What happens in Dremulae, stays in Dremulae!

[Kian Karr]

Location: In Orbit Above Dremulae
Objective: Investigate the disappearances of several wealthy patrons

Kian Karr sat in the conference room of The Shadow with several datapads splayed out in front of him and a steaming cup of stimcaf sitting beside him. Glancing at the chrono, Kian realized he'd been at this for quite some time and [member="Loske Matson"] would be arriving soon. Kian had not worked with a padawan in quite some time but the opportunity had presented itself and Kian felt it would be an enjoyable experience. He always learned so much from the younger generation of Jedi.

"Sir, we have a proximity alert, our guest will be arriving shortly." The protocol droid said and turned to leave the room. "Thank you." Kian said rising from the desk and straightening his robes to appear presentable. Kian was surprised to find himself nervous at meeting the young woman, but he had heard good things about her and Kian was always nervous at first impression.

"Have we had anymore reports from the surface?" Kian asked as he followed the droid from the room.

"None sir, should I request additional information?" The droid inquired back.

"No, they will send anything along as soon as they have it." Kian said. Kian had never been to the luxurious world of Dremulae, but it had pull with important people and when wealthy patrons of the resort world began vanishing it was immediately communicated to Correllia that they wanted a Jedi assigned to the investigation. Normally Kian would not take a case like this, but he had taken a look at the case files when they came in and there was something odd about the disappearances that drew Kian in, though he was having trouble articulating just what that was.

"Once I've left The Shadow and boarded Jedi Matson's ship, I want you to pilot back to Correllia." Kian said to the protocol droid. "Ensure all necessary security measures are initiated in my absence." Kian said and the droid gave the affirmative before turning and walking away. Kian clasped his hands behind his back and waited just outside the airlock for the arrival.

 

[Loske Treicolt]

And a Jedi Council Member. Frank finished reading when his pilot mistress waved her hand to wrap it up, and they descended their landing platform. He'd been reading through the entire docking procedure, not much helping with the triangulation of S.S.Bruno and the Shadow. It was a file pulled from the Alliance's database on [member="Kian Karr"], a legend of the Shadows. Loske wasn't sure how she felt about the politics of Jedi history, after listening about councils sprouting up here, being dissolved there, rising up again, she was starting to turn deaf to the ebbs and flows of the organizations throughout the galaxy. As long as the good were doing good things, she was fine with it. A woman of action, like her father.

Such desire for action and resolution lead her to assist as an operative transport for this investigative mission. While disappearing tourists weren't a majorly high priority on the galactic landscape, it was still an alarming series of events -- and verily, a good test bed for her to refine her sneaky skills as Wraith Squadron was reactivated.

Within appropriate proximity, the silhouette of the fabled Jedi exhibited itself and Loske found herself nervously wiping her palms against her hips to rub away imaginary sweat. She was giddy with the opportunity of working with someone who had so tirelessly been involved in both The Republic and The Alliance in its youth. And someone who had crossed paths with her parents in their prime.

"Jedi Master Karr," The kiffar clone extended a hand in salutations -- "Loske Matson, your pilot. Pleasure to meet you in the flesh." The astromech knocked against her leg with a mechanical grunt. "And this is Frank, our slicer extraordinaire."

With a nod over her shoulder, she indicated the shape of metal behind them, which was her ship. "Shall we?"

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian smiled broadly beneath his mask and stepped forward, stretching out a taloned hand to return the handshake. There was something remarkably familiar in her force presence. Kian could not quite put it into words, but there was something about her presence that was both remarkably familiar and yet starkly foreign. It took him a moment to realize he'd been holding her hand a little longer than was typical of a handshake and he released it and clasped his hands behind his back.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, [member="Loske Matson"]." Kian said bowing slightly. "Please call me Kian." Turning his attention to the astromech droid, Kian bowed slightly as well. "A pleasure to meet you as well Frank." Following Loske into her ship, he glanced around admiring the vessel. Kian very rarely spent time off of That Shadow when on missions and it would be good to experience a new atmosphere for a while.

"While we have a mission to attend to," Kian said after a few moments, "I thought it might be good to get to know each other a bit before proceeding into the case."

