Private Scela

[Cathbodua]

K'Farri was a world within the consortium that.... wasn't important, really. Usually passed over for the other more exotic worlds. Its only claim to fame being that it had contest schools... training girls professionally to compete for their houses in the various contests of strength, skill and beauty across the consortium. Cathbodua had returned to the world largely because it housed the Sibsi themselves.. the ancient palace converted to house them and train them. Their robes glimmering in the light itself as they looked like normal hapans save the lightsabers on their hips that looked like fashion accessories. THey walked and their shawls were up as behind them trailed consorts brought from around the Consortium, news of changes were always flooding in but there wasn't a lot of information they were able to get. She knew the facts like the Concord dissolved and governments retook control of their worlds with ample supplies. The jedi were heading off to well.. to the stars and she knew how to get there. She breathed through the bodysuits filtration system and the temple as she went itno it was guarded by a pair of Sibsi.... the tallest she had seen and physically fit. Their robes stretched over the muscles but in a way that emphasized they were physically the stronger ones, the protectors of the temple. Her office was in the corner near the infirmary and hospital wing so she could continue her medical practices now that they had a few other supplies.

Ducha Relina Zhan

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Location: K'farri
Theme Music: "Daredevil" Ace Combat 7 Soundtrack (Synthwave remix)​

Relina Zhan, Royal High Commander, Force sensitive Ducha of Charubah, and ace pilot extraordinaire had been given to understand that, after her most recent physical, her blood work came back as something of interest to an insular group called the Sibsi. Placing her adjutant in charge of things while she took the time to meet with these Force wielders she was advised were interested in her, she decided to test them in her own way. She came to K'farri alone in her Miy'til Int/T "Terminus" with her IFF transponder deliberately turned off, even if it was against regulations. Being Lady Commander had its benefits when it came to what she could get away with; She only answered to the Queen Mother and the Minister of Defense, technically.

She tore through the atmosphere with her forward shields angled for speed, the switchblade-wings of her craft folding inward to streamline its aerodynamics as its velocity increased. "... Mach One.... Mach Two.... Mach Three...." her astromech's translated voice, a soothing male drone, resounded around her from her cockpit's speakers.

So far, the inertial compensators held back the stresses of the speed her fighter was accelerating to. She barely felt any of it. However, with what she had planned, she knew she'd get her adrenaline fix shortly. She maintained comm-blackout and sharply vectored toward the Sibsi temple complex, fully intending to buzz them, although she deliberately keep her weapons safe; she had no desire to actually threaten her own people, of course. Zhan was an honourable woman fully loyal to her Queen and country, to be sure.

"Mach Four... Mach Five...." R9-Z4 said as the Terminus, named Seraph, maxed out its atmospheric speed.

She rolled her craft sideways and sharply banked so that, as she reached a few kilometres above the temple, she'd appear to be aggressively flying right over it with the staccato roar of her engines following behind her as she passed by.... as if to challenge a brave pilot...

Cathbodua

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

The alert came in, they had early warning but a hapan ship approaching was well not new. They had after all a shipyard in orbit so flights between the planet and yard wasn't unheard of... neither was it not having all systems active as essentials were important to test. THe jedi master though was alerted when the ship approached the mountains both in the force and from the automated systems that were designed to aid them in the cause of protecting the planet and temple. Then the ship was going over and past them as she looked at the edge of the mountains and she motioned with her hand. THe force stretching out to alert them as several of the Sibsi moved towards their ships. Thhey were not the same model and she didn't know if it was a rogue fighter or someone trying to attack them. "Engage but gather information. Non lethal weapons first unless they directly start attacking." There were nods and confirmations in the force that were moving outwards in the ships to engage.

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina maintained comm-blackout as fighters were scrambled. To her astromech, she chuckled and said, "Keep my weapons on safe. I want to understand these people before I meet them face to face. Let us see if our homegrown warriors touched by the Divine are as good as they say."

"Acknowledged, My Lady." replied the translator's voice as R9 warbled his binary response.

While Relina knew about the Jedi's use of the Force, she was still mainly used to thinking of Force sensitivity as being a kind of gift from the gods her religion venerated. She knew she, herself, was Force sensitive and it was exactly why she was in K'farri airspace in the first place. Her bloodwork from the physical she had a week prior had been actually looking for something called Midichlorians and the results came back showing over eleven thousand per cell. She didn't completely understand the medical implications of this other than the Sibsi wanted to meet her over it.

