Public A bit of downtime (Kattada, All Jedi)

[Jared Starchaser]

It was an odd feeling, being back here. The Twins were off on their own adventures, his father was out doing the Stars of Hope project, Celeste was in between where she was needed and where his father was. Vodet had taken the leadership role the Enclave at Kattada, which was good. Jared checked in every few weeks, stopping by to drop off something to be reviewed by the Sentinel Artisans here. And see if it was worth locking up in the treasure vault. But today, it was more just visiting in a sense to reclaim.

Jared was always more errant than his father in his keeping to the Jedi way. Ever a Wayseeker, and a Warden of the Sky, Jared added many a trick to his bag of tricks. From spells to other paths. But he always tended to keep to the core of a Jedi mission, even while he was out being a saber for hire. He only did so to help people.

Or at least to help those on the light side.

A mercenary of the Jedi way.

Looking around the hangar bay, he saw a few things, one the ship that he arrived in, the family YT-2400, a few smaller fighters, airspeeders, one in pretty bad repair, and students flitting about. Kattada was a training ground for tech specialists and Sentinels. There was a few walking around working on ship repairs, while Jared’s attention was split between the broken airspeeder and the mission board.

He did need some credits.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

The roar of engines cut through the hangar as an X‑wing descended from the sky, its landing gear extending with a hiss before touching down on the durasteel deck. The fighter bore fresh scorch marks along the port wing, a long trail of carbon scoring running beneath the S‑foils. A shallow gash along the nose cone still smoked faintly, evidence of how close her last mission had come to going wrong.

The canopy lifted, and Valery rose from the cockpit, unfastening her harness as she scanned the hangar. Her boots hit the deck, and for a moment, she simply took in the familiar sights of Kattada's enclave. But her focus shifted quickly. She felt him before she saw him. A presence she had not crossed paths with in far too long.

Valery adjusted her belt as she stepped around the nose of her X‑wing, eyes finding him by the mission board, half‑focused on a battered airspeeder in the corner.

A faint smile touched her lips, "It's been a while, Jared," she called as she approached, "I did not expect to find you here." Her gaze flicked to the board, then back to him. "I came in for repairs, but… I also felt your presence. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

She stopped a few paces from him, arms folding lightly as she studied him, "Got a moment?"

Jared Starchaser ​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

He wasn’t sure who he expected to see here probably his father, maybe Vodet, and a few of the padawans. The one who was down on their luck with that airspeeder. The wanderer made a mental note to help that one out, and send a repair team over. Hopefully @Casanna wouldn’t mind. But what he didn’t expect? Alliance Jedi Grand Master Valery Noble.

It was ironic, in Jared’s mind. His father helped her get on her feet, and she was a dyed in the wool Jedi, unlike him, who typically just paid lipservice to the title. Preferring to be called a Judge, or a Warden, but knowing there was better support in the galaxy for someone who was a Jedi and proud. An X-Wing was not a surprise, though Jared preferred an E-Wing or his TIE Avenger. E-Wings were a pretty solid Starchaser fighter, anyhow.

His father even had a few set up with a Sienar style seating arrangement.

As he saw the pilot leave the ship, his droid beeped at him.

“I see her, Hopper.” There was something about her most times.

He couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Well, repairs are a great reason to stop here.’ He nodded behind him at some of the other fighters and speeders. And Jedi Techs going over them.

“But me? What is it?”

Valery Noble

 

[Catronia Byrne]

Catronia had not been this deep in the core for quite some time, not since the fall of the Dark Empire. Now though, she was traveling around and trying to do good in the galaxy. These travels brought her to Kattada, in the hopes of connecting with the jedi enclave there.

Catronia stepped off the transport ship, mixing with a group of jedi whom came from various planets. They would disperse into the hangar, all bound for the enclave station. There was a buzz of excitement in Catronia's stomach, she hadn't been around other Jedi in quite some time!

To her shock, there was a rather famous face on the other end of the hangar. The Grandmaster of the NJO was in the same hangar as her! How did this ever happen?! It appeared she was speaking with someone, perfect, it would be easier to stay out of the way!

Walking around the hangar, she was a bit anxious of getting too close to anything complex. While she loved learning about technology, she was all thumbs when it came to the things. Anything more advanced than basic data pads seemed to break as soon as she touched it! So, best not to bother the mechanics, no matter how badly she wants to touch it...

The young girl decided to take a seat on a bench. All of the Jedi here could do such good for the Rebellion, perhaps that was something she could do while examining the enclave. Try to convince some of these jedi to become one of the Bokken. But then again, it would probably not go over well with some.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's smile warmed a little more at Jared's response, and she glanced back over her shoulder toward the X‑wing, still hissing softly as its systems powered down.

"Repairs are definitely needed," she admitted, letting a chuckle escape. "I'm not exactly known for my mechanical skills, so I figured I would leave that to people who know what they're doing." Her gaze flicked briefly to one of the tech crews working a few bays over before returning to him.

