Private Overdue Introductions

[Judah Dashiell]

CELESTIA STATION

Judah hadn't used his office on Celestia Station in months. It was naturally clean and orderly, cared to by the cleaning crews aboard the station. Yet as he sat behind the desk, it felt odd. It was mildly amusing, for ages he lived aboard the station, making it his homebase, inviting clients over regularly. Now? More or less just a stop. He had yet to find a new 'home' to work out of. Perhaps Joiol? Or a planet nearby? Ceto was too far away despite it remaining a hotbed and the man headquarters for Salacia.

Yet he wasn't here to flip through salvage plans or the movements of their next major haul or refinery plans, although it was pressing they expand the refineries. Instead he was looking over the file created by a private investigator for one Balun Dashiell . An apparent offspring of his. Judah was trying to wrap his head around it ; he wasn't exactly one to partake in one night stands but he had gotten drunk enough a few times and clearly entertained the idea. Question was, why the mother never contacted him. Did she not remember herself? Judah would have thought with his considerable wealth, if something like this was to happen, he would have been contacted immediately to own up to his side of things. He naturally would have once paternity was established. Yet to hear nothing? Odd.

What had turned into a simple genetic testing appointment at PharmaTech had turned into now a search for the boy. He was only discovered due to the Jedi Order entering his genetic information into a database upon intake. He could have been knocked over with a feather went the doctor mentioned to inform 'both of his sons' about the prevalence of Hapan eye issues among the men in the Dashiell family. At least he hadn't been surprised by the Hapan thing, Makai had informed him weeks ago, just shortly after the wedding.

He did what anyone in his position would do ; hire the best private investigator to trail Balun and learn more. The investigator even went so far to collect a DNA sample off a cup the boy had used at a gluk noodle stall, comparing to himself and Makai. There was no doubt the kid was his at this point. Question was...did the boy even want to see him? Seventeen was a long time to be without a father. He wasn't sure how the news would be taken. Judah wasn't even sure if it would have mattered to himself at that age. Would it matter to the kid?

He would take his cues from this meeting.

Judah invited Balun to Celestia Station for a meeting. There was no sense in dancing around the subject ; he had made sure the private investigator informed the teenager the nature of the meeting. It seemed the kid was busy in the Tingel Arm, as was he, so it made for easier logistics. Judah had is own questions but was doing his best to remind himself this was more about the teenager. No doubt Balun would have many questions.

He just hoped he could answer them all.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Starship: Liberty's Edge.
Destination: Celestia Station.
Person of Interest: Judah Dashiell .

​

Balun Vale sat in the Cockpit of the Clifford-Class Heavy Freighter as it shot through the Hyperspace channel en route to Celestia Station; the sight that would typically bring a smile to his face, however, going unappreciated as he stared off in a daze of his own thoughts and feelings, not really paying attention to the sensor readouts displaying across the navi-terminal, nor the sound of the BB-Model Astromech Droid following Luna about the ship. The boy's mind, elsewhere entirely...

Three Maldra IV standard days ago, he had received an unusual transmission from an untraceable source claiming to be working on behalf of someone by the name of Judah Dashiell. Apparently, this operative had been trying to track Balun down in the hope of scheduling a meeting between the two. Balun was suspicious at first, not simply because his personal frequency had been secured by the Tingel Arm Coalition, but because he had made a number of enemies over the past two years, particularly within the Sith Order and the Dark Empire.

It was quickly assumed that whoever this was was likely working on their behalf and trying to trick him somehow...-Yet this covert holonet identity was able to disclose information to Balun that dated right back to his entrance into the New Jedi Order. They also claimed to have answers to the questions that he had always sought. Who were his parents, and why did they abandon him to the Jedi?

They had played on Balun's past and offered him something that couldn't be ignored. Insight into who he was as an individual, where he came from and why he wasn't good enough for his parents to consider raising him themselves. Years of feeling lost in himself, blaming himself with no real evidence to justify his lack of self-esteem or worth, and countless run-ins with the Knights and Masters of the New Jedi Order, all because they acted like parental figures that Balun had never had. Now, after two years on his own and seventeen years of life, somehow, the answers that he had given up on looking for had found him. If the transmission was to be believed.

