Private The Hunter and The Padawan

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife had not been very interested in the Jedi, even as a child. Her mother rarely spoke of them, and she couldn't recall her father ever saying anything about them either. What she did know, however, was that the Silver Jedi had made themselves a home on Commenor, and her brother did not have a high opinion of them. Did he say it directly to her face? No, but older sisters knew how to read between the lines of their baby brother's huffiness.

The fact that the Jedi had made a home so close to her Dark Sided brother did not make her any less anxious either.

So, she had decided to visit their Enclave herself, and see what kind of climate they had. Was it an echo chamber of the same opinions? Were they open minded? Were any of them secretly plotting to murder her darling baby brother in his sleep just because he was of the Dark? Aoife had to know, for her own sanity.

Though if any of them did harbor that last idea towards her brother, there would be a very, very fiery problem.

Walking into the Enclave, Aoife was almost reminded of home. The carved stone architecture was almost like the temples back on Domhanda, though styled much, much differently. She wandered the halls, not minding that her attire made her stick out like a sore thumb.

Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Aoife Jones wasn't the only one who stuck out. Kuxirra didn't exactly wear the Jedi robes either, and went without the boots. The Togruta saw Aoife and smiled, having never seen her before. She ran over to her. "Hi! I'm Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri! Are you new here? I am too."

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife turned as she heard the sound of running, and found a young Togruta running up to her. A padawan, perhaps? She wasn't wearing robes, but- Ah. Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri seemed to be a bit rebellious, if she wasn't in school dress code. How cute.

"Actually, I'm not a Jedi at all. I'm just... passing through. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Aoife Jones. It's pleasure to meet you, Kuxirra. Have you been a Jedi for very long?"

Smiling down at the young girl, Aoife wondered if she could get any information out of the Padawan. She seemed honest enough, but it almost seemed cruel to use her to find out what Aoife wanted to know... But if it was for her brother's safety, Aoife would do anything.

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Kuxirra shook her head. "Only for a couple months. And I've only been on Commenor for about a week. Before, I was on Kashyyyk."

 

[Aoife Jones]

"I see.. Are you enjoying your time with the Order so far, then?"

Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri would be useless to get the information Aoife wanted, but an interesting conversation could still be had. Humming quietly, Aoife pondered over what questions she could ask about the Jedi.

"I must admit, I am rather curious as to what Jedi training is like. My people's way of learning about the Force is... Very focused. Is the same true for you... Padawans? Is that the correct word?"

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Kuxirra nodded at the first question. "Yeah. It's much better than where I lived before." The Togruta continued to listen to Aoife Jones . "Focused? I guess. My Master and I try to focus on one thing at a time, and once I learn one thing, we move on. Sometimes it takes me a while to learn stuff because I have a hard time focusing."

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife nodded along as Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri spoke of her training, and understood the young Togruta having trouble focusing. Though, likely for a different reason than Aoife had growing up. Aoife doubted the Padawan before her lost a baby brother in a mad dash run from Arkania, only to find out almost 30 years later said baby brother was the President of Commenor...

"Truth be told, I had quite a difficult time focusing on my training at your age as well. Not just with the Force, but in general too. Though, being the study buddy of a Crown Princess... I had the best teachers my home planet had to offer anyway."

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Kuxirra smiled. "That definitely sounds like me. I was told I have something called ADHD. It's what makes it so hard for me to focus. Where are you from, anyway?"

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife opened her mouth to speak of Domhanda, before shutting it with a smile and a hum.

"Hm... My home is quite isolationist, I doubt you've heard of it... But if you give me a tour, I suppose it'd be all right to tell you about it. What do you think? A fun game, information for information, yes?"

Tilting her head to the side, Aoife couldn't help but laugh quietly about the game she proposed. Truthfully, she didn't mind telling Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri about Domhanda, but just giving that information freely would be no fun!

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Kuxirra thought for a bit. "Um...I still don't really know my way around, so I could easily get us both lost."

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife smiled down at Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri knowingly, and leaned down as she held a finger to her lips as she spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Don't tell anyone, but I used to be a bounty hunter, so I make it a habit of remembering the layout of places I visit. We'll be just fine, because I'll remember how to get back here for the both of us."

She gave Kuxirra a playful wink as she stood up straight once more, excited to play her little knowledge exchange game with the Padawan. Did she care if Kuxirra told the other Padawans about her bounty hunting past? Not really, but it was fun to have little secrets with people you might never meet again.

It made oneself memorable.

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

Kuxirra nodded, grinning and showing Aoife Jones around. "Over here are the dorms for those of us who live above land. There are dorms underwater for the aquatic and amphibious species. There are the training rooms..." She continued pointing things out as they traveled

 

[Aoife Jones]

Aoife followed Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri around with a smile. She nodded and hummed along as the Padawan explained where they were, and made a map in her head. Entrance, dorms, dorms, then training rooms. So far it was just a simple map, but the Enclave was a large place, and there was still more to see. More to find out, as well, but... That could come later.

"So what made you want to become a Jedi, Kuxirra?"

 

[Kuxirra Tano-Bonteri]

"Well, for starters, both of my parents are Jedi." Kuxirra said. "But when I was three months old, this mad scientist Dr. Veinstein kidnapped me. I became one of his genetic experiments. My designation was Subject 643. I was supposed to be a super soldier, able to easily kill someone in over a hundred different ways in under a minute. I have the ability to do so, but it's against my nature to hurt others. It hurts when I see others suffering, and to be the cause of that suffering would be too much for me to bear." She gestured to her akul-tooth headdress. "I was twelve when I got this. It was a matter of life and death. It was painful to have to kill such a beautiful creature. When I was fifteen, the labs were destroyed. Some of us decided to stay. Clearly, I was one of the ones who chose to leave. After a while, I found my parents. They told me about the Jedi and gave me a choice: join them and the SJC, or walk my own path. I thought about it for a while, and I don't regret my decision to stay."