"And I have always favored a good sparring match to get familiar with a colleague." Kian said smiling once more. "Do you have a training room aboard the vessel?" Kian asked, unsure of the layout of the ship. "Or we could find a remote location on the planet to set down for the purpose." Kian would normally jump directly into a mission such as this, but as this was the first time the other Jedi and he had worked together, he felt it best to have an understanding of her skill set. Should the mission turn to violence or they find themselves in a situation where escape or fighting was necessary, he needed to understand what she was capable of.

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Loske's step gave way to a brief pause when the Jedi Master suggested they get to know each other. She didn't need to bate her breath for long, as he seemed to detect the level of curiosity that rose in the vortex between them and explained his intention.

At first, she gave him an incredulous look. "If you use one of those lightsabers aboard my ship, Mister Kian, there's good likelihood you'll cut through the hull." The ship was certainly not much to be impressed by, but it served her well enough to navigate through the galaxy extending favours and helpfulness where pleaded.

She paused slightly, curious as the request. Pilots never asked to do that with one another, but verily, aside from the blueprint collection with Micah and Vex, this was her first operative mission without Wraith or Rogue squadron. This was exclusively with a Jedi Master, not a (by her opinion) bumbling Knight like her brother.

"We can set down on the planet, I'd prefer we found parking out of immediate visibility anyhow. In case things do go sour." After she'd set the baseline that there was to be no duelling aboard S.S. Bruno, she proceeded to navigate to the front of ship, where she and [member="Kian Karr"] could seat themselves. Meanwhile, Frank plugged into the navicomputer to chart a potential landing station.

She'd never been to a Jedi gym, but as she gave time for the Kel Dor Jedi to strap in for the ride and she maneuvered about her ship prepping to unlatch from The Shadow, she couldn't help but feel the need to divulge.

"I'm not sure what you were told prior to us meeting, Master Karr -- uh -- Kian, if you're hoping I'm going to brandish a glowing sword for our test, I'm afraid you'll be rather bummed. I've received no formal Jedi training and The Force and I are....not friends."

In fact, around too much Force behaviour she tended to get rather queasy. She grimaced slightly as the landing gear drew into the ship's belly. This would be the last opportunity for him to object to this mission's collaboration, what with her admittance of being completely useless to The Force. Other than pyschometery, which she half expected due to her breed.

"But I won't slow you down."

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian chuckled at the notion of cutting through the hull, not that the vacuum of space was particularly funny, just how he imagines the absurdness of his question must have seemed.

"My apologies." Kian said bowing his head. "It has been a long time that I traveled aboard another's ship. Jedi vessel come with training rooms often and so I typically train on the move." Truly with the amount of time that Kian spent away from the temples throughout his career, it would be impossible for him to keep his edge and not have the ability to train while in transit. Kian settled into the seat and buckled himself in. He fully approved of the caution of landing outside of the settlements, not that his approval was needed. Kian liked caution....sometimes to the point of paranoia.

"Truthfully, I received some information about you, but a lot was shrouded a bit in mystery." Kian admitted. "Partly why I was eager to meet."

"As for my expectations....do not worry about them." Kian said shaking his head and smiling. "I have none, save that we are honest with each other in our expectations and that we do some good for the people of this galaxy."

"I am curious though," Kian said leaning forward slightly, "What do you mean by 'The Force and I are not friends'?" Kian asked, interested in further understanding what exactly the young woman meant by this.

[member="Loske Matson"]​

 

[Cear'bhaill]

Settled in some alley planet side, a hooded figure vigorously shook all the credits she could from the fat man's person.

Oh how hard times had befallen the once bright and proud woman. She was stranded, not that she would admit it, and scrounging everything she could...well, take. Her amassed wealth had not gone to waste, for the light still flickered somewhere within, and she was regarded as a sort of 'Robin Hood', ensuring the impoverished of the planet were taken care of.

Her methods, however, were a bit brutish, and had garnered the attention of local authorities on several occasions. It was during some of these run ins with the law, that her powers showed, and tragically, casualties occurred.

Yet, she had found a slight pleasure in the taking of lives as such...

