Faction Brooding and Blissful Halcyon Days...

[Spek Zhio]

-- Prelude --

-- Theme --​

-- Uncharted Hyperlane, en route to Shri-tal
-- Asobi System, Outer Rim


Those cargo containers could as likely have been filled with seeds or thermal detonators. Maybe even some holocrons or secret clandestine tech - though it would require some really desperate Jedi to stoop so low.

Whatever it was that Spek Zhio was hauling, "It's none of my business!" The Zeltron thought out loud. Still, his ship replied by turning the cockpit's lights off and on again.

Usually, the smaller the cargo the more valuable it was, otherwise why even bother chartering a ship from halfway across the galaxy, to haul a few containers? And if whatever was being transported was impervious to scrutiny, then renting a small fraction of a much larger cargo bay would have turned out cheaper.

Alcyone, the retrofitted YT-1930 was a great transporter for her class, but it came nowhere near a veritable long-distance hauler, the likes of a bulk freighter. What she had was speed and maneuverability. What he had was a sense of instinctive astrogation that allowed them to plan the fastest and safest routes - or sometimes the most dangerous ones instead, what with the Force being a fickle mistress and all.

You commissioned a freelance spacer - or what some would call smuggler, but never twice to Spek's face - when you wanted fast deliveries, along hazardous and oftentimes uncharted hyperlanes, with the added bonus of confidentiality. Nonetheless, why one of the Silver Jedi would want him, out of all people, to do a run for them was way above his understanding. Unless it was a mistake on their part, though the Jedi do not make those - even when they do. As they so very much insisted on reminding him, time and time again, in the past.

Long were his days as Padawan for the Silver. Long was the Commenor 'incident' and the schism with his former Master and, by its contiguity, the Jedi.

The flight console lit up, and Alcyone smoothly jumped out of hyperspace - it had to happen on occasion, they could not be all crash landings and system failures. Spek observed Shri-tal, dead-center of the cabin's transparisteel viewport.

"Another perfectly planed jump, huh Alcy?" Several red lights blinked across the console in derision, accompanied by loud buzzing.

"Don't be snarky now! Open the comms please," the pilot instructed LC-1, the ship's computer. "Hailing planetside, Twilight Sepulcher, this is Alcyone, incoming transponder, over." He turned them off manually and addressed Alcy again, "Of course we're gonna send those old Corellian codes, they check out, who do you take me for?"

The Zeltron then got up from the pilot's seat, "I'll be in my quarters, suiting up, transfer all comms there." Now, it was only a matter of waiting for the landing coordinates and permission. The sooner they landed, the sooner they would get out of there.

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

THe Twilight Sepulcher was coming along nicely.. they worked on much of it... the spires mirroring the jedi temple on Coruscant in ways but they housed various force sects. Smaller ones, emissaries, diplomats from the galaxy who had been brought to aid and give Matsu insights. Where the old were insular and usually seemed to think they were strong... she was creating a unity of like minded force groups and using their methods, their training and teachings to supplement jedi views. She had them there for the dozens of temples that were being worked on to be rebuilt. An expensive endeavor but benefited by Sasori.

The arisen walking around as she was able tosee the work they were doing. Organizing the temple when the request came in. The jedi grandmaster nodding as the one spoke. "Alcyone welcome to the Sepulcher." They usually welcomed them, few came here without a purpose and shipments or visitors usually meant someone tied to the force. THey were walking and checking screens as information came up. The distinctive sound of a Fairalee came to her. One from Ahch-To who was learning a great deal about the jedi on other worlds and her gleaming feathers were beautiful as she stood there for the moment. The claws of her feet tapping against the stone as she smiled.

"Grandmaster." Saying it and offering a nod of her heaad while Matsu gave her one of the cylinders and she grasped it with her clawed foot. Rising itno the air and going towards the tops of the towers and concealment lattice above. The hanger doors opening like a section of the ground while guiding the ship in and it would be able to go down into the area below the lattice that were weaved with trees and canals above made to look like the jungle was growing above them. The jedi grandmaster walking as the temples heart gleamed around them pulsing with life energies. The tendrils glowing as they came down from the trees and hung.. the feeling of life energy in the force flowing itno the rocks of the temple itself.

