Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

[Jaxton Ravos]

Dear [member="Ashin Varanin"]


Hey there. Been a while since our last letter. Things have cleared up a lot for my friend, far as I know he's cured, or whatever the next best thing is after something like that. When I left the Jedi Order, when he and I formed what was called the Silent Conclave, and later the Levantine Sanctum it was because I was tired of the wars, and the fighting, and most of all the justifications. But now? I can't really explain as anything other than a gut feeling, but I feel like I need to get out of the Sanctum. Try to protect others outside it's borders. I have an idea of what I think I should do but it won't be easy. Not that I'm afraid of doing something difficult or dangerous, but I'd prefer be as prepared for this as I can, so I figured I'd hit you up before I finished packing up. I am . . . how shall I say this on a possibly insecure transmission? Going to be dealing with some of your old business associates on a daily basis. If need be I know how to fight, and I can clothe myself like they do somewhat with these white sheets I got from a man named Coals, so I should be good on the dress code unless any of them can wear white themselves. Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier, and thanks again for all your help.


Jaxton

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

She got the 'white sheets' reference before the 'Coals' clicked. It had been a long time since she'd been friendly with 'Coals.'

I can think of one ore two people who might notice what you're wearing, when you get where you're going, so let me see if I can think of some alternatives. My old friends have a downright magical way of making friends in your camp. A while back I figured it was a good idea to figure out how to make friends in theirs -- blend in, so to speak. And of course there's always changing your spots. I wouldn't mind sharing the secrets to social success if you happen to be in the neighbourhood.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

If I'm not mistaken your neighborhood is just around the corner from where I'm headed. If it'll help me fit in I'll meander my way over there to the Capital. Probably be touching down in about four days. Can't wait to meet up with you and see your card tricks in action. Want to say the last time we met we had a whale of a time together, I'll be having one on the way down. See you soon.

-Jaxton

Jaxton would arrive on Annaj in four days, landing with the admittedly cheap leisure transport Whale of a Good Time. They toured several worlds across the galaxy seeing all sorts of sights, but Annaj was Jaxton's last stop on that tour. Now it was time to meet Ashin, learn how to 'make some friends' and get a cheap, non-descriptor freighter to get outta there, and onto bigger, badder, and perhaps better things.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

Grand Admiral Ashin Cardé Varanin, Arbiter of the Fringe, Founder of the Confederation, didn't blend in too well on Annaj. Thus, she'd gone with a tried and true methodology: a mask.

Masks were all the rage in certain circles, and she'd contemplated bringing one for Ravos, but ultimately his best obfuscation would probably rely on a simple color shift. That, plus a healthy dose of common sense and the false Dark Side aura technique she'd learned for her infiltration-slash-imprisonment in the Cult of Shadow close to a decade ago, would give the former Sword of the Jedi a fighting chance.

She picked him up in an unmarked speeder, enclosed, just outside debarkation. The starliner's shuttle had touched down half an hour ago; she'd sent Customs the standard order in cases like this. 'Watch for this guy, let him through no matter what he's carrying or what flags pop up.' Sometimes, not often but sometimes, she loved being the next best thing to a military dictator. It was just so efficient.

But they couldn't just wave him through ahead of everyone else, so the time he spent going through customs with zero trouble, she spent getting the stuff ready. Her own holocron was with Dissero, but she'd prepared a small one containing only the knowledge of false Dark Side aura creation. An assortment of color-crawlers, infiltration dyes -- no need to reinvent the wheel -- and alchemical reagents stood ready for his consideration, in a sample case with demonstration holos.

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Normally when Jaxton Ravos went through customs he got a few odd looks. He was a bit bigger and thicker than most in the galaxy and the lightsaber he carried on his hip gave his armament away. Never before had Jaxton really tried to hide what he was. He figured dangling a lightsaber at his hip would other people think twice about being rowdy, and it helped for the most part, but security wasn't always as fond of his idea. As he went through a security gate and handed over his lightsaber they checked it for a second, but returned it to him without question. While Jaxton wasn't a mind reader, it didn't take one to realize that the man was a bit uneasy about not calling Jaxton on his weapon, but he was still polite about it. Making a note in his datapad and then waving him through.

Perhaps the former Empress had put a bit of a word for him in security. He supposed it helped, but the number of checkpoints still remained and passing through was still a slow process. When he did get through however he his host in an unmarked speeder, enclosed save for the just-opened hatch for him to get in. He crawled in and squished himself into the seat before closing the door, before letting the chair a bit back to give him some leg room.

"Thanks for meeting me on such short notice. I'm sure you're a busy lady. Means a lot that you'd make some time for me."

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"Enemy of my enemy, Ravos. Besides, I'm not so far removed from the Vagrant Fleet that friend-of-a-former-friend means nothing."

She slid over the display case and the small holocron.

