Dominion Take it With a Grain of Sand [Galactic Alliance Dominion of Jakku]

[Hoid Hallafax]

Backwater. Out of the way. Barren. Useless.

These are the words used to describe Jakku across the Galaxy. A dusty world with little of importance outside of its potential for relics and salvage, Jakku has spent the centuries teetering on the edge of civilization. Only in the last half decade have the people of Jakku seen a semblance of what that looks like.

The Starbird Trade Spine, one of the Galactic Alliance’s crowning achievements, crosses through Jakku space and the denizens of its sandy wastes have benefited greatly. Local settlements have consistent access to foodstuffs and consistent buyers of ancient salvage, local star stops are bustling and evolving into true starports, even the Jedi seem to have returned to the planet to handle small disputes and rescue foolish salvagers. But along with this new prosperity comes the inevitable; Light begets darkness and so the increased space traffic has emboldened Water Raiders, Scrappers, and other dastardly goons, threatening to disrupt and destroy this fragile thing called civilization. Pirates also patrol the space around Jakku, hoping for easy pickings along the less patrolled neutral zones of the Starbird Trade Spine.

Scattered and without a voice, the people of Jakku have made an appeal to the Senate to officially join the Galactic Alliance in hopes that the Alliance’s military strength, abundance of wealth, and Jedi guidance will usher them into an age of peace, freedom, and justice.

​

Objective 1: Such a Sham

A diverse group from the sands of Jakku have come to Coruscant to speak with the Senate about their appeal to join the Galactic Alliance. Jakku does not have a government and nor a population large enough to claim autonomy. According to Galactic Alliance law, technically the planet could be taken simply by expanding patrols into the sector, something that had already been discussed for months in the Senate due to the frequency of raids along that stretch of the Starbird. However, these people cannot be ignored. Though they come to the splendor of Coruscant dressed in cobbled together sandy outfits, their dried out bodies and sunken eyes plead for special consideration. A vying approach that begs the reconsideration of Jakku’s annexation –– an outcome that would circumvent adding their voice to the Senate; ultimately it would cost less and allow corporations to legally acquire land without opposition, possibly forcing locals out of their homes. Adding them to the Senate however means a portion of the Galactic budget, a heavy one at that due to Jakku’s limited resources, would go to Jakku with almost nothing besides a port along the Starbird. The long-term potential of a developing/developed system however could be beneficial to the Alliance.

• The illustrious Senate gather to debate the moral quandary of adding Jakku to the Senate or simply annexing the system into the Alliance.

​

Objective 2: Romi, oh Romi, wherefore art thou Romi

​

The legendary Jedi Master Romi Jade has invited the New Jedi Order to her enclave on Jakku. Small and secretive, it lacks the grandeur of Coruscant or the Prosperity but is the main source of Jedi-style vigilante justice in the entire sector.

• Mingle and train with Jedi at the Enclave and learn the ways of the Force! Exciting!

​

Objective 3: Your Enthusiasm is Palpatinable

Rumors of an ancient Sith temple buried deep in the old Starship Graveyard circulate among the locals. They claim cultists have been attacking scavengers in the area, and that one cultist even bears a lightsaber. Explore the decaying wrecks of Palpatine-Era Super Star Destroyers and find the secrets of the ancient Sith Lord.

• Explore the Starship Graveyard and find the entrance to Palpatine’s Jakku Observatory

​

Objective 4: BYOO - Jakku is a place full of sand and well, more sand. It’s rough, and coarse and gets everywhere –– but perhaps something interesting out there to salvage. Go and grab it!

Notable Locations:

• Pilgrim's Road
• Starship Graveyard
• Old Imperial Base
• Sinking Fields
• Niima’s Outpost
• Cartertown
• Steadfast
• Jedi Enclave

 

[Auteme]

Jend-Ro Quill | 'Round the Enclave's Fire​

Her visit to Jakku had started earlier that week -- a trip (pilgrimage) down the Pilgrim's Road, all the way to the Sacred Villages. Aeris Lashiec had proven herself most excellent of travel companions. Still, Auteme was happy to be at the Enclave with the others. Though she hadn't had the pleasure of truly meeting Romi Jade herself, sitting in on a lesson earlier that day had been quite educational.

Evening had begun to fall. The stars, ever brilliant, couldn't be seen as well even with the dull light of the courtyard, so she headed up the turbolift and out into the sand. It was then that another light caught her eye.

