Private Reflection Eternal

[Lucien Dooku]

VIBES

Jedi Order's Primary Temple, Coruscant ​

There was an odd feeling of being at the center of the galaxy, home to some of the more excitingly seedy, yet oh-so lucrative ventures that a young guy like Lucien had become accustomed to enjoy; Sabacc tournaments, Swoop Racing events, Gambling of all sorts for that matter, to name a few of the reasons he ever ventured so far from the Rim. The Core worlds were a place for him to relax away from the troubles that plagued the home which he cherished and loved; and not just Serenno, but the Rim itself, would be the accurate meaning behind his words. He was a Spacer at heart now, in spite of the noble origins that he came from. He would never forget who he was though, even if he didn't necessarily agree with the path his family had taken. He was a Prince, an exiled one for sure, but it was his choice to do so.

He avoided the game of politics and deceit that brought his family to the zenith of their hegemony in what may have been centuries. The planet prospered beneath their rule, but the cost was all too evident once the glitz, glamour and prosperity was washed away like the grime it truly was. The Sith Empire controlled the world, and there was nothing the famous Serennoan individuality could do about that. The planet was, and would potentially remain beneath the thumb of the Emperor for decades, if not centuries to come. It would take more than their spirit to break from those chains as well, but much like a loyal canine, Serenno was loyal to a fault as long as they were fed and showed attention. It was a cruel curse bestowed upon the land he once called home, but luckily there was a single saving grace which kept him from the brunt of the Imperial machinations affecting his home world.

His Master, Jo'ron Maal, the one person who took the impressionable Prince and molded him to believe there was something greater besides the rule of the Sith. Together they visited dozens of worlds, and Lucien was introduced to even more people and species than he could've ever imagined were outside the singular identity that was Serennoan nobility. He taught Lucien the way of the Jedi- perhaps not to the specifics of the code that the official organizations had followed, but it instilled within him an appreciation for the positive things that were out there in the galaxy. Being a Jedi was never about fighting the Sith and upholding some stoic code for him. It was always about seeking out the things that brought him happiness and joy, being empathetic whenever possible, and understanding the true nature of the galaxy where others could only disseminate incomplete pictures.

His training came to a close after ten years or so- he couldn't remember the specifics by now. He could only remember the memories that were formed during what felt like the longest, most enjoyable and insightful ride of his life. In spite of the Sith's influence on his world, the Light had always been present within him, but so was the dark as well, according to his master. His training was sculpted to specifically temper that duality which Lucien carried within him, and it all culminated in a final test which should've seen him granted the status of a Senior Padawan. Instead he found himself without a Master, and a future which would have him at the whim of the Sith who coveted the abilities of the force-sensitive like him. He left the planet shortly after, and it wasn't entirely wrong to say that he abandoned any chance of recovering his old life upon doing so. There was no chance of a normal family, nor was he able to seek out his master's tutelage either. Lucien spent an entire year and plenty of credits to track his location, but to no avail the journey was.

He was alone with nothing but his lightsaber, his starfighter, and a sassy droid to call a companion. He went down a path of his own choosing, the life of a spacer taking priority over the Jedi teachings which were once his bread and butter. His training, though incomplete, served him well in his quest to enjoy the long, dangerous ride of a life that brought many of his kind to ruin. He was no longer a Jedi, nor was he the same Prince that he once was either. Fate had forced his hand to shift what could've been a destiny that truly wasn't the calling for him, and there wasn't a single moment where he regretted the life of influence and absolute power that most definitely would've followed. It reminded him of an old saying that his Master use to tell him- back during the days where he struggled to balance that blazing fire within his core with the principles of the Jedi he sought to be.

“There are worse fates than being forced into a place where your choice of acts is limited to those where your soul burns brightest. Embrace the fire within, and always strive to the best you can be.”​

Lucien had never forgotten Jo'ron or his teachings, and no, he'd never quit searching for the man in spite of the gallivanting he did around the galaxy. Though he found himself sidetracked more often than not, there were moments of focus -- such as now -- where he set his eyes on the most important goal he kept hidden in the back of his mind. He wanted to know if the man was alive, or perhaps reach closure by discovering if the Jedi Master had perished. The old man was tough, but the Sith chewed and spit out Jedi left and right back where he was from. His search led him to discovering that his former Master had been affiliated to a few different organizations during his time, with the Jedi Order based out of Coruscant being the most recent one before his disappearance those few years past. Luc wanted answers, and he planned on finding them if at all possible, and he wouldn't rule out a bit of that Scoundrel Magic if the Jedi at the temple were railroading him too hard.

The Great Hall was his initial destination, a good half a hour being spent roaming around and asking the Jedi passerby's questions pertaining to his master. They were simple enough; Do you know a Master by the name of Jo'ron Maal? Have you seen this man -insert holo image-? The usual questions that one threw out there when trying to find someone that was missing. His investigation bore no fruit other than a handful of Jedi giving him the barest minimum that he needed. They were still dead-ends though, and he was beginning to get frustrated. Frustration mixed with an impulse to do something, and the result was him heading right towards the direction of the Temple's archives. If he couldn't get any answers from the Jedi themselves, he figured their archives were the second best thing. It was a task easier said than done though, as the turbolift leading up into the archives was locked behind an ID code that he obviously didn't have.

He punched in a code, letting the force guide him on this one. And when it failed, he decided to try another code, and then another. The sound of heavier boots than normal moving across the floor towards him was not entirely unexpected, but nonetheless he privately cursed the force for not guiding him correctly on this one. He turned around, his sanguine demeanor slightly off-put by that devilish smirk curled on his lips. An average-sized patrol of Guardians and Sentinels were approaching the kid who definitely didn't belong to their Order, with his spacer-gear, wild and free hair, and lack of a Jedi's chip on his shoulder. The Jedi approaching him were the complete opposite of Lucien, and veritably more armored and equipped than he currently was at the moment.

"Well feth me indeed."

Maybe he'd avoid having to scrap his way out of there, if the force was truly with him.


Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Tempest Yore just underwent her Jedi Trials. The whole ordeal is still fresh in her mind. She often wondered if she should have done things differently there, and that thought often leads her to think about life in general. She had honestly let go of all her issues, just sometimes she finds embracing memories of her past to be therapeutic. Such things that happened inside of Temples, just always resurface within her mind, inside other Temples. Boy does she really not enjoy exploring all they have to offer!

The most recent traumatic lesson the Force taught her from within its Temple walls, is that sometimes inaction results in misfortunate events concluding just as badly as if one directly performed intentional malice. That lesson was easier to ignore before she could put it into words. During her Trials the Force also forgave her for her part in what resulted in her father's death. She learned that memory of the event had truly been distorted. Another man had descended upon her father, and his lightsaber dropped at her feet just out of his reach. She was only five when the violence she had witnessed had her completely petrified. She often wondered if she would have returned the lightsaber to her father's grasp, would he have lived? He had been rendered so weak from the aggressiveness of the attack, but the Force doesn't need stamina in order to work; still he could not raise it. She never understood why it left him just at that very moment. He could not call his lightsaber to return to his grasp, and he asked Tempest to kick it over to him. She got caught up in the anguish and desperation reflected in his eyes.

During her Trials in a Temple she learned the life stories of a few Jedi who lived before her time. Their passions and their triumphs, their sins bore into her thoughts, the events and the emotion which went with them. She really wanted to do their lives justice, for they had shared their human experience with her through the Force. She came here today to research the archives. Maybe those Jedi had a surviving next of kin alive today. Maybe there is an artifact locked away today which had belonged to one of them. Wondering about their lives, and realizing how much people from all different walks of life actually have in common, remained in the forefront of her mind. She would do them the honor of expanding on their lesson.

All manner of Illusion had become her forte. Auditory, bending light, sensory perception, Tempest excels at it all. She is always working on the skill, sometimes in inappropriate places, and under inappropriate circumstances, like currently.

Not far in the distance along the hall, Tempest heard a male voice curse at the air from the turbo lift. She rounded the corner and noticed Lucien Dooku who seemed to be desperately trying to make the lift controls operate. She saw the droid with him. "Erm, sorry," she said a bit comically as she approached. "I was only practicing; but why should you be so nervous? You feel like you don't being here? Or are you up to something?" she asked with a stern curiosity. "You don't look like Jedi, but then again neither had I when I first came here."

