Rage against the dying of the light

[Kian Karr]

Spoiler

Mission 2: Rage against the dying of the light
Objective: Infiltrate the space station and steal heritage tapestries (two depicting the Great Hyperspace War)
Location: Along the border of One Sith and Republic Space near Borleias
Members:
Kian Karr - in charge of operation
[member="Nefertari Sovint"] - in charge of team
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
[member="Zak Dymo"]
[member="Mark Sage"]

The blue holoprojection of Jedi Master Kian Karr appeared before the group of assembled Jedi. Kel Dor were fairly alien in appearance, but Kian had been told in the past that he was even more strange looking as a holoprojection. It was with this thought in his mind that Kian began his message with a small, soft chuckle. ​

​

"Jedi [member="Nefertari Sovint"]." Kian began bowing. "I have received word that a space station just outside of Republic space may hold some Jedi relics that need to be once more in our hands."​

​

"I'd like you to assemble a team of padawans and meet me aboard the Gnost Dural. I'm uploading the coordinates now."​

​

Kian bowed once more and the blue holoprojection faded. ​

​

Kian stepped away from the holoprojector and settled into his chair at the conference table. Before him was all the information he could retrieve on the mysterious space station that supposedly housed Jedi artifacts. Usually when the Jedi Shadows began to dig for information it wasn't hard to find it. But Kian's best operatives hadn't uncovered much about the location and that didn't bode well.

Well kept secrets were a dangerous thing....

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

Nefertari's first mission in a good while...and she was in charge of a group of padawans. Well, once that group was formed.
She had Zak...but that wasn't exactly a group was it?

The Countess brought up the database of padawans available for a mission and began to look through them.
She came upon a padawan with possibly the most experience she'd seen from them: Somebody named Jacen Voidstalker
"Here's the second for our group."
One more padawan should suffice.
After about an hour longer, Nefertari found a padawan named Mark Sage. An archaeologist in training.
"Looks like I have my merry band of misfits"
She sent a transmission to each padawan

A projection appeared wherever [member="Zak Dymo"], [member="Mark Sage"], and [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] were at.

She bowed
Greetings padawans. I am Nefertari Sovint, Jedi Knight.
Master Karr has assigned us a mission to recover the heritage tapestries which, at one time, hung in the Coruscant Jedi Temple.
We will be departing for Borleias early tomorrow, be prepared.
Nefertari bowed again and the transmission faded

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The adventurous adventurer swung over the swamp bottom of the planet Ord Mucktel, vaulting off the vine to precariously land on a stout branch positioned above where the bandits had made camp. Adjusting the patent leather fedora cap that rested on the back of his robed and cowled head, the daring do-er of dares stared down at where the stolen artifact lay in the open.

The legendary legend's grappling line sailed across the camp, wrapping itself around another branch as the bravest of brave Jawa's descended upon the bandits.

A Weequay came at him with a blaster, but Jono Jawa don't care. Jono Jawa got skills. A one-two punch combo, following by the back-flip kick and the Weequay was napping in the swamp.

A Dug with a vibroblade? A Herglic with a staff? Jono Jawa don't care. With awesome skill born of awesome awesomeness, the Jawa soon stood triumphant over a mass of bodies, as he reached out to seize hold of the stolen treasure to at last return it to it's rightful...

"Ho ho ho ho ho."

That laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha ha."

He knew that... "Utinni!"

No sooner had the Jawa of Jawbreakers yelped in surprise, than a rush of moss grass was pulled aside, revealing the large and smelly form of none other than Gangsta the Hutt!

"Jo'shooda mai f'r ooda."

As the jiggling Hutt spoke, a gold-plated protocol droid stepped awkwardly around the massive villain's mobile dias, to announce, "All hail the illustrious Gangsta, master of bling. The mighty Gangsta wishes you know that he will enjoy blasting a cap in that..."

Greetings padawans...

---

Large, reflective black eyes blinked several times, as the nine-year old Nautolan looked up from the array of toys littered around him at the now familiar sound of...

...I am [member="Nefertari Sovint"], Jedi Knight.

The child just blinked again. He kind of knew that part already. "Tell me something I don't know," the youngling remarked, as he drew himself up so that he was sitting up as he looked at the recording.