As one particularly brave pilot, by her reckoning, came up on her tail, she suddenly accelerated which caused her wings to fold in again. She banked around so sharply that the g-forces briefly overtook her inertial compensators, pressing her back into her reclining-positioned seat. She would then try to latch onto the tail of the Miy'til who managed to engage her first, keeping pace with her. She did not fire.

Cathbodua

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

Cathbodua continued to look on in the sky... she couldn't completely 'see' the fighters. She could sense them.. she could track her Sibsi and through them she had a general idea of where the fighter was they were chasing. Moving in a coordinated effect but they were not engaging weapons as ordered. They were making sure when and if they could that weapons locks were clear and alerted... missiles and lasers but they didn't need to fire yet as one spoke through the channel. "Unidentified craft you are in restricted airspace. Identify yourself." Cathbodua could hear them and she crossed her arms over her chest. The face masking covering it while her hood was up and the eye lenses gleamed in the light. "Do we know who or what it might be master?" THe voice came and she looked at the one who was standing next to her. "We do not but we have pilots for a reason and it they become hostile we have battle dragons with better tracking.... we'll just have to see what they can do." She said it and was focusing on the force while the pilots were moving their ships aaround still trying to make it clear they could get a lock on for a moment but they were doing everything to keep pace and by extension tracking it.

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Cathbodua

The Battle Dragons in orbit weren't talking. Relina Zhan saw to that. The Royal Navy was in on this. Her threat warning alarm rang out a few times as she chased down the hapless pilot she selected to test the meddle of. With her pursuit of the Miy'til, staying glued to her tail, missile lock was broken about as quickly as it was acquired. Her own craft almost constantly maintained tone, indicating a radar lock of her own, however.

"Radar lock, on." R9 reminded her.

"She's on me good! But why isn't she firing on me?" the pilot asked in bewilderment.

Relina didn't respond to her droid's reminder or to the pilot's questioning of her situation. She was fully aware of what she was doing. However, as if the pilot called her bluff and got tired of the sound of her threat-warning alarm, the Sibsi pilot pitched up and went into a deliberate post-stall maneuver, allowing Zhan to pass directly beneath her before she levelled out with an instant radar lock.

"I'm not afraid of you!" said the pilot fairly calmly, but with a tone of conviction.

"Missile lock!" R9's translated voice warned her over the threat-warning alarm.

In response, Relina broke her comm-silence and replied to the pilot, "Too soon, junior." in Hapan; her voice had a clear Charubahni accent.

She then pitched up as well and kept going, lowering her throttle such that she performed a fairly tight backhand somersault as her craft's wings deployed into a blade-like forward-swept configuration.

"Angel One, Fox two." Relina said, but with no missile launched...

She didn't fire at her. Instead, she flipped on her friendly IFF transponder and said, "You fly well, but never let an opponent psych you out. Lady Cath, this is Lady Commander Relina Zhan, requesting formal permission to land." she added in a good natured, even amused, tone. Cath's was a face she hadn't seen in quite some time.

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

She continued to watch and feel it in the force while she stood there. Expressionless from the face covering but provided some input when she could hear the pilot talking. There was a lot that went into their training but only a handful had come from military backgrounds for the first class of the Sibsi.... the additional ones they were getting as children and they allowed any hapan to come regardless of age it was just a matter of being able to dedicate yourself to the order and its ideals. As she heard Relina finally speak her eyebrow raised up and she knew the woman.. or had from her time with the Republic and meeting others.

"Then welcome to K'Farri permission granted." She said it and remained neutral in her tone... she didn't need to get angry but she was a harsh master in many cases... to those she taught. THe Sibsi around her moving as they were joined by several of the guards as they walked through the temple towards the main landing pad for the ships when the fighters were returning. Her hand coming up and she silently had them assemblewhile her hands went to take her hood down and reveal the black face mask and bodysuit under the cloaked part of her bodysuited robes. Her lightwhip on her hip and she was at the ready for anything.

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina grinned. She was pretty sure her way of seeing what these people were made of ruffled some feathers, but she was a product of her military background. She led the Miy'tils her little stunt seemed to warrant the deployment of, satisfied with their response time and at least one pilot's skill relative to her own, she turned toward the temple, lowering her landing gear. She'd fly pretty the rest of the way.