More of the temples aarisen and some jedi were there to handle the cargo as needed for the ship when it would arrive. The jedi vessels around the hanger gleaming and cleaned as they got the latest in technologicaal upgrades from the silver jedi to improve upon them.

 

[Spek Zhio]

Spek was almost ready by the time he received the Sepulcher's reply. He was wearing his utility belt, with both his lightsabers safely stored inside one of its pouches. He was also already wearing his gold-embroidered red jacket, so all that was missing was The Kingfisher in order to complete the set. A mostly ceremonial vibrosword made of several different cortosis-weave alloys, conferring it a blue sheen to its engravings and dark luster to the scabbard. His blasters would stay behind though, seeing as this was not Kessel nor Nar Shaddaa.

Inputting the received landing coordinates, back at the pilot's seat once more, he then rested both feet on top of the flight console and crossed his fingers behind his head, while the Azure Alcyone handled automated landing procedures.

"Say what you will, Alcy... but these guys do know how to keep their installations hidden and well guarded," Zhio said, while admiring the intricate architecture where past and present knowledge fused in harmony with each other and with the surrounding vegetation.

The ship's landing gear touched ground with the soft hum of exhaust and leaves blowing, and exiting through the portside cargo bay door, the Zeltron looked around in search of his hosts, or at least some helping hands to unload the shipment.

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

THe ship arriving was a sight to behold and the workers who were there moved as soon as it was touched down. Looking over the ship with scanners first and giving the clearances that would be needed to exit. the grandmaster stepping into the hanger area as some of the workers were feeding the information from the scanners. Droids were moving and they had a number of biots that were being used in case of dangerous situations developing. They were maade for hazards as well as combat so it would be helpful. SHe clasped her hands behind her back and looked at the ship while her senses went over it and the young man inside. A bow of her head when she saw him. "Welcome to the Sepulcher." She said it offering an unimposing look as the jedi master was smaller and older than most. Presenting a neutral expression but she was welcoming. "We have milks and cookies as well as sweet creams for those who wish it."

 

[Spek Zhio]

Could this be some sort of honey trap, but with food? "Do you have liquor, instead?" He inquired with a smile. If something was to go down, better if it happened on a full stomach.

The Sith were much more easier opponents than the Jedi. Sith were obstinate to the point of predictability. Jedi, when they wanted something, would beat around the bush and pretend to be your friends.

Nevertheless, there was no reason to believe that the Master in front of him, along with her warm welcome, were a part of any ulterior motive.

Too many runs on smuggler worlds and a pilot is bound to become paranoid.

Zhio approached her, ready to accept her offer. "The name's Spek Zhio. Zhio with a 'zh', as in leisure or treasure," he offered her a handshake.

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"We do." She said it and offered a bow. "We have experimented with flavored honey's from around the galaxy. Fermented into a sweet mead like on Midvinter." She said it while walking and welcoming him. Her hands clasped in front of herself to lead out into the sepulcher itself. THe larger open area filled with some jedi and the temple caretakers. The different force sects training together and teaching where they could. "Spek Zhio. It is this way." She said it while leading the way and the tables of food were being served in a semi open food court/mess hall. With tables going into the courtyard but also into the temple itself allowing for plenty of airflow as they could walk around and check it all out. A small table being checked byy droids and keeping the younger jedi away as it had various colored bottles of Saori Novelty Potions some being chilled and some at room temperature.

 

[Spek Zhio]

Taking back his hand and awkwardly combing his hair with it, Zhio followed the woman. "I still didn't get your name," she was certainly high-profile, but was he supposed to know her?

"Midvinter?" He asked. "Can't say I've heard of it," eager to try. And, as they made their way to an open court near the temple's entrance, and he saw the cornucopia of edibles and beverages on display, added, "Is it like this everyday, in here? You guys been doing well for yourselves, all things considered.

"But tell me, how're the Silver doing these days?"

