Luminosity

[Relina Zhan]

Relina watched [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] go at it like he hadn't eaten for days. "... Oh my." was all she could say. She didn't see him as rude, but seriously.... what was in the space rations he had been eating? She'd have to make a point to get some of her own people's stuff in his ship's hold before he left at some point. She cared about him and sub-par foodstuffs just wouldn't do.

"We don't expect you to understand our ways, let alone agree with them. It is the way it is, but as Relina said, most of our population is fairly liberal about gender roles. You will only see it crop up from time to time if you spend time with us. It is my analysis of our history that this custom was not exactly born of an egalitarian desire to simply do away with brazen patriarchy, but to punish the remaining defeated pirates and their descendants in a sort of idea that the sins of the fathers pass to their sons. However, I can empathise with your outside point of view..." Aless started, but trailed off.

"... But yes, it is how it is. I will again say that our prestigious military has an equalising structure. I will have you know I joined the Angel Squadron about 9 years ago, serving under a man named Jan Sura. And yes, I called Major Sura, "Sir", even if I socially outranked him and customarily would have greater social leverage on the basis of not only my birthright, but my gender as well. In the military, that doesn't mean a damn thing. All that matters is your rank and your contribution to Her Majesty's cause." she explained with a soft smile.

Aless looked between Relina and Josh as they goofed around. She'd simply blink, possibly not knowing what to think or if she should say something. It was brief, however, so she said nothing, but shook her head slightly with a grin. Relina, however, had reciprocated willingly, but knew she was at the table and thus knew it wasn't the time nor the place for shenanigans.

"Not at all, Joshua. I insist. Please eat." she said. However, thinking of what he said about steak and having it cooked medium well, she looked to the servant taking the order. "He has no idea what he is missing... medium well." she shrugged. Incidentally, she took her steaks medium rare, what was generally considered the 'perfect' steak. "is that for now or for dinner?" she asked, curiously.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

To answer the question on the rations? Nothing, pretty much nothing. That'd explain why it was so damn cheap. Not that filling, really, but when you were on a two month mission liberating and destroying six entire illegal slave rings around one planet by yourself... Usually, your normal food reserves went pretty dry before long. He would spend every single day searching for and researching and trying to find these rings, get intel and then ultimately make his attack, and at night he would return to his ship in order to eat and rest and train and make preparations for the next day. This went on for two whole months before his mission - self appointed, this was something he did because he felt it was his duty as a Jedi since the "other" Jedi weren't doing a thing about it and he wasn't getting paid to do it - would be completed, his food stores were completely gone except for the little-filling rations that he'd saved just in case, and was about to make the hyperspace jump back to Naboo before he'd gotten the call to Gallinore.

The Jedi would shrug once again. "The military should always be equal in terms of gender roles regardless, no matter the place. That's a given, you're just weakening your armies and punishing people who might have even earned more then the ones who are being pushed higher. In a society... Well, if the reasoning is to punish the pirates, did they really not account for the... Oh, I don't know, the rest of the world that aren't pirates?" He would inquire. He just felt like their ancestors had a lapse in common sense, and their descendants just liked using the term "our ancestors" as an excuse.

Of course, he'd meant "medium rare" and would immediately correct himself politely toward the waiter before looking to Relina. "Well, looking at the clock, its pretty much dinner time now, and I never had breakfast so... Might as well, if I'm still hungry right?" He would respond.

After a good hour, everyone had eaten, and Joshua would stretch his arms above his head. "I haven't eaten that well in a good year" He would admit with a hearty laugh.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

((fast forwarding to dinnertime))

Relina would have had the topic about Hapan gender customs dropped before dinner came around. Dinner had been masterfully done, pleasing to all in attendance, it would seem. Relina had sat back with a full stomach, lightly sipping fine wine, having changed her clothes for the occasion to a different dress, this one in cyan while her twin wore a deep purple. They both also wore the same style of sandals, but each matching their respective dress's colour. They both had the same updo done as well.