"This place is perfect for you, I think," she said, making herself welcome at Master Quill's fire. She smiled to the Jedi Master. "Though, much hotter than Hoth. And being as it's much closer to Coruscant, I imagine you'll have many more visitors."

 

[CLEM]

COMPLICATION TO OBJECTIVE 3

Deep beneath the sand, in the ruins of Palpatine's Observatory, CLEM slumbered fitfully. He'd answered a distress call and followed another gonk droid here across the dunes. Together they'd circumvented Imperial security droids and restarted the ancient facility. They'd glimpsed the scope of the Observatory's design and intent. To CLEM it felt inspiring.

But even for two stalwart gonks, jump-starting a reactor of that scale was a gruelling endeavor. So CLEM gonked in his sleep beside the reactor that was once supposed to power...well, something grand.

Perhaps he would wake when the facility came to life. Or perhaps he would gonk forever.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

CAMPFIRE - NIGHT
OUTSIDE HIDDEN ENCLAVE
Auteme

"Oh, it's cool enough when the sun sets. Deserts can be frigid at night."

A survival-kit pot was boiling over the fire on crossed sticks. Quill had just dumped in a packet of instant grainmash for a meal.

"I was hoping you'd come." He waved vaguely at the disguised enclave, the part of it that existed above ground. Other Jedi would be visiting, he knew. "We need to talk."

By firelight she'd see that he was blind. Heavy scars marked his upper face. Healed, and apparently older than the last time they'd seen each other.

"We very much need to talk."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Objective 3: Your Enthusiasm is Palpatinable​

​

Their ship dropped down into the sandy reaches of Jakku's Graveyard, and from her place by a viewing port Auraya could do nothing more than gawp and stare. She had been tasked with journeying alongside Cotan Sar'andor to Jakku, a remote backwater planet that was little more than sandy dunes and the occasional settlement.​

​

Along the way she had done as much research as she could about the planet, or at least as much as time permitted, though she hadn't really unearthed much of great use. A couple of outposts, a town or two, very little to speak of. But there had to be more to it than that, right?​

​

Right.​

​

Because she could see the great wreckages before them now, and principal among them a Star Destroyer.... From where she stood it seemed so small but as they dipped further and further toward the surface she realized how skewed her perspective had been. The thing was a beast, lurching from beneath the sand. Just asking to be scaled.​

​

It had been quite some time since she'd felt genuine excitement like this. She had expected they'd be meeting with fellow Jedi, or something to that effect, but their landing site was clear - at least for now - from anyone not onboard the ship.​

​

She found out why pretty damn quickly, when Cotan spilled the beans.​

​

"I was supposed to drop you off at the enclave," the man explained, as the ship landed before definitely-not-an-Enclave, "but...Star Destroyer."​

​

A little more chatter revealed that they weren't simply here to ogle at it, either.​

​

They were going to explore it!​

​

Auraya checked to make sure she had a solid ensemble of items, things that she guessed would be necessary. A flashlight of some sort, her lightsaber - though admittedly only a training saber, it could still intimidate if necessary... and besides, they hurt - water, emergency food... She hastily placed her backpack over her shoulders and bounded toward the ramp before faltering.​

​

Had she forgotten anything?​

​

"Do we have a... grapple?" she inquired, peering down the ramp toward the ship which jutted at so strange an angle that she felt certain there was no straight floor within it. "For climbing," she clarified. From further in the ship, no doubt checking the ship as it powered down - though Auraya didn't have the faintest idea what that even entailed - he made some sort of response. But whatever it was she didn't exactly hear it.​

​

Instead she rummaged a little further, and found something that looked about right.​

​

"I want to scope it out," she called out, loud enough she hoped that he'd hear her well, "Meet you outside!"​

​

She just wanted to get off the blasted ship and explore.​

​

So she did. Before Cotan could say anything else, excitement propelled her every step into the sand and toward the giant...​

​

Bastard​

 

[Auteme]

Jend-Ro Quill
​

Auteme's eyes widened when she got a better look at him. It had been a while -- too long, clearly. She immediately got up and moved over to kneel next to him. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Her mind flooded with the usual things; the questions, the what-ifs, the should-haves. She pushed them down and focused on Jend-Ro. Her fingers traced the scars across his face. She thought of the ways she could help. Given the wound had already healed, Force healing wouldn't do much and neither would bacta. Surgery was probably the best option...

