First Reply Criminals Should Not Own Animals

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Open to Roleplay
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Hastam navigated the dense jungles of Akiva, trailing a Hutt Cartel hunting party primarily made up of Trandoshans. ​

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Their innate skills in such environments would prove advantageous in tracking and eliminating the more formidable creatures lurking off the beaten path. He maintained a careful distance, ensuring he remained unseen while attuning himself to the subtle shifts in sound created by their clawed footsteps on the forest floor, rather than relying on the Force.​

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While some might question why a Jedi Master would deem the Force unnecessary in a potential dangerous encounter with the criminal underworld, Hastam understood that the Force was not an infinite power source but a tool that required concentration, and concentration could be broken especially when there were creatures known in the galaxy that could disrupt it, making it essential to hone one's physical abilities when able. ​

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He caught sight of them traversing a nearby river beneath the thick foliage, making their way down the next path. Even a small hunting party required water to survive, and a river offered a reliable source that could be purified. Tracking the water back to its origin seemed the most promising way to uncover the Trandoshans' intentions. ​

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The Kel Dor moved cautiously, navigating over several fallen trees, nearly losing his footing on a particularly slippery piece of wood that pressed against the sole of his shoe.​

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Braze was working deep within the wood, carefully digging up several saplings that would, one day, grow into great trees.

Golden silk wood was difficult enough to harvest from living trees, let alone export from the few worlds where it grew. Gathering a handful of young saplings to seed the forests of Veridia would be greatly beneficial, but Braze had no desire to be caught kneeling in the dirt with his hands full of roots if something unfriendly had come wandering through the trees.

The sound of twigs snapping somewhere beyond the brush brought him still. He paused with one hand on the shovel, pale fingers tightening around the shaft as the forest seemed to draw still. The birds had gone quiet....

That silence told him enough...

He eased the shovel aside and let his awareness reach outward, careful and searching, brushing through leaf-shadow, root, damp earth, and the faint disturbances left by movement.

"Hello…?" he called, his voice carrying gently between the trunks.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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Hastam extended his arms to prevent a face-first fall after tripping over a log, knowing that a concussion would hinder his ability to locate the water source for the Trandoshan hunting party. However, as he regained his balance, an unsettling sensation washed over him, a presence in the Force that felt distinctly different from the lethal intent of the poachers nearby.​

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" Hello " A gentle voice drifted through the trees, so soft that he wondered if it belonged to a girl. ​

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He reached out to push aside some of the foliage obstructing his view, revealing a figure standing in the clearing with an unusual object nearby. A shovel caught his attention, prompting a moment of contemplation about the possibility of it being used to bury an anti-personnel mine for the hunting party. ​

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However, the shovel was coated in sap, its scent wafting through his breathing mask. ​

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He emerged from his concealed position in the jungle, greeting the stranger with a cautious, "Hello, sap-friend." The brown robe hung loosely on him, aware that the fabric could hinder his agility, particularly during lightsaber maneuvers.​

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Braze blinked as a Kel Dor emerged from the underbrush of the forest. At first, he thought perhaps his friend Ko Vuto had come looking for him, but this… this was a distinctly different Kel Dor with a very different mask. That, and he still had both his arms.

His voice sounded more like Ko's uncle, carrying some suggestion of age.

Braze briefly looked about the forest, as if trying to discern whether there was anyone else nearby, before his somber jade-green gaze returned to the elder. He leaned against the shovel's handle.

"Are you lost, Sir?" Braze asked curiously, before seeming to decide that the older gentleman posed no immediate threat to him.

His attention shifted back to the saplings he had been digging up. He moved to pull up a fresh root ball from one of the golden silkwood trees he intended to collect. Pieces of rough burlap lay scattered nearby, along with shears and bits of rope. He wrapped the root ball in the sack, then added rope to secure it in place.

Braze was dressed in an odd assortment of clothing clearly meant for colder environments, perhaps more suited to the depths of space. One of the small droid's in the hood of his cloak tilted it's head as it's photo-receptors whirred taking in the image of the man asking in bweeps if he was alright.