"I am happy you enjoyed it." she said to [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]. "You really should visit more often. I'll have your ship stocked with proper foodstuffs before you depart. Meanwhile, i have had a guest room prepared for you. Would you care to see it and tell me if there is anything that you would need?' she asked, swirling the golden liquid in her half-full wine glass around gently.

She'd look at her comm discreetly, seeing the time was coming up on 1900 hours. there was time to show him around a bit.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It was definitely good to be rid of the gender customs topic, there wasn't much more to discuss really. Supremacy, lack of common sense, yadda yadda yadda, all that and a bag of chips. He really had enjoyed the dinner, he hadn't had something like that in quite some time. And I really do mean quite some time, everything else he'd had in the last year had been either his own cooking, casual groceries, or rations before now. And he was no Chef Boyarde, let me tell you that.

Joshua himself had changed his clothing during the time period, at the behest of Relina in order for him to "fit in" as she had called it. Well, sort of. He wore a dress shirt, but the black suit jacket was a little too warm for Gallinore during this time of the year, so he'd just worn the white dress shirt, and the tie it was a little harder to get food stains out of then the shirt, so he'd gone without the tie. He was wearing black pants that could pass as dress pants, cleverly disguised so he didn't feel absolutely uncomfortable (He never sat down when wearing the actual dress pants, his manhood thanked him when he didn't) while he enjoyed a nice dinner. The pants covered enough of his legs that his armored boots weren't really noticeable. Why? Because he didn't own a pair of dress shoes that were his rather large foot size (All the more to kick your arse with), they were horrifically uncomfortable mainly due to that size issue when wearing smaller pairs, and they weren't much for maneuvering in anyway. But the arrangement he had here, at the very least seemed acceptable with only minor argument. At least, he was pretty sure it was only minor. But he supposed it could have been worse, she could have paraded him around in a big fancy, uncomfortable and hot suit, arm in arm and made him pretend to be her boyfriend to ward off suitors instead of a nice dinner.

He gingerly sipped his drink to finish it off, he was definitely full. Full for the first time in who knows how long. He would smile warmly, his face lighting up when she revealed she'd be stocking his ship. He obviously appreciated it very much so. "Thank you very much, Relina" He would respond thankfully. "Of course, if you'd like to go now" He responded to her remarks about the room. She'd mentioned something about a tour as well, that'd probably be afterword.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina stood up with the speed of a soldier, but the grace of a noble. She'd smooth out her formfitting dress with her free hand, but took her wine with her. She'd gesture for [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] to come with her. "Come, then. I shall show you around the place." She said softly. Aless contented herself to go off on her own for the moment, refilling her own glass prior.

Relina nodded and would lead on through the Palace halls. On the walls were old-style paintings portraying historical Duchas and their families of the Zhan lineage, each one labelled with a name and date. "In this hall, we have our historical duchal family portraits.... done in the manner of ancient times with traditional paint and frames." she said, gesturing toward the frames on the wall. There were alot of them. The first one on the left seemed to be the same woman, although in full living colour, as the woman the large statue in the main hall's atrium portrayed. The name read 'Clavelle Zhan : B.C.Y 29 - C.Y. 50.'. The image also portrayed the rest of her family, a consort and two daughters. Near the end of the line was another family portrait reading "Anastasia Zhan : C.Y. 4847 - 4898".

Relina stopped before the image of her Mother and seeing herself, her father and her sister in it. "I recall having to sit for over an hour for this. I hated it... can you imagine?" she asked. The wall of portraits was broken only by the occasional accessway to offices or facility rooms.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

With the good mood that he was in, after that hell of a meal, he could have leaped out of his seat and done a handstand followed by the splits, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself, or of Alar-I mean Relina. What's the difference? Anyway, the Jedi Master would gingerly rise to his feet, stretching his muscular shoulders that showed even more now without big robes covering them, stretching out his arms and his back, then cracking his neck in hopes of getting the kinks and sores out. A satisfying "crrrack" emitted from his neck, and he took a breath. Being cooped up so many times had caused that, of course. It was as stiff as a damn board.