He wasn't going to show up unarmed, that'd have been stupid. Instead, he wore his usual field apparel when leaving the safety of The Nest, his Lightsaber hanging from his utility belt, and his blaster pistol strapped firmly within its holster at his right hip. While he wasn't quick to anger, he didn't have a problem displaying the potential show of force, both weapons openly visible and easy to reach for should this whole thing be an ambush.

Judah Dashiell. Balun could almost swear that he had heard the name somewhere before but he couldn't place it. He didn't pay much attention to the celebrities of the Galaxy, and usually these days, a person's name only coupled with familiarity when associated with the New Jedi Order or the Tingel Arm Coalition. If this Judah person was connected with either group, then perhaps there was some merit to the trip Balun was making, yet after seventeen years, it was difficult to hold out much hope for a miracle reunion.

The Liberty's Edge withdrew from FTL Flight as soon as the navigation terminal alerted Balun to their proximity with Celestia Station's coordinates, the Freighter lurching back into real space with the Space Station visible in the distance from the cockpit. The Comm's lit up, and Balun answered by sending them his coordinates and IFF Transponder Codes. He also dropped Judah Dashiell's name as his reason for visiting the Station, just in case.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Liberty's Edge was given landing bay clearance, directed towards a smaller docking station near the offices and residential areas of Celestia Station. A quiet station, it was more of a headquarters and commerce hub, along with a residence for some of the employees who worked in the area. Much of Tabaqui was undeveloped and Salacia had promised not to build upon the planet.

Yet when Balun Dashiell found himself in one of the shiny landing bays of the Station, he would come upon not Judah Dashiell, but one of his assistants. Finor Havie, a Pantoran who had been working for Salacia for several months now. The assistant was standing with a datapad in hand, clicking through messages as he waited. It wasn't unusual to have the assistant greet guests and guide them to the offices and his meeting.

The Pantoran looked up once the landing ramp was down and he heard footfalls. Dark eyebrows were raised ever-so-slightly as it looked as if their current guest was headed off for war. Perhaps someone from one of the small governments nearby. The Tingel Arm was a hodge-podge.

Hand was outstretched.

"Finor Havie, but please,call me Finn. I'm available for whatever you need during your stay. Shall I take you to your meeting with Mister Dashiell?"

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"Finor Havie, but please,call me Finn. I'm available for whatever you need during your stay. Shall I take you to your meeting with Mister Dashiell?"

Balun had a welcome party of one. That was a first for him.

The Pantoran looked harmless, by all accounts. Balun couldn't see any weapons, and there weren't any soldiers or guards nearby to give him cause for alarm; thus, as he looked around the hangar a little sceptically, he spoke up in response; "Alright then, Finn, let's get whatever this is over.".

He continued forward, taking care to walk alongside the Pantoran rather than moving on ahead. Celestia Station wasn't a place he had visited before, nor had he heard of it, so he wasn't entirely certain what to expect. From first impressions, it was clean and looked more like a corporate outfit than the usual naval outpost he was accustomed to.

"What exactly do you do here?" Balun asked his would-be guide, curious to learn more about the station and, by chance, the people who ran it. It certainly differed from the rundown rebel aesthetic that the Tingel Arm Coalition was known for. They also lacked a strong presence of any military troopers. By all accounts, it felt safe...-Which in itself was a little unsettling.

If this wasn't some sort of ambush, then what did that mean exactly? Surely it wasn't real...

Judah Dashiell

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"What exactly do you do here?"

"What do I do personally? I'm one of Mister Dashiells assistants. My counterpart, Hugh Bancroft, is currently on Ceto handling business. Basically, anything Mister Dashiell needs. I was a lawyer working for politicians in the Senate before I came into employment, so most of my focus is on contracts and legal. Not that we don't have a legal team, but more or less a resource for Mister Dashiell."