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"Apologies, I am grandmaster Matsu." She said it and looked at him with a bow while taking in the food with a nod. "And yes it usually is one of the biggest things we have developed is programmable food matter and fabrication. So that we can feed ourselves but also send large amounts of relief supplies anywhere in the galaxy." She looked at him and around as the important question came up. "The Silver jedi are lessened, there are not as many of them aaround or they just jumped to the Alliance and never looked back. A sad thing but it is alright. We have been rebuilding and gathering the jedi to come back to us."

 

[Spek Zhio]

"Food for the hungry, huh?" He studied the table, trying to guess which one was the midvinter. "A noble cause, no doubt. But," the question that has been bothering him, "why hire an independent contractor, such as myself?

"Surely that's not food being unloaded from my ship."

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"No, not food." She said it with a look and brought a hand up. Force energies vibrating as she focused the energies around herself. Letting some of it form in her hand. "You brought us some of the components we use to develop a number of our improvements. Fabricators, development and a few of the other things we have made like our survival kits." She offered a smile and took one of the pieces of fruit while forming granular of sugar with art of the small and sprinkled them over the fruit. She took a bite of it. "This is just one of the temples we have been rebuilding, improving much of them is going to take time and equipment."

 

[Spek Zhio]

"Wait, so you can make anything with these fabricators?" He inquired. "What's the limitation?"

Grabbing the fist pitcher that could be holding the alcoholic brew known as midvinter, Zhio poured himself a glass and had a taste. "Bleurgh! Sugary water!" He exclaimed, then looked around for a different pitcher.

"I mean, as long as I'm getting paid, I'm your man... and speaking of which..." Spek then rubbed his thumb against his index and middle fingers. The universal gesture for 'where are my credits?'

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"Distribution and assembly. We have used them to break down and rebbuild a lot but we are still spreading them across the galaxy. It makes food, medical and with the larger scale ones manufacturing for housing easier." She looked at him and took another bite. "But fabricating complicaated machines is much harder.. the pieces yes but than you need to have them expertly assembled and calibrated. For now we are working on the training of the people for it but it will take time before there is enough of the supply to meet the growing demand of what we can provide." She smiled at that though. "Just wait until you see some of the advances we have made in hyperdrive technologies and power reactors. Dark energy reactors able to power a planet"

 

[Spek Zhio]

That last part piqued his interest. "Any way to use them to power a light freighter instead? Or are they just too big?"

Could the blue one be the right pitcher? Zhio decided to try and poured himself another glass. "Tangy blue milk?" Who came up with that spread?

Either Matsu was lying about having hard liquor or she was too absorbed in her own discourse to notice him struggling to find it or, worse yet, she was enjoying watching him try to. "Anyways, I don't want to sound rude or anything..." Furthermore, was the Master trying to stall him for some reason? "But... What about my payment?..."

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"THey aalready power silver jedi vessels, our iso-didact reactors can be scaled to anything we need from ships to planets to lightsabers." She looked at him with a nod of her head and went to one fo the tables offering the seat across from her while one of the blonde Arisen came over with tea for her. THe grandmaster taking it and having a small sip with a smile. "Perfect." The blonde nodded walking away and there were more of them and the temple biot droids that were cleaning up or handling the different things they had. "We have been working for years... well I have through Sasori on large amounts of jedi equipment that most of the other silver jedi leadership didn't want. They liked the more rustic struggle to build character and always appear as the underdog... made them feel special." She said it and wasn't bitter or angry more it was a apoint of fact. "Me well I prefer solving problems rather than simply responding to them."

 

[Spek Zhio]

Zhio sighed, took the seat being offered, and motioned towards the albino-looking alien, serving tea, "Can you bring me some midvinter, please?

"I'm parched from all this talk," particularly without any mention of payment, from his host.

"Look, lady," he returned his attention to Matsu. "This is all great and all, very interesting story and you got a nice place here. But I'm a worker, hired to do a job, which I did, and you keep evading me regarding my dues."

The problem with the Jedi, not unlike that with the Sith in this regard, was their self-centeredness. Yes, at least these guys were not out to end the existence of anything and everything that opposed their dogma. Nevertheless, their blind adherence to it and the inaction that so commonly followed, had countless times brought more suffering than comfort to the Galaxy.