 

[Loske Treicolt]

A knowing smile was passed between herself and her temporary co-pilot when [member="Kian Karr"] explained his travelling routine and continued to replace dread with relief when the shadow master kindly spoke to her concerns.

"Ooh, me? Shrouded in mystery - I do love a bit of intrigue." She gave a wink in his direction as the HUD indicated all engines and systems were ready to go. The controls of The Shadow were agreeing to release as she reversed the thrusters to hover and reverse back into the atmosphere. As S.S. Bruno hissed its release, the numerics displayed in front of her began to adjust to klick distances from the crust of the planet below.

"I don't have it." The pilot responded simply, although she was really deeply jealous of the rest of her quasi-family. Her nausea roots were a little unknown, she chocked it up to poor geneticists with not understanding how to have her react to overstimulation. She was eager to pivot the conversation, for not wanting to get too deep into a jaxxon hole of self pity and envy.

"I uh, your file was a little more thorough. I had Frank pull up your recent achievements and history with the Jedi -- but it was a little shy on information on how you got started with The Shadows. How'd that all happen?"

 

[Kian Karr]

"I don't have it." Was the response from the pilot and Kian ran his taloned hand along his anti-ox mask in contemplation. Kian could certainly feel her in the force and it was not the type of connection typical of one who was not connected to the force...it was a much brighter and oddly familiar connection than that. However, it seemed clear that Loske did not wish to discuss the matter further and Kian would respect that desire. This made him wish to train with the young woman even more....to see how she responded in combat.

The question about his own origins with the Shadows threw Kian off a bit. Most people never asked about his start in the Jedi Shadows. He had become a bit of an established presence among that sect over the years and he suppose it just seemed to go hand and hand. Kian Karr....Jedi Shadows. But the truth was, he had not come to to the Jedi with that training in mind. Far from it.

"I never meant to be a Jedi." Kian admitted. "But....circumstances motivated me to leave Dorin and pursue purpose elsewhere." Kian said, aware that he was being a little vague on that point. "When I came to the Jedi I was taken on by Jedi Master [member="Talon Vosra"], who trained me in the ways of the Jedi. He himself practices much of the arts of a Jedi Shadow and it seemed to fit." Kian said smiling. "It was rather serendipitous."

"It can be a solitary lifestyle." Kian admitted. "Long periods of time away from the temples and academies. Sometimes it can bring out a bit of paranoia in an individual as well....though that is often for the best."

"It is certainly a path not for everyone. But I have no regrets." Kian said looking out the viewpoint at the planet.

[member="Cear'bhaill"] | [member="Loske Matson"]​

 

[Loske Treicolt]

"The Force works in mysterious ways, I hear." Loske commented, giving a wry smile when [member="Kian Karr"] suggested serendipity played a role in his path. The orb below them got nearer, and she navigated inward slowly. The shields protecting the system weren't nearly up to military grade, and easily intercepted; the only noticeable difference on entering was the low vibrations on their feet and the increase of light against the viewport.

"But you learn to trust yourself more and more, I bet. Your self awareness is probably at super power level."

It was midday on arrival, and S.S. Bruno lowered amongst a throng of emerald trees that stretched toward golden sand. Most of the terrain was oceanic, this little spot had been a good discovery by Frank for their temporary parking outside of the main epicentre for tourism. They were just a handful of klicks away.

The touch of the landing gear to the ground made the ship jostle slightly, indicating they'd touched down to the ground. After navigating about her dashboard for a few moments, Loske undid her crash webbing and rose with a slight stretch.

"I know I said no lightsabers in the ship - are you intending to use one outside the ship?"

[member="Cear'bhaill"]

 

[Kian Karr]

At the reference to self-awareness and superpowers, Kian let out a burst of laughter that came out in bursts of static as the voice amplifier on his mask struggled to compensate for the sound.

"Certainly not." Kian said shaking his head. "If anything, I feel as we Jedi become more experienced and, too often, ideolized we can begin to identify with that image of who we are rather than the reality." Kian said thinking back on some of the mistakes he'd made over the years, due in no small part to arrogance. It had been foolish of Kian to wander off on a mission on his own years before....and it had resulted in a duel that made him lose his left hand. Kian flexed the fingers on the well-blended artificial hand.