Master Karr has assigned us a mission to recover the heritage tapestries which, at one time, hung in the Coruscant Jedi Temple.

Okay, to be fair, he had asked and that was something he didn't know. And that wasn't the only thing he didn't know. "What's a... tapas-tery-aries?" the boy uttered, voicing the question aloud even though he knew the recording wasn't going to give him an answer.

He should probably look that up before this mission thing.

We will be departing for Borleias early tomorrow, be prepared.

Sitting back on his heels, the youngling just watched as his master bowed and vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. Holding up the Jawa action figure he'd been playing with earlier, the boy looked at the toy as he uttered the only thing he had to say about any of this.

"Utinni!"

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

Greetings padawans. I am Nefertari Sovint, Jedi Knight. Master Karr has assigned us a mission to recover the heritage tapestries which, at one time, hung in the Coruscant Jedi Temple. We will be departing for Borleias early tomorrow, be prepared.

Oh thank the Force, Jacen thought to himself as he stood in his private quarters. Stripped down to the waist, he toweled off the sheen of sweat from the morning's exertion. Besides a brief foray to Yavin for some training and - quite exceptional - ribs, he had seen little but the barren walls of the Ossus temple for weeks. Training, meditating and bland food. Bland conversation for the most part, too. Teenagers and twenty-somethings were just dull.

---

"I know I checked in my belongings, but I'm going to need some of my gear!" Jacen continued to argue. In his opinion he had been eminently polite, but the insufferable clerk was beginning to test his new-found Jedi resolve. The clerk looked at him suspiciously once more from behind furrowed brows before grunting and waving him past.

"Thank you," Jacen responded with an exasperated sigh. He found the belongings he had given up upon joining the order quickly. From within the simple rucksack he filled a smaller bag with a few key items. His multi-spectral comm link, costly, but the Vianne Company of mercenaries used good gear. A hand-made leather under-arm holster was next in the bag, and followed by a simple metal case. Then he packed some civilian clothing and a med-pack. Obviously he hadn't turned up to the temple in combat armour, and neither did the brief state the requirement for any.

---

Jacen waited patiently on the hangar deck. He still wore his Padawan robes, but now he had a bag slung over his shoulders. Around each shoulder was his holster, a simple blaster pistol under one arm, a collection of power packs under the other.


[member="Nefertari Sovint"] [member="Kian Karr"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

The lizard sat, waiting for its prey to come closer. The insect slowly creeped closer. It was now in range. Just as the lizard prepared to strike, a massive pair of eyes ducked down next to the glass. Fearing for its life, the lizard crawled under a skull that lay near the center of the tank. A huge hand moved the skull and picked him up, but the lizard soon found that it wasn't so bad. He suddenly felt a wave of safety rush over him. It was as if the force itself was telling him to calm down.
The hands that now stroked the lizard's head belonged to Mark Sage. He sat relaxing in his small shack that he'd found and now used a few miles from the Yavin IV Jedi Academy. This was where he came to get away from people. He kept his various natural collections here so they didn't clutter his dorm room: his minerals, his archaeological artifacts, his fossils, and his menagerie of small animals. He still didn't know exactly who'd previously owned it back when the few hundred year old house was still new. All that had been left was the terrariums and a faded photo of a dark haired boy with a lizard perched on his shoulder. Mark had his suspicions, but he couldn't determine who exactly it had been. Just as the lizard was getting comfortable, his holo projector buzzed. Mark picked it up and answered. The image of jedi knight, [member="Nefertari Sovint"], appeared.
After a short briefing, Mark decided that an Archeaological rescue mission was definitely one for him.
He put the lizard back in its tank and prepared himself. He got everything together: his tunic and robes, his lightsaber, and a satchel. He almost picked up a leather fedora and put it in the bag on the way out, but decided against it.
"This time anyways. Next time, I'll take it." He thought.
He'd want to be there before nightfall, and the trek was a bit difficult. With that in mind, he left.

