Private Second Base

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

With a blaster pointed at the back of her head, the woman hurriedly scribbled a note on a piece of paper, as she was instructed to, confessing to a murder she never committed as her husband lay dead in the next room. The agent behind her remained cool and collected, a cigarette hanging between the fingers of her free hand, in contrast with the cowering woman whose hand trembled in fear as it crossed the page.

Once the page was signed, the woman slowly turned her head to look up at the other towering over her. With no other use for her, Zoraya placed the barrel of the weapon against the side of the woman's head. "Please..." The woman begged but the agent showed no sign of hesitation. "You should've been more careful who you married." She replied. Advice that was a little too late as moment later she pulled the trigger.

Placing the cigarette between her lips, she crouched down next to the body and removed the weapon from her own gloved hand to place in the woman's, simulating a suicide. With the security feed of the building already looped to show no sign of her entry or exit, everything was in place to allow for a quick getaway.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

---​

The ship was still running for there really was no time to complete the power-down procedures. Mathieu hopped to the ground before the landing ramp had had a chance to come all the way down. It would be a bit inconvenient if someone decided to steal his ship now but they were practically in the middle of nowhere and the results of not arriving in time would be far worse than a bit of inconvenience.

Chaussidier had received reports of some worrying activity from the Imperial agent he had encountered a few times. Perhaps this would be when the tracker he planted on her would save the day. For the day sure needed saving. The only residents in the vicinity were an older married couple. The wife a prominent author and the husband a local politician. He was not just any local politician - he was one of the loudest voices against corruption and a proponent for neutrality and independence. A stabilising voice in an ever more polarised political landscape.

Something was very wrong, however. He could feel it. Something was about to happen - or had already happened. Regardless, he needed to hurry.

As he ran, he critiqued himself. He should have brought a speederbike. He should have taken the risk and landed closer. He should have trained harder. And then, a shot could be heard. It was faint - almost mistakeable with a door slamming shut or a power coupling being overloaded. But for Mathieu - who had probably spent more days on the field of battle than at the Silver Rest, it was clear as day. His heart sank as he started to fear the worst.

His arrival would be announced loudly as he smashed through the door by the entrance. It barely slowed him down as he quickly continued deeper into the abode. It wouldn't be long before he found her, crouched over the author's body whilst putting a blaster in her hand. Immediately realising what had happened, the Jedi rushed forth. He would try to grab hold of her or her shirt and fling her through the door which he had just come through. The elderly couple were dead - now, he needed to remove her from the scene of the crime and take her in. He had allowed her to leave in peace before and these two had just paid for it with their lives.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Before she shot the woman, leaving her helpless and afraid, she had checked the falsified letter, ensuring there were no anomalies in it that would raise any suspicions of the legitimacy of the letter and give it away as being written under duress. Unsurprisingly, there seemed to be no such insight from the other woman who probably was too scared to think about creating a means of communicating through the letter.

While she was certainly cold and detached, she was not unnecessarily cruel, but rather she completed her job to an almost clinical degree. It was only something to be done, not something to be enjoyed. There was no need to cause unnecessary suffering, though her view of 'unnecessary' was arguably warped with the belief that the interrogation division were a necessary part of COMPNOR despite the torture it oftentimes carried out.

At the sudden sound of what sounded like the door being torn open, her head shot up to watch as the irritating Jedi, who she really ought to have gotten a restraining order on at this point in their relationship, advanced towards her. She practically leapt to her feet to dodge under his arms and avoid his grasp, pulling out a blaster pistol from the holster at her hip as she did and training the weapon on him.

"Are you obsessed with me?!" She asked, incredulously. The amount of times they had met couldn't have been a coincidence. He was starting to become a real hindrance and he was only giving her more reason to want him dead.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

She ducked. And then she opened her mouth. Instead of opening his mouth, Mathieu continued the attack. When she snuck in under his arm that was supposed to grab him, he knew that she would come out on the other side. And so, he simply leaned forwards and allowed the leg closest to her to shoot out in a kick. It would carry much more force than the toss he had first hoped to achieve but he deemed it necessary as the alternative might actually have been to get shot in the back of his head like she promised.

