Shifting Gears

[Lief]

Redshift Station
ORC Space

Boots clacked upon durasteel flooring, echoing through the surprisingly empty corridors of a station far larger than it had the people for. Oddly enough it reminded her of Azar City, slap bang in the middle of dense jungles and luscious surroundings it was out of place, larger than it had any need to be given that its population was still recovering from the Vong assault countless years prior. Both felt eerie to walk through, and encountering another soul was somewhat jarring.

More recently, the young Hex had been purposely steering clear of technological influences; she had forsaken the aforementioned City in favour of a small clearing in the jungle, constructed by her own hand it wasn't the nicest thing to look at, and she knew it would take a lot more work to truly hold up against the elements, but it was hers. The only home she'd ever known after a lifetime of journeying across the stars. Aside from a trip to Aaris-III, at the request of the Council, she had mostly focused on immersing herself further in the Force, as well as helping young [member='Caedyn Arenais'] become acclimatized to his new life away from the din of Commenor.

As such the space station proved strange to her, yet she drew from it a comfort also. Almost two decades of living onboard ships had instilled in her a sense of tranquility from space, the hum of the engines, or in this case just the general energy which flowed through the place to keep it livable, it was familiar to her, engaging. If only there was a way to have both lifestyles at once.

Blinking, Asha realized that she had completely missed the door she had been looking for. With a grumble at her own distracted nature she backtracked until the correct number came into view, and there she paused. She was not a shy girl, there had never really been room for such trivial whims in her past, [member='Jericho'] was always straight to the point, and being that he was the only real influence she'd had it only made sense that it rubbed off on her. But there was a big difference between acting how you wanted when it was for your own interest, and doing so when it served a higher cause.

Why had the Council sent her to do this?

With a small exhale of breath, she lifted a hand and stupidly knocked on the door. Her poor knuckles ached as they struck pure durasteel.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

A vocoder box futzed. "Hey, come on in. I'm still straightening up."

The door hissed open to reveal a small office space half-full of salvage and tools. Jorus Merrill, currently a youngish guy with some facial hair, rummaged in a battered fridge.

"You must be [member="Jericho"] Junior. Your dad and I go way back to the Levantines. Haven't kept in touch, but that's mostly my fault." Jorus dragged out a six-pack of lum, cracked a can, and sat behind a cluttered desk. "You want one? Can't recall how old you are - honor system."

 

[Lief]

Quietly nursing her reddened knuckles, Asha took the disembodied invitation and brushed the access node with her fingertips; moments later the typical whoosh its kind of door made could be heard, as it carefully retreated into the wall allowing her to pass through.

The room beyond was an office, somewhat disorganized but typical for salvager-type folks from what she had seen... Though that wasn't to say she'd seen very much. Just the odd workshop.

When he referred to her as her Father's junior she couldn't help but fight off a small grin, though truth be told the young Hex couldn't have looked more different to [member='Jericho'] if she tried. Bright red hair, emerald eyes, freckles that seemed to spread further across her nose and cheeks with each passing day. Her Father was considerably darker, yet it seemed her Mother's genes had won out. Not that she had anything to gauge that by.

"Asha," she said, with a light smile, already feeling far more at ease than she had been expecting to given the circumstances, "My Father sends his regards; he's busy over on Midvinter, else he'd have come himself."

Her gaze drifted to the cans as they were pulled out, and in the same moment she took a few more steps into the office. Truth be told Asha had never tried alcohol. With so much tea at her disposal she'd never seen a need to, not that she thought her Father would particularly approve of it anyway.

Still, her nerves remained rather frayed and she'd heard such things could help settle them. "What's the drinking age in these parts? In fact... You know what, don't answer that." Finally nearing the desk itself, not a particularly difficult feat given the size of the room, she extended one hand out to take a can, keeping the fact that she hadn't tried a drop before in her life to herself. "Thanks."

For the time being she simply held it within both hands, enjoying how cool it was. "I take it you know why I'm here?" she inquired,making sure they were starting out on the same page.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Wouldn't have an answer for you anyway. Redshift is a shadowport in Wild Space. There aren't a lot of written rules and even fewer that matter. Just don't do anything you don't want to do, and don't do anything that'll get me in trouble with your dad."

He slugged back a quarter can and set the drink aside. Lacing his fingers over his stomach, he braced his boot on a nearby crate to take stress off his lower back. This chair was crap.

"You're here because the Je'daii are back on Aurum, and the Coalition's the only power out that way. Your Order wants to make sure we're all friendly."

 

[Lief]

He had the general gist of it.

That was nice, meant less waffling and more getting down to the point. In line with his concerns about her doing something she didn't want to, she remained a little hesitant to actually crack open the can. It was tempting, truly it was, but she didn't want it to fog up her mind either. Not until things were ironed out a little more.

