Mission Into the Heart of Darkness

[Varen Ardos]

Into the Heart of Darkness

Hyperspace, En-route to Castell

Iris Arani | Miri O'Hare

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"Miri O'Hare, you are terrible at Sabaac."

Slapping a coin-shaped piece on the set, his face morphed into his signature mischievous grin, toothy and jubilant. The Aquarius hurtled through a whirling vortex of deep blues and cloud-like whites, moving through the dimension of hyperspace on their way to meet a contact that Varen had been tirelessly pursuing. Hopping up and ambling out of the circular common room-like area, he sauntered down the creaky patch-work metal floor to the canopy. The dozens of flashing buttons, switches and lights being a little disorienting when paired with the fact that they were travelling at lightspeed. Peering down at a small reading on a monitor screen, he craned his head back and yelled down the corridor. "Not long yet!" At least, he hoped not.

Varen had never really been the biggest fan of long journeys. He considered himself a man of action, more in the sense that he wasn't able to sit still and had been imbued with a certain restlessness that his parents had attempted to remedy. Good job they'd done there, he thought to himself, making his way back to the common area. "C'mon Iris, come to the cockpit." Varen didn't wait for her to answer and moved back there. Standing stoic, a long thud ringing across the ship as they dropped out of lightspeed and were greeted by the industrial hub of Castell. Much like Coruscant or Corellia, what he might've imagined as a verdant and vibrant natural world was covered by stark metal high-rises, foundries and and apartment complexes.

Crossing his arms and staring out almost longingly into the distance he took a drawn-out breath. "We're on the cusp of Imperial Space. This is what revolution looks like Iris. Welcome to Castell.." Hopping over into the co-pilot seat, he strapped himself in and placed a light-weight headset on. Awaiting the Aquarius' intrepid pilot to join them. "Here's the plan. My.. associate is down on the surface in an apartment. I want us to go meet him, make contact, get the supplies and get the hell out of there. Most people know him as a two-timing bastard so I'm not too hot about us staying for dinner. Then after that we can hopefully move along the Perlemeian Route to Thustra, where we'll be in the heart of Imp country." He said the last part uttered soberly. Not that he hadn't moved in Imperial Space, just that ever since he'd seen that wanted poster on Hijarna, it had reminded him that there was still an active bounty on his head.

"How long we got Cap?"

 

[Iris Arani]

Be a Jedi, or a vigilante.

That was the ultimatum Iris was given. At first, she thought it meant being caught up in rules that kept people oppressed because of the Order. She was wrong. And Valery Noble made sure she learned she was wrong. Adjusting the last of her robe Iris glanced to the cockpit just as Varen came in sight. She nodded once. Smiled. Being a Jedi meant helping people, when they needed it. The right way.

Not behind a mask.

The padawan followed up, glancing to the planet for a moment. Watching the colors from a distance. They were hard to read this far away, but she could see them.

"Get the supplies, get out. How hot's the area? Are there regular patrols? Should we be in disguise or such?"

Varen Ardos | Miri O'Hare

 

[Miri O'Hare]

I Hate Kids

"This is why I hate kids," she muttered picking up her cards too look them over once more. She couldn't help but smile at the lad's enthusiasm but sometimes a little patience went a long way. Kicking her feet off of the table, she stood up and dropped her cards face up on the table. An Idiot's Array.

How did she get wrapped into this? Last she'd heard from the Rebellion was that the Alliance was pulling out their officially unofficial support, next thing two Jedi KIDS basically hold her up for her ship, the boy saying he was with the Rebellion. Well, business had been slow otherwise and she didn't have anything better to do. In fact, her blood was boiling to get up and do something. The door to the cockpit hissed open and just as it did she heard the boy.

"How long we got Cap?"

She hated that he could do that. Use the Force or whatever to know where she was. It was just a bit creepy. She turned to the other Jedi and shrugged, taking her customary seat in the pilot's chair.

"You're sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Use your eyes and do something useful for once. Read the nav data." She didn't let Varen retort back and pulled the hyperspace lever, dropping the ship out of the second the console beeped. Castell.

After flicking a few switches and fixing her seat, it was clear someone fancied themselves the captain of this ship other than herself, she turned to face the other Jedi. She was a young girl, easily slotting in as the older, more experienced Padawan. Her eyes were a striking purple in some light and blue in others giving her an eerily playful air. She didn't dye her hair, but she could see strands or ends that were different colors and she had paint crusted under her nails. An artist.

"Castell's Alliance space. They were hit harder than most in the colonies during the Gulag Plague, but they're bouncing back. Shouldn't be too hot, they get enough visitors like us. Ship's got a few modifications that your friends wouldn't much like but we know how to avoid that sort of attention." As she took the ship into a dive a pair of Castell Security Forces fighters flew up on either side asking for official documents and transponder codes and the like. Miri gave them, false as they were, and the pair flew them into the atmosphere of Castell and escorted them over a spaceport.

"Emperor's Iron Bones," she cursed when the console beeped with the docking fees. Castell was hurting more than she thought if that was what they were charging. "One-thousand credits? Burn me," she cursed again. "40 credits per fuel cell, 75 for a consumable refill...This is...This is high-way robbery!" There was a loud ding in the cockpit and then a droid's voice penetrated Miri's incessant muttering.

"Mistress. Your blood pressure just spiked. Calm yourself."

"Rusting bucket of bolts I outta-"

DING.

"Mistress. There was another spike." Miri tossed the datapad onto the dash and gestured at the two Jedi.

"C'mon. Better get you off-board so we can get out of this Force-forsaken place."