Braze's attention shifted back as he was crouched down having secured a new rope. "Oh... Did you hurt your self?" He asked seemingly looking for any evidence the man was injured. "I'm Braze by the way. " He greeted. Although the young man had surpassed his knight trials he had refashioned a Padawan's Braid in to his hair just below the right ear. A new habit to let those sith un fortunate enough to not know him to vastly underestimate him.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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Hastam observed Braze's eyes as they scanned the forest, recognizing that the best way to assess someone's character was through their subtle movement during first encounters. If a person appeared distant, he could brace himself for erratic behavior, while shifty eyes, like those of the individual before him, indicated a sense of wariness. ​

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Though they chose not to draw a weapon, which was a promising start to their encounter. "Are you lost, sir?" was a simple enough question that eventually prompted a response. "No, my friend. I am searching for a nearby water source." A wise Jedi knew the importance of withholding their true intentions until they were confident that the person before them was not an enemy. ​

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The Kel Dor observed the peculiar clothing of the individual before him, which seemed far more appropriate for the icy conditions of Hoth than the steamy environment of the jungle surrounding them. Just as he was about to ask about this discrepancy, the stranger shifted the focus of the conversation by asking if he was injured. ​

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"Fortunately, no. The log behind me was simply very slippery but no injuries occurred... Mr. Braze," he replied, his tone transforming from one of concern to a more friendly demeanor. This change in attitude suggested a desire to ease any tension, and show that the Jedi was no threat to them at this present time as he leaned back on a log to take a seat. ​

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

"No need for the 'Mr.' I'm not old enough for that honor yet," Braze chirped.

"As for water, there's a river over in that direction that leads out to a large lake," he said, pointing off toward a particular direction with full confidence in what he was saying. "Are you in need of fresh water? I have some bottled water in my pack I wouldn't mind sharing. That's a mite bit more free of contaminants than river water."

He set his work aside and moved toward a backpack-like device on a speeder bike that sat in the underbrush, tucked into the broad shadow beneath one of the bigger trees. He opened the bag to reveal a pouch full of ice water, with several bottles kept chilled inside.

He took two out and held one out to the Kel Dor.

As he did so, his ventrally mounted, ornate saber hilt came into view beneath the moving edge of his cloak. It was oddly elegant, fashioned with a basket hilt like that of a Tapani Sector rapier-style saber.

"Here," Braze offered simply. "It's warm out, and I figure it's better to start hydrated than regret it halfway through." It would seem that Braze was unaware of any near by encampments or the threats they may hold.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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"My mistake then, Braze," Hastam said, acknowledging that the young man did not quite fit the formal title at least not by the cultural standards of the planet they were on. As he spoke, the Kel Dor casually brushed his hand against the bark of the log beside him. It was a subtle gesture meant to draw attention away from his face as he briefly touched the Force, focusing his senses on the river he had crossed moments before.

He felt its rapid current merging into a much larger body of water just ahead. This confirmation that the lake existed proved Braze was telling the truth. It also meant that the Hutt poachers undoubtedly knew about it. Given how long they had been operating here to set up the extensive camp mentioned by his informant in the capital city, a lake offered them a hidden, reliable water supply.

Exploring its banks was the most logical next step. Hastam's attention briefly shifted to the offered water bottle, noting the condensation forming on its surface. Braze's confident demeanor and generosity were a rarity in the galaxy, where fresh water was typically fought over rather than shared with strangers in the brush.

He deliberately chose not to acknowledge the specialized Tapani rapier that had momentarily peeked through Braze's cloak. Directly addressing the weapon could shatter the fragile trust they were building. Instead, he simply noted its pristine condition, deducing that the young man possessed a level of refinement that didn't quite match someone collecting sap in the humid wilds of Akiva.

He looked up from the hilt to the bottle, his breathing mask venting a soft, rhythmic hiss. "I appreciate the offer, Braze," Hastam replied, keeping his tone warm to reinforce his friendly stance. "But my mask makes consumption in the open a complicated affair. A limitation of my species in environments like this, though the gesture is a welcome kindness." He leaned forward slightly on the log, resting his hands in plain view to project ease.