"Sounds good" He responded with a warm smile when Relina would decide to give him the tour prior to the room showing this time around. She certainly liked to change her mind, didn't she? No matter. He would follow along as he observed the paintings they passed by, gingerly looking at them with interest. There was certainly quite a bit of history here... He could see that. At the end of the line was Relina, and an image of what he assumed to be her immediate family. He couldn't help but laugh when she brought up the process of making that last painting. "I'd have done handstands out of the room by the 20 minute mark. The only time I'm glad that men don't hold major position in Hapes, and Hapan women don't seem to be attracted to me" He would joke, laughing a little more.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Gave [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] a look. She figured he was being sarcastic, or rather he better be. To her, he was quite attractive. "It isn't like you to sell yourself short, dear." she commented with a chuckle. Looking back to the painting, she said, "Alessandra and I were 12." she added.

She would then lead on further, sipping her wine. She had not changed her mind at all, but was taking a scenic route for a reason. How better to give the grand tour? In the next hall she lead them down, there were suits of armour, one of which looked brand new. "That is one of the recent projects Paragon has done. It will replace the dated battle armour of yesteryear." she commented. It looked fairly standard, but sleeker and more advanced. It was painted with the colours of the Federation of Gallinore's flag; white, cyan, and silver.

Moving on she stood before a large staircase as they re-entered the atrium of the main hall. The corridors to the left over there..." she began, pointed off to the left. "... are more portraits, offices, and facility rooms for the most part. There are more offices on the next level, one of which was my mother's. My sister now claims it as her territory, as she handles the political matters of this world. I have an office there as well, but I only occasionally use it when i deal with economic affairs or military matters I don't have to be on base for." she explained as she started to ascend the grand half-spiral stairwell toward a lift.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Joshua would shrug. Of course, Relina had never actually INFORMED him of this attraction, though he hadn't been shy to tell her himself on his end. He had generally assumed that most Hapan women wouldn't find someone attractive unless they had some kind of posh, classy look. He was far from that. Sure, he looked slightly elegant, it was just how he was naturally, but he didn't consider himself as a looker to anyone high class or in royalty. That was just what he'd been told, really. They had those preferences, and a guy like him didn't fit that bill. Last time he'd been told this by a particularly rude high class member, he recalled making a joke saying "Is it because of the beard?" but she had just scoffed at him.

"I wouldn't say selling myself short... I'm anything but short" He would tease with a playful smile, having to look DOWN to see her when he was standing to full height. He really hoped she got what he meant without misconceptions. Even if it was true, there was nothing short about him. Not short in height, not short in temper, not short in good looks... And all the rest.

"I see..." He spoke when she brought him to the armor. "Quite fancy compared to mine. But I like practical and useful" He added with a chuckle. He tried to imagine Hapan soldiers going into battle with the suits, and then imagined them putting ties and buttons on the suits to look extra ridiculous.

He had to stop himself from laughing.

And then came more and more portraits and offices and things like that. He wasn't a big politics or office job guy, but he tried to remain attentive in order to be respectful to the hospitality that she was offering. A Jedi knows patience, always, after all. "I see" He responded as they went up the stairwell toward the lift.

Deciding to change the subject once they hit the lift, he decided to start with a joke.

"So your likely fiance must be proud of your lofty position, eh? I'm sure a gal like you probably has someone locked up by now" He teased playfully with a grin as he would lean against the lift's wall.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina laughed at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] 's commentary. She'd enter the lift with him and glanced around for security cams. Damn... no shenanigans in the lift.

"Perhaps... if I had one." she said equally sarcastically. "In all seriousness, I am extremely picky about men. Hell, I'm picky about women, too. You are one of the more attractive men in my life and frankly, you have a better shot than most of the pretentious fraks who vie for my affections. However, whether I take a consort is entirely a matter of who he is... and really, I'd prefer a foreigner to another of domestic noble blood." she said, in more plain and undignified speech. Incidentally, she usually swore in Hapan. The word 'frak' needed no translation. Her tone indicated there was a definite reason she felt that way. She wouldn't say why, but a wave of emotion, mostly negative ones like fear, regret, and disgust were detectable to the Jedi.... a possibly a mental note surrounding the simple word, "father".

