"Eyes on the moment" [Jerek Zenduu]

[WolfMortum]

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"Eyes on the moment"​

Silver Rest, Primary Hangar.​

[member="Jerek Zenduu"]​

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The Galaxy was always in motion, never stopping for any one person and never without some need for a member of the Order of the Silver Jedi. Today's assignment was to investigate the Durkteel Loop, a trade-route that coursed through the Sneeve System of the Kastolar Sector. Recently, there'd been a surge in criminality across the eastern flank of Silver Space, the most prevalent of incidents seemingly hitting trade routes or ambushing transports en-route to or from various worlds for their cargo.

Today, Veiere had volunteered his service and that of his Padawan, Jerek. The young man had spent a great deal of time training on Kashyyyk under his Master's guidance, choosing to take leave of off-world assignments for a while so that he might build upon his strengths and better the skills that he felt were possible weaknesses. Time had passed however, and while Veiere appreciated the boy's desire to become the best he could possibly be, there was a time in one's life where some lessons were better learned through the accomplishments or mistakes and failures made out in the field of duty.

So it was, that Veiere stood ahead of their transport ready to depart for the "Judiciary", the Star Destroyer in which Veiere captained under the Silver Naval Forces when not required on Kashyyyk for his obligations to the Silver Assembly. Jerek was not yet running late, no, Veiere had arrived early to ensure that operations and procedure was nailed down for their departure, and that things would go forward without a hitch.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

The Silver Rest would never feel like a home to Jerek. Even after months of residing there, the boy still felt like a visitor. His room still felt temporary, and though he had made use of space it provided him, the padawan always had a bag of essentials packed. Now that was slung under his arm, his formal academic robes traded in for the more traditional garb of the Republic's Jedi. Though it was not what he had worn during his years on Ossus, but the style and weight of the layered fabrics were more of a home to him than the Silver Rest or the remainder of Kashyyyk.

The transient nature of his time at the Rest should have made it easy for the padawan to take leave of it, particularly on a mission with Master [member="Veiere Arenais"]. Still, it wasn't all bad for him. Jerek had found a haven, of sorts, in the classes and training the Silver Jedi provided to him again. In a way, he felt relaxed by the disconnected approach he took to them, knowing now that there was more life outside the academy temples than within it, something that some of his peers had forgotten or simply didn't know. It bolstered him when he failed in a training session, or did poorly on an assignment, the setback was a challenge rather than a catastrophe, an obstacle to rise above. Still, the amount of work that the Rest's teaching masters expected their students to complete made missing any of it a serious blow to their progress.

But perhaps Master Veiere would make the absence from training useful, Jerek could always use additional practice with his flying skills.

Jerek's heart fell a little as he entered the hangar bay and saw Master Veiere standing by the transport. In truth, he had known from the start that his master wouldn't have agreed to his suggestion he'd made before, but it didn't stop him from taking a peek in the direction of the starfighter racks, finding his J-2 tucked in neatly with the other Jedi fightercraft. The Flashdance would have to wait for another mission. The padawan managed to restore his composure before reaching the place where his master already awaited him.

"Are we all prepped?" Jerek asked as he drew within range of Master Veiere, a nod to the older Jedi's penchant for orderliness. Indeed, the hangar's service droids already seemed to be tidying up their tasks, clearing the fueling hoses and casings that might have held supplies now stored safely aboard the transport. The youth eyed his master's composed figure, feeling a pang of jealousy at how at-ease the man seemed to always appear to him. Whether a monarch or a senior member of the Silver Assembly, he seemed to wear the burdens with aplomb, a feat that seemed beyond Jerek's understanding. How Veiere had managed to arrive early and attend to all of the preparations before his arrival, while the youth struggled to merely stay on top of his far-lesser responsibilities as a padawan, was a secret greater than the deepest mysteries of the Force. Jerek blinked to clear his wandering thoughts, centering himself once again on the moment. "What's this mission anyway, Master?"

 

[WolfMortum]

With [member="Jerek Zenduu"]'s approach, Veiere gestured for his Padawan to follow alongside him, up the loading ramp and onto the shuttle. The cargo-hold and personnel bay was bare of any additional freight, as the Transport had just arrived from the Judiciary for the purpose of picking the two of them up by Veiere's request. Whatever belongings the pair of them needed for this assignment, would be carried on their person or otherwise acquired in orbit aboard the Heavy Cruiser that would take them to their objective location.

"Are we all prepped?​

What's this mission anyway, Master?".​

​

Naturally inquisitive, Veiere hadn't yet informed the young lad of any of the details until they were ready to depart. "We're getting underway for the Durkteel Loop, the major trade route running through the Sneeve System. The Silver Assembly has received a report regarding suspicious activity in the system from a vessel that fits the description from another incident in which pirates managed to ambush several trade-ships..." Veiere explained, "There've been a number of incidents similar to this across our territories recently. Obviously it's a concern for the worlds which profit from trade, and their problems become our problems when things like this become more and more frequent". Recently, the Corellian Confederation had approached the Silver Jedi due to suspicious activity near Nubia and Hosnian Prime. Piracy that had been affecting their operations in the sector as well. They'd not been too happy with the Assembly's response, and voiced the Order's inability to secure their territories.