It was far from certain that she would be able to complete her sentence before either getting kicked or having to evade the Jedi's leg. Using the momentum of the kick to turn around, Mathieu would once more lunge towards her in an attempt to get a hold of her. Once that was achieved, there would - from what he could see - be little room for escape.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

If the forceful kick hadn't been enough to deter her then what followed would. Easily knocked off of her feet by the blow, she clutched at her abdomen where she had taken the hit, holding her arms across herself with a pained expression. The attack knocked the air out of her so her breathing was short and rapid as her body tried to quickly recover from the shocking strike.

Feeling him grab her quickly led her to anger, as evident by her shift in expression, but she was powerless to do much about it. Even with the blaster still in her hand, he could very easily take it off her in her weakened state and all she could do was protest.

"Get... off!" She spoke between breaths as she tried in vain to pull herself free. Even at full strength, there would have been little she could have done against such an imposing person. Apparently Jedi had a side of steroids with their breakfast, or at least this one did.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

She was tough. Many would have lost consciousness from the massive pain spike that would have erupted upon the Jedi's kick landing. Whether she wore protection or had a hardened constitution from Imperial training was unknown to him but it would not stop him from continuing. She had committed a heinous crime and had to be held responsible for her actions. Having fought her in the past, Mathieu was well aware of her prowess in combat. While he had not ignited his sabre yet, he had no intentions on holding back to let her regain her footing. But then, regaining her footing after the blow he had just dealt would have been hard.

It wouldn't be long before he had caught her. Not having brought any sedatives, he tried to talk her into surrendering as she kicked and flailed whilst demanding that he get off. It was a rich request, considering that she had just murdered two persons in cold blood. It did not tell a convincing tale of her belief in a sentient being's right to their life and personal integrity.

When she continued to struggle, she put a large gloved hand over her nose and mouth to gently cut her supply of oxygen off. There would be time for her to cool down in custody when they were away from the scene of the crime. He only hoped that he had managed to get there in time before she had managed to remove enough evidence. Knowing her, he was certain that a large part of it would already be gone. Once she was unconscious, he contacted the Voss authorities to report the crime. They were bound to be a fair distance away, considering how remote the villa they were in was.

With great care, he picked her up. Bones were potentially broken which meant that he risked causing further internal damage if he was too rough. But then, all her kicking and flailing earlier might have done that already. Before long, they would arrive at his ship. He thought back to when he had captured the Mandalorian, Zephyr. It was from before he had joined the Jedi Order but the conditions were somewhat similar. Bringing out the same heavy chain that he had used on him, he attached it to the table by the rounded L-shaped sofa by the ship's common area and locked it to her ankle, carefully adjusting the size to fit her somewhat smaller size.

Deciding to tend to the most important part first, he gently put a hand over where the kick had impacted. While he did not have a good visual of her injuries - of course that wouldn't be an issue if he simply pulled her shirt up but considering their rather contentious history that was not something which he was prepared to do. Instead, he would allow the force to guide him. Naturally, this would happen after he had injected her with a bag of kolto.

Mathieu had never been all that skilled at healing people through the force, although it was something which he had been forced to practice more ever since having joined up with Chaussidier. Once more, he would reach out through the force and try to mend her internal wounds. It was a - to him - draining process that would cause fatigue and even beads of sweat to show across his forehead. But it would do a bit to heal her. Less, perhaps, than what a medic would have accomplished, but still enough to put her on the right path.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Realistically, she should have been, and would have been, suspicious about the incredible timing of his presence but there was no point speculating what may or may not have caused him to arrive now while she at least had some chance of potentially escaping. She could spend hours in a cell contemplating his timely arrival and everything in-between but she remained hopeful, or stubbornly unwilling to admit otherwise, that it wouldn't come to that.

Feeling his hand over her mouth, she initially assumed it was to keep her quiet but quickly realised it was much worse than that and instinctively began to fight against him out of desperation rather than frustration at being captured. Still, expectedly, it was to no avail and she fell unconscious before long.

Before waking, her expression contorted slightly at the unfamiliar feeling of the Force healing her from within and even upon waking, she opened her eyes but was not fully lucid. For a moment, she didn't concentrate on any one thing as her eyes looked over the room in an attempt at recognising where she was and adjust to the world of the living. However, her gaze soon fell on the Jedi beside her.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed once she realised what was happening, swatting his hand away as a scowl appeared on her face. With a pained groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, prompting the chain to land on the floor with a clunk. "What is this? Is this your kink?" She dropped the chain on the floor and stood up, scanning the room with her eyes.

