These Things Just Happen

[Beowoof]

A twi'lek of the tyrian variety padded tacitly in her moccasin boots, the fringes of her brown shoes waving lazily with each silent step. Her drab leggings and flared coat--with which she concealed her lightsaber and Whistleflute--helped to blend in with the denizens of Anaxes, who still betrayed a residual Imperial culture that had lasted for ages. There was a current of fear, however, as the Sith threat was only a short hyperspace jump away from the prestigious world. Tacitanya hoped to not stay here very long.

What had brought the bounty hunter's apprentice here had little to do with bounty collecting and more to do with taking a reprieve on a more civilized world than where she had tread lately. It was good to be able to sample some real food again while stocking up on proper freeze-dry, as well as taking a leisurely trek about the more shadowy parts of town in search of some decent scrap she could accumulate--always on the lookout for more material to tinker with. It would be prudent to gather some replacement parts for her weapons, should unfortunate entropy occur and dire situations need be dealt with. She was no Jedi, but she was prepared.

As she made way down the capital square in Pols Anaxes, Taci braked to linger in front of the temporary headquarters of the Jedi Order. There were people like her inside, but that had not been her destined path thus far. Perhaps it would never be, for she had been presented an alternate route that had yet to fail her. These things just happen, and she had accepted her opportunities with open arms. There was nothing to mope about. The Jedi lifestyle was simply not for her, as far as anyone could tell.

Still, it was nice to feel it--other souls like her.

[member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

Jedi business. The further into your time with the Order the got the more often you got to hear the word. Some jedi loved it, others tolerated and Kana was definitely one of the latter. Anaxes was never a good place to be, the proximity to the Sith mixed with the bad memories of what had happened all those months ago was enough for it to end up on her “Do not visit” list, but try as she might she soon found herself forced to go there anyway.

Training wasn’t one of those things that solely took place on Ossus, in fact a lot of masters preferred to do their training in the field. In this case Kana had been called over to oversee a new Knight and their Padawan as they went on their first little ‘practical demonstration’ together. Personally Kana had never attempted such methods but from what she had heard it was quite effective. In any case it was something for another time. The practical demonstration had just ended and she was free to go on about her own business for the rest of the day.

With little idea what to do she came to a stop outside the premises of the Jedi Order. Had she known better she would have felt @Tacitanya’s presence, but after having spent so much time around places that had so many different force signatures it came as no real surprise that her outsider status to the Order went right by her. To her she was just another twi’lek in a robe and to the twi’lek Kana was most likely just another jumpsuit-wielding jedi.

She gave the black jumpsuit a brush-off and a straightening of the cuffs as she looked over at the twi’lek. A good chat between two members of the order was as good as any to make time pass, right? Slowly she approached the woman and smiled.

“Most padawans tend to stay inside the premises, but not you I see.” She bowed. “I’m Knight Truden from the Academy on Ossus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.“

Kana circled with her hands and index fingers as she asked for [member="Tacitanya"]’s name. She really had no idea.

 

[Beowoof]

Taci was caught offguard, never having met a Jedi before. What had brought this young woman to conclude that she was one of them? It was no time to ponder over these matters, however. It would be wise and courteous to simply return the bow. A knight deserved that much respect without questioning (The twi'lek was, at least, fairly certain of this.). It was not difficult, being the shorter of the two, but Taci made sure her bow was lower than the other's.

"Knight Truden," she greeted as she dipped her head and performed an awkward curtsey--more of a slight bend at the knees. Was that correct? Maybe not. The Jedi was doing some sort of circular motion with her hands, and Tacitanya sought to imitate it, lest she break custom.

"I'm..." The bounty hunter's apprentice hesitated, nervous as to how she should identify herself. She could not claim to be a Jedi, as that would be dishonest and perhaps some sort of blasphemy as far as she knew. But she had never carried a title. Think quick... "Ranger Tacitanya." Oh, no, she did not!

Rangers were a thing, right? Whether they were or not, that was the best title the tyrian could conjure up. With no specific loyalties and no official recognition of any sort, she would just have to stick to whatever it was she made up. Or maybe Knight Truden would understand that she had the wrong number and save Taci the trouble.