She moved past him and stepped into the lift, tapping into the control pad the very same numbers he had attempted to enter successfully. "You are coming; yes?" she asked. Only next, she hit one more button afterwards however, down, not up, and the lift motor started whirring. The doors slapped shut and the lift flew into its ascent.

The look on his face! 'If he only came with a manual!' she fancied.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

The force truly did move in mysterious ways. Well, it did when it wanted to, and there really wasn't a guarantee that it would work out just how you planned. Case in point being the series of events which played out since entering the Temple, perusing through the halls and attempting to access their archives without proper clearance. He let the force guide his hand when he attempted to guess the code which would've unlocked the doors to the turbolift to his front. Several guesses followed after the failure of the first, and from what he could tell, it must've raised some sort of suspicion. Be it the passerby's noticing him tinkering with the panel, or some sort of alarm system that was tied to the successive failures of the ID code it required. In the end it didn't matter, as the result would prove the same no matter the source of the breach to their security.

The patrol sauntered their way in his direction, though his back remained towards them, his eyes at the narrow as he stood there with an unassumingly, not-paying-attention demeanor for now. Though he couldn't see him, he was sure he felt them instead, their presence feeling expansive in a room of otherwise non-hostile individuals. Perhaps in this situation, someone else might normally be intimidated by the magnitude of it all. Not Lucien- He'd definitely pulled himself out of worse before. Granted being smack-dab in the middle of The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was a first for him, he was certain that,if needed, he could at least make a half-decent escape down into the under levels of the Capitol city. The astromech down at his side did not share Luc's confidence, cursing his owner in binary more than a few times in a series of low and defiant beeps and chimes. He received no response, of course, not when Lucien was busy preparing his poker face.

He stood there awaiting for them to accost him, his hands dangling loosely at his side in the event that they were the ones who drew weapons on him first. He wasn't a fan of killing those who didn't deserve it, but he'd sure as fething hell knock somebody out if it was a matter of self-preservation. The collapsible baton on his belt was the proper choice for this, but he didn't reach for it yet. Not until they were well and close to him, and the conversation began to flow enough for just a split second of relaxing their guard to take place for Luc to take advantage of in the end. They drew even closer, until eventually the trio came to an eventual stop. Luc pivoted on his feet to face his accusers, only to instead find none there.

"...Huh."​

The poker face remained planted on his visage, though internally there was a moment of confusion until blonde-hair swept into his peripheral. She offered an apology; the poker face dropped for a moment, an eyebrow lifting as she continued to speak. Apparently she had been utilizing the force to...trick him? Huh, indeed. That was a new one, he thought to himself.

"You don't look like Jedi, but then again neither had I when I first came here."

She said pretty matter-of-factly, to which Lucien shrugged at in response. "Never said I was a Jedi either." He responded through that devilish poker force which had returned after putting together what had just happened. Stepping past him, she tapped the control pad and entered in a code which prompted the turbolift doors to activate. Apparently the force wasn't the only thing moving in mysterious ways that afternoon. "Biometrics or some sort of external identification system, then." He pondered to himself out loud, just below conversation-level. R4 caught this however, and responding with his own assessment as well.

"You are coming; yes?"

He snapped back to attention, giving her a nod and allowing his droid to enter the lift first. Lucien followed up next; he moved to the adjacent corner of the elevator, his back pressed against the wall and a leg bent at an angle with the bottom of his boot against the wall. Blueish-grey orbs remained planted on the woman, in spite of his clear attempt to distance himself from her inside the turbolift. With the astromech droid between them, there was more than enough room in his personal bubble for Lucien to feel comfortable for the ride down. not up. He chuckled at the thought of it all. "I'm not sure if I should be thanking you, or suspecting you of setting me up for a trap." His voice would break the momentary silence which enveloped them since the turbolift doors had closed.

She did just do him a solid, but based off her previously successful attempt at messing with him, Luc wasn't foolish enough to put all his trust into his oh-so "saving grace" of the day. "Regardless of what happens next- You gotta name, Miss Jedi?" A hint of a playful jab, but nothing serious based off the demeanor he carried. Besides, she owed him atleast one jab for the stunt she pulled from earlier. "The name's Lucien-- Luc works too. Take your pick, I suppose~" He'd introduced himself as well, choosing to give her a real name instead of one of the aliases that he gave to those he didn't trust. Not saying that he trusted her yet, but she did do him a solid- technically. He owed her that much, at least. "And no- I'm not a Jedi. Not like you, anyway. I'm lookin' for one, though."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

The Force sometimes speaks out rather loudly to those who will listen. Sometimes it speaks just the same to those who do not. Either way, understanding is in the heart of the beholden. It plays games intent to hold up some who believe meetings happen just by chance. Had Lucien Dooku watched her put in the code into the lift, he would have realized he too tried the same code. It is just easier to have the Force be culprit. If not she would need to wrap her thoughts around events that would need to take place in a series of succession. These would all have to unfold for success. This exact lift would actually have to rely on some technology created by mankind, put into place right here, so that people who also had to have events timed just right that unfold to arrange up to this point that lead Tempest to be here just when he is. She smiled at his inner need to define himself as different from her. He couldn't possibly be here to learn something; no? "Yeah? Ok. But you are here for some reason." She just giggled at him. He didn't seem to fit the bill of the bad boy type. 'Or does he? Or maybe he doesn't, but he thinks that he does?' she thought, followed by, 'I wonder if I will even get the chance to know!' By the Force she felt him an interesting character, not someone to fear!

Tempest listened when he mentioned wondering if she were setting a trap for him. She quirked a brow and her mouth dropped open lightly. Unless there were a mass invasion hellbent on toppling a Temple, nothing ever happened within a Temple on any given regular day, which didn't somehow lead back to the Will of the Force. Nobody ever walks into a Temple for no reason either, and comes out of it empty handed. "Trap you? To achieve what, do you think?" she asked with a sudden lively and mischievous air about her. Really she wants to know what he might be up to, since he seems so adamant to come off as different. "That you go down into the library archives and read a book?" she jested. "I wouldn't knock reading before giving it a try!" she added as the lift came to a stop.

Passing over the threshold and into their destination, "Tempest," she returned, introducing herself, "Tempest Yore." Although she doesn't truly even remember her given name at birth; her mind drifted to that thought for a moment, and she elected she ought meditate on that to gain the answer; although should it truly matter? "Nice to meet you, Luc," she added with sincerity.

Hearing he is searching for someone is at least an answer she can work with. "What is their name, rank, and home world? Maybe I can help you figure out a place to start?" She would assist him for as much as it took. She can do her own research any time, as she has a few weeks to herself.

Instead of heading for the old books, she walked over to the Holo-host, a computer guide who would be taking their questions and searching the databanks for information for them. Numerous members were in the archives, each attended by their own representative host. Tempest looked towards Luc for his input. "It can use all sorts of little specifics to help pinpoint someone's last known origin." She suddenly felt a twinge of tension, wondering if she had crossed a line in asking. Perhaps Luc did not have much information to go on. There is a chance after all, that he may be searching for someone he doesn't know much about. She bit her bottom lip in thought, "If you want to be alone, I understand." She would step aside and let him do his research in privacy if he wanted.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc didn't respond any further after the two were settled into their trip down to the Jedi Archives. It wasn't as if he were being secretive or aloof on purpose, but rather he was just enveloped in the little moment for what it was. It was refreshing to hear her talk- which was weird, he had to admit. He'd gotten so use to dealing with scoundrels and smugglers on the daily that he almost forgot what it was like to meet someone so trusting, or maybe better put, friendly. He had his companions out in the Rim, and they had become close friends that he wouldn't hesitate to lay his life down for. That trust was built up over time, and it wasn't the norm among the types he dealt with in his myriad of occupations out there in the void.

Yet here he was, stuck in a turbolift and on his way into the depths of -The- Jedi Temple, and not just some minor enclave either. Truth be told, he'd never even been into an actual Jedi Temple before. At least not the kind which still had people walking around and breathing. Decrepit and ruined Enclaves? Sure. Untouched and potentially haunted Sith tombs? Certainly. Luc explored his fair share of ancient ruins and temples since he was teen, and his reputation proceeded him in some circles for his ability to traverse these potentially dangerous locations and come out with an artifact or three in hand. It was a lucrative business whenever a contract came his way, and he couldn't help but assume the Jedi of the temple would ostracize him if they ever discovered his line of work.