Finor chuckled and grinned, leading Balun Dashiell to a bank of turbolifts, ushering the boy inside and hitting their destination.

"I'll stop being literal and get what to you really asked. Celestia Station is one of the locations for Salacia Consolidated, the largest salvage company in the galaxy. Here you'll find offices, residences, entertainment but also below us salvage intake and refinement. Celestia is one of the more important regional offices in the company, and the oldest regional office as well, right as Mister Dashiell was starting to expand rapidly."

It was clear that Finn was used to playing tour guide to the guests that came to visit. All part of his role, no day was quite the same, and since leaving the Senate he was having the time of his life. Who didn't want to get paid handsomely to give an impromptu history lesson? The turbolift climbed for a few moments before coming to the stop, doors opening onto the C-Suite level.

​

Stepping out of the turbolift, Finn motion for Balun to follow him into the shiny corporate hallway.

"Our destination is the double doors at the very end of the hallway. This is the C-Suite office complex, below us legal and fiance, below that logistics and cartography. Just to give you some bearings in case we get separated later and you need to find your way back, not that this office cluster is difficult to find."

Finor gave a small wave in greeting as they passed a secretary on a holocall.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Balun had no idea what Finor Havie was talking about, at least not in the sense of familiarity with the business sector. He understood salvaging, but more in the minor independent sense; otherwise, he knew nothing about what it took to run a business.

Balun wasn't a mind for management, and he often questioned his intellect. Instead, he focused on his strength of heart and goodwill towards others. These were the things that drove him in all that he did and were farthest from the notion of...-Anything Finor had been discussing.

Instead, he followed and gazed about the Station, more disguised as an executive suite. It was flash. The type of place built on a pile of credits the like Balun had only dreamed of.

Since leaving the New Jedi Order, he had only the clothes on his back and his lightsaber during those early months. He had lived in the streets, slept in the gutter and stolen for survival. He knew what it meant to rough it in life; once again, this was the farthest thing from it.

"So this Judah guy is into Salvage?" Balun asked as they headed down the corridor towards the double doors at the end of the hallway. He had a Starship that he had found on Corellia with his Master, Julius Sedaire . Together, the pair had restored it to what was now one of two of his greatest assets, the S-91x Pegasus. Even so, it was likely nothing compared to what a business, appearing this successful, was capable of.

"I don't mean to be rude. But can we jump to the part where I'm really told what this has to do with me? Like, be honest with me...-because the information that I was given..." his voice trailed momentarily as he sought to find the correct words to express his scepticism and mistrust. "Well..." he gave up on the search and opted for blunt honesty: "It's a load of chit, right?".

Judah Dashiell

 

[Judah Dashiell]

“Salvage is the main business, yes. There are others but Salacia is most known for our ability and prowess at salvage."

Finor blinked, confused as to Baluns question. Most meetings, unless directly involved in, he knew as much as his boss allowed. For this meeting, he knew only the bare minimum. The Pantoran suspected he would be filled in later once whatever details being discussed were more clear. Or not. Some meetings were for Mister Dashiell alone, and that was more than fine with Finor.

“I'm sorry Mister Vale, I am confused as to what you are implying.” A small pause, thinking. "If you are here for a contract or something similar and need legal advice, I will be happy to consult before you sign and agree to any terms. I may work for Salacia but I also like to make sure everyone gets a fair shake and contracts can be confusing at times."

Double doors were reached, the Pantoran opening one side.

"Again, if you need assistance Mister Dashiell has no other meetings today. I can easily make time for your questions if they do not get answered today. Just have Mister Dashiell page for myself and I will be more than happy to assist you. Best of luck Mister Vale."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Balun's frown would say it all. He was disappointed that this Finn guy had no more answers than Balun did himself. "Fair enough..." he muttered under his breath, turning to look at the double doors ahead. There was little for it but to meet this Judah Dashiell then; "Thanks for the assist", he spoke rather more clearly, glancing back to the Assistant and offering a slight incline of his head, a half nod in casual thanks and farewell.