She hit a button in the Hapan numeral for 3 and up the lift rose. "I apologise in advance for the lack of true night here. I recommend closing the curtains and opaquing the windows if you have trouble sleeping with too much light. Because of the Transitory Mists that surround our space and mark our borders, starlight from the Hapes Cluster is reflected upon all planets in the Consortium. It's why we can't see in the dark." she explained.

When the lift stopped and the doors parted, the pair were presented with a spacious, round foyer richly decorated in ultra-modern fashion and alabaster walls that reflected most of the white light. Corridors lead to evenly and widely spaced rooms, each one numbered. They were guest rooms. The main hall lead to rooms that were a bit larger, which were reserved for the Duchal family.

"The staff rooms are above us and are similar to the guest rooms here. They are all similar in furnishings and should be suitably comfortable." she said, leading him to the guest corridor closest to the corridor her own room was in. She picked a room nearby the entrance to the corridor, making him as close as possible to her. She opened the door to reveal a comfortable, spacious room with light, sky blue walls, a bed set into a raised dais at one end, a dresser with a vanity and its own bathroom in a smaller room at the other end, near the dresser. There was a balcony behind a window that could be adjusted for opacity and fine curtains. The carpet was a soft top with a layer of plush foam under it. The smell of the entire third floor was soft and floral, much like a classy woman's residence might. "is this suitable?" she asked.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He laughed in response. To be honest, if she wanted the shenanigans that bad, he was fully willing to find a way to disable the cameras if she'd asked...

"Huh, no fiance? That's quite the surprise" He would joke casually as he would lean against the railing while the lift went up. Geez, how many floors did this baby have? He felt like he'd been on this thing forever! "And here I thought you were all engaged up and ready to marry someone with your looks by now" He would tease with a grin. Though her next comments caught him off guard. Being told to his face that this Ducha found him more attractive and a more viable option then most people she knew had obviously legitimately surprised him, by the look on his face as he darted to look at her with that surprise plastered all over his face. But he would quickly regain his composure, something he'd learned to do in most situations, and grinned in response. "Most people? You must have one amazing suitor in your life then" He would joke, right back to the wisecracks without batting an eyelash.

"It's actually kind of funny... I've never actually really had to vie for someone's affections. At least in terms of the ones that turn into anything" He would admit. "I've been a foolish young man at times and vied for the hearts of what wasn't meant to be, but the special ones, as few as they've been, have just happened naturally. I don't seek them out... They just happen. The Force has a funny way of working out like that" He would remark, smirking faintly. "So... I guess you could consider that my advice, even if I'm no romance guru. I'm a Jedi after all, what the hell do we know about romance?" He joked, laughing a bit. "But in all seriousness... Just let it happen. You don't need to arrange it, don't need to act foolish to get someone's attention. If the Force wills it... It'll happen. I just hope that someday it will push me in the right direction" He spoke, his voice growing a little tensed at the end. It was obvious he'd been hurt quite a few times. Sometimes by unfaithfulness... And others by the curse of death. His last one in particular had been ripped away from him by the Sith. He tried so hard not to swear revenge, anger and revenge was not the Jedi was... But sometimes... Sometimes it was just so hard.

He nodded to her comments about Hapes, he knew this of course. He'd be sure to keep the blinds closed while he was there. He slept better in the dark, for sure. But he was quite surprised when he came to their room. "I see..." He said to her explanation. He was about to ask if this was some kind of mistake, like maybe he was getting some low class room down below and they were on the wrong floor. But no, she was adamant this was his room. "It's very suitable, thank you" He spoke calmly with a small smile, trying to hide the obvious surprise in his expression. "I could probably live here and I wouldn't mind" He joked, laughing a bit. While the quarters were great, he'd probably go crazy cooped up in the one room, after all. His own home wasn't this fancy, but he liked his space to train.

