Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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To strive, to seek, to fight, and not to yield.

The orange gas swirled in the atmosphere of the toxic planet Sullust. Ayme Katash rubbed a finger along her lower lip as she stared out the viewport towards the unknown planet. She had only recently started to venture away from Corellia, her home. She often thought of the planet she was born on, Ansion, a planet of farmers which seemed even more foreign than the world before her. Corellia was her home, as far as she was concerned she was Corellian through and through.

An indicator beeped, reminding her that she had exited hyperspace and should continue to her destination. Her ship, the Ryujin, had been a gift from her uncle before she left her home. She had spoken to the gruff man only hours before and she wasn’t sure if she missed him or just the familiarity of their old routines. Jed Katash was her father’s brother and the leader of a gang, Retathorn. The gang was small time, hacking terminals and hocking vehicles. Ayme both hated and loved it all. The Ryujin was an E-9 Explorer, which Jed rarely bothered to use and had fallen into disrepair by the time Ayme was in her twenties. She spent two years fixing the ship up just as a hobby before her uncle surprised her with it as a gift. The only catch was that she would have to do some supply work when he needed it.

She had been excited that day, beyond thrilled in fact. Ayme went to the local cantina had way more to drink than she should have then came home to find Jed sitting at their dinner table waiting for her.

“Sit down kid.” Jed calmly gestured towards the open chair.

Ayme frowned and reluctantly slid into the chair. “Why are you up? Isn’t this way past your bed time old man.”

Jed smirked and scratched the stubble on his chin. “I need to tell you something, since you seem dead set on running about the galaxy.”

“You gave me a ship.”

“I stopped delaying the inevitable, honestly I was running out of excuses.”

Jed’s blue eyes narrowed as he looked his niece over. She had survived a tragedy that would scar any sane person for life. His brother always checked in, Kenrick was nearly anal about his daily messages. The moment one was missed Jed knew something horrible had happened. He knew about his parents affiliation with the Black Sun, it was practically a family tradition, one Jed ran from with full speed. His brother was not nearly quick enough to escape their reach and his daughter paid the full price for that every night in her nightmares. By the time he reached Ansion his brother, sister in law, and their oldest daughter were all laying in their own pooled blood. He searched the small home in horror, holding in the bile that threated to spill from his throat and then he heard the sound. It was a small shuffling coming from the closet. When he opened the door he saw a small blonde haired girl cowering in fear, her eyes completely blank from shock. Kenrick had called her Havock, a nickname she earned repeatedly. It took her nearly three years to utter a word, and now he had to bring her world crashing down again.

“Havock, you know we joke…about all the weird things that seem to keep happening to you. You could put a speeder together when you were five, probably would have sooner if you hadn’t been born on a farm.”

Ayme frowned. “Seriously Jed what…”

“No let me finish. This datachip has information, it’s safe there and they can teach you.”

“Teach me what?”

The docking clamps startled her out of the memory. It took her a few weeks but finally curiosity got the better of her and she looked at the information her uncle had given her. The whole story he told sounded ridiculous, the Force, she had laughed when her uncle said it.

She exited the Ryujin and walked along the platform towards the interior of the large dome. The beauty of the place amidst the toxic surroundings struck her. She adjusted her small pack and looked back towards her small astromech droid.

“Well I hope they have good insurance.”

The droid whistled in agreement.
 
[member="Havock"]

The New Jedi Order of the Galactic Alliance was slightly different from the typical Jedi Order. The first indication of this was the organisational structure. Rather than a counsel the Grand Marshal Omai Rhen had the final say in all matters. Beneath him were his Jedi Marshals. Jacen Voidstalker was one of these.

The New Jedi Order was the most stable home he had found. He was perfectly comfortable with the more militaristic Jedi Order, having himself served for over a decade. It had not been easy to return to the Jedi. As an outspoken and cocksure youth being ejected from training had been a difficult pill to swallow. It had hung over him through most of his career, those clouds gathering whenever he stumbled again.

The far more at ease Marshal Voidstalker, still a capable warrior despite rapidly heading towards his middle years, walked casually towards the landing pads. In one hand he held and apple, a last bite finishing off the flesh before he tossed the core aside.

