Sail

[Aela Talith]

Aela stood quietly waiting for her mother on the docking yards of Ceto.

Right in front of her was a ship, painted in all black with two great wings extended from it's hull. Bright orange eyes scanned over the vessel, lips thinning as she watched it. There were half a dozen construction workers surrounding the ship, and half a dozen more inside. It was a fascinating process watching them build the vessel, though Aela had no real understanding of what they were doing.

Kaili would have found this mind blowing.

She smiled, the tiniest little hint of a smile at the thought of her sister wildly parading about and asking questions.

The thought of her siblings brought to the forefront the relation that was here with her on Ceto, her Mother. Bright orange eyes swiveled to the left, then to the right as she searched for Kira Talith. The tiny blonde woman had run off to fetch both of them a cup of caf, something that they desperately needed.

Neither of them had slept for nearly a day, Aela having been too excited at the prospect of her gift and Kira having been too excited by seeing her daughter so excited.

The two of them had stayed up and talked for nearly the entire night, something they hadn't done in quite some time. Another tiny smile, a bit larger than the one before crawled on her lips, quickly disappearing as she tried to compose herself. Her eyes flickered back over the crowd of workers, falling on the small form of her Mother squeezing between two construction droids.

[member="Kira Talith"]

 

[Kira Talith]

At a distance, anyone would wonder who was the daughter and whom was the mother.

But there was no denying that there was a genetic link there. For all of her traits, Aela had been blessed with a lithe body that would move with grace and speed. Granted, she was more willowy than her mother, but they both had the same long blonde locks, and rare as it was, maybe even the same smile.

Well, a fleeting wish perhaps.

With two steaming cups of caf, Jedi Master Kira Talith would make headway over to her daughter. She gave extra care with her steps, although the extra attention to her locked gaze to the cups as she ensured not a drop would spill over made her appear even younger.

There was an excitement in her eyes and a permanent smile that would not fade. Joy radiated off of the petite Lorrdian with every fiber of her being; she was unable to hide it, but that is just who Kira was. The trip with Esmae was one she'd been looking forward to, and it was great that her daughter was starting to show a bit more emotion. That she was a little less serious.

A bit more like the young woman with the joy Kira wished would radiate.

"Oh whoa!" came the sudden cry, balancing the two cups of caf as she would squeeze in between the two droids. A rather proud waggle of her brows would flash over to her daughter in victory not three seconds later. With a crooked grin, Kira would close the distance between them and hand Aela her cup.

"Here you go, kiddo." she'd say, "Just how you like it." that's when she presented her hip over to her daughter; or more specifically, her right pocket.

"Got some cookies too!" came the mischievous declaration. Indeed, Aela would find a napkin full of four cookies.

Figures~

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Kira Talith"]

She tried to stop herself from smiling, though wasn't really successful. Of her parents, it was admittedly Soliael who could get Aela to laugh more easily, but it was Kira, her Mother, who could always bring a smile onto her face.

Maybe it was because of the love she showed, the constant excitement, or it was an odd bending of Kira's will onto others, but when she tried Aela's mother always made the young girl smile. Of course sometimes it was an involuntary smile, and it did not always last long, but it was a smile nonetheless.

One such smile bloomed on her face as her mother offered the cookies in her pocket, a willowy hand reaching to grasp the small treats and pull them forth.

She cupped her hand and took the cup of caf from Kira, smelling it before gently testing its heat with her lips. Her tongue dipped ever so slightly into the liquid, her eyes widening as she felt it's heat burn. The cup flew away from her lips for the time being, steam rising as a cookie found its way to Aela's lips.

“Look Mother!” Aela muffled through crumbs, gesturing with the cup towards the ship right outside the viewport.

That was why they were here after all.

 

[Kira Talith]

Her hands would enjoy the warmth of her cup of caf, the petite Lorrdian swiveling her head over towards the direction her eldest would point to. A low appreciative whistle would come out of her mouth, not as classy as perhaps the Queen of Kuat or Amore, but Kira wasn't the 'classy' one in the family.

She left that to the Shamalains.

"Now ain't that a pretty sight to see?" she'd say in a breathy excited note, steam blowing across the surface of her caf with a following puff of air. It was a fantastic sight. It almost reminded her a bit much like the wings of a Koros butterfly, what with how they were out there. Kinda took on that delicate look about them; they were some sort of solar sails if she remembered correctly. From what she could gather, that was supposed to be C E T O 's flagship product line to the galaxy. Something similiar along the lines to the Sicarius Stealth Yacht the family would normally use; or more aptly, let the kids use now a days. Bright blue eyes would dart over to Aela, and then that mischievous wiggle of the brows would plot a desire to be in cahoots. For a brief moment, one could see exactly where Micah got his devilry from.