Or because he just wasn't used to something like this.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Grinned at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] , happy he approved of the accommodations. She, personally, would not approve of anything less than this for guests of her family. Even her servants used rooms like this one. Lineage and social status was a big deal in her echelon of Hapan society, but that didn't mean every noble family made such a clear-cut distinction in living arrangements. "My room is just down the next corridor... just there." she said, indicating the corridor to her right, which was a bit wider and had fewer rooms, such may have spoke of their comparative size.

"... I trust, by your reaction and commentary, that Jedi don't often indulge themselves with luxury, do they?" she asked. "Or even romance, for that matter? At times, I fear Aphrodite frowns upon me, that capricious Eros is hellbent on fixing me up with someone I don't love... at least I would if I were religious." she added with a shrug. Spoiling a Jedi? Perhaps.... Relina smiled lightly at the thought.

"At any rate, I am glad this room is suitable to you. Do you have any particular routines? I go on my PT runs each morning." she said, reaching up to fiddle with her hair clips holding parts of her updo up.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He eyed her curiously when she pointed out just how close her room was to this one. And he just couldn't resist a little wisecrack for it. "Is that an invitation, Relina?" The Jedi would tease with a small smile crossing his face, a playful expression to boot. "Is that an invitation, Ducha?" The blonde would quickly tease as he would gaze over at her. Still, he was happy enough as he could be with the arrangements at hand. It was better then any he had ended up with before, obviously.

To her question, he shook his head. "Luxury? No. Even as the Grandmaster I lived in a single room in the Jedi Temple, with a tiny bathroom connected to it. Luxury isn't really something I'm... Adjusted to, unfortunately. We're trained to be able to live in even the hardest and least luxurious conditions. But considering at one point I lived in the back room of a small shop on Tatooine once while a Toydarian took advantage of my swoop driving abilities and my amnesia to make money while paying me very little and not feeding me, only letting me sleep there since he couldn't put a slave collar on me without fear of me tearing out his throat, luxury is the furthest thing I'm used to" He would explain.

"Romance... No, no, that's an old tradition. Jedi are allowed to indulge in romance, although with how busy we can be, like any occupation, we don't always have time" Joshua would add, scratching his head. "I've had a few romances. Obviously they haven't really worked out, or I wouldn't be joke flirting up a storm right now" Josh would admit. "Unfaithfulness... Or death. Usually how those end for me" He remarked, letting out a sigh. "Well, if they plan to fix you up with someone you don't love, tell them to kark off. That's.. Probably what I do" He added with a casual shrug. "The Velmor family members admittedly tried to set me up instantly, in a way that only really benefited them. It was a greed based move, of course, it wasn't without my permission, and I didn't even know the family I was to be wed to. They just assumed that since my parents were deceased, they could do whatever they wanted with me" Josh would tell, sounding a bit irritated at that sentiment. "Annnd then I lifted a finger and the old greedy dung-eater was off his feet. They cancelled it pretty fast. The family they cancelled with sent assassins after me, and I wasn't warned by my so called family since they were still bitter with me. They stopped after a month of their assassins winding up dead though. I sent a friendly letter stating that if they sent one more assassin after me, I'd pay them a visit myself for tea. That shut them up" He would add with a laugh.

When she asked about his routine, he would shrug. "A routine? I have a few beginning things... But it usually depends on where I am and what I feel like. I start with the basics of eat, train, wash, dress, and then the rest depends on whatever factors are present" He would explain. "Although here, I suppose even the essentials would be switched around, I'd probably be all washed up and dressed before even eating, if I'm in the company of others" Joshua would add.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina blushed a little. Looking at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] in the eye she said, "No. it isn't an invitation, if we are thinking of the same sort. However, if you should need me for any reason, my quarters are around the corner to the left." she said evenly. That was close.... She promptly stopped playing with her hair clips, opting to undo her hair later.

