Private We're Listening...

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

It wasn't often these days she visited Lothal. Usually it was to visit Jalen Kai'el and his temple, but nowadays, it was for a more proactive purpose. The Imperial Confederation was stretched thin. Their cloud of influence was too easy to hit, but it meant that their borders were always active.

The Star Destroyers only had so many planets to go.

And the route to Mahporeem seemed to be active as ever recently.

Lothal was situated perfectly to monitor it. Jonyna had the Lifeline, stealthed right above the planet at the moment. For now though, she was on the ground. Setting up a listening post...

And taking in the scenery.

It was something she did wherever she went. Took a moment to smell the tall grass. On her speeder bike, she rode through the fields of empty grass. No cities, no people, just herself...

At least, she would assume. She always had a habit of running into strange faces in places like this.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Lothal was one of those places where the young mutt could simply retreat to for some relaxation, a place to clear his head and reset. This trip was definitely not one of those, although he certainly was going to use some of his free time for that express purpose.

In the wake of the Foundation's loss, Yuri found himself drifting once more without a place to call home. Kestri was doing fine again, relatively, but he felt like a stranger going back there. An imposter. So he did what he did best, smuggling various goods, taking on bounties, and some light mercenary work. Only this time it was with a better moral compass than last time. There were various groups looking to rebel for various reasons against their overlords, which meant decent money for him and some semblance of purpose in his otherwise empty life.

With a deep breath, Yuri leaned back against the side of his speeder and detached his mechanical arm to relax a little against the low hill. He let his mind wander for a little bit as the wind gently rustled the grass around him and the valley ahead.

Thoughts kept rolling around the last few years and the choices he made. He had to admit to himself that he was angry at the loss of the Foundation. He finally found a place to call home, worked for a good cause that helped thousands of lives, even met a girl who he genuinely fancied. But most importantly he felt like he belonged for once in his life. Now it was all gone. All because of a leadership that couldn't commit as far as he was concerned.

Frightening amount of that going around the galaxy lately...

He sighed, lighting a cigarette for a deep pull as he pressed the back of his head into the fender. But a strange sound in the distance drew him from his thoughts. The whine of a speeder engine. He listened for a few moments, but ultimately disregarded the sound. He was in no mood for trouble.

What he didn't realize, however, was that the sound came from behind him and the low hill, where whoever was approaching wouldn't be able to see him and his vehicle...

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

It was a sharp turn to correct herself as soon as she saw the face in front of her. Too sharp. Luckily for Jonyna, she knew how to arrest her momentum pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it meant turning her bike into a rocket, for a few very exciting seconds.

When she finally dug her face out of the dirt, she looked up to see...

Bitter memories. The last time she had seen Yuri's face, she was fighting alongside Jenn Kryze . That still felt like a fresh wound, in a lot of ways.

She wondered for a moment what Jenn would think of Jonyna's new kids.

"...hey." She finally coughed.

 

[Yuri Maji]

The whine gradually became louder as Yuri scanned the area, unable to see the stranger approaching him at such a speed. It was only as the speeder came dangerously close that Yuri finally realised the sound came from behind his little hill. But by then it was too late.

The unknown driver clipped the corner of his speeder, catapulting the poor mutt several feet away from his arm and vehicle. When the dust finally settled, Yuri slowly pushed himself off the ground with a groan to sneer at the crazy driver. "Watch your karkin' scanners, you karkin' nerf herder!" He shouted at what appeared to be a woman.

But after a few seconds of watching her pull her face free of the ground, he finally realized exactly who he was looking at.

Her greeting was the final cherry on top. Confusion and anger filled his lungs and eyes, his mane stood on end and his remaining hand began to shake. He tried to draw the pistol strapped to his thigh, only to realize that he hadn't attached his left arm yet. "What the kriff are you doin' here?" He instead elected to ask her as he limped over to his speeder in search of his arm.

"Not only do you fight like bantha poodoo, you drive like it too." He practically growled as he searched for his arm. Finally discovering where it was flung, he slotted it back onto his shoulder socket and gave a few flicks to test the connection. Once he was satisfied, he finally drew Peace and flipped the selector to burst fire as he trained it on the Jedi who scarred him. "So, should I kill ya now, or later?" He asked her with irritation thick in his voice.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

"Ideally neither." Jonyna snarked, pure instinct. She wasn't suppressing it at this point. Then again, she didn't look intimidated either. Her hands were kept open, not bothering to grab her weapons. "In my defense, I wasn't expecting anything to be for a couple hundred miles."

Jonyna didn't seem to react much to the threat on her. Instead, she brushed herself off, and walked over to her bike. "Are you gonna keep pointing that at me or do you want some help getting your bike out of the dirt?"

 

[Yuri Maji]

If it were anyone else, a snort or laugh would have escaped the hound's maw at the remark, however he wasn't going to give this harpy the satisfaction of a laugh. She could go to hell.