"But that's not the only reason I came down here." She paused and let out a soft breath, "There's something important I've been meaning to talk to you about. It isn't urgent this second, but… we should find somewhere quieter soon."

As she spoke, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. A younger Jedi had just come in with a group, breaking off to sit on a bench. Valery recognized the mix of awe and nervous energy that often came with stepping into a place like this. She turned slightly and offered Catronia Byrne a warm smile, a brief nod of welcome before looking back to Jared.

"When you have a moment, let me know," she said to him, folding her arms loosely as her eyes searched his. "We can step away and talk. Just us."

Jared Starchaser ​

 

[Tilon Quill]

a few smaller fighters, airspeeders, one in pretty bad repair, and students flitting about. Kattada was a training ground for tech specialists and Sentinels. There was a few walking around working on ship repairs

"Repairs are definitely needed," she admitted, letting a chuckle escape. "I'm not exactly known for my mechanical skills, so I figured I would leave that to people who know what they're doing." Her gaze flicked briefly to one of the tech crews working a few bays over before returning to him.

Kattada, not coincidentally, was the single best Jedi site for tune-ups and modifications if you happened to be unaffiliated with the three or four Orders. Very reasonable rates and safety standards, great selection of tools and parts, unbeatable ocean view. He'd first come here some time ago and wound up defending the place against a serious raid. Now on his fourth visit, Tilon felt a certain affinity and relaxation that he hadn't found at other enclaves and temples. He got on better with Master Vodet and the maintenance leads than he ever had with most Jedi. As far more a long-haul spacer than a Jedi, all this on-the-job learning and teaching made Kattada rewarding.

All that to say, when someone's damaged X-Wing got in the queue, one of the maintenance crewers tagged in had violet hair, grease-slicked blue skin, and a generally feathery countenance.

He and the others assigned — a mix of career mechanics and Jedi at various stages of experience — converged on diagnostic readouts and maintenance manuals. In short order Tilon found himself safety-masked and grinding carbon scoring from the deformed edge of a torpedo bay aperture. Bad, bad place to run into four or five millimeters of protruding durasteel.

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Having full access to such a liminal Jedi Temple wasn’t lost on Jared. His family made being liminal their business model. And it allowed for so many others to travel here and not feel shut out. Kattada welcomed all explorers, whether using the place to rearm and refuel, or to actually do business, dropping trinkets off and picking up other items for sale. It honestly made even him feel at home, the only other place outside of Corellia in the Core area, that Jared kept a bunk.

It was a room that was shared by any of his father and Celeste’s kids, but it was his all the same. At least one footlocker of gear here.

Jared offered a side-slanted grin to Valery, not paying too much attention to other passerbys. “We’ll get a team on it, probably already one on its way if you logged in the way you’re titled.” Yeah, even though his father was far removed from any of the Orders, he still paid proper service to them.

“And that sounds serious. If the team doesn't need to be supervised, I was actually just checking in and going to spend a few hours here. Maybe meet with Vodet and pick up a job.” He shrugged. “We can talk.”

If he was honest, he wasn't going to not hear what she had to say.

Valery Noble

 

[Tilon Quill]

The fighter bore fresh scorch marks along the port wing, a long trail of carbon scoring running beneath the S‑foils. A shallow gash along the nose cone still smoked faintly, evidence of how close her last mission had come to going wrong.

The diagnostics kicked no further errors, but one team was working on that carbon scoring to see how deep it went, whether it had led to structural damage. Tilon and a couple others kept working on the nose cone area. He finished up grinding away the deformation that infringed on functional areas. Automated hangar vacuums, long hoses on droid armatures, sucked away shavings and debris. He set aside the grinder and secured it so that the welders could get in there and fill in the lost space with durasteel.

Everything right now was looking surface-level and totally manageable. The X-Wing hadn't just jumped the queue because getting a Grandmaster back into space was in everyone's best interests, it was an opportunity to free up maintenance berth space quickly.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery turned slightly, eyes drifting back to the X-wing as she heard the whir of tools and the soft hiss of welders at work. One of the crew was already smoothing out the scoring on the nose cone, while another directed a vacuum droid to clear out debris. It brought a small, appreciative smile to her face to see how fast they were working.

"They're going to have that thing flying better than it did before," she remarked with a short laugh. "I should probably slip them a few extra credits, or a round of drinks on me, at least. They've earned it."

Her gaze lingered for a second longer, then she turned back to Jared, and the warmth in her smile faded just slightly. Not gone, but it was clear she had something important to share. Her posture straightened, and she took a step closer, voice lowering so only he would hear.

"It's serious," she said gently but without hesitation. "It's about my future in the Order. And what comes next for me." Her expression held steady as she met his eyes, ready to continue once they had some space to talk.