At the mention of the Tatooine escapade, she frowned a little. "I just can't believe slavery still exists in the Galaxy. I know how the Republic feels about it and we of the Hapes Consortium deal with it harshly... our enduring pirate problem has been caught trafficking people on several occasions. Piracy alone is a capital crime... you can imagine the fate of slavers, then." she said offhandedly. "I have never been to Tattooine, incidentally, but I hear it is a harsh world and the Republic doesn't have much of a presence there. I think Gangsters of the Hutt Cartels control it, if I am not mistaken."

Relina would stifle a yawn. Her bedtime drew near. The concept of spoiling a Jedi likely used to living in spartan conditions was amusing in its own way.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smirked as he looked her dead in the eye. "Shame" He would tease. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks" He spoke with a chuckle escaping him. She had to know that he'd find a way to convey his curiosity about her positioning him so close to her room in some fashion, and this was just the best way to do it while playing on the small shenanigans and flirts that they'd been dealing in since he had arrived.

He frowned, letting out a sigh when the subject of slavery was brought up. "I think I mentioned it at dinner. I'm heavily against slavery, and in places where it's generally illegal, I go and find any slaver camps I can find, any slave trade operations on the planets, and I liberate the slaves and take out the slavers. I don't get paid for it, but it's my duty as a Jedi to protect the peace and freedoms of the galaxy and the people in it. People don't deserve to be enslaved, no matter who they are, and when it comes to slavers... Well, even I can't give them mercy. There's just no reforming a slaver, I learned" He spoke, sounding a little irritated at that notion. "I'm glad that you've taken a stance against them, I'd appreciate any help you might be able to give when I go out into these missions, and I'll gladly give you a hand in dealing with slavery on your end in any way that I can in exchange" He would add.

"The Hutt Cartels control it, yes... I've lived there a few times throughout my life. The Hutt Cartels control most businesses there, they're at the top of it's economy and it's monopoly. The Republic has done nothing about it, that's obvious. They gave up on it, pretty much" Joshua would explain.

He smirked when she yawned and gave an understanding nod. "Too tired, then, Ducha? Will you be heading back to your quarters then, or are you planning to stay in here for the night?" He would joke with a cheeky grin. One last crack at her for the night.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina Chuckled at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] . "I'll retire in my own room, thank you." she said. She knew inside that despite a slightly different attitude in the Jedi, the man she knew was still there. She'd step back and dipped her head. "Have a pleasant night, Joshua. Breakfast is usually ready by 0800 hours." she said.

With that, the Ducha would retire to her bedroom, closing the sliding door behind her. She'd sigh. It was great to have an old friend over like this, but she was coming up on 31 years old and had yet to bear an heir. Her sister's subtle insistence was with good reasoning and intention behind it, she knew, but yet her stubborness to stick to her principals yet stood. She shook her head and undid her hair before changing out of her evening dress and into a silky nighty. Fortunately, she wasn't wearing much in the way of make up.

She brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, and shut down the artificial lights leaving the bedroom in the ethereal glow of Hapan nighttime. The sky outside her clear window was ablaze with many colours amidst a mass of stars... truly a beautiful spectacle. She stared at it, pending sleep, hoping she wouldn't deal with another round of nightmares as she laid down on her own bed, which was large, square, and set into a raised dias in the floor similar to the other rooms in the palace.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Joshua would nod in response. "That's fine, Ducha" He spoke calmly with a small smile. "Have a good night. And thank you for allowing me to stay, once again. I'll be there at 0800, then" Josh would speak, bading her farewell with a curt bow of his head respectfully.

He watched her leave before taking a deep breath once the door had slid shut behind her. He would gaze around the room, still trying to adjust to actually living in some degree of luxury. He would change into a pair of sleeping pants, hanging his dress clothing neatly nearby. It was hot enough that a dress shirt wouldn't be needed, and he didn't feel like trying to get another shirt on over his head after his shoulders had nearly caused him to rip the dress shirt as he tried to remove it. He figured that he would just loosen it more next time since it was buttoned. His shoulders were a little too built for the shirt and as he was a little too poor to have anything custom made for him, his clothing was more for his body type, and not accounting for his shoulders. Under the shirt, he was a muscular sort overall, though the shoulders seemed to be the vocal point of that. He had the body of a warrior, that was obvious, and it was easy to see why he was as physically strong as he was when you considered the work put in to look like he did. Not that looking like a warrior had been why he'd put in the work, he just wanted to be able to swing his blade as quickly as possible with as little effort as possible.