Stepping away from the Pantoran, Balun pressed his hands against either door and pushed them open, walking into the Office of the man who had sought to meet the boy. As expected for the head of the organisation, the Office was large and offered a splendid view of the world below, with Celestia Station seemingly orbiting the planet—at least, that was his guess. There was a man sitting behind his desk, and surrounding him were various pictures lining the walls and lavish furniture that looked more expensive than anything Balun had owned outside of his Starship. Balun's gaze settled upon Judah as he approached the front of the workstation.

"You went to a bit of trouble trying to organise this meeting," he said, stating the obvious. Few people had the access it took to track Balun's old holo-frequency, which he had held since his leave of the New Jedi Order, and fewer were able to gain clearance to use it. It was a wonder that Balun still had access to it and hadn't had to purchase a replacement civilian frequency. "Not that you seem to be hard up for credits,", he remarked, gazing at the officer curiously.

"Do you really have some information for me, or is this some kind of setup? A twisted joke, or a scam of some kind you're running?" he asked, then suggested that Judah Dashiell might have had an ulterior motive for gaining Balun's attention, getting him away from the Tingel Arm and into a place of complete unfamiliarity.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah looked a little amused at the way Balun Dashiell barged on in and started to demand answers. All typical teenage bravado, ready to take the issue on head-on and not look back. Instead of answering, the old salvager stood from his desk chair, slipping off his suit jacket as he did so. There was a debate to shake the boys hand but given the suspicions at the moment, Judah decided it wasn't wise.

"Mister Vale, thank you for coming out in this corner of the Tingel Arm. A little quieter than the parts you've frequented." A pause. "Judah Dashiell, in case that wasn't clear. A pleasure to meet you."

Drifting to the bar cart, Judah poured two glasses of fine Corellian Whisky, giving a generous three finger portion. Something told him both men were going to need a strong drink. Given the age in the file, Judah assumed it was fine for the boy to drink ; Makai had dabbled in it around this age. Didn't seem all that unusual.

He turned back around, one arm outstretched as he approached to offer the boy the whisky.

"A drink for the conversation may be wise."

Wise on his part anyways. He was studying Balun closely. He could see some signs of himself, some subtle hints of Dashiell lineage. The teenager was tall too, shaggy haired, and already stubborn. Eyebrow raised at his appearance, noting the lightsaber and blaster, the look of someone about to go into battle. Celestia Station was hardly a fort on the frontlines.

Amusement touched is features for a moment regarding this entire meeting being a 'scam'. Judah found it hilarious that he would scam the teenager out of what...time? It wasn't as if the boy had much of anything else.

"I have information."

Judah went behind the desk with his drink, hitting a few buttons on his datapad and projecting the genetic testing results before them. It was plain as day, easy for Balun Dashiell to read. The old salvager wasn't sure how the boy was going to take the the news, he himself had to process it for several days.

"As you can see from the testing we are a genetic match. Your father."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"A drink for the conversation may be wise."

"Ah. Chit...." Balun muttered under his breath as he was offered the glass of copper-coloured liquid. He hadn't tasted alcohol in quite some time, and the last team, it was simply a beer that he had stolen from outside of a local cantina. He recognized the whiskey for what it was, and given Judah was urging him to take it, Balun realised that his initial suspicions were likely unfounded.

Taking the glass, Balun's gaze followed Judah Dashiell as he returned behind his desk and activated the holo-projection from his datapad. A vaguely transparent blue hologram was projected before him, the results simplified and plain for Balun to read and understand.

"As you can see from the testing we are a genetic match. Your father."

"I...-Don't understand," Balun said, apprehension and astonishment evident not only in his voice but also in his shocked expression as his eyes swept over the hologram multiple times as if to triple-check them; "How did you even get my DNA? When did you take this test? When did you find out about me?" he asked the questions one after the next, not sure how to handle the revelation that had just been dropped on him.