But right now, it was probably best to listen. She sat down and crossed her legs.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

LOCATION: Committee Room J-31, Senate Building, Coruscant
OBJECTIVE: Objective I - Decide the Fate of Jakku
ALLIES: Alliance Senators

"Let's, ah, let's get this underway."

The Vice Chancellor leaned forward in his chair before looking left and right down the long table at his assembled colleagues. He then turned his attention to the delegation assembled at the table before them, their attire - while undoubtedly the best they could muster - clearly identifying them as Coruscant outsiders.

"I call to order the Subcommittee on the Admission of New Members to hear a petition from the appointed representatives of the planet Jakku, located in the Inner Rim, seeking full membership within the Galactic Alliance."

The head of the delegation thanks Tithe, and launched into a speech extolling the virtues of the desert world she hailed from. While the growing Alliance was always in the business of expanding their reach throughout the galactic centre, there were expected bureaucratic processes which needed to be followed. The hearing was an opportunity for the planet in question to make their case, and a chance for Senators to ask the tough questions.

As with everything in Tithe's life, the concerns were economic in nature. What could a planet such as Jakku, with limited natural resources, a tiny population, and little potential for development, possibly offer the Alliance? Why should the Alliance, once it dumped billions of credits into defence, healthcare and education for a planet that was largely a lawless dustbowl?

The Jakku representative finished her impassioned opening comments with a promise that her planet would work long and hard to repay the generosity of the Alliance should they receive the benefits of full membership.

"Thank you for your... ardent words, madame speaker," he replied before turning to his colleagues. "Now, before we take a vote my colleagues have a few avenues of inquiry to explore." He leaned back in his chair, yielding the microphone.

 

[Bastard]

"I walk a path charted only by the winds of change."

​

A lone figure approached the Imperial wreckage from the far side. Though he could not see the Alliance forces opposite him, he could feel their presence within the great empyrean. Errant initially thought nothing of this lead, but the New Jedi Order's presence around the planet tamer piqued his interest. Freed from the prisons beneath Fortress Imperator, following the Second Battle for Bastion, it was not without cost. The Order stripped him of his ranks. His silver saber remained with the Lord Executor, his master, alongside the suit of armor gifted to him upon his ascension to Knight-Errant. He would not be permitted his place within the Order until he redeemed himself, just as his father had.

For the crime of slaughtering New Imperials to protect a Sith, Fel exiled the Albino. Errant was only to return to New Imperial space once he paid for his mistake in blood. Sith blood. He would return with ten crimson sabers for each dead stormtrooper, torn from the clutches of their dead masters.

If Errant thought the punishment harsh, he said nothing upon receiving it. When they fitted him with the Armor of the Crestfallen, he swallowed his pride, still silent in the face of his greatest shame. It was in the name of Empire he served. No matter the charge, no matter the cost, he would complete his mission. If not for himself, than for those he betrayed in his passion-filled haze.

Unlike the Jedi Padawan who packed for such an occasion, the Imperial lacked such a mission's essentials. A tattered black cloak hung around his body. It concealed the sheathed Sith Sword from view, though it did nothing to mask the cold energy leaking from the weapon. It poured out from the sheath and crawled up his body. At all hours of the day, it whispered to the Knight. It combed through his mind in search of anything to be used against its new master. Unsurprisingly, it found the moment of his greatest failure and replayed the nightmare each night, over and over again.

As Auraya approached from one side, Errant pushed through the other. He swept aside a ratty brown cloth with a wave of his hand and stepped into the ship proper. Sand covered every inch of the outer shell, painting the gray scene a yellowish-brown. He paid it no mind. Only the weak cared for what they could not control. His attention was on something far more important than his comfort. Deep within the ship, the Albino could make out a dark power hidden away, surrounded by an aura of fear and paranoia.

Errant's lips pulled back into a tight-lipped smile.

"I am coming for you, Sith. Count the seconds, fore they are the last you'll know."