"Wanna get a closer look?"

Who said they couldn't go find a way inside the ship hmm? Just had to be sneaky...

 

[Aela Talith]

“I...” She trailed off, half thinking about stopping herself. “...don't think were allowed, Mother.”

Her voice was almost sheepish at the end.

Out of all of the Talith children Aela was the one that was least likely to break the rules, even if it was her mom that was suggesting doing so. Oh she has done it before of course, back on Onderon in the Senate building, and by technicality on Voss, but this was different.

Shipyards were dangerous!

The young woman gave a weary glance to her mother, then back to the ship. She couldn't deny that she wanted to see the inside of the vessel, that she wanted to explore. The ship would be her own one day after all, Oma Sila had said that in her holo-call. All of the children would get one when they turned sixteen, and out of all the ships available Aela had chosen this one.

Her eyes flickered back towards her mother.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira would rock back and forth on her heels at that answer. A low chuckle would come bubbling forth as the pixie like woman would give her daughter a knowing grin.

"Mmm..." she'd start, taking a sip of her caf. Already her mind was racing. Allowed? Well.... that was a matter of semantics.

"Well... yes... I imagine that if anyone saw us attempt to board it, perhaps they might stop us." her eye would drift over the black matt paint to hide the Strix within the backdrop of space. Again, her eyes would drift over the solar sails. From what she could gather, the Strix-Class is unlike many other ships in that it has two propulsion systems. The first is a standard engine as found on many other vessels. This engine however can be switched off in favor of the vessels retractable Solar Sails. The Strix class features two sets of collapsible Solar Sails, or four separate “wings” that act as Sails.

These sails function as any other Solar Sails, propelling the ship and working just as those of any other vessels with them. Solar Sails come with obvious benefits, as well as disadvantages, though due to the Ships other mechanisms and primary function the Strix class is capable of using its Solar Sails with more effect. To facilitate its stealth function the Strix-Class has deep black Solar Sails.

And she could only imagine just what else might be inside too!

"...but if there wasn't anything to be seen..." came the rather calculating wry note of Aela's mother's voice. She had been, after all, a Master of Shadows. That also included the knowledge to cloak herself and others in the Force.

It was all for a good cause after all!

 

[Aela Talith]

She frowned at her mother.

Usually it was the mother that gave the daughter the disapproving stare, but this time it was reversed. Of course, she was only human in the end, and a sixteen year old human at that.

Her bright sun colored eyes turned on last time to the Strix, smoothly sailing along the black curves of the vessel, locking onto the massive wings that protruded outwards from the ship and threatened to graze against the viewport that Aela and Kira stood by.

The young woman's hand moved up to stuff another cookie between her lips.

She was by no means a nervous eater, just the opposite in fact, but the cookies were quite good and she needed something to occupy her so she didn't try to scold her own Mother. Eventually however, as she watched the workers float around what would be her ship she couldn't help herself. Swallowing the last of her cookie Aela cast a glance at her mother.

“Okay.” Her voice was almost sheepish.

 

[Kira Talith]

Well, her daughter had her stuffy moments -- and there was no denying the vibrating aura of disapproval from Esmae, her body ratted her out -- but sometimes she surprised her. Her desire to get a closer look at the ship won out in the end. Hey, that might have been a sheepish smile the teenager shot at her, but Kira was taking it.

Another big sip of the hot caf -- okay maybe that was a bit too much, came the thought right after with a slight wince. A nod went to the taller blonde, "Okay, drink up my chick-e-dee," her eyebrows would waggle. "We are going to need our hands free for this."

In the meantime they would make their way along the facility. There were massive viewport windows along the way, so they would still be able to get a fantastic view of the ship. Plus, they could discuss things as they walked.

"Looks like it has a bulk of the same tech as the Shadow," Kalee's Shadow to be precise; the family's Sicarius Class Stealth Yacht. This was a play on the Moross Goddess Kalee, or Kalee the Sword. She alongside her sister worshiped as one of the two patrons of battle. Unlike her sister however Kalee is called to when the warriors are actually in a fight. Her name is the one uttered when a soldier fires his rifle or when a blade is plunged into a foe. It is Kalee that guides the soldiers hearts and minds, it is she that ensures every shot hits, and that every blade strikes. Kalee unlike her sister is not considered to be strictly “good”. Because of the bloodshed she craves, and the death she brings with her followers Kalee is often considered Chaotic Neutral. Kalee is the patron saint of Warriors, Soldiers, and Veterans.