"Acknowledged. I'm starting my landing cycle now." said she. Glancing to her starboard side at the Miy'til she had been harrying, she added. "Pilot, I'll buy you a drink for being a good sport."

Once she landed and set her boots on the landing pad, she affixed her vibrorapier to her flightsuit's belt along with her blaster in its thigh-holster, left her HUD visor on the pilot's seat, and approached the masked-faced Cath. Relina didn't look much different than she had all those years ago, despite being older, more experienced, and perhaps a bit more jaded. She was, however, the youngest Hapan in history to hold the rank she held and the kind of political power that came with her office, despite still disliking political shenanigans in general.

"I assess your defensive response time to be satisfactory. Too, your pilots possess much promise in their skill, though I am considering scheduling regular drills to ensure their combat capability meets my expectations for defense of the planet and the Hapes Consortium at large." said she. "I owe one of your pilots a drink, however, for her trouble. Shall we have a seat and discuss the more esoteric matter which brought me here in the first place, Lady Cath?" she asked.

Cathbodua

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

She looked at the woman and it was... different. he wasn't sure what she had been expecting, as Relina returning was a good sign. There was a chance some others whom she had been part of the Consortium with could always return so something to try and look forward to. "You look older." She said it as a way of greeting but offered the closest thing to a smile that could be under her facemask and moved forward looking at the grand admiral. She moved forward and held one hand up though while the pilots were moving back into place to stand with the others and the jedi master rarely wanted to display emotion but...

"Are you really back?" She said it and there was always the chance of a fake or a droid but few things could mirror those flying skills. She looked at her and having the Sibsi practice their piloting was never a bad idea. THey just mostly would serve on larger ships in smaller groups for now until they could properly distribute them throughout the Consortium and that would take more time to train more students. She motioned with her hand though to walk with her back towards the temple and they were joined by many of the others walking to close ranks and engineers and techs going to make sure the fighter was secured in case she needed it to leave or for later.

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina strode along until she was within a couple of metres of Cathbodua . She was dressed in a fitted flightsuit of carbon-black, The Crest of the Royal House on her right shoulder, the flag of Charubah on her left with a patch with House Zhan's coat of arms on it just below it, her Grand Admiral's rank insignia on her breast, and her gold-tone nameplate affixed to the suit's high collar similar to other Royal Navy uniforms; It read "R. Zhan" on it's engraved surface. Hanging visibly from her neck were her dogtags which had basic ID information etched onto their metallic surface, but had even more detailed information ranging from Hapan Subject Registry and Military Registry data to her medical records, which were classified except to doctors registered with the Royal Navy for access.

Her hair was the same rosegold colour it had always been and was styled in a military-bun, her eyes were still the same deep cerulean, her skin fair and almost flawless save from nearly-invisible scar tissue from combat injuries she had survived through, and features as beautiful and ageless as most Hapan women. Her boots didn't add much to her petite size, so she only stood about 1.67 metres and looked like she might mass about 58 kilos soaking wet. Her fairly strong presence in the Force was completely organic, feral and untamed, as it had always been in her. She only smirked at the comment about her age; she was only in her mid-thirties, but still childless and single... she didn't really care to be reminded of her age, considering those facts.

At Cath's question, she lofted a manicured brow as she met her masked gaze. "... Teeeechnically, I was never really gone. I just had a metric frak-ton of office work and internal intelligence things which kept me off the battlefield after my last major injury. Believe me when I tell you that, for a combat pilot by training, flying a desk is excruciatingly boring, but when Her Majesty appointed me from an O-7 to an O-11 almost a year ago, I wasted little time pushing through some new ship designs before I made as many excuses to get the three hells out of that fraking office as I could." said she, pointing at the brand new fighter she had flown down to K'farri in with her thumb behind her as she mentioned new ship designs.

Her astromech rolled around to one of the technicians for regular post-flight maintenance, warbling something Relina didn't fully catch; she mostly relied on her fighter's vocal translator rather than having developed a talent for understanding binary like some other people who worked with such machines did. Relina followed along with the pilots and her old friend.

"... It is good to see you, Cath, but do you need to wear that mask?" she asked, genuinely curious as to its significance.

