Private The Giaour

[Tel Ahren]

Shan

​

Peering out a viewport at the rocky, cloud-shrouded world that they were fast approaching, Tel couldn't shake the growing feeling of trepidation that had started to claw at his gut. "You're sure about this?" he asked, perhaps not for the first time, turning back to the man he shared the small cabin with. Truthfully, as far as he was aware, they weren't actually going to be stepping foot on the planet's surface, only stopping at one of the space stations in orbit when the shuttle that they'd booked passage on came in to dock...but it still felt wrong.

Looking down at Anzat, a planet that had been the source of horror stories in the galaxy for millennia.

Evidently the Mirialan he was travelling with enjoyed taking the time to travel and study various cultures in the galaxy. Admirable, although certain peoples likely weren't worth first-hand study, if the books he'd had were anything to go by. Of course, when an invitation had been extended his way to get out of the temples and go see some of the wider galaxy, Tel had jumped at the chance. A proper Jedi Knight taking him on an outing like that was something he couldn't refuse. Only afterwards did he look a little closer and realize it was an invitation to go to a planet that was really only known for training assassins and having a species of brain-eaters that numerous galactic cultures had all learned to be afraid of, and this knight wanted to go see them face to face.

It made his nose and his cheeks itch just to think about it. He was an Anzat, although he actually felt somewhat thankful that he'd not been raised by any of his own species. He still caught the occasional side-eye from other Padawans walking in the halls late at night, sure, there was no escaping that—but as bothersome as it could be, sometimes, it was also good to know that they at least didn't have any actual reason to be so wary of him in a roundabout sort of way. Yet now he might come face to face with another of his kind, ten times or more his age, or see and hear the aurorae that had spawned myths among the Anzat themselves...

"Master Pavond, you're crazy."

 

[Shan]

Tel Ahren
Objective: Don't Become Brain Soup
"This isn't my first rodeo when it comes to telepathic species. I've had training against mental powers since I was a Padawan. Aruzans are of course a different species compared to the Anzat however the basic fundamentals should still work."

It helped that Shan was making more of a conscious effort to focus on shielding his mind. His passive protection could have been good enough but that was perhaps arrogance and Shan didn't want to end up becoming soup out of his own arrogance. He was willing to put in the work when he needed to. It was part of why he was trying to learn more about the Galaxy as a whole. The Mirialan could settle down with the knowledge he had already, but life was a constant lesson. He just always liked to work on getting extra credit.

"I may be crazy, but I also learned as a Padawan that focusing on stories and legends passed down through the ages don't always paint an accurate portrayal of a species. For the longest time, I had thought Mandalorians were the scum of the Galaxy, and Echani were violent fools. It is only by learning more about them in person, did I change my view point."

He folded his arms along his front for a moment as the Mirialan stared out the viewport, preparing to leave. His eyes darting over towards Tel for a moment as a few thoughts raced through Shan's mind. Shan knew he had been offensive without meaning to when he was a padawan, insulting people of other cultures and species without meaning to...and that just made him wonder...

"...Padawan Ahren, if anyone in the Order seems to show you disrespect, please inform me. I might try to make an effort to educate some members of the Order about the Anzat once we're finished here today."

That would make it a win-win situation for Shan. He'd be able to make up for the insults he had done in the past, would be able to educate people and would be able to host a new class. All of those were benefits for him, but what was more important to him was making sure that Tel felt safe in the Order.

 

[Tel Ahren]

Tel frowned, his brow furrowing in response to Shan's last words. "A few odd looks when I'm pacing around at midnight isn't really anything to worry about," he protested...not at all considering that he was directly revealing what he had just been thinking about. Outside the viewport, the planet continued to grow, the few stationary satellites that they could see speeding past as the shuttle accelerated. Likely it had only just gotten permission to dock. As if on cue, the chime rang out in the cabin that let them know they'd be docked in five minutes.