"We're due to rendezvous with the Judiciary in orbit. From there we'll join the rest of the crew aboard the bridge and sweep the sector for the reported vessel. It's a Destroyer, not like ours but more than a mere threat for trade-craft moving to and from worlds", the Assembly was concerned for a number of reasons, but the recent threat of trade organizations seeking the help of mercenaries and privatized military escorts brought a whole new set of possible issues, were they to reach that point.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

With one final look back at his J-2, Jerek boarded the transport after his master. The boarding and startup process were completed in silence but for anything procedurally necessary, and he tried not to let it chafe at him. Master [member="Veiere Arenais"] would answer him when he was ready, if at all. Sometimes deceit was necessary in that manner, even a Jedi Master sometimes had good reasons to withhold information from his padawan learner.

Luckily for the youth, this was not one of those times.

The Durkteel Loop. Jerek could point it out on a map, and he knew the fundamentals about it, which planets it passed by and such. Beyond that, it was sometimes referenced in the news feeds that the Silver Rest lounges played, but he thought about it in that same far-off manner he thought about marriage or Coruscant. Yet now he was venturing on a mission into its very heart, to preserve the very reasons for its existence, and he couldn't name them. Regret tugged at his thoughts as the boy listened to the remainder of Veiere's briefing as the transport began its flight.

And it was brief, no more than a short statement of their plans and purpose in hunting down pirates along the Loop. Pirates could be a way of life for planets in the Outer Rim, at times offering the only way to obtain goods that were otherwise out of reach for the average planet's economy, but within the Silver Jedi's sphere of influence they became a drag on the economy instead. Jerek had fought off pirates in times before from the cockpit of his starfighter. He would be glad for them to be aboard a bigger and more robust vessel when facing down pirates, especially one the size of a Destroyer.

Still, in those days, Jerek had been on his own, teamed up with other stragglers from collapsed governments and disenfranchised youths in their own starfighter squadron. He still called himself a Jedi during those times, but he didn't act under the authority of one or obey any master. The Jedi he knew had morals to uphold and ethics to obey, and the vacuum of space was a cold environment for morals and ethics to survive.

"Why are we going? I mean, isn't this more of an Antaran Ranger job, hunting pirates and such?" the padawan asked of his master as the ship finally broke atmosphere, the grey twilight of the mesosphere darkening to the vacuum of space. As they approached the Judiciary, Jerek eyed the hulking destroyer, wondering what it was like to fly a behemoth like that. He rarely had the chance to pilot anything bigger than a ship with a cockpit. Even the transport they were on now was something the Jedi Ace would find unwieldy.

A fact that gave the padawan an idea.

"Mind if I take over, Master?" Jerek asked, gesturing to the controls before Veiere could maneuver the transport for the final approach to the hangar bay of the Judiciary. If he couldn't bring along his starfighter, at least he could get in some piloting practice this way.

 

[WolfMortum]

"Whether as part of the Silver Jedi Order, or any other organization that consider themselves to be Jedi, it's always a priority for us to be vigilant in all possible good that we can accomplish" Veiere began to answer [member="Jerek Zenduu"]'s question as to why they were handling this specific affair as opposed to leaving it in the hands of the Antarian Rangers; "We have various organizations within the Order that specialize in various fields, I know, however this assignment's as much for your personal experience as it is for the interests of the Silver Assembly and our territory over-all", though it might come as a surprise to Jerek, this mission was part of a wider investigation and one that Veiere had stepped forward for, in order to spear-head the Assembly's counter-actions against the claims that were recently voiced by the Corellian Confederation.

"Over the passed month or so, it's been brought to the attention of the Assembly that there's been a significant jump in criminal activity and lawlessness. This was first mentioned by the Corellians who were looking into an incident around Hosnian Prime and Nubia, bordering our two territories. While we couldn't identify whether or not these attacks were related to our current investigation, activities have flared in the eastern Kastolar Sector of Silver Space". Just a day before, the Assembly had sent a team to Trandosha to meet with an agent of the Silver Shadows who suspected they had a lead on the recent attacks. As of yet, the results of which had yet to be determined but it never hurt to be cautiously maintaining watch over as many as their worlds and trade routes as they could manage, given the state of things lately. And so soon after the recent conflict with the United Clans of Mandalore, as well.

Pausing to spare his Padawan a glance, Veiere soon nodded in approval and switched priority controls over to the co-pilots station; "Bring us in, Padawan...-Carefully, if you don't mind" Veiere cautioned him with a wary smile, not quite the ace pilot that Jerek sought to be, Veiere preferred a much more smooth ride as opposed to the likes of Starfighters. Though that wasn't to say he hadn't seen his share of 'dog-fighting'.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Not for the first time since his Master's ascension to the Silver Assembly, Jerek noted how beneficial that was for him. The insights gleaned by just a few minutes of discussion with Master [member="Veiere Arenais"] would have taken weeks or months to come to public light, and then possibly years before it trickled down into the curriculum taught at the Silver Rest. To be at the forefront of current events, riding the wave of stellar politics, was something of a dopamine kick itself. That realization should have disturbed him, of the ways Jerek identified himself, political nerd was not among them.

He didn't care, it was still exciting.

Still, the real excitement was getting to take over the piloting controls, even if Master Veiere was being an old man about it. He needn't have worried. The bulky transport was far bigger and clunkier than the ships the Jedi youth normally flew, and his sensitivity at the controls was dialed to a much greater excess than the ship needed. Which was a very kind way of putting that the transport flew like a brick. If anything, Jerek was more afraid of his timing than his control.

A short exchange over the coms directed the Jedi Ace to aim for the secondary hangar, housing support crafts much like this one. That required approaching the ship from its underbelly, then rising up instead of flying forward. The maneuver was not as familiar for Jerek, and he found himself checking his instruments more than normal. If he relied on his feelings, the instincts he had honed flying starfighters for years, he would have been lost. It felt like drowning, with the instruments as a life preserve he clung to dearly, all the while trying to reassure himself that it wasn't a big deal if the ship's tractor beam had to take over.

