EliteCommander

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

"I did not say that they necessarily need to remain on the ship, just that they should not be present in the meeting itself. Regardless of whether or not I agree with the...need for security, I understand you and your men just want to fulfill your assigned role. Just think of this as something of a...stealth or infiltration mission." Kresst remarked with a light chuckle as they were walking through the halls of the ship. "They need to be close enough to provide assistance in the unlikely event something goes wrong, without drawing too much attention to themselves. For the most part, we just need to avoid threatening, or appearing to threaten, the locals. When the Separatists tried to intimidate them into joining their cause, they responded with a planet-wide resistance movement. That may be one reason I was assigned to this task; to the uninformed, I am as non-threatening as one can be."

Kresst showed little in the way of a reaction to his quarters. While perhaps not as comfortable or arranged to his liking as his quarters in the Jedi Temple, he was not bothered by a layer of dust. They were flying to the outer rim, so there would be a decent amount of travel time, but he still doubted this assignment would last long enough to worry about the particulars of his quarters. He saw that there was a comfortable place to sit, and it was quiet enough for him to meditate, so he needed little else. "I think I will be quite all right, thank you. I expect I will be spending much of my time meditating. I would appreciate relative silence near my quarters, but I can deal with having distractions if need be. Should you desire to train your force techniques, you will know where to find me. After all, practice makes...consistent."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth did look at the shop when it was pointed out, but it seemed that her attention was more fixated on the city as a whole around her. It was not uncommon for her to be awestruck at some of the places they visited if there was something about them that was new to her, but she never would have expected to experience it in a city in her own homeland. "I can't believe I never visited this place when I still lived in Black Marsh. I know the tribes don't always think the most highly of more settled Saxhleel, but...it still would have been nice to visit."

Julan, meanwhile, was staying quite close to Janius. This had not been the first time that he had visited a crowded city, but he was now at the age where his beast spirit was more of an influence on his mind. Being that he was born a lycan and was able to adapt to it gradually, it had not taken him too long to reach an acceptable level of control, but he was still a werecrocodile like his mother. It made him at least somewhat more comfortable to stay close to his parents.

Meesei stopped, taking a moment to look at the displays through the window. Apart from the time she had been helping them, Ariel had been running a shop for over a decade, and that experience showed in all the little details of how she arranged her displays to best advertise her store at a glance. Merely having coin was not sufficient to be a merchant, or at least, not a successful one. Reward or no, Ariel's business would not still be open had she not developed those types of skills. "I had wondered what Ariel would do with her reward. It seems she invested it, or at least part of it. I am glad she has found her success. Well, I think you should naturally be the first to see your sister, Sabine, so lead the way."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

"Yes, please." Kresst replied with a nod. "I am sure that whatever is available on the ship will be suitable. I do not require much, in either space or amenities. All that I prefer to have is a chance for privacy."

Kresst started to stand, but the soldiers around him, and the talk of their "mission", did bring up some thoughts in his mind about their assignment. He usually was not terribly enthused about most of his assignments, but in this case, he was just as motivated as the Jedi Order to actually successfully recover the Sith artifact. It was easy enough for him to gain access to Jedi relics to study, but anything pertaining to the Sith fell under far more scrutiny. As a Jedi historian and scholar, he did have some "legitimate" reasons for some access to them, but it was never enough for his purposes.

"There is one...comment I would like to make, though." Kresst added. "I have done my research on the Belkadans. These former resistance fighters, they are a people who greatly value their history, traditions, and customs. It is actually one of the greatest reasons they opposed the Separatists, despite having little to no connection to the Republic. They saw the Separatists and their demands as a threat to their culture. However, they also seem to view this Sith relic they have found as being part of their history as well. It was found on their planet, in one of their lost ruins, so it is a reasonable conclusion for them to make. Most today do not know what the Sith are, or were. We will need to be cautious in negotiations to avoid being seen as threatening them, just as the Separatists did. We need to be patient with them, and I would prefer not to meet their representative in the company of armed soldiers. Perhaps do not wear that armor, or at least hide it well under a robe."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth tapped a claw against her chin for a few moments in thought, though it was honestly not much of a debate for her. As much as she was trying to hide it, the return to her home was frightening for her, and catching up with Ariel would provide yet another way to distract her mind from it. "For a few minutes, at least. We're already here, so it can't really hurt, and Julan will finally get to meet her properly."

