Private The Dead World

[Gatz Derrevar]

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Gatz had never been this far out in the Tingle arm of the galaxy.

The hyperlanes he knew best were those of the Outer Rim, to be sure. Over half a decade of smuggling spice had taken him to most of the reaches of the galaxy, all except the very fringes, and Sith space. He was an accomplished pilot, formerly an accomplished smuggler, and even had experience combating Sith Knights. But even so, being this close to old Sith space sent chills down his spine. They really weren't all that far from Korriban, and the Sith Order had just started to reclaim their old territory.

All in all, if he hadn't been asked by a Jedi Knight, Gatz Derrevar would never have chanced this journey.

The Red Night exited hyperspace with a shudder, and the pilot was greeted with the view of a dead world. He didn't know the history of Nathema, but for a dead rock, it sure did seem to garner a lot of interest from the Ashlan Crusaders. Maybe his passenger had been one, and that was why she was so interested in returning? He didn't know, and he figured it was none of his business anyways. She'd tell him as much as he needed to know, and he was fine with that.

"Knight Tari," Gatz keyed the ship wide intercom, "we've just dropped from hyperspace. You should come up here."

It felt weird to be so formal with a Jedi Knight, especially after being on a first-name basis with Valery. But ceremony was important to many in the Jedi Order, and it was just polite to be respectful of her rank. He didn't know her personally, and so being professional was probably the best approach.

Being professional. Him. The former smuggler, and general malcontent. Uncle Klein would be proud.

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Tags: Solan Halcyon

 

[Solan Halcyon]

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Shani had been kneeling in the passenger hold- her swords and Shinobue laid out before her, her mind lost deep in the force. The messages and recordings she'd received weighed deeply on her - the clash of swords. sabers, and the chitin of voreclaws driven mad. Her Master had fallen, and the Blades' Citadel had followed. Only the Cathedral remained undespoiled, and its sealing had cost far too many lives. Shani's thoughts, however, dwelled much more in what had happened after - and why she was returning to the broken throne of her old order.

She could still feel her master's presence, in an odd way. The Echani-Sephi's presence felt as if it was everywhere, and yet nowhere, as if she had joined with Ashla herself. And Mastern Corsanis spoke to her - a voice as soft as the breeze, as steady as rock, and as pure as kyber. A voice that told her to return to Nathema, to face the fate of her order, and take up the revealing fire.

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Shani was just finishing up her mediating as her Pilot's voice came over the intercom. Walking slowly into the cockpit, she looked out of the viewport as she sat in one of the passenger chairs behind her pilot. She let out a heavy sigh as she saw the system emerge before her. This used to be home.

"So we've arrived. Be careful on approach." She tried to hide the uncertainty and anxiousness on her voice - but in truth she was completely unsure of what she would find in the Citadel's ruins.

Gatz Derrevar

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[Gatz Derrevar]

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As Gatz began to make their approach to the world, Knight Shani entered the cockpit and took the auxiliary seat behind him. She cautioned him against making a reckless descent, which he wouldn't have made anyhow, but it was nice to have some forewarning that this planet might not be a safe place to be. Still, Gatz had landed on plenty of dangerous worlds before, so he didn't halt their approach. He merely slowed it a bit.

"Gotcha," Gatz acquiesced, "anything I should know about this planet ahead of time? We're pretty close to Korriban. I'd hate to unknowingly crash a Sith Lord's afternoon barbecue."

A stupid joke, but humor was how he dealt with stress and anxiety. And something about the rapidly approaching dead world made him very nervous. He could already feel it in the Force: cold and devoid of life. How had the Ashlan Crusaders made this place their home once? How did they stand this world's presence?

Maybe he'd ask the Jedi behind him. Later, though, after they'd established a comfortable back-and-forth. Right now, they were total strangers, and that seemed like too personal of a question to ask. He was blunt and crude, but even he knew not to pry at someone's history. Force knew he hated it when people pried at his.

So for the moment, Gatz made himself busy with breaking into the planet's stratosphere. Planetfall had always brought him an odd sense of peace, but here on Nathema, it only exacerbated his unease. Something about this world was unmistakenly wrong. He didn't want to be here. But a Jedi needed help, he'd promised her that help, and even when he'd been a criminal, Gatz had never been the kind of guy to back on his word.

So here they would remain.

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Tags: Solan Halcyon