"Where have you taken me?" She paused for a moment before continuing, turning to face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you a psychopath? Why have you kidnapped me?" She asked. No doubt this was likely some misguided attempt at an arrest, though she wasn't overly concerned. Even if she got to the point of trial, she was under the impression that she would never face a sentence, not with the Empire pulling strings.

To her, the only real implication was the potential impact on her reputation. No one liked to be beat by a Jedi, especially not twice and especially not this Jedi.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

She woke up and rather rudely tried to swat his hands away. Mathieu's eyes shot open and looked to his hand over her ribcage before looking to her. It took a few moments for him to process the purpose of what she did but as soon as he understood, he pulled his hands away.

"Welc-" he didn't manage to complete the sentence or even a single word before she opened her mouth. Of course she was upset - she was always upset. The time when she wasn't upset or mean was when she was playing a character. In a way, he had a rather solid way to tell if she was being genuine or not - for he had learned her core personality trait.

At first, he just sighed until she asked if it was some kind of kink. His mind immediately snapped to when he had put Zephyr in the same spot. It certainly was not a kink - although, it did prove to be an effective bonding tool for the two had become friends by the end of their trip together. Still, he remained silent - for he knew that there was more to come.

When her series of questions and accusations were finally over, he took a deep breath and sat down on the sofa. Perhaps it would help to deescalate the situation. "We are on my ship. I have not kidnapped you. You are in my custody while the Voss authorities investigate the murders. You are in chains because I do not trust you to roam around my ship. I think you and I can be honest with each other - you murdered them. Your indignation of being held captive is hypocritical." He felt as if he was talking to a toddler or a drunkard - the difference wasn't all that great.

"Now let me explain. You could keep yelling and shouting at me, or we could try to make the best out of this situation and treat each other as decently as possible." he looked her in the eyes for a bit as silence spread between them. Mustering as much sympathy as he could, he asked "How are you feeling?" with a nod towards her ribcage.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

"Custody?" She repeated. "Under what authority? The Concord doesn't have intergalactic reach. We're not within your borders." She told him. "Ah, but of course. Borders are optional when you're a Jedi. Peace and justice knows no borders." She mocked, complete with sweeping hand gestures, making her feelings of Jedi very well known and that was before even touching upon the feelings she harboured towards him which were far more potent.

His revelation that she had killed the couple didn't prompt any reaction, not even to the fact he knew, instead she simply showed an indifference towards it, showing her cold detachment from the reality of her line of work. "To you, it is hypocritical." She replied. While she wasn't about to spout some propaganda she had been fed, she gave a very clinical reply, devoid of emotion. "To me, I was just doing a job and I don't deserve to get kidnapped by some Jedi for it."

It was how she separated herself from actual murderers and psychopaths - with the belief that what she was doing was a necessity, not a source of joy or hatred. Once you had reached that level of apathy towards living people then it was difficult to return to any other viewpoint.

"Absolutely not." She resigned herself to sitting back down where she had been. "You are one of the people I hate most in this galaxy and that's saying a lot because I lived on Thustra during Sith rule." She told him, bitterly. The last thing she wanted to do was be civil with him but expressing her anger towards him was a waste of time too. "Yeah, I'm fine." She snapped. She was still aching from the attack but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before.

With a sigh, she pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and placed it between her lips as she lit it. It was going to be a long day.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

"Unde the authority of the Chiss" he said with a bored expression. Catching himself in an all too negative outlook, Mathieu once more tried to produce a smile "I called them after I caught you. They're sending over a team to investigate. Meanwhile, you are held under my custody." Mathieu had faced many challenges during his time with the Jedi. Few persons had tried his patience as much as this agent was - perhaps being able to tolerate her should be grounds for a medal or a special recognition by the council. He considered pitching the idea to Master Thurion when his attention was brought back to the present.

He leaned his head to the side. Did she not realise that she was contradicting herself? "Let me get this straight. You don't think that it is hypocritical of you to be upset for having your freedom limited after you killed two persons, ending their potential 'freedom' forever. Instead, you think that your murder was justified because it was part of your job. But then, the question becomes why you would not think that I am justified in arresting you, as a part of my job." he looked to her, clearly puzzled. It was hard to see any good way for her to explain that she wasn't indeed a hypocrite. In his eyes, she would do better by just admitting it but telling that to her face did not seem very wise. But then, exposing himself to her sharp tongue didn't seem all that wise either.

