Private Of Sea and Sky

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Try not to crash and burn

Nelliel flipped a few switches as her Beviin slipped out of hyperspace as it made its way to the surface of Hefi that lay within Enclave space. Following the attack on Yag'Dhul, she was surprised that she was able to even make it back without her engine failing. She'd need to get her ship repaired and back in the air as soon as possible in the event that Skull Squadron would need to be redeployed for another sortie. She quickly opened up a channel to the surface as she requested landing clearance, <" ATC, this is Switchblade of Skull Squadron requesting clearance to land. ">​

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<" Standby for clearance... " > A few moments later the voice responded, <" You are cleared for landing pad four. Proceed to the illuminated pad. ">​

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As she descended into the atmosphere she glanced over at her instruments as they began to warble in distress at her, causing the pilot to look around confused. Her power levels were taking a steep dive as she felt her ship lurch forward, something having exploded near her thrusters. One of the mynocks that managed to latch onto her ship from Yag'Dhul must have hitched a ride with her when she bugged out and only decided to start being a nuisance again once she came out of hyperspace. She cursed under her breath as her ship wobbled, belching black smoke that went from sporadic bursts to a steady plume trailing her plane as she started to rapidly descend.​

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She continued to curse the existence of mynocks under her breath as she began to rapidly flip switches, shunting power to the damaged thruster as she did her best to attempt to slow her descent, <" ATC, this is Switchblade. I've suffered engine failure and won't be able to make that landing. I'll be coming in hot. ">​

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<" Acknowledged Switchblade. Fire teams on standby. Rescue is en ro- ">​

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<" Belay that. I've got this handled. Just make sure to give whoever's in this position a fair warning. ">​

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She pulled back on her flight stick as she pulled the nose up to slow her descent as she released the locks on her foils, her wings turning as she activated the auxiliary thrusters in the reverse direction as she rapidly approached the ground. She counted down from three as she braced for impact - Three...Two...One... The ship struck solid ground as she lurched forward before snapping back and grunting as she felt her vision blur. She raised a hand to her helmet as she straightened herself out and managed to pop her cockpit open and stumble out. Conveniently she found herself and her ship in front of a repair shop as she glanced back at her ship, " Well that went about as well as it possibly could have gone... "​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Beskar'gam
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| Location | Hefi
| Objective | Take a brea- investigate the disturbance.
| Focus | Nelliel Kryze

Jenn had taken Sam's intervention to heart... and tried her best to stop spending all of her time at the Forge. Why, she was carefully putting her tools away and preparing to leave when her HUD popped up with an alert. Warnings to clear the street right outside her shop from the... planetary air traffic control? Somewhat bemused, she finished cleaning up the workshop, frowning all the while. Surely there must have been a mistake of some sort-

CRASH!

The Mandalorian practically jumped out of her skin, rushing on out of the Forge and through the (mercifully deserted, given it was closing time) shop with a pistol in hand. Whatever was going on outside, she was hardly going to let it impact her business, the livelihood of her neighbours, and certainly not a rare chance to take some time off and comply with her girlfriend's wishes-

That was when she found herself looking at a crashed ship. A crashed ship... on Hefi. Right in front of her shop- located a fair distance away from a city center as it was, one could hardly call it a forgotten place on the outskirts, either! But, then again, nobody seemed to have been injured in the crash, and the pilot was already stumbling outside, visibly shaken, but alive and well. Alerting proper authorities and getting the area cordoned off would just have to wait- her instinct was to put her pistol back in its holster and hurry over to the pilot's side, that she may lean against her if needed.

"Hell of a landing", remarked the smith, before giving the ship an upnod. "Considering you didn't go up in a ball of flames, or die on impact, I'll take it you're Bes'kyrade. Are you alright, vod? You look like you've had a rough time of it."

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[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Assess the damage

Nelliel's gaze shifted from one part of her ship to the next as she tried to assess the damage inflicted upon her poor Beviin as she reached a hand out to press against the hull. Thankfully no one had been crushed beneath her as she crashed but her ship had certainly seen better days. There was no visible damage from laserbolts or anything of the like, apart from streaks on the paint from where they whizzed past her thanks to Kad Wren 's trigger happy nature in managing to shoot some mynocks off her hull. As she continued to steady herself while assessing the damage another Mandalorian approached her as she glanced up when they spoke to her. " I've been through worse. All things considered at least she didn't blow up. She's tough and hasn't failed on me yet. " ​

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She paused as she took in a deep breath to get her bearings and senses in order before reaching up to her head to remove her helmet. Silvery gray hair fell out as she slowly shaked her head before she tucked her helmet away under one arm. " I'm fine... Head's just a little fuzzy from the impact but it's nothing I won't recover from. And you'd be correct - Ver'alor Nelliel Kryze of Skull Squadron, but most vod just call me Nel. Managed to make it back to Enclave space after deployment to Yag'Dhul... Got blindsided by a flock of mynocks... How embarrassing. "​