"To tell you the truth, I am actually tracking a Trandoshan hunting party employed by the Hutt Cartel," Hastam said, his voice lowering to a firm but gentle tone. "They broke off from the path and slipped from my sight just before I tripped over that log. Yet, it seems my clumsy footing was a fortunate mistake. It led me to a friend in the jungle."

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Braze seemed to understand the limitations of the mask well enough as he supplied, "Ah… my mistake. I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance. I meant no offense. I am unfamiliar with your particular model of mask. One of my best friends is a Kel Dor, but he has a specialized straw in his that allows him to take nutri-paste meals and other liquids without removing it and risking oxygen exposure to his eyes."

Braze figured, perhaps, that he had wanted the water to clean something with, rather than to drink, but he had thought the gesture would be kind regardless. Now he felt a little silly, and perhaps rude, for not noticing any indication of a straw device like Ko Vuto 's mask. He should have known better than to assume all Kel Dor would have similar setups.

Braze's attention remained on the man's face, chest, or belt. He seemed to utilize his peripheral vision quite well. The odd half-Echani may not have been fully raised amongst his kind, but there were habits in how he read the forms of others that had persisted into his young adulthood.

He heard what the Kel Dor revealed next, and his head slowly tilted sideways at that.

"Oh?"

He returned the bottles of water to the pack after straightening up, closing it off. He seemed mildly curious, and perhaps marginally surprised, rather than shocked or scared by such a revelation.

"What do you intend to do once you catch up to them, friend~?" Braze asked, with an odd sort of mischievous air edging his tone, much akin to an unruly youth planning something they should not. Jedi weren't suppossed to seek revenge afterall.... None the less he was still youthful, impetuous, and petty.

Braze held no love for the Hutt Cartel, and remembered his time all too well at the Tatooine planetary penitentiary with Diodoros , recalling just how harrowing the experiance had been. The sentiment of causing any of their contacts trouble certainly elicited interest in Braze, so much so that his focus on keeping his Force signature shrunk down to almost nothing slipped for a moment or three as he moved to put the saplings onto the back of his speeder, settling them into the hover skiff he had tethered.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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"There is no need for you to apologize, my friend," Hastam said gently, raising a hand in a dismissive, reassuring gesture. "Though perhaps it would have been better had I mentioned it beforehand. We are all bound by the limits of our own experience, and it is a rare thing to encounter someone who knows of our customs at all in this part of the galaxy."

The Kel Dor leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his goggles as he noticed the sudden intensity in Braze's expression. He sensed an unusual disturbance in the Force, faintly directed toward Braze , but chose to set it aside for the moment, prioritizing the need to stop the poachers.

Hastam picked up on the playful tone in his voice, recognizing it as the familiar spark of youthful defiance, a clear indication that he was curious about how he intended to address the Hutt Cartel's interference in the area, despite knowing it might not be the wisest course of action.

The boy's demeanor suggested that Braze was up to something, and for an experienced Jedi, such a mindset posed a significant risk that needed careful guidance. "To answer your question," Hastam continued, his voice steady and carrying a calm tone of voice with a hint of firmness.

"my intention is to follow the tracks back to their main poaching camp if I am able following the course of the river to the lake. Once there, I plan to engage with them and gently persuade them in a nonviolent fashion that their poaching activites are wrong." He took a moment to let the silence linger, allowing the weight of his words to sink in as he observed the younger man's reaction. From his experience, a Jedi should never resort to anger and violence as their primary means of expression when peaceful solutions are available to resolve conflicts.

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

"That could prove to be a quite dangerous venture if they disagree with you," he mused. "I haven't known many criminals to react well when confronted about their actions."

He said it with the distinct recollection of what had happened with Kinley Pryse when he had simply tried talking to her.

"One would think they are already rather aware that such activities are wrong, and do them regardless," Braze mused as he finished loading his skiff.

He drew the small droids from his person and set them onto the skiff.

"Gizmo, can you take these back to the ship?" Braze requested, before the tiny bipedal one hooked into the speeder bike's controls with a few bweeps of confirmation.

"Perhaps you might like company, sir?" Braze asked lightly. "I can help ensure you do not suffer any further harm this day."

