These Are Your First Steps

[Cassius Droma]

With a thunderous boom, the A-wing starfighter snapped out of hyperspace and back into realspace, beginning a smooth glide to the blue-green planet of Commenor. The ship and its pilot were relatively low on fuel. Cassius Droma had been cooped up in the cramped cockpit for six hours at this point, and his last pack of rations had been expended back at his last stop. He gave a cursory glance over to the fuel gauge. He’d make it. He hoped.

Almost immediately, he was hailed and asked for identification. He transmitted his identifying signal, and within a few moments he was allowed to pick up speed and enter the atmosphere. The beauty of the planet struck him harder than he thought it would. For his entire life, he had lived on a frozen rock of a planet, only ever seeing the surfaces of other planets perhaps half a dozen times in his life before this moment. The tall mountains, the gorgeous valleys that wove seamlessly between them… they nearly took his breath away.

As a parting gift, an old squadron buddy of his had given him a highly detailed navicomputer update with territories marked in different shades of color. He was the one who had recommended the Commenor System Alliance – it was generally regarded as peaceful, and there were rumors of Force users all over the place. Thankfully, there were no major factions between Rinn and CSA space, so he was able to take a more direct route in order to get to Commenor. That being said, he gave the Galactic Empire a wide berth as he made his way there.

Chasin City came into view, and although his hands were nearly shaking from hunger, he managed to put in a request for landing. No answer came, however, and Cassius found that odd. His eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as he put in the request again. Nothing. As he got closer to the metropolis, he had begun to see why his call hadn’t been answered – a tower of billowing black smoke could be seen rising from a certain part of the city.

Bringing his A-wing closer, he could see it was some sort of governmental building, the front of it charred and black, as if it had been hit by some sort of small explosive, or perhaps a laser blast from a starfighter. Numerous emergency ships and airspeeders were parked on the green lawn out front, with many still arriving – whatever attack befell the area, it had just transpired. Cassius’s sense of duty kicked in, and he brought his A-wing down for a quick landing on the lawn.

The sounds of sirens became louder as more emergency personnel arrived. There were dozens strewn about, some looking worse than others. Cassius hopped out of the cockpit before the canopy could fully open, and he threw his helmet back into his seat as he ran across the lawn towards the first person he could see that looked like they needed help.

“Are you alright?” he asked, trying to inspect them for any type of injuries.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood on the lawn of the Senate Hall, watching in shock as the west tower leaned away from the others. One of the supporting walls beneath it was damaged by thermal detonators strategically placed. Fortunately not all of them had gone off. The four attackers were stopped beforehand, having to save themselves first and escape. And escape they did. However lives were lost and the certain parts of the building were off limits due to the damage.

Many questions remained. Who were the attackers? Who did they work for? Commenor had no enemies, so why did they do this? The Senate Hall was only recently built. What threat did it pose to anyone? Far too many questions. What was worse than not having any answers was in not having any of the attackers in custody.

The footsteps of [member="Cassius Droma"] as he ran towards Kay and two of her guards caught her attention. They raised their blasters, not knowing who he was; either friend or foe. Given the attack everyone was on edge. "HALT!"

Kay's gown was bloodied and burned, though the only injuries that she sustained were minor cuts and bruises. It was easy for Cassius to assume that she was worse off, especially given the state of shock that she was in. "Who are you?" For the moment his question on her well being was ignored.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius had been so focused on trying to help that he hadn’t even taken notice of the guards. At their harsh words and pointed blasters, however, he skidded to a stop, putting his hands up in a non-violent posture. “Hey! Whoa whoa whoa!” Cassius said, his entire body suddenly becoming very tense. Immediately, he realized he must look like a threat – he had a blaster pistol was on his right thigh, and his lightsaber hung from his belt at his left hip. That, coupled with the dark green flight suit and unshaven face… he certainly didn’t look like the local security forces.

