First Reply Meditation

[Juno Arc]

Some might call the planet Tatooine a forgotten backwater dump, others a bustling hub of trade, and yet more a den of thugs and scum—and somehow, every one of them is right. For Juno, however, the desert world offered something rarer: a profound sense of peace, and this visit was no exception. She touched down her aging Z-95 Headhunter on a weathered cliffside, several miles from the nearest settlement.

Stepping out as she always did, she drew a deep breath of the warm, sand-laden air, letting it fill her lungs with the familiar grit of the dunes. She approached the edge of the escarpment and settled into a cross-legged position, her legs folded beneath her in meditative poise. Placing her lightsaber gently before her on the rocky ground, she closed her eyes and began to center herself in the Force.

Yet her tranquility was short-lived. Gradually, an unfamiliar presence began to stir in her senses, tugging at the edges of her awareness like a distant ripple in the vast ocean of the galaxy.

 

[Cyran Vaas]

​

Location: Tatooine
Objective: Fly
Juno Arc

High up in the sky Cyran’s ship was in flight, where he let his droid companion keep the vessel steady as he walked away from the controls.

A few chirps and whistles emanated from the concerned astromech droid. Asking the bounty hunter if this was a good idea. “Of course, this planet is a great spot to test it. If I did it in a populated city I’d probably get arrested. Here is’ open enough that I won’t be stepping on anyone's toes and it’s not so remote to find a med-center if things go too bad.” Cyran replied before stepping over to the loading ramp in his ship.

Pressing a few buttons on the side panel it began to lower and open to the loud whirling winds that passed by the ship as it flew through the air. “I’ll let you know if I crash at the bottom of some canyon. Now be sure to close the ramp after I jump out…” Cyran said through his helmet’s comms before giving himself a quick pat down to make sure he had everything he needed. With everything set he leapt out from his ship into the sky over Tatooine.

Taking a moment to stabilize his descent, Cyran grabbed at his suit and unfastened connective fabric that filled the space between his arms and torso allowing the bounty hunter to glide somewhat. Falling from great heights weren’t new for him but he was always looking for new ways to afford himself more aerial mobility. He hoped to wing suits in addition to his more cumbersome jetpack to possibly increase its range and longevity as well as his maneuverability.

“So far so good!” He spoke through his comms back to his ship. “Stay close to me in case something happens!” So far he was getting the hang gliding through the air with the improvised wing. Occasionally activating his jetpack to give himself a burst of speed and increase his altitude some.

But after getting into a bit of a groove his astromech asked if Cyran had checked the local weather before doing this. Making the bounty hunter realize a possible oversight in his planning before being swept up in a sudden forceful gust of wind. Strong enough to throw him off balance. Causing Cyran to rapidly spin out of control plummet to the ground. Activating his jet pack to break his fall just before harshly colliding into a sand dune…​

 

[Juno Arc]

The visions are not clear—hazy and blurred for some reason. The only fragments flashing through her mind are a starship and something resembling a Mandalorian helmet.

Juno rises, opens her eyes, and stares out at the endless expanse of sand stretching just beyond the sharp cliff edge. Nothing but emptiness.

After a moment, she focuses her gaze. The Force sharpens her senses, and she catches a glint of metal—or perhaps a scope. No, definitely the former. That unmistakable sheen belongs to beskar.

"A Mandalorian, here? Well, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me."

Juno tucks her lightsaber behind her belt.

She steps back into her Z-95 for a moment, grabbing her droid, which eagerly hops onto her shoulder. Then she leaps from the ridge, gliding slowly down the slope until she lands on the same level as the stranger.


"Who are you..." she calls out to the unknown figure, "...and you'd better not be here for me."


Cyran Vaas

 

[Cyran Vaas]

​

Location: Tatooine
Objective: Fly
Tag: Juno Arc

Sand, even fine desert sand found on these dunes weren’t as soft as they might otherwise look. So Cyran’s impact had been rather harsh. Half submerged he crawled out of the sand and the small crater he made from his fall. To his surprise he wasn’t alone. There was another, even all the way out here. Which would be a good thing if he’d gotten himself seriously hurt.