"If all of this is some sort of display meant to impress me, then consider me impressed!" He told the Jedi Master. "But it also doesn't chance the fact that I'm an independent contractor. In-de-pend-ent." The Zeltron stressed each syllable.

If this was some kind of ruse, to get him to join their ranks. It was not going to work.

Spek felt certain of that.

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

He eyes remained on him and bowed hand coming up as she flicked her wrist. SMall movements but the force whispering as aurodium came. "As you wish." She offered the grin though and set them on the table. "A bonus, ten aurodium ingots should be more than enough and of course you are welcome to food and fuel." The smile was easy to maintain and she set them down. The small ingots normal size and ten able to slip into a small pouch for the pocket. That they were worth three hundred million a bar helped as well. Sasori didn't squander its chances to make good. "I was not worried about impressing you though. I was more fretting about being hospitable as a host."

 

[Spek Zhio]

"Well... I mean... That's enough, I'll say..." Spek cleared his throat. "Where's that midvinter, anyway?"

Just as he was finishing his rhetorical question, an arisen placed a glass in front of him, and promptly turned around to leave. "Well, thank you," Zhio raised a left hand at the woman, as if telling her to wait, and picked up the glass with his right, immediately gulping down the liquid and setting the empty glass back on the table. "Another one please. At your leisure. And thank you, again!"

Ogling the aurodium for a couple of seconds, he then shifted his gaze on Matsu, once more clearing his throat. "Well, that takes care of business, then. Don't get me wrong, this was a very... pleasurable experience. And you certainly are hospitable and I wouldn't mind working for you again in the future. It just felt like, you were way more focused on talking than listening," the brand of a Jedi Master, as far as he was aware. "And with all due respect, I'm not a Padawan.

"But if there are no more issues to be taken care of, then I'll take my leave with the payment." He glanced at the precious metal again, wondering the best way to carry it over to his ship. Maybe wrapping his red jacket around the pile and carrying it like a bag. "But, I'll gladly accept your generous offer of food and fuel while I wait for the second drink. If it's all the same to you."

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

She gave a bow. "No you are not... though with how I saw some other jedi training padawans you could have been. A lot less structure and adherence to the jedi code. It made for interesting people using the jedi title but always talking about how their way was better." She said it and looked at him but was not worried. "ANd the ingots are not heavy, a pouch of them weighs about as much as a datapad." He seemed to be looking at it as another drink was brought to him. ONe hand coming up while they brought tea. "For the fuel we have different options.. mostly standard and we have been working on dark energy reactors to eliminate fuel needs as well as purified coaxium for the engines."

 

[Spek Zhio]

"Alcyone will be fine with whatever you can spare," he answered, "as for the ingots, it's not so much their weight, is me not having enough hands to carry them all at the same time. An argument in favor of your generosity!"

Taking the second drink with a word of gratitude, Zhio decided best to savor this one for a while. Most importantly, however, was Matsu finally disclosing that she was well aware of him being Force sensitive. And, while her being able to know it did not exactly come as a surprise, the fact that she was willing to admit it was the pertinent detail.

"Regarding what you said earlier..." He took a sip. "You don't seem to agree with every Master's training regimen or philosophy, and went so far as to criticize their confidence in their inferior ways.

"So, just out of academical curiosity," he grinned, genuinely curious and enjoying that back-and-forth of them, "what makes you so sure that your method is the better one? And, that you thinking so, is any different than when someone else thinks it of theirs?"

Matsu Ike

 

[Matsu Ike]

Spek Zhio

"I never said mine was the best, experience, wisdom, refinement these are done over time. That as a jedi I am still around, padawans I have trained have become masters are still around doesn't prove me right. That is a vanity and a trap one can fall into." She said it and thought of Vulpesen or Romi Jade or Coren Starchaser different jedi she knew, had trained or trained with. Dozens of others like Thurion or Sor-Jan Xantha that were jedi just the same. "As well I might disagree but I would not call their ways inferior just something to not keep going. Vestigial methods are just a part of an order." She said it and remained neutral in her expression.