The thought escaped his mind in any case, as he could've been a ghost for all they knew. Luckily the woman across from him wasn't in the business of prying too much, but nonetheless he allowed her to speak to her heart's content. His eyes remained glued onto her in spite of his own silence on the matter. He was definitely paying attention, which was visible by the shifting of the smirk on his face softening into a grin. The turbolift reached their destination some moments later, and he allowed her to step off first to ensure there wasn't any trouble waiting for him. There was a subtlety to his movements as he scanned the room as if it were reflex at this point, then took a step into the room behind the blonde Jedi.

Luc would've explained why he was worried about being trapped, but in the end he waived it off once she introduced herself to him in return. "Tempest." She said, "Tempest Yore." There were plenty of interesting names out there in the galaxy, but Tempest definitely took the cake in his book. "Nice to meet you, Luc." She finished, to which Luc offered a nod of the head in return. His demeanor had softened by then, his hands moving to rest in his pockets and his eyes no longer scanning the room either. Instead they returned to following this Blonde-haired, refreshingly friendly Jedi named Tempest. "Dooku, by the way." He interjected before the next thing she said. "Lucien Dooku." It was part of his warped sense of nobility to return his full name when it was given in return by someone he could trust. In this case, he made an exception to the rule, and simply felt it was the right thing to do.

Returning back to the matter at hand, Tempest proved more than helpful in regards to what he was looking for. The Archives were massive, and Luc was sure to have gotten lost down the rabbit hole if it wasn't for her being there. Luc followed behind her quietly at first, a pair of softened eyes soaking in his surroundings for the first time without vigilance. "Well--" Luc began to respond to her initial query, his eyes trailing off from her and down towards the droid off to his side. It urged him forwards with a quick line of binary, then bumped him closer and out of his previous bubble of space. The droid then dispersed into the rows of books, leaving Luc and Tempest to do their research while he did whatever an astromech did when it had a hobby for books.

"I'm lookin' for my former Master. He was a Jedi the last time I knew him, or at least that's what he claimed he was. Since i'm no Sith, I'm betting it was somewhat accurate." He said with the confidence returning back into his tone. "As far as I know, he was a Master. He was my Master, anyway. I can't tell you where he was from, nor his age either. His name was Jo'ron Maal, but I have a feeling it was an alias. Sounds like a long-shot, right?" Luc finished with a chuckle to cover up the defeatist outlook that emerged towards the end. It wasn't his first time running into a dead-end trying to find the man. "And don't worry about it, Miss Jedi. Well uh-- I appreciate the company. 'sides, if any of your comrades wants to bother us, I can use you as an excuse for my being down here." He smirked. "...Or maybe a hostage if they get hostile- Just kiddin', of course~"

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Luckily she didn't know what was going on inside his head. How he turned out to be the respectable chivalrous and gallant type, sacrificing her wellbeing that she should exit the lift gate ahead of him, in case authorities were waiting just outside and prepared to jump him. If she could only have understood how paranoid her truly is, but she just mistook it for nervousness, wether it happens to be that he is within a palace that incites one to experience big feels, or it could be that he is simply talking to a pretty girl. She imagines his type the more butch girls clad in leather, or the complete airhead rah-rah types. She thought it quite normal behavior for a guy like him to be honest. Most young men did develop a little quirkiness when at first being around her.

The truth of it is, and it might be the Force talking here, while Lucien Dooku spoke strangely cryptic, in a way that surely exposed his nervousness, she did not sense any immediate malice in his request. She figured whatever drew him to enter this Temple in the first place, no matter what manner of peculiar statements he could make, he deserved to attain whatever he were after here without obstruction. He knew where to go for it, and he seemed genuine in his quest. Perhaps, just perhaps he was led here just like everyone else.

Could she be entirely wrong about how she perceives him? Is he maybe some sort of Master Illusionist, and his soul truly darkened by evil? Her brow rose in thought as she looked him over. 'He couldn't fool everyone here all at once. Jedi are carrying on taking no notice of him! Could he aspire to be perceived as he speaks about himself, as shadowy?' Tempest could only hope that eventually she shall be able to make sense of him. She stuck with him out of curiosity and hope.

Just when he seemed to begin to relax, he revived his former guarded persona. Luc even seemed to doubt the validity of the one he had claimed to have been his own Master. Tempest suspected Luc is not here to search for anyone who he intended to harm. Then he ran off at the mouth again. Her face scrunched in perplexity as he spoke of her becoming his hostage? "Uh-huh…" she said automatically. Tempest turned abruptly, causing her hair to cascade around one shoulder. "That would be a most amusing turn of events to see; wouldn't it?" This spoken from a woman who is quite confident in her ability to protect herself. She wondered if he would require a demonstration of her abilities at some point. "Do I need to disarm you, Mister Non-A-Jedi? One thing that you could benefit from to know about me, is that I am easily amused." She smiled widely, and most genuinely as she faced him squarely. "However, I have been very bored lately with new studies. I am also an extrovert, so for me to draw the attention of everyone in this room wouldn't bother me." Not to mention her being within her own element certainly could not mount against her!

"Master Jo'ron Maal," the holographic Librarian began. "Follow me."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

He crossed his arms together after she struck back at his teasing with a bit of effort of her own. "Well you got me there, it seems." He said, his eyes moving from her and on towards the holographic librarian who was still engaged in processing their request. "I'm not too big on hurting people who aren't terrible, so if you did happen to make a scene, well.." Luc shrugged, gesturing toward a Jedi who appeared to be supervising this area. "I guess we're in for a pretty long day, aren't we?" He finished it off with a wink despite the implications behind his words. Sometimes he was a terrible joker, but the one thing he could definitely do was hold a poker face like no other. Lucien was teasing though, but there was hints of truth behind even the teasing which would mean no harm in the end. Had their little rendezvous gone the way he assumed -- a trap, that is -- then Luc might've had to take her hostage, or at least the thought would've crossed his mind. Getting rid of the Jedi on his way out would be easier accomplished that way, as the risk for him needing to do harm upon others to make his escape would be lessened greatly in the end.

But luckily for him, Tempest turned out to be a pretty decent person. She didn't set him up with a trap-in-waiting and she even went as far as to help him this whole process through. While he described it as being refreshing before, he'd probably have to tack-on a few more adjectives to better fit the situation. His opinion on the Jedi remained overall the same in any case, but there were always exceptions to any majority rule. Much like the Svrivren Jedi of the Outer Rim, Tempest was an interesting one who actually defied his assumptions. Perhaps even more in her case, but he took his own thoughts with a grain of salt as he realized he was back to generalizing the Svriven Jedi again. There were a few among their ranks he considered interesting and unique, but these were men and women from the Rim. Unlike the Core-worlders, those from the Outer Rim had an eccentricity to them that made individuality pretty common among the lawless systems of his native region. When those same people chose a path of good instead of morally grey or worse, it wasn't uncommon to produce some fairly unique Jedi.

"And if you're so bored with your studies, causin' a ruckus would just mean you'd have to return to your studies sooner, am I right?" Luc said, just as the librarian interjected and informed them her search had been completed. It prompted them to follow, and follow Luc did after motioning for Tempest to join him. If she chose to follow, Luc would slowly trail behind the awaiting droid, taking a moment to continue their conversation before they reached their destination. "Besides, trust me when I say there's alot of interesting things out there in the galaxy to discover and explore that simply can't be found up in a book. It's probably why I never grew attached to the idea of living in a Temple." The librarian eventually came to a stop in front of a terminal, then proceeded to pull up all the information pertaining to the man in question. "Thanks, I think we can take it from here." Luc said, scooting over a bit so that Tempest could view the terminal without looking over his shoulders.

A hint of surprise entered his face after he spotted the holoimage of his Master, a definitive first from all of the fragmented records he came across at previous locations. "Yeah...that's definitely him." He began, the first page lingering for just long enough for her to capture in his visuals. The next page, which happened to be the last, was brief but complete with his service record with the Order. Surprise turned into intrigue, the dots from his past and what he was seeing being put together into a collective story. "Mast-- I mean, Jo'ron, apparently visited the Temple a few weeks after he left my home world. He leased out one of the Temple's ships and headed for the Southern half of the Rim- Weird." Luc tapped his chin out of habit, his other hand magnifying and scrolling through the information towards the bottom of the page. "Flight logs have him visiting Terminus and Hoth before the transponder went dark..can't tell which one he went to first, though."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

The logic behind everything he said turned out to be so amusing that when he questioned her on wether if she should cause a scene should give her immediate cause to return to her studies, she first snorted then burst out laughing. That in itself caused a scene as each of the roving Librarians turned their ghostly holographic faces towards her direction and emitted a robust, "SSSHHHHHHHHH!!!"