Steadiness was a core facet of Jerek's piloting skills, but it was useless here. His strengthened calves from working the pedals of his J-2 starfighter were wasting idly under his seat. Even the routine of calling upon the assistance of the Force when piloting had been abandoned now. For the boy, easing a flying brick into the hangar bay of a star destroyer was some of the most bored he'd ever been. And he'd been subject to the lectures of Master Ulthas. The excitement was wearing off now, and the transport was only halfway through the hangar's opening.

Suffice it to say, the rest of the flight was excruciatingly slow.

Jerek was relieved when the boarding ramp lowered before him, revealing the utilitarian lines of the ship's hangar bay. Even an unfamiliar one like this brought some comfort and relief after the arduous flight in. The ship's interior design would have betrayed its former Imperial origins if the vessel's shape and hull style had not already done so, but its decor has been somewhat updated since then. Most immediately notable, the hangar crew operated in colored jumpsuits, and the Silver Navy's distinct uniforms sprouted from supervisors and officers scattered around the bay. Including the one right at the bottom of the boarding ramp.

"Welcome back, Captain. And welcome aboard, Padawan Zenduu." The Silver Navy lieutenant waiting for them seemed out of place in his uniform, but the boy chalked up the feeling to his lingering unease from the flight in. He bowed slightly to the lieutenant, but before he could ask for an introduction, the man gave one himself. "I'm Lieutenant Pearson, in charge of Security aboard the Judiciary."

At least now the man's presence before them made sense to the padawan. Jerek nodded with more assertion now, "Thank you. Quite a big ship you've got here."

The comment was meant more for Master Veiere than Lieutenant Pearson, but the security chief didn't seem to catch it. "Not used to them, eh? Deck control said you insisted on flying manually the whole way in instead of letting us tractor you. Would have been faster."

"Oh, believe me, there would have been nothing fast about it," the boy said with a sly grin, "I know fast. But I wanted to try it out, and Master Veiere insisted I take it carefully."

The lieutenant's eyes passed back and forth between Jerek and his master a couple times before uttering a simple, "Copy that." An awkward moment passed before Pearson spoke back up, and it seemed to the padawan that his speech was more crisp and attention more sharp now. "Captain, do you want me to get him settled first?"

"I'd rather stay with you, Master," Jerek offered, unconcerned about the niceties of shipboard protocols. He had bunked on enough starships to know there wasn't much to getting settled, and he didn't have enough packed to spread out. Besides, he could find sleep in the cockpit of a starfighter if he needed to, just about any bed was fine, the padawan really wasn't particular. Looking back to Master Veiere to get a sense of direction, he added, "Those pirates won't take care of themselves."

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere remained apprehensive as [member="Jerek Zenduu"] brought the Transport in to land within the Judiciary's hangar, the younger lad doing quite the professional job despite his minor anxiety, the Jedi Master couldn't fault the young Padawan on the job given that Veiere himself had taken a long time to grow accustomed to piloting vessels himself. Flying had never used to have been his strong suit back in his younger days, but with the Sith Empire's violent expansion, Veiere had been forced to adapt his methods of service in order to better benefit the greater Galaxy. In the long run, it had paid off when considering how best to serve under the Order of the Silver Jedi.

"Well done Jerek" Veiere congratulated the lad, though it was probably a small feat for the youth whom had made a habit of flying at speeds faster than any sentient his age should responsibly travel. Waiting to greet them at the bottom of the loading ramp, Lieutenant William Pearson stood alongside a fellow Officer. Truth be told, Veiere hadn't expected his Security advisor to be standing in lieu of their arrival, however it was a pleasant experience to see the man greet young Jerek and converse with him, given the Padawan's first visit of the Judiciary.

"Seems we'll be alright, thank you Lieutenant" Veiere answered Pearson with a faint smile, Jerek having voiced his preference to remain with Veiere; "We'll make our way to the bridge and my Padawan can see the view from the top" Veiere suggested, turning to look to Jerek and extending an arm in gesture for the lad to follow the Lieutenant while Veiere would bide his time walking in tow behind the pair. The Commander, Vikras Ansion had already been briefed on the assignment prior to the pair having boarded the Judiciary, but for the sake of Jerek's awareness, Veiere spoke his thoughts aloud on the matter to he and the Lieutenant. "For the duration of this assignment, William, I'd like your team on standby in the case that we need to take on any impromptu guests" Veiere was of course suggesting prisoners guilty of the crimes they were supposedly keeping an eye out for; "I'm sure we'll have room to accommodate them in the brig, if that is to be the case" he remarked with an edge of humor as they stepped into the turbo-lifts soon to lead them up to the bridge.

Reaching the height of the Destroyer's numerous sectors and levels for which the crew operated aboard, the bridge itself was already alive with activity as the senior crew relayed their status to one another while Vikras Ansion stood in the captains station as acting command. Veiere would normally take-over once entering onto the bridge though for the time being the Jedi Master merely raised a hand and gestured for the Commander to continue while he himself soon silently encouraged Jerek to follow him towards the observation platform at the head of the room, the end wall open plated with transparisteel to look out across the head of the ship. The hull lined with turbolaser cannons, the Judiciary looking very much the making of a Heavy Assault Cruiser. Overhead the voice of Vikras Ansion sounded on the internal Comm's announcing their due departure.

