Faction Go with the Flow (OPA)

[Enlil]

Kathol rift, Outer Rim Territories

When they set out from Terminus and jumped to the Kathol sector, the locals were quick to try to warn them off it. The Rift was far and widely known for being nigh unnavigable, save for a few rare instances where something supernatural stepped in and led the way. It had been done, and in recent history, but the risk was so high that no one ever advocated for it.

A few of the Kathol Republic's more enthusiastic sector rangers laughed and said, if they pulled it off, they'd buy drinks for the idiots who managed it. For some of the Judges, being told they couldn't was enough. For others, the promise of free booze made the call even more appealing. For the King, the whispers had made his decision for him.

"It's said that somewhere out there, beyond civilization, hidden on a planet that by all rights don't exist, there's a strange species that knows the secrets to unlocking the past."

He didn't know what it meant. He didn't care. If there was even a chance he could see his home again, Enlil had to confront destiny head on. Even if it were a wild Bantha chase, even that small glimmer of hope was enough to hold on to.

"Word is, they're called the Aiing-Ti. Skywalker and his family dealt with them during the glory days of the New Jedi Order," another spacer recounted. "That's been almost a thousand years now, though. I wouldn't count on them existing, what with the Gulag Plague and all. Their numbers were grossly limited to begin with, if they ever existed at all. There's a reason no one knows where their world lies."

Enlil had heard the name Skywalker before. The legends of that Jedi shaped the order for generations, if the stories that he'd heard among the Silver Jedi were to be believed. If Like Skywalker and his family had encountered the Aiing-Ti...

"If they exist, they ain't gonna take kindly to outsiders. They've been secluded for eons. They would have made themselves known by now."

Enough.

They were here, these brave few. Wisdom and Knowledge. There were no greater causes to strive after. If they did not make it back, they would die knowing that their cause was just.

Or so the King told himself.

The others found validation in their own reasons.

 

[Eldin Daine]

He is a good pilot, but skimming through the Rift was beyond his skill, so Eldin sat back and let more experienced hands take the controls. He flashed a look over to Enlil, sitting quietly he said not a word, but contemplated why the hell he was way out here? This could easy be and one-way trip, and what for?

Eldin remembered the words of the old Jedi he met on Mijos, talking about old memories and bad ones, and the need to deal with them if you wanted to go through life not continually being haunted by them. It all sounds to good to be true, and the itch for the drink was biting him hard, he rubbed the back of his neck trying to get rid of the burning feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The conversation around him did little to distract Eldin from his own thoughts. The name Skywalker was very familiar to him, having grown up on Tatoonie. Some museum or something on the planet dedicated to the legendry Jedi, even had a burger named after him. “So, these chaps don’t wanna be found, and we’re goin’ ta find ‘em”, he had a bad feeling about this.

He dived back into his thoughts, the past was something Eldin preferred to keep buried, there was not much to be found there besides pain. Already he lived his life trying to keep them that way.

Jek was dead, that was all he needed to know.






Enlil

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

What was the old saying? Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back? There were rumors abound as to what the people they were looking for could do. Strange things, incomprehensible things. Bend time, live in an absolutely kriffin impossible place to get to, be entirely hostile in the best case scenario. Typical stuff for the verse to be honest.

Her eyes darted over the other two, still silently tailing Eldin Daine since he seemed to have a nose for all the fun stuff going. Granted the more she heard, the less like fun it sounded. Dealing with your personal baggage, moving forward in life. Blah.

She didn't need to revisit the memories of snitch kids, general misbehavior of being a teen, and facing the disappointment of her parents, again. That could stay buried for all she cared. The instinct to stay away from this one had been strong, but not strong enough as she watched Enlil and Eldin Daine before messing around with her wrist device. The pair likely had a very good idea of who she was by now if not being able to remember her name with ease, and perhaps even a clue to the fact that she was a slicer given the light fiasco in whistlers hole.

 

[Kahne Porte]

"We are going to try and find them or, they find us first." Kahne said as soon after Eldin Daine had spoke. The journey was not the for the faint of heart. He gave his little ones and his wife another special hug just in case. While he wasn't planning on dying, the future for the time being was uncertain. A cloud had covered the Jedi Master's vision, what had particularly worried him was he wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

Kahne however knew that the journey for them and for him as well was a necessity. There was still many things that Kahne didn't know, and he wasn't one to admit that he could always learn more.

"Relax, Eldin." The Jedi Master said, as he gave his companion a friendly pat on the shoulder. As he stood to the side of them. "We are all going to be fine, unless you forgot to pack some of that whiskey?" Kahne said with a small chuckled, but even then. Kahne couldn't hide a small look of uncertainty. Which for the Jedi Master who lived in hope, it was something that was troubling.