[member="Kian Karr"] [member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The traditional garb of the Jedi valued form as much as function. And, yet, one thing which the robes were not intended for was swimming. Or diving. Or otherwise immersing one self in copious amounts of fresh or salt water, all of which were things Nautolans were want to do. And so the boy wore an outfit that was more typical of Glee Anselm or Mon Calamari than the campus on Ossus. It was a sleeveless tunic, stretching down to the youngling's knees and belted at the waist. The material was a water repellant leather of some sort, soft and oily -- almost like the hide of a beaver.

Only one thing separated this boy from the innumerable younglings of the Academy's various clan-groupings, the lightsaber which hung off his belt. Not the standard training shoto, this was the weapon of a Jedi. It was a symbol of a bond, the manifestation of a trust between pupil and master.

Glancing around the inside of the hangar bay, the child's dark eyes surveyed the interior for signs of his master, but failing that spied instead a rather curious Jedi. For starters, the man had a blaster holstered under his arm. And the term 'man' was apt, because this was no teenager. "Hi," the Nautolan youngling offered brightly, waving one arm as he approached the stranger.

Because it wasn't like he was a real stranger. He was just some Jedi that Zak didn't know yet.

As he neared closer to the man, the child paused to give a respectful bow. He didn't know if this man was knight, master, or grand high poobah of the Jedi Agricultural Corps... but he did know that the man was older than he was. Say what one might about the child's attention span, academic potential (or lack thereof), or penchant for confusing flatulence for fine comedy -- the boy had a few manners.

Straightening back up, the green-skinned amphibian offered the man a smile as he asked, "Are you bound for Borelias, too?"

---

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Mark Sage"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

Mark slid into his Eta 2 Actis Class Light Interceptor, or 'old green' as some called it. It was old, yes. It could even said by some that the thing was ancient. But, it got Mark where he needed to go. Judging by the calculations he'd made, he should be able to make it to the Ossus Academy in time. Making sure he had everything, he then lifted off.

---------------------------------

Some time later, Mark was descending into the Hangar Bay on Ossus. He pulled out the landing gears and landed. Once it was powered down, Mark hopped out.
"Only question now is where to go?" He murmured to the fairly new addition to his little family of animals and plants among other things, R2-M9, an R2 unit which Mark had put back together from near scrap.
[member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Zak Dymo"]ck [member="Mark Sage"]
Before he could stop himself, Jacen raised a quizzical eyebrow as the nautolan approached him. His suddenly felt self conscious about the blaster tucked under one arm. In his pack was a scanner, rations, powecells. He'd heard "mission" and had automatically assumed battlefield. Perhaps an infiltration or direct assault on the mansion of some spice lord who had stolen the tapestries. And here he was, not very surreptitiously attempting to take a blaster and suitable gear with him.

Jacen hoped, really hoped, that he had misjudged the situation. The kid looked really young, even if he wasn't certain how nautolans developed. The Jedi wouldn't send such a kid into action would then?

"How do," he replied with a nod. "That's where I'm heading apparently, the name's Jacen," he added, leaving a gap for the child to reciprocate.

Seeing the boy reminded him of [member="Nei Laa"]. He hadn't seen her since shortly after escaping the Netherworld. However, back at the academy he didn't have the freedom to go travelling across the galaxy for catch-ups. There was a loud whine as an interceptor touched down on the hangar deck lightly.

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

Nefertari emerged from the ship which would be taking them to Borelias. Over her tunic was a faux fur lined jacket. Her first name was embroidered above the left breast. The right sleeve bore a few patches. Most noticeable was the round patch near her shoulder; the insignia of Nayli Flight Academy.

The Jedi Knight stepped forward, her sword-inspired lightsaber hung on her belt.
"Great to see you all! ^_^ We will be leaving as soon as we are fueled up. Now, I know I said Borelias. Our actual destination is a space station. So...tell me about yourselves"

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
[member="Mark Sage"]
[member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

Mark had eventually found his way over to the other two padawans. Soon, Master Nefertari had arrived and informed them that their destination was a space station outside of Borelias. Then, she'd asked them to tell her about themselves. Mark hated talking about himself. It made him feel like he was bragging or something. Of course, Mark was a slight introvert, so that was likely the cause.
"Probably best to wait until the other two have had their say." Mark thought.
[member="Nefertari Sovint"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

"I'm Jacen, Jacen Voidstalker," he offered with a warm smile. "I was a soldier for quite a few years and spent my time moving around the Galaxy. Cyrillia was my first outing since I came here a month or so ago and started training. To be honest, I'm looking forward to getting out again!"