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Nelliel gave off a small smile as she reached her free hand to rub the back of her head. She felt both shame and embarrassment from the situation but more so embarrassed that an ace pilot like herself got tagged by a few hungry energy bats. She'd reach her free hand out for a handshake before speaking again, " That's enough about me though. You have a name as well vod? "​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | ... thank the Manda.
| Focus | Nelliel Kryze

Tilting her head to the side as the ace pilot removed her buy'ce, Jenn could only think of how talented this stranger must have been to withstand such a brutal re-entry into the atmosphere: the only clear damage she could see on the craft was, as pointed out, caused by mynocks. But... in truth, the Kayatr'ade could not bring herself to truly care, to address this talented pilot with compliments on a rough landing handled well, or that she, too, had taken part in the bold raid against the Alliance's worlds. As soon as she heard that name, everything else stopped to matter. The crashed ship, her shop behind them, the people peering at the disturbance from the safety of their homes or further up along the street... they might as well have ceased to exist.

Ver'alor Nelliel Kryze of Skull Squadron

Kryze.

For many years now, Jenn had been... alone. Proudly bearing the name of her Clan, setting out to bring honor to it when possible- but all too aware that it was, by and large, extinct. Few were those who still bore the name Kryze, and she had never had the chance to meet any of those brave souls. If her Clan still existed, then nobody had taken the time to find her, she reasoned, and she was thus unworthy.

Although she shared no blood relation with the pilot before her, all she could think of when her eyes rested upon her features was the word sister. After accepting that she may very well be one of the last of her people in the galaxy, here she was, faced with one of them, practically fallen from the sky and onto her doorstep! There was a long pause as she merely stared in complete and utter shock, before slowly mustering the will to bring her hands to her buy'ce. With that familiar hiss of decompression, she removed it, revealing her striking, fiery hair and piercing gray eyes... and, holding it under her arm, she reached out to clasp her hand around the woman's forearm. More than just a handshake, clearly enough, far more emotional.

"My name is Jenn Kryze."

With the shock slowly fading, Jenn truly felt as if she could cry... and perhaps she just might. There was a tremble in her voice, and a slight, but truly genuine smile that only made the wetness in her eyes more apparent.

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[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Catch up

Nelliel's eyebrow raised as she watched the Mandalorian in front of her seem to freeze up for a moment, wondering if she said something to have offended them. She didn't think much of it, but in the back of her mind, she sensed something - a connection of some kind, like kindred spirits in a sense far beyond simple dedication to just their culture. ​

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When the Mandalorian before her finally snapped out of their daze and finally removed their helmet and extended their arm out she paused in brief confusion upon them introducing themselves - She had never really given much thought to the fact that there were not many Kryze around, or the fact that she had ever come across another of her own clan, but the simple introduction alone reminded her of the fact that she was not alone, and now neither were they. ​

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In the split second that Nel had their confusion it disappeared just as quickly as it came, their grasp taking hold of Jenn's forearm as she firmly held their arm before leaning in close as her other hand holding her helmet reached around to tap their back and remarking, " Another Kryze! And I was just now starting to wonder about if I'd ever see another in my lifetime. " She chuckled quietly to herself as she smiled - It was a funny thing fate was to have brought two wayward Kryze together, even more so that she quite literally came crashing in right on their doorstep out of nowhere. ​

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She pulled away slightly, still holding onto their forearm as she beamed brightly, an uncommon sight considering she rarely expressed much emotion outside of the comfort of her cockpit.​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | I HAVE A SISTER?!
| Focus | Nelliel Kryze

"It's good to be proven wrong."

Jenn was... not usually this emotional, her more recent breakdowns notwithstanding. No, if anything, she took a certain measure of pride in her calm, the control she kept over herself a far cry from her years as a furious crusader, raging against the galaxy itself. But finding someone she regarded as family after so many years had quite a way of surprising her- for the better. Neither of them were alone now, left to look at the Viszlas and the Krayts with a touch of envy, and desire.

Mimicking her sister's motion, she reached over to tap her back as well. Without their respective buy'ce in the way, she might have been tempted to simply... throw her arms around Nelliel in a tight embrace. Even as the thought came to her, the Ersansyr rejected it, with some... difficulty. After all, Nelliel might very well share different views on the importance of one's Clan. But to Jenn, it was a family. Not that she needed to address it now, keeping her expectations in check and her grasp on the pilot's forearm firm. More often than not, the smith was one for slight smiles, if genuine: but seeing Nelliel's beaming smile brought about a warm one of her own.