The name came about because of Kira's desire for the representation of protection of it than any real belief of the Gods -- she knew full well that they were false.

The idea that Soliael held the title of Neth the Keeper still likely sounded weird to the kids...

As it was, the technology on the Sicarius was handed over to CETO by it's secret parent company, Kuat Drive Yards. The technology was first tested out in their stealth interceptor, the Blackbird. This same technology was then later used by Santhe in the creation of their Sicarius-Class Stealth Yacht where it proved to be more than effective for what it was constructed. The issue with both of these vessels however was the difficulty in hyperspace travel.

Like most vessels, both the Blackbird and the Sicarius required a hyperdrive to travel to further star systems. This hyperdrive was traceable in more ways than one, as it they were with more traditional cloaking stealth ships.

"Got any ideas for a name yet?"

 

[Aela Talith]

She drank the rest of her caf quickly, downing the hot drink so fast that her throat nearly blistered.

Aela jumped slightly, and stuffed the rest of her cookies in her mouth. It was an odd thing, especially given that seconds ago she had nearly thrown the cup of Caf away for being too hot. Yet excitement poured through her, and she couldn't resist it.

Usually she was against this sort of mischief...but this...her mother was encouraging it.

That meant it was okay right?

Kira was the one that instigated this, so it was perfectly fine to play along. It was like when Father took Maleah Skreev riding, or when he had taken Micah out on the Borleias seas to go Kite Surfing. Both times he had told them not to tell Mother, though she had found out anyway, and both times it had turned out perfectly okay. This was exactly the same situation.

Or so Aela told herself.

“Rising Tide.” Aela said with a smile as they came closer and closer to the docking bay.

 

[Kira Talith]

"I like that," Kira would tell her daughter with a jovial grin, a nod of agreement following as they would continue along. "Any particular reason why?" she would ask her, taking another bigger gulp of her caf. Oh she was gonna be buzzing with all the caffine in her system. Already she could feel her nerves buzzing and throbbing with the added boost.

They'd weave their way to and fro, moving along and giving a small nod and smile. They were left along for the most part, their little 'guest' passes would allow them to go up to a certain extent to various sections of the facility. Now it was just a matter of slipping past the initial security once they'd arrive to the final corridor.

Which... would get rolled into motion after this next big gulp of caf.

 

[Aela Talith]

As they came closer and closer to the small entrance corridor Aela's heart began to pound in her chest. She wasn't used to breaking the rules, and doing so, even with her mother, set her on edge. Her teeth set, and her eyes began to shift about, searching and looking for anything that could potentially catch them and get them into trouble.

She shook slightly, and turned her head to see if anyone was following them.

“It's...” For a moment Aela thought, scrunching her face and forgetting about breaking the rules. Her voice became sheepish, and she looked at her mother with a slight rose color to her cheeks. “It's from a book I read.”

That was vague enough, and quickly she sped up her steps.

Just around the corner was the Strix-Class Sail Ship, the vessel that would be hers one day, that functioned as the galaxies only mechanical stealth ship. It's massive sails could propel the vessel by themselves. The huge spun nets were coated in a black carbon fiber, giving them the same stealth properties as the fiberplast of the ships hull while still lending them that unique quality of Solar Sails.

Kira had explained all of this, or rather, she had read it to Aela from a small datapad the night before. Her mother was no expert in starships, though of those in the Talith family she had the most use for them, given that she could actually fly them

 

[Kira Talith]

So the name came from a book? Well that was no surprise there. Not with how much her daughter enjoyed reading. She always had, starting at a young age. Aela Esmae was just like her father in that regard, and it was enough to prompt another widening of her smile. Thinking of Soliael made her miss him, and she wondered how he was doing. As the kids grew older, they had a bit more time to themselves. Something they very eagerly enjoyed to the fullest. When the twins and Kai were younger, having a little peace and quiet along with some privacy was as rare of an occurrence as finding Force crystals.

Although it wasn't to say that the Lorrdian enjoyed being away from her husband too long. She just missed him.

"Mmm... got any ideas on how you might want to personalize it?" came her subsequent question, and the tossing of her now empty cup of caf to the local trash compactor. Okay, this is where they would have to be a bit careful. A soft nudge on Aela's elbow would prompt her to start moving to the left, near where the signs for a refresher would be.

They just needed to be out of sight for a moment so that she could what she had done best as a Master of Shadows.

Disappear.