Julan had technically met Ariel before, but as he had been quite a young hatchling at the time, he did not have many strong memories of her. Of course, he had heard plenty about Ariel, and particularly about her contributions to the clans. She was not as well-known around the clans as the Champion's pack, but she was immensely well-respected, and even Julan could understand why.

The group had started out towards Thorn, and it was only a few minutes before the trees thinned out and the city came into view. It was every bit as beautiful as Meesei remembered, particularly with the effort the city put into maintaining its reputation. The path leading up to the city walls was lined with a multitude of colorful flowers. Inside the gates, the first impression given to visitors were pristine stone buildings with walls draped in flowering vines, expertly-sculpted statues, and other artwork. Not all of the city could live up to that standard of beauty, but it was clear that they wanted to make a good impression right off of the start.

Naturally, Sabine was leading the way ahead of the group. Ariel was likely aware that Sabine intended to visit, thanks to their exchange of letters, but Sabine could not have been so specific on exactly when they would be arriving. There would probably be some surprise to their arrival, and hopefully, Ariel and Rukeewei both would be available to meet them.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst had mostly been joking about the bureaucracy, though there was not much more to this “mission” than what Mevenn already knew. He paused a moment and took the time to climb himself up into one of the seats. It was quite evidently not designed to seat one of his size, though it was still far more comfortable than the floor.

“It’s not much more complicated than that, correct. If I am being honest, you all can probably consider this assignment a vacation. The chance of the Separatists coming anywhere close to the system, let alone the planet, are slim to none, especially after that battle above Coruscant. They’re pretty much on the run. I don’t personally think it’s necessary to even have an escort, but, well, I suppose it is still technically wartime. Their reasoning is at least present.” Kresst replied. He did not expect that the clones would be happy about being given an easy assignment while they still had brothers out fighting the enemy, but he supposed it was possible, albeit unlikely, that Mevenn might appreciate the chance to avoid fighting. Most Jedi would, but he did not know her well enough to say.

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Kresst, while not the most sociable of Jedi on his own time, was at least capable of being professional. Even friendly. He might have even smiled, if he would have had the physical ability to make that expression. "Yes, thank you. You can...just call me Kresst. From your...demeanor, I think it is safe to assume you have seen to everything being ready for our departure." He commented. Just from his first impressions of Mevenn, he took her as being a more "military-oriented" Jedi. The armor gave that away rather strongly. Kresst could write volumes about why he felt that it was a horrible idea for any Jedi to fully embrace that kind of a mentality, but at the very least, it likely meant that she was a professional. She had probably showed up at the landing pad an hour early, performed three separate security sweeps of the ship, and mind-wiped all of the droids.

As a courtesy, Kresst picked up his pace as they moved into the ship, expecting that she did not want to wait for him to stroll up the loading ramp. "Were you and your squad given the full explanation of what we will be doing?" Kresst asked. "I would think so, but it is never really wise to assume competence among the bureaucracy, now is it?" He chuckled.

Kresst had his eyes on the clones, as they did on him. They had been the core fixture of the military since the beginning of the war, and unquestionably valuable for safeguarding the Republic, but he still could not help but to have some pity for them. They were not droids, they were organics. People. It was true that they would not even exist if the Republic was not paying to create them, but the fact that they were still fighting without choice seemed far too close to slavery in his mind. Just one of the many reasons he had always wanted to avoid the war.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Julan scratched his head, obviously surprised to have his opinion asked, which caused it to take a few moments longer for him to even form it. "Oh, well, um...it's pretty hard. They gave us chitin armor to practice with in training because we have plenty of it. It's heavier than I thought it would be. I wanted to try to wear one of those real metal suits, but the blacksmiths say it would be a waste of metal to make full suits that aren't adult-sized. It just felt...weird to wear armor made of chaurus shells when we also hunt with chaurus and everything. Living ones. Seems like they would get mad at that, or something."

When Sabine returned, Meesei was glad to see that she had been able to convince Karl to join them. She was sure that Ariel would be overjoyed to have them all present. "Well, you have the highest deferment possible from your responsibilities, so you can feel free to clear your mind of worry and enjoy the moment. Kaleeth just arrived a few minutes ago, so you are actually precisely on time. Sabine, will you help me with the portal?" Meesei requested as she already began to cast the spell. All of their supplies were packed and ready, most of which would be going with Janius, Kaleeth, and Rhazii. They would be without access to teleportation for an extended time, so they had several large bags worth of various supplies, selected to last for as long as possible in the swamps.