She didn't change the least upon being offered peace. But he did. It wasn't nice to hear that she hated him so much - it was in fact something which he wasn't used to at all. His head tilted down as his lips formed a thin line. When she mentioned living on Thustra during the Sith occupation, his eyes once more rose to meet hers. A wave of guilt washed over him and he didn't bother to cover any of it up. The system had been part of the Silver Sphere and while he had not been part of the Order for long, it had been his duty to protect them - and her. He composed himself for a moment and nodded at her claim to be fine.

When she produced a lighter, his hand quickly shot out to grab it. Accidentally applying a little bit too much force, Mathieu found the simple device break in his grip. "I'm sorry." He wasn't referring to the lighter. The large Morellian's gaze fell once more as he offered what little excuse he could "I fought Empress Joycelyn on Velmor at the time" he looked up at her "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to fight for you" he stayed for a little bit, waiting for her to keep hurling insults at him.

And then he stood up. "Call for me if you need anything" he said, spirits still down from hearing of her fate. Mathieu gave her a nod before leaving for the cockpit.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Her gaze remained on him with a cold expression as he attempted a smile. "Lucky me." She replied sarcastically. With every encounter with the Jedi, she only grew to hate him more and more. She was unbothered at the prospect of there being an investigation. She had covered her tracks well so as long as everything went to plan, if it came to it, it would be her word against his and she liked her odds. Even as a Jedi which inherently made him more trustworthy, she had ways that she could manipulate the situation in her favour.

"Part of your job?" She repeated, a hint of amusement in her tone. "Jedi really have to be the heroes of the galaxy, don't they?" She scoffed and folded her arms. "Even though you're not particularly good at it." Her mind returned to the fleeting memory of Thustra when her home fell into Sith rule and it seemed - so did he.

"Hey-" She scowled when he grabbed her lighter and opened her mouth to express her annoyance but his focus was elsewhere. His apology came as a surprise and her face contorted in suspicion. Did he truly mean what he said or was he just trying to act like the insufferable Jedi with their saviour complex?

"I don't need Jedi to protect me from a problem they created in the first place." She replied, clarifying her stance on the Jedi and Sith, in spite of her own Force sensitivity. It was a curse and she despised it. The Jedi were indirectly responsible for the war that scattered her family and she hated them for it, though she was not totally neurotic and could recognise that most Jedi held no responsibility.

She didn't care much for his apology, it wouldn't change the past, but she didn't react too harshly either. Even though she judged it to be sincere, she was still willing to bet he would have only wanted to protect her if it prevented her from joining the Empire. Even in his goodwill, she doubted the true nature of his comments.

Her gaze followed him as he left the room and once he was gone, she immediately stood up and began looking for anything that might help her escape but he seemed to have covered all possibilities well. With no success, she resigned herself back to the seat she had been on with a sigh. She truly was at his mercy, for now. At least when she did get out, she knew his name, which was more than he could say about her.

It would make tracking him down a whole lot easier.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

If any other person had behaved like this woman did, Mathieu would have been disappointed in them, whether it be an ally or an enemy. But he was not disappointed in the agent - for his expectations of her were already quite abysmal. Still, he was happy to be in his own position rather than hers - for she was the one in captivity and she was the one who kept reaching new lows whenever he thought that the bottom had been reached already.

He had left her alone in the common area of the ship. She would be harmless enough where she was bound. An added bonus was that he knew that she would be comfortable too - at least as comfortable as one could hope to be while in captivity. She was not trapped by an energy field that threatened to cause her light burns - instead, she was just chained to the sizeable sofa.

After a while, a rumble could be felt as the ships engines came to life. Working relatively hastily, Mathieu soon managed to bring them airborne. He was bringing them into the planet's orbit - thinking that it would be safer than on the ground and offer better flexibility for when the Voss would eventually call for him to either travel to Voss-Ka or to go somewhere else.

Deciding to stay away from her for a while longer, Mathieu simply walked through the common area once they were in a stable orbit. It was time to get something to eat. For a moment, he wondered what preferences she had but ultimately decided against asking. Talking to her was never pleasant.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

Left alone with her thoughts, she pondered on his apology. He didn't appear to be too much older than her, though given his involvement in the invasion of Thustra she put two and two together to assume he was at least part of a species more long-lived than humans. She thought of her sister, spared the fate of an invasion when she joined the Jedi twenty years prior. It had been by chance.

