Show me the ways of your people

[Kaili Talith]

Did it always rain on Yavin, or did Kaili just have the tendency to catch it on her way into town? It had been a while since she had made way to the fourth rock from Yavin, there had never really been any reason for her to do so. At least not one that she could think of, life on Borleias was far more comfortable with the never ending beaches and tropical paradise. Granted, it wasn’t perfect, but for the people like Kaili and her family who made enough of a living to treat it as such, it kind of was. Allyson probably agreed with it as well. She had to, for all the time that Kaili had known Allyson the two of them had only ever really been to Borleias. They had acknowledged that Allyson had a place of her own, but Kaili hadn’t actually seen it.

That was going to change. Today. They were fixing that, today.

A pale grip had latched on to the pilot’s seat as the ship touched ground. There had been hesitation on Allyson’s end of things, but Kaili had managed to persuade her about the unfair nature of that. And now here they were on the beaches of, well, no beach at all. They were in a jungle or a swamp and outside the rains patted heavy against the viewport of their ship. There had been some hiccups at check in, but once Allyson had approached the screens to check in it had all been greenlit. One of the benefits of being part of the Clan that had dominion over the local area, probably.

Not so much if you were an associate to an associate. [member="Ember Rekali"] had been given the heads up upon their descent through atmo. Once the ridiculous new system for entry had approved the duo. Something that had Kaili shaking her head ever so gently in disapproval. It was not just the spacelanes that was supposed to be free, access to go planetside seemed just as important to protect, but Mara had never mentioned anything about that.

If she ever met a fellow Warden she would make sure they heard about this.

The pale hand let go of the pilot's seat and once Henry was safely tucked away underneath the cover of her backpack flap, Kaili set off down the loading ramp. A quick look down below the landing platform upon which their ship stood gave her a new newfound appreciation for the existence of duracrete. There was mud everywhere, much like the last time Kaili had come to visit. However, back then she was far younger and wasn’t there to see a “tiny apartment, most of my stuff is here on Borleias anyway, Kaili. Do we have to go?”

Yes they did. Kaili wanted to snoop-... Err, have a look. She wanted to have a look, and a talk with her girlfriend’s boss. That was hardly too much to ask for, was it? Living conditions and the man that provided her with said living. It wasn’t being overly attached, it was called being interested and invested in your partner.

… According to strangers giving advice on the Holonet at least.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” The young Talith called back into the ship as she waited at the edge of the loading ramp. “I don’t think the rain’s letting up anytime soon.”

“It never does.” The kid muttered beneath her breath.

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

By and large, Ember wasn't in the habit of trusting non-family. Even people like Isley Verd were still relatives (if only in the loosest sense). [member="Allyson Locke"] was basically family at this point -- she'd been his first mate and chief engineer on the Coronet. She'd always done right by him. And thus, if she ever introduced herself as Allyson Rekali, nobody would bat an eye. Her significant other would have been allowed on Yavin by default -- even if that significant other weren't who she was.

By the light of the Mirr, the ancient farsight artifact, Ember the Farseer kept occasional watch over his clan. He'd known a little about the orange-eyed girl since not long after the relationship began. Not until much later, however, did he put two and two together, and happen to hear a last name, and then some inquiries brought it all into focus.

Yes, she'd have been allowed through security even if she wasn't borking Allyson. Whether she'd have come here if she knew what he knew, though -- that was a whole other matter.