"Jedi are far from superheros." Kian said removing his crash webbing and turn to make his way out of the ship.

"But yes," Kian said patting the lightsaber hanging from his utility belt. "I would very much like to get a little lightsaber training in."

"Since you do not use a...." Kian searched for a moment for the name she had used, "...glowing sword to fight, am I to assume you prefer ranged combat?" Kian asked wondering if the pilot favored a blaster or another form of melee weapon. Kian would be satisfied in getting some exercise in which either option. Besides, while they trained he could pester her with questions concerning her experiences with the force....if any.

"We have some time." Kian said as he made his way from the ship. "I sent a colleague ahead to do some preliminary snooping. I'm awaiting word from them before moving into the investigation." Kian said glancing at his datapad. Apparently there had been some issues with the local authorities and Koras and Soli were still establishing our invitation to join the investigation.

~ ~ ~​

​

"Why are they dragging their feet on this?" Soli said shaking her head. "I think they are hiding something." She said kicking at a stone on the ground. Koras turned to her with what constituted a smile for a Selkath and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand your frustrations." Koras took a long look at the younger Jedi. Soli was only 13 when she began her training with him, now she was 19 years old and, as far as Koras was concerned, ready to take on the duties of a Jedi Knight. He hadn't told her that yet, but he would soon, after he spoke to Kian about it. "But right now, while we wait, we can at least get some information." Koras said as he continued deeper into the dark tunnel. They were in an underground structure that acted as a runoff for water but was out of use. Koras and Soli had found that many of those that had vanished did so without a few kilometer radius of this location and Koras felt that it was worth investigating.

"I do not have a good feeling about this." Soli said smiling and following her master.

"You never have a good feeling about going underground." Koras chuckled and continued into the darkness, his blue lightsaber blade illuminating the way.

[member="Loske Matson"] | [member="Cear'bhaill"]​

 

[Loske Treicolt]

The sound of the Kel Dor’s laughter was unexpected, and Loske blinked with surprise at the unapparent joke. So far, this Jedi was humble, polite and genuinely radiating a sense of goodness. “That’s a very grounded understanding.” Loske observed, pressing the loading ramp to extend. The mouth of the ship blurted out a metallic tongue, forming as the canopy over [member="Kian Karr"] and Loske receded into the body of the ship. The ramp was quite steep, and left a dent in the grassy ground at the bottom.

A wry grin flickered across her lips as she flicked her wrists and smacked her knuckles together. As she did so, the canons to the right and left of the cockpit whirred to life and the bracers on her forearms glowed a light blue. A little bit of a showoff.

“We can do close range, or distance.” Loske commented, placing her now glowing hands on her hips and rotating slightly to indicate the ship was an option to leverage as firepower. She also pat the sidearm on her hip.

“I have formal hand-to-hand training. If we don’t want too much attention drawn with the sound of weaponry, or plasma detection, I suggest we start there.” The followers of Palawa had teachings imbued in her genes. Teras Kasi had been invented for the sole purpose of allowing its practitioners to contend with Force users. She clenched and released her fists, the blue glow disappearing and the ship’s canons seemingly went back to sleep. “We can save the big guns for desperate showdowns.”

She took a few backward steps, distancing herself from the Jedi Master and squaring up, pointing one of her feet and drawing an imaginary line in the grass in front of her. “You can use your sabre."

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian nodded his head, very impressed by the ship and the technology that allowed her to use it for via her arm bands. Kian had not seen a vessel like this before and wondered if it was a custom build or something that was just new to the market. Either way, it was an impressive piece of technology. Hand-to-hand? Kian thought and a smile formed on his face. He hadn't sparred in a hand to hand match in quite some time. But it was certainly an important area to hone.

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Kian said, dropping his outer robe onto the ground a few paces away and laying his lightsaber on the clothing heap. "I would recommend, not going for a mouth punch." Kian said smiling and tapping his talon against the anti-ox mask. When struck on the mask it turn him, but it also was an easy way to break a few knuckles, given the hardness of the material.

Kian bowed to the younger combatant and then, after pausing for a moment to allow her to respond, he came forward in a rush. He struck out with his right arm, as he was right arm dominant, but feigned the attack and instead dropped down and swung his leg around in a sweeping kick aimed at her legs, looking to throw her off balance or drive her back.