Auraya Irath-Ur | Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Though she had assured her temporary guardian that she would be just outside amidst the sand, her feet had other ideas in mind. In her excitement she lacked the wisdom to slow her roll, her own words torn swiftly from memory as the full heat of the sun struck down upon her with a vengeance and her feet began to somewhat sink in the sand.​

​

It was like stepping in mud, each bit of distance she made took longer than anticipated until she figured out the best way to place her feet to cease her sinking. Well, these things combined had her up to the wreckage in no time; after all, she felt certain that standing still would find her buried alive! And that was not a fate she longed for.​

​

As she reached the ship she felt the tendrils of darkness permeating through its hull. Unaware of the Sith blade nearer the surface, she chalked it down to hidden treasures locked away beneath the sand. This was an Imperial ship, after all... She inhaled slowly in response, remembering her teachings, and did her best to brush it away. To stand in the majesty of the light, unharmed.​

​

Easier said than done, but outlook was half the battle and if she believed it to be enough then for now it seemingly would be.​

​

"I'll wait for him just inside... Out of the sun. Surely he can't argue with that..."​

​

It was logical, her fair skin would suffer under such fierce heat. And she needed her strength to explore. She was being smart about it. Responsible!​

​

Finding herself a small opening she wormed her way inside and paused. Her eyes took longer than expected to adjust; she reached for the training blade, but her fingertips grazed the flashlight first. ​

​

That probably made more sense, huh?​

​

She turned it on, and heard something scurrying around in response. Probably just a couple of skittermice, she reasoned, awoken by the light. Another slow intake of breath put to bed any lingering doubts she had about that, as she took one unsteady step further into the wreckage and used the flashlight to peek around. There was too much going on around her, too much to sense even if she happened to be remotely competent with such abilities, that it wasn't until she heard footsteps deeper in that she realized she was not in fact alone.​

​

Unless the skittermouse had abnormally large feet, that was.​

​

Perhaps it was another Jedi!​

​

... Or perhaps a salvager.​

​

"H-Hello..?" she inquired into that inky black darkness, before thinking better of it and biting back any other words she wanted to utter. With any luck her call went unnoticed. The last thing she needed was for Cotan to discover that she'd been calling out to possible strangers. He might put an end to this whole adventure! And then she'd be stuck in another Enclave...​

​

Cotan Sar'andor Bastard ​

 

[Bastard]

"I walk a path charted only by the winds of change."

​

Darkness greeted Errant as he pushed deeper into the ship. Not for the first time, he cursed the lack of his saber. Without it, he became keenly aware of the many uses it had, and how spoiled he had become during his earlier service. He moved slowly without light. Each step hovered across the uneven ground for several seconds, perhaps half an inch from actually touching the sand-covered floor. To rush forward would prove foolish. He needed time to adjust, to learn of his surroundings, and ready himself for the coming battle. Lacking the advantage of his terrain, he could only hope to even the odds through quick-thinking and his skills alone.

Soft footfalls echoed through the once-abandoned corridors. He stopped in place and knelt down beside a half-open blast door. Peaking around the rusted durasteel, he saw nothing that posed a direct threat. The Albino straightened, ears perked up in waiting for another sound. More steps drifted towards him. He turned in the direction of the noise and pushed forward. Perhaps his luck already took a turn for the better. If he could capture one of the rumored Sith's cultists early enough, he would gain the knowledge he lacked.

A short trip down an L-shaped corridor saw him pass by several abandoned rooms. Rather than ignore them entirely, Errant poked his head inside, a cursory glance offered the long-forgotten ruins. Small animals scurried just out of sight, frightened by the much larger interloper.

"Forgive me," Errant said to the small beasts before he diverted his attention elsewhere.

The distant footsteps grew louder as he drew closer to their source. Stopping in his tracks, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. He allowed his senses to wander through the corridors ahead of him in search of whatever was making all that noise. Before he could place it, a nearby voice pulled him back to his body. Pink eyes snapped open in shock. His hand fell to the hilt of his blade, guided only by instinct.

" H-Hello..?"

Errant perked a brow. The voice lacked the sharpness he expected of a Sith or one of their cultists. It also lacked the confidence of the corrupted he grew to recognize. Warmth spread around a nearby corner, the tell-tale sign of a Jedi's passing. Errant sighed, straightened, and moved to intercept the young woman.

He turned the corner just ahead of her. His black armor and cloak helping the Imperial camouflage into the shadow surrounding them. If not for his snow-white hair and milky-white flesh, he may have gone entirely unnoticed by the unprepared. Upon seeing Auraya, he lifted his chin and peered down at her with a look one could describe as cold or predatory.

"It is unwise to walk these halls with the grace of a bantha, girl," Errant muttered, his voice low enough not to echo deeper into the ship.