Odd the way one phrased things, Jacen thought. He always said 'soldier', never 'mercenary'. Also he'd carefully controlled his expression as he finished his introduction. The damned walls here were becoming insufferable. Day after day of physical punishment and Force training against a backdrop of cold stone rooms and simple meals. For a man who'd been to all kinds of exotic locales in his life, it was hard to stay in such small confines.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

"The name's Jacen."

The Nautolan's mouth fell open as the boy began to answer, only to fall silent again as the Chandrilla heiress made herself known. Bowing a second time, this time to his master, the Nautolan waited for what seemed the right moment before he spoke again.

"I'm Zak!" the youngling supplied, with a seemingly excess supply of cheer and energy. He was happy to be here, that much was certain.

As he looked around, he realized there was another person there, too. This one was younger. Younger than Nefertari or Jacen, but not as young as Zak was. Which was a shame. It didn't look like Zak was going to have anyone to play with for the flight over to... space station somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, or whatever.

"I'm Master Sovint's padawan," the boy added, flashing a smile up at the knight before he fell quiet again.

It was a peace that the group should enjoy while they had it.

---

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Mark Sage"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

"Guess it's my turn." Mark thought.
"Well... My name is Mark Sage. I've been with the jedi academy on Yavin IV since I was brought in as a seven year old after I was found living alone on Generis with retrograde amnesia from an injury to my head. Since then, I've studied in the ways of the jedi, as well as Xenopaleontology and xenoarchaeology, and I hope to help save these relics from staying in the wrong hands for much longer." He finished.
[member="Nefertari Sovint"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Nefertari Sovint"]

"So..." Jacen started slowly. "I assume some sort of briefing is in order?"

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

The oldest padawan had just asked about a briefing on the mission
"Quite right, Padawan Voidstalker. As soon as we board, I will be flying us to the edge of Sith territory. The tapestries we are trying to locate are supposedly on a space station near Borelias. If not, we might at least find information. I assume we will be joined by Master Karr. This is an opportunity for us to recover part of our history, hone our skills in real experience, and to become better Jedi as well as better beings. Keep in mind that hostiles are incredibly likely since we are so close, you may be required to fight. If you have a training saber, please give it to me now so I may adjust it."

She adjusted Zak's training saber and turned to the rest of them.
"Shall we board?"

[member="Zak Dymo"]
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
[member="Mark Sage"]
[member="Kian Karr"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

"Seems simple enough." Mark said. "I guess we can head that way."
Saying this, he began heading to the ship. And, R2 rolled along happily behind him.
[member="Nefertari Sovint"]
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
[member="Zak Dymo"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Did she just call the older guy 'padawan'? The revelation about Jacen's title made the boy stare at human for a moment, as though trying to guage just how old the man was. He was distracted a moment later by Nefertari taking his training saber back from him. After she had adjusted the weapon, the small boy accepted the lightsaber back from his master, bowing respectfully before returning the now lethal weapon to his belt.

He didn't like using his lightsaber to hurt people. He'd had to do that on Cyrillia, and even while he understood his master's teachings and those of his weapon masters... he regretted it. Did Jedi feel regret? He spent a lot of time in classes where teachers told the younglings to let go of their feelings. None of them really talked about what do actually do with feelings though. And how was he supposed to just... let go of how he felt? He just felt that way.

As Mark started toward the ship, the young Nautolan decided to strike up a conversation with the strange older human person.. "Do you study here at Ossus?" the youngling inquired curiously. "I haven't seen you around the Academy before."

By 'Academy' he meant Ossus. Which was the planet he'd grown up on, and usually only escaped through a knack for being exactly where he wasn't supposed to be. Including Republic military engagements when he was supposed to be in meditation class.

Not waiting for an answer to his first question, which wasn't what he wanted to ask, the child just blurted out his real question, which he did. "Aren't you a little old to be a padawan?"

He wasn't trying to be rude. He was, but he was nine. And had no filter.