"How're you feeling?" Veiere asked Jerek, the pair of them having time to talk, given how long it'd take them to reach their destination.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

"How're you feeling?"​

The padawan found himself taken aback by the question. Most Jedi he knew were so intuitive, by nature or by the Force, that they simply didn't bother answering. Outside of Force Sensitives, the question was normally a mere statement of polite acknowledgement or little more than a greeting. Nothing meant for a genuine answer, and that was how Jerek instinctively perceived it, muttering a simple, "I'm good," in return.

Until he realized that was a real question.

"I am good, really." It wasn't a lie, not even close. The boy had beamed at the praise from his master for the piloting job, and it was immensely satisfying that Master [member="Veiere Arenais"] wanted him accompanying right away. It was confirmation of Jerek's value to his master and their training partnership. "This isn't bad so far. I don't mind being away from training and studies, I mean, I'm going to have to be away from them permanently eventually, right?" At least in the way that padawans were, being expected to be full-time students. Knights didn't have such a responsibility, or luxury, any longer. "I guess, in a way, this is also training."

Realizing he was running his mouth, Jerek closed it and let the pair walk in silence for a while. Perhaps Allya had been a bad influence on him after all, her constant chatter normally let him remain quiet and simply let her fill the space. The padawan thought he preferred that, it was easier to contemplate when he didn't have to think about what to say next. Lately, he'd found that the distance from his girlfriend had left him with too much silence when he wasn't in a classroom, and it no longer felt right to let it lie. "You did say this mission was for my personal experience as much for the Assembly's interests, after all."

If it was for his personal experience, the padawan figured, he might as well offer some of his own.

"If we're planning on inviting guests," he started again, mimicking the innuendo Master Veiere had used, "Then the Judiciary's bombers should probably be fitted with a higher loadout of precision torpedoes." Jerek wasn't entirely certain of the heavy cruiser's complement, though he had spied some bomber racks on his scans on the way in. "That way, if we go into combat, they'll want to be able to target subsystems with minimal casualties. I know you're more of the naval tactician, Master, but I do know my starfighters."

A bad influence, indeed, Jerek alone would so rarely have been that direct.

Still, maybe that was a good thing. Wouldn't a Jedi need to be that direct on his own? It went against his better instincts, but those instincts had been honed in the classroom and the cockpit, where taking instructions was more valuable than giving them. If missions like these were his proving ground, Jerek was probably going to have to break a lot of his instincts. The relief and satisfaction he had felt earlier was quickly disappearing with that thought on his mind, replaced be a disquiet about the upcoming mission.

But no, Jerek reminded himself, he was good.

Really.

 

[WolfMortum]

"This isn't bad so far. I don't mind being away from training and studies, ​

I mean, I'm going to have to be away from them permanently eventually, right? ​

I guess, in a way, this is also training".​

​

Veiere smiled to himself as he listened to [member="Jerek Zenduu"] chatter away. While the lad may have felt like he were going off on something of a tangent, there was greater wisdom in his words than it felt like he gave himself credit for. "When you reach a certain point in your life as a Jedi Padawan, the senior years of apprenticeship become more focused on service to the Galaxy, rather than time spent in the Temple" he replied, and continued to elaborate; it was an aspect of duty that was important to all Jedi, and something that ought to be explained well to students and prospective Knights. "As an Initiate and Padawan Learner, the Temple is there to give you the education you'll need to become an adequate Jedi Practitioner. There's a certain amount of comfort and security within those walls, yet this period is only a small period of your over-all training. Over time, your goals will shift from focusing on enriching your personal experience and learning, to focusing upon and empowering the needs of others beyond the reach of the Silver Rest or whatever Temple one claims home to". Veiere himself held fond memories over his days as a much younger man, growing up within the Svivren Enclave before the collapse of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the One Sith. Compared to today, it had been a peaceful time, yet also encouraged a certain amount of ignorance due to his lack of knowledge and experiencing the greater truths of Galaxy Society and how difficult life could really be for the people that he would later come to protect and serve.

As far as the Judiciaries Primary and Support Hangar compliment was concerned, Veiere decidedly referred to the use of his Datapad rather than trying to recall their numbers off-hand; handing the device over to Jerek of whom would likely have a greater understanding of their fighter squadrons capabilities than he himself ever would. "Truth be told, Commander Ansion is the Tactician among us. For myself, the Judiciary serves as a means to an end. It is another asset in which I am able to serve the Galaxy as well as aid the Silver Jedi in protecting their borders from the likes of the Sith Empire for example...-Or in this case, pirates" the Jedi Master was a Force User at heart, and not as well educated in the state of Naval Affairs as many of the Order's greater minds. Perhaps this was why he remained a Captain and not an Admiral among their ranks, something that others had commented on given his position within the Silver Assembly.

While Jerek would have the opportunity to peruse the Heavy Cruiser's finer details, the Judiciary's deck shuddered and the star-lines of hyperspace flight quickly receeded to their natural state, the dark blanket of real space before them, dotted with bright burning stars too numerous to count. "Looks like we've reached out destination..." Veiere commented, turning his gaze away from the observation screen to instead look back to the crew; "Report?" he called to Lieutenant Jacinder Rorik.

"Picking up a transmission Sir. It's a distress call, patching it through to the intercom now!" the communications officer replied hastily.

"To any nearby vessels, this is Captain Evans of the Yitabo Kalis requesting immediate assistance. ​

Our vessel is under attack and our hull has been breached, primary systems are failing. ​

Please, anyone. We need support now!".​

"Captain, the transmission appears to be automated, it's a feedback loop. Original message was relayed...-Three hours ago" the Lieutenant-Commander, William Pearson spoke up from the Security Station, looking across the bridge to Veiere, the older male's jaw tightening in response. The amount of time that had since passed, suggested nothing good for the crew of the Yitabo Kalis...