 

[Kana Truden]

“Oh, I get it.” Kana crossed her arms and shot a disappointed glance between the temple grounds and [member="Tacitanya"]. “Just make sure you don’t get too close, Ranger Tacitanya. People can be on edge when the enemy is so close.”

Not that Kana was trying to imply that the twi’lek woman was an enemy, but the tone of her voice could certainly have implied as such. Kana sighed again. All she wanted to do was have a nice talk yet here she was with someone from outside the order while standing quite literally right outside the Order. Perhaps simple things were too much to ask for on Anaxes.

“Look, what you’re doing here is your business, but standing outside the Order like this does seem a bit, uh, suspicious and judging by your ‘inexperience’ with the titles I assume you’re not exactly one of ‘us’, right?” Kana raised her eyebrow. “I mean, I hope you don’t mind me saying but you don’t exactly strike me as the type of person to sit around a temple all day thinking about the force before and after you go to bed or have your daily meal.”

“So who are you, really?”

 

[Beowoof]

The 'ranger' hung her head, feeling shamed by someone of a respected status. "Yeah, I know..." Served her right for loitering anywhere. Taci had quickly learned to not stay in one place for very long at home, and she supposed that the rest of the galaxy may need to be treated the same. She did not have the bounty hunter by her side to safely wrench her out of these situations.

"I'm no Jedi. In fact, I'm not sure why you thought I was." Not that she had no idea how a Force user might conclude her to be one, but she simply did not look the type--at least, she assumed she did not. But if Knight Truden were to think her one, then perhaps it was to be taken as flattery somewhere deep inside. Perhaps. Though she had never really given too much time to exclusively 'thinking about the Force'. She just knew a few tricks and how to practice and try and improve those tricks. "I'm just passing through.

"I'm nothing," Tacitanya ventured to clarify. "I'm no Jedi, but I'm definitely not a Sith." Ew.

 

[Kana Truden]

“I’m fairly sure that saying you’re not a sith should provoke me into thinking you are.” Kana chuckled. In an odd way it was nice 'talking' to someone from outside the Order. “But I’ll take your word for it, we are after all right outside my Order’s headquarters.”

Kana stared at the woman in front of her. There was no obvious signs of hostility or even intentions of such. Perhaps there was a small hint of shame, but that really wasn’t anything worth mentioning. Whoever this ‘Ranger [member="Tacitanya"]’ was she seemed like she could be anyone else. Even with the force by her side.

“So, friend, what brings a self-proclaimed Force Ranger to this part of the galaxy then? Are you here with a master? Maybe you’re considering joining the Order or maybe you’re just enjoying the warm weather?”

 

[Beowoof]

"Well..." Taci started, trying to think of some convincing facts to prove that she was not, in fact, a Sith infiltrator of any sort. She even thought to hand over her lightsaber to Knight Truden as a sign of good faith--a gesture no Sith would likely carry out--but it seemed like it was quickly a trivial matter. The Jedi woman had already accepted the 'ranger' to be of no threat. Unless Jedi were the tricky sort. She would be careful not to step into any verbal traps.

"I'm here to gather supplies. Being a... uh, Ranger... can be a bit tough." That was the understatement of the century. (As long as 'Ranger' could be justified as a title. Whatever she was, it followed a winding path.) "For the most part, I'm on my own. So now I'm just gathering material." The twi'lek glanced up at the tall buildings--much more pristine than the grimy casinos that had overlooked the place of her birth. But cityscapes were where she thrived, no matter what part of the galaxy. She just had this uncanny instinct for finding the treasure within the urban jungles.

"But what's being a Jedi like?" She glanced off at the building that currently housed the Order, almost longingly. "As opposed to just being... me."

 

[Kana Truden]

Being a ‘ranger’ was starting to feel more and more ‘undesirable’. The life as a jedi wasn’t exactly comfortable, but the way she made it sound made the life of a ‘ranger’ seem even less so. Actually, that was a good question to be asked. What was life as a ‘jedi’ actually like? Kana too let her attention wander skywards. Maybe it wasn’t the question she would have expected but it was a good one. Not that she had actually expected any questions to be asked but given the way their conversation had gone so far it was just fair to provide an answer.