"I thought this was a blasted ambush, some kind of setup..." he muttered. A fight would have been far more accessible to know how to respond to. Dangerous, but not nearly as emotionally turbulent and stunning as this was. He suddenly remembered the drink in his hand, and without a second thought, he slugged the whole thing back in one hit, swallowing hard and immediately feeling the burning at the back of his throat, his eyes watering up.

"Ugh. Grist..." he hissed under his breath, turning to look for a chair to sit in.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah raised a hand to stop him, vintage whisky wasn't something to just slam back but the damage was done. He would hold off offering more, getting a teenager drunk wasn't his plan. Instead he motioned to the plush leather chair behind the boy, close to the desk. Two were in front of his desk, a typical meeting set-up.

“Please, sit down. I’m getting a little old to be picking up teenage boys off the ground.”

A small smile before he sat down as well. Not behind the desk, but the chair opposite of Balun Dashiell . He thought it would be less formal. They both were dealing with the fallout of the news, Balun going through the shock he did just weeks ago.

Hell, emotions he was still going through, brought fresh to the surface at the sight of the boy in front of him.

“I had genetic testing done due to an eye issue discovered by your half-brother. Dashiells, we have discovered, have distant Hapan lineage. Early stages of discovering what that entails. However, when I went in for my own results, it was mentioned inform my two sons of a few things. As you can understand, I've been under the impression I only have one son.”

A small paused as he sipped his whiskey, shaking his head slightly.

“Apparently at your intake into the Jedi order a genetic sample was collected, out in to some database that PharmaTech was able to access. From there I hired a private investigator to dig deeper into the news before I made a move.”

“The investigator tailed you to a gluk noodle stall, in which the rim of your drinking glass was swabbed after leaving. It was then compared to myself to be completely sure that I was dealing with the correct news. I was. The results did not deviate from the PharmaTech findings.”

A deep sigh.

“I've known for…. Two weeks or so? I had the investigator get on immediately tracking you down and inviting you here. It's… a lot of take in for the both of us. I've had more time to process. Doesn't make it any easier.”

“I'm sure you have questions."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Balun hadn't expected to feel anything so soon from the drink that he had sculled back. However, as he stood there listening to Judah Dashiell , he couldn't help but notice a weight lift off his mind, a feeling of euphoria, and a slight yet pleasurable haze that freed him from his prior tension yet did not impede him from thinking and feeling.

"I'll be fine. It's not my first drink," he waved his left hand dismissively. Yet, he did as he was encouraged to do and moved to sit in the chair offered. Judah followed from around the back of the desk and instead chose to sit in the other chair nearby.

Frowning, Balun listened intently to the man mention a half-brother and something about Hapan descent. 'So I've got a brother as well as a Father. A happy family before finding out about me'. Balun's gaze turned away, staring off across the desk for a moment as he tried to process everything.

"I'm sorry but this is all...A lot to take in. You've got another Son? Do you have a Wife? Are they my Mother? How in the seven hells has it taken seventeen years for this to happen?" he asked, unloading question after question with the assistance of the liquid courage that still lined his throat with fire.

"I spent fifteen years in the New Jedi Order imagining what it might be like to meet my parents, to see where I come from and who I was meant to be before I was dumped on their doorstep as a baby. Do you know how chit a feeling it is to spend your life knowing nothing about yourself and feeling like you weren't worth being kept by people who were supposed to care for you?" his words had started out softly spoken. However, his frustration appeared to build as he reeled from the news.

"Hell, yes, I have questions!" he exclaimed abruptly.

Leaning forward to press his elbows against his legs, his gaze turned to the floor as he tried to steel himself and not allow his voice to grow too loud. Though his face would be briefly clouded from Judah's sight, Balun wore the uncertainty and frustration he felt rolling through him over the sudden development.