"Bernard, see us there, will you" Veiere spoke to the Ensign at the helm, his voice rather less enthusiastic than it had previously been whilst speaking with his Padawan. As for Jerek, the Jedi Master turned back to look to the younger lad, expecting that he would know and likely be thinking along similar lines as his Master, given his own experience as a fighter pilot.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Jerek’s role in this mission was to learn and assist his master, he was apprenticed to Master [member="Veiere Arenais"] for that very reason. Yet the boy could not help but let his attention drift to the datapad that Master Veiere handed him, scanning its contents to find the numbers and specifications of the fighter squadrons the Judiciary had aboard. It was a distraction within the realm of his own comfort zone, an easy place to fall into after his nerves were tested earlier. A task, he reminded himself, he had undertaken of his own volition.

So why was he so nervous?

Between the two Jedi, it seemed easy for Jerek to speak his mind and offer his own advice. Eyeing the pointed-out Commander Ansion from across the ship’s bridge, the padawan took some time to compose himself and practice his message. He didn’t want his first impression to the ship’s commander to be seen as criticizing the ship’s practices, he wasn’t the flight commander nor did he even fly in a squadron. Still, he was a Jedi, and this was a Silver Navy ship, his opinion was supposed to be welcomed by default. With a heavy breath, Jerek started towards Ansion to break out of his comfort zone once more.

He needn’t have feared, it seemed that the same deference granted to Master Veiere was afforded to Jerek as well. Commander Ansion listened carefully and then nodded once, the clipped assertion of a seasoned military veteran who understood his idea easily. “I’ll make sure of it,” was the answer, and that was all there was to it.

Jerek breathed easier after that, pleased to see how quickly the ship adapted under the command of the Jedi.

The ship reached its destination faster than Jerek had expected, as he looked up from the console he had appropriated in one of the bridge’s crew pits, learning what he could of the ship and its history before they headed into a conflict. He followed the conversation in earnest this time, now that they were in the area of reported activity, it was critical he was as up to date as his master. His nerves returned again, but he quieted them, unwilling to be distracted any longer. Only when they refused to quiet did the padawan realize that the unsettling feeling in his stomach was not nerves.

It was the Force telling him something was wrong.

The distress call from three hours ago only confirmed what Jerek felt, and he met the gaze of his master from across the ship’s bridge. The word seemed to form on both their lips at once, ”Pirates?”

 

[WolfMortum]

"Receiving a distress call that originated from three hours before-hand generally means it's on a consistent feed, repeated until help arrives, the captain or crew at the time obviously didn't like their chances..." Veiere replied to [member="Jerek Zenduu"], whilst turning his attention back to watch over the officers on the bridge; "In that time-frame, any number of things can go wrong. I've a feeling we're not going to find anything good here...".

"Two minutes out from the transmission source" Michael Bernard announced to the bridge, soon looking towards the Comms-Station, "If we're gonna find anything, it'll be now Lieutenant".

"I'm picking up something...-Definitely debris out there. Putting it on screen now" Jacinder Rorik answered and forwarded the projection to the head of the bridge so that the holographic display could show the enhanced visuals, a former vessel now scattered into various pieces, floating scrap with no sign of movement of life to be found.

Veiere frowned, not enjoying the fact that his instincts had been correct. "Identify the vessel, relay the Transponder codes back home to Kashyyyk" Veiere looked to Lieutenant Rorik and nodded firmly. Someone would be on the end of some very bad news, these crewman likely had family and loved ones expecting their return.

Around them the lights aboard the bridge flickered, and then suddenly there was a heavy shudder across the entirety of the Judiciary as the vessels thrusters cut power. Pausing in his step, Veiere turned to look to the helm, "Bernard?" he called to the Ensign looking for an explanation yet was soon interrupted by that of their Security Officer.

"It's not us, Captain..." William Pearson spoke up from the rear station of the bridge, "I'm not sure how, but our shields have also gone down..." the man paused, his hands sweeping the console quickly as he tried to decipher the cause. "Our security grid's compromised, firewall's being bypassed by an outside source...-Shit, they've got access to our-..." Then the lights cut out entirely, the ship falling descending into darkness.

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Jerek was reassured by his master's similar sense of foreboding coming true as the ship came upon the debris. Finding the results of a tragedy was never pleasant, yet the Jedi youth was satisfied by his own abilities to sense the results. A moment later, the horror of that feeling ate at him through his stomach, a revulsion at the loss of life he was witnessing. He dismissed it as he had a thousand times before. This is just more battle wreckage, the padawan told himself, nothing you haven't seen before.

Then another familiar feeling hit as Jerek lurched forward, the sudden loss of momentum causing the ship to shake. As Master Veiere questioned the incident, Jerek scrambled into action instead. He was usually also the calm and questioning type, but there wasn't a need for that now, not when the ship had just happened upon wreckage from a recent fight. The alertness of battle was already upon him, and the padawan longed even more now for the comfort of his J-2 starfighter. If he was flying out there, he would already know what was going on, a quick glance at his readouts or just flipping his craft directly to see through the transparent canopy.

On the bridge of a starship, however, Jerek was forced to pursue more mundane means of finding information.

Which meant physically moving to the console that supplied it. One of the naval officers was seated at the station marked Sensors, and the boy felt the urge to hesitate. He wasn't a member of this crew, it wasn't his right to interfere with their workings. Then again, they were on a mission that could see combat, and in a battle propriety didn't matter.