Enlil Phalsi Drynchen

 

[Enlil]

"There was some talk that Master Starchaser had some contact with them," the first spacer continued. "Him and Master Sedaire. But there wasn't any confirmation, just whispers."

"We could've had someone ask them if there was any merit to it," the third man suggested. "Would've saved us trying to navigate the rift, and the costs for the Daredevil pilots who offered to fly it."

"Quiet," Enlil snapped. "Whether or not we did that is pointless now. We're getting a commission from the Kathol Republic for mapping as much of the Rift as we can, so it will not be a total loss regardless."

"Sure, if we make it back. But there's no guarantee-"

"We will make it back," the King rose from his seat and stared at the man, his ruby gaze a furnace of determination. "And if these Aiing-Tii are out there, we will find them. If there was a way to delve into the past, he had to know the truth. He had to know for certain what became of the life he left behind. He had to close that chapter.

It was his duty to bear witness, in this life or the next. It was his purpose to tell the story of his people, even if he was the only one left. The other spacers all said nothing in response as the decisive speech confirmed that there would be no backing down. They had Outer Rim Judges with them, so at the very least, it ought to be a safe venture.

...right?

"If you did pack the whiskey, I'd sure like some," the second spacer grinned as he stepped between Kahne Porte and Eldin Daine , and he distributed a cup of caf to each man, then to Phalsi Drynchen before he went to the rest of the crew. "It's gonna be a long jump before we reach the uncharted portion of the rift, so we're gonna need the energy to stay lively. The plan's to sleep in shifts once we hit nineteen hours or so in."

Enlil sniffed at the drink, fascinated with the deep, rich scent that wafted off of it. When he sipped it, he felt his tongue recoil and his face twisted into a mask of loathing. "People drink this?" he questioned.

"Like ninety percent of the civilized Galaxy, present company notwithstanding," the woman peered at the King skeptically. "You've never had caf? Have you been living under a rock?"

"Something like that," Enlil replied quickly, dismissing the question. He'd grown tired of rehashing the story, and even more so of the staggering number of people who could not believe it. "Anyway, do you have-"

"No one has any wine."

 

[Eldin Daine]

He offered Kahne a fleeting smile before getting out of his chair and heading to the panel on the wall. Inside was a couple of bottles of top shelf whiskey. Before he turned back, he looked at the amber liquid in thought. Some of the words the old crazy Jedi spoke to him flashed into his mind. Memories, storms, regrets, grief .. hiding in the bottom of a glass.

Eldin placed the bottles on the table, retrieved some shot glasses for everyone .. except himself. “Help yaselves”. He looked at them all in turn, the girl he knew now, had clocked her several times over his travels but he did not know her name.

“I don’t need sleep”, he threw the line at the man. Frankly, Eldin did not wish to go into this venture with the shadow of Jek on his mind. His hand started to tremble, but it was not because of nerves or fear. It was withdrawals. He buried his hands into the pockets of his jacket so no one would notice.

Eldin fixed his eyes on the King, there seemed to be a set determination in his resolve to get them all there, something motivated the man other than curiosity, something much deeper. He wonders if the rest to them had an axe to grind with the past.

He wasn’t going to ask, he hoped no one would ask him.

The girl he could not read, her face as blank as the wall. Intriguing to say the least.

Kahne well, a stand-up good guy, nice guy to be around. Happy by all accounts with wife and family living in the outer rim, so what was his story in all this?


Enlil | Phalsi Drynchen | Kahne Porte

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She thanked Enlil when he handed her caf, taking a small sip to judge the heat, welcoming the warmth on her hands. She was always cold, ever since the little trip to a certain ice planet to help someone with their lightsaber, and taking a cartwheeling dive into snow, she had never quite recovered from the snowy planet. She couldn't help but speak up when mention of the plague had possibly culled the populaces numbers.

"If it affected them, the plague I mean. It would have had to been brought to them. And if they aren't around, they would have left something behind?" Phalsi shrugged, still hugging the cup in her hands. The mention of sleep in shifts was brought up and she nodded to the thought. Wouldn't hurt for someone to be awake all the time. Sleeping at the moment sounded wonderful to her, but that always happened when she wasn't piloting a vessel. The feel of the engines thrumming in the hull always did this to her.

@Eldin brought out the drinks, but refrained from drinking himself. A strange sight given what she had seen at Whistlers Hole. If it wasn't for the slight rise of a brow, there was little sign that she had watched his hands shake before being pushed into his pockets. Didn't hurt to be the quiet one sometimes, especially when trouble was always a quiet watchful person away from sneaking up on you.

Her eyes dipped to the cup, the warmth seeping into her fingers and into her as she took a sip. The man speaking with ease to Eldin could likely tell she was force sensitive, but her standing in the force was of the gray variety. Her eyes continued to watch, rolling as Enlil began to ask about wine before almost everyone save for herself replied.