“Depends on who you ask.” Eyes set on [member="Tacitanya"] again. “We kind of have all these different branches and each member seemingly has their own interpretation of the code. Some are reasonable, others are kind of… Liberal.”

“We focus most our time on practice and when it’s not about practice or uh… ‘Socializing’ it seems to be pitting us against overwhelming numbers of sith. Really, I am probably painting a bad picture of the Order but I wasn’t born into it. In fact there are many who were brought into it far later in life.”

“Still, most are born into it. Technically. We find kids from different planets and induct them at an early age before they’ve had a chance to gather enough bad memories to cloud their minds. It sounds horrible, I know, but it’s the truth.”

“In short we strive for a galaxy that stands in peace and harmony. Some are more zealous in this and others are... Skeptical but keep on going anyway.”

Kana was definitely the latter. Peace was a goal worthy to strive for but an impossible state to uphold. She kept such opinions unvoiced though. There was no need to bring any unwanted attention upon herself.

 

[Beowoof]

Indeed, the portrait Knight Truden was painting of the Jedi Order seemed rather grim. Taci had always had a respect for Jedi, even before she was aware of her own gift. Even still, with this dreary image of the Jedi lifestyle forming in her mind, the self-anointed 'ranger' held those devoted to such an order in high regard. They certainly seemed far more noble and dedicated now. But she had to admit, she was decently thankful that she had her freedom and was not subject to such strict- and gloomy-sounding regimens.

What was interesting, however, was the seemingly paradoxical person she was talking with. If she only had this dull point-of-view on the Jedi Order, then what was keeping her with them voluntarily? "So, why are you a Jedi, Knight Truden?" That was just the obvious question, though it felt wrong to ask so straightforward like that. She had a big mouth sometimes.

"I mean..." Tacitanya stammered, attempting to find something to offset her unintentional rudeness. "How did you decide this was what you wanted to be part of?" Slightly better? Maybe?

Sometimes she should just shut up.

 

[Kana Truden]

“Duty.” Kana answered promptly. “The dark side is always present, yet to not fight it would be irresponsible. The choice kind of made itself when it was offered to me.”

With her arms untangled Kana stood upright again. She gave Tacitanya a smile before placing her hands on her hips. It was rare to meet someone from outside the order. To meet someone who didn’t immediately jump to the wrong conclusion was even more so. This twi’lek had a good vibe about her.

“But you don’t really want to talk about that, do you?” A perked eyebrow as Kana looked at the ranger. “I was planning on going on a walk around the city. Keep a lookout and maintain peace and all that, you’re welcome to come along if you want.”

“I mean, it’s understandable if you dont,” Kana shrugged. “But maybe I could be able to show you a thing or two.”

 

[Beowoof]

Duty. Well, what was her duty, anyway? Tacitanya was aware of the darkside and its inherent dangers, but she had never felt like she had a specific mission; a calling. Her deeds as of Force discovery had largely been somewhat of a civil service, but mostly for monetary sustenance. Her mentor and she were far from greedy, but the truth was that they had to survive, and bringing certain people in for cash was how they did so. She was, by definition, a bounty hunter--"the good kind," as Asemir had put it.

Maybe Knight Truden had some beliefs that Taci could glean from and ponder over. She had come quite a ways since meeting her mentor, but she still lacked a sense of direction in regard to what her purpose might be. Was she supposed to use her talent on electronic gadgetry and apprehending 'bad guys' alone? What was her duty? Perhaps this was her chance to find that out.

"I'll go," the short twi'lek responded, returning a shrug. "There's always more I could know, isn't there?"

 

[Kana Truden]

“Absolutely!” Kana smiled back and motioned forth with her hand. “Come on let’s go.”

She led [member="Tacitanya"] down the road. People passed them by, each of them on their own personal little errand and each of them as rushed as the others. At least there weren’t many of them. The streets weren’t dead but they certainly weren’t alive either. It was simply… Peaceful. Kana turned her head in the ranger’s direction with a curious look on her face.