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]Yavin wasn’t Allyson’s favorite place, but for the most part it was what she used to call home. For the most part home was where Kaili was – particularly home right now was Borleias. Allyson didn’t complain, the beachy planet was fairly similar to what she had back on Corellia, before the Sith and the Vong doing Vong things. She liked the beaches, she liked the sand for the most part and she liked the fact that she was with Kaili at Kaili’s home. There had been many protests and attempts at convincing Kaili that heading to Yavin wasn’t that important and that there wasn’t much here to show the Talith girl. All of the attempts were in vain and the brunette pilot found herself back on Yavin with a backpack filled what the necessities that she needed – necessities she had for the most part moved to Kaili’s. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Following the girl down the ramp, Allyson pulled a hood over her head. Rain was her least favorite weather formation. It was wet and made things colder than they should be. Snow, was fun – cold, but fun. Snow could be formed into shapes and such, Allyson pondered snow for a minute then remembered how fething cold it was and then frowned. No snow, no Hoth, never. Kaili wouldn’t be able to talk her into that one. Stopping at the end of the ramp, Allyson decided to try her luck once more and talk the girl out of being on Yavin. “Kaili, there’s really nothing to see here of mine – everything and I mean everything that matters is back on Borleias” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Sighing softly, Allyson stopped herself and decided to grab ahold of Kaili’s hand. Fingers intertwined and she pulled the girl along gently through the rain towards the building where you went to after landing on Yavin. The building was owned by Rekali clan and most of the people inside greeted Allyson. There was several little meet and greets as Allyson showed Kaili off to the people she worked with and in so many words were family to. That was something she never fully understood. The clan was a family, yet most of them weren’t related. Ember took her under his wing and more so after she had lost her entire family to the happenings on Corellia. The Mandalorians were an interesting group of people and Allyson couldn’t imagine where she would have ended up if she hadn’t met Ember. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]They continued down through the building and into another which looked like a stacked apartment building. Each hallway led to 9 or 10 doors and Allyson lead Kaili down to one of the rooms. Pulling out a card, she prepared to swipe it. Her back turned to Kaili, she warned her slightly. “Its not much really. I just used to come here to sleep between jobs and deliveries. Now I just go to Borleias…” Allyson looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Because that’s where you are. Anyways, this is where I live.” Live was an odd word, but it was the one that made the most sense. Inside, Kaili would find bare walls, a small desk at the end where a data pad would have been if she was there, a computer rig that was designed for gaming identical to the one found on the ship. Along the right wall there would be a bed neatly made and rather small, designed for one person to sleep on. On the bed would be a worn stuffed Taun Taun plushie with what looked like a collar and a name tag that read ‘Pickles’. The single room apartment was small and seemed really designed just for sleeping and nothing more, a small kitchen was on the other side of the room. Walking in Allyson dropped things onto her bed and sat down. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“I’d give you a tour, but pretty sure you can see everything from just standing there.” Allyson chuckled and laid back onto the bed and sighed softly. This was home for so long, but now she had a different home and that was fine. [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Ember Rekali"][/SIZE]

 

[Kaili Talith]

But there was much more to the visit than just getting to know Allyson better. Not that there was much more of the whole ‘get to know’ part to explore anymore. If anything this was the final few chapters of that particularly Kaili-biased book before the break, until things had reached a whole other level of trust that was reserved for a whole other moment. Most wouldn’t get it, but the real names of a Talith -- or rather, a Shamalain -- was a very intimate matter. Kaili had been told from a very young age by her father about the meaning of sharing it with someone else. That to their kind it was like a marriage proposal. There was time and a place when such things had to be said, they just had to find it first.

A wary glare went for the sky as the raindrops began smattering against the girl’s head and face. Allyson made protests, but Kaili wasn’t going to listen. Shortly after refocusing on the task at hand Kaili began to make mental notes of the overall vibe of the place. It was well-secure with plenty of people around, at least more people than on Borleias at this point. The two of them stepped inside a building and even here it all felt relatively safe. The hallways might have been a bit narrow, but that was nothing new. Spaceships had pretty tight corridors as well, it was essentially the same thing.

The rain smattered against the window as Kaili and Allyson entered what seemed to be a very small apartment. In one corner a bed, in the other a kitchen. All things considered: a studio apartment.

“It’s perfect.” Kaili whispered dismissively and turned back around to look at Allyson for a second. “Small, most definitely cramped.”

A finger swept against the dust that covered the windowsill before her fingertips clasped together to rub it away. She threw another quick glance outside to check the view. The courtyard looked weird from a floor up. Like a big pool of mud and foliage. Kaili nodded and went back to inspect the rest of the tiny apartment before she turned back towards Allyson.

“I need one of these.” She said rather abruptly, a plain statement of a fact. “Does your boss rent these out? I need to keep my options open, Yavin could be one of them.”

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson had sat up as she waited to see what Kaili had to say about her cramped apartment. Having two people in the room made it seem smaller than what it usually felt like. Leaning forward, Allyson placed her elbows on her knees as she let the inspector continue her routine around the place. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she watched the girl run her finger against the dusty window. Of course the place was a bit of a mess dusting wise, Allyson really hadn’t been back since she had met Kaili. After did her work she quickly would drop off any paperwork at the main HQ and then head straight for Borleias, sometimes if she could swing it, she would just skip dropping things off and just head straight for the small shop and apartment.

