Private Found Key, Misplaced Locke

[Kahne Porte]

Naboo
Locke And Key HQ

It had been almost a few months and some change since Naboo and the dastardly attacks that took place there. The Jedi Master was healed up, it took some time. He wasn't as young as he used to be. The seasoned Jedi, now turning fifty years of age had much to look forward too still. Even though he was considered and old man, especially by his kids, he still had that fire in his eyes. He was still needed, maybe not so much in the entirety of galactic conflict, but in parts of the galaxy. He still had much to do.

He had filled John in on his injuries and the time it would take to fully heal and return to full capacity. He hoped that he didn't leave him in a bind. John Locke had done him a great courtesy and service by giving him a job at Locke and Key Mechanics. Kahne was working and becoming fully integrated into the works and he was learning much. But was waylaid by the battle and the injuries that were received. The entirety of Naboo had been damaged and luckily she was able to recover quickly and it was almost as if nothing had ever happened. Donned in his normal attire, not sure what to expect as he had been gone for quite some time. However he knew John was going to be there today so he would be able to discuss current events and to just catch up. While John was his boss, he was also a good friend.

Kahne arrived and lingered at the front desk. He flashed his badge and spoke. "You wouldn't happen to know where John Locke is currently?"


John Locke

 

[John Locke]

There had been a time when John had used his offices as another showroom, obsessed with proving that he was the best, that his products were superior to any out there. The businessman had built ultramodern offices filled with droids and electronics, an in your face exhibition of the best that Locke and Key Mechanics had to offer. He'd found time had changed everything, as the primacy of Locke and Key Mechanics had been established John's attitude had mellowed. He no longer felt the need to shout out his capabilities to the galaxy. He no longer had anyone to impress, had gone from the man shouting into the storm to the giant atop of the hill. The offices had undergone a similar change, gone was the ultramodern stylings of the original offices. Metal and glass had been replaced with wood and leather, soft rugs and natural light, gone to were the droids and overt shows of technology, instead a human receptionist who smiled at Kahne as he introduced himself.

"Welcome Mr Porte, we've been expecting you, if you'll please follow me."

A dazzling smile and a beckoning hand lead the man back through the doors into the building proper, the quiet of the foyer giving way to the buzz of an office in the middle of the day, the hustle of workers shifting back and forth. It was a path designed to impress anyone who walked it with the professionalism and vitality of the offices, John wasn't above employing a bit of theatre every now and then. A short elevator ride brought Kahne to a second Foyer, ushered past to the doors leading to John's offices as the receptionist paused in the door, gesturing the man through to John's office, where the cyborg was currently hunched over his desk, hands massaging his temple as he stared at a holographic screen, dark eyes glancing through the lights to settle on Khane's face, a small smile touching his lips.

"Perfect timing, save me from having to deal with this report for the rest of the day. It seems one of my managers somehow managed to loose a shipment of high-end cybernetics and I'm not entirely sure how he managed that."

It was the minutia, always the minutia that filled every waking hour it could, creeping in till it was all you thought about. A hand gestured towards the couches at the other end of the room as John nodded at the waiting receptionist.

"Thanks Anne, if you could have someone bring in some drinks and something to tide us over."

Kahne Porte

 

[Kahne Porte]

John had a uniqueness to him that always fascinated the Jedi Master. Kahne considered him one of the most intelligent individuals he had ever met. Granted he never admitted this to John Locke but he was sure that he knew. It took him back to the dinner with him and Gianna Aegis

That was probably the most fun he had in a long time, just sitting there bantering and discussing personal, and just life. It was almost for a brief moment that he forgot that he was even a Jedi Master.

Kahne rode up the elevator and through the foyer as he couldn't ever get over how nice and stylish things were in here. He had been here a many times. And it was like he was coming through it the first time. He could see John sitting down rubbing his temples as he entered and he could help but chuckle slightly. "Didn't you hire someone to take care of those kinds of problems?" The Master inquired in jest, while his injuries had left him sidelined for a few moments.

"It's good to see you John." Kahne voiced with much enthusiasm. He shook his hand and pulled him in for a small hug. The Jedi gave hugs, especially to those that were closest to him. While he knew that some weren't to fond of contact, it was reserved for those that are important to him. He broke the contact and took a step back. "You look good my friend."

 

[John Locke]

"I thought I had, but then he managed to go and get himself injured in the battle for Naboo so I had to do it myself, besides, I'm enough of a control freak to want to get to the bottom of this now...or maybe that's a masochist."