The padawan approached the Sensors station, leaning down to eye level with the officer seated there, a Zabrak man of dark brown skin whose tattoos were almost invisible at first glance. Jerek didn't take the time to give him a second one. "What do you have on scopes?"

If the sensor officer was startled by his arrival or unsettled by the intrusion of a non-crewmember, he didn't show it. The man seemed to understand Jerek's question and replied quickly, "Just the debris so far, IFF is clear. No enemies or fast movers."

Jerek nodded, but frowned. Overhearing the mention of the loss of shields, the boy said urgently, "Switch to the E-M bands. Low frequencies, not high."

It was slower and returned more extraneous results, but the lower bands could also often pick up signals from ships and munitions that were trying to hide. The Zabrak flipped a few switches, and the display shifted to return a much more populated output. Space seemed big and empty, but it wasn't as much of a void as starships tended to treat it as. This close to a star, stellar particles and dust were prevalent, bouncing the sensor signals that would normally zip through them at high frequencies. Trying to hunt down anything of significance on the sensor display was a chore with so many returns, but if Jerek squinted, that bulge there looked like it could be a ship. "What does I-R say? Focus it at section Mern-6, tell me if you—"

The screen blanked out before he could finish, and in the next instant the command deck was pitch-black dark. Jerek looked at the Zabrak officer, but all he could see was a black void, the same black void as the rest of his vision. The Force told him that the man still sat in front of him, as did his more primal senses. The perks of being a Jedi was that he could still 'see' in a fashion, a lifetime of training with blindfolds and flying by sensors alone left him comfortable navigating this way. The nervousness he felt was not his own, coming from the crewmembers seated around him. Jerek put a hand on the shoulder of the Sensors officer, and reached through the Force to him, sending his body a message of calm. To the rest, he said, "Stay where you are for a moment."

He hadn't left the deck when the ship lost power, so Jerek figured the failsafes kicked in for the gravity plating. For some reason, none of the lights or consoles were getting power from the batteries, or it was being overridden somehow. Figuring out which wasn't really his problem right now. There was a glowrod mounted near the consoles, and Jerek navigated his way there and plucked it from its mount. Its light shown bright in the dark when he turned it on, and the world around him ignited into form and color once more.

Other stations had glowrods positioned near them for maintenance and emergencies, and Jerek helped them locate the lights with his own. Within about a minute, the bridge was spotted with the small lights, giving the room enough ambient illumination for the crew to work again.

Climbing up to the walkway above, Jerek reunited with Veiere. He nodded, though it was an almost useless gesture in the darkness. "Master, before we lost power, I think I saw what's out there on sensors. It was hiding, but just for an instant...a scout class vessel."

WolfMortum​

 

[WolfMortum]

In the darkness, Veiere could sense the emotions of the crew and his Padawan aboard the bridge. Given that they were adrift and in the blind with a hostile craft somewhere nearby, his Apprentice gathered himself quite admirably and showed little sign of disarray in his behavior and subsequent actions. Emergency lighting came on, showering the bridge in a red glow, yet many of the terminals and primary systems were non-functional still. "Pearson" Veiere called to the Lieutenant Commander, "Assemble a team and get to the lower decks, ensure the rest of the crew are safe. I want everyone to switch to personal comm's until ship wide access has been restored", sending the security officer off towards the turbo-lifts armed and accompanied by three of his personnel.

Another shudder rattled the Judiciaries hull, though it wasn't significant enough to be an impact from hostile weapons-fire. Pausing to glance to the roof in a moment of consideration, Veiere removed himself from the immediate environment and instead sought the guidance of the Force, briefly concentrating on what his instincts were telling him.

Commander Vikras Ansion appeared to be too distracted to comment on the Master's contemplation, but was instead looking to his fellow officers for answers as to what was happening with their systems access. "Ensign Nurou’n" the second in command contacted the officer in engineering via his commlink, "Shut her down completely, I want a hard reboot of all systems with the exception of life support" he instructed. It was his hope that a complete restart of the vessels primary systems would bypass whatever outside interference keeping them locked out.

"Master, before we lost power, I think I saw what's out there on sensors.
It was hiding, but just for an instant...a scout class vessel".
​

Veiere's attention returned to Jerek and for a moment, he found appreciation in the young man's knowledge and perception of the situation around him, however there was a new concern written on his face that he didn't care to dismiss as a mere afterthought. "You may be right, Padawan. A scouting vessel wouldn't put up much of a challenge against an Assault Cruiser in a fair fight..." he replied, sounding as though he knew more than he was letting on.

As if in queue Jacinder Rorik's comm-link flared to life with calls for help from the research and development deck. "Captain, there's a breach in R'n'D! We've been boarded!?".

"Padawan, you're with me. Commander, secure the bridge as soon as we've left. Have Officer Pearson meet us down there immediately. If Engineering pulls through, I want all sections locked down!" Veiere growled, for the first time venting some of his frustration over their predicament, sparing a glance to Jerek before setting off towards the turbo-lifts, his lightsaber already drawn from his belt and hilt in hand in preparation for the likelihood of a fight.

Jerek Zenduu​

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Master Veiere’s face was grave, but just for a moment, Jerek spied a flicker of admiration in his eyes. A splash of pride flowed through him, a thrill not unlike he felt after downing an enemy from the cockpit. A bogey scratched, a girlfriend pleased, a master impressed...things like these were for dwelling on later, as much as the boy wished he could revel in that thrill now, his training insisted he focus on the moment instead. They were on a starship that, with all that the evidence indicated so far, was under attack. A moment later, a comm message confirmed that they truly were.