Kaili still had her jacket and pack on, Allyson stood up and headed towards the girl and removed the pack and the jacket from the blonde woman and placed them onto her bed. Lifting the flap she smirked at Henry and then lowered it back down. At this time, Kaili mentioned about renting a place from Ember. Raising an eyebrow Allyson stood near the girl and shrugged. “Not really sure, I mean I got one because I work for him and he’s kind of like my dad in so many words…” Allyson’s hazel eyes narrowed for a second as her face showed confusion. Ember raised her after she ran off with him when she became his first mate, the rest of that story was history, but an important part of her life. Sighing softly, she shook her head and shrugged.

“I’m sure you could just mov—maybe he has some bigger units.” Realizing how cramped this place was already she figured having Kaili and the rest of her life joining the small studio would just make the place into a storage unit. Looking at her comm, she checked the time and figured Ember would be in his office, his very Mandalorian office. “Well boss man should be in the office – don’t think he has any serious business appointments right now, mmm wonder if Alec is around – doubt it.” The last bit of her sentence she didn’t’ realize she had said outload, but her mind was focused on getting Kaili to see Ember. The girl was determined to see him and talk to him – the faster they got that done the fast they could get off Yavin and somewhere not as swampy.

Grasping Kaili’s hand she dragged the girl out of the apartment and led her down the hallway. Ember’s office wasn’t too far which was a good thing and they would arrive in a matter of moments. Running down a couple of flights of stairs and moving to the next building, they arrived at the door of the man’s office and with a knock and a call to the man, Allyson waited for the two to meet. “Boss man! It’s Ally, got someone I uh want you to meet!” Was this what it felt like to have your girlfriend meet your pseudo/adopted dad? Allyson wrinkled her nose for a moment and tried to not be as nervous as she was at this moment. [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

“Boss man! It’s Ally, got someone I uh want you to meet!”

Ember's office had a little bit of multiple personality syndrome going on, and like that particular non-DSM-V-approved myth, it didn't quite work. You couldn't run a shamanistic Force order from a modern office. You couldn't run one of the galaxy's largest corporations from a shrine to the Fanged God. Throw in some Mandalorian touches -- a display of bes'beve (metal flutes); the head of a Trandoshan Sith Lord -- and the place got a bit spastic. Ember was doing paperwork in his Mando/Witch armour, helmet off, and examining the fourth quarter reports for the Force-imbued sailboats.

"Come in," he said. "Wait, hold on a moment." He muttered a chant. The door unlocked. The statue behind it didn't move, but it stopped glaring and its eyes lost their glow. "All right, come on in. How are you, Ally? Who's your friend?"

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Alec? Who’s Alec?” Kaili perked a confused brow and followed behind Allyson. “Nevermind.”

They continued down the hallways as Kaili continued her inspection of what was going on around them. The place looked safe, but things such as looks could always be deceptive. For all she knew Ember could run an illegal smuggling operation, or a slavery ring. Not that it felt particularly likely, but the point still stood. Kaili had to be mindful of anything.

Then again, that was more than likely just her pent up anxiety hard at work.

Allyson called out for her boss, the two of them were let inside and with just a quick look around the office she was left speechless, uncertain what to think of it. Eyes set themselves on the armored man behind the desk before setting back at Allyson with a look that screamed of ‘Is this the guy, really?’

“I’m Kaili.” The kid said before she took a deep breath to get rid of that underlying anxiety. “Kaili Talith.”

“I’m, uh, Allyson’s girlfriend. I need to talk to you about housing, it’s rather urgent.”

[member="Ember Rekali"] // [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The ‘who is Alec’ question would be saved for another day, which was probably a good thing because honestly Allyson didn’t know how to explain the tension filled relationship with Ember’s grandchild. They entered Ember’s office and she blinked seeing everything he used to decorate it. He was really getting into this whole Witch dude thing and she shrugged and let it pass. Kids these days with their decorations. Kaili quickly spoke up which seemed odd to her, the girl was usually pretty reserved, but as of lately she’s been taking ‘the bull by the horns’.