There was a respectful incline of his head as he approached the newcomer. “Well then, what brings you to Sullust?” he asked, but he already knew. He could well recognise that apprehension, feel the Force reacting to her emotional state.
 
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Ayme looked over the dark haired man who approached her just as she reached the main body of the Jedi Temple. Her mind was racing through all the things her uncle had told her as her heart picked up in speed. She could feel the overtaxed organ beat against her chest as her brain struggled to form words.

“The weather of course.” She attempted to be witty but her voice faltered and betrayed her. She swallowed as the man who approached her continued to stare looking at her with a lack of amusement. “According to my uncle having a connection to the Force runs in my family, he told me to come here. I would have liked to get more information but the rest of my family was killed.”
 
[member="Havock"]

The witty retort the soldier had conjured died in his throat. "I see," was all he managed to say for a moment. The silence that followed was uncomfortable. "My name is Jacen Voidstalker, a Master here. These are...difficult times, but this place is safe from the reach of the One Sith. It was wise if him to send you here before one of them could find you.

"Please, what's your name?"
 
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"Ayme...My name is Ayme Katash. My father was Kenrick Katash, from Ansion. I grew up on Corellia though, I don't really remember much about Ansion." She took a deep breath realizing she was rambling and forced her verbal emesis to stop.

They had reached a central hub of the structure and the number of people surrounding her increased. She could feel the creeping roll of anxiety slowly build from the bottom of her spine to the very top, culminating in a shiver which reversed the sensation. Ayme always felt exposed when she was around large groups of people, the noise became deafening as each small sound combined and became exponential in nature. Her fingers started to fiddle with her belt and her mind searched for a distraction.

"Who is the One Sith?"
 
[member="Havock"]

[member="Havock"]

Jacen looked at her incredulously. "Who are the One Sith," he corrected. "The Empire than now engulfs the entire core? Including what is left of Corellia? Sorry I’m being incredibly rude and I should be explaining where we are. The Temple has domes both above and below the surface. We’ve got many Force Users here. We take in those strays running from the Sith and we also have the formal New Jedi Order, of which I am a member. You have something of a choice ahead of you Ayme. We can make sure you can use your powers safely, make sure the darkside doesn’t take hold. Or you can join the Jedi and follow the code. We have two real missions here. The Jedi swear to protect those who can’t protect themselves. That means looking after the people within our space, and pushing back the Sith space.”

As they meandered towards a busier street he turned and flashed her a quick smile. “One more choice: do you want to get something to eat?”
 
[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Ayme chewed on her lip. She had heard whispers about the Sith and the Jedi, every kid had. She always dismissed the stories as childhood gossip and things parents said to keep their children in line. She never thought she’d be caught up in her own fairy tale.

“On the first, I want to join you. I want to learn. I need to understand and this isn’t something…” She took a deep breath and stopped to look at the Marshall. “My uncle kept all of this from me, he shielded me and I never sought the information out. I’m sorry if that makes me look stupid to you. But I know how to handle a blaster, and how to steal a speeder, I know how to follow orders, and I know that this is where I’m supposed to be.”

The certainty with which she said the words surprised her the moment they left her lips, yet she knew they were true. Ayme had never felt as comfortable in a place as she did in the Temple.

“On the second, yes I’d love something to eat.”
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Trix stood at the base of the shuttle that had carried her to Sullust, ignoring the cluttered expanse of hangars, buildings and ships spread out on the crust beneath her boots. Her gaze was fixed instead on the immense dome hovering above her head.

She tilted her head back, neck creaking in warning, and let her eyes trace over the glistening curves of the dome’s structure. Amongst the overwhelming swath of silver metal scattered pockets of green foliage were visible, gardens and meditation grounds for the thousands of tiny inhabitants who hurried about the outer edges.

The pilot of the shuttle, a haggard looking Twi’lek who wore the distinct scent of cigarras like a cloak, trundled down the ramp and came to a halt next to Trix.

“Can always spot the newbies,” he grumbled, hawking a mouthful of saliva close to Trix’s feet.

Trix turned from the vista of the dome, pointedly examined the pilot’s mess where it was oozing up against the leather of her right boot, then slowly raised her face up until she was eye level with the alien.