“So what exactly is it a ranger do? Do you hunt criminals?” Keep forests from burning? “It’s a fascinating title is all. Not one people would usually wear, I guess.”

 

[Beowoof]

The tyrian followed Knight Truden down the street, lekku flapping in her wake as she picked up her stride in order to stay on pace with the taller woman. It was no trouble to her, really. She was accustomed to having to trot along with the large bounty hunter mentor, after all, and she was certainly in shape to do so. She was small, but she was quick and had exceptional stamina. What might one expect from a girl who had spent her youth scavenging on the streets?

The twi'lek may not have been quite ecstatic, but she was indeed delighted to get to continue speaking with the Jedi on this little stroll. It did mean, however, that she would have to be more upfront about things... like being a 'ranger'. "Umm..." How could she best put this? "I just kind of go around and look for work. Really I made it up. There's no Order of Rangers that I'm aware of." Well, that had been easy to state. But to explain her work?

"I'm... uh..." Hunt criminals? "Yeah, I do that. It's sort of like a bounty hunter--but a good sort of bounty hunter." She kept her eyes ahead, wanting to seem confident and not wanting to see if Knight Truden passed her an odd look. Yep. Bounty hunter.

 

[Kana Truden]

A small disappointed frown set over Kana. “Well, that’s a shame. It’s a good title.”

She let the ‘real’ title linger for a bit. Bounty hunter. Now that was a title with a mixed reputation if Kana had ever heard one. She was right, there were good ones and bad ones. A big majority seemed to be in it for the money or the thrill. A good one - to Kana - brought in criminals, took care of those who preyed on the weak, like a jedi.

She gave [member="Tacitanya"] a reaffirming smile but it seemingly went right by her. She had a good feeling about her. There was something to it, that small hint of it that just kinda clicked, connected. It most likely wasn’t mutual, sure didn’t feel like it but it was there. Besides, what would the order do? Reprimand and banish her for showing that one person what could essentially count as a few parlor tricks to the average man? No, the two of them should be fine for what Kana would show her.

“I think you could go far with a title such as that. A title like ‘Ranger’ puts a lot of hope and faith in people, a ‘Bounty Hunter’ does not. It might sound stupid but even a title is powerful in it’s own way. Would you have acted the same if I had called myself Padawan instead of a Jedi Knight?”

“Really, I shouldn’t rant about titles.” Kana chuckled. “I’m sorry, I can go on about it forever. My friends hate it, I think.”

 

[Beowoof]

Ranger... She would have to consider keeping that title. It did sound rather flattering in comparison to some special sort of bounty hunter. People might trust her more if they knew her as Ranger Tacitanya. "It's not like 'Jedi', though." While the twi'lek performed her bounty hunting deeds and services for the good of the people, she still had to make a profit off of it somehow. Conversely, the blond woman probably took no payment for whatever it was she did.

"I probably wouldn't have reacted the same," she admitted, pondering over the truth about the value of titles that Knight Truden had spoken. Only a few minutes spent with a Jedi, and she was already learning new pieces of wisdom. "But I've learned to live without a special title for a while. I've only really started learning how to do all this spiff stuff. I don't think I could hold my own like you'd be able to." Or was she banking too much into Truden's title? Though, surely a Jedi of the Order would know her stuff. As the Knight had said, they seemed to live and breathe the Force every moment of the day from what Taci had heard.

 

[Kana Truden]

Her head nodded slowly. Ranger certainly didn’t have the same ring to it as ‘jedi’ but even still it had a good ring to it. Her smile kept going through the honest admission as well as the compliment the twi’lek provided. At least Kana took it like a compliment. Her nod stopped and she turned her head to look at her arm. The tiny scar on her cheek came to mind and her index finger went up to divert @Tacitanya’s attention to it.

“Holding your own is just as much about your opponent as it is about you.” Her hand dropped down to her sides again. “You can be skilled, but so can your opponent. What matters is how you utilize what you know, really. Even the most humble of padawans can take down a sith on their own.”

Like Obi-Wan on Naboo. Yes, Kana had heard her friends tell that story several times. It was after all their favorite jedi master of all time. The duo passed into a marketplace and the folk masses grew only a little bit thicker.