Auraya Irath-Ur | Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

To say that the girl was caught off guard would be an unfair assessment.​

​

When the voice quietly responded, muted enough that it did not cascade throughout the ship as her own had, she jumped back in fright. She directed the beam of her flashlight in the direction it had come from, and with her free hand reached for the saber on her belt. A mere toy in the eyes of most who would wield them, she was uncomfortably reminded as her fingers graced it, but perhaps it could serve to buy her enough time to high tail it out of there and back to Cotan.​

​

"I heard footsteps," she mumbled, matching the volume of the strangers' voice as she did her best to hide her fear behind a thin veneer of calm, unsure why exactly she had chosen to verbally engage the man at all. It took her a moment to realize that she was shining the flashlight directly in his eyes, so she lowered it ever so slightly that way she could look upon his face.​

​

Truthfully it did not change much, his face was bright white and eyes a strange shade of pink. Some sub-species she had never seen before? Or, perhaps --​

​

She quietened her mind, and took a slow step back. This time of her own doing.​

​

"Are you a scavenger?" she asked, though feeling through the Force she could sense that he definitely had some sort of presence within it. Even her lack of training could guess that much. Still, she preferred that to another thought which had come to mind: Darksider. She could feel that darkness more plainly now, in his presence. The small hairs which dotted her arms and the back of her neck stood up in response, and a shiver ran down her spine.​

​

Another step back, though her footing was compromised by the sand and it was far less graceful than the previous had been.​

​

Bastard ​

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Auteme

"Oh, it's temporary. Ignore it. Grandmaster Elise let me take her scars, just for the day. It's..." He grunted and took the boiling little pot off the sticks. "...just an evolution of that trick I learned from that kid. Taking injuries. Anyways."

He set the pot on the stones at the edge of the fire to cool and looked in Auteme's general direction.

"I'm sorry about this, but the question's not for my friend, it's for the co-leader of the New Jedi Order. When the Jedi destroyed or helped destroy the Sith academies on Bastion, Korriban, Dantooine, and Ziost, how many people under age eighteen did they kill? Do you have that number?"

 

[Auteme]

Jend-Ro Quill
​

That made more sense -- it wasn't as if it'd been so long that he might've been injured and then such old scars had formed. Force healing could do many things, but such complete scarring was more 'natural'. She nodded to him. "You'll have to teach me that, sometime."

The question gave her pause. The academies... her gaze dropped. Being one of the leaders of the New Jedi Order was far more difficult than being a friend.

"I... I'm afraid I don't know," she said. "I'm no tactician or strategist; I was never all that deeply involved in the planning, especially not for Bastion. But I knew that the academies were targets. Those who were sent there -- I believe they were told to only engage acolytes that struck out first, and that anyone who surrendered would be left unharmed and extracted with the Jedi."

Though he might not see it, it was easy to sense her discomfort. After all, how many Sith trainees had indeed been 'rescued'? And how many did they kill? "The New Jedi Order is more... ruthless, in a way. Not so much that we are dragged into the dark side, but more willing to do more than what most Jedi might choose to. I don't know if that's right, for me, anyways. I'm certainly not going to kill anyone."

 

[Bastard]

"I walk a path charted only by the winds of change."

Errant reared back as the blinding light found his face. He lifted a hand to ward it away, silently cursing his already poor luck. Whatever lead he thought he had here vanished alongside his night vision. Only after the light disappeared from his eyes did he look back at Auraya. He didn't recognize her. Odd. He'd fought alongside the New Jedi Order throughout the Braxant Campaign. Most were committed to memory, their bravery in the face of the unthinkable worthy of at least that.

Perhaps she belonged to the pathetic Silver Jedi? She seemed as meek as he remembered the spineless curr to be. No warrior flinched in the face of fear. It was unbecoming. Though, what room did he have to judge the shortcomings of those around him? She wasn't banished from her home to hunt aimlessly for Sith.

"Those footsteps were mine," Errant admitted. "It is difficult to move soundlessly while covered in armor from neck to toes."

When his eyes readjusted to the darkness, he properly sized Auraya up. Her small frame and thin musculature spoke of one unfamiliar with the ways of war. The training saber at her side only cemented such thoughts. The Albino didn't bother to ask about it. She likely couldn't use it to save her life. Go figure.

