Nothing like a good defense (PM to join)

[Kian Karr]

Onderon
Senate Building

Kian didn't typically find himself on the capital world of the Galactic Republic. The last time he was here, he'd saved a young women whose family had died in a terrible crash and she had joined the ranks of the Jedi. As with that occasion, Kian was on Onderon to meet with a senator. Unlike that time, however, this time Kian wasn't being dragged before a committee to justify the spending of the Jedi Shadows. Kian was here asking for a handout.

What could go wrong!?

Senator Terek was a Verpine from the Roche Asteroid Clusters. His people were very sufficient at creating droids and other technologies for the Galactic Republic, but in this occasion it wasn't droids that Kian was after.....it was building materials. More specifically, Kian needed to get his hands on a large quantity of Impervium.

"Master Jedi." a female voice said as Kian approached the office. It was a female Verpine who sat at a desk just outside the door to Terek's office. "The Senator is ready for you."

"Thank you." Kian said and the door slid open. Walking inside, Kian found that it was a relatively plain office for a Republic senator. Kian was use to the elaborate offices of senators that spoke to the wealth and power of many of the men and women who ran the Galactic Republic. This office didn't show that however. This office spoke to a more humbly minded man.

"Greetings, Master Karr." Terek said, rising to his feet and extending a hand. Kian accepted it and bowed his head.

"Hello Senator Terek. I'm glad you could meet with me today." Kian said, meaning every world.

"Its a pleasure to meet a Jedi, let alone a Jedi Master." Terek said, settling back down into his seat and indicating that Kian should as well.

"Now, what do you want?"

 

[Kian Karr]

"Impervium." Kian said, getting directly to the point with the senator. "Enough impervium to fit the hull of a light corvette." Kian said and handed his datachip to the senator. Terek looked bemused, or at least Kian assumed it was a bemused look for a Verpine, and took the chip from his hand. Plugging it into this computer terminal, Terek brought up the specs.
"She's impressive." He said running a hand over his suit. "Who designed her?"

"The Jedi." Kian said, not mentioning the specific individuals who went into the construction. "Her purpose is to be on the outskirts of battle, where we can provide support with battle meditation." Kian said, not sure how much the senator knew of the technique.

"So you want her to be defensive in nature....hence the impervium." Terek said nodding along. "Not bad....not bad at all."

"Are you able to help us?" Kian asked, hoping the senator wouldn't be too demanding in his request for payment. The Galactic Republic fronted the bill for the Jedi, but it was often a blank check that others tried to exploit....even senators.

"Yes." The Senator said. "But I want the vessel built at the Roche asteroid belt....the Verpine will supply the Impervium, the Jed the credits to pay the ship builders." Zerek said putting his hand forward once more. Kian glanced at it for a moment as he did the calculations in his mind. The impervium was the most expensive element and if the Verpine were going to supply it, it only made sense that they get the jobs and the money.

"You have a deal." Kian said taking Zerek's offered hand.

 

[Kian Karr]

Two months later
Ossus - Jedi Academy

"Feel the force flowing through you." Kian said as he walked among the younglings. Each of them were wearing training helmets, with the blinding shields down that stopped them from being able to see anything. In each of their little hands were training sabers being used the block the training bolts from the training remotes that floated around the room.

"Master Karr, how are we suppose to see the bolts coming with the mask down." Snickered one of the younglings, a human girl.

"Your suppose to use the force....allow it to guide you." Kian said stepping closer and lightly smacking the helmet on her head. "Your eyes tend to get in the way of that."

"Feel the bolts, Heather!" Said another youngling, this one a female Rodian standing next to Heather. The group let out a fit of giggles with that statement and Kian cleared his throat menacingly to bring the group back to order.

"Ripley is right." Kian said, "You need to feel the bolts. Allow the force to guide you." Kian said as the training bolts began firing once more. He was pleased to find that many of the younglings successfully blocking the bolts. When he began the class over two hours ago, hardly any of them were able to block them. Now, however, they were showing much more promise.

"Very good, everyone." Kian said as a young Jedi Knight entered the room and bowed to him. Handing Kian a note, Kian glanced over it and thanked him. "Younglings, Jedi Trill is taking over the class.....BEHAVE!" Kian warned and left the room to a chorus of goodbyes from the younglings.

The Verpine were ready for him!

 

[Kian Karr]

Roche Asteroids
Aboard The Shadow

The Shadow was approaching the largest asteroid in the area. From the outside it wouldn't appear as if life were present on these asteroids, if one didn't know it was the base of operations for a large number of Verpine. Knowing this, Kian could both feel the life of the place in the force, as well as see the small structures that indicated landing platforms and buildings carved into the asteroids.

Rising from his seat, Kian turned to CG-50, his personal protocol droid developed by a young, promising padawan years before. "Transmit the clearnace codes." Kian said to CG-50 as he left the room.

"Of course sir." CG-50 replied as if being told to do something so basic was an insult to his greater purpose. Kian said nothing more and made his way toward the hangar bay. He had received word that construction had started and it was time for him to join the Verpine and help oversee the construction of the vessel.

