Taming My Wild Side - Anija's Force Training [Ember Rekali]

[Anija Betna]

She listened, focusing on her breathing and where she was placing her feet. "At this point, I don't much care what people think. It's about doing what's right, when others won't." She sighed and finished the climb by dropping down and then rolling to her feet, if a bit unsteadily. She took a deep breath before answering. "Can't day that I have. Is that some sort of space station? I have heard buir mention it a few times."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

"It's too big to be a space station. That said, it's a space station. Toroidal construction, probably built off the spaceframe of a centripetal acceleration colony, pre-artificial gravity. It's all modernized now, o'course. Chock full of casinos and houses of ill repute. We own it now. It's run by this Shell Hutt fether named Popo. One of his people is sort of in charge of throwing nearby Mandos an occasional bone so we'll stay happy with the Popo Administration. This particular bone just happens to have some meat on it."

The village hove into view, and the little hypercapable Niathal-class shuttle he used when he wasn't flying the Contruum. "So we meet with this underling, he tells me where Kryze's family stashed the Coronet, and we go and take care of that."

As they drew near, he gestured, and the hatch opened. "Plenty of room for two - standard crew is two to five, though normally it's just me and an astromech."

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]

She arched an eyebrow at the mention of a Hutt being in charge of a Mandalorian-held station. "Why's this Hutt running it? Lack of manpower from our side, or is it more about the revenue?" She shrugged slightly. She supposed it was a decent arrangement given the circumstances. After a moment's silence, she followed his gaze. They'd made good time to the village. Off to the left, she spied the small spaceport where her own ship was birthed. Just on the outskirts of the village, she spotted the little shuttle he'd mentioned. ""Small generally means its faster..." she said softly, nodding. "Small spaces don't bother me overly much. And, I admit to a great deal of curiosity about the Kryze vessel..." She followed him up the boarding ramp and into the shuttle.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

"This Mandalore understands that winning and governing aren't the same thing. Most of the trusted Mandos wouldnt do too well in charge of a casino station, and why tie down someone who'd be more useful in the field?"

The shuttle turned out to be fairly spacious, room for a crew of two to five with plenty of passenger capacity. He fired it up with the lracticed motions of a career spacer. "The Kryze ship is the kind of project that interests me right across the board. Finding it is a challenge, refitting it is a challenge, and with luck I can turn it into exactly the kind of ship I need. I have an Azalus and a good crew, but she's not suited to tackling ships of the line all by her lonesome. This one will be. I aim to privateer my way through old Sith Empire space. Take down Tulak Hords and Charons if I can."

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]

She couldn't argue that logic, and she said as much. "Even so, not all Mandalorians want to spend their lives embroiled in war. Like me. I'm just as content to work at other things. Fixing ships... cleaning weapons, as I am being in the battlefield. Sure, I'm trained for it, but I do not enjoy war."

She was silent for a moment as she watched the planet fall away and change to the inky blackness of space, which was broken by the speckling of stars. "What's so special about the Coronet, that makes it able to do such things. Beyond the beskar hull plating, I mean...?"

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

"I don't enjoy war either. I've got no patience for those who do. A face-to-face duel, a challenge like that, absolutely. But war's disgusting, venial, base, even at its best. Well, not best. At its most necessary.

"There's nothing special about the Coronet, far as I know, beyond the beskar. But it's a blank slate, from what I've been told. A man can turn a ship like that into anything he needs, anything he wants."

The Niathal cleared the grav well, beyond geosynch and well into high orbit territory.

"You ever done a hyperjump by instinct? Navicomputer does most of the work, usually. But you adjust the controls by instinct, just that little last bit, just the last few decimal places. It's a good way to die if you do it wrong, but I've done plenty of it. Feel like trying?" He explained, quickly, the basic meditation and trick of thought involved.

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]


The thought of a ship being a blank slate was rather exciting, and Anija found herself grinning. "Well, if you want help, I'm up to the challenge." She told him firmly as she began to familiarize herself with the shuttle's controls.

When he asked the question, her hands stilled at the controls. "Can't say that I have, but it would be interesting to try." She grinned nervously at him. "As long as I don't fly us into a star...."

She listened carefully as he explained, already beginning to slow her breathing and clear her thoughts. [member="Ordo"] had taught her that ages ago. It was useful in combat as well as other situations.. The navicomputer chimed, displaying the coordinates of her destination on the screen, and also the quickest route to get there.

She studied the map for a moment and then nodded, her breathing slow and even as her eyes fell closed. Her hands moved slowly over the controls, making small adjustments to the course to avoid stars and and other gravity wells. The computer had done a decent job, but it was better to be cautious. After a few more seconds, her eyes opened again and she nodded to Ember as she stabbed at the commit key with her index finger. Half a second later, space stretched into starlines around them and the Niathal vanished into hyperspace.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

When the shuttle reverted, the station was VERY VERY CLOSE. "Too accurate!" Ember halfway yelped, hauling up on the stick. The Niathal skimmed up and over the Wheel, shedding pseudomotion. He spun the ship, firing the main engines against their vector, and they slowed to a relative stop.

"Well, that...that was definitely the general idea." He wiped his brow, stilled his heart, and settled into a docking bay. "We'll have to practice that later, with smaller targets. Nav buoys, maybe. Tiny ones." He unbuckled and rose, taking up his helmet; he'd put on his armor midflight. Their contact's name was Agragorn, and he was usually to be found in one of the many casinos along the main strip. "Shall we?"

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]

Anija's eyes widened in shock as she watched the station snap into existence in front of them as the Niathal reverted. She judged it to be maybe 50 meters away, and her stomach rose into her throat as Ember hauled back on the stick. She gulped, and wiped her forehead of the sudden sheen of sweat. "Ceta... didn't think it would be that accurate..." she said softly as she straightened in her seat and adjusted her crash webbing. She sighed. At least she hadn't smeared them across the Wheel's hull. She listened for a moment and sighed. "Something that isn't potentially dangerous to impact...?" she muttered under her breath. When he rose, she followed suit a moment later and donned her helmet as well. Mandalorian territory or not, she wasn't sure how some might react to her presence.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

The Wheel's hallways and promenades boasted color, revelry, and, in many respects, grunge. Some considered it the ultimate blend of Zeltros and Ord Mantell, or Nar Shaddaa and Vorzyd Five. Some called it paradise. Others would walk through a place like this with one nervous hand on a blaster. Ember just took it all in as he moved, prioritized threats and opportunities, didn't feel much of anything.

He gestured at one of the casinos on the main strip. "Agragorn's usually at the sabacc tables, and it might take some doing to get the location out of him. You ever play? Because I'm abysmal."

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]


She laughed slightly. "Sure, I know how, but I'm not very good, either...." She told him softly. Though, she supposed it was worth the try. "I can give it a shot. Though, if you're expecting me to sweet talk him.," she left that hanging for a moment and then grinned. "Sabacc should be.... fun...."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

"Well, let's not be afraid to reevaluate some options here. Sabacc's a challenge? Let's adapt." He snapped his fingers, and a deck of cards appeared in his hand, then vanished. "I've got some minor skill in the White Current. I'm not wild about using it to cheat at cards, but if you can go in there and play as if you've got a great hand, with appropriate bluffing and all, I'll make that happen from the bar over here. Comm me if it gets hairy."

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]

Frowning for a few moments as she considered that proposition. Right now, it was the best - and only - option they really had. Muttering under her breath about the odds, she finally nodded. "Alright, let's do this..." She squared her shoulders, checked her weapons belt, and then headed straight into the casino to search out the man who was in charge of the sabacc table. At least there was one thing to be said. If they let her keep her helmet on, she had a better chance of keeping her train of thought. Shrugging mentally, she paid the fee and slid into an empty chair around the table as the dealer droid dealt out the cards to her and the other 3 players.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

Truth be told, Ember had some talent at sabacc. Enough to keep track of each player's probable hands...maybe not. But the challenge was manageable.

Until he realized that the third man was an Epicanthix. Impossible to read, impossible to influence. All he could do was what he'd told Anija he would handle: White Current to alter the cards. Fallanassi arts convinced the fabric of the universe that some item or condition existed -- or didn't. Droids could see the things Ember made; so could Epicanthix. But what he couldn't do was throw in little bits of mentalism, tricks of distraction.

The ethics of this weren't ideal, granted. But at least they weren't actually out to make money.

The cards shifted in Anija's hands, giving her a good but slightly risky hand.

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]

For the moment, Anija kept her gaze on the cards in her hand, watching as they shifted. She'd played sabacc before and knew the rules well enough. The value of her cards had to equal twenty one. Beyond that, she was willing to let Ember handle it.

The cards in her hand were good, though the combination was not ideal. She frowned slightly and hesitantly opened herself to the force, trying to get a sense of the other players. It would be a challenge to hold her bluff, but she felt she could do it.

Watching as each player slid a card info the center of the table, she did the same, selecting a card of middle value.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

Ember felt her shift the Force, gaining intuitive knowledge of the other players. And it would work, apart from that fething Epicanthix. Her bluffing ability might not be secondary to the moment's objective, but it was definitely secondary to the longer-term objective of cultivating that kind of ability to read one's opponents.

As the game wore on, and others' cards shifted, Anija's stayed mostly the same. As the game drew to a close, though, her cards underwent a radical shift. As did everyone else's. A flurry of tells ran around the table. He was hitting his limits when it came to illusion.

Within about ten minutes, Anija had a stack of a hundred thousand credits, and an I.O.U. from Agragorn. An I.O.U. that could be readily exchanged for the location of the ancient ship, ideally. If they caught him before he left, and he was leaving fast.

 

[Anija Betna]

[member="Ember Rekali"]
Anija frowned under her helmet and took a slow breath as she tried to concentrate. It wasn't easy. And while she'd done similar things before, it hadn't been to this degree. Honestly, it made her head hurt a little. And that one player, she couldn't get a read on at all... and that frustrated her. She sighed and then carefully placed another card in the center, watching the ripple of tells make its way around the table. Subtle changes in facial expressions and posture, that most wouldn't pick up on.

As the game wore on, a stack of credits slowly began to accumulate in front of her. She carefully played her cards, trying to draw out the game in hopes that the others would lose their nerve. And it appeared that was just what was happening. Two of the other players threw down their cards in disgust and left. Agragorn wasn't far behind them, tossing a small datapad in her direction with information regarding what he owed her from the current winnings. And then he turned and left. Frowning, Anija quickly cleaned up the pile of credits and slipped the cred chips into a belt pouch before rising from the table/

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"] was busy clearing up her winnings, including the all-important datapad -- and, as luck would have it, Agragorn was headed for a hallway not far from Ember. With a glance at Anija, Ember made to intercept him.

Agragorn shook off Ember's hand and moved on, but a Thorn of Ryloth, a hookblade, slipped out from under Ember's sleeve and snared the other man's coat. "Ah, ah, ah. That I.O.U.'s not what we want, son. I'm told you know -- no, don't look at the guards -- I'm told you know where a certain ship's to be dug up. A...tall ship. And you owe us now, don't you. Your I.O.U. wiped, we leave, just hand over the coordinates."

 

[Anija Betna]

She caught Ember's glance, and hung back at the table, making a show of looking at the datapad for several seconds. Then she rose from the table and made her way slowly towards the door, passing near Ember. She paused then and rested her hand on her ripper before crossing her arms and staring the man down. "We can either resolve this peacefully, or ..." she left that open and just shrugged. "All we want is information." She hefted the datapad for a moment. "You give us the information, I'll consider us even, and forget about this right here..."
[member="Ember Rekali"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Anija Ordo"]

Sweat beaded on Agragorn's forehead as he glanced from Mando to Mando. "That's my nest egg you're talkin' about. Have a heart."

"It's a piece of Mandalorian heritage, and an important one. You'll be well paid, enough to buy five ships." He didn't bother to try and sound soothing; that generally came across as dishonest. But a big tall Mando behind a mask says something like that without inflection, you tend to believe it. A minor eternity passed as Agragorn looked from Ember to Anija and back again. Ember almost, almost, mind-tricked him into agreeing, but that lacked as much integrity as if he'd pressed the point about an I.O.U. gained from cheating.

Ten minutes later, they were back on Ember's shuttle. It hadn't even cooled down.

"Deep space, not too far from Mandalore, good distance from any major or minor hyperroutes. I caught a glimpse of his mind -- think there's some battle droids he left to guard the ship."