Satisfaction would have to wait.

So would admiration, it seemed. Jerek watched his master's face change in the dim illumination of the glowrods, shifting from controlled to tense in a single moment. Reaching out through the Force, the padawan felt others on the bridge react similarly, their discipline not nearly so well-honed as Master Veiere's. So despite the circumstances, the boy was relieved to hear Veiere say, "Padawan, you're with me."

Before darkness swallowed them once more as they entered the corridor, Jerek noticed Veiere detaching the lightsaber from his belt and the padawan followed suit. The cool metal of the hilt was familiar in his hands, yet it seemed to weigh heavier in his hands than usual. Perhaps it knew what it was about to face, what Jerek suspected they would face, the pirates who destroyed the Yitabo Kalis.

He breathed deeply, calling on the Force to surround him. The moving meditation he had learned from Master Kortun served him well now, letting Jerek connect to the living Force around them. Even in a metal starship in the middle of space, there was life to be found, and the Force flowed through them all. Jerek was far from adept at sensing others from a distance, but his reach at least allowed him to feel the general sentiment of the beings on the decks below them.

Fear.

Anger.​

Pain.​

Jerek felt his grip on the lightsaber tighten and his breath quicken. They were too late to save the crew of an innocent ship, but they could still deliver them justice, here and now. Only a few hours earlier, he had been the one to suggest an approach that would preserve life, minimally damaging any potential pirate vessels they came across.

That was then. That was before.

Having witnessed the aftermath of one of the pirates' victims, he was no longer interested in moderation. The padawan drew close to his Master, sharing his thoughts, "I can sense them, master. The crew below, and the...intruders." Intruders was too kind. These were murderers. Monsters. Animals. "We have to hurry, they're slaughtering your crew!"

WolfMortum​

 

[WolfMortum]

The corridor flickered, sputtering and gradually coming to life under the dull illumination of the red security lighting, the backup system kicking in and providing a clear path as the two Jedi made their way from the turbolifts and down towards the vessels Science department, Research and Development.

To his right, Veiere could sense a certain anxiety coming from his Apprentice, Jerek Zenduu preparing himself for whatever might come their way. For how capable the young Jedi Padawan was, Veiere also understood him to be much younger and inexperienced compared; There were times where the young man's youth was easy to forget, for all the competency he showed as a member of the Order and a prospective Jedi Knight one day. That Jerek had not had a traditional upbringing within the Order was unfortunate, however his wealth of learning and the skills he had acquired over time often made it easy to forget that he was still a student, no matter how independently capable.

"This isn't a conventional method of attack, I've a good mind to suspect it's a raid on our resources or perhaps an attempt to commandeer the Judiciary itself" Veiere responded quietly to his Padawan as they moved quickly but quietly down the corridor, following the path towards the last reported point of breach.

"Even still, we do not know their incentives. Their intentions may be hostile, that much is clear, but the why...-There's usually a trigger to what leads a man down an immoral path" Veiere used the moment to teach something to his apprentice, "In their eyes, their actions may be justified. Just as we would be in defending ourselves", the Jedi Master glanced to his right, looking to catch Jerek's eye a moment to gauge his expression; "What I'm trying to say is that...-Even though they may wish us harm, they're still sentient with the same rights as any other member of society".

"It's always important to remind ourselves that no matter the circumstance, our actions have a large impact on Society...-And if you see an opportunity to bring someone in alive, you give them the potential to make something better of the time they have left" he turned back to focus his attention ahead of them, "If you're forced to strike a fatal blow, do so with the certainty that there was no other way".

Veiere quietened as they neared the entrance to the research department, the motion sensors just out of reach from where he stopped so that they could poise themselves. Conscious of Jerek's feelings, Veiere also kept an ear to the area ahead, trying to listen out for any sign of confrontation.

There was only silence.

Inhaling slowly, Veiere looked back to Jerek, sparing him a thoughtful glance. Concern laced his eyes as silence followed, though tension could be notable by the way his jaw had locked; something had put him off. A slight nod in confirmation to the younger man, signaled Veiere's intent to move in.

As the doors slid open with a mechanical hiss, the stench of death reached them first. The sight of the security team lay strewn on the floor in the center of the laboratory, each of them having been shot, evidenced by the numerous plasma burns over their bodies. The Lieutenant-Commander, William Pearson among them.

As for the room itself, everything had been rummaged through. Searched and raided for anything valuable. The Judiciary wasn't a Science-based Vessel, these pirates wouldn't likely have found anything too damaging to the Order of the Silver Jedi, however they hadn't stayed behind to greet the Jedi either, suggesting that they were elsewhere within the ship still.

"Vikras" Veiere spoke into his commlink as he knelt down next to the fallen Head of Security; "Pearson's down. Six confirmed dead. Send additional security to Engineering, we're heading there next. Secure all points of access aboard the Judiciary, don't let them gain access to the ships databanks. You know the drill. Veiere out".

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

“There's usually a trigger to what leads a man down an immoral path.”

Perhaps like knowing his compatriots were being cut down as if they were animals, and he was too far away to help?

Jerek had borne witness to death before. He had seen war, both up close and from the safety of the cockpit. He knew the unspeakable horrors that beings could inflict upon another, through destruction by massive weapons, crashing starships into planets, unleashing abominable beasts, spewing deadly gasses, flooding the ground...and that was just on one world alone. Those on the other end had to know their actions would lead to death, but they acted anyway. What rationalization, what alienation of an opponent, was required before someone could flip such a heartless switch?