"No, I am not a scavenger," his answer was intentionally short, meant to put her further off balance and draw her attention away from things like the blade sheathed at his side. He shifted his shoulder so the tattered black cloak would fall further around him, obscuring the runic blade completely from sight. It would do nothing to hide it from his fellow force-sensitives. One moment, the force served as his greatest ally. The next, it worked against him—both a gift and a curse.

"Be careful, gir- hey!" Errant reached after Auraya as her foot slid out from beneath her. His hand closed around her wrist, and he dropped to a knee at her side, sliding a hand beneath her upper back to ensure her head didn't slam against the ground. Now kneeling beside her, his white tresses hung down her shoulder, pooling around his knee pressed into the floor. He shook his head and sighed. "I mean no offense, girl, but your being here must be a mistake. I know the Sword of the Jedi. He would not send an untrained padawan into the deep shadow like this. Do you know what awaits you within the depths? Surely you feel the presence of great evil."

Auraya Irath-Ur | Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[John Shepherd]

Location - Old Imperial base
Objective - Lootin' and Stealin' [BYOO]
Equipment - Linked in Bio

He made his way out into the sands of Jakku, the boots hitting the sand as he made his march towards the Old Imperial Base that was a kilometer away from where he had been dropped off. He let out a sigh as he looked around. They didn't want to drop too close just in case of some old Imperial protocols still were active.

After walking for some time in the course, rough sand a distinct lyrical melody was heard as the trooper marched, his blaster hanging at his side.

He was just a cherry trooper and he surely shook with fright, as he checked all his equipment and made sure his pack was tight, He had to sit and listen to the awful engines roar, And he ain't gonna jump no more.

Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die, Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die, Gory, Gory, What a helluva way to die, He ain’t gonna jump no more.

Spoiler: Him Walking

 

[Samatharis]

Obj 3: Observatory
Cotan Sar'andor | Auraya Irath-Ur | Bastard

​

A small X-Type vessel came to land beside Cotan's ship. Another Jedi for the Observatory.

Samatharis of Jutrand Academy dismounted her vessel and gave a wave for her Astromech to stay with the ship. The brunette plopped down into the sand with a thump and frowned at her surroundings. The GA certainly knew how to throw a party. Bleh. Sand. Gross.

She opened up her cargo compartment, where they usually keep the torpedoes on X-Wings, and began to change clothes. Wrapping her black bodysuit in a long linen wrap and securing herself a hood and mask. Then goggles, shoulder bag, Lightsaber, and climbing equipment. She didn't notice any movement from Cotan's ship but could see tracks leading into this section of the Destroyer. Hm. Apparently, they'd already gone ahead with a scouting party. Well. Good. This place seemed crazy dangerous as it lay. Bleh. Could probably collapse in on them at any minute. Hmph. Even without the rumor of cultists.

She slammed her cargo bay shut and went to knock on Cotan's front door. Erm, front ramp.

Bang bang bang. She rapt on the struts,

"Hey! Anybody home in there!"

She tugged on her linen mask and sighed. Eyeing the tracks leading up to the Destroyer again. Mmm. Maybe she'd missed the party?

"Figures." She sighed.

Sam stood in the shade of the vessel and used the Force to scan the structure of the Destroyer. Her scrying was easy to sense too. Others would know she was there outside. Looking in. Thinking out loud,

"Huh? Maybe I didn't miss much after all. Just two other..."

Thump! A sudden sound from up the loading ramp behind her caused her to spin about in surprise.

"Oh?"

I guess somebody was still aboard Cotan's ship after all?

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

Auteme

"Believe they were told..."

Quill reached into his shabby backpack and fumbled around for his camping utensils.

"By whom? Who gave New Jedi Order fighters those marching orders and rules of engagement?"

He stirred the grainmash.

"Auteme, I don't know if you've been to war. I have - extensively. Back then we'd have looked at 'anyone who raises a hand dies' as a flimsy excuse for murder." He bit out each word precisely. "Say I'm a fired-up fifteen-year-old acolyte whose master will hurt or kill me if I show weakness. Say an army lands at my front door. I fight, quite naturally. I die. Or say I'm a giggling twelve-year-old Sith initiate in a library with my friends. Someone comes out of nowhere and starts shooting. Turns out it's a New Jedi Order operative who's planted firebombs. I fight. I die."

He took the first bite of grainmash and winced at the heat.