"I don't mean to be insulting," he said in a calmer voice, huffing an exhale as he forced himself to slow down and consider how his emotions were threatening to lead to poor behaviour. "Maybe I should be pleased. I always wanted to know more, but it sounds like you knew less than I did, which is saying a lot, considering. If you didn't know about me, then I guess that means my Mom left me with the Jedi...", somehow the thought of the mother, she who carried him for nine months, giving him up felt like a bigger kick in the teeth. Balun had seen guys do a lot of stupid chit, but Mothers were supposed to be maternal and loving. His apparently wasn't.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

“Yes, I have another son. Older than you by eight years, give or take.”

Now that Judah was putting together more details out into the atmosphere, things were becoming more clear for himself as well. At that time he would have been fresh from divorcing his absent ex-wife. He had taken to dropping off Makai with the Arceneau family to wallow and drown in his own misery from time to time.

Balun Dashiell , unfortunately, was a result of wallowing in misery. Of getting too drunk and too depressed.

“No, you do not share the same mother. I would never willingly abandon my child. As for a wife, no, I am no longer married.”

Judah was trying to rack his brain for a name,but, he doubted in his inebriated state seventeen years ago it stuck. Not even a face was coming to mind, just a vague and fuzzy memory. He would have to try harder for Balun’s sake.

An outburst. Understandable but it wouldn’t get them far.

"Hell, yes, I have questions!" he exclaimed abruptly.

“Calm down son, we’re working with the same information here.”

Which was a lot of nothing. In his opinion, getting the private investigator to continue searching with Balun’s DNA sample would be the most logical option. At the very least it was the best jumping off point.

“If you’d like I will continue to pay the investigator to search for your mother. They may get some of the results you crave. I… I do not remember much of anything. Given the investigator has your DNA, they could start searching various databases.”

A small pause as he sipped his whisky.

“So, what are your questions. Or would you like a private moment to yourself? I can place you in a guest suite."

 

[Balun Dashiell]

“Calm down son, we’re working with the same information here.”

Balun's gaze turned sharply back to Judah Dashiell the moment the words had been spoken. His hands tightened their grip against the arms of the chair he sat in as his mind reeled from everything, only to be pushed further by being called 'Son'. His jawline tensed, teeth clenched, and his cheeks shifted visibly. He took a long and deep breath through his nostrils, closing his eyes and forcing himself to turn away for a moment.

He didn't know why, and he'd feel ashamed for it later, but he felt angry and entirely unnerved by how vulnerable this situation had made him. He wasn't typically someone to be so emotional, and he had been quite good at keeping his feelings buried, but this was something else entirely.

"Just....-Stop, for a moment", he spoke, forcing himself to utter the words quietly. He needed a moment. He wouldn't admit it, but sleeping on all of this information would be in the best interests of both of them.

"You don't remember who my Mother was? I don't know if I want to ask how that happens. You slept with someone, got them knocked up, and you don't even know who they are...", he couldn't stop himself from getting up and out of his chair. Still, rather than doing something stupid, he turned and walked across the executive suite to look out the vast transparisteel window to the world that Celestia Station orbited.

"Change the subject. Tell me something about you. About my brother. Tell me something that's not going to piss me off right now".

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah noted the teenager was viewing the world through an innocent lens. It was no doubt hard for the lad to wrap his head around, a drunken encounter. It also meant the boy wasn't growing up too fast despite being a Jedi. How many battles had the kid seen already? He did not agree with it in the slightest. Yet he couldn't force his hand just yet. They were barely just starting to talk, let alone Judah putting down rules and regulations such as he did with Makai.

Perhaps in time.

Balun Dashiell stood, moving toward the transparisteel to look out at Tabaqui below. The elder could feel the emotions and turmoil rolling off the kid. To be expected but at the same time, he wry noted the pitfalls of teenage boys. Folks claimed sons were so much easier to raise than 'emotional' daughters and now that he was faced with Balun, it was untrue. Both the teenager in front of him and teenage Makai were equally dramatic, just in slightly different ways.