Once he heard her question he picked himself onto his feet, despite his legs feeling a bit wobbly. Standing tall and proud as the light of the two suns overhead gleamed in his now dusty black armor. “I… I am Cyran Vaas. The galaxy's greatest bounty hunter.” He boasted confidently over his heavy breathing. “But worry not, I'm not here for you Miss. Just running some tests is all.”

His discomfort began to rise, standing straight he could feel that many grains of sand have now found their way beneath his armor, even under his helmet. With a bit of a groan Cyran brought his hands up to his dark helmet and pulled it off of his head. Allowing most of the sand trapped inside to pour out of it and revealing his pink, zeltron features as he blew bits of sand from his mouth and shook some out of his blue hair.​

 

[Juno Arc]

Juno began to slowly walk toward the bounty hunter, but after his words, she couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter, quickly trying to stifle it. "Sorry, you lightly amused me, Cyran. Call me Juno."


Eventually, she closed the distance enough that they no longer needed to shout, yet kept it far enough to avoid making the two strangers uncomfortable. "Tests, you say... I usually come here to meditate. I don't know what it is about this place, but it draws me in—there's a lot of force lingering here."


At that very moment, her curious BD-unit droid began scanning the Mandalorian. "44, stop it!" The droid only let out a few sad beeps in response. "Isn't it true that sometimes you Mandalorians aren't allowed to remove your helmets?"

Cyran Vaas

 

[Cyran Vaas]

​

Location: Tatooine
Objective: Fly
Tag: Juno Arc

A laugh wasn’t quite the response he was looking for, but it was much better than scorn and contempt. As she approached Cyran would listen to what she had to share about this place. His blue eyes narrowed some in thought. “Well… I guess this wouldn’t be the worst place to find some peace and quiet. Never a whole lot going on here.” He couldn’t imagine why the force had such a presence in a place like this. But he was also quite ignorant in all things Force related.

Hearing her question about removing helmets he thought for a moment. Wondering if she was doubting him now. “Well, yeah. Some clans and factions take some of the rules far more literal than others. As for myself, um… I’ve never been what most considered very conventional.” It was a bit of an understatement. His status as a mandalorian sometimes fluctuates between individuals and clans. He explained this as he shook out any more sand from within his helmet and wiped the T shaped visor. ​

 

[Juno Arc]

Juno nodded in understanding. "Listen, I'm not here to judge. I'm the kind of person who sticks to my own convictions rather than following the crowd."

She shifted her weight to one leg, hands resting on her hips.


"If you need help, I know a thing or two about mechanics—44 can pitch in too. As for transport... well, the 95s were single-seaters, so I can't help you there." She gave another small nod. "The question is, what do you actually need—if anything at all? Truth be told, you kind of pulled me out of my meditation."

Cyran Vaas

 

[Cyran Vaas]

​

Location: Tatooine
Objective: Fly
Tag: Juno Arc

“Hmm…” Cyran thought for a moment over what she said. “Thanks but I’m all good in regards to transportation. My light freighter is…” He looked up to see if he could find it in the sky from where he was but couldn’t “Is somewhere around here.”

“Oh I’m sorry about intruding on your meditations. I came here with the expectation that there wouldn’t be anyone around here to bother with my antics.” Cyran apologized.

“You see I’m messing around with this new wing suit idea I got.” He guested to the fabric that filled the space between his arms down to his hips. Akin to some gliding mammals found in nature. “Hoping it can give help with maneuverability and time in hair when used with my jetpack, it only has a limited amount of fuel after all. So I’ve been sky diving out of my freighter to try it out. So I’m not on any official work or jobs right now.” The pink mandalorian explained. Seemingly eager to explain to a willing listener this project of his.

“Like I said, I didn’t mean to disrupt any meditations or training it was that you were working on. Although I guess if I did manage to get myself hurt I would’ve been fortunate to have you close by.” He added with a friendly chuckle. Unsure if he was just being a nuisance now or not. ​