"More or less; there's no reason for any tension between the two, not that there is currently." That she was aware of. "We like our quiet neck of the woods, it's been through a lot and it would be a shame to see it go through anything more. Especially so needlessly."

Truth be told Asha was not concerned by the Coalition; Aurum was as much a backwater planet as much of the Outer Rim and Wild Space were, hardly had anything of note to make money on, the landscape could be found all across the Galaxy. No, the Je'daii's reason for being there was simple: old roots. Nothing more, nothing less.

"As quiet as it is, though, Aurum's had unwanted attention before. Part of my being here is to see if we can't reach some sort of arrangement. You know how Orders go, for every couple of individuals capable of watching their own back, there's at least one Youngling helpless to the throws of the Galaxy. As much as we're invested in Aurum, we can't afford for it to be the only refuge we have. For the sake of the children."

Eyeing up the only other surface in the room, Asha perched upon the edge of it and looked to him with natural respect.

"I must confess to scouting out potential worlds to house an Academy of sorts... And one potential location happens to be within your sphere. Perhaps there's some way we can reach an understanding that would be mutually beneficial."

Asha didn't know how much of a long stretch that might have been, what she knew of this particular man she had learned solely from her Father. And he wasn't known for being the most vocal.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

He took a long forty seconds to answer, and drank most of the can in the process.

"I was there last time. Fought the Horde, took the Je'daii down from the crosses, strafed Vong, took some scars. We were the ones that found the Aurum massacre, me and [member="Chloe Blake"] and a handful of other folks. Not things I'm likely to forget.

"Pick the world and I'll make it happen. I'll make you the best blockade runner known to man and give it to the Je'daii at cost, so you can get your folks to safety if you need to. What you got in mind, and how many people we talking?"

 

[Lief]

On her end, it felt as though the tension could have been cut with a knife. Of course such was just a product of her own insecurities, something she typically didn't see surface unless there was something more at stake than her own well being.

Those forty seconds felt like an eternity, and then just like that the silence melted away to his voice.

Asha had seen snippets of what had happened down on Aurum that day, the horrors which had been subjected to her Order. But seeing it after the fact and witnessing it in person, living through it, were two completely different experiences, and she could not help but tip her head to one side curiously when he spoke of it. It didn't even bear thinking about.

He was quick to offer them what they sought, leaving Asha both relieved and skeptical in one. The offer of a ship was a welcome surprise, and she knew how immensely invaluable it would be to their cause.

"Aaris III is the one that was scouted," she informed him, voice a little more tentative than it previously had been. Her gaze drifted down to the can for a moment, and she tapped its exterior in thoughtfulness, "Unless there's somewhere you'd think would work better. I won't pretend to know this region better than you."

Finally, feeling some of her nerves begin to lessen, she pulled on the tab of the can and took a small sip. It tasted gross, and she did her best not to pull a face. Moments later she looked back to him.

"Name your price, and I'll see if we can't make it happen."

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Aaris Three is a good choice, if you can click with the witch clans." Jorus tossed the empty can into a receptacle and leaned back. "There's a small, secretish, unofficial Jedi temple on Binaros that your kids would be welcome to use as an evac point. For my money, though, your best bet is Ceto. It's a quiet Selkath waterworld not far from Aurum, well-defended, good medical. I'm sure we could snag you a remote island for a couple million.

"As for the ship, I could whip up a good evac transport for maybe two hundred thousand. Alternately, I got my hands on some old Mando stealth transports, low capacity, high pilot skill needed. Could let you have those for sixty apiece and no warranty. I was gonna use them for parts but they're good old boats.”

 

[Lief]

"Ceto..." she repeated, with a curious expression to boot. All at once she had her datapad out in her free hand, tapping away though her eyes didn't actually drift to the device, "It's certainly closer to home, that's for sure. Aye, might be that it's the better option."

While she couldn't exactly do the amount of research on it she might have liked, she could tell that he had their best interest in mind by this point. All she had to do was look at him to know he hadn't been lying about what he'd witnessed back on Aurum.

"The pilots we have, but... I think the evac might be the better call. While we aren't the largest Order out there, I'd hate to see anyone unintentionally left behind." She had no doubt that some of the Je'daii would give an arm and a leg for some stealth transports in the hangar, but right now she had to look at the bigger picture, the purpose behind all of this. They were situated in a region of space far less dense than the core, the chances of them coming upon other vessels was slim. Besides, there was nothing stopping them acquiring such things in the future.

They just couldn't get ahead of themselves.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Sound like what a politician might call an agreement in principle. We can hash out the details, me and your people and the Selkath authorities, anytime. I'll set up the meetings and all that."

Jorus popped the tab on a second can. "Couple things I need to know first, though. First issue comes down to risk. The Je'daii - what's their business these days? Where are their big operations? Bottom line, what enemies are they making? Who do the Judges and the Selkath need to watch out for?