"Let's see...born on Saleucami. Stayed there until I was about your age or so. Joined the Galactic Alliance, became a fighter pilot. I wasn't that good but that is here nor there. Left that, started a salvaging business that turned into all this, the largest and most profitable salvage company in the entire galaxy. Crazy to think I started by myself with one ship."

It was odd to think about at times. As for Makai? Judah pondered, wondering if Balun would get jealous or if he was genuinely curious.

"Your brother? Born on Ceto. He's half-aquatic. Let see...After a bit of teenage rebellion, he went to university and has now joined me in the business. He has his own too, but still works with our mining division. Makai got married recently, so he's been busy. We saw one another in Commonwealth space recently but beyond that..."

Judah paused.

"Would that be something you'd be interested in? Joining us in the business or are you hard set on this Jedi path?"

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Balun watched the slowly spinning glowing orb, the vast world by which the station orbited while listening to Judah Dashiell . He was born in Saleucami. Did that make it Balun's homeworld? Somehow, that didn't feel right, but then he didn't have any other ideas either. "I've never been to Saleucami before" he admitted, knowing very little about the world or its people.

He turned slightly, looking to the side as Judah mentioned being a fighter pilot for the Galactic Alliance. Balun himself had become quite a fair pilot, more so on his own than from any formal or military training. The Jedi had taught him the basics, and then experience and the guidance of the Force had taught him what he knew today. "I'm pretty good myself, I think. I have an S-91x Pegasus Starfighter back home on Maldra IV, and I came here in a Clifford Class Freighter. I've got a new co-pilot for it as well but I didn't tell her about going out on this run...For obvious reasons".

Finally, Judah spoke more about the salvaging company. "The Tri-Wing...-Er, the Pegasus Starfighter was one I managed to salvage with the help of my Master Julius Sedaire . He lives back on Corellia, and I've sort of only seen him once, but we managed to patch it up and get her running again. I reckon I'm not half bad at scrapping tech, but I know nothing about running a business or anything like that" he shrugged a little.

Balun was indeed curious about Makai. Judah said that he had been through a rebellious patch, leading Balun to wonder if that was an actual rebellion like the Tingel Arm Coalition, or just being a little chit. Both of which Balun had, or was currently engaged in doing. "I've never been to Ceto either. Is that anywhere near Mon Cala?" Balun asked apprehensively. Mon Cala was currently one of the near future targets with which the Imperials were oppressing and the Coalition was seeking to free from their control.

"I left the Jedi two years ago and went out on my own", Balun would soon inform Judah, speaking rather directly as he turned away from the window to look back at the man. His Father. "Being a Jedi was a life that was forced on me. It was a good life, but I always struggled with understanding why I was left with them on Coruscant. I learned a lot and trained under their tutelage, but I never really felt like I belonged. I was fifteen when I left. My choice. To make my own choices and decide for myself what I want" he explained.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"I'm glad you're good at flying. I'm not sure how I made the starfighter corps, but I did. I'm much better a salvager than I am pilot. You'll have to show me your Pegasus sometime. I haven't kept up with the latest models of anything beyond ships for the business I'm afraid. I'm glad you salvaged your ship though, there's a lot of great technology out there tossed aside that just needs a touch of repair."

Judah had come across so many gems in his career. This station being one of them. It seemed Balun Dashiell might have some of the same talents, or perhaps his talent was just more out of sheer necessity. He imagined the more the got to know one another after a nervous and somewhat tense first meeting more similarities would being to show up.

"Ceto is further down in the galaxy. I did raise Makai on Mon Cala though, until he went to university. Great planet, we lived on a little island chain."

He listened to Balun explain how he had been on his own since he was fifteen. That didn't sit well with him. Makai had been allowed to wander the galaxy but he had kept tabs on the boy. Most times he had been with Myra regardless. There had been Arceneau Trade on the hyperlanes at his disposal. Bodyguards. Not just a free pass.

"You left at fifteen."

Judah found himself growing upset. Not just at the unfairness of it all ; why the mother didn't just drop Balun off at a Salacia location was beyond him. Perhaps she just didn't know. Yet the Jedi, despite their teachings, did not seem to be apt to care for children.