At least things being on schedule was nice, compared to the Jedi Knight in front him agreeing that yes, he really might be crazy. Mandalorians and Echani had very wide-ranging reputations, and both had been friends and enemies of the Jedi at different points in history. The Anzat...had two other Jedi they could claim, to his knowledge, both of whom fell to the Dark Side. All the others of the species that were ever widely known were assassins and bounty hunters, feeding into the reputation that the species had had for millennia.

Even if there wasn't any turning back, some trepidation still seemed like a healthy response.

"...So. Which station is this we're docking with? One of the normal floating bazaars?" Trepidation or not, he was still curious. Morbidly so, but still. He sincerely doubted that Shan was intent on finding one of the stations that offered a shuttle service down to the planet's surface, so that he could try and hunt down some assassins' academy amid the rock spires.

Shan

 

[Shan]

Tel Ahren
Objective: Don't Become Brain Soup
"A few odd looks might not bother you. But imagine if they were having to deal with Anzat out in the Galaxy and they were to let their imagination of what an Anzat was like rule their actions."

It was far more serious in Shan's eyes as he kept his arms folded along his front. Even if most known Anzat were bounty hunters, assassins or otherwise criminals, After all, he was from Nar Shaddaa. If he had followed what reputations were given to someone for what they were, or where they were born, then he should have been a criminal himself. He had unending faith in the Galaxy, though that could be easily mistaken with naivety.

"Yes, I felt like one of the bazaars would be the best way for you to learn more about your people whilst also staying...somewhat safe. I might be crazy, but I don't have a death wish. I know how it feels not to know much about your people. I still know very little about the culture of Mirialans myself because of my upbringing. If I can help change that for any member of the Order, then I shall do so...Plus maybe I can get myself a nice gift from the bazaar."

A small chuckle escaped his lips at his attempt of a joke as the shuttle finally docked at the station. With that, Shan prepared to leave, though Tel would notice Shan shifting his cloak for a moment, to cover both Shan's lightsaber and blaster. He was crazy, yes but like he had said, he didn't have a death wish. He'd have his tools ready at use if he needed them.

 

[Tel Ahren]

"I'm not so certain there's likely to be much here worth taking back to one of the temples, but, maybe..."

Unlike Shan, he didn't have anything other than a training lightsaber and a vibroblade. The sight of the training saber was often good enough to keep someone from trying anything, being functionally indistinguishable from a normal lightsaber until you were hit with it. And even then, those who'd actually made a lightsaber knew how to adjust the power and make it into a real weapon anyways...something he didn't, but most in the galaxy didn't know that, either.

A small shudder propagated through the shuttle's structure as it contacted the station, life support and artificial gravity systems aligning themselves to match the values that the station was set to. No simple bay for them to land in, those were always reserved for the freighters with goods for actual business, but a docking tether to walk down. As the airlocks opened, and Shan opened the door to their own cabin, the air temperature instantly rose a few degrees as the stale scents of sweat and poorly-recycled air wafted down the tether.

Tel's eyes narrowed instantly, before his face scrunched up and he sneezed, futilely trying to stifle it as the dust inside the floating market made its way in with the air. He adjusted his cloak irritably, 'weapons' hidden within. "Well. Almost smells like some of the lower levels on Coruscant, doesn't it?" He stepped out of the cabin, following the smells towards the docking tether without any trouble. "Anything in particular you might be looking for?"

Shan

 

[Shan]

Tel Ahren
Objective: Don't Become Brain Soup
"You'd be surprised. Everything has value. You just need to find it. Sometimes it's the experiences held inside of an object that make it valuable. The effort put into making it, or buying it....I'm getting too philosophical again, aren't I? Sorry. I have...a habit of doing that."

Shan broke out into a smirk funnily enough at the familiar scent. Nar Shaddaa had never smelt the greatest to him so it was somewhat familiar. Though at least Nar Shaddaa's air wasn't being pumped through some cheap air filters. Maybe Shan should have suggested this trip for Ko to take Tel instead, considering Ko didn't have to worry about air quality that much..