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

She looked at her and nodded. "Yes as long as there iss UV light to make my skin burn." She said it and walked with her as she did listen to it and not being gone and buried in paperwork was something that she understood. Leading the way inside she was looking at it all and brought up some of the information. "I know the shipyards were looking to develop new fighters. We have been working on getting the resources for the battle dragons and some other things." She said it and passed several of the Sibsi that were leading towards the main chamber she used. "But I am a doctor and so if I harm myself I do know how to treat myself as needed."

She said it and stepping into the room adjusted the lights as they were being filtered and she unclasped the face mask pulling it off and the Hapan looked at the woman. Pale skin and dark eyes with short hair. "There better." She said it with a small grin on her face when she waas looking at Relina and went to a place she could sit down and listen to the woman speak about what her goal is here. "We are here for you and anything that you might need."

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

The face Relina saw was a welcome one, although she didn't recall Cath having skin that fair.

"That's good to hear. So, I'm given to understand this is a homegrown Force tradition. Not much is said about this place, but one of yours reached out to me. How you managed to see my bloodwork is slightly concerning... which tells me you've got a military security clearance for physicians" said she, leaning on the table, holding her gaze. "... Don't you?' she asked.

As a doctor, if Cath had a military clearance, she'd have access to her bloodwork as necessary and would have, therefore, known Relina's midichlorian count, which would in turn prompt the invitation in the first place. Relina was aware she was Force sensitive and had been for several years now. Being religious, however, she tended to think of it as a connection to the Divine. However, Relina was indifferent in regards to Jedi; to be sure, she hated Sith, but she hadn't ever had a bad experience with Jedi, yet. The Sibsi were new to her, more or less.

"So, in what way does your tradition differ from the Jedi order?" she asked.

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

"Allana was queen mother for a time and cleared me for a lot of things." She said it sitting there and shrugged. "The ones who took over the position from her don't change things at all. THis includes security codes.... but we are also sent unusual bloodwork that might hint for force senstivity. As you said this is homegrown and while adults can be taught children much like training for contests and tournaments are easily to train." She remained sitting there and looked at her. "We don't as much, we were created by jedi who are Hapan so many of the traditions and structure has carried over just altered you could say. You don't have to reinvent something all the time when the goal is the same just altered with some doctrine and ideals of the Imperial knights in that the Sibsi are loyal to the queen mother and Hapes and will serve them but also the lightside of the force. The darkside corrupts and reinforces certain aspects we might not want to push as much."

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina had heard of the Fel Empire's Imperial Knights. They were almost as famous as the Jedi and she rather admired their loyalty and service to their country, a trait the Jedi themselves generally didn't possess since they were more monastic and separated while Imperial Knights were akin to the chivalry class of distant ancient times. In a manner of speaking, the Sibsi would serve the Queen Mother in a similar regard and this piqued her interest, especially from a military point of view.

"So then, for someone like me, what do you see in me through the lens of your homegrown tradition?" she asked, cutting straight to the point. "I'm thirty-five, I'm Divine-touched... or, as you might say, "Sensitive to the Force"... same thing to me. I have never used a lightsabre before, but I am a fencer. I was playing with practise foils when I should still have been playing with dolls." she added, wondering if any of that information would be useful to Cath.

Incidentally, Relina's midichlorian count was over eleven-thousand per cell. The threshold of Force Sensitivity was around Five-thousand-five hundred per cell at the minimum.

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

She listened to her and sat there not making much movement or showing a reaction. "Given our first generation is largely soldiers, military who can learn the stances and forms to fight with sabers and whips. It really won't alter much, your age might be a factor only in that we have a diminishing supply of consorts the Sibsi have but I know several handle it in their own way." She shrugged. "If you were hoping for some great revelation, some hidden requirement there is none Relina. The Sibsi are starting, it will be years before the first students we have gathered are fully trained enough to function and even longer for the children sent to us to be raised and taught. The more experienced the students here in the first generation teaching the others the quicker we can refine our methods and training programs to better teach them what is needed."

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina looked at Cathbodua as she listened. "I'm sure I can get a consort when one suits my fancy and I feel I have the time for one. Men need alot of attention." said she with a light chuckle.

"So, then, you need trainees and want to ask me to make time for it. Since I apparently have the talent and the ability, you want me to learn how to make practical use of it in service to our country?" she asked.

