Second Steps Into A Larger World

[Connor Harrison]

Unknown Location
Nyssa, Tapani Sector​

The ship was basic. It was a sleek craft that almost looked like an arrow – Joon imagined it was created to get in and get out of a situation fast. No messing. The apparent urgency in being a delivery woman obviously was high for this Aurora business.

Joon was so confused taking the flight to Nyssa. The letter was in her jacket pocket and not once did she look – she was not curious at all. She had orders, and that was the end of it. But why was she delivering letters to planets she’d never heard of? What was Taeli Raaf doing? Who even was Taeli Raaf? Right now, she didn’t know who she was working for.

Letter in one side pocket, lightsaber hilt in the other. She was dressed in her everyday apprentice attire and looked very normal, very ordinary.

The coordinates brought her to a large castle that seemed to be surrounded by water when the tide was in, and vast sands when the tide was out. Right now the tide was out and she could see a blanket of mist over the island where the castle was.

There was no communication coming through, and Joon was nervous as she hovered over the castle and brought the ship down gently into an open courtyard in the centre. There was nobody to meet her, no Ehlara Baris, and no sign of life.

Pulling back the cockpit hatch, Joon slid it open and stood, before climbing out and hopping to the stone floor. There was a crisp chill in the air. Surrounded by for large castle walls with spires reaching up into a foggy sky, she looked around and saw no-one.

She stood, and waited.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

While the castle seemed abandoned, Joon had no way to know that the castle in question was certainly more than met the eye. She was being watched as she exited her ship, curiosity staying any actions taking place as of yet to eliminate her. The leader of the observers watched as the girl looked around, seeing no one as all of her observers were cloaked. With a casual jump, the leader landed lightly on top of the girl's ship.

"You're a long way from home," a voice called down to the girl. On top of her starfighter, a seemingly young woman crouched on top having moved unseen to her position. Around the courtyard, other males and females garbed in similar fashion to the first woman appeared, the lower parts of their faces obscured by black cloth of some sort. "Our ladyship was not expecting someone like you, so explain yourself quickly or we will have to show you what happens to trespassers in the Mecetti lands."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon span at the sound of the voice, head searching around until she looked up to see a figure on her ship. And in the peripheral vision, other dark figures appeared. Swallowing tight and taking stock of her plight, the lady on the ship made it clear she had seconds to identify herself.

"I'm here for Ehlara Baris at the request of Aurora Industries," she fished in her left pocket and pulled out the slightly crumpled letter, "and I have a letter for her."

She held it high to be seen. Hopefully that was it - she literally knew nothing more.

And this masked women looked out for a fight; resourceful and tough.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

Quick as a flash, the woman crouched on Joon's ship was suddenly standing in front of her. While the lower part of her face wasn't visible, the bumps and ridges in the cloth and her eyes would indicate an amused expression. Joon would likely sense the Force around the girl as she moved to her new position.

"Why would a major galactic corporation want to send a letter to her Ladyship I wonder?" the woman asked. "A major galactic corporation run by a Jedi Master at that. We Mecetti don't particularly like Jedi... at all really. See, I wonder if you did your research on your trip here because if you did... you would know that the Jedi purged our house thousands of years ago and we still haven't forgotten or forgiven them or House Pelagia for their actions."

There would be the small shink sound of a knife being loosened from its sheath.

"So I'll ask you one more time, Jedi, can you explain why your Jedi Master sent you here to deliver a letter to my mother?" the young woman asked.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The hairs on the back of Joon’s neck rose – was it that teasing of the Force or the smell of fear? Probably both. As the net seemed to close in, the Jedi were banded around enough to make them an enemy.

Had Taeli set her up?

No – she wasn’t what she seemed. Joon was sure of it.

Her eyes darted left as a figure seemed to come closer as the question was asked – and all Joon could do was hand over the hilt she had been given again.

"I’m not a Jedi, wait," she patted her jacket, stepping back and going in, snatching the hilt from her pocket and holding it out with the letter.

It was all she had.

"I am not a Jedi and my Master is not a Jedi. I swear on my life."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

Dark eyes would look at the saber hilt in the girl's hand as she proclaimed that her master and herself weren't Jedi. The hilt was definitely not made in the style that Jedi normally made them, as far as she had seen in her missions. Maybe the girl wasn't Jedi after all.