"Tell you what... it's going to take a minute before they come and get your ship out of the street. Why don't you come inside with me? My girlfriend owns the mechanic shop, she can have a look at your ride whenever she gets back. And I have a Forge further into our store. We can chat while I work on your beskar'gam, if you'd like? Least I can do for you."

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[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Catch Up

Nelliel smiled cheerfully as she pulled back, releasing her grip on Jenn's forearm as she glanced back at the Beviin that was on the street, reaching back to rub the back of her head before speaking, " A mechanic shop huh? That's awfully convenient that I crashed right at your doorstep then. Mynocks managed to chew their way and get into the systems, but other than that not much damage. Should be a relatively quick fix. " She hefted the helmet under her arm to reposition it a bit before turning back to face Jenn as she spoke, " Still find it all a bit wild that out of all the places I could have landed it would be right in front of one of my own sisters. " She paused as she gestured for Jenn to lead the way and follow after her.​

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As they would make their way out of the street, Nel would speak up, curious to learn about her fellow sister-in-arms, " So Hefi? How long have you and yours been here for? Always been working a shop and forge out here? Can't begin to imagine how I never heard about another Kryze out here when I was starting to think there was no one else left of our name. " It was rare for Nel to express much emotion let alone talk a whole lot outside of the safety of her own cockpit, but genuine curiosity and happiness seemed to have made her much more talkative and expressive than usual.​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Hefi, Sam and Jenn's Shop
| Objective | Catch up

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Jenn was... simply ecstatic, and coming down from that high would take some time. Not only did she have a sister, but she seemed happy to reciprocate the smith's desire for - well, family! After all, it would have been more than fair for Nelliel to remark that the two were but strangers, no matter their shared name, and parted ways amicably with the enthusiastic ginger. But... no. If anything, she seemed to match Jenn's own enthusiasm as she waved her inside, leading the way into the shop. "Convenient? Yeah, that... orr the will of the Manda. Either way, I'm just glad you're here. I thought I was it, you know? Last to stubbornly cling to our name, rather than joining up with the Viszla or the Krayt."

The main part of the shop was... very much Sam's kingdom, not hers. Replacement parts galore, examples of finished models of speeder bikes and other mechanical works provided by her scrappy girlfriend. Things that were, admittedly, still beyond her. Not that Jenn spent much time there, passing by the counter and towards an arch leading deeper into the store. "Wouldn't say always, no - I was something of a drifter for a while, after the Clan just went to chit. My buir died, and I was... lost, I guess. Bounty hunting, you know how it goes, right? But... someone told me about the Enclave, about Kestri and Hefi. That's where I met Sam, my cyar'ika. Dreamt of opening up a shop, but the previous owner wouldn't say to someone who wasn't Mando, so... I pretended to be her girlfriend." A smile pulled at her lips as she recounted the memory, the two of them entering the Forge proper, in all of its rustic beauty. Weapon schematics pinned to the walls, discarded prototypes laid out on some tables - signs of just how much she had been working in there since the war began.

And then, there was the sobering reminder of the cost of that war. Armor parts neatly arranged together on displays, with names inscribes hastily on pieces of paper and taped onto each individual pieces. Evidently, Jenn had been contracted to see to the armor of the fallen: a task she had taken to almost religiously. A weary sigh escaped her lips, and she turned back to face her sister, opening her arms wide, as if to point her personal little kingdom to her.

"Long story short, it became more than just pretending, and we became more than just business partners. Things have been... a little tough between us, lately. I spend a lot of time working in the Forge, fighting on the front lines, or venturing into Alliance space to take back the beskar'gam of the fallen."

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Nelliel Kryze ​

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Catch Up

Nelliel followed after Jenn as they talked a bit of their past. She wasn't one to dwell on the past much or for long if it ever did come up, always having preferred to move forward and fast, much like her ship. As Jenn spoke she nodded, " The will of Manda yes. Can't say that anyone has probably ever found themselves in a situation like ours just now. " She chuckled softly before continuing on, " I wouldn't call it stubbornness to cling to our name even if we were to be the last of it. Pride certainly, but most of all to honor those no longer with us. We cannot cast aside our past any more than we can cast ourselves out of our own family. At least that's how I've always seen it. "​

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As they entered the shop, Nel's gaze would wander around as she took in everything that she saw. It seemed that they had quite the operation going - Good. It did Nel's spirit well to know that of the few Kryze that remained at least they were not struggling. As they continued further into the shop she pulled up closer behind Jenn as they went on to speak about their life before they had settled on Hefi. She rested her hand on their shoulder from behind as they talked of their loss, " My condolences sister. But you are found now. " ​

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As the two entered the forge, Nel's gaze once again wandered, looking around and smiling as she listened to Jenn's story, " Times will be tough, but I'm sure that you understand as a forgemaster that we are all very much like the metals you work with. We will be put through fire, hammered, and thrown into the fire again and again - but we will come out stronger than ever, just like you and yours will be. Of that I am certain. We have our duty to our people, but don't forget that we are our own people at the end of the day as well. "​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Hefi, Jenn's Forge
| Objective | Catch up.