The Twi’lek glared at her for a long moment in a silent battle of wills, before flinching and waving a red-skinned hand towards one of the closest buildings.

“That is as much of a cantina as you’re likely to find around here,” he told her. “Once you’re up on the dome I’ve heard it’s all bean juice and nutrient gruel. If you want -”


“Not planning on going up to the dome,” Trix interrupted. “Just need somewhere to lie low for a while.”

“Whatever,” the pilot shrugged, the lekku around his shoulders rippling with the movement. “I know I’m getting a drink.”

The pilot trudged off towards the building he had indicated with several of his crew on his heels.

Trix watched him go, sparing one further lingering glance at the dome, before shouldering her bag and starting after the crew.
 
"This is where you're taking me?" Ayme looked around the squalor of the small cantina. The place was clearly a dive with a mixture of every species and disgusting smell the galaxy had concocted. Voidstalker must have been testing her, this had to be an exercise in patience or compassion or ability not to loose ones breakfast.

A short woman nearly collided with Ayme on her way towards the door. They both jumped back and eyed each other, the shorter of the two with a clear distrust. Ayme raised her hands in submission, "hey not looking for trouble, just some food." Ayme glanced back at Voidstalker who was observing the scene objectively. "Wanna join us?"

[member="Trix Bastin"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

“Join you?” Trix couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice.

The woman who had casually tossed the invite was slightly taller than her, with bright blue eyes and an honest, open face. At her back a broad shouldered man filled the doorway and blocked any hope of a quick escape.

Marking the man immediately as the most dangerous of the pair, Trix automatically scanned his hands, belt and the top of his boots for weapons. Despite seeing no visible threat, she took a step back to increase the distance between herself and the woman and dropped her right hand to the blaster strapped to her right thigh.

The sole drink that she’d purchased with the last of her credits turned in her stomach as she curled her fingers about the familiar grip of the blaster. Between a complete lack of sleep and food, and the strength of the liquor she’d just tossed back, she knew that her reflexes would be sluggish.


Making a split second decision, Trix snapped the blaster up and levelled the barrel at the woman’s face.

“Tell me who sent you.”
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Trix Bastin"]

"These places always spring up next to a port. I've know Dajick since he set up a few years ago. Does the best scrambled nuna eggs in the quadrant, though I must admit the place has gone a little...downhill," Jacen explained before the two women collided.

There was a casual smile on his face as the newcomer levelled a blaster at them. His fingers barely twitched and there was a thud a fraction of a second afterwards. If Trix's eyes followed the sound, she'd see the power pack from her blaster on the ground.

Voidstalker tilted his head to the side as he appraised her carefully. Odd the way the Force worked sometimes. Perhaps he'd be needing to find another Jedi with some time for training by the end of the day.

"Yes, why don't you join us?" he said, before turning to the bar. "Dajick! Three all day breakfasts and a round of caf at our booth?" he called. The Gran behind the bar gave him a friendly wave.

"No problem Jace!" he called. The atmosphere in the bar shifted. Marshal Voidstalker was a frequent visitor. He never paid for anything, yet was always kindly welcomed by the owner. Trouble simply wasn't on the cards when the Jedi Master was sat at his usual table.

"Maybe decaf for the twitchy one!" he added with a broad grin.

"Got it!"

"So..." he continued, turning to Trix. "Where are you from and who are you running from?"
 
Ayme smirked as she noticed an open booth and left the other two to sort things out. The woman whose first choice at the sign of confusion was to pull a pistol stood, processing what had happened. If Ayme was being honest seeing Voidstalker somehow remove the power pack from over five meters away was still her mind reeling.

The woman was slowly lifting the power pack from the ground and turning it slowly over in her hands as if she wanted to check if the object held the answer to all the mysteries in the universe.

"So, kid, you're new." The gruff statement was punctuated with the clanking of mugs and a pot of caf. He held up a single steaming mug, "this one's for the twitchy kid."

"Ha, yea. Thanks...Dajick was it?"

He wiped his hands on the already filthy rag around his waist. "That's right, see I knew I was popular, been here a while now. Did that cad mention my famous..."

"Scrambled nuna eggs?" She smirked, "yea he did make mention of that delicacy."

