound for the bay, over."​

​

Whatever response he received was uttered solely for his hearing, though he nodded to himself at whatever was said. They approached the yacht fairly quickly after that, it was but a stones throw from where they had been tumbling after all. One of the ships security personnel met them at the boarding ramp, and he gave Eliphas a slightly disgruntled look upon seeing the pair behind him.​

​

"I already cleared it with medical," he assured the man, who stood a little longer than he needed to in their way. "I bet you did," came their grumbled response, and though he stepped aside he made sure to bump shoulders with Eliphas as he passed them by. He did not conceal his distain for the strangers who were boarding the vessel, eyeing them suspiciously. Especially the Zeltron.​

​

It did not take him long to lead them through the core of the ship, and to the medical bay. Inside two members of staff stood - their chief medic, and their apprentice. This mission had brought together quite a few students with their respective roles, a learning experience through and through. Eliphas smiled sheepishly.​

​

"I'm so terribly sorry for the short notice," he said, inclining his head toward the waiting pair. Then he stepped aside, and revealed his rag tag followers. The eldest of the medics pointed toward Starlin.​

​

"You, with me. We'll get that resocketed in no time. Yara, you tend to her cuts. Is Bacta okay, no allergies?"​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

The Zeltron also stared at Starlin in shock. The Jedi Knight, catching the look on both their faces, couldn’t help but wheeze with laughter. It was more a nervous reaction to their shock and horror than true amusement.

“That’s right folks, I’m a cyborg clown. Welcome to the bionic circus.”

He followed the kid back to his ship, the Zeltron trailing behind.

“Your name’s Cadet Dune? Who’s the captain, Dusty Barren? Sandy Oasis?”

Now he really was just being obnoxious. It helped to take his mind off the pain, at least.

After dealing with a pissy security guard, they were ushered to the medical bay, where a brisk doctor looked them over.

“Oh, I popped it out myself, sir,” Starlin replied cheerfully, still covering his eye. “Pressure got to be too much. I got a shiner, don’t know how. Might’ve hit a rock on the way down the mountain, or maybe I got into a fight and just don’t remember it.”

In fact, his memory was beginning to come back, the fogginess of his mind dissipating in tune with the vanishing morning fog on the mountain. He seemed to recall that he had spent last night at a bar, and it seemed reasonable to conclude said bar wasn’t very far away from the spot where he’d woken up. But what was a bar doing out here in the middle of a mountain range…?

“No allergies. You can put whatever you want in me, but I’m glad you asked for consent first.” Starlin hopped up on an exam table like a kid at the pediatrician’s office, leaning forward a little as the no-nonsense physician probed his socket with gloved fingers and a flashlight. “Ow. Ow. Ow.”

“I’m not using that much pressure.”

Starlin switched to whuffling in Shyriiwook. The doctor turned off his light, shaking his head in disgust.

“I know, doctor. I’m a hopeless case. What will it be, euthanasia or an enema?”

“A shot of bacta and some painkillers.” He glanced at the mediscan monitor. “Your blood alcohol level is high. Have you been drinking recently?”

“I believe so, yes. Last night, probably. But I woke up this morning lying on the ground outside. A nice Wookiee gentleman told me that there was a small town further up the mountain. I started to climb, only to encounter this she-hulk.” He gestured to the Zeltron. “She attacked me because I accidentally tripped over her while she, too, was sleeping on the ground. Then we rolled around a bit—not in the pleasant way, unfortunately—until we were found by Cadet Dune, who offered us help.” Starlin smiled, his hanging eyeball wiggling as the muscles in his cheek contracted. “Does that answer any questions?”

“Your name, age, and next of kin, please.” The doctor had grabbed a holo-form and was already filling it out.