Enlil Eldin Daine Kahne Porte

 

[Kahne Porte]

Kahne was quite happy when Eldin Daine noted that he had brought some and when he heard and saw the rummaging as he accessed the panel on the wall a small smirk came across his face. "Excellent." Kahne exclaimed as he reached for a glass and and set it down while reaching for the bottle of whiskey that was offered to him by Eldin. "Everyone needs sleep at some point my friend." Kahne replied back as he opened the bottle and began to pour the contents into his glass.

"I'm not much of a wine drinker, sorry your majesty." Kahne responded as he glanced over to Enlil. "On a rare occasion it's not so bad though." He chuckled as he closed the bottle of whiskey and took his glass and raised it up. "To a safe venture." The force user said as he took a sip of the whiskey and let out a small satisfied sigh.

The Jedi moved towards the front as his he just stared once back out into the vastness of space. His mind was on something, partly his family,himself and something else. That part he couldn't quite figure it out. His brow furrowed as he raised the glass and took another drink.

"There's always something." Kahne whispered to himself as he stared onward.

Phalsi Drynchen Enlil

 

[Enlil]

"I think most of us are just hoping they're real," the last of the Spacers chuckled. "Be one hell of a surprise to get set adrift in the Kathol rift and never find what we're looking for, or even come close."

With that tension set into motion, multiple eyes fell on the speaker with unmasked ire. None of them wanted that sentiment hanging over them, and up until that moment they had been able to push it from their thoughts. Now the room fell into a hushed, almost cold and damp atmosphere that made the King suddenly check his shirt to be sure it hadn't grown tighter.

"Your modern spirits lack refinement. No one drinks for taste now. It almost seems that you'd rather burn your throats for several minutes and then feel nothing than find any enjoyment in life." With that sentiment, Enlil banished the previous conversation in favor of something less sour. A subtle contrast of life now versus life in the Age of Kings?

Perhaps.

He could see contemplation drifting across their faces as the pilot prepared them for the first leg of their journey into nothingness. "To safety," he agreed with Kahne, lifting his goblet slightly before taking another sip.

Kahne Porte Eldin Daine Phalsi Drynchen

 

[Eldin Daine]

Eldin scoffed, not intentionally out of any frustration or anger but more mirth. If only sleep would come easy or without plaguing dreams. What was he doing on this trip? there was no money to be made from this, all this danger they are going to face would be for nothing of signifiance? He stood up and walked to the doorway that faced down the short corridor to the cockpit, raising an arm to lean on, the other employed with his hip. Refinement, taste, things that Eldin had no part in, not that he didn't want it, he just did not have life's opportunities to indulge in it. The closest thing he got to it these days was Whistler's Hole. That was some part of life that was outside his norm, and he was grateful for it. It was a nice place to go to when he needed a breath of fresh air away from the trappings of the galaxy.

He maybe taking a break from the booze, but.. "Anyone want a cigar?", he pushed off the door frame and grabbed for his packet fishing one out for himself before throwing what was left on the table they all sat around. Deft fingers flicked the lighter and the flame danced before his face, throwing a soft yellow glow over his tanned face. The smoke burning down his throat with easy, all the way to his boots. At least he had one vice in life left to him, for now. Not easy to give up everything all at once. Probably wouldn't anyway.

"A wild goose chase. That's what me friend used to call it", this was the first time Eldin had even remotely mentioned a friend. His friend now dead. "But sometimes ya catch the goose".

He moved toward the girl with the familiar face, "We met before?", sorted of. "Didn't I see ya at Whistler's?".

"Names Eldin, don't think I know yours".

Kahne Porte | Enlil | Phalsi Drynchen

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She was quiet, but listening, blowing over the edge of the cup as people spoke and such. It wasn't a very hearty attempt to cool the caf off however as the warmth seeped into her fingers. Eldin Daine moved closer, after lighting a cigar, and spoke to her. A telling grin appearing on her face as he spoke.

"You saw me there, yeah. Messed with the lights and checked the security. Not that I expect a lot of trouble from slicers on Hoth. Doesn't hurt to be prepared though Mr. Daine." She commented sweetly, but looked up at him with an innocent smile that typically promised trouble. "Not that you would remember me from that little space walk we took in Skustell." The mask she usually wore was presented for him to see, having it between her feet and under the seat. The mask had been what she had met him in when helping to open up some security systems and using a mans voice aboard one of the derelicts in the brier.

A trick Enlil had seen on their first meeting.

"Phalsi Drynchen, sheriff. Former silver, though currently a jedi and slicer. Well, been a slicer longer than a jedi to be honest. Tale for another time." She gave herself a pause by sipping from the caf and watching him. The smile likely something he had seen from his favored assistant Yula from time to time.

Enlil Eldin Daine Kahne Porte