Private Rebel Actual (Loreena Arenais)

[Caedyn Arenais]

It was a trait of their parents, that stubborn streak. One that Caedyn had seen a few more times than he'd care to recall upon during their more heated back and forth over politics concerning the Jedi and the Mandalorians back in the day. Loreena Arenais-Valhoun seemed determined to hold onto this sense of defensiveness that Caedyn had somehow incited in her, leaving his hand to withdraw from the datapad, elbow propped against the table and fingers being brought to brush through his beard while he tried to restrain himself from firing back.

His silence was involuntary, yet it was better than allowing the discussion to delve any deeper into an argument when Loreena had an Empire hunting her down. Time was too short and the possibility that this might be their last little spat was greater than the Jedi Knight would care to admit. His Sister really was well and truly engulfed in her rebellion, so much so that she was blinded to his intent to help her, to talk strategy and organizational hierarchy or structure. A strong foundation meant a prolonged future and those who fought would forever know why they risked tooth and nail to do so with inspirational leadership behind them.

"Look, I've come here to help because someone managed to track me down and from what either of us can tell, they're not one of yours so..." Caedyn spoke with every effort to sound civil, trying to encourage his Sister to bring the tone down some and back to what might be classed as conversation; "Do you need my help or not?".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

That silence was too much. It was worse than the tension in the air. Lori's head lowered a little as she kept her brows furrowed. Yes she was still being stubborn, yet her mind was reeling over all of the repercussions of Caedyn Arenais ' involvement. He had already hinted that it would be bad, but didn't expand on that when she had asked.

"I don't know. You said that you were worried if the Empire delved into more facts about you. Involving yourself more would just make it worse, wouldn't it? You'd give them more excuses to investigate you further just as they had done to me. Then everyone around you would be in danger..." Just as everyone around her was in danger too. Yet fortunately Lori's inner circle was tiny. There was only Curtis, Arla, Caedyn and her Mom. No doubt Kaine and the other Mandos wouldn't be touched.

"If you're going to help, then you'll have to do it indirectly." That was about all that she could suggest at the moment.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"I suppose it would depend on how capable they're believing themselves to be, compared to the Order..." Caedyn answered softly, his eyes being drawn to one of the nearby windows of the conference room where they sat, the endless space surrounding their craft bringing some solace in the fact that they had time yet to decide where to go from there.

"My connections could discourage them perhaps, were they not wanting to cause too great a scene" He added, airing his thoughts aloud and sounding hopeful of the remark. "I suppose, if they did find me on Commenor, then they must have an indication of who I'm involved with. I can't imagine them having the intelligence to find me there, yet somehow miss the fact that I'm with the Order of the Silver Jedi" he smiled a little, a small moment of amusement sounding through his words.

"Honestly though, being a Jedi Knight means I'm always going to be at some degree of risk" He added, glancing back to his Sister with a wary smile, "There's always some criminal, or lowlife that needs to be detained. Some Force User gone rogue that's causing problems or some Sith doing what they do" he waved his hand dismissively, seeming to be discarding the thought quite lightly as opposed to the heavy truth behind the words.

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori smirked a little. So it was okay for Caedyn Arenais to put himself in danger, but not her? She kept that hypocritical thought to herself, however, otherwise they might just run into circles again.

Instead she just shrugged her shoulders a little. "And being the public face of a Rebel movement also carries risks and bounties. But I live with it, and usually far away from any of you." Yet now the Eternal Empire was bringing her family into it. How long before they go after her Mandalorian family too? At least she had no younglings of her own to worry about.

She wondered what her Dad would think. It was hard to say. Caedyn was so much like him, yet she didn't want to hear him be disappointed or to tell her that she didn't know what she was doing. All that they saw was of her making big mistakes instead of being proud of her for saving lives and standing up to oppression. Just because it wasn't the Jedi way of things, that didn't make it wrong.

"Is that what I am, Cae? Some rogue causing problems?"

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"If I had my way you wouldn't be living nearly so far away as you have been" Caedyn replied, giving a reluctant smile in tow; "Force knows I miss the days when it was use two against the Galaxy, going off exploring and pulling pranks on each other. None of these being systems apart for years on end" he elaborated, his way of saying that he had missed his Sister.

"And no, I was referring to the sort of work I'm more often caught up in. The problems you cause are fortunately not mine to have to deal with, I know how sneaky you can be and I don't envy the Eternal Empire" he replied with a smirk, giving Loreena Arenais-Valhoun a teasing response, making light of the subject.

"Trust me, I have more faith in you than that. If you're causing problems for someone, they likely deserve it. You're not some average criminal the likes I have to arrest now and then", the day to day life of a Jedi wasn't always just about battling Sith or getting swallowed up in political wars, more often than not it was the small tasks that they were called upon for. Assisting the police of various worlds, trying to deal with unruly gangs or investigating murder scenes, the latter usually being the rarer cases they'd take on.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"I miss those days too, but we'll never have them back. We're grown up..." There was just too much work to do and their free time was scarce. "And I don't want to live under your shadow. Or Mom's. Or Dad's. I like my own identity. And what if... what if there was another Jedi-Mando war? I'd have to stay away and stay out of it. Just like before, while everybody else deals with it." They all knew that it would be troubling to make her choose a side, so instead the choice was always taken from her.

She appreciated Caedyn Arenais in trying to lighten the mood, yet the dangers inherited by her part in the rebellion was starting to hit home. "The Eternal Empire is branding me as more than some average criminal. They call me a terrorist. I haven't even killed anyone, but the fact that there have been uprisings and stolen data; and the truth about them gets out...That's enough." She shrugged her shoulders with a bit of a sly grin. "My luck usually helps in not letting me get caught. I'm sure it'll hold out this time too."