He offered it as if he were some exploratory scout, and aiding the elderly was simply one of the typical goodly deeds he should endeavor toward in the further betterment of the galaxy at large.

Gizmo gave a suspicious little bweep from the skiff, its tiny frame leaning around the speeder's console to look back at him.

G.I.Z.M.O.
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"Bweep-bweeoop? Dee-deet chirr-brrt… wooOOop? Bip… bip-bip? Meeeeep?"

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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"It is a dangerous venture," Hastam agreed smoothly, the rhythmic hiss of his breathing mask the only sound in the humid air as he met Braze eyes. "Walking directly into a rancor's den on the mere assumption of peace is always a hazard. But restraint is not cowardice. To enter into a dialogue when the outcome is entirely uncertain is a mark of true courage, not weakness."

He paused, resting his hands in plain view on his knees to maintain his supportive, non-threatening posture. He could hear the heavy skepticism in the younger man's voice, born from past encounters with the galaxy's underworld, but Hastam knew that sweeping generalizations were a dangerous trap for a Jedi to fall into.

"However, my young friend, you make a large assumption in believing that all criminals act exactly the same," Hastam said, a slight, gentle rebuke coloring his otherwise warm voice.

"You speak as though their choices are identical to others you have met, yet you do not know these individuals. It is entirely possible they are simply starving and were offered a job out of desperation, knowing what they do is wrong but seeing no other choice. One must never judge another's situation until you have truly taken the time to understand it." The Kel Dor looked from the young man toward the little bipedal droid, Gizmo, who was watching him suspiciously from the hover skiff. A faint, knowing smile touched his face beneath the mask before he looked back at Braze.

"I will accept your company, Braze. Your help in navigating this dense terrain is welcome," Hastam conceded, his tone firming up just enough to establish the boundary of their partnership. "But it is on the strict condition that we engage in diplomacy first. We will not resort to violence unless it is the absolute last option available to us. Are we in agreement?"

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

"You are correct, sir… though I would be lying if I said I would not be pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong in such assumptions. One can keep hope alive for a great length of time, but every new negative experience only solidifies the ones before it. I know better than to judge a book by the chapter I happen to walk in on, but experience has tempered me to hope for the best whilst also preparing for the worst."

He glanced back to Gizmo briefly.

"Do you always have to be so sassy?" Braze huffed. "Can't a guy do a good deed without any ulterior motives? I'll be fine…"

He shook his head at the small droid before gliding a gloved hand through the snowy veil of his bangs, then looked back.

"You have my word. I won't be violent unless you deem it necessary," Braze promised.

He had been endeavoring to practice Form Zero more often, and had even held a lecture on the form before all others. He would be a hypocrite not to at least try and practice what he preached.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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Hastam inclined his head in a slow, respectful gesture. He certainly did not intend to reject or rebuke the younger man's experiences, for he remained unaware of the specific trials Braze had endured before their paths crossed in this humid wilderness. He simply understood that trauma often acted as a filter, one that could obscure the potential for redemption in others if left unmanaged.

"I am grateful for your agreement, Braze," Hastam murmured, his voice carrying a sincere appreciation for the commitment to non-violence. "Practicing restraint is often more taxing than the alternative, but it is the cornerstone of our path." With a grunt of effort, the Kel Dor pulled himself up from the weathered log, his robes brushing against the damp moss.

He gestured with a wide sweep of his arm for Braze to follow before turning to navigate through the dense, vibrant underbrush of the Akivan jungle. The scenery here was informative, a wall of emerald vines and broad, waxy leaves that seemed to swallow the light, yet Hastam moved with a practiced, methodical pace.

The pair soon reached a dirt pathway where the canopy thinned, allowing the afternoon heat to bake the soil into a workable clay. Hastam stopped, his eyes narrowing behind his goggles as he spotted several deep indentations in the mud. He reached down, his fingers hovering just inches above a particularly large, three-toed print.

He took a moment to inspect the tracks, noting the depth and the splayed nature of the claws. From his studies, he knew that the physiological differences between Trandoshans could be as varied as the planets they hailed from. This print lacked the heavy heel-drag of an older, molting male, suggesting a younger, swifter hunting party.