The Gran was about to continue when a patron stumbled out of his booth and into another table filled with Twi'leks. Dajick gave a hearty belly laugh at the situation, which even startled the now angry Twi'leks into stopping their aggressive swearing. "Good old Kraton, can never seem to sober up enough to enjoy my food properly." He turned back to Ayme. "If you would excuse me, I'll go get him in a state where he can at least walk home." He took a few steps before he shouted, "come on Krat you old peedunky lets find you some strong caf." He continued to speak softer to the Twi'lek patrons, smoothing over the situation. The man did seem to have a gift for running a dive cantina.

Ayme looked up to see Voidstalker and Trix standing at the head of the table. She leveled her eyes at Trix and decided to answer the woman's question from before. "I'm Ayme, and nobody sent me, in fact you're the type of girl my uncle would have kicked my ass if I brought home. Would you like a seat? Dajick brought you some caf."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Trix Bastin"]
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

At the sound of the blaster pack cracking onto the ground Trix quivered to complete stillness. Every single muscle was screaming at her to react, to leap forward and use the butt of the defunct blaster to shatter the man’s nose. It wouldn’t be enough to take him out of commission, but it should be enough to see her safely through the door.


Then what? Back on the shuttle? Back into the arms of Sun?

Trix curled fingers shaking with sudden adrenaline into fists. Expecting the man to strike at her at any minute, and using the motion more to distract as she attempted to regain control of her whirling thoughts, she squatted down to pick up the pack.


As she straightened she allowed herself another glance at the man. He looked, if anything, completely amused by the situation. Dark eyes crinkled as he grinned and spoke to the Gran at the bar.

“Maybe decaf for the twitchy one! So…” he finished, sliding his gaze back to Trix. “Where are you from and who are you running from?”


Trix shifted under the man’s intense scrutiny, feeling the weight of his gaze under the layer of her skin. She considered reaching for the dagger strapped to her forearm and cutting the smile from the stranger’s face, but a deeper urging, the urge to survive, stayed her hand.

“If you’re here to kill me,” Trix finally managed, her tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather.” I’d appreciate it if you’d get it over and done with.”

Trix studied the man for a moment before continuing. She hadn’t seen him move to disable her weapon. He’d been fast, fast enough that he was either toying with her or honestly wasn’t interested in taking her head.


“But,” she said. “If you’re keen to let me keep breathing…and breakfast is in the equation, then I’m from the Outer Rim. And who I’m running from ain’t your business.”
 
[member="Havock"]
[member="Trix Bastin"]

Jacen again gave her a quick bow of the head. "I'm Jacen and you can breathe, in fact breathe easy for a time. I've no notion if doing you any harm and unless you've got some exceptional assassins following you, there aren't many who'll tangle with a Jedi Master near a nest of Jedi Warriors.

"So breakfast..." he said, waving towards the booth. Ayme would ask her question of the jittery young woman whilst Jacen took a sip of caf. He pondered on the nature of the Force for a moment. Once candidate had come here under instruction fron a relative who clearly knew her potential. The other obviously hadn't come here for Jedi. He wondered if she had felt drawn here, felt the calling of the light.
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

“So breakfast…” Jacen turned and strode towards the booth his companion had secured.

Trix hesitated, unable to shake the feeling that she was about to make a terrible mistake, before her stomach twisted painfully in hunger and made the decision for her.

She stalked after Jacen to the side of the booth. The woman looked up as she approached and waved a hand at a steaming mug resting on the table top to her left. Jacen slid onto the fabric seat on the woman’s other side to claim another mug, and seemingly unperturbed by the curious stains spattered around the rim, took a giant swallow of the contents.

“I’m Ayme,” the woman said. “And nobody sent me. In fact you’re the type of girl my uncle would have kicked my ass if I brought home. Would you like a seat? Dajick brought you some caf.”

Trix was still too jumpy to capitalise on the woman’s interesting choice of words. Take her home?

Realising that she was still awkwardly holding her blaster in hand, and that the Gran behind the counter and several other patrons were staring pointedly at the bared weapon, Trix shoved the pistol back into its holster and took a seat.