“Starlin Rand, twenty-three. If I die, ship my remains to the Silver Jedi Order.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Having been briskly called out for staring, Eliphas shifted his attention elsewhere. Anywhere else, really, in that moment it didn't rightly matter. It was rude to stare, after all, he was giving his family a bad name indeed!​

​

When the man queried as to his name, he couldn't help but shake his head with a small chuckle. "Oh, no, my name is Eliphas," he stated, amused by the would be names of his captain. There, some of the more serious aspects of his countenance crumbled, if only for a moment, and then they were off.​

​

Once inside the medbay he stepped off to one side and merely observed. While on the ship the pair were under his charge, he had inadvertently vouched for them simply by bringing them here and anything they did would besmirch his good name. As such it was prudent for him to keep a careful watch over them, and ensure that they were hastily back on their way up the mountain as soon as they were discharged.​

​

While the male - who later identified himself as Starlin Rand, a name which certainly had more humourous holes to be poked into it than his ever had - was seen to by the chief medic, the Zeltron was trying to con the poor trainee medic into handing over some Rebound. No such luck, she had been assigned to simply tend to the physical wounds, not a hangover, after all.​

​

"Hey now," Eliphas chimed, as he approached the student and their temporary charge, "Let's not give anyone a hard time. I'd hate to see you turned out of here with all your scrapes and bruises still in tact." He sounded sincere when he said it, despite the fact that it still remained as a lingering threat between them. It took his expression turning stern for her to finally see sense, though her eyes drifted every now and then to the locker filled with various drugs. Thankfully it was kept locked.​

​

Once the pair had been tended to, and assuming nothing disastrous happened in the interim, he thanked and apologized to the medical staff one last time and then led the pair back out of the ship. "Why don't you guys find different sides of this rock to pass out on, going forward?" he suggested, with a slight smirk on his lips at the ludicrousness of it all. Two drunkards asleep on a mountain, one trips over the other... Boy, the kids back home wouldn't believe such a tale. Not even from him.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Watching the hung over Zeltron get told off by Cadet Elephant Dune, Starlin pointed and sielntly laughed at her. She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked longingly at the drug cabinet.

Then Starlin found himself seized by the back of the head by the good doctor, who proceeded to shove his eyeball back into its socket. Gasping, Starlin saw stars, his mouth agape as he recovered from the slam-dunking of his eye. He was only distantly aware of the hypo of bacta being injected into his neck, along with the painkillers. At least they were fast-acting; in just a few seconds, the throbbing in his head dulled to only a faint discomfort.

“Please refrain from drinking alcohol for the next forty-eight hours,” the doctor said. “And try not to get into any more fights.”

“You got it, Bones,” Starlin rasped, still stunned.

Eliphas—meh, let’s just call him Eli—moved to lead them back out of the ship. While the Zeltron was eager to be on her way, Starlin hesitated.

“Any chance you could give me a lift?” he asked. Pointing toward the Zeltron, who was rapidly gaining speed as she headed up the mountain, he added, “Oh, and she filched some drugs from y’all. I didn’t see her do it, but I can sense it.” He gestured vaguely, wondering if the kid would understand. “Cause I, uh. I’m a Jedi. We sense things. Like magic.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

They were out as fast as they came, though even with their departure the guard at the ramp still glared daggers into the trio. Eliphas had come to expect such since he'd been tasked with joining this particular vessel, for whatever reason the man had a bee in his bonnet about him, and honestly Eli didn't even recall a single moment which could justify it.​

​

Outside the weather had turned much more pleasant which made his jacket feel a little overkill. He kept it on, for proprieties sake, but was grateful every time the wind chose to pick up afterward.​

​

When the man asked him for a lift, Eliphas' immediate reaction was to guffaw. They'd already done more than they were possibly obligated for the man, there was no way anyone would ever sign off on that. He opened his mouth to express such, when the next few words fell out of Starlin's mouth.​

​

"She did what?"​

​

He looked on in horror toward the fleeing Zeltron, and without warning began to hurry after her. So focused was he on the new task which had presented itself that he only half heard the rest of what the other man said. "Feth, they'll have my head for this," he grumbled under his breath, grateful that she hadn't had the chance to get too far from them yet.​

​

As he neared her, the rest of Starlin's misheard words finally caught up with him.​

​

"Wait, wait... You're a Jedi?" As distracted as his tone was, his priority clearly returning the stolen meds, he couldn't help but glance back at him with a curious gaze. Could it be? A Jedi... Well that changed everything. Empress Teta was loyal to the Galactic Alliance, and the Galactic Alliance held the Jedi in high regard. To ferry one would mean great prestige for the Captain, and even their political patron would not balk at the addition to their ship's charter.​

​

"Help me get those meds back, and I'll see it done," he informed him, withholding the fact that he'd be welcomed regardless of his aid. The situation was too dire to fuss over a little white lie.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin watched Eli try to catch up with her, without much success. Probably already high on whatever she had stolen, the Zeltron was power-hiking up the slope. For the most part, the Jedi Knight, galactic guardian of peace and justice, was content to simply observe the rather comical scene.