Jared Starchaser ​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Seeing the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order here on Kattada? It was definitely something else. Sure, his father was a big name Jedi, but this world? This enclave? Smaller. Still, a home to the travelers and those needing a rest. And that was what she was here for. And answers.

From him?

That didn’t track right for him. Surely she should be seeking out Coren. Jared was more the type to hunt those things that shouldn’t be around, and put a stop to them. A Sentinel by training but a Seeker by right. He had been around the galaxy and knew a few things.

“The mechanics teams do what is best for the hangar. I’d let them do their work first.” He looked back at the Grandmaster’s X-Wing then back to her.

“And your future in the Order? You’re Grandmaster. Not much higher to go than that, right?”

Tilon Quill Valery Noble

 

[Tilon Quill]

All diagnostics still ran green and all the structure work tested solid, shiny new metal welded into the ground-out damage and then flattened out. It gave the X-Wing a scarred look at a couple of places, but Tilon could see the vestiges of similar, earlier, and better-resourced work. He took a quick look at the fighter's odometer readings which raised his eyebrows a bit. Nothing compared to an expeditionary ship or a long-haul freighter, but more FTL mileage than he'd seen on a starfighter of this generation. He showed it to a passing Quarren.

"Someone's busy."

The Quarren clicked his tentacles in agreement. "She's everywhere. Never take a management job."

"You mean Grandmaster?"

"Ever."

Those words of wisdom imparted, the Quarren got back to buffing the welds and Tilon bundled the readouts for the client. In about ten minutes the tractor rigs would shift this fighter out of the maintenance bay onto the enclave landing pads to free up berth space for the next job.

Valery Noble Jared Starchaser

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery let out a short breath that turned into a chuckle, then rolled her eyes, "It's not about climbing higher," she said, casting him a side glance. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze serious now, though a faint smile still tugged at her lips. "I've seen something. In the Force. A future not bound to the Order's council chambers, but out there, closer to the people. In the heart of the storm that we're now seeing everywhere."

Her arms folded lightly in front of her chest as she turned her body toward him. "I'm not setting the lightsaber down. I'm not leaving my identity as a Jedi behind. But I won't lead from within the Order anymore. This next chapter… it's about stepping into the fight where it matters most."

"Something... more like what you do." She paused and offered a faint smile, wanting to see how he'd react to this.

Then she looked over her shoulder again at the welders, already smoothing down the scars on her fighter. The X-wing had seen its share of war, and yet it would be flight-ready again before long.

"Seriously, though," she said with a smirk, "What are they feeding these mechanics? I blink and half the hull's rebuilt."

Her gaze shifted back to Jared, her voice a touch softer. "I'm telling you first because I trust you and because you know what it's like to be... free?" She blinked, not sure if it was the right word. The Jedi had never felt like a prison to her, but still, the idea of pursuing what she felt strongly about in her heart was awfully liberating.

Jared Starchaser Tilon Quill ​

 

[Jared Starchaser]

Lucky for most, Jared was not the one in charge of hiring. But the fact that Kattada did encounter its fair share of explorers and Outer Rim esque spacers? Plus the Corellian and Pamarthen contingents? Yes, it was a great place to bring a broken down ship. It’d be spic and span very quickly. Jared did most of his own repair work, but being a child of a Starchaser, he had a fair few ships to go through if one was lacking in any area.

“Oh, visions? Yeah, thats not my wheelhouse, like… at all.” Might as well ask him to start a cloning business. “And not setting the lightsaber down? Still looks like you’re out to do some Jedi work.” Not that he ever truly got away from it. But he did prefer his kyber cannon blaster to his saber most times. Unless he was out monster hunter. He let her continue and nodded. She was stepping away from the New Jedi Order?

“Oh, somewhere between a Wayseeker like Dad, and his kids who were raised Jedi adjacent?” A grin on his face. “You’ll first have to let down any sense of decorum, and get something more than an X-Wing.” He laughed “Honestly, I like what I do. I get to set my own hours and follow the Force as it speaks to me, not as it speaks to others. Its… liberating?”

Tilon Quill Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery laughed and gave him a look before she rolled her eyes with a playful shake of her head. "You want me to give up my X-wing already? Is that your way of offering to go ship shopping with me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because if I’m changing ships, I’ll probably need some new outfits too."

Her smile lingered for a second before she glanced back at her fighter, hands resting loosely at her hips. "Still, I’m not giving up the things that mattered to me as a Jedi. The lightsaber stays. And the blasters, too." She grinned and looked back to Jared. "Just because I'm leaving the Order's structure behind doesn’t mean I’m leaving behind who I am."

She hesitated briefly, then took a small step closer. "Actually... if you're not too busy, I was thinking I might tag along on a few assignments with you. See what it's really like, the way you do things." She looked at him with a small but sincere smile. "If you're up for having a partner, of course."

Jared Starchaser Tilon Quill ​