[member="Lady Kay"] addressed him, asking him who he was. “I’m Cassius… Cassius Droma,” he said, trying to find the right tempo of his words to get the information out as quickly as possible, but slow enough as to not make the guards more wary of him. He briefly considered reaching into his utility belt for his identification… but decided against it. “I’m a pilot. I was flying overhead when I saw what was going on. I just figured I’d help out…” his voice trailed as his thoughts went back to his starfighter on the lawn behind him. Although the make and model had commonly been associated with “the good guys” for many years, landing like that would have spooked anyone.

His gaze nervously, yet steadily, went back and forth between the two guards. He calmed his breathing, hands still up, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. The thought of using the Force came to mind… if he could concentrate hard enough, he could lock up the guard’s trigger fingers for the briefest of moments so he could escape, if it came to that. He dashed the thought. Not only was there no way he could perform such a task at his current level of training, but these people weren’t going to kill him. Stun him, at the worst, but from the stories he’d heard, these were peaceful, reasonable people.

He looked back to [member="Lady Kay"]. She seemed to be in charge. If anyone was going to decide his fate, it was going to be her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

All three watched as [member="Cassius Droma"] skidded to a halt with his hands up. There was no doubt in Kay's mind that he was innocent, yet she had been fooled before, and for the first time what she had been working so hard to build had been attacked. And people had died.

She raised a brow as he gave his name. Neither of them recognized it, which could either be a good thing, or bad. Still the manner in which he held himself led her to believe that he was innocent and spoke truthfully. Hopefully she was right.

Kay nodded to her guards to lower their weapons as she herself relaxed her own stance. "I'm sorry Cassius. As you can imagine, this attack has put us all on edge. You didn't happen to see any ships looking as though they were escaping, did you?" The culprits had gotten away, much to her dismay. There was going to be a lot for her to answer to later on.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius let out a deep sigh as the guards lowered their blasters, and he in turn lowered his hands. As she spoke, it suddenly clicked for Cassius just who the woman in front of him was: [member="Lady Kay"], Chancellor of not just Commenor, but head of the entire Commenor Systems Alliance. He had read what he could on the trip over, and only just now did he recognize the face. Cassius had been on the surface for, what, two minutes, and he was already talking to the head of state?

She said how everyone was on edge, and Cassius nodded a touch to that, looking around to see those injured, helping, or those just sitting in shock. It was tough to look at – Cassius had never seen a ground attack like that before. Almost all of his combat experience took place up in the air, and the worst he’d ever seen was a shot-up freighter. This was the real world, he guessed.

Lady Kay asked him if he’d seen any sort of ships leaving the scene as if they were trying to escape. Cassius furrowed his brow in concentration, trying to remember. A lot of ships were leaving… but then again, they could have just been people trying to escape the attack. He looked up to the sky, trying to imagine himself back up there. Many of the ships had been sleek and clean, just like the architecture of the world. There was one, though…

“Yeah, actually,” he said, starting to remember. “A ship had buzzed by me as I was landing – looked a little out of place. Not to mention the fact that it was flying really low to the ground; everyone else would find elevation first before flying away. This one was flying low and fast.” It had possibly been Corellian, or was it from Sienar?

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. She had tried to get the attacker's ship immobolized before it took off, but they were too late. They'd be long gone now. "Which direction were they headed?" It would at least give them an idea of where the jump was. The more information, the better.

She dusted herself off a little, checking on her gown, though she wasn't worried about it. The dress was only material. Yet the blood, most of it wasn't hers. Kay was right in the middle of the attack and it took many guards to force her to be at a distance. She was stubborn though and they knew it.

"I'm sorry that your visit here has started off so badly. What brought you to Commenor, Cassius? Were you looking for work? Or just visiting?" She cleared her throat a bit as she didn't recall introducing herself. "I'm Lady Kay Arenais, by the way. Queen, Senator, Chancellor etc...too many titles. But that's why I have a couple of guards with me. So you can understand their want of protecting me and keeping me away from the Senate Hall."