“As long as you remain cautious and respectful of your opponent’s movements you should be fine.” Kana looked back at Tacitanya. “If that makes any sense.”

“Actually, tell me, what is it that you know of the force? What can you do?”

 

[Beowoof]

Caution in all things. That was how Tacitanya had lived her life, with the exception of those moments when one had to take a leap of faith--maybe even a literal leap--and believe that perseverance might bring good things about at some point. It had worked out so far. If it had not, then she would not be where she was, traveling about this part of the galaxy and empowered by an innate 'gift' that she had not been aware of until meeting the bounty hunter.

"I don't know too much about the Force. Not yet, at least." The tyrian glanced up at Truden's face, lavender irises appraising the subtle expressions the Jedi might make in reaction to each thing she outlined. "I work with electronics, which I've been able to do since I was little--though not in the way I'm learning to now. It's a whole new concept and I mess up a lot.

"I know how to detect things, mostly. My teacher pushed me to try to understand situations and people better, since that was what I was inclined to
do. He taught me to sense people--where they are, what they're feeling..." She paused, wondering if she had made an impression or not. No doubt that Knight Truden had already mastered such things. "On my own, I kind of figured out how to keep people from knowing those same things about me." Hiding; sneaking--it was what she knew best, along with her tinkering on gadgets. All of those things were probably not very Jedi-like things.

 

[Kana Truden]

A basic understanding of the sensing of things through the force. Well that cleared one item off the list. The news that she could work electroncics hit the soft spot though and for the first time in a while Kana properly thought back to her time before the Order. Back when she worked electronics as well. Not that she didn’t do as such still but comparing what she did now and then were different enough to question whether Jedi were 100% legal or not.

“The ability to sense people through the force is one of the most important ones.” Kana looked around the marketplace. “It doesn’t do much but it’s usually amongst the first few steps that a jedi take.”

Their walk lead them outside the marketplace once more. Nothing had really happened so far and to just go for a walk wasn’t really that interesting. Not when the person you’re spending time with had so much you could tell them. She lead Tacitanya down a quiet alleyway. Nobody was around. It was just the two of them and a slightly out of reach ledge. Did that makes sense? Haha, nope, but little did with the force.

“See that ledge?” Kana pointed at the protrusion in the wall. “I want you to jump onto it.”

[member="Tacitanya"]​

 

[Beowoof]

Taci smiled at Knight Truden's comments regarding the sensory aspect. Perhaps it did not physically do much, but the short twi'lek had survived a lot because of that ability alone. Still, she was certain a Jedi Knight would be well aware of this and did not seek to object to such a sentiment. She was the learner, after all.

What was curious, however, was this sudden turn in the conversation from the more philosophical things to a physical test. Tacitanya had been a very active person throughout her life--very athletic and dogged, surpassing many standards despite her small size. That was to say that she had made her share--and beyond--of jumps to slightly out-of-reach ledges. However, this one seemed to be slightly out of slightly-out-of-reach height, and the tyrian was not confident that she could make it. Besides, that was such an odd request.

But she tried for the Jedi's sake, at least. And she missed. "What's up there?" Taci asked, looking quizzically at the Knight. "I don't think I can reach it."

 

[Kana Truden]

“Your enemy.” Kana grinned. “You have tracked down a criminal, with the help of a few friends he has managed to reach that ledge during the pursuit. He has the higher ground and taunts you, urging you not to do anything stupid.”

“You could climb up there, somehow, but there is a better alternative.” Her eyes set on [member="Tacitanya"] again and she shrugged. “The force.”

It was time for a demonstration in how even the greatest of Knights can fail. At least that was the norm, Kana never ever got the landings right. She took a moment to focus herself. She pushed the doubt away and let go of emotion. Let the force flow through you and push.

Step for step the wall grew closer and with a gentle thrust through the air Kana reached the ledge. Her boots landed on the very edge and she threw her arms out in a circling motion as she tried to regain her balance. A short struggled ensued but before long she could gently take a seat and look down at her twi’lek student.

“See? Much easier. Now you try. Clear your mind and gently try to thrust yourself through the air with the force.”