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It only took a few moments for the clearance to com through and The Shadow to safely land in the landing zone of the construction site. When Kian walked down the ramp of his Jocasta-Class Light Corvette, Kian was greeted by three well dressed Verpine. One, a female, stepped out to greet him as he came down the ramp.

"Master Jedi," She said in a thick accent, "I am Kora Pra'ct....I believe you are familiar with my brother." Kora said extending a hand to Kian. Kian took the hand and smiled broudly beneath his mask. Jedi Pra'ct was a Jedi Archaeologist that Kian had worked with on several occasions and a good man. Knowing that his sister was involved in this operation made Kian more at ease and more happy about arranging for the Verpine to construct the vessel.

"Yes, your brother and I have shared a few adventures together." Kian said chuckling.

"So he tells me." Kora said and turned to the side indicating that Kian should follow her. "Are you ready to see the skeleton of your vessel?" She asked and began to lead Kian further into the asteroid.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian had to admit, the image before him was impressed. Kora had lead him through much of the asteroid on their way to the staging area where the ship was being constructed. On the way, Kian was given a brief tour of the operations there and the work the Verpine did. Much of their work was on advanced droids and weapons, but this particular facility specialized in ship designs. Kian hadn't realized the Verpine had ever done anything on this sort of scale and he wondered how it was that they didn't build more the Galactic Republic.

But what really impressed Kian was what he saw when they reached the far side of the asteroid. Kora lead Kian out onto a lift and there before him was the basic structure that would serve as the outer supports of the Jedi Meditation Corvette. The ship wasn't quite as large as the Jocasta-Class Light-Corvette that was standard issue to Jedi on their missions, but it was taller and more elegant of a vessel. Where the Jocasta-Class was designed to be a utilitarian ship for the Jedi to use....this was a unique vessel.

"This is impressive." Kian said to Kora as the turbolift brought them to the platform above the vessel. "Your crews have gotten a lot done in very little time." Kian admitted to the female Verpine. Kian hadn't expected this much of the ship to be together this quickly. Soon the inner layer of hull would be up then the Impervium would be added.

"That is the sort of work you get when you call on the Verpine." Kora said chuckling softly. Kian shook his head and wondered how many other contracts she thought she could gouge out of the Jedi.

 

[Kian Karr]

Roche Asteroids
Several Days Later

Kian rose early each day, ate a small, modest breakfast and downed a glass of two of stimcaf before heading to the construction site. The vessel was coming together impressively. Already the outer hall was largely in place and the Impervium had started to be applied. This material would provide the vessel with the ideal defensive capabilities that Kian was looking for it to have. This was as much a personal issue as well as a tactical one. Tactically, the ship had to be able to withstand attacks, as the battle meditation that it would be used for could help to turn the tide of battle. Personally, the ship was largely being designed for the Grandmaster of the Order, Corvus Raaf. Corvus was Kian's friend, and he wanted to ensure that when she was in a vulnerable state that battle meditation could put her in, she would be well defended.

Kian's usefulness in ship designs was limited however. He wasn't an engineer or a shipwright. His usefulness lay in helping design the interior of the ship. Kora and Kian met regularly to discuss how he wanted the meditation chamber. Kian understood that battle meditation would prove to be stressing and exhausting. As such, the room would need to be tranquil and set apart from the ebb and flow of chaos that ships could be in the midst of battle. As such, Kian and Kora came to the conclusion that the mediation chamber would be isolated away from the remainder of the vessel.

In addition to this, the room would need to be conducive to meditation. Padded floors provided a relaxing spot to rest while performing the force technique. The walls and domed roof would allow the Jedi to view the stars and the battle outside or to view tactical displays that provided important readings on the battle outside. This would allow for adjustments in the focus of the battle meditation as needed. By the time Kian and Kora finished their discussions of what they needed the ship to do, it was often night.

As much as Kian and Kora got done, however, hailed in comparison to the vast amounts of labor that the Verpine shipwrights managed to achieve.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian wasn't always needed at the Roche Asteroid belt and on several occasions he was called away to oversee Jedi Shadow business and his duties as a member of the Jedi Council. Kian had been gone several days when he finally returned to discover that the vessels outer structure was entirely finished and the crew was now furnishing and preparing the interior of the vessel. Kora no longer needed the Kel Dor Jedi to discuss what he was looking for, as their long conversations about it had given her just the picture that she needed to design it all herself.

Which was good, because Kian had other issues to see too. In order to accommodate some of the add defensive abilities of the vessel, the vessel's design sacrificed most offensive capabilities. This ship was not meant for combat, but rather to augment the battlefield with the skill of battle meditation and to operate on the outskirts of battle. While the ship had two automatic gun turrets, Kian wished to build a better defense for the Jedi vessel.

And what better guardians for a Jedi vessel.....than Jedi...