She did make a good point, however, about his placement and the collision. But the sentiment remained and he wasn't going to let her get off easy. "Still doesn't mean you don't have to check your scanners." He retorted, carefully making his way toward his speeder without moving his sights off her.

She clearly didn't seem bothered by the gun, not that he would expect her to be. But she also made no move or attempt to reach for a weapon either. Also not a big surprise, but it did irk him a little bit. Damn Jedi, always wanting to "de-escilate" a situation.

"I'll do it." He stubbornly retorted to her offer without any hesitation or pause. He did, however, glance at his pistol for a brief second before flicking the safety back on. With a twirling flourish the hefty pistol was elegantly slid back into its holster and the Mandalorian walked over to back up his speeder. A quick assessment revealed that both fenders were damaged by the impact, but a stabilizer also seemed to have died in the crash.

An angry sigh escaped Yuri's maw as he turned to look at Jonyna. "You're payin' for this, you know that, right?" He warned her with a raised brow and a faint snarl as he pointed at the damage. "Damn stabilizer is smashed, thing's stuck here." He continued, giving a light kick to the vehicle which hurled a few sparks back in retaliation. "Stinkin' karkin' furball..." He muttered to himself as he lit another cigarette.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji ​

"Put it on my tab. I have more money than the planet Coruscant." Jonyna joked, picking up her own bike. It too, failed to start. "Great, now we're both stuck. Pair of jackasses, stuck in the middle of nowhere Lothal."

Jonyna let out a sigh, pulling a comm out from her vambrace. "You want me to call us a pick up? My Rebel boys are up in orbit. I'd offer you a job with us, but I think you'd turn me down at this point."

Truth was, Jonyna didn't hold any ill will towards Yuri. She hadn't been there when his mom died. That had been Val's battle. The war with the Enclave, for as brief as it was, felt like ages ago. Honestly, the longer ago it was, the more it felt like 'The good old days'.

Now they were both gone. The Alliance, and the Enclave.

Dust in the wind.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Once again he had to suppress a laugh and a retort in his attempts to avoid any satisfaction. However, he couldn't stop himself from laughing when her own speeder refused to start as well. "Now that's just instant karma right there." He remarked as he hopped onto his speeder for a seat.

She offered to call in her people for a lift, but he had a better idea. "Nah, I'll organize a lift. Can't just leave these out here." He remarked as he tapped his speeder. With a few quick taps on his commlink, he sent out a message and sat back once more to enjoy the silence. But her previous remark did stick in his head. The Mandalorian glanced over to Jonyna with a curious glimmer in his eyes. "What kinda job?" He asked her with a hint of skepticism.

He utterly despised the woman, but he couldn't deny that a few gigs would go a long way with his current situation. Something to distract him could help a lot.

It didn't take long at all for his "lift" to make its presence known. Barely a few minutes after the message was sent, the trademark howl of an ion engine drew closer. A sound that would likely be equally familiar and daunting to anyone that met the Mandalorians in battle. After a few more minutes, the hulking silhouette of a Basilisk drew closer to them. It was only then that Yuri remembered one very important aspect.

The moment the machine touched down, a metallic roar erupted from the Basilisk as its weapons locked onto the Jedi. Yuri rushed over to place himself between her and the machine as he waved his arms about. "Baby, whoa! Stand down. She's green! She's green." He shouted to calm the machine down. There was the fleeting thought to just let Baby do its thing, but this wasn't the time and place for it.

After a few tense moments, the machine relented and retracted its myriad of weapons. A low growl rumbled, but Baby did not defy his master. Yuri spared a cautious glance at Jonyna as a strained laugh scaped him. "Sorry. Combat parameters." He remarked.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

Jonyna shrugged, watching Yuri go through calling his 'backup'. She didn't mind seeing what he cooked up, but she also knew better than to argue with a stubborn Mando.

"Rebel chit. The Imperial Confederation, Black Sun. Eventually the GE and the Sith. Be a freedom fighter, hit back. And get paid well doing it."

Jonyna wasn't above mercenaries. While the Alliance might have been, she didn't care. She didn't turn down manpower, regardless of morality. Lately, she had been falling back into her old ways. For a moment, she flashed back to an argument she had with Zash way back when. Stormtroopers couldn't be forgiven. They knew what they signed up for.

Then it came rumbling down. A Basilisk Droid. She'd never seen one up close, and once more, old habits died hard.

Instead of being afraid, she was...

"Oh, you're beautiful." Jonyna smiled, walking up to the droid. "It's yours?"

 

[Yuri Maji]

Her proposition immediately had Yuri hooked, the thought of simply picking up where he left off was tempting as hell. But would he be willing to serve under a Jedi? The reason he got along so well with the Foundation was because he only occasionally had to work with the space wizards.

But the thought had to wait. Not only did he have to prevent an incident of man slaughter, he also had to contend with the damned Jedi walking up to his beast as if it were a lowly astromech droid.