"Fine then, we'll take you to her Ladyship and she will decide on what shall happen," the young woman said, making a hand signal. Silent as shadows, the other similarly dressed men and women melted away as they re-engaged their cloaking devices. The young woman would gesture for Joon to follow her into the castle, leading her through ornately decorated halls that spoke of wealth and power. But it was all for show, all to placate the other noble houses in the Tapani sector that nothing untoward was going on in the castle or on Nyssa.

Reaching a bust of a lady from the distant past, the young woman would turn the head and the stone wall behind the bust slid open to reveal a passage leading deep underground. The eerie thing about the passage was the silence besides the sound of their boots on the stone steps. The young woman would make no attempts at conversation the entire time, simply leading the girl deeper down into the hidden catacombs of the castle and into a small command center and training area where several men and women were practicing hand-to-hand combat from the Teras Kasi school under the watchful eye of a very hawkish looking woman.

"My lady, a messenger has arrived for you from Aurora Industries," she said, breaking her silence at this point.

"And she isn't dead because?" the woman asked, not looking at the pair.

"She presented a Sith style lightsaber hilt and I determined it would be up to you to either receive the message or send one."

 

[Connor Harrison]

If there was one thing Joon knew about, it was when to stay silent. So many of her explorations had led to her to people and places shrouded in mystery, that all she could do was stay silent at to observe. As the pressure eased off, the masked woman at least gave her hope she was doing the right thing by showing the weapon.

Joon followed, and took in her surroundings with fascination.

So many secrets and relics were buried away in these places and she had only just scratched the surface. The galaxy was far bigger than just Jedi and Sith it seemed. These people were unlike anything she’d seen before, but there was no indication what link Taeli Raaf had with them.

Following the girl in silence, Joon stayed close behind, observing everything around her including the training session that was going on as they arrived, which was full of vigour and passion. Watching intently on the fighters, she tried not to listen to the two women talking about her

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

The hawkish woman finally turned to look at the young woman and Joon, staring down her nose at the acolyte.

"You don't have the bearing of a Jedi, so perhaps there is some truth to your claims," Lady Baris stated evenly, holding her hand out to receive the letter from Joon. "You have at leats earned a brief reprieve from reprisals, so I shall at least read what this Master of yours has to say. Meerah, continue to oversee the training."

"Yes, your Ladyship," the young woman said, bowing before she turned her attention to the sparring pairs of men and women.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Her eyes shot left and right, but all seemed fine. One step forward, she handed the letter over, and then one step back.

Did Taeli want a message back, or just to stay and observe? Or leave?

She didn’t want to look totally inept, but at the end of the day, she was doing a favour for knowledge, for whatever Taeli Raaf, Jedi Master, had to share.

"Would you like me to return a message of any kind to Miss Raaf on your behalf?”

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Joon"]

"We shall see what form of message that will take," Lady Baris replied, opening the letter. Unfurling it with a quick rap of her hand, she started to read silently while the command center continued to be filled with the sounds of assassins training and working. As she read her eyes would start to narrow until she reached a certain part in the letter and they widened before quickly narrowing again. If one could read her body language, it would appear like she had just read some shocking and was now much more attentive to the contents of the message from the Jedi Master.

"You can tell your master that the ravens will migrate to warmer climates," Lady Baris said, crumpling the note in her fist.

"My Ladyship, you don't mean to..." the young woman named Meerah said, the visible part of her face showing surprise.

"I do indeed," Lady Baris replied, cutting off the young assassin. "We have someone to follow again, but the Tapani Sector is no longer safe for our order." Lady Baris turned her attention back Joon, looking down at the younger woman. "Go on, deliver that message. I shall be in contact with your master once preparations are done here."

She was about to turn away, but then paused. Thinking for a moment, she snapped her fingers and two assassins came over. They bowed before Lady Baris.

"I suppose a reward is needed for delivering this rather important message," Lady Baris said to Joon. "My men will escort you back to your ship and they will leave you with a vial of frinka venom and a blade that our order uses in close quarters fighting. Now off with you."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Ravens migrating to warmer climates. Was that their code-name? Joon nodded as she did to all those above her, taking the message would now be her priority. The Ravens? Or was it an animal, leaving elsewhere. Hopefully Taeli would shed light on the subject.

And a vial of venom and a blade? That sounded rather dangerous, something Joon felt more at home with, but another gift for the Jedi Master no doubt.

"Thank you for your time,” she said.

With another little bow, not knowing what else to say, she turned swiftly and didn’t look at anything or anyone on the walk through to the yard and her waiting ship to make the flight back to Erilnar.

At least she hadn’t messed this task up. But she didn’t expect anything from just delivering a letter, for if she failed that then there really was no point in trying anymore.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]