A med team were seen approaching them from off in the distance, moving quite quickly.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The answer to her question was easy: the opposite of where he was headed. “Southeast, I’m pretty sure.” He turned and pointed back towards a more populated part of the city. “That way.” Perhaps they would try to blend into the normal traffic of the city. With the security forces swarming around like they were right now, though, if they could get a description of the ship out to everyone, it’d be found pretty soon. “I think my sensors picked them up, since they got so close. My logs should show the make, model, and maybe even registration number, unless they had a jammer onboard.”

Cassius thought about her next question, the reason for him being here. His brow furrowed momentarily as he thought about it. Deciding to just tell the truth, he started, “Honestly… I’m trying to become a Jedi. I recently discovered I’m what’s called ‘Force-Sensitive’, and I’ve only got a rudimentary grasp on my new powers. I’d heard that the new Jedi Order was based out of here, and Commenor seemed the most peaceful of all the factions…” Despite the attack on the Senate Hall, that was.

She confirmed the conclusion that he had made just moments ago: that she was [member="Lady Kay"], Chancellor of Commenor. “It’s an honor to meet, you, ma’am,” he said, unsure of his last word, as he wasn’t entirely sure on how to address her. ‘My lady’, seemed way too formal for a patrol pilot from the Outer Rim.

He nodded as she mentioned her guards wanting to keep her safe. “They look pretty antsy, and frankly so am I, being so out in the open after an attack like that. Maybe we should go somewhere else. I can transmit my sensor logs to your security forces’ frequency on the way there.” One thing was certain, he wasn’t going to leave his A-wing behind. He’d worked too hard to buy it from the Rinn Starfighter Corps, and they’d been through a lot of scraps together.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly as [member="Cassius Droma"] informed her that he wanted to become a Jedi. The Force sure moved in mysterious ways, bringing people to those that they needed or to those that needed them. That's the way it had always been with her. She attracted a lot of trouble, but at the same attracted a lot of help too. A balance of influence, a balance of power. Perhaps it was due to the neutral ground that they stood on. It was very difficult to say. "Well you're in luck. I happen to be married to a Jedi Grandmaster. His Jedi roam around the Alliance space and he visits here when he has the time. I could send you his way, if you'd like."

Out in the open or not, Kay was certain that her guards would be overly cautious for some time. The med team arrived, all of their eyes turned to them.

"My Lady, are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine. The blood isn't really mine. This dress took more damage than I did."

"Please allow us to examine you."

"No. See to the others at the Hall. I'm heading to the Palace. I can be examined there. People need you here."

"But you should be examined--"

Kay cut the medic off. "I said that I was fine. Help the other teams at the hall. Those are my orders."

"Yes, My Lady." Each member of the team bowed their heads and then continued on their way to the Senate Hall.

Kay looked to her guards and then to Cassius. "Shall we?" She turned from the Senate Hall and headed towards the Palace. Her steps were calculated and almost cautious. In truth she wasn't sure if she was in shock and could perhaps have more injuries, or really was just fine. Only time would tell and she didn't want to overdo it. "We also have a Praxeum here for people to learn about the Force in general, as opposed to just one side or the other. It's a safe place to learn."

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius was somewhat surprised that the Lady Kay was married to a Jedi Grandmaster. He didn’t know that there was a Jedi Order associated with the Alliance… it must have been only recently formed. To try and review the last few minutes in his head was almost overwhelming: he’d landed on a new planet, at the scene of a recent terror attack, and met the queen, who also just so happened to be married to a Jedi. If the galaxy was always this exciting, he should have left Rinn months ago.

“I’d… I’d much appreciate that,” Cassius said, nodding.

The medical team arrived, and [member="Lady Kay"] staunchly refused care, although Cassius would have protested just as much as the med team had. There was always a risk of internal damage, as well as psychological. Perhaps she would be attended to later, when she wasn’t in public. Being a leader of an entire planet meant that you had to always look strong, it seemed.

Cassius nodded as she started to walk away from the Senate Hall, falling into step right next to her. The guards flanked them, their heads on a swivel. Reaching to his utility belt, he pulled out his clunky datapad. Tapping into his ship’s sensor logs, he transmitted the last few minutes to the local authorities, making sure to highlight a line where a small transport had been detected going at a very fast speed at a low altitude.