"It won't be easy. Learning to project a false Dark Side presence is one thing; so's changing your appearance. It's pretending to be selfish, evil, aggressively competitive that's the trick. I'm told you have a history in professional sports, and you're going to need it. There are plenty of Sith that aren't constantly angry; what'll really sell your impersonation is the competitive streak. And if anything really gets to you, gets into your heart, it'll be that pride, partially through contempt. Because you will feel contempt."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Aggressively competitive. He'd been there before. Not for a long time, but he'd certainly been there before. Wasn't a mindset that Jaxton liked in hindsight, but the job he was going to do would make him have to do a lot of things he didn't want if he was gonna do it right. Taking the display case as he thought he examined the holocron. He could tell it wasn't as refined as a normal holocron. It'd been put together for one purpose, and recently by the looks of it. Practicality over show seemed to be a theme for [member="Ashin Varanin"], not that Jaxton really disagreed.

"It's been a while, but I can definitely sell competitiveness. I was wondering if the One Sith were more of the chaotic or order type Sith, but if I don't have to be angry all the time I'll guess it's the latter. When you talk about your heart though. Pride, contempt, I believe it. What in your experience is the best way to stop it? Not let the impersonation and the man underneath get too close to each other? Truth be told I'm more afraid of becoming the mask than it being uncovered."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"Ravos, Master Ravos, if I knew how to keep pride and contempt out of my heart, I'd be on the Jedi Council by now. That part, you're going to have to figure out for yourself."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton put out a small laugh."That's fair." He said, though the thought didn't exactly comfort him. Perhaps that was the point though, not to be comfortable with what you were doing. Maybe if whatever he did kept him guilty, kept eating at him, that would prove that he was still on the right track. As long as he didn't let anyone else see or sense it that is.

"So, you mentioned that you suspect a couple of White Current users in the One Sith. Do you or the Fringe happen to have any dossiers I could use on them or other notable figures?"

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"Thought you might ask. As it happens, some of them used to be Fringers, or have a certain well-informed Fringer as a nemesis, so we have some fairly complete dossiers." She tapped a datacard in the display case. "Most of it goes back to Circe Savan and her students -- Isis Fontana, who's dead now, and Darth Ayra, also known as Alicia Drey. We believe there's one other, but we have no information on him or her, apart from a suggestion that he or she might actually have originated in Levantine space. Had any defectors lately, or friends taken prisoner?"

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton shrugged a bit solemnly.

"We've lost a few good people. Nothing confirmed on where they went or why yet, but I'm hoping they haven't been captured or worse." He said as he thought to himself. Turin Val Kur, Rosa Mazhar, and now, far as anyone knew, Jaxton Ravos. He could have sworn he remembered Turin knew something about the White Current. "A former Jedi, wife of a good friend, and a man who used to be a Republic Pilot before wandering around the galaxy and settling on us. You might actually know the jedi, one Rosa Mazhar. Wanted to say she was a Vagrant Fleeter. Pilot's name was Turin Val Kur, he had some White Current experience. Good people." He said. One war after another it seemed, claiming more and more of the people he befriended, in one way or another.

"Hey, thanks again for doing this. I don't know what you might want that's over there, but I could see if I could send some information the Fringe's way. Scratch my back and all."

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"The Fringe and the One Sith are allies." She smiled faintly, and with an edge. "Much in the same sense as the Levantine Sanctum and the Silver Jedi are allies. Whatever information you get will be welcome."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

"Understood." Jaxton said, with a bit of a grin reaching his face. "So holocron, dossiers, be competitive." He said, pausing for a moment. "Anything else I should know before you drop me off and I re-invent myself in some cheap motel where nobody asks questions?"

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"Every undercover cop can tell you that you have to make compromises to keep your cover. That's especially true with the Sith. The closest thing to a historical success story of a Jedi infiltrating the Sith...is me. Be very sure you've weighed the cost."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Jaxton wanted to debate Ashin, come up with some example that would refute her, but he really couldn't. The only example he could really think of that didn't go horribly wrong was Quinn Vos, and even then that was quite a bit of a stretch. Seemed he had his work cut out for him.

"It's terrifying, to be completely honest." He said. Contrary to the "Old Old Jedi" from before the Gulag Plague and the rise of the Empire Jaxton always tried to be honest with himself and his emotions."But I keep feeling that nagging. Like the Force is telling me I can do it. I might be listening wrong, or just be coming with an excuse to justify some pride I don't recognize, but I think I can do it." He said, as he pulled out a datadisc from his pocket.

"But that's not to say I haven't prepared for what might happen if I failed. I didn't tell anyone back home where I'm going because I don't want them following me, or trying to convince me to stay, but this datadisc explains everything. If you ever find out one way or another that I'm compromised, I'd like you to give this to a man named Seydon." ([member="Seydon of Arda"]) "He's got the best shot of bringing me back to the Light I think. One way or another."

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]
She took the disc. "Seydon's known to me. One of the few I wouldn't willingly cross, at least at close range. He's been a thorn in the Fringe's side once or twice, but for what little I know of him, I respect him. He'll get the message, if things go wrong. You've got my word."

 

[Jaxton Ravos]

Respected and not one the old Sith Empress wouldn't cross? Jaxton smiled. He had scored big in the friends department.

"Thanks again Mrs. Varanin. You've helped a ton. Hope I'll get a chance to return the favor." He said, before heading out of the speeder, dossier's and holocron in tow. "May the Force be with you."

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jaxton Ravos"]

"And with you, Master Ravos. If you return, you won't be the same man -- but if you're still a good man, and if you bring me something useful, I'll have far more than these tricks to share with you."

The speeder door closed, and the vehicle departed.