To avoid alarming anyone, the group's portal brought them at least a few minutes walk away from being in sight of the city. The immediate area around them was, of course, swampland like any other in Black Marsh. For the humans of the group, it was like stepping into a sauna in comparison to the mild, even cool air of Blackreach, and they did not have the famous beauty of Thorn around them to greet them. Though, that would change quickly once they approached the city. "Do you three think you will want to stop in and visit for a while as well, or do you want to set out right away." She asked, looking towards Janius and Kaleeth.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth gave Janius a quick kiss in thanks, then rushed away as quickly as she could. She was away for about an hour, which was likely longer than Sabine and the others had been expecting to need to wait, but still quite quick considering all she needed to do in that time.

When Kaleeth returned to their chambers, Meesei, Janius, and Julan were all present and waiting. Ironically, it was actually taking Sabine longer to speak to Karl than Kaleeth had needed. In lieu of her usual heavy dwarven armor, Kaleeth was wearing a set of chaurus chitin armor much like Fendros', though heavier. They were not planning on any fighting during their travels, but they would be heading into the depths of Black Marsh, which was unquestionably dangerous. Her usual armor was ill-suited for that environment, and chitin was about the heaviest armor she felt that she could get away with. Otherwise, she was carrying her usual sword, shield, and mace.

"Okay, I'm here. I am so sorry I took so long. I forgot about my armor yesterday." Kaleeth said immediately before raising her brow towards Meesei. "Oh, hello. I didn't expect you to be here, Meesei. Are you going to be taking us instead of Sabine?"

Meesei nodded. "No, Sabine is just taking some time to try and convince Karl to join us. She should be back any minute. I managed to make some free time for myself, so I thought I would join her in Thorn."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The Nord's face, for a brief moment, flashed a hint of anxiety, or perhaps fear, at Janius' challenge. Despite the man's former confidence, Janius' ability was just as famous among the clans as the rest of his pack's. It took the Nord a few seconds of stammering longer before he came up with an excuse. "I'd, uh...love to, but...we can't really have two fights in a row without bets, now can we? Got to keep the coin moving or some of the milk-drinkers here get agitated. You understand, yeah?"

Even Kaleeth did not believe the Nord's excuse, though now that her mind had returned to their planned trip, she had other worries going through it. "I guess we should probably go now. I, uh, still need to go pack my supplies, but that shouldn't take too long. I'll...OH! Wait, I still need to stop by the blacksmith and get my armor. I meant to do that yesterday; I don't even know if it's going to be fitted right. That could take a while, and...if you're ready, then Sabine is probably ready too. Oh, I'm going to be holding everyone up, I just know it. I'm so sorry! Could you please, please pack my supplies up too? I need to run over to the forges...I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Last of the Jedi (EliteCommander and Sep)

Down a long, tall, and mostly empty hallway in the Jedi Temple, the light tapping of Kresst’s talons against the floor echoed off of the walls. For the diminutive Jedi, merely moving from place to place tended to be a long process when he did not have a mind to rush, and at the moment, he was in no hurry to be anywhere. Of course, he was on the way to a ship that would be leaving in less than half an hour, taking him on his first mission in months, but that did not mean he was in a rush to be there.

Kresst gave a quick glance up as he passed at the only other individual, a temple guard on his patrol, in a corridor that could have held hundreds or more. Granted, the Temple was never that crowded, but it had still felt empty these last few years. The Clone Wars had called so many of their Order into action over its duration, and it had taken great efforts from Kresst to avoid being wrapped up in anything significant. Even then, the missions he could not avoid tended to relate to the Clone Wars in some way. There were few things Kresst despised more than the war, but at the very least, it was seeming to near its end. The Republic’s successes were now far outweighing its failures, and the Confederacy was being pushed back further into the outer rim. Most importantly, all of the Jedi were not needed for the war effort, so Kresst could take on assignments he found much more suitable. This mission in particular hardly related to the war at all, at least not directly. The situation was caused by the war, as some resistance fighters on an outer rim planet had happened to uncover an ancient Sith artifact in some old tunnels they had been using as a hideaway during a Separatist occupation, but Kresst was at least not going on the mission to get into a fight. He was there to help facilitate negotiations to obtain the artifact for safekeeping by the Order.

Finally, Kresst reached the path to the landing pad, though it would probably take him another minute just to cross it at his leisurely pace. As usual for these sorts of missions, they would be taking a Consular-class cruiser to their destination. They were not going to have any sort of armed escort, aside from a squad of clones accompanying them, as they were not anticipating any sort of conflict. With luck, this would just be a mundane negotiation, and Kresst would be able to get back to his research.