"They let you just walk out? That's it? The Jedi were responsible for you. You were a child...you are a child still. What kind of institution just lets you walk out the damned door?"

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"Well, just a heads up. There will be some fighting going on for Mon Cala and Lothal soon. The Tingel Arm Coalition has been planning to try and stop the Empire from making their lives difficult. I'd steer clear of that area if I were you," Balun cautioned Judah Dashiell . In the older man's eyes, he may be a kid, but Balun knew quite a good deal about the coming battle between the Empire of the Lost and the Tingel Arm Coalition.

The tone of Judah's voice when discussing the New Jedi Order was unmistakable. Far be it for Judah to get pissed off about the Jedi and their raising him when he had been absent from Balun's life, "They took me in and raised me when they didn't have to, and when no one else would. They fed me, gave me a safe place to live, taught me the ways of the Force and educated me. Without the Jedi, I'd have had none of that. Whether or not you would have helped had you known about me, the fact is that you didn't. I'd have been on the street if it weren't for them; they were my family when I didn't have any," Balun reminded the older male, shooting him a cautioning stare.

"As for allowing me to leave, Valery Noble tried to stop me. I left at night and made sure no one caught me when I did it. Like I said, it was my choice and considering you weren't around, I don't think you've got the right to judge them," he concluded, defensiveness strong in his voice as he met Judah's eyes with a defiant conviction. "Maybe you should try to understand my life and get to know me before being so quick to criticise the way it's turned out".

 

[Judah Dashiell]

The Nobles. Of fucking course. Judah had a very dim view of the Force using couple. Ever since Kahlil Noble had punched him on Naboo his thoughts had soured on the family and the Jedi in general.

“She can't control her damn husband so I suppose I can't expect her to control one child.”

Judah looked back at Balun Dashiell ,about to rise and argue his point. Then he suddenly stopped, easing back against the soft leather of the chair in front of the desk. There was a very long pause as he was reminded of something recently, something he had read.

It takes twice as long to rebuild a bridge that's been burned.

He was quickly finding that out. The bridge with Makai was quite fragile, the ruins swaying in the breeze so to speak. There was a lot of cordial distance and keeping his mouth shut. An effort to get back to where they once were.

Then the bridge with Danger Arceneau was utterly destroyed. Smoldering. Ruins. It was the most depressing as well. Twenty plus years of being best friends just swirled down the drain. Unlike Makai, the redhead hadn’t even given him a chance to further explain.

So instead he took a deep breath.

“I'm not criticizing your life Balun. I'm criticizing the Jedi. I’m criticizing the fact your mother felt it prudent to place you with the Jedi to begin with. This isn't an attack on Balun the teenage boy. It's an attack on the Jedi institution itself.”

A small pause.

“When you are older, you will see my point about all this.”

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"Don't count on it," Balun retorted with a shake of his head, a look of annoyance cast back upon Judah Dashiell . "The Jedi spend their lives training and serving the Galaxy. They don't ask for anything, and they don't argue when people like you talk chit about them. They give up having an everyday life so that they can instead dedicate it to helping others. It's admirable, and my training has allowed me to survive out there on my own," he argued.

"I shouldn't expect you to understand. It's easy to judge from the outside," he reminded himself while speaking aloud; "You have no idea the sacrifices that Jedi make". Balun would turn back again, casting hardened eyes down over the orbiting planet. He had barely scratched the surface of service as a Jedi, yet he had seen the battlefield that Coruscant was turned into. He had flown with the fighters of the Tingel Arm Coalition and ran out violent pirates and criminals of the Outer Rim in the cause of service to others.

"You are right about my Mom, though. I want to understand why she gave me up," he admitted after a short silence; "I love that I can wield the Force and do some good in this Galaxy, but she did us both wrong by forcing that choice on me. She could have at least told you about me. Maybe then, we wouldn't be standing here like we are".