No doubt chance was involved in the events leading up to their current situation. Had it not been for the invasion, Zoraya would never have been separated from her family and ended up in Imperial space. She may well have followed her sister's footsteps and joined the Jedi - now there was no chance of that ever happening. While she didn't know Mathieu's circumstances, she could assume that his becoming a Jedi was partly down to chance too - including the chance of having a semi-stable political environment on his home planet, not facing the brunt of the war.

The way she saw it was that they were both products of their environment and it softened her opinion of him somewhat. After all, she may well have been fighting battles with him had the Sith Empire not invaded first. She still despised him for what he had done to her but not for him simply being a Jedi - even though she had many criticisms of the Jedi. She pondered on how they perhaps weren't so different, after all.

Hearing footsteps, her gaze, which had been previously fixated on nothing in particular as she was deep in thought, shifted to him as he entered the room but she said nothing.

Dressed in casual-wear appropriate for that of a Voss spring, she wasn't particularly well-equipped to contend with anything more than mildly cold so when the room became noticeably colder, she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her arms around them.

"Jedi!" She called out after a few moments. "You remember space is cold, right?"

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

The making of a delicious meal - it was something which brought him peace. It helped him centre himself in a hard and rough environment. The fries were about to be done and he was working on the steaks. The seasoning was done already - it would just be another minute. He produced plates and cutlery from the cabinet before removing the meat from the pan. He glanced over to the other two slabs that had only been seasoned - it was for later. He had always had quite the appetite but it his need to consume had increased by multitudes ever since Chaussidier installed the implants. Still, he knew that she was bound to complain if she saw him serve her one piece while he had three, and so, he saved them for later. Perhaps it was naive - for she would most likely complain regardless.

His mind quickly wandered to brighter thoughts. The meat was to rest and so he prepared the garlic butter and produced the fries from the oven. Once more, he entered a positive mindset. And then he heard her voice. Mathieu's wide shoulders fell and he couldn't help but to feel weary of what vicious insults she would hurl his way now.

Leaving the kitchen, he looked out into the common area. He offered her a sympathetic smile and nodded. There was nothing to be gained by making her suffer or uncomfortable. The chain was a necessity but the cold was not. Walking over to her, the large Morellian removed his outer robes, leaving him in his body glove clad in armour plates. He then extended the robe to her - it was larger and heavier than most - but it would be adequate at keeping her from freezing "Sorry" he said before adding "I've made some us something to eat. Maybe that will help"

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

While it was relatively quiet, she could still hear the sound of him moving objects about in the next room and tried to decipher what he could possibly be doing. Under other circumstances, she would've been tense, knowing how powerless she was and that he could very easily interrogate her but she was unconcerned in their current situation. After all, he was a Jedi and they tended to be pretty harmless.

When he returned, she looked up at his hand holding out the robe and looked unimpressed at being offered a Jedi robe. "Seriously?" She commented. "Don't you people ever wear normal clothes?" She asked before reluctantly taking the offering and wrapping it around herself.

"You've done what?!" She asked, incredulously. She was dumbfounded at the treatment she received. In contrast with how she would treat someone she had captive, the differences were stark. The fact he was about to serve food was unbelievable, almost comical. Had their roles been reversed then she likely would've ignored him until she could get rid of him.

Location: Voss
Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

"Seriously?" She asked. Dutifully, he responded with a nod. He was, indeed, offering her his own robes to keep her warm. She continued speaking and he immediately realised his mistake. He had taken her question as something genuine, sincere and kind-hearted. When was he going to learn that she was incapable of being any of those things? As she wrapped herself in his outer robes, he produced a concerned look as he leaned in closer whilst his eyes fixed on the top of her head "I must've caused more damage to you than anticipated" he paused for a moment as if to check on her "You clearly don't seem to remember that night out at the Telos system" he paused once more, his eyes snapping to hers as he spoke her false name to remind her "Rhea"

He smirked, rather satisfied with himself. He had proven her snide comment to be incorrect while also throwing in a couple of jabs at her. Maybe she wasn't so bad - afterall, she would have to do much better for her venomous words to truly sting.

Mathieu left the room for a few moments before reentering it with a tray. It carried two glasses of Telosian wine and plates with one steak each, a salad and fries. "I've made us something to eat" he said, offering her a gentle smile and hoping that it would appease her. He knew that he was rather decent in the kitchen and that his food was often appreciated. Still, he prepared himself mentally for a verbal assault. Nodding, he highlighted the cutlery with his gaze "If you try something, I'll have to give you plastic ones next" he spoke jestfully before taking a seat on the far end of the sofa. "I hope you'll enjoy your meal"

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

His mention of their first encounter irritated her and prompted a sour response from the agent. "Oh shut up." She snapped. "You think you're so funny?" She asked, incredulously. She didn't react when he called her by her false name though. The situation they had found themselves in on Telos would have almost been comical if she didn't hate his very living being.

It was bad enough that he had been the cause of such a devastating injury, taking no responsibility for her own role in the clash, but the fact he was such an insufferable person added insult to injury. The opinion of both towards the other made for quite the dynamic duo.

Even though he had already told her, she was still in disbelief as he entered the room with two meals that looked as though they were for a couple enjoying a quiet night in. Her expression displayed no such shock and instead she just looked down at the food and then at Mathieu as if to convey 'really?'

Initially, she didn't pick up the cutlery to threaten him or otherwise. Instead she watched him with a cold gaze before eventually relenting and picking up a fry to eat. She couldn't deny that she was hungry at this point, no matter how stubborn she was.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: Rural Voss
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

As he sat down, Mathieu wondered if this person was ever nice. Was it even within the realms of possibility that she would try to be nice for once? Was it something he did or didn't do that caused her to be like this? When she looked to him as if to grill him on his actions, he offered an innocent smile and shrug.

While the Imperial waited carefully before starting, Mathieu didn't wait. Some foods could just be left on the plate without going bad. After they had been give a chance to rest, were not one of those foods that could just lay there. Although it would be a pity for the meat to go to waste, Mathieu had no intentions on preventing it. Taking her food and eating it for himself was completely out of the question and telling her to eat before the food got cold would probably just cause her to spew more venom. Instead, he would just mind his own business and try to enjoy the meal. Unless she decided to speak, he would remain silent.

 

[Zoraya Ives-Ayres]

As he smiled so innocently at her, she couldn't help but wonder if he was naïve or just stupid. He seemed like someone who truly didn't mean any harm but was just too oblivious to realise that he did. It was so reminiscent of the belief she held towards all Jedi. He seemed to be a paragon of a Jedi - a clueless, wannabe hero. While she had never claimed that the Empire was an example of morality to strive for, the Jedi were pathetic and ineffective despite their claim of moral superiority.

Still, it piqued her interest as to why someone would willingly choose to side with the Jedi. She placed her arms firmly in a folded position and looked towards him. "Why did you do it?" She started, trying to get his attention. "Why did you join the Jedi?" She asked rather intrusively. While she didn't think she would ever understand it, she at least wanted to know what drove people to die for such a cause.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Second Base​

Location: A ship
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: Zoraya Ives-Ayres

Maybe silence was the answer. It was as if he was stunned by disbelief when he sat there. Not a word came from his mouth as he carefully looked up from his plate and onto her. She had asked not just one, but two questions. None of them were rude in any way - in fact, it was as if she wanted to know about him. There was no mean undertones and she was really not required to ask anything either. He had offered her a - in his opinion good - meal and they were currently en route back to her Imperial friends. The questions weren't new - he had been asked them in the distant past and so, he begun answering "It started with a bad break-up" he smiled at his own joke. It was partially true but it was far from the real reason why he became a Jedi.

"I used to be a mercenary before this." he offered her an apologetic attempt at a smile as if it could compensate for the guilt he felt about it "I, uh... I did a lot of harm back then. Had to fix that, y'know?" Guilt and pain weighed down his voice as he felt an immediate urge to bring the conversation to a lighter theme. His voice brightened. While it was clearly visible that he was still troubled, he smiled "And what better way is there to do good than to join the Jedi?" His tone was now enthusiastic. The rhetorical question had a point, that was certainly true, but fully serious, he was not.

The smile lingered by his lips as he thought of the work he had done when fighting to keep the Silver Sphere safe from Sith and Bryn alike, and then the covert operation under Admiral Chaussidier. Soon, however, it was replaced by a grimmer expression as memories of the demise of Purin Mill Se-Loach or his failure to save multiple of his friends from falling. The large Jedi let out a hallow sigh "I wonder if it was the right call" his gaze fell as he tried to centre himself in the turmoil of emotions that had been stirred. Perhaps it was for the best that the questions were asked again. Of course, it might have been better if he had more trustworthy company. Still not looking up to her, he attempted to bring the conversation elsewhere "What about you then? Why Imperial Intelligence?"