She imagined herself getting thrown out of her own Library and he would be left to whatever devices he can so imagine to tickle his fancy. A humorous grimace forged with her smile. "Whatever you are up to, it is already a long, long day for me," Tempest affirmed. "But I have a feeling its just something you manage to cause wether or not you feel the need to try your hand at it at all," she teased, nodding. "You seem to have a very grim outlook, probably justified I fear." She only recently faced her own inner demons and had to commit to change. She bet that after time he too would evolve beyond the limitations and negativity imposed upon his past.

Tempest followed Lucien Dooku as the Librarian lead the way. "You can determine my life story up to this point in time because I am a Jedi standing in a Jedi Temple right now?" she wondered what was giving him cause to suspect that about her. In fact although Tempest is still young, she never stayed put for long. She started living on the move since she was born. This didn't mean she likely would not settle into society somewhere in the future, but all during her past she basically considered home to be her ship. She was flying on her own since she turned eleven. "I might have given you more credit than you deserve," she figured he should have had better deduction skills. "If you have been hunting for your master with that type of speculation skills, then its no wonder you haven't gotten anywhere."

The Librarian stopped in front of a terminal and produced information for Luc. Tempest remained quiet and observant sensing the affect the information had on him. At first he seemed very relieved, but soon she could tell he was disappointed that there wasn't more. "When did you last see him, Luc?" She hoped there would not be too much lapse in time and some hope to be able to successfully track him.

After a few minutes left to Luc's research, a different droid started down their row and came to a stop close to the two. It spoke with a metallic guttural voice and presented a tarnished metal lock box to Luc. "There exists a mandate that whoever comes looking for Master Jo'ron Maal be given the contents of this box."

Entranced, Tempest drew near to Luc, looking to the droid and then the box. The droid handed him the box, before retreating back down the row. "That's it?" she said.

Little did they know though, that the droid's actions and its little speech drew attention from outside authorities.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc chuckled as Tempest's actions caused her to receive a loud hush from one of the librarians in the room. "Ah- gotta love libraries." He said quietly before letting out a yawn. Quiet was not the norm where he was from, and while he respected those who enjoyed their solitude, he was a much bigger fan of liveliness and the positivity that could come with it. One of his main gripes with visiting Jedi temples had been how vehement they were about their noise levels around the Temple. If it weren't a training room -- and even then you were expected to remain quiet on the sidelines -- there was clear lack of emotion in everything that they did. Understandable- they were Jedi, after all, he thought. While the Librarian lead them to the terminal and the pair engaged in conversation, he made sure to pay attention to every word that was coming his way. He made a few assumptions of her, had taken one or two back so far, but there was much to interpret from the feistiness she was dishing back to him. He grinned at each sentence, somewhat amused at the amount of snark that she was able to dish out in return. It was uncharacteristic to her breed of Jedi, in his opinion, but by that point he was starting to understand that perhaps she was of a similar breed as him.

Rough around the edges with a past either heavy or tough, was what he deducted. Whatever her past was, it had led her to the life of a Jedi in the end. Even if he didn't inherently believe in the force being an overall guiding hand in one's life, he'd be remiss to say that there weren't times when the force could nudge someone's fate in a direction of their own choosing. He was the perfect example of that, in his opinion. Analyzing the Jedi came to a stop upon hearing the last comment towards his own deduction skills, as he let out a laugh that he simply couldn't hold. More pairs of eyes were sent their way as a result, and the same librarian repeated her warning towards him this time around. Offering a quick apology to the librarian, they'd reach the terminal and from there the pieces began to come together for the first time in years.

When Tempest asked about the last time he saw Jo'ron, Luc paused as he reviewed the information on the terminal, his right-eye lighting up with a bright glow as he activated his wrist-mounted NAVI and copied the contents of Jo'ron's records into his personal repository. "On my homeworld." He replied, the finer details being omitted for reasons that were all too obvious to him, but unfortunately not to her. It was easier to provide the bare minimum for that answer than to explain the intricacies of how he was Imperial Nobility, and then explain even further how it all tied into his exile and escape from a duty to the Sith order. "Two years ago to the week, actually." He continued, then shut down the terminal once he'd gathered the rest of the information that was on it. Another droid made its way over to the pair, delivering a box into his hands along with a message from his master, he presumed.

"That's it?" Tempest asked him, to which he gave a shrug in her direction. "I guess that's the case-- no pun intended.." Luc replied, his gaze moving towards the box and analyzing its exterior for any sign of familiarity to his past. Jo'ron had never been the type of master who dealt in half-answers and mysteries, but Luc was beginning to understand that perhaps what he knew wasn't entirely correct. He opened up the box right then and there, revealing its contents to be a single holocron sitting snug into a fitted slot at the bottom. "Well, this just got interesting." Luc eyed Tempest, then scanned the room for any prying eyes into their business. His wrist moved closer to his lips next, a quick message being delivered to R4, informing him it was about time to pack things up. The droid began to head their way shortly after the message was delivered. With his attention back to Tempest, Luc pocketed the holocron inside a hidden pocket in his jacket. "Your master never left you cryptic holocrons, i'm guessing?" He teased. "...Neither did mine. In any case, this search just turned into a mystery, and what we just found might just be the clue I was looking for." He patted his jacket over the spot where it sat.

A subtle shift in movement was spotted from behind Tempest in the next following breath. A man had eyed the pair not long after the box was opened, then disappeared with a communicator in hand that he did his best to conceal. It might have worked for anyone other than Lucien, and while he didn't visibly react as to not frighten off the Jedi who had been keeping him company up to that point, nonetheless he made note of it as relevant to what was going on. His former master had never been one for intrigue, but now he was working under the assumption that all was not as it seemed. Normally he'd just sell the holocron to the highest bidder, but this one was special. Jo'ron wouldn't have left it for presumably him if it weren't the case. His gaze returned to Tempest as he let off a grin, downplaying what had just happened for now. "You know of somewhere more uh, private around this temple? It might be best that the item isn't broadcasted for everyone here to see."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

She found herself full of smiles for him and oddly she became aware of the fact herself. She likes his personality. Tempest typically has two sides. The quiet personality reserved for people she doesn't know or understand for having absolutely nothing in common, most old people fall into this category, along with people who have a stick up their butt. She exhibits her more comfortable exuberant persona when in the presence of those she trusts, or at least can get along with. Somehow Lucien Dooku went from a stranger to comfortable within minutes, at least so he seemed. She figured it possibly so because of how he kept her trying to figure him out. He seemed genuine, and at least to her, unique and refreshing.

Two years to have been disconnected with the one he called his Master, Tempest understood must have been a heart wrenching experience. Many Masters form a strong mental bond with their students. They devote their lives to expanding the skills of their Padawans, and vow to assist them during times of duress if they are able. Most Padawans don't venture away from the side of their Masters, they dedicate their time to servitude in return for the life saving knowledge they are granted. Tempest on the other hand, never stayed available for her Master's beck and call. Her youth was filled with loss, and deep seated within her subconscious was the fear that she would lose her Master too. Her solution was to emotionally remove herself so she could survive another loss. Luckily enough, she recently learned that she had this issue concerning him and others. Today, she resolves to correct her instinctive reaction, and bet on the hardship route, because it is far better than trying to live already committed to death.

That Luc was granted anything at all as a keepsake was nothing short of a miracle. She knew he belonged here right at this moment, and she felt glad she could have been the one to help him find some resolve. After studying his expression regarding the man for whom he was researching, she felt his connection true. Because of this, she resolved early on that had anyone stepped in to dissuade him from his research, she would step up for him.

That he had something he could take away with him, she figured it likely that he would go directly, which led her to at least hope that he would…maybe…ask for her comlink number. If he didn't she would understand. Maybe there is someone; 'Of course, why wouldn't someone like him already have someone waiting for him at home?' She did what she needed to do to help him. Such things happen all the time to Jedi. People come, and they go once they receive what they came for. But he asked for a private room from here, not to inspect the item on his ship. She perked up very curious to what information was hidden in the holocron, and also pleased to have a little more time with someone interesting.