"So how much experience do you have working with Jedi?" Kian asked while he was attacking, looking to use this training opportunity to get to know her better.

[member="Loske Matson"]​

 

[Loske Treicolt]

A simper crossed the girl's lips as the Jedi Master dropped his garb and indicated the no-go zone. She'd sparred with plenty of pilots who had indicated a similar type of request, but with a lower area. Everyone had their limits - and Loske had yet the necessity to fight dirty. She returned his bow with a curt nod, lifting her hands and adjusting her stance to one foot forward. On activation, she could almost feel every connection of her sinews. She was literally created for this purpose and everything within her became far much more attune.

When the Kel Dor rushed forward, everything around him seemed to be coated in a gaussian blur. His tawny form because hyper focused and almost slowed to a rhythmic approach. She had time to draw in a sharp breath through her teeth, and mark his incoming right-handed strike. There was a minute ripple in his fabrics, and gravity became his friend as she began her backward-step and slip to the left to avoid the right-handed-punch from knocking her jaw. "Most of my friends are Jedi." Loske responded, realizing the need to adjust rapidly, imbued muscles reacting as quickly as they could and the bubbly pilot was replaced with a bioengineered reaction.

Quickly, she shifted to modify her retreat into an advance and lunged [member="Kian Karr"]'s direction. Her right foot stepped in and locked in to where his grounded foot remained, she tilted to lean into him and jut out her left hand to his waist, and right hand to his shoulder--pushing her palm against the upper torso and outward. This would hopefully catch him in an awkward spot to bend over her knee, either onto his back or otherwise. There was a falter to her outward push, due to the connection of his kick with her left shin.

This was a move she'd practiced hundreds of times - Forraderi Death Weave. (False. This is a supplanted instinct, a falsified memory of [member="Marcello Matteo"]'s training in the youth.)

"And my brother is a Knight, we've taken on a few troubles together."

 

[Kian Karr]

Most of her friends are Jedi. Kian thought that was an odd thing. If so many of her friends were Jedi.....why had no one broached the clear connection she had to the force and instead allow her to continue on in the belief that the force was something she was closed to. That realization helped to set Kian's resolve not the broach the subject with her. If those closest to her felt it was not time to address it, then he would defer to them, for they knew her better.

That thought was interrupted by the attack from Loske. Kian was not a slouch in hand-to-hand combat, but it also was not a skill he had mastered. Kian rarely fought enemies unarmed. While many Jedi spent their time fighting criminal or military threats, Kian, as a Shadow, was often up against darkside wielders on his missions. If a lightsaber was not being used....the force was. Kian made a mental note to work more with Loske, for students are often the best teachers and her skills in hand-to-hand would only improve his own.

Seeing no alternative to the attack other than to get into a grappling match with the skilled opponent, which she would surely win, Kian instead went with the hit. He allowed himself to fall backwards, stumbling over her leg and strikes onto his back on the ground. As he did so he brought his non-encumbered leg up and struck out at her gut, aiming for the diaphragm. With luck the blow would land or in her defense against it, he would find himself able to break free and resume the fight from a....less grounded position.

~ ~ ~​

​

"The darkness is growing stronger." Soli said, his brilliant violet blade held out in front of her, lighting the path head. Sitting on the ground ahead of her was her master, Koras, as he meditated on which way to go. They had reached a split in the tunnels, one leading left and the other right. The glow of their lightsabers were the only thing lighting the way now. They'd made their way far enough down into the depths that the light behind them was no longer visible.

"I feel it too." Koras said taking in a deep breath and releasing it. He reached up to scratch at some dry scales on his side. He had been out of water too long. "I'm just not sure which way to go." Koras had been sitting there for about ten minutes now, trying to discern in which direction the dark presence was coming from.

Soli nodded, and stretched out with the force as well. She was having the same difficult in pinpoint the location, but something in her gut was telling her to go right. She couldn't quite place it. It felt different than a force intuition....it was just a feeling of that being the path they were meant to take.