Baby was just as confused, raising its rotary cannon and backing away from Jonyna with a harsh growl. Yuri could do nothing but place himself between her and the droid as he ran his hand along Baby's armoured hull. "Yeah. Baby. Served Ma for the better part of thirty years. Now he's mine." Yuri explained as he looked up to the beast. Baby, in turn, gave a harsh metallic snarl as it watched Jonyna.

"You met him before. Briefly, but still. Little guy's not the biggest fan of Jedi at the moment." He glanced at Jonyna as his gentle smile lingered.

Once Baby decided to calm down, his cockpit popped open and the mechanical behemoth knelt down to help them into his cockpit. Yuri hopped in and extended a hand to assist his companion. "Wanted to ask. Where's that floozy of yours? Y'all looked like you'd go to the refresher together if ya could." He asked with a rather purposefully condescending tone.

Once they were both secured, the cockpit slid shut and Baby clamped both speeders to his ventral hull with magnetic clamps. With that, the beast blasted off with enough force to override his inertial dampeners and slam both occupants firmly into their seats. "I worked with the Foundation before they went under. You had me at "rebel shit". What kinda jobs are we expectin' with this?" he asked Jonyna with a glance over his shoulder.

The Basilisk eventually relaxed as he returned them to Yuri's freighter. It wouldn't be a long trip, however Yuri carefully slowed them down to buy some time. He wanted to hear what this cat had to say.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

Jonyna always had a soft spot for droids. Even back when she was just a wayward orphan, trying to keep out of the eyes of the Empire, they'd always been good to her. Droids didn't hate like the Empire did. Even the ones who had been taken into service by them didn't see the point in conquest.

"You mean Jenn? I don't know. We broke up a while back. She seemed more interested in her people than in me, and her people didn't like my people, so...." Jonyna let out a cough. "Wherever she is, I hope she's doing well."

It was still a sore spot, but she didn't let it get her down. She wasn't going to dwell on old heartbreak. As they climbed in, Jonyna looked around. There was surely some of Yuri's ancestors screaming on the other side of the wellspring for letting a jedi into their Basilisk, let alone a Cathar.

"Right now? Hit and run on anyone who decides their dick isn't big enough, so they make it everyone else's problem. Disrupt supply lines, harass fleets, raid bases. Anything that gives the compensators a headache. Once we have enough manpower? Then we start cutting heads off snakes."

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri quietly sat and listened to Jonyna as he flew them back to the capital, though there would be no snappy remark or insult. A simple "Huh..." was all that escaped him.

Even he was above low-hanging fruit like that.

Her explanation on the missions they would be doing, however, earned a chuckle from the hound. But it also gave him an idea. Something he knew that family would approve of. He stewed it over for the moment, still hesitant to just open the gates to this harpy. But hit and run missions against bigger superpowers?

That was something he could get behind.

"It'll be good to get back in the game. Charity work's nice an' all, but it's more fun when the plasma's flyin' around." He commented, sparing a glance over his shoulder. Perhaps it could work. It wouldn't just be charity, he'd get something out of it as well...

With an abrupt yank of the controls, Yuri brought the Basilisk to a screeching halt and faced Jonyna. "Say, ya wanna restart a weapons factory?" He asked rather bluntly. "Won't be full functionality. But weapons, gear, parts... all of that at a decent enough rate. One thing I've learned, sourcing stuff is always a pain if you're tryin' to support a bunch of terrorists." He explained further with a daring sparkle in his eye.

"Ethically sourced" as the top levels of Coruscant would say. And it gave him a chance to finally get into the family business. The only issue would be the location of the Ironworks.

"So? How's it sound? You get some free range weapons, and I get some spare cash." He tapped the side of the cockpit with a very enthusiastic smile. "Plus you'll get to see more of these babies." He continued, trying to sweeten the deal even further.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji ​

"I'll never say no to more guns for the troops." Jonyna said simply. "Not that we're low on equipment ourselves." She paused, pointing upward to the Battlecruiser in orbit. From above, it's optical shields would keep any prying eyes from noticing it. From below though, it was clear as day. The Lifeline, the pride of the Dawn of Hope.

"What kinda arms we talking?" Jonyna added, eyebrow raised. To say she was picky was a wrong assessment. No, she wasn't going to turn down anything. She would however, judge it. She'd seen truly shit equipment in her time as a rebel, and now she'd seen top of the line equipment as part of the GA. Equipment she helped build.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri was rather confused by the Jedi simply pointing upwards. But a quick glance outside of the cockpit up to the sky left the Shistavanen speechless for a second or two. "How did I not see that?" He muttered to himself, suddenly questioning his situational awareness as he stared up at the enormous ship above the planet.

It wasn't an aspiration of his life before this moment, but now that he had the chance to experience it, having a personal battlecruiser on standby at one's beck and call suddenly became a new achievement he had to claim in life. Now he understood why his mother always went on about the mothership...

His attention was drawn back to reality by a frankly insulting question from the Jedi behind him. Yuri leaned over to give Jonyna an incredibly unimpressed side-eye for a few seconds. "You serious?" He commented. "