Once he felt it was time to sleep, the Jedi Master would close the shutters, giving the idea that it was night time, before climbing into the bed, having to adjust for a moment to how big the bed was. His feet didn't hang off the bed anymore, that was the first thing he noticed. Alas, he would find himself falling asleep rather quickly, realizing soon just how exhausted he was, and how long he had managed to hold out....

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Halcyon (and on and on) (Orbital)

Relina had fallen into a fitful sleep that night. She'd occasionally groan and move in a way that might have been pain or fear. She was having a nightmare... again... surely, [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] might have been able to feel the emotional twists and turns she was experiencing, sans conscious inhibitions, in the quasisentient state of REM sleep.

In her dream, she was flying her Type M-808 Terminus at breakneck speeds in a historical space battle. The ships were ancient, unlike her state-of-the-art craft, and many of them were the hammer-head Republic ships of yore. She instinctively handled herself the way she normally would in any combat situation, but there was a name that kept cropping up... a name she knew only from Wayist prophesy.

An enemy fighter belonging to the Lorell Raiders flew past her, bolts of red death streaking ahead of him. "Oh! I KNOW you didn't just shoot that red swaxi'f at me!" she said as she turned to engage him with a sharp break to her right. Her ship's sensors didn't take long to get a radar lock, indicated by a steady tone. "Right where I want you...." she mumbled under her breath. "Tone is strong... Angel One, Fox three!"

Relina launched a concussion missile after the enemy fighter who couldn't outrun it nor outmanoeuvre it. In seconds, he erupted in a brief flash of glory. Strangely, she heard the explosive report even though there was no medium through which sound could travel in space. "Angel One, Splash one. Kill confirmed." she reported amidst radio chatter, which she recognised was in ancient Lorellian, the precursor language of Modern Hapan. She understood most of it, about as much as one who normally spoke Basic understood the more archaic dialect.

"Damn Apollyon! Don't fight by yourselves. Take her two on one!" Came a rough masculine voice over the comm.

Relina knew that wasn't a friendly talking. When she heard the threat warning alarm that indicated she was being spiked by enemy radar herself, she promptly pulled back on the throttle and pitched upward. She couldn't stall her engines out in space intentionally like she could in an atmosphere, but she could make them overshoot her. The enemy's ordinance whizzed past her as she brought her ship around in an inside-loop manouevre, throwing the throttle to full to accelerate out of it. However, just as she expected to come out of the loop right behind one of her assailants, she was astonished to see them facing her instead. "How the frak- AAAAAH!" she screamed as they hit her with laser bolts.

Relina's shields were down and her ship's on board diagnostics were on the fritz. "Frak! My port-wing hydraulics are damaged. And..." she trailed off and looked up to find that her HUD was flickering and part of her view through her canopy was also flickering. One hexagonal panel on her left side was showing nothing but static. The holocam on the opaque armour must have been hit by a lucky shot. "Damage is spreading to the cockpit.... Cascade failure imminent. I'm bailing out!" she said, still absolutely bewildered by all that was happening... how did she get here of all places? Why was she fighting with relics? How the hell did a bunch of pirates manage to do this much damage to her like this and where was the rest of her squadron? The questions would flood her mind as she pulled the ejection release.

".... it's not responding.... repeat, Ejection pod is not responding!" She shouted. For once, fear gripped her. The same voice, oddly familiar to her, sounded so clear and so close that its source may as well have been in the cockpit with her.

"Do you feel afraid? That's just the Angel of Death lurking around..." the voice said in a slightly droning tone, as if it was still coming through the comm, but its clarity was abnormal. Her ships started to tumble wildly until it suddenly stopped with a metallic thud.She was surrounded in darkness. No one and nothing responded. Relina felt frozen in place, unable to move. She then realised she was bound to a cable from the ceiling of a room of some sort... how did she get here? Was she knocked out? Was she dead?