She wrapped her hands about the mug and flicked her grey eyes to Ayme.

“Trix,” she said, shifting her gaze to include Jacen. She took a long pull of the bitter liquid as her heartbeat started to slow.

“Are you two…” she paused to tilt her head towards the roof of the cantina. “From up there?”
 
"I only just arrived really." Ayme shrugged as she finished speaking. Her hands reached for her own cup of caf and finished it off. The cantina was starting to grow on her. She could see how laid back the place was and could only imagine that the temple above was a bit more uptight on a usual day. Ayme was used to brigands and thieves. Her uncle taught her to take care of herself, there were rules. Never go anywhere alone, always check your weapon, and never leave your drink unattended or take a drink from someone other than the bartender for that matter.

With a sigh Ayme decided it was for the best to just be honest, even if it was with a woman who almost shot her. "My uncle sent me here, I guess this kinda stuff runs in my family. What made you decide this was a good port Trix?"

[member="Trix Bastin"][member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Trix shot a sidelong glance at Jacen following Ayme’s question. The Jedi was watching the two women, his expression carefully blank.


“Didn’t decide anything,” Trix told her carefully. “I jumped a shuttle and this was it.”

Despite the apparent harmless nature of the question it was still fishing. Information of any kind was not something Trix was going to give away easily. Especially when that information could be sold for a significant price.

At any other time Trix would have clamped her mouth shut and played stupid. But now that her fingers had stilled, the caf clearing the fog of her fatigued mind, she found her curiosity piqued.


“What you did with my blaster,” Trix directed the question at Jacen. “Can it be taught?”
 
[member="Trix Bastin"] [member="Havock"]

Jacen eyed the eggs before him, cognisant of the fact that they would be inedible if left to go cold. The sacrifices he had to made for his duties.

"So you picked a shuttle at random and you ended up here. Huh," he said, just the ghost of a smile appearing for a fraction of a second. "The ways of the Force are not always readily apparent, but it offers guidance to those who need it the most. And yes, yes it can be taught. Not to everyone, but it could to you. To you both.

"So tell me," he said, looking to both, clear that he expected and answer from each. "What do you know about the Force?"

The fork moved with remarkable speed as he tucked into his breakfast whilst he had the opportunity. Damn, but he did good scrambled eggs.
 
[member="Havock"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

“What do you know about the Force?”

Clearly nothing.

Trix repressed the urge to blurt the thought aloud. Within the space of a few minutes her world had completely shifted.

Everything she thought she knew about fighting, about surviving, suddenly seemed useless. Years drilling and sparring, dozens of scars collected as she bled with fist, shiv and blaster, lives taken just to shave bare milliseconds off her reaction time, and for what?

Jacen hadn’t physically removed her blaster pack. He’d used this…Force…and blown it all away in seconds. If it had been anyone but the Jedi the follow up blow would have ended her.

Pathetic.

Trix’s deep reserve of anger surged forth, driven by a strange mix of self-loathing and shame. She spared a glance at her now empty mug. Caf wasn’t enough. She needed whiskey.

“I’ll be back,” Trix managed.

She shoved away her plate of eggs and stood abruptly, feeling lightheaded, before storming towards the Gran and the bar.
 
Ayme ate her eggs and drank her caf in silence as the two strangers continued to speak. She listened to them speak about the Force and how Jacen had used it to disarm Trix earlier. Ayme had heard such stories from time to time but the moment they were whispered her Uncle would quickly squash the conversation. Her whole time on Corellia she couldn’t shake the feeling that the conversations were some how familiar, that it was something she already knew. Based on what she had been told before her journey to Sullust it was becoming more and more clear that her parents had known about the Force, and the cause of their death which was such a certainty in her mind had become hazy and full of questions.

Ayme watched Trix evade the question and approach the bar. She could clearly see the woman speak with the Gran for several moments, and since she was giving no indication this was a plan to run away Ayme’s attention returned to her plate.

“The Force, is this thing that’s haunted my life. It always seems to be there, whispering and yet I don’t know anything concrete about it.” Her eyes met Jacen’s. “And I want to know, I want to understand, and I want to know if it’s the real reason my parents and my sister are dead.”

[member="Trix Bastin"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]
 

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