But then Eli shouted back that he would give him a ride if he helped get the meds back.

“Well, shoot! Why didn’t you say so sooner? Would’ve spared you the running!”

Starlin thrust out both his hands. The bottle of drugs and hypo she had stolen were suddenly liberated from her pocket. The Zeltron, of course, felt its absence and turned around.

“What the feth?!”

As the items began to float away back down the mountain, she started to chase after them.

“GIVE ME BACK MY DRUGS!”

But then she turned around and ran in the other direction again when she realized Eli was pursuing her.

Starlin was having the time of his life witnessing all this. Cackling, he clapped his hands in joy, which caused the hypo and bottle to clink together—whoops. They eventually levitated over to Eli, hanging in midair while Starlin waited for the cadet to grab them.

“Should we bother to keep chasing after her?” the Jedi yelled up at Eli.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin made mighty quick work of reclaiming the drugs, yet it wasn't the speed at which he acquired them but the grace with which he did that amazed Eliphas. He slowed his pace and stared in awe as the bottles drifted through the air, plucked right from the woman's pocket as though carried on the wind. As someone who had never been around practitioners of the Force, it was a slightly overwhelming experience.​

​

When she broke into a run to avoid him, he didn't even bother to continue the chase.​

​

"No, leave it. She isn't worth the time we'd sink." Reaching out, he tentatively grasped the bottles and let out a sigh of relief. One or two missing pills could be overlooked, but entire bottles? Yeah, that would have ended poorly. He shoved them into his jacket pockets, and then turned to face the Jedi.​

​

"Thank you, for your assistance. Our Captain isn't presently with the ship, he's accompanying our benefactor. They'll be returning tomorrow, if all goes according to plan. I'll speak with his second in command, on your behalf, there's no way they'll deny a Jedi safe passage." He paused, realizing he hadn't even asked the man's destination. "Where exactly is it you're headed?"​

​

As they spoke he turned and headed back toward the ship. With any luck nobody had noticed the pills were missing. Hopefully Yara would quietly return them to their locker for him... Nobody needed to know, right?​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Eli showed no interest in continuing to pursue the drug thief. Good. Starlin was about fed up with her crap.

As the cadet explained the situation with the ship’s captain to him, the Jedi Knight rather nonchalantly placed a cig between his lips. He snapped his fingers to create a flame, balanced on the tip of his thumb, and lit the end of the cig, puffing thoughtfully as Eli asked him where he was headed.

“Kashyyyk. Well, the Silver Rest, to be exact.” He exhaled smoke through his nose and mouth as he spoke, relishing the calming effect of the nicotine. “You seemed surprised to hear I was a Jedi. I did mention it before, y’know.” Actually he had said they should ship his remains to the Silver Jedi Order if he died, which wasn’t exactly the same thing as saying outright that he was a Jedi, but close enough.

He got halfway up the loading ramp before remembering, oh yeah, most people don’t like it when you smoke aboard their vessels. He plucked the cig from his mouth and flicked it away before heading inside.

“What about this ship? Where are you headed, and what for?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Kashyyyk.​

​

That was a little off the beaten path, to be sure, but evidently their journey was not time sensitive if their benefactor could continually add stops along the way. And he had, not just here with Alderaan but with others which had been planned for between here and their final destination. And again, this was a Jedi... They had a duty to support the Order. Even the Silvers.​

​

"Did you?" he asked, curiously. Thinking back, he supposed he had overheard something about the Silver Jedi back in the medical bay but he'd been rather preoccupied with the Zeltron. And seemingly for good reason, given the bottles in his pocket. "I mustn't have been paying attention. My apologies."​