"Tell me, Braze. Are you aware of why Trandoshans are easier to track then other species?" He asked, observing the shape and and pressure of each step allowed him to deduce the weight of their gear and the speed of their march, ensuring that when they finally reached the lake, he would not be walking in blindly.

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Braze padded along after him, his soft, subtle footsteps becoming silent where sound should have been, as small currents of the Force seemed to gather near his feet.

"I've started to learn that people won't let me give them a chance to explain themselves. They would rather attack me the moment I reveal I am there to talk…" Braze offered simply.

He did always try to speak first, but it often ended with him on the wrong end of a blaster, even when he deigned to use his good manners in approaching them. The galaxy was full of all sorts of nasties, and it was much harder to find those precious few gems less enlightened by self-interest.

He watched meticulously, drinking in information as the elder moved, curiously observing his method. Braze had been dropped into enemy territory and told to infiltrate and survive as his premiere introduction to 'shadow training'… so he appreciated this hands-on approach to shadowing someone who knew skills and methods he did not.

He shook his head gently in reply before verbally supplying a quiet answer.

"No… I do not," he offered simply, before curiously looking over the tracks he had found and studying their shapes. "I am very unfamiliar with their kind. I have no real experience with any of them." He appreciated this and was happy to be of assitance and learn what the elder would teach him if given teh chance.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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The humid canopy of Akiva seemed to tighten around them, a heavy blanket of steam rising from the forest floor as the afternoon sun cooked the moisture out of the clay. Hastam let out a soft, rhythmic huff through his mask, a sound that served as a dry, teasing chuckle.

"Perhaps it is your demeanor that frightens them, my friend," he suggested with a subtle lilt of humor. "A person with your unique presence tends to unsettle those with a guilty conscience long before the first word is spoken." The Kel Dor turned his full attention back to the earth, leaning in until the shadow of his breathing mask fell over the clay.

He scrutinized the splayed indentations with clinical intensity, his goggles catching the glint of moisture trapped in the deep rifts of the tracks. The jungle breathed around them, the skittering of insects on waxy leaves and the distant, territorial cry of a swamp-bird but Hastam remained focused the mud since that told them the most information.

"Trandoshans cannot wear footwear as we do," he explained softly, his gloved finger tracing the perimeter of a three-toed mark.

"The complex anatomy of their feet makes it difficult for them to hide their presence on soft materials such as this dirt. Therefore it is easy to follow their trail down the pathway here." He pointed down the path where the footsteps were becoming increasingly frequent, indicating that the hunting party was advancing more rapidly than expected given that the tracks were closely spaced.

Straightening his back, Hastam looked toward the darkening green of the trail ahead. The air was changing, growing cooler and smelling of silt and standing water. The lake was close. He began to move again, his robes snagging slightly on the encroaching ferns as he led the way deeper into the heart of the Hutt's territory.

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[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Braze blinked… was he intimidating? He could hardly see that as truth. Perhaps that was what the man was employing with him earlier. Braze had taken silent note of the peculiar way he seemed to set his hands in certain places rather deliberately, or perhaps where he did not set his hands.

"Are you suggesting I should be deceptive and make myself seem even more… pathetic, weak, or trustworthy to others? I find it hard to believe my stature makes me intimidating…" he mused simply.

Perhaps he had an air about him, or even an aura to his demeanor? He shook his head, finding it difficult to believe. Perhaps it was true. Most of the Sith he ran into liked to underestimate him at first, whereas criminals more often than not seemed to run from him, or wanted to strangle him for intervening in their 'deals.'

Nevertheless, he paid attention to what was said and listened, nodding along. All of what the Kel Dor said made sense.

"Do you have a name I should call you by?" he asked softly.

He continued to pad after him, curious to see how this encounter might go. He did not think a hunting party would take kindly to a couple of random figures creeping out of the woods and pressing too close, but he would follow Hastam Sii 's lead.