"War crimes, Auteme. None of this is hypothetical. I had my worries, so I went to Ziost in secret ahead of the Jedi strike force. I impersonated a Sith Lord and evacuated the youngest students. I tasted their memories - a young acolyte who survived Bastion, Dantooine, and Korriban. I saw it all. Face-to-face butchery. Terrorist tactics. Marching alongside stormtroopers to purge these sites. Bastion had nonlethal weapons, yes, but poorly used and quickly abandoned. The other schools, not even that.

"I've never been more than a peripheral member of the New Jedi Order - but for whatever it's worth, my very good friend, I quit."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

That it had only been the two of their footsteps, that either was aware of, was a relief. Just two Force users, and some skittermice. Nothing to be afraid of, right? Only that nagging sensation wasn't disappearing, and with each passing second she was more certain that the one before her was the cause of it.​

​

And to add to that, he was covered in armour.​

​

That didn't bode well for a girl armed only with a training saber. Like tunneling with just a spoon... Oh what had she gotten herself into?​

​

In her haste to put some space between them she indeed faltered, but before she could unceremoniously tumble to the ground the stranger caught her by the wrist and kept her head from hitting the ground. And how close it had been to doing exactly that.​

​

It happened so quickly that she had barely any time to react. She used his assistance to get upright again, while the man knelt where he had landed in his haste to help. It was all confusing to say the least; was it some long con? Had he helped her so that he might gain her trust, or had it been instinctive? Auraya wasn't so sure she wanted to know the answer.​

​

"Thank you," she breathed, though her relief was short lived in the face of the mans words. Still she offered him her hand, so that he might return to his feet should he wish it, and took what he said in her stride.​

​

"I feel.. something," she said, brows furrowing as she scrunched up her face in concentration. Willing it to come a little more naturally to her. "But it's not so far away as that." Her thoughts were shrouded by mention of the Sword of the Jedi, and she fought to recall where she'd heard the phrase before.​

​

Of course... Shii-Cho.​

​

So then, the stranger knew Master Ryv? That was interesting. Did it mean he wasn't a Sith?​

​

She glanced him up and down, still unnerved by something about the man but unable to fully figure it out. Still, he had saved her from a plummet to the bottom of the ship.​

​

"What?" she finally asked, returning to her train of thought, "What's down there? No... What's in here?" She looked around him, shining the flashlight into the darker corners of the corridor, but found little of interest among it. Maybe her senses were off, it wouldn't have been the first time.​

​

Bastard Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Auteme]

Jend-Ro Quill
​

Auteme thought herself a good speaker; for a while, she was speechless. The fire crackled, the only noise to disturb the silence, and the night sky exploded with stars. She was looking for distractions. Her mind filled with doubts again, as hard as she tried to push them away.

Quill had something she didn't. The substance, the eye for what was wrong, the genuine willingness to speak against it. She was reminded of her father's words about O'reen and his decision there. Was this what was wrong? Was this what pushed her to realize she couldn't stand with her friends, her Order, in every situation?

"I never- I thought... I'm so naïve," she said, putting her head in her hands. Ryv had assured her she was doing just fine as a pacifist. Part of her felt betrayed, part of her felt weak, part of her just hurt because she knew the truth and it was so easy to ignore it.

"No, I just- I know these people. I don't think... is it just the war?" She stared at the fire, her vision blurring with her tears. She'd picked her battles, avoided those situations; she'd never had to make that choice because she had neither the chance nor the means. "I can't imagine- I have so many friends, and I can't imagine them doing anything like that. Any Jedi. Just choosing to- to cut someone down. Someone my age when I was a padawan. Have I... have I been propagating that? By being a Jedi? By not saying anything, not doing anything? I just- I've been sitting this war out, almost, caught in some kind of bubble, and watching from the side, and-"

She sniffled and bit her lip. It was all about her. And there were dead students. It didn't much matter who did it or why but it felt wrong and she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd allowed it.

 

[Jend-Ro Quill]

"Oh, Auteme..."

He ate in silence for a little while. The grainmash sat in his gut like lead slag.

"Are your friends taking their marching orders and rules of engagement from the New Imperial Order? How much do Galactic Alliance authorities know about these operations? And...may I show you who and what I saw?"

He reached into the backpack again and pulled out a tool she'd know well - a Perspective Stone, to aid one-way sharing of memories.

"If you want to find peace, you'll need to be armed. You'll need the context to track down the details - the body counts. The people who gave the orders."