​

As they began to ascend the boarding ramp, Eliphas brought them to a slow halt. Thankfully he didn't have to outright ask the man to put out his cig, he did so of his own accord. Hopefully that boded well for their journey, the last thing he needed was to once again vouch for someone who sought to cause trouble.​

​

This time the guard barely paid them any heed, simply staring at them without a word. He didn't stop them from entering.​

​

"Medbay first, then we'll find the First Officer."​

​

He pondered on the question asked; he couldn't rightly say the why of it, but was there any harm in saying the where? "Gala is our ultimate destination," he stated, with a thoughtful tone, "Though the journey has been far from straight forward this far." He chose to simply ignore the second question, grateful that their arrival at the medical bay could hopefully disguise the fact.​

​

The Chief Medical Officer was nowhere to be seen, and Yara was holding down the fort in his absence. Eliphas breathed a sigh of relief, and approached her.​

​

"The Zeltron made off with these," he explained, removing the bottles from his pocket. "Could you, uh, do me a solid and put them back? I'll owe you, big time..." The trainee medic looked at Eliphas with bright eyes of adoration he seemed to overlook entirely, apparently oblivious to her feelings. He wasn't in any way dismissive or cold, just... preoccupied.​

​

"Of course," she said, a slight pink blush flushing her cheeks as she took the bottles and returned them to the locker. "And don't worry, you don't owe me anything."​

​

"Nonsense" came his swift reply, accompanied with a kind smile, "We trainees have got to stick together, right?" Right.​

​

When he turned back to Starlin there was relief writ upon his expression.​

​

"Come on, let's find the First Officer..."​

​

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin had never been to Gala. In fact, he’d never even heard of the planet. “Uh, where is Gala?” he asked. “Like, in the GA, SJC, somewhere else…?”

They made a quick trip back to the medbay to return the drugs. The wee nurse in training thanked them. Even half blind by his black eye, Starlin noticed her demure blushing. When Eli turned around, the Jedi Knight was grinning at him.

"Somebody's got a cruuuush," he said on their way out, soft enough so as not to embarrass her. "On you or me, that is the question. No offense, but I'm clearly much more attractive than you."

In looks and form, Eli might have the upper hand, but he seemed like he had a bit of a stick up his ass. Needed to loosen up a bit.

Right, where was the First Officer?

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Where was Gala?​

​

Eliphas blinked for a moment, as though that question in and of itself was ludicrous, before remembering that the only reason he knew the answer was that he'd spent so many hours already charting and adjusting their course. Each change in their interim stops had altered it significantly after all, and it was his place to make the dots connect. Under the watchful scrutiny of another Guildmember, of course, they'd never entrust him with such responsibility unsupervised.​

​

"Uh, it's between Imperial and Silver space," he explained, trying to visualize the star map in his mind in order to conjure up a nearby planet he might have heard of. "Close to Concord Dawn." That, of course, was in an entirely different direction than Kashyyyk, and for the first time since setting out on this voyage Eliphas hoped that their benefactor had more business to tend to further afield from Gala itself to make this whole thing a little more harmonious. Say, further into Silver space perhaps?​

​

As they left the medbay and Starlin made his comment, Eliphas could not help but scoff in disbelief. "She does not," he responded, with a small shake of his head which tousled his curls, "She's always like that." He made no comment regarding who was the better looking, for it didn't rightly matter, and instead focused on leading him toward the bridge.​

​

"Commander Rimarch," he began, as the doors opened at their approach. He inclined his head respectfully, and then met his superior's gaze levelly. "This is Starlin Rand, of the Silver Jedi. He has requested safe passage back to Kashyyyk."​

​

Rimarch looked Starlin up and down with a curious gaze, no doubt inspecting the bruising and the obvious state of hungoverness evident upon the Jedi.​

​

"I see," came his slow and measured response, as he pondered over the various options presented to him, "Well I'm sure you'll forgive my dubiousness, Mister Rand, but you don't much look like any Jedi I've seen before. Have you any evidence of your status? To veer off course so drastically can not be done on good faith alone, which -" he shot Eliphas a glance as he said this next part, "- I'm sure Cadet Dune is no doubt aware."​

​

Feeling pinned to the spot, Eliphas gulped down some of the mounting doubt which was rising within him and tried to remain unflinching in the eyes of his superior. Perhaps he had been a little quick to trust the word of Starlin, though he had seen first hand the power the man held. That didn't stop him from being something else though, did it? Drats... Next time he'd be sure to be a little more cautious.​

​

If there even was a next time.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Yeah, she’s always like that with you,” Starlin pointed out. “You don’t know what she’s like when you’re not around, so how can you say she’s always like that with everybody else? I’m tellin’ ya, the only way you’d know for certain is if you asked her out.”