Master Veiere wanted him to extend mercy nonetheless. Were these beings really deserving of such consideration?

The padawan took a deep breath. He let it out, trying as much as he could to release his anger with the breath. It struggled, and his breath caught on its way out, too much of a mirror into his intentions. Try as he might, Jerek could not shake off the feeling of rage at the senseless circumstances which loomed below. He could not find the calm now that he had often been quick to discover.

"Yes, Master," the boy said, a promise as much to himself as to Veiere. A promise he didn't know if he could keep once they reached the research department.

What was left of it, anyway.

Even though Jerek had known what to expect, the actual sight of it still hit him hard. The bodies lay where they had fallen, strewn about the room. As if they'd had no time to react to the intrusion, only time to die. The padawan set aside his grief, listening instead to what his head told him. Caught off guard like this meant that either their opponents were numerous or highly skilled.

He was grateful for their absence here, as much as the hand gripping his lightsaber itched. The boy hooked his lightsaber back to his belt to quell the sensation, looking over the other parts of the room while his master knelt beside Pearson. Jerek couldn't let himself look at the man who had greeted them aboard ship just hours before.

Instead, the boy knelt down next to another of the research technicians, a Devaronian he had never met before. The man's reddish-brown skin was paling to a muted pink already, and Jerek could only sense the evidence of former life with his physical senses. The Force had already moved on from the being, excepting for the small processes that worked in corpses. Still, that life was persistent in the universe, where the one before him was forever extinguished.

Jerek laid his hand on the Devaronian's face, and closed the man's eyes for the last time.

With the grief in his heart sated for now, the padawan stood again. He looked around at the state of the room, at the destruction and pillaging that it had suffered. His eyes sought out meaning and order in the aftermath, searching to find reason in the choice of this particular section of the ship. The damage didn't seem to make sense, it was simply wanton and opportunistic. Senseless.

Jerek couldn't restrain the emotion as he shook his head in disgust.

He would exercise restraint, as his master desired. It would not be out of mercy, merely pity. There was no reasoning with such creatures of impulse or pure violence. The padawan would simply see them disarmed, and then pacified away from society. Imprisonment was better than they deserved, but Jerek was —even if he sometimes needed a reminder from his master— a Jedi.

And Jedi did not leave a path of murder and destruction in their wake.

"I'm ready, Master," the padawan said evenly as he stepped up beside Veiere at last. His lightsaber was carried unhooked again, the hilt held loosely as befit the status of the weapon. A tool of defense and justice, not of chaos or revenge. He breathed in and out in the meditative manner of before, and nodded in unspoken confirmation of his mental state. "We should get to Engineering before they take control of the ship."

WolfMortum​

 

[WolfMortum]

"We should get to Engineering before they take control of the ship".​

Veiere's Padawan was intuitive, able to distance himself from the tragic sight before them for the sake of the bigger picture. To place the mission above one's emotions wasn't a natural instinct but something learned through experience and the Jedi teachings, Jerek Zenduu proving himself able against the horrific loss of lives, some closer to the pair than others. Had they the time to pause and reflect, Veiere would acknowledge the boy's success and progress there, however there were others dependent upon their urgency and so the Jedi Master was forced to agree.

Giving a curt nod to his Padawan, Veiere gestured to Jerek to take the lead, following closely behind him out into the adjacent corridor and searching for his commlink. Saikeri Nurou’n was stationed down in Engineering, they needed to get word ahead as a precaution. "Ensign Nurou'n, this is Veiere. My Padawan and I are enroute to you now. What's it looking like down there?" he asked. He and Jerek were making pace now, the pair of them moving to the closest turbo-lift access in order to reach the vessel's center mass further below.

The turbo-lift doors closed in behind them and as they began their descent, Veiere was becoming increasingly concerned with the Ensign's lack of response. "Saikeri, respond. Anyone in Engineering, respond, this is the Captain-"; But before Veiere could finish, the panicked voice of another came shouting in over the comm's causing the clarity to distort...

"Seal the blast doors!" Saikeri's voice could be heard in the background as the transmission came from the intercom speakers in the roof of the turbolift, the transmission being broadcast ship-wide from below.

"This is Ensign Tomas in Engineering, we're under attack! Someone's trying to cut their way in, we need security personnel down here immediately!" the male voice sounded young, inexperienced and frightened.

"Tomas, get away from th-..." The transmission cut off with a final burt of static before all went silent.

Were Veiere to tighten his grip any further upon the comm-link, the device might have been cracked within. The frustration of being within a Turbo-lift and forced to wait for it's descent to complete while their people were under fire, was not an easy nor comfortable experience in the least.

"We will need to move quickly. As soon as we're out, you know the objective Padawan" Veiere spoke under his breath, instructions that really didn't need to be reiterated, however he was also speaking his thoughts aloud for his own sake, trying to process and delegate priorities; "Vikras will have heard that too, he's more than capable. Engineering hasn't been breached so we may yet get the jump on them" he concluded.

Two minutes later and the Turbo-lift opened up, Veiere taking the lead this time and sparing no pace, the Jedi Master picking it up into a run; the signing at the height of every corridor corner leading them towards the primary Engineering Room.

Of his Padawan, Veiere was confident that the younger man could keep pace with him. Jerek was younger and his body wasn't deterred by age like Veiere's was. Physical limitations aside, the Jedi Master believed well in his Padawan's ability, thus he didn't hold back out of concern in Jerek being left behind. It was a small mercy in an otherwise desperate situation that Veiere could appreciate later.