"I think it is this way." Soli said stepping toward the right. Koras looked at her for a moment, his head turned to the side like a confused pup. After a moment of consideration he nodded and rose to his feeet.

"Good enough for me." He said stepping out in front once more to lead the way deeper into the darkness.

[member="Cear'bhaill"] | [member="Loske Matson"]​

 

[Cear'bhaill]

The huntress had become the hunted it seemed...

Slinking around the darkened tunnels of the sewers was a less than desirable predicament to be in. But currently this is where she was. Her stealth was nowhere near on par with that of an assassin or the Jedi Sentinels of old, but it was working. The winding tubes and constant stench were in her favor, along with the plethora of fauna that called this place home.

Whoever they were, they were gaining on her. She did not desire to fight, especially when the odds were not in her favor.

An ambush was needed, and she had to make it count...

She had torn a strip from her tunic, all she could afford really, and dangled it from a rusty chain. Her saber had been stashed in a hidden alcove above her. And the woman herself was sunk into the disgusting mire, suppressing her signature and waiting to spring the trap...

[member="Kian Karr"]​

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Loske's weight was pointed downward, and when [member="Kian Karr"] gave way to the overtaking, her body was not finished. The rest of the strike would usually manifest as a kneeling chokehold until the opponent was out of air. Instead, she felt a heel to the stomach.

Oof.

Instantly, her hands transferred and cupped his heel, threatening to twist it -- if this was the real world, a sharp maneuver could snap his bones. Instead, she applied enough pressure to send indicators of pain up to his brain.

She had been made for this.

"Want to reset, or get out of this?" The youth asked, seeking if the Jedi Master had further tricks up his sleeve.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian began to laugh at his precarious predicament. He was unsure how we would have handled this in a real combat scenario. For one, he would have used his lightsaber and he would have used the force more....but he had wanted to test his hand-to-hand skills witch, he admitted, had atrophied a bit in the years since he reached Master.

"No," Kian said shaking his head. "Why don't we take a break?" Kian suggested. He expected to hear from his contacts soon and he wanted to be ready to go when they reached out. Once Loske had released him, Kian went and retrieved his robe and lightsaber.

"Tell me about your brother," Kian said, "if you are comfortable doing so? Perhaps we have crossed paths before." Kian suggested though it was not unlikely to be true. The Jedi were numerous and spread across many systems and Kian's work as a Shadow often kept him working with an isolated number of his fellow Jedi.

~ ~ ~​

​

Deep in the tunnels, Soli and Koras continued on searching each area as they reached it. Soli was beginning to get frustrated. This was taking too long and they were too far from where they began for anyone to find them should they get into any real trouble. But she also was frustrated by the tediousness of the search. She was always one that was more comfortable in action than in investigation.

"What is that?" Koras asked, snapping Soli out of her thoughts. Following his gaze she saw a piece of fabric hanging from a chain.

"I don't know." Soli said and without thinking walked over to investigate it.

"Soli, wait." Koras said....but it was too late.

[member="Loske Matson"] | [member="Cear'bhaill"]​

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Loske released the Jedi, and touched the back of her neck sheepishly while he re-dressed himself. She hoped there were no tricky feelings, though she knew that if he whipped that sword out she could easily be cleaved in two in a matter of seconds.

"Ah, yeah, my brother." Tricky subject, really. She hadn't known he'd existed up until a year ago, neither of them had known anything about their family. Or their creation. Isar had ambitions of legacy, so it wouldn't be a surprise if someone had heard of him somehow, but people, most people, knew of her parents. So she'd withhold that information, she wasn't sure if she was ready to rise to the occasion of association.

"His name is Isar Kislo, he was training with Ryan Korr.." a small smile touched her pouted lips, it was a beautiful full circle, really. Marcello Matteo had trained Ryan Korr, and thus Master Korr trained Marcello's offspring. "I know," she simpered, holding up a hand. "Different last name. It's complicated. I'm not sure if he has a specialty or not, I don't think undercover is his schtick."

She kneeled to brush some dirt from her boot, and adjust how it was fitting against her ankle - the rubbing was a little irritating. "Have you ever been so undercover you lost sight of your goals?"

[member="Kian Karr"] / [member="Cear'bhaill"]