Part of her wasn't opposed to the idea of learning how to use the Force like a Jedi, especially if she could do it without giving up the two most important things in her life: The Hapes Consortium and her family. She gave serious thought to what might be required of her if she chose to pursue this, her eyes sliding to the the side in thought for a moment. She then returned her gaze to Cath and asked, "I'll be juggling this with my duties as Royal High Commander of the Hapan Royal Navy. What are the odds I might have whomever my instructor shall be on board The Balance of Judgement whenever I have to ship out?"

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

"Do i?" She said it to her rundown of the scenario, and the jedi master herself was rising up as she listened to her. "I can't promise anything and I am not saying we would want you to give it up but this has to be a choice of yours and when you make it there can't be any regrets. Half stepping into training like this is not something I would accept from anyone else and for the few teachers we have. We might be able to spare one for your ship but do not think this is just something to do. Many make that mistake when being dedicated it needed." She said it and she stood there for a moment coming around and stood in the bodysuit when she brought a hand out. "As for consorts there are rules and we prefer such things not be done around the children."

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina tilted her head a bit. "Well, if I had no designs for commitment, I wouldn't have entertained this meeting to begin with. I've been entertaining the idea of being able to move things with my mind and swing around a flashy sword of plasma as well as I can this vibrorapier at my side." said she, lightly patting the ornate, rather ceremonial-looking sword known as "Argen Ta'din" (Silver Lady), except it was fully battle-tested and as deadly as any vibroweapon ought to be. She was quite serious, despite the hint of jaded sarcasm in her tone. "I only ask because I have a major commitment to the Hapes Consortium as it is and my life revolves around it. It most likely will continue to dominate my life until I'm too old to fight... and I'm not getting any younger." she added.

She turned, keeping her attention on Cathbodua at the mention of 'consorts'. "I trust you mean public displays of affection or obvious and overt displays of sexuality?" she asked, for clarity. "Not doing such around children is a given. But, as established, I'm not getting any younger and I have to birth at least one heiress to ensure Zhan's future as Charubah's ruling duchal family. So... what are the rules on courtship and marriage?" she asked.

 

[Cathbodua]

Ducha Relina Zhan

"No real rules, the ones who have gotten married since they have joined are not many but we had no real problems or issues. The need isn't the problem it is knowing how to control those things that matters and not being so blind that you would endanger millions for one person." She said it more with a shrug... they handled it when it needed to be handled more then trying to quell all of it. "But best judgement is what we want to practice for now. I am usually overseeing the medical trainees for healers and doctors we have." She looked at her and then at the blade on her hip with a nod. "It is beautiful and if you want we can contact the tech division to design a lightfoil styled saber. It works with the same style you might just have to adjust for the omnidirectional style of the blade."

 

[Ducha Relina Zhan]

Relina listened and gave serious thought about what Cathbodua had just said. "... That... is an interesting thought..." said she, somewhat flatly.

Zhan, being a single woman who had been to most planets in Hapan Space at least once, had her share of trysts and romantic encounters while on shore leave. She was never the sort to sleep with any man with a pulse, but she wasn't inexperienced, either. She knew she had a tendency to form emotional attachments to people with whom she shared her body. If she had found someone who she deemed worthy to spend the rest of her life with and he was in danger, could she let him go for the greater good? It didn't take her too long to be able to answer that question with honesty.

"... I form attachments to people like any other sentient being does, especially with those I have been intimate with. But, I have also been in war and have seen people I knew, had drank with, had served the Crown faithfully in the thick of combat with lose their lives. I have mourned. I have cried. And I have been the one who had to go to the doorstep of their families with in full uniform with my beret in hand to deliver the less than savoury news. Were I to take a consort and lose him, I think I would be angry, sad, and heartbroken... but my mission must still be completed." said she evenly. "The time for mourning comes after the dust has settled." she added, her face taking a subtly harder military deadpan briefly.

Then, speaking of her sword compared to a lightsabre, she nodded. "Argen Ta'din has been in my family for centuries. It has the grace and beauty of a ceremonial vibrorapier, but it is designed for combat... the respectable sort, mind you." said she. "A blade with no designated edge seems like something I would have to learn how to use the way I did as a little girl learning fencing for sport. Too, the blade can't possibly have much balance as my sword does. Is it possible, however, to effectively using a fencing style with a lightsabre?" she asked.