 

[Aela Talith]

Aela followed her mothers motions, pressing against the wall.

For a brief second she didn't want to answer, if only because she thought that silence was rather important and conducive to the act of sneaking. When she looked at her mother, Kira simply smiled and urged the girl forward.

Aela noticed no difference, didn't see anything happen, but her Mother pushed her forward towards the hallway of the docking bay, A gentle hand pressed at her shoulder, and quickly the young woman moved forward. A guard wandered passed them, not even batting an eye as Aela's face turned to shock and slight suspicion.

As the man passed by and Aela and Kira reached the airlock, the young woman couldn't help but stare at her mother.

“N-no.” She whispered not quite truthfully in shock.

The fact that her mother was so good at stealth was of course quite ironic given that they were sneaking onto a stealth ship, one designed to keep dignitaries safe. CETO shipyards had made the Strix specifically to stay out of combat, to function as a more delicate version of Santhe's Sicarius class, one that was far more secret with a more discrete hyperdrive.

 

[Kira Talith]

Oh there was a wicked gleam in Kira's eyes; a devilry as she drank in the startled and shocked expression on Aela's face. Where Soliael was the show off in the family, the Lorrdian Jedi Master was on the other side of the boat. She would rarely use the Force unless she had to, preferring to use her wits and physical abilities rather than depend too much on Force skills. Maybe this was why her children might forget that their mother is a fully fledged and trained Jedi Master; she may not have an expansive or broad spectrum of knowledge on the more elaborate techniques like Soliael, but she could hold her own. Defensive tactics and crowd control were her strengths, as were other stealthier means for investigations and her work in the shadows.

A waggle of her eyebrows came next, as did a small musing of her daughter's blonde hair.

"Get the airlock open," She'd murmur low, "Just like your dad taught you. " small electronic manipulation was a given for the Talith kids. Both parents were well versed in it, only that Soliael was a Master when it came to the heavy manipulation and control of droids and the like.

"I'll keep a look out." and keep them both hidden.

 

[Aela Talith]

Aela turned around, still rather stunned by her mothers abilities. Though she had known that Kira was a Master in her own right, her Mother was not the show off that her father was. Aela had never before seen or experienced what Kira could do, only simple and small tricks that most Jedi learned.

To say she was startled was an understatement.

Slowly she turned about towards the airlock, knowing full well what was behind those doors.

The ship, her future ship. It was a vessel designed for stealth, nearly two hundred meters long and containing massive wings that stretched out nearly as long as the ship did. No one would know exactly how it would function out in the real galaxy, but she couldn't wait to see the inside, to explore the vessel and see what it could be like, how she could use it.

Half caught up in a day dream Aela stepped forward and touched the console, focusing on the force and trying to pry out a bit of energy. She fumbled with circuits and electronics.

A slight spark jumped from her hand and Aela yelped, quickly turning her head and looking to her mother as the airlock fell open.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira would toss a look over her shoulder at Aela, that impish grin and a look of pride flowing over her.

"Not to shabby kiddo," she'd breathe out, encouraging her to step beyond the airlock into the ship within. They had to hurry. "Come on!" she'd whisper, backing up into the ship as she kept an eye out. So far so good. The glitch wouldn't be spotted, likely thought of as a small electronic fizzle. As a prototype and still on the line for completion, this was normal.

Once inside, Kira would shut the airlock closed. In a blink, she would clap her hands with rather smug joy after the hiss of the door would enclose them within the Strix Class. The petite blonde would turn on the balls of her feet, her eyes wide and brows wiggling with mischievous cheer.

"Not too shabby at all," with a sudden grin, Kira would grab Aela's hand and tug her forward, "Come on! Let's see what she's got!"

One would wonder who was the child with the level of excitement Aela's mother would exhibit.

 

[Aela Talith]

The two of them would explore.

Like children passing through old ruins Kira and Aela wandered through the inner hull of what would become Aela's ships. The vessel was massive, at least compared to the two girls. Stretching on and on and having more than enough room for thirty or forty people to live comfortably on. The Strix-class would be more than enough for Aela, or the entire family to live on.

There was room for Training halls, there was a cafeteria, a dinning hall, even a large hanger than could likely hold anywhere from six to ten fighters, depending on if larger shuttles were added.

Aela couldn't believe her eyes, couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this ship would very soon belong to her. Of course the children had gotten gifts before, and all of them knew that they were a wealthy family, but this...this was something entirely new. She smiled the whole time, Kira asking her questions, demanding answers to where Aela wanted to go and what she wanted to do with the ship.

All Aela could do was wonder.