"Second question is a little more prosaic. What kind of escape ship do you want - toughness, guns, tricks, stealth, speed?"

 

[Lief]

"We keep mostly to ourselves," she offered, with a very subtle shrug, "We had an incident with a couple of Sith trying to ransack the old Enclave, but it was pretty cut and dry, I doubt we'll be seeing any more of them. Our Order revolves around study more so than anything else, if you want the truth, we have no interest in the Galactic game. What individual Je'daii do is of course another matter all together, but even so we haven't drawn much attention to ourselves. I'd like it if it stayed that way."

Was that a good enough answer? She didn't know. But her facts were straight, she knew that much. Wasn't much to say about an Order dedicated to the observation of the Force, who didn't stick its nose into other people's business and kept to its own slice of paradise on the fringes of space.

"As for the ship, something which can get us from point a to b in the quickest time. Armaments don't matter, as I say we have no intentions of engaging with anyone, though a little added defense would be nice in the event that we find ourselves under fire."

Ships weren't really her thing. While she had by no means inherited the dodgy Hex gene, which had seen [member='Jericho'] crash more than his fair share of ships, and was competent where the Prophet was concerned, the inner workings of the machines were somewhat alien to her.

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Good answer. Works for me, and it'll probably work for the Selkath."

As Jericho's kid explained their needs, Jorus took notes on a rusty datapad.

"So, we start with a light freighter hull, and I've got a couple of those. Leave shields stock or stock plus one. Cut guns, cut cargo bays. Beef up passenger space a little, throw in a medical droid just in case. Cut maneuvering a little if we have to. Sublight speed extreme, FTL rating at most point-five. Sound about right to you?"

 

[Lief]

One less thing to worry about. On her own datapad she made a brief note of the changes which had arisen, ready to send the full report back to the Council when the meeting here was concluded. Looked like a trip to Ceto was in order

When it came to starship jargon, she was surprised by how much of it she understood. There was only one real kicked among the lot, and that mostly came down to the fact it was abbreviated.

"FTL rating?" she inquired, hating that she even had to ask... But at least it would mean she knew what it meant in the future, no? "Otherwise, that sounds like what we need."

She took another sip from the can in her right hand, absent-minded enough that she was caught off guard by the taste she had already realized she didn't particularly enjoy.

"Thank you, by the way... If there's anything we can ever do to repay you," outside of the credit payments, of course, but that went without saying, "You need only ask."

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"FTL - faster than light. Old term for hyperspace travel. Your average transport has a class two or three hyperdrive, military ships are usually around class one or one point five. I usually fly a good point five. Fixed up a yacht the other day that goes point two. I'm betting I can wrangle something similar for you, maybe a point four that's generally add quick as you can get without big risks - like your drive exploding if you get interdicted. Speaking of interdiction..." He added another note on the datapad. "... you want a backup drive. Anything can go wrong out in the black."

He saved the note file and tucked the datapad into the desk.

"That's about that. You sticking around Redshift long, or heading back with the tide?"

 

[Lief]

"Faster than light," she repeated with a small nod, making a mental note of that for the future. Didn't hurt to learn a little more about things she was otherwise oblivious to.

"Yeah, better safe than sorry. Whichever you think would be best, I'm no expert on ships."

It was as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she had come into this expecting a hard bargain, some gruff old spacer who had a thousand other things he'd rather be doing than speaking with the kid of some guy he barely remembered. Just another lesson to not let her mind get ahead of reality too much.

"That was faster than I expected, in all honesty, I'm sure the Council will be eager to iron out the details with you when the time comes. I may stay for a little while, explore a bit before I head back to Aurum. Been a while since I last saw the inside of a Station."

Slipping down off the edge of the surface she had perched herself upon, she smiled gratefully in his direction. "Anywhere you'd recommend visiting in the meantime?"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Oh, just bum around. Always something new to see on Redshift, and it's safe enough if you don't flash money. Or go into the cantina with the orange light out front. Or, uh, look a Barabban Firewalker in the eye. Know what, if I wasn't three cans into lunch, I'd bodyguard you around the place. I'll set you up with an escort from the Underground if you want to wander. If not, well heck." He lost his train of thought. So much for going dry. "Heck. Thanks for coming by, Jericho Junior. Good to meet ya."

 

[Lief]

"I'll keep all that in mind," she said with a light chuckle to boot, inclining her head toward him. "It was great to finally meet you."

The words May the Force be with you almost escaped her lips, but she thought better of it. Some people did not take too kindly to such being voiced.

After pocketing her datapad, she said a quick farewell and stepped out of the office, leaving the spacer to his thoughts after graciously declining a bodyguard. Perhaps that would prove to bite her in the butt before the day was over, but Asha enjoyed exploring on her own terms, without feeling as though she was being shadowed or watched.

Either way, there was much to see and do before Aurum lured her back.

et fin