"How did the Republic find us?" Asked the voice sternly.

"Major Zhan, Relina. Service Ident: Romeo Zulu zero-one-one-seven-dash-nine." Relina replied defiantly.

"Speak, Apollyon. I have no patience for the insolence of a woman. You will talk or you will be punished and humiliated like you have never known." demanded the voice.

"Major Zhan, Relina. Service Ident: Romeo Zulu zero-one-one-seven-dash-nine." Relina repeated. She then worked up the courage to kick with both feet straight ahead of her. When she impacted something, her eyes physically flew open and the Ducha woke from the nocturnal ordeal.

It took her a moment to get her bearings and realise that she was at home, in her bedroom, very much alive, but her heart was pounding and she was mildly sweating. The silk of her nightgown clung to her otherwise bare skin as she breathed heavily. "... That does it... I have GOT to see a therapist." she said to herself.

Relina laid back again, turning onto her side and reaching under her pillow for the hold out blaster she kept there. Holding it for a moment made her feel a bit safer which helped to calm her down more expediently. She would then attempt to sleep again.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Even in his sleep, he could sense it. The fear, the anxiety, the pain.... It was strong presence, and eventually, it would bring him to a sit-up position. The shirtless Jedi would let out an exhausted yawn, blinking his eyes open a few times. What was that? He let out a sigh, deciding that perhaps he needed a good walk to clear his head...

He didn't even seem to care that he wasn't dressed decently, at this time of night, nobody would be around. So he slipped on some socks and his combat boots and decided to walk out of his room, going for a stroll to clear his head.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

As Relina slept, this time much more lightly, a servant was indeed awake at this hour. A rather plain looking woman dressed nicely as a member of the Duchal house's staff, she went from around the gardens to a set of stairs and lead up to the third floor. This was originally meant to be an emergency exit, bypassing the lift system, although it was often used for more mundane purposes. However, what the woman was doing out there was not part of her normal routine. In fact, she was off duty at this hour. She played it safe for the time being, not acting out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that it was nearly midnight. That is, until she got to the third landing.

One she ascended up to the third floor, she used a ledge to get herself up to the Ducha's balcony. Then, once she stood safely on the balcony, she crouched behind the parted curtain of the sliding glass window and then reached into the sash of her fine tunic, producing a hold-out blaster with a suppressor on its barrel. She checked the powerpack, which was good for 6 shots, before concealing it again and trading it for a small tool kit. The servant wasn't counting on [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] being a Jedi, let alone that he was up and walking around. It was time to make her move. Her client wanted this done and she wanted the massive payoff... enough to retire on during what remained of her relative youth with more finer things than House Zhan's pay afforded.

She'd begin working on undoing the security system and tried to remember what she was instructed on how to hotwire the sliding glass door's electromagnetic locks... starting with with the service panel hidden flush behind an exterior wall panel. Once the weatherproof cover was removed, she'd start looking for the correct wires to cross.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He felt a presence... Who could be walking around here at this time of night? The presence was nearby, and he happened to peek into the garden to notice one of the servants scampering around... Weren't they usually asleep at this time of night? He could sense her emotions... Something was off indeed.

He took a deep breath. There was an ability he had not used in quite some time. But if there was a time to use it, it was now. The Jedi would close his eyes for a moment, letting out a small exhale as his body would disappear from view. He had become completely invisible due to his use of the White Current. So what was he going to do about it? Well, he was going to investigate. So he would follow along, not too closely, but from a decent distance but without losing sight of her. The distance allowed him to go without a sound, and keep himself from detection....

She had led him to the balcony entrance to Relina's room... What was going on? He watched as she started to undo the security system and pulling out a blaster... It was beginning to become clear to him now. He decided that he would follow for now, getting a little closer. He would wait to see just what she was going to do... And was prepared to intervene before she could make her move.

[member="Relina Zhan"]