The idea of a Jedi squadron of fighters hadn't always been a plan for the ship. The original plans, drawn up by Kian and several Jedi engineers, had called for a small hanger to house a single squadron of Republic fighters. However, along the line Kian realized that the best defense this vessel could have would be Jedi Knights dedicated to the defense of the Jedi Grandmaster, whose ship this would be effectively be. As such, Kian now spent a great deal of time in his quarters, pouring over files of various Jedi. There were a large number of Jedi in the Order who would provide a good body of fighter pilots from whom to draw.

Most importantly, Kian had come up with a name for the Jedi vessel.

 

[Kian Karr]

"The Bastila Shan." Kian said to Kora and Jedi Pra'ct, who had joined them the day before to visit both his sister and his fellow Jedi.

"A fitting name." Jedi Pra'ct said nodding along with Kian. With the two Verpine now standing next to each other, Kian was beginning to see the familiar resemblance. While non-Verpine might struggle to identify one from another, Kora and Jedi Pra'ct both had a similar coloration on their exoskeleton that now made it so clear that they were in fact siblings.

"I don't get the reference." Kora said, some irritation bleeding into her voice. Kora had put forth several, non-Jedi, names for the vessel days before and Kian had, politely, shot them down.

"Bastila Shan was a Jedi during the ancient times of the Jedi. Her story is one of a fall from the light to the dark and her redemption at the hands of her love Revan." Jedi Pra'ct said to his sister. "She went on to be a great Jedi who bore a child and founded a force dynasty." Pra'ct said. The most famous of these offspring was Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan.

"Well, whatever you call it....the ship will be ready in a few more days." Kora said, brushing off her brothers story. "The navy has sent word that they are sending the crew and that they will arrive tomorrow." Kora said shrugging.

Glancing back at the ship, Kian smiled once more beneath the mask. They had done so much in such a short period of time and soon, Kian would be leaving with the ship following closely behind him. It would hopefully help turn the tide of the war with the One Sith and aid the Republic in any future engagements.

 

[Kian Karr]

Enroute to Ossus
Several days later

Kian had said his goodbyes to the Verpine. He found himself a little sad to go. They had been getting close in their time together and Kian had come to truly respect the work they did. He would certainly keep them in mind when next he needed to develop a ship or some other technology for the betterment of the Republic. Now, however, Kian had other things on his mind. Now Kian had to get it back to Ossus and present it to the Jedi Council. He was sure they would be pleased with how the vessel turned out....he certainly was.

More importantly than that, Kian had hand-selected the 12 Jedi whom he wished to employ as Shan Squadron. Kian had to admit, he hadn't used much creativity in coming up with the name for the Squadron, but he had in searching for the Jedi Knights who would make up the guardians of the Bastila Shan. These Jedi would not only safeguard the meditation ship, but they would do so with the use of the J-1 Interceptor, a vessel designed specifically to be used by Jedi. They were fast and powerful, though not without their flaws. Kian had a J-1 Interceptor of his own (albeit painted) that he had flown in combat many times now and while Kian couldn't' claim to be a particularly skilled pilot, he had to admit that the interceptor was powerful offensive tool for the meditation ship to have.

Kian sat down at the computer console as his vessel made its way toward home. He would need to gather his Jedi fighter pilots together for their assignments when he returned to Ossus. It didn't take long for the message to be sent. Kian retired to his quarters after sending the message and settling down. Kian took that time to reflect on the progress he'd made and more importantly what the Bastila Shan represented. The Jedi were dedicated to the defense of the innocent and to defend the Republic. This ship would allow them to do just that.....but there was more to it than that. Battle meditation would allow the Jedi to help ease the chaotic minds of the soldiers on the battlefield and promote their success and survival.

This ship would save lives.

 

[Kian Karr]

Ossus Academy
Assembled Fighter Pilots

"You all know why you are here, so I won't keep you long." Kian said to the Jedi Knights before him. The Jedi group before him was a rather heterogeneous group, an assortment of species and genders and that warmed Kian's heart. That was what the Jedi were, they weren't a group of identical clones. They were a odd assortment of individuals, dedicated to defending the galaxy from the horrors that could be unleashed upon it by ignorance and evil.

"Your duties will be to defend this vessel when in combat. You will be its most effective line of defense against those that would see it destroyed." Kian said pacing in front of the men and women. "This vessel will be utilized by the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and will be vulnerable while utilizing it to its intended purpose. That is where you each come in." Kian said nodding his head to indicate he approved of the work they'd done so far and their dedication to the Jedi. Each of these showed impressive qualities, but none so strong as their flight abilities. They really were some of the best and brightest pilots the Jedi Order could afford to spare.

"You will keep the Bastila Shan safe, so that Republic lives can be saved. The longer this ship operates in fleeting engagements....the more lives you will save." Kian said, "You will save these lives, by defending this ship."

"Now, each of you is free to go about your duties, but be aware that you may be called on to defend this vessel when the times comes. You are Shan Squadron and I know you will do us all proud." Kian said and he could feel the pride from the Jedi before him.

As Kian walked away he felt pride as well...and excitement. It was, after-all, time to show the Grandmaster her ship!