"I've always thought similarly", admitted the Nite Owl. "You and I... we're it. What's left of Clan Kryze. The least we owe to our family is to make sure that the name endures so long as we live. And when we finally pass on into the Manda... well, I hope they'll be proud." A smile pulled at her lips at that, hopeful and gentle. For a long time, the thought had tormented her: the duty she owed to those that had come before her, to make those who had worn the ancient beskar'gam proud... but now, it brought her a great measure of peace, and acceptance. When her time would finally come, Jenn intended to meet her fate with her head held high.

Feeling that hand on her shoulder took her aback, to be sure - but the look she gave Nelliel as she turned to look over her shoulder was one of gratitude. "Thank you, vod'ika", spoke the smith warmly. "In those times we live in, I turn to the Forge, the Ocean, and the Manda- but it's good to have family."

A nod followed the pilot's words as she spoke once more, the Kayatr'ade clearly impressed. "You're wise, you know that? If this war has made me realize anything, it's how quickly some forsake family. I fight for the Enclave, and so do you, but - if I ever have to choose between my sister or the Enclave, I won't exactly need very long to make my choice." A pause followed her words. Things were going so well... perhaps it might be a poor idea for her to speak too freely? Ah, but in the end, she chose honesty, as she always did.

"A council was held on Scarif, and I spoke up. Told everyone I would no longer fight in the Crusade, but I would stand fast and protect our worlds. What I failed to realize at the time is that... with so few of us left, I think everyone assumed I spoke for the Clan."

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Nelliel Kryze ​

 

[Nelliel Kryze]

MNV-52 'Beviin' Class Space Superiority Fighter
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| Location | Hefi, Planetside
| Objective | Catch Up

Nelliel nodded as Jenn spoke, offering simple and short replies, " We may be all that's left yes, but there's still a fair chance there may be plenty more of us out there. " She paused as she lamented on the statement before continuing on, " Regardless of that fact I'm sure that those who have born our name will be proud of the fact that we have survived for as long as we have to bear the name. "​

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Nel's hand would slide away as she smirked at the comment of being wise. She had her moments when she wasn't busy goofing off or berating mediocre pilots. " Wise? Perhaps sometimes, but you'll probably find me to be one of the more foolish Mandalorians you've seen. As for choosing between family or the Enclave, I choose whichever lets me fly free. While I respect our people's culture, I've never been one to stay grounded for long. But between my ship and now my newfound sister, I think the choice is pretty clear now. "​

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She glanced at Jenn as she spoke of the council meeting before shrugging, " We choose our battles so that our stories are remembered. Whether I fly for the Enclave to attack its enemies or protect our homes doesn't matter to me. So long as I fly to fight for something that we still hold onto. Never again will I sit idly by and see our people in disarray after the Sith sundered Mandalore and scattered its people. "​

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Jenn Kryze ​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

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| Location | Hefi, Jenn's Forge
| Objective | Make up for lost time

Jenn decided that she liked Nelliel. Although the two of them seemed to hold some differences, she looked to the pilot and found only qualities to be appreciated, even in those places where they differed: her sister was a free soul, someone who needed to fly, and such longing was all too understandable to her. The moment of introspection, however, came to a close as she found herself met with a smirk, rolling her eyes and giving her a light-hearted bump against the shoulder. "It's not a contest! If it was, I think you and I would be in a fierce competition to see just who is the most foolish of the bunch." Now, it was her turn to smirk, oh-so amused at the banter they exchanged.

But then, her long-lost sister spoke of her determination in life - of what she sought to achieve. Different goals from her own, admittedly... but, did that truly matter? Nelliel hardly seemed to be the type to follow the Crusade out of a belief that conquest was part of their birthright. No, she sought to fly in the name of their people, not necessarily the Enclave. A sign of how genuine she was, in the eyes of the would-be reformer. Giving a solemn nod in the wake of her words, the Ersansyr inhaled deeply through her gills... and met her sister's gaze.

"I like the way you go about things, Nelliel. You've got heart, and I think it's in the right place. So... I'll cut to the chase. I'm thinking of making our family whole again - try and let my voice reach as far as I can, and see if anyone who still bears the name Kryze wants to return to the fold... and maybe even see if some Clanless vod with the right attitude care to become part of the Clan."

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Nelliel Kryze ​