Why he was dishing out advice (or not really advice—more like well-intentioned nudging?) to this kid he’d just met, he didn’t know. Maybe because he had been knighted, and felt older and wiser because of it? But that was ridiculous. He wasn’t really any older or wiser just because Nimdok had waved a lightsaber over his head and declared him a Jedi Knight.

As they reached the bridge and met face to face with First Officer Commander Rimarch, Starlin was all pleasant smiles and friendliness. With his dirty clothes, messy hair, and black eye, it looked more comedic than charming. But even in his current state there was still, and Force willing always would be, a bright little gleam in the blue of his surviving eye.

“Don’t you worry, sir, I’ve got a card to prove my identity.” Reaching into his pocket, he produced his wallet. Opening the wallet sent several business cards scattering in all directions, the products and services they advertised ranging from cybernetics to martial arts training to… uh, unmentionables. Apparently unaware that all of this was now on display, Starlin continued to hunt for his Silver Jedi-issued ID card, eventually finding it and handing it to the commander. The ID featured a photo of Starlin from a few years ago, looking very young, fresh-faced, and a lot more put-together.

“It’s a little out of date—still lists me as a Padawan. I was only just knighted recently, and haven’t had a chance to apply for a new card yet. Busy life, being a Jedi.” Chuckling to himself, he finally noticed the cards all over the floor. His laughter instantly ceased, his pale face flushing a stark crimson. With a flick of his wrist he made them all float into his hand at once and discreetly tucked them back into his wallet.

“I’ve also got my lightsabers on me, if you’d like to see those.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

For a moment, as the pair talked about Yara, a small smile pulled upon his lips. It existed only briefly, a mere flutter that pulled at the corners, but it was there, and it pierced through the more monotonous veil Eliphas Dune had shown thus far. It was nice to just talk like this, freely and without real concern. Aboard The Atale it was mostly duty after duty, and the majority of those onboard were much older than he or Yara. Only a handful of youth, each of them here for experience from their various Guilds, made up the crew. And they were found on different ends of the ship.​

​

"Just... Ask her out?" he asked, side-eyeing Starlin as they neared the bridge, "As simple as that?" Well he knew it wasn't that simple, he knew there was still a chance Yara didn't really care for him at all, and he knew that actually being able to spend time alone with her would be difficult given her specific station, but could it really be that simple? Just.. Ask and see where it went?​

​

Evidently, Eliphas was not familiar with the dating scene.​

​

Either way his thoughts could not stray long on the trainee medic.​

​

As Starlin whipped out his wallet and began loosing cards this way and that, Eliphas tried to break some of the tension he himself was feeling in that moment by crouching down and picking some of them up, even as more fluttered down before him. There was relief mixed within him too, knowing that there was in fact a way to confirm his identity. That he hadn't made some huge mistake in trusting him.​

​

"I see," came the response of Commander Rimarch, and as he did the cards both around and within Eliphas' grasp were quickly plucked up in a very unceremonious show of the Force. "You needn't produce your lightsaber, Master Jedi. We shall see you to Kashyyyk." ​

​

Then he turned to Dune. "Show him to one of the guest suites," he was instructed, as he stood up from his knelt position and nodded in understanding. "And while you're on shore leave, see to it he has everything he requires."​

​

"Yes Sir, Commander Rimarch Sir..." Overkill, but given how close he'd come to burning away his future on this vessel Eliphas thought it was prudent. With nothing else to say the pair were dismissed, and he led Starlin back out of the bridge. He didn't seem to breathe until the door shut behind them.​

​

There, he let out a long sigh.​

​

Starlin Rand ​