"Sure. This way," she said excitedly, but understanding full well that this did not mean she is instantly invited to join him. This is his quest, and his finding after all. It's highly personal, and not like they just passed through a flea market and found something ancient together. She led the way to one of many little rooms on the end of the rows. They were reserved for private study. The door opened automatically. She stepped inside and immediately showed him how the door locks, so that nobody would be able to intrude.

"It's nice meeting you, Luc," she said, frozen in the doorway. She planned on not letting him leave here without watching for him like a hawk when he should come out of the room, and catching up to him while on his way out of the Temple.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Lucien gave off a smile after she agreed to show him somewhere a bit more private before he decided to take a look at the contents of the holocron. "Thanks." He replied, his tone softening with a bit more sincerity this time around when compared to the playful vibe that he carried himself with before. R4 rendezvoused with them along the way, but Luc didn't bother responding to the query of binary it greeted him with as it stopped to speak with its master. Lucien instead kept on following Tempest, a hand raising up and forming a series of gestures that the droid knew how to interpret after spending so much time together with Lucien. It was a form of sign-language that the pair used to communicate when security was a necessity for any number of reasons. In this case, Lucien had spotted the same individual from before out in the corner of his peripheral, the man's head clearly trailing the pair as they walked- a fact that he continued to keep to himself.

R4 chimed back over their shared comms as Luc and Tempest walked out of speaking range, confirming that he got the message that was given. Afterwards the droid made its way towards the turbolift, entering the lift as soon as it appeared and disappearing from the archives on a mission of its own. Luc smirked to himself, although it quickly dissapated into a soft grin as it had done before once they reached a study room at the end of the archive's vast expanse of books. Lucien didn't bother sitting once he was inside the room, instead choosing to stand over the table located within the middle of the room. Tempest stood within the doorway, her eyes glued upon Lucien as his own set of blue-grey orbs remained focused upon her as well.

"It's nice meeting you, Luc." She said, to which chuckled and gave a wink in her direction. "Agreed, Tempest. The pleasure was certainly mine." was his response, along with motioning her to enter the room with him. If she did just that, a hand would raise into the air, a pair of finger twirling in a circular motion as the doors behind them closed within an instant through an unnecessary use of the force. "And since you've come this far with me, I have no issue with you being here for the finale." He continued, the holocron entering his hand a moment later. He concentrated on the metallic object, the force flowing through his body and into the object, activating it a moment later for both of them to see.

The outcome of its activation struck him as even more intriguing than before. A feint red glow emanated off the object, a far-cry from what he was expecting when the librarian provided him a box that was clearly something from his master. He could feel the taint of the dark-side pulsing from the artifact as it shifted from its natural cube-like form, conglomerating into a pyramid shape with intermittent pulses of red energy coming from its core. From the top emerged a figure clad in a dark robe, the man's long salt-and-pepper beard clearly reminiscent to him of his master's own facial hair. His eyes shifted from the holocron in his hand and moved over to Tempest, his intent being on seeing her response to the events underway. He returned his attention back to the holocron seconds later as the holographic figure began to speak.

"Lucien." It said, the voice distorted, albeit faintly resembling Jo'ron's tone. "I'm certain it was you who received this message, as it was intended from the start. You were not my first, but definitely the most intriguing one which I had the pleasure to take under my wing. The fact that you've sought me out to this extent, and have acquired this gift which I've left to you, is testament to the fact that no other student of mine has ever reached a point where I deemed them acceptable to graduate from my tutelage. Now you may be curious as to why your training ended so abruptly, but rest assured that it never truly ended, my boy. Greater heights to ascend to await you, if you so wish to continue your quest to seek me out. But rest assured that the task will not be without its fair share of danger, but if I know my student, perilous situations have never been enough to deter you from achieving what you wish to find."

"With that said, I leave you a final warning before this message will come to an end. Finding this message will undoubtedly have raised alarms for certain parties who share the mutual goal of seeking me out. Dangerous individuals who will stop to no end to recover this holocron-- to find me -- and eliminate those who stand in their way of acquiring what I took for myself prior to our separation on Serenno." The man grinned beneath his hooded form, a chuckle escaping his lips. "A dangerous path lies ahead of you, Prince Lucien, but I look forwards to seeing if you have what it takes to find me. Whether it is to claim what i've acquired, or to seek the answers you wish. Till we meet again, my student."

The holocron shifted into its normal state once the message ended, and Lucien returned it to his pocket after spending a few moments staring down at the table in silent intrigue. His gaze shifted back to Tempest, the grin no longer sitting on his face as it had done previously before, instead being replaced by a much more neutral expression, perhaps even a hint of anger being visible as well. Lucien was less worried about himself or whatever his master had acquired than he was about the general message that he'd interpreted regarding his master overall. Had Jo'ron fallen? Did the dark consume him long before, yet Lucien never noticed? He wanted answers, more than anything now. "...Thanks. I guess I have an idea now of what happened-- and what I need to do."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Luc winked at Tempest for the second time and she practically blushed. It didn't take him long to give her cause to understand that she probably should watch out for him! She lit up with a twinge if excitement when he invited her to remain and observe the activating of a Holocron. Anything could be in there. Of course she will stay a little while longer!

The energy in the room shifted, not when Luc used the Force, but as the Holocron began to open up to reveal its secrets. Tempest moved to gather a better view but remained cautionary at a distance. Some Holocrons have been known to harbor the actual Force Ghost of their maker; they could initiate actual lessons in the Force, or blade wielding. What she felt gave her cause for alarm. She held her new acquaintance in regard while Lucien Dooku gazed upon her for a brief moment amidst his discovery. He would note her expression have evolved from playful to seriousness for perhaps the first time yet. Her own Master, Syn was never born but created a Sith Spawn, lived for an eternity to this day, and he is a devout Jedi now. But she never saw him raise the darkside even to train her. He had some amazing and very uncommon skills considering most Jedi, but she never displaced her complete trust in him. The emotions she felt emanate from Luc regarding his missing Master were far from full trust at this point. She felt his disappointment.

A warning went off in her mind when she listened to Luc's Master's message, and he seemed to lure his student with praise for his accomplishment, and promise of his graduating in skill or rank for having come this far. Is this a test of his abilities? Is this a ruse? A lure? Or to see if he would continue regardless of learning about his Master's alignment? Did Luc know any of this beforehand? How the Holocron survived stored away in the Jedi Temple without someone determining its potential for darkness, she had no idea. Is this some sort of a sick joke?

'Prince? Oh wow.' Is that title mentioned to coax his ego as well? The end of the message sounded like a direct and sinister challenge. All of it rang true as manipulation or likely abusive. Sensing his emotional attachment to his Master, she felt that if anything, he needs guidance.

An aura of pure Light radiated from Tempest, not physically seen but one that could be felt. She took her take on this development seriously. Tempest sat down as he closed the Holocron. "Lucien, the way that Holocron feels to me, your alignment doesn’t radiate that. Is there a chance that maybe this message isn’t from your Master?" The man was shadowing his face under a cowl. "Didn’t you form a mental bond with him that could assure you answers now?" Master Syn was always able to reach out to her mentally from across the galaxy. He knew when she needed him, when she needed guidance, and when she needed to be cautioned.

She doesn’t know his skill level. "We don’t know one another but I worry that if you follow this lead then you may find yourself facing some potentially burdensome challenges. The kind that test your resolve." She worried about his alignment; he didn't feel entirely aligned with the Light. "Head out on this and there could be no turning back. Please don’t continue your search alone." Surely he has comrades he will take along with him, or better yet, someone close to him who will advise him properly, or watch out for him.

She hoped that her advice doesn't seem oppressive, she is only looking out for him. Even in the little bit of time she has had with him, she recognized him as one gem worth saving, if he were to take the dangerous route of needing to be saved.

A strange sensation hit the Knight that something is about to go down. The instance she received her Intuition, resulted only seconds just before there was the sound of approaching footsteps rushing the door, Tempest rose from her seat and pulling Luc up out of his chair she wrapped her arms around him. Holding him tight, she immediately cloaked them both, resulting in the room taking on the appearance that no one is inside it at all. The door was then kicked in by a group of four men, who wore uniforms designating them to be city officials. Looking up at Luc, she slowly raised a delicate finger to Luc's lips to encourage his silence.