---

[member="Mark Sage"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[OriginsoftheJedi]

Mark smirked. The kid was amusing.
"No," he replied, giving R2 a pat on the dome, "I don't actually study here on Ossus. I come from the academy on Yavin IV, where I've lived since before I was your age. When was that... Was I seven? I think I was seven. It's been awhile, and I didn't really remember exactly how old I was at that time. But I started off as a youngling and eventually was taken in by my current master, and I'm not quite done with my padawanship yet. So no, I'm not too old to answer you're question. You're never really too old. I've seen beings much older than I am who haven't been a padawan for a month yet, and yet they were allowed to train."
The child, Zak, followed him as he took his seat. Mark remembered being Zak's age, when the world was even bigger and newer than it seemed to him at the moment. Zak probably wanted to hear more.
"So, how long have you been with Master Sovint? I'm sure you can't be too far into your training."
[member="Zak Dymo"]
[member="Nefertari Sovint"]
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Nefertari Sovint]

Nefertari sat in the pilot's seat as the padawans boarded. She could sense something about her own apprentice; he wasn't the excited, bounce off the walls type of child she was used to seeing. There was something bothering him, her maternal instinct told her that much.

The Jedi Knight called for everyone to strap in. Once they did so, she took them out and into space; making the jump to hyperspace. Nefertari pulled out of hyperspace a bit later and set to autopilot. It would be about an hour before their destination was reached.

Looking out at the stars, a softness of childlike curiosity spread across her face. She could see Coruscant far off in the distance, a lot had taken place there.

The four Jedi would be here for a bit, now would be the best time to interact.


[member="Mark Sage"]
[member="Zak Dymo"]
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Micah tol Powl]

The Nautolan quickly decided that this Mark human was about to become his new best friend.

Well, second best friend. [member="Uri Aureleos"] held the dubious honor of being the youngling's best friend, owing to a strange encounter of the green kind on the planet Attahox. Even if the Hrakian was a farkled nerd-in-training. He still had the coolest lightsabers of anyone that Zak knew though, so the golden teen had to get mad props for that. At least until Zak built his own lightsaber, which would be the most astral, most epic construction ever... uh... constructed!

What had he been thinking about again? Oh yeah, the Mark human being his second best friend. Wait, no. maybe third best friend. Because he'd known Gorti Yolan since, like, he'd been old enough to breathe regular air out of water.

Yep. Definitely third best friend. Subject to Zak cross-referencing his friends list on HoloSpace and barring the Nautolan changing his mind or even forgetting that this internal monologue had ever taken place. Which was likely to occur in 5...4...3...2...

"Yavin!" the youngling breathed, as though uttering some sacred name surrounded by mystery. If it was possible, the boy's black eyes seemed to grow even larger as he marveled with imaginary visions of what Yavin would be like. More than that, space travel! "How did you get to Ossus? Do you... do have, like, your own ship?" the youngling asked, as visions of starfighters danced in his head.

A dozen more questions suddenly popped into the boy's head, coming rapid fire without time for Mark to respond or even for Zak to breathe.

"Are there a lot of Jedi on Yavin? What's it like outside the Republic? Do they teach boring stuff like Galactic Basic Grammar an' history an' stuff at your Academy too?"

It was when the moment final arrived in which the Nautolan had to pause to take a breath that Mark was able to get a word in edgewise. "So, how long have you been with Master Sovint? I'm sure you can't be too far into your training," the human asked.

The boy just blinked. "Master who?"

He'd been lost in his own imagined world of Yavin IV, making the trip in hyperspace in the most pimped out starfighter of all time. With a... a lightsaber staff. Made of electrum. And it could split to become two separate lightsabers...

...except then he'd have to learn Jar'kai. Did Master Sovint even know Jar...

"Oh..." the boy uttered vapidly, as his brain at last looped around so that he was on the same page as Mark now. That Master Sovint. "No, the Council made me her padawan just before we had this big thing on Cyrillia. There was a bomb, I put a hole in the ceiling, nothing important," the youngling answered dismissively.

What was important was more details about these non-Republic places. "Have you been to many worlds? Are there really other Jedi out there, like... like Silver an'... an' the Grey Order thing people talk about?"

---

[member="Mark Sage"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]