A small smile curled up the corner of the man's lips as he stood, a hand swiping through the holo screens he'd been working on, dismissing them for another day. Truth was, he could use the break, and the chance to catch up with an old friend was just the reason to take a break. Well, more of an excuse he could hold onto, but he'd never admit that at least not aloud.

Dark eyes flicked to the side, glancing out of the window towards the city that spread out before him. Theed had always been a picturesque city, like something out of a fairytale, green and pleasant without the ever-present skyscrapers that seemed to fill the skyline of every other city in the galaxy. It had been a paradise, it still was, but now it was marred with the scars of war. The builders and engineers hired by the government were doing their best to rebuild, to remove the destruction that had been wrought but you could still see it. The ruined edifices and rubble where buildings once stood, the scared, jumpy look in the citizen's eyes. War had come to their homes, to their once peaceful kingdom, the galaxy had been proven to be cold and scary and that was a hard truth to come to terms with.

"I'm...alive."

A hand reached up to run through John's dark hair, a childhood habit he'd never managed to kick, not that he'd tried very hard. The man turned slightly as the receptionist slipped back into the room, leaving a silver tray on the table before retreating away, the smell of hot tea slowly filling the room as the man wrapped his arms around his friend before he dropped down on the couch, gesturing for Kahne to take a seat.

"I guess I can't complain too much, I'm just buried under a pile of work, but then there's nothing different about that is there? I'm just, trying to keep things chugging along while trying to help out as much as I can with the rebuilding. It's hard to not just head out the door and pick up a hammer to help, but I know I can do more in here than I ever could out there. I've got to tell you, I miss the days when I was working out of a little shack on coronet city. I think they demolished it a few years ago."

Life had been different then, smaller horizons but...a more immediate effect. The things he did had had a real impact on the people around him, now he could change an entire planet's economy with a simple decision but, he'd never really see the effect except for numbers on a page. Dark eyes flicked up to glance at Kahne before he smiled.

"But enough about me, you're looking pretty good yourself, looks like a complete recovery...are you sure you weren't just making up the whole being hurt thing to avoid coming into work?"

Kahne Porte

 

[Kahne Porte]

"I thought I had, but then he managed to go and get himself injured in the battle for Naboo so I had to do it myself, besides, I'm enough of a control freak to want to get to the bottom of this now...or maybe that's a masochist."

Kahne laughed heartily before shaking his head. "Well what can you do?" The Jedi Master smiled as he took a seat on the couch, letting out a small content sigh. It was good to be up and about he wasn't going to deny it. For the longest time he had always wanted to be out in the field. Fighting the good fight, but he wasn't getting any younger. Time caught up to everyone, it was how they accepted it and moved forward would be what determined their future life.

"I guess I can't complain too much, I'm just buried under a pile of work, but then there's nothing different about that is there? I'm just, trying to keep things chugging along while trying to help out as much as I can with the rebuilding. It's hard to not just head out the door and pick up a hammer to help, but I know I can do more in here than I ever could out there. I've got to tell you, I miss the days when I was working out of a little shack on coronet city. I think they demolished it a few years ago."

"It's good to see and hear that you are doing well, old friend." Kahne said with a small smile after he spoke about his current dealings and how he had been since they had last saw each other. Granted he had kept up with John via communication over holo but that was updates on his health and current status. They didn't really talk shop too much. "That's usually how it goes though. I've met several people in my travels, after they have been on the rise, they miss what small presence they had operating on a lower scale." John spoke of Coronet City and he smiled. "Man, I miss Corellia, I haven't had a glass of Corellian whiskey in so long." That was by far his favorite drink, tasty.

"But enough about me, you're looking pretty good yourself, looks like a complete recovery...are you sure you weren't just making up the whole being hurt thing to avoid coming into work?"

"The thought had indeed crossed my mind. I think Alexandra would love the fact if I was home on a more permanent basis. But the life of a Jedi and all that, its quite impossible. At least for a brief time." Kahne smirked as he glanced away for a moment looking out the window. He remembered that day like it was yesterday.

"I'm doing as well as can be expected. I've healed up nicely, but I sense that these wounds have struck deep and I've lost a step or two. You wouldn't happen to have anything to fix that do you?" Kahne asked with a smile and laugh. While his strength with the force was still strong as ever, age was catching up to him. "I am eager to get back to work John." The Jedi spoke sincerely.


John Locke