A Jedi Master utilizing his vision of Force Sight stood behind the group of men, and he looked right at Tempest who sent her thoughts out to him, I do not understand exactly what this is about. The Jedi then said to the men, "You took them by surprise and here they have already gone from this room." He provided Tempest and Luc a window to attempt to escape the Temple.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Lucien wanted to agree with Tempest on the validity of the message coming from his master, but no matter his personal feelings on the matter, there was definitely a chance if anything. He shook his hand after a moment of contemplation. "It's possible- Maybe it isn't, but then again, it damn well could be." He said with the bleaker tone that came about towards the end of the holocron's viewing. His master had always been somewhat of an aloof man, and his ties to the Sith-aligned House of the Serenno-Dooku line provided more credence to the validity of the man's identity beneath the dark-themed cloak and hood. Her next response prompted the biting of his lip, and afterwards a chuckle in spite of the otherwise grim feelings that were emanating off of his aura. "I thought I did at one point." He began to speak as he leaned onto the table and tapped at the edge with his fingers. "But after we parted ways, whatever connection that was there, it simply disappeared. I was searching for two years- essentially shooting in the dark and hoping to hit a target, y'know?"

It was two long years of being on his own, essentially lost to the void and casting himself across the galaxy in search of a man who didn't want to be found. Lucien reconnected with every mutual source he could find and delved into the underworld to find any potential trail that could lead him to where his master had set his feet and maybe left a clue to his location. Each attempt ended in failure besides his most recent connection with Jinnosha Zord, a Hutt who he knew for years by then after meeting the man through his master. He did a job for the Hutt which led to Luc finally having a lead that bore results, and the credits necessary to keep him afloat while he underwent the search.

Luc had gotten some much-needed answers, but with it came the segue into a mystery in which someone -- maybe even his master -- was beckoning Lucien by title and name, calling for him to follow the trail if he wanted to reach a conclusion to whatever the Prince sought out. Tempest must've picked up on his rising determination on the matter, as he pushed off the table with closed fists and narrowed eyes focused at the corner of the room. She spoke to him once again, cautioning him against following what may be a dangerous and dark path to follow. Blue-grey orbs shifted into his direction once she finished speaking, his cold expression softening just enough to lose the menacing scowl that was slowly enveloping his lips.

"My resolve has been tested since the moment I abandoned both my family and their plans for my future." Luc replied, unraveling his fists and resting his hands within his jacket. "I knew the path I chose would have its burdens, but I have to follow it no matter the danger that is set within my path. Whatever or whoever this is-- My master trained me to face my challenges head-on, even if the path I must walk is one where I stand alone." He finished his sentence with a sigh, yet his senses shifted with alertness as a familiar chill resonated across his frame in response to the force subtly calling out to his mind. "Hm--" Seconds passed between the feeling and a sense of solidarity with Tempest's own feelings, judging from the expression on her face. She reached out to him and grasped his body tightly, the door to their room being kicked open by individuals who appeared to be Corsucant authorities, potentially acquaintances of the man he'd spotted trailing them earlier.

She cloaked their presence with the force, the retinue of officials streaming into the room in front of a lone Master who saw through their ruse with his own application of the force. Unlike the others, the Jedi was seemingly not aligned, and Lucien took heed of this fact and took advantage of the opportunity before the others had a chance to react. Still holding upon Tempest, Luc shuffled them towards the door, raising her slightly off her feet in an effort to carry her with him without risking their feet getting entangled together as they made their exit. The Jedi peered at them while the authorities searched the room and examined the empty box that was left sitting on the table. Lucien gave the man a nod seeing as he could see them anyway, the Master responded with a solemn nod of his own. It was only after they had exited the room and moved out of line of sight did he let her go, grabbing her by the hand and moving at an increased pace towards the turbolift at the front of the room.

"Perhaps not all of you Jedi aren't that bad." Luc said mid-strut, looking back towards Tempest with a grin. His heart had picked up with excitement with the introduction of a foreign element that was connected to the holocron, and by extension the man who left the message. Luc weaved the two through the rows of books, avoiding another scattered group who were there to support the other group in the room. A hand extended outwards, a palm enclosing into a fist as he dragged it in a downwards angle, a row of books off in the far corner of the room being brought to a collapse in the process. "...I'll pay for the damages later." He muttered to Tempest, then dashed towards the turbolift with hopefully her in tow once the men had moved to converge on the disturbance that clearly shattered the room's previous air of silence.


Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Tempest did understand what drove Lucien Dooku to feel driven to search for his missing Master. She truly did, and she was relieved to hear the way he spoke of it all. He knew the risks posed to him. He also acknowledged the mystery that remained, whether or not the being luring him to follow is his master or someone else.

His exact words struck a chord with her, "even if the path I must walk is one where I stand alone…" Something happened inside of Tempest in that moment. She realized that Luc has gone about this all alone for the past two years. 'You have nobody,' she realized, 'or you wouldn't have gone alone.' That was a terrible feeling she knew well. She thought about what she would do if Master Syn suddenly went missing, how she would do everything in her power to rescue him and return him to the light if he had fallen. She read many stories about how Jedi could always sense the good in people, and it could be just a little spark of light inside, which is all that one needs to begin on their path to redemption. She didn't honestly know much about Luc, but she does see this light inside of him, not a little of it either, but a whole lot. She felt he shouldn't go about whatever happens to be going on, all alone.

While she cloaked both herself and Luc to hide from people who had been following him, and he lifted her off her feet to carry her out of the room along with him, she smirked highly amused, for her Master had done that to her so many times while she was but a youngling, she being quite small when she first met him. 'Okay then,' she thought, apparently Syn and Luc have something in common.

As he put her down again, and they then entered the turbolift to escape up to the ground floor, Luc reached out in the Force and toppled a few library stacks. Tempest heard the Librarian holograms go ballistic, blaming the disaster on the men they saw, the same men who are searching for Luc, and just so happen to be weaving in and out of the rows of books in their search. She saw one man suddenly turn her way and begin to race towards the lift just as the doors were closing.

Inside the ascending lift she stood facing Luc like the time before. "Well you sure know how to kill boredom," she declared with a straight face as the lift departed. "And I am sure I am no longer regarded as this library's most troublesome member, a miracle, concerning which I am grateful to you."

She tried to rationalize what should happen next. Logic surfaced in her mind, warning of dangers to come, where she would go, who she might meet, and maybe a little trepidation about him…but the Will of the Force cast aside all of it regardless and urged her follow it's own plans. For once Tempest listened to that Will, just as she had recently promised she would do. "You no longer need to search alone," she said with utmost sincerity. Looking at him, wondering exactly how he feels about her offer to join him.

In a matter of seconds she was again Cloaking both their physical presences in case anyone was waiting for them just on the other side of the lift doors as the turbolift came to a stop. As the door opened automatically, she urged Luc to run out of there along with her. The thugs who were seeking them out, met the lift with its door wide open, and the two were already racing through the main hall for the Temple's main exit.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Lucien let out an exhale the moment the doors to the turbolift closed, the two of them being provided a moment of respite in what was otherwise a quickly rising situation for the two. It wasn't as if he was alarmed by the appearance of Coruscant's authorities -- corrupt or not -- but a part of him felt a bit responsible for dragging Tempest into the mix with him. Lucien had tackled his issues alone in the past; it didn't matter if they were the planetary authorities, Mandalorians, or thugs on the payroll of a Crimelord or two. He'd gotten himself into the thick of trouble in the past, and in each time he'd dragged himself out of it one way or another. The common denominator was a lack of collateral on his behalf, and right about then he was feeling the heat of breaking that cardinal rule for the first time ever. As much as her company had been appreciated, Tempest was a far-cry from the spacer who happened to have been a Jedi at one point, and he assumed she had a life that didn't need complicating by the introduction of one such as himself.

He closed his eyes, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned against the wall and focused inwards on his thoughts. He was trying to figure out the easiest way to get her to safety, or at the least come up with a solid plan to divert every ounce of attention upon himself. Thoughts raced from one to another until he felt the vibrations of her steps upon the metal tiles, a single eye opening as she turned to face him and break the silence which enveloped the lift. "Well you sure know how to kill boredom." She said with a straight face, prompting a soft smile in return from the spacer who was otherwise lost in thought. "Yeah, well, I try~" Luc replied, his eyelid shutting back closed and his thoughts resuming back to the surface as she continued to try and engage him in conversation.