When Lady Kay mentioned the Praxeum, Cassius was interested. Although he had gotten a bit of a crash-course from the training holograms in the temple, he needed to learn as much as he could. Maybe living, breathing people would know best.

“I don’t know a lot about the Force…” Cassius admitted. Really, the only evidence he was even a Jedi sat on his belt – his lightsaber. “You said your husband’s Order roams the area; is there a certain location where they’re based? Or do they live on a ship?” He knew that bigger cruisers had the capacity to house people for extended periods of time – he was stationed on a frigate a few times for weeks on end.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Once [member="Cassius Droma"] brought out his datapad, she knew what he was up to. Giving out those specs on the ship he saw. They'd be checked with what images of the landing pads that they could salvage from the explosions, as well as with any of the spaceports in theur area. More than likely they'd send the information off to their nearest allies as well. The quicker that they could do it, the smaller of the haystack that they'll have to search.

He asked his question about [member="Veiere Arenais"] and his Jedi Order. It wasn't quite an easy answer for her to give him. There were different parts to it. She kept her eyes forward as she walked, being sure that her words would seem as though she had little knowledge of the Force herself. But that of course wasn't the truth. "Veiere ran the Praxeum here for a while. He built it. Yet the Light called to him more than the neutrality that we had built here. So he went to Yutan to one of the Temples there to start a new Jedi Orderthat is based on the ideals of the past. However the Yutani weren't fond of the idea...." The arguments between herself and the Senator of Yutan came into her mind then, and they were quite unpleasant. She could do no right by him.

"...So Veiere and I funded the construction of a large vessel, a floating learning centre as it were, a means by which that they could go where they were needed and learn in a place where they didn't have to worry about interference. That is where he spends most of his days." It bothered her a little, that their paths kept them seperate, but only because she missed him when he wasn't with her. But Kay knew that keeping him on Commenor wpuld just make him miserable and she couldn't have that.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius nodded as [member="Lady Kay"] explained. It seemed like a good fit for him, honestly. All of the training holograms he had been learning from on Rinn were from the old era. When he had heard of the other Jedi factions, he hadn't been too sure about them. His training had been very traditional up until this point. While he had been too old to be taught the values of the Jedi Order in his formative years like the old ways had been, he still had an appreciation of those values.

He already began to imagine what kind of vessel they would have commissioned to house an entire religious order. It was just starting out, so perhaps it wasn't as large as he was first thinking... but then again, if it was supposed to sustain a large group of people indefinitely, it had to be bigger than the average battlecruiser. The cargo space alone would have to be tremendous. Part of him wanted to go there right now, at this very moment, but as he looked back at the smoldering Senate Hall, he put a hold on those thoughts.

"If your husband is looking for new students, I'd love to join them," he said, "however, do you need help with any of this right now? I know I'm just a patrol pilot from the Outer Rim, but I'm pretty handy when it comes to security." If there was a way he could help apprehend the people who had done this, he would. He needed something to do other than sit in a cockpit for weeks on end trying to get somewhere.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay offered [member="Cassius Droma"] a small smile. "He always has room for new students, so you would be most welcome." She paused in her walking as she needed a bit of a break. The shock was starting to wear off and so she was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. Her hand was placed on his shoulder for stability as he was closer than her guards were.

"Your assistance would be appreciated as well. Although you'd need to go through security clearance first." Her old Head of Security had been missing for a few months now. Intelligence hadn't brought anything back. It's as though he had disappeared. Perhaps he was working on something and needed to be under cover. Whatever it was, it led her to worry. But that was her job of course, to worry about those that worked for her and those under her care.

"A pilot that doubles as security. And a Force user to boot. I could use someone like that. I pay well, with room and board. Plus we have universal healthcare. Does all of that spund fair to you?"

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius was glad to hear that Kay’s husband would be more than likely to accept him as a new student. For the first time in weeks, he felt that he had purpose. Since leaving Rinn, Cassius had felt as though he’d been slowly tugged along by the Force, yet the path before him was unclear. Now, it was in blazing red before him, ready to take him down the path of the Jedi. He instinctively placed his own shoulder on Lady Kay’s as she braced against him, providing her with additional support.