"Or like the streets of Nar Shaddaa. You'd be surprised how many places in the Galaxy smell like this. It's the same nearly everywhere we go. People think it's the Jedi's job to clean up the Galaxy but...it seems air quality isn't a job left to us."

His humour wasn't always the best but Shan was trying. It was his way to try and keep the atmosphere and the mood a bit more lighthearted as they stepped out of the cabin and started heading towards the docking tether as Shan took a moment to reply. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned on getting. There wasn't any specific person so...

"I suppose I could get something for a few people. Knight Von Ascania is quite fond of tea. My own Padawan might like something brightly coloured, or jewellery, so I might get her something there. Knight Arani could do with some paint perhaps...Not sure what Aris or Vera would like..."

 

[Tel Ahren]

A list of names he wasn't sure of. Knight von Ascania almost had to be the one on the council, if he had to guess. Corazona von Ascania. Knight Arani, Aris, Vera...Noble? Those were ones he'd heard. Of course, he didn't actually have any clue who Shan's actual padawan was, either. Once again, it was rather clear just how ill-informed he was outside of who the current council was, given that he'd been kept shuffling around as far away from the war front as possible. Most everybody else he was running into now that he'd decided to try and seek out some way to be more proactive in everything had actually been involved as part of the front lines of the order, and all seemed to know each other.

He didn't say any of that, though. He nodded, once. "Something unique from here, maybe? Do either of them cook? There's an entire type of garlic named after us, surely we've got some recipes that don't involve eating another sapient's brain..."

A beat.

"That was a joke, too. Probably about as good as yours now that I hear myself say it."

The smell only grew stronger as they reached the docking tether, though at least it wasn't unbearable. Everything else beyond the physical smell, however, set his cheeks to itching. Like he'd said, it reminded him of the lower levels of Coruscant. Some of the other space stations trended towards higher status clientele, they were cleaner, happier...even only being out in the mid rim, this floating bazaar instead had a sense of desperation about it, and the sort of buzz you could only get with a large number of people cramped into a small space.

As they stepped out of the docking tether into a side hallway that already had some merchants out, cloths and tarps spread on the floor with wares to hawk, a Rodian called out something at him he couldn't understand at all. He looked down at their collection of odds and ends, trying to spy something that he even recognized what it was or what value it might have. "Ah, no, sorry, I'm just with him," he said after a moment as he realized the Rodian was looking at him expectantly, jerking a thumb back at Shan as he said it.

 

[Shan]

Tel Ahren
Objective: Don't Become Brain Soup
"Honestly, I don't know if they cook. I guess I can grab the garlic anyway. It's not like it would hurt. Knight Von Ascania gave me some special Ukatian Tea for my birthday a while back, and I just ended up giving it away to other people. They can do the same with the garlic."

Maybe he could actually give some to Cora as a joke and say that her breath was bad. He shook his head however as Shan let out a small chuckle at Tel's joke. It wasn't an...honest laugh but it was one all the same. He didn't want Tel to feel bad about not getting any form of laughter. As they prepared to head off into the hallway, Shan raising his eyebrow at all of the different merchants. None of the cloths were really interesting to him. Plus, he was no stranger with this kind of stuff. Most of the stuff near the entrance would be expensive, or perhaps low quality.

"Yes, he is with me. We aren't looking for anything from you."

He'd show the Rodian charity on their way back, but not right now. Otherwise he'd probably be hounded by other merchants on their way in. For now, he just kept his arms folded along his front as he took in the sights. Shan should have worked more on learning other languages, even as a kid he had struggled to decipher what people meant. He had always meant to get some kind of translator droid, but Shan had never found the right droid.

"So. What do you think of the Order? I always enjoy getting the opinions of the newer generation of Jedi."

 

[Tel Ahren]

"Never known anything different," came the perfunctory reply.