It wasn't in his nature to be unresponsive or outright cold to someone as refreshing as she had been to him, but he couldn't just shake the feeling that his continued presence would be a burden to whatever she her plans were for the future. Unlike him, she was a Jedi, and not just some guy who had minimal ties to the any of the various orders. She had obligations that could definitely be muddled if the men who were after him were able to tie a name to her face for being associated with him. It wasn't as if she could go about doing the things that he could, seeing that he'd enveloped himself into the life of a spacer with ties to some of the seedier parts of the galaxy's underworld. The life he'd come to live called for hard choices to simply survive at times, and his principles were constantly tested when faced against the seedier elements out there in the world. In spite of this all, he was happy to have met her, even if their time together was fated to be cut short.

That's what he was thinking, at least. He opened his eyes with a raised brow as he tuned back in to hear her words once again. "You no longer need to search alone." She said, prompting him to kick off the wall with the bottom of his boot and take a step forwards out of curiosity. A part of him assumed she was naive for assuming that she could assist him on his journey. Then again, it was most likely his own reservations that was prompting that thought. "I don't think you know understand what you're getting yourself into, Tempest." Lucien finally spoke up, just as the doors to the turbolift opened and she reached out to cloak their presence once more. He followed after her now that she took the initiative to head out the doors first, a few quick words being spoken into his wrist-mounted communicator before he'd caught up to her pace.

Their pursuers were left in the hall behind them as he reached out to grab her hand, increasing his pace as the pair began the final dash for the entrance leading to the outside of the temple. As soon as the two reached the outside, Lucien's starfighter appeared from behind a large building in the distance, thrusters activating just long enough to give it just enough momentum for the astromech droid piloting it to hover it right down onto the ground in front of the temple. The glass of the cockpit began to raise the moment before it landed, and Luc would let go of her hand and give her a small push forwards. "There's only one seat, so if you're comin' along, we're improvising till we find something bigger." He spoke up, a hand whipping the blaster from its holster in the next instance as he spun around towards their pursuers who had closed in behind them.

A volley of well-placed bolts were sent downrange with pinpoint accuracy, the impact of each individual shot colliding with their weapons and rendering their blasters unusable. Normally he'd aimed center-mass, but their presence outside the Jedi temple called for a bit more subtly, if only out of respect for Tempest's position within the order. After she entered the cockpit, Lucien would leap onto Midnight's wing just as it began to hover off the ground, and R4 would guide them out of the vicinity of the Jedi Temple. Raising his communicator back to his lips, Lucien's voice would emit from the speakers inside of the starfighter's cockpit. "We're heading for the spaceport. One way or another, we're finding something more accommodating to get us off this planet."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Lucien Dooku didn't refuse her help, but he did seem to imply that he thought she hadn't lived much up to this day. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, but accompanied a secretive smirk. While he is correct in assuming she may not have had many run-ins with terribly corrupt underground types, the open galaxy is not foreign to her either. She prefers life out amongst the stars than planet-bound. But how could he know so soon after just meeting her, that her life had not consisted merely of living within the confines of the Jedi Order barracks, with her nose stuffed in books, only reading about real life, rather than living it? She definitely shall prove him wrong in this assumption, and took absolutely no offense to his voiced warning. As a Jedi, her ego is always kept in check, instead she was pleased he did not out right refuse her offer, for it meant a new journey would be beginning. The best one's always just fell into her lap. She looks forward to new journeys with much hope for a successful outcome.

Tempest tapped her communicator on her wrist and notified Master Syn that she will be embarking on a privately funded search and rescue mission. He would typically explain her absence to the Order, which the Council is quite accustomed to hearing, regarding her track record for lack of policy or proceedings regarding such matters. Tempest has always been a fly by night Jedi, she is always on the move, responding to a whisper on the wind. She has not fully settled into the diplomatic assignment roles of the Jedi Order, but prefers to venture out among the stars often to do that which a single Jedi is mostly guided to do and without warning, that being to Jedi without red tape, or strings, and without being under anyone's command except that of the Force itself.

Their escape was aided by dabbling a bit in the Force for assistance. She saw the little Starfighter Luc headed towards and she reached out to the present Jedi Telepathically requesting they bide her some time to get to her ship. Tempest reached back with the Force and caused their foes a fumble here and there. She was relieved to see Luc take aim but not kill anyone. That earned him points, especially that she would be the one obligated to return to face the music. Truthfully she did not even know whether or not those who had come looking for Luc, by barging into the conference room had been local officials. If they had been, maybe they were bought. It didn't matter to her, and thankfully it didn't matter to the Jedi.

As she entered the cockpit and the Astromech lifted off, she watched those who had been chasing them make a beeline in the opposite direction. She saw a Jedi standing there, still as a tree, he made the men believe that she and Luc were still running ahead of them on foot.

"That way." Tempest pointed to the guide the Astromesh to pilot the Starfighter towards the Spaceport. She wasn't going to take control and risk Luc plummeting to his death. His droid would be far better to handle to controls with the necessary delicate air. Tempest next tapped her wrist-communicator and ordered her TS-C Droid to open the hangar on her ship. She planned she would point it out once they get close enough.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

R4 chimed back at Tempest with a positive response, something which he typically never did with Lucien unless his owner had something to show or give him that interested the fickle droid. As she guided the droid to a specific dock once the trio had reached the spaceport, Lucien peered down upon the lone star yacht parked in the center with a smirk forming on his face. He'd seen his fair share of star yachts back on Serenno, but truthfully it'd been quite a while since he'd seen an expensive vessel with the intent of actually going inside of it, and maybe just temporarily commandeering it for a while too. "Bring her down, R4." Lucien communicated to the droid, who responded by bringing Midnight to a slow hover until the starfighter touched down near the back of the platform.

Lucien hopped off Midnight's wing before she had a chance to touch down onto the landing platform. Surprisingly the Yacht's hangar doors began to open as soon as his feet hit the ground, which prompted Luc to grin as he moved up the ramp and into the hangar of the ship. A quick scan revealed nothing out of the ordinary besides a lone TS-C droid making its way in his direction.

"R4, bring her in." He ordered the droid, who would proceed to fly the starfighter into a tight corner of the hangar once Tempest made her exit out of the cockpit. He stretched his arms out, removing the jacket and tying it across his waist once he'd finished a quick search of the hangar for any signs of life. Lucien wasn't planning on killing the owners or anything like that, but the last thing they needed were extra passengers if the plan was to commandeer their vessel until further notice.

Eventually he was approached by the TS-C droid, who had previously been busy running diagnostic checks on the ship from the terminal located in the hangar. "Hey, droid." Luc tapped the mechanical being on its shoulder. "If you're into the idea of self-preservation, it's within your best interests to do a few things for me. One, inform me of any other organics located on the ship, and two, regard myself and the woman as your new owners for an undetermined amount of time. That is, unless you want this ship and yourself in it to go kaboom, if you catch my drift." He flashed the droid a smirk, then turned towards Tempest and giving her a wink.

They were running on a tight schedule to get off world and the last thing they needed was a zealous droid attempting to screw them over in the process. He figured the droid would agree unless it was too stupid to value its own self-of-being, and even if it betrayed them later it could always end up spaced to the void. While predominantly a starfighter droid, R4 had lived long enough to pilot a multitude of ships during his tenure beneath many other owners, including his former master's own star yacht way back in the day.

 

[Tempest Yore]

Tempest caught a hint of a sinister feeling mixed with elation when she watched Luc jump off the wing of his starfighter once he decided where to set down on the spaceport tarmac. She was about to speak but stopped herself, prepared instead to observe the master at work. He ordered his Astromesh droid pilot his ship into the hangar of the yatch without her even conversing with him regarding which ship were even her's. Maybe he thought she doesn't even own one at all? She leapt from the cockpit early enough to catch Lucien Dooku threaten the pilot droid that was standing inside the hangar. She pursed her lips together and gave a nod with her head tilted to encourage the droid to agree to do as he instructed.

She played along with his little game of stealing "such a magnificent vessel," named 'The Indomitable,' she remarked. "It's an Innesco class, yes?" insinuating she has at least some experience with ships to accurately identify it by its pleasingly sleek looks.

The main gathering area was "quite lavish indeed! And so spacious!" she declared immediately upon exiting the hangar and entering the main part of the vessel. She wondered if Luc would respect it for what it is, "a piece of art. Someone is surely going to be sad if this place get's messed up."

