To say that the cockpit of their shuttle was "crowded" as it currently stood was the understatement of the millennia, Aria reflected, as she, Kytra, Yuno and Revan all crowded around Ethan whilst the young Champion in training attempted to maneuver them through the scores of fighter jets and other assorted starships without putting them directly in the flight path of any of the vessels. They had been bombarded with information since being introduced to the galactic legend that was Revan, no last name needed (though he admitted that he had once had one, but couldn't remember what it was - which was a long story in and of itself, and one which they currently had no time for). Perhaps what was most disconcerting about this Fleet of ships, aside from the sheer NUMBER of them alone, was that Revan claimed the craft were entirely automated.
"Well, they don't need ORGANICS to pilot them at least." He'd clarified when Aria had raised her brows at him dubiously, "They use those droids, GEMINIs I believe Arcann calls them...because they're much easier to both mass produce and control."
It was at this point that the visions from Malachor telling them to turn back made more sense. The diminutive Champion was suddenly struck by how in over their heads they were.
"Try not to think about it too much. It'll make it seem as bad as it is." She almost jumped as Revan broke the silence once more, his sharp eyes glancing across to meet hers.
"Somehow, that doesn't help much." Aria admitted with a wry smirk, her shoulders sagging slightly as she paced with him to the back of the cockpit, then added, in a voice slightly lower so as not to alarm the two young apprentices that were with them, "...How do you do it, Revan? I mean...don't you ever get tired of the whole, hero of the galaxy thing?"
“Of course I do.” Revan’s shoulder twitched in a shrug, “But when you’re the hero, you don’t have the luxury of admitting that. Panic is for the masses, and you have to be the one that keeps your head clear so you can save them.”
“Tell me about it.” Aria huffed, chewing anxiously on her lower lip.
“You’re lucky, though.” Revan continued, tilting his head slightly at her, “You’ve got your husband here with you. I had to leave Bastila behind, leave our son behind. I never got to see her again, never got to hold him, or see him grow up. He never even knew who I was...but I had to make that sacrifice to save the rest of the galaxy.”
Aria blinked in surprise.
“I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that…”
“Eh,” Revan grunted, shrugging once more, “circumstances are different for everyone, but sometimes a different perspective is all you need.” He dipped his head to the Champion then, advising her, “You should go and get ready, we’ll be down on the ground soon and then it’s touch-and-go.”
She had tried not to glower at the apprentice too much, but apparently this wasn't as effective as Aria had thought, given her spouse's comment.
I'm coming down there because honestly, its stifling up here. Besides, Revan could clearly handle intervening (should Ethan mess up) without her hanging around and getting in his way. She made her way carefully down to join her partner by the cargo ramp, fingers flexing towards her lightsabers as they waited for the ramp to drop.
“You ready?” she asked him, swallowing the lump of nerves that had begun collecting in her throat. “Revan says it’s gonna be touch-and-go, so...regular day at the office, right?” as she often did, Aria found herself managing her own nerves with her signature brand of dark humour. “Should be a piece of cake for us. Apparently because the droids are powered by this Star Forge technology...thing, they still have some sort of Force signature that we should be able to sense, so, silver linings?”
“Best not to go in there sabers blazing, if we can.” Revan called down to them. “We won’t have the element of surprise for long, but even a few minutes could help!”
Being the galaxy-wide renowned tactician that he was, Aria was inclined to take Revan’s word for it. Therefore, as soon as they were down, the Champions made their way down onto the...metal walkway? That was a little bit disconcerting, Aria had at the very least expected SOME grass or natural plant matter on the planet’s surface and was more than a little put out to discover that, much like Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant, Zakuul was simply metal walkways, scaffolding and buildings as far as the eye could see. And yet, despite all of this, the aforementioned Force signatures were clearly all over the planet.
“How are we going to find this person in...all of this?” Kytra whispered, her fur standing nervously on end as she and Ethan joined the other trio, Revan and Yuno trailing behind them.
“I can find Meetra.” Revan promised. “I know her Force signature better than anyone else, but those droids will be after us as soon as they realise we’re not on our ‘designated’ landing pad so I need you all to cover my back while I search for her.”
While he had explained that the Exile was within the facility closest to them, the trouble would be finding exactly WHERE in said facility the woman was being held.
“Then we need to move as quickly as we can.”
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