 

[Hastam Sii]

Hutt Poaching Station, Hunter's Canopy, Planet of Akiva | Roleplaying with Braze
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Hastam paused, casting a sidelong glance at the youth before gesturing toward the snowy veil of Braze bangs with a cheeky tilt of his head. "It is not your stature that whispers of danger, my friend," he noted, his voice carrying a playful tone despite the seriousness of the situation they were in.

"It is that hair. To many in this galaxy, white hair is the mark of the Echani, a race of warriors who are comparable to even the mighty Mandalorians. It is no wonder that criminals with a nervous heart don't have the time for a friendly chat" The conversation died as the dense foliage began to thin, replaced by the heavy, sweet scent of stagnant water and the rhythmic lapping of waves.

They had reached the lake's edge, but before they could emerge from the shadows, a low-frequency hum vibrated through the humid air. Hastam's hand shot out, firm and sudden, catching Braze by the shoulder and pulling him deep into the thicket of oversized ferns.

A battered cargo speeder skimmed low over the water's surface, its repulsors kicking up a mist of silt and spray. Lashed to its rear deck was the limp, bloodied form of a large jungle cat, its spotted hide glistening under the filtered Akivan sun.

Hastam watched the craft with a predatory stillness, his goggles tracking its trajectory across the shimmering expanse of the lake toward a cluster of durasteel structures partially hidden by the treeline on the far shore.

"That is where our path leads," Hastam whispered, the hiss of his mask barely audible over the receding drone of the speeder. He turned his head slightly, finally addressing the boy's earlier question as they crouched in the emerald gloom.

"As for my name, I am Master Sii, a former member of the New Jedi Order." He didn't wait for a response, instead slipping forward through the brush with the silence of a seasoned investigator, his eyes never leaving the distant encampment. The hunt had moved from the dirt to the water, and the diplomatic window he insisted upon was rapidly narrowing.

 

[Braze]

Tags: Hastam Sii ​

Was that really why? Because he was of Echani decent?

He blinked yet again, though a look of realization slowly spread through those queer, pale jade-green eyes. He twisted a hand over the newly fashioned Padawan's Braid he wore once more, despite his would-be station as mentor to two younglings, as a few pensive thoughts passed by silently, unshared for now.

He supposed that made sense...

But he had very little experience with other Echani… from the top of his head, he could think of only a handful he knew of beside his Father. Lily Decoria was certainly one, and so was Srina Talon . He knew that a girl matching Lunaria Talon 's features seemed to have been seen by another in one of those Sith schools that Valor the Forsaken seemed to have attended briefly, much to the chagrin of Ko Vuto .

Who else did he know of…?

There was certainly Delsin Shaw , whom he owed a visit. Were there any other important or prominent Echani figures he should know about? There were a handful he may have sparred with in passing… or maybe even that one lady he'd seen more than a few times, Quinn Varanin ? Troy wasn't an Echani, but he certainly got confused for one when Braze had met him.

Were any of them all that... intimidating?

Perhaps not to Braze. They just seemed like people… pale in complexion, and with a cultural fondness much akin to his own, perhaps, but still people. Maybe he was too naive about how others viewed his culture to really understand it. He really didn't understand it himself besides what he trie dto keep kindled that his father Kaito Starfall had taught him form a very young age all those years ago. His thoughts briefly drifted to the few attendants and locals he had given gainful employment on Eshan, then shifted to Corvo Anattolius and his impressive, muscled form.

Braze blinked, shaking his head and dispelling those thoughts as a heated blush betrayed his inner train of thought, coloring his features across the pale bridge of his nose and right up to the tips of his ears.

No, no, no... This wasn't the time for that!

He sobered quickly enough with what lay ahead, especially as the Master caught his shoulder and pulled him back. Braze went still, watching what was going on just ahead. He noted the name with a frown as he felt a pang of compassion for the cat. He understood the necessity of food and hunting, and how useful pelts and other byproducts could be, but killing cute critters never sat well with him.

Master Hastam Sii was a Former member? Hmnn… it would seem they had one thing in common in that regard.

He followed along quietly, letting the Master take the lead, curious to see just how he intended to approach the hunters. Braze remained obediently restrained, awaiting the elder's experience and orders rather than giving in to any headstrong desires. "I am at your command. " He offered softly.