It was true; Tel really had never known anything other than the Jedi Order, no matter how sequestered he'd been from a lot of what it was actually dealing with through his childhood. "It's different being around the rest of you now, though. Even if it does mean that I'm coming face to face with the things that they kept pulling me away from when I was a kid."

Like large, mutated women in power armour wanting to kill him.

Going to Zeffo was really not his best idea.

As they passed through the hallway into the station's central habitat module, the general musk that pervaded the stale air finally started to differentiate into a host of different smells. Stale air remained the strongest—clearly, the space station's atmospheric scrubbers and recyclers were not working terribly well—but the different scents of different species came to the fore. A Gotal passed him by, and he had to resist the urge to scrunch his nose at the mildewy odor coming off the alien. He'd barely managed it with the musky Rodian earlier, after all. Speaking of, there were more of them, Trandoshans, a small group of Jawas hawking their wares, and more besides.

Wait, the Gotal was looking at him. He pointedly kept walking along. It was bad enough being around people who all had the Force to try and read his emotions and thoughts all the time, adding in a species that could manage it just because their horns were that sensitive to the most minute of electromagnetic fluctuations in their environment would be unbearable. "What about you?" he asked Shan, looking back over his shoulder. "Raised with the Order, or...?"

With his feet carrying him along, and given one of the last topics that had been on his mind, it was unsurprising that it was still his nose carrying him onwards—this time, towards a food stand run by a tired-looking Sneevel, serving various foods that smelled heavily of garlic. A Muttani putting in an order glanced at Tel and Shan, paid quickly, and quickly left, seemingly to make space for them.

Tel sniffed once, and frowned. The garlic smell wasn't nearly overpowering enough to cover over the large, hairless humanoid's natural body odor. It didn't mean much, though, as the large alien quickly disappeared into the crowd. "Strange," he mumbled to himself. They didn't really seem to smell like anything other than the food they'd just ordered as they went past.

Shan

 

[Shan]

Tel Ahren
Objective: Don't Become Brain Soup
"I can understand not knowing anything better. When I lived on Nar Shaddaa...I thought that was life. Crime, gangs, Hutts, violence. Depending on who you ask, that is what life is. I don't think so anymore. There's beauty to be found in life, if you know where to look."

With that, Shan turned his attention to the station's hallway, a small quaint smile gracing his thought as he thought about it. Even this in a way was beautiful to Shan. People living together, trying to make a livelihood. Sure, they were probably scamming people but not everyone was turning to violence. That was a good sign his eyes. Though the Mirialan was snapped out of his thoughts at Tel's question, shaking his head for a moment.

"No. I was a later arrival to the Order. Around my mid teens. Though I knew almost immediately this was where I belonged. The Knights and Masters at the time believed in me, but they didn't...encourage any foolish qualities I had. Originally I never wanted to touch a Lightsaber, y'know? I had thought they were tools of violence, of death. That we could protect people in other ways. Though I was eventually convinced that like any tool, it's what the wielder uses it for that counts"

By the Force, Shan felt like he had been talking for a while as he took in a deep breath. At the very least it meant he could finally smell the Garlic! However, his eyes squinted as the Muttani made space for the pair and headed off into the crowd. Whilst Shan liked to believe in the better of people, he hadn't survived this long without having a paranoid bone in his body

"Keep your eyes and ears open Tel. It might be nothing to be wary of...but it's better to be safe than sorry."

One of the main reasons he was telling Tel to do that was well...Shan's ability to sense through the Force wasn't the greatest. It was only familiar presences that stood out to him, whilst everything else mixed together like some kind of soup where you could only taste your favourite ingredients. Huh. Funny he was thinking of soup considering where they were.

This wasn't going to stop him from ordering a meal at the very least. Making sure to test it carefully through the Force for any contaminants that weren't...normal for a space station. He wasn't exactly expecting a five star meal, but he wanted to make sure it was safe for them to eat.