There were a few hologram imagery projectors scattered about the tables. She grabbed the nearest one and simply held onto it, turning it over in her hands, as she made her way to the front of the ship towards the cockpit.

The TS-C Pilot Droid approached her but she made a motion with her hand to silence it before it got chatty with her. "Just…get us…out of here," she insisted, "Now," she added in a stern tone.

She slipped into the plush leather flight chair across from the pilot droid at the helm, and along with the droid prepared the yatch for liftoff. The hangar closed just as the landing gear left the ground.

She busied herself with the controls and turned to Luc. "I'll let you worry about whoever might be tracking this ship. I can say, I don't often hear of people having such a fine piece of machinery just drop into their lap." She tossed the hologram image viewer towards him. She expects he shall have a grand surprise once he gazes at the face of the owner of the ship. "You should at least lay your eyes on the person whose ship you are stealing. You owe them that much respect."

"In light of this, when we retell this story to the authorities, between the two of us, just who kidnapped who here?" she asked him.

Is it she who has miraculously gained the upper hand in their budding relationship?

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc grinned a bit as she entered the hangar and started to make her way inwards with that same bubbly tone that he'd come to appreciate since meeting her. He finished tinkering with the hangar's terminal and trailed behind her while she surprisingly took the lead into the ship's interior. The ship was definitely an expensive piece of work, he'd admit that. Star Yachts weren't cheap, and the one they'd picked up was just as impressive, if not that gaudy as he expected these things to typically be. "It's pretty uhh...pretty? i'll give the owner that." Luc replied once she finished speaking, taking a moment to wander around the main section of the vessel out of curiosity.

"A bit too...let's just say beautiful for my tastes, but nonetheless a fine ship that'll get us where we need to be quick. But as long as there's a good bed and a decent kitchen i've got no complaints." It was a mostly honest response, if only to not sound insulting if the aesthetics were something she took interest in. That wasn't to say Lucien wasn't a fan of aesthetic things himself, he just preferred his vessels to be mostly comfortable while extremely practical in its design. The life of a spacer called for practicality over gaudiness unless you were dealing with a Hutt, and he'd grown accustomed to the low-society lifestyle that replaced his old life's norms. It gave him a weird feeling to be taking something so expensive- almost as if it were a reminder of the life he once had before. Luc shook the feeling off as he turned around to an empty room, with Tempest having left towards the cockpit earlier.

He finished a quick sweep of the section before heading towards the cockpit in search of Tempest. The ship rocked familiarly from the landing gears reentering the hull and the vessel began raising into the air. "Now this in interesting." Luc said as he turned into the cockpit room to see Tempest and the droid at work. He began putting together the gist of what was going on when she tossed him he the image viewer that confirmed whose ship they had 'commandeered'. He didn't expect for her to have such a nice ship, let alone something as expensive as a Star Yacht of all things.

Granted his starfighter probably was more expensive, he had the luxury of being self-employed and not on a Jedi's salary, which wasn't that great. He wouldn't question her on it, as the details really didn't matter all that much to him. Between her apparent savviness on board a ship and the feisty throwbacks she sent his way, he felt pretty content with being around her, regardless of the finer details of their respective backgrounds. Assuming she would accompany him till end of this...adventure, they had plenty of time to get to know eachother anyway. "You should at least lay your eyes on the person whose ship you are stealing. You owe them that much respect." She laid the finishing sentence on him like a hammer right to the knee. To be fair, he totally didn't threaten her droid and waltz in like he owned the place.

"I've been lookin' into your eyes since we've met, actually. I guess we're even on the not noticing the finer details on that one, but i'll concede defeat-- for you."

Luc would chime in, having spent a few seconds too long enamored by her visage with flustered cheeks and a grin on his face. He moved across the room and sat in the co-pilot's chair backwards so he was still facing her direction. "But uh, sorry about the whole threatening your droid thing. Feel free to label me the kidnapper if somehow things get a bit awry, yeah? I might have to blast my way out of your hangar, but at least you'll be free of any wrongdoing." He was more worried about who they'd encounter in the future than he was the authorities. The people that were after him were now after them, and at the least their influence was substantial enough to have some of the local authorities on their payroll.

As to how influential they were, or who they were, he hoped to discover these questions soon enough. He figured Jinnosha could provide some help if they needed it, but Keldooine was far out of the way compared to where they needed to be. "We've got two options; Terminus or Hoth. I'm personally not a fan of the cold, and the force isn't providin' me any assistance on this one, so how about Terminus? Dangerous, poverty-ridden, and filled to the brim with the seediest crimelords in that side of the galaxy." He smirked. "Should be fun to visit."

Tempest Yore

 

[Tempest Yore]

Tempest would define her residence as chic. Her eyes widened at the notion of Luc seemingly expressing his distaste, although mildly. He is a man, a little rough around the edges, so she did not hold it against him. If there is one thing all would agree on, her ship is immaculate inside and out. One of her best loved qualities is the reflectiveness of the vessel. This has aided her many times with the art of evasion.

She realized she could have done it all differently for the added dramatic effect. She should have told the droid the ship is under siege, and that would have produced an epic show for Lucien Dooku . She thought her new friend a rather refreshing person to be around, probably most likely because he seems to be one to act before thinking. She turned to cast him a smile that signified she harbored secret thoughts about him, while he entered the cockpit.

She is going to have a lot of explaining to do with the Jedi for her rushed departure. While they do understand the underground is at play most times, and many officers are corrupt, it still requires a lot of give and take to keep the peace in the city. The Jedi are not some supreme extension of the Law. They are often tolerated as a cult that hold assets and property just like everyone else. Sometimes they are brought to court over their actions and must fight to defend themselves or pay a fine.

Luc observed the hologram image of Tempest. It was taken during a party on her ship just after she succeeded in her Trials. A fleeting stunning gaze stole her expression when he mentioned having looked into her eyes ever since they had met. She practically felt undone by his choice of words and their unanticipated delivery. She realized that she certainly had not missed the finer details.

"You realize, sometimes a little convo between partners can be helpful? You're not in this alone anymore." She would have said something about owning the ship, had she any time, but she decided she wanted so much more to learn a little bit about him. She hopes that he can keep up the pace with his quick thinking, when seconds really count. She would do her best to watch out for him on this trip. Something about him gave her the feeling, she is in good hands in return.

Luc spoke up next regarding his idea of an excuse she could use to protect her name and the Jedi from being put on the hot seat. "Oh you're the kidnapper? I don't think you realize who is in control here. I have the ship. I have your stuff. I have you." she said jokingly, before her tone changed to sincerity for his sake. "Luc, it's okay. My superiors already know I am leaving on a mission with that scruffy looking hottie from the library. The whole idea of butting heads with the local authorities actually happens between the Jedi and some half cocked gunslinging peace officer just about every other week. This is nothing new to us. And nobody died, so I am already ahead of just about everyone else who ever returned to face the music there." She figured him for a dead eye to have pulled off the precision shots he had. "So thank you for not killing anybody."

When he settled into the flight chair, and after she obliged to his wishes setting the course for Terminus, she elected to share her past with him. She felt she had to explain the ship. Many Jedi live a life of detachment, while many others do not. "My mother died when I was very young." The holographic imager Luc held and had ignited would transform on its own, from her lone face, to that of her birth parents with a toddler Tempest grinning from ear to ear. "I was sent to live with my father, a Jedi. A few years later he was murdered by a man…and I was taken to live with he and his wife. I never realized the dark side of him. I blocked out the memory of what he did to my father until just recently. I had been there when it happened. I was powerless, and so I made myself believe he had been my father's friend. He was a gambler and an investor. Before he took me, he and his wife had recently lost their daughter. She treated me like a true mother should. I filled a void for her." the image shifted to an older youngling Tempest with her so-called adoptive parents. "Aside from that terrible sin, I can believe he did grow to love me. She completely lost her mind when he later died, starved herself to death as a result of her broken heart. Just before he died though, he underwent this remarkable change of heart. I feel that I witnessed his true redemption take place. I had a bit of inheritance left to me, investments he stole from my father. I reinvested every chit in companies which upheld humanitarian values. I sold everything else so I could forget." She gazed at the Hologram with a ghostly expression. "I can't forget."

After the image transitioned once again she perked up. "Honestly, I still have another forty percent of payments left to make on this ship. I am counting on those investments to carry me through to rightful ownership!"

She offered him a tour of the ship, if he likes. "It appears your droid has already found the recharging station," she declared with an amused smile.