Kaili proceeded to let Ember know who she was and why she was here. The mention of housing made her raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Here she had thought Kaili was just trying to move to Yavin to just be around her, but there was something in the tone of her voice when she used the word ‘urgent’. What was so urgent that she needed to move right this second, especially to Yavin. Borleias was Kaili’s home world, what was going on there that was forcing her to leave it.

“Urgent? What’s going on with Borleias?” Allyson cut in with possibly the same question Ember had for her. [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“What, other than the fact that the One Sith is breathing down my neck, Republican soldiers leaving en masse and my city block growing more and more worried about what the future holds for us?” Kaili gave a Allyson a most serious look. “There are a few Republican ‘deserters,’ real heroes, who have decided to stay behind, but as far as governments and stability goes it’s all just a matter of time before either one of two things happen.”

“One, ironically enough, is that the One Sith comes knocking at my door in which case not only I, but my entire family could be in danger.” Kaili looked back at Ember. “Or two, subversive elements dig in their heels and continuing preying on the refugees seeking a life within the new borders of the Republic.”

“Quite frankly it might even be a mixture of both if contemporary history has anything to do with it.” Kaili was just about getting started. “It starts with a governmental body leaving, it devolves into either rebels or pirates seizing local power and within months we will have another governmental body stepping in to pick up the trash and sift through our remains, and when that happens I’d much rather see my shop relocated to somewhere that wouldn’t risk having everything I’ve worked for fall into the hands of a grandiose piece of poobah on an Obsidian Throne.”

“That is my problem.” Kaili finally shut herself up and looked at Allyson. “I am afraid and running away, just like every other refugee from the north.” Her attention went back to Ember. “So please, do you have room to spare or should I take a hike?”

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Allyson Locke"]

"Let me put it to you this way, Miss Talith. You're far from the first to seek refuge here due to the Sith and the Republic being equally worthless. The Core is a hazardous place just now, and it might well get worse. The Republic is running with its tail between its legs, there's no longer a buffer state between the One Sith and the Mandalorians, and we're forming an alliance with the Alderaani, right near the Sith border. You should be aware that, even though the Mandalorian leaders have signed an ill-advised and deeply mortal non-aggression pact with the Sith, there will be war and it might come here. If so, it'll take a long time, and Clan Rekali has redoubts and colonies all throughout the Hard Roil. All that to say, I feel comfortable offering you long-term shelter. As for the short term, what suits you best? An apartment in Port Shardrock, a traditional hut in Witchtown, an instructor's room in the Jedi Academy, a homestead in the jungle? Larger, even? We recently lost our tenant for the Temple of Exar Kun, if you're interested."

He wasn't even joking.

 

[Kaili Talith]

For a second, Kaili merely blinked and looked at the man behind the desk. As far as answers went she hadn’t expected to hear something more akin to a, well, ‘No.’ To be offered a home dulled out any worry she had for the future and the ‘Mandalorian-Sith Non-Aggression treaty.’ Her mouth ran ajar, her brows perked and she threw a quick glance at Allyson. Surprise evident, blinking coming to a halt.

“Uh, okay… Wow.” Kaili finally managed. “Well, my mother was- is a teacher at the nearby Jedi Academy. Though whether it’s my kind of people or not…”

“What I need is room for a small-time hobby foundry as well as an ability to ship droids to off-world customers.” Kaili took her seat in front of the man’s desk to allow her nerves the last few straws of peace they needed to settle down. “I run a small droid shop, but most of my clients send me their requests via the Holonet. If you had someplace that would match this description and would be willing to rent it out, then I wouldn’t mind helping your people out in return. I could run diagnostics, make repairs to droids and other equipment, that kind of thing.”

“I guarantee you, I am one of the best in my field.”

“... For my age.” Kaili muttered underneath her breath.

[member="Ember Rekali"] // [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Kaili Talith"]

"That's a compelling offer, Miss Talith. Many of our refugees have useful skills -- it's just a matter of teasing them out -- but you'd be a cut above, by some metrics. So -- locations that might fit. HoloNet access, machine shop, presumably access to Force crafting materials? I actually know just the place. Jedi Master Shule Windspeaker used to teach around here. He had a workshop and lodge between Witchtown and the Academy. When he died-" A long story, and an ugly one. "-his granddaughter inherited it. Ashin Varanin. After her death, well, who knows who it passed to. She'd partially integrated it with Ke'dem, her Dark Jedi paramilitary contracting outfit. Some of the Jal Shey crafters turned, some left in disgust. The workshop has mostly sat empty for months now. Pity, too. They used to make beautiful things there." He fished in his desk and came up with a sniper scope. "It sees truth -- sees through illusions. My Clan made the scope armature, Shule's Workshop made the optics. I'd love for someone to take up residence, someone who might respect the place's heritage."

Ember leaned back in his chair, pondering. "I'm aware, of course, that your mother has taught at the Academy. We haven't kept in touch since the rescue, but I'm pleased she's found her way here on occasion. I confess that it's because of her I feel such a sense of...responsibility in your direction. In a way, I'm accountable for your existence, after all, and I take that seriously."

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Oh.” Kaili couldn’t help letting her surprise seep into a shocked mutter. Ashin was dead? Ibaris second parent was dead, and she hadn’t even known. The two girls weren’t all that close, in fact they were pretty distant when all things were considered, but had Kaili known about it there would have been flowers sent, or anything else to help Ibaris with the loss.

Yet her sadness turned into confusion and then into a very distinct feeling of

“Of course!” Kaili slammed the palm of her hand against her forehead and dragged it across her face. “You’re him, the man who saved mother from the place.” Kaili looked at Allyson for a second and then back at Ember. “I am… Wow, okay, wow. She told us about you when we were children, but I never really put the name to memory.” Because admitting not remembering the name of whoever you was talking to was a nice thing to do. Not. “Ember Rekali, savior of Kira Talith.”

“I’m an idiot, of course!” Kaili took a moment to calm herself down. Took a deep breath and let it all go. “Allyson,” Kaili turned to her girlfriend. “Your boss was the man who saved my mother from…”

“From…” Kaili suddenly looked very confused. Had she forgotten this part?

“Uh…” It felt like it was right there, on the tip of her tongue. Something about her mother's leg.

[member="Ember Rekali"] // [member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Allyson Locke"]

Old memories rushed through him, very old and very bitter, tainted by the hell-bent drunk he'd been at the time. Fresh from Aaralyn's kidnapping and Ordo's betrayal.

"Sith prison. Torture. Some sort of control implant in the back of her neck." He'd said that somewhat dispassionately, without empathy; that didn't bother him as much as it once had. He shrugged.

"Anyways, I disabled it, took it out the hard way, dropped her off with a medic, and kept going. They'd taken my daughter Aaralyn, and I was tracking Jedi prisoners in general. Your mother was, let's say, a side benefit. I'm glad that she's done so well for herself. Married a Senator, I think? Brentaal or Balmorra or something like that? Frankly, I don't know much about your father other than the name Talith and, of course, the eyes."

 

[Kaili Talith]

Getting rid of a control chip the hard way. The girl remained speechless. This wasn’t the story that her mother had told, in fact mother had never told Kaili and her siblings the story. Not that any of them had really ever asked for it either. Her mother was reserved, at least when it came to certain topics, and with the bombs that had been dropped within the room that Kaili currently stood in there was little wonder as to why. When it came to their mother and her injuries it was all just part of the norm for them. They had never bothered to ask, and they had therefore never gotten an answer.

Didn’t mean it felt like any less of a shock, but there it was. Kaili took her seat again as her eyebrows seemed to bat at the bangs that brushed across her forehead. Her hand covered her mouth before it gently pinched against her lips and dragged itself across her chin. It didn’t help that the man in front of her seemed to show little care for the topic either as if it was brushed aside. Something devastating had happened her mother and Ember Rekali was treating her as a piece of fortunate collateral.

The girl’s teeth gritted to the curling of fists. Kaili took a deep breath and let out a quick deep breath to let it go.

“That,” She began. “Was more than I knew.”

But this wasn’t a subject she needed to discuss, at least not with Ember. Her eyes closed and she followed it up with yet another deep breath and exhale. This was a daughter-mother topic, not a daughter-stranger topic.

“I uh, need to talk to my mother about this.” She looked to the floor. “So Ashin used to live there? In the house, I mean.”

[member="Ember Rekali"]