“No problem,” Cassius nodded in response to being checked over by security, knowing that his credentials should check out. Granted, Rinn was a world that not a lot of people paid attention to outside of those who lived near to it – many didn’t even know it existed in the first place.

His eyes widened somewhat as what sounded like a job offer reached his ears. A little chuckle escaped him as he didn’t really know what to say at first. “That… sounds great!” he said, grinning. Now he had a job and a purpose – work for the Lady Kay, and become a Jedi. Not only did he have purpose, but he had the means to achieve that goal.

“I can start working with your security forces in tracking down that shuttle as soon as possible,” Cassius said, “once they check me out, of course. Chances are, they’re going to try and make a run to get off-planet as soon as possible. You’re going to need a good pair of eyes and sensors to patrol the space around Commenor.” It would be just like the old days – except after a hard day’s work, instead of going back to cold, metal quarters, he’d go back to… wherever he’d be staying on Commenor. Or maybe even this big Jedi ship Kay had mentioned.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Cassius Droma"] had good instincts. He supported her without even pointing out her delay. He just took it in stride. That was a good thing. Right now Kay didn't want to be fussed over.

She smiled a little as he accepted the job, though she wasn't sure of how long he'd stay. Those that sought training in the Force, especially if they were a part of her security, they tended to follow new paths shortly thereafter. She could recall plenty that had left her service, some without notice. But they weren't obligated to remain as she was. Kay couldn't leave, not like her husband could. Besides, usually when she was off world she ran into some kind of trouble.

Kay started to walk again, as she had begun to feel better. She nodded to his suggestion of keeping an eye on the skies. "You're welcome to aide them now if you'd like. I could give you a pass on the clearance for right now as time is precious. At the end of the day, they'll take you to the security wing of the Palace and show you to your quarters." Was she dismissing him? Maybe. She'd be soon in the care of her medical staff anyways and there wouldn't be much for him to do. Her guards were enough to keep watch over her. There was no need to waste the man's talents.

 

[Cassius Droma]

“I should probably get going, then,” Cassius said, making sure she was able to support herself before letting go of her shoulder. “You won’t regret this decision, [member="Lady Kay"]. I promise.” It was a promise he intended to keep. For all of his flaws and setbacks, if there was one thing someone could say about Cassius Droma, it was that he loyal and determined. Once he set his mind to something, he would find a way to accomplish it.

He took a few steps away, but then stopped and turned back to her. “May the Force be with you,” he said, a phrase he’d taken to saying more often now that he’d left Rinn.

Jogging back to his A-wing, he had to wave off a security guard trying to yell at him to move it. Sitting back in the cockpit and securing his helmet on his head, he closed the canopy and did his pre-flight checks. Before lifting off, he recalled the sensor log of the escaping ship and made sure that his sensors scanned for that particular ship.

Without wasting much time, Cassius lifted the A-wing off of the lawn of the Senate Hall, turned in the direction of the escaping ship, and blasted off.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled and bowed her head as [member="Cassius Droma"] thanked her for the job. She knew that she wouldn't regret it, for as long as it lasted. He seemed to be a good man that she could count on.

She watched him go, smirking to herself as Cassius used an old saying. She replied in kind. "And with you. Good luck Cassius. Safe journey." If he had known that she was Force sensitive as well, his phrase would've held a deeper meaning. But she couldn't reveal her secret, most especially to a new hire. Perhaps in time she would, but most that she told would get very angry over it. In some ways, she understood why.

As Cassius ran out to fulfill his task, Kay continued her walk back to the palace. Throughout the journey, she was on her commlink, giving clearances and allowing Cassius to search unhindered. Hopefully he'd find something.

The medical team greeted her part way through the front lawn and immediately began to fuss over her. Kay didn't argue this time however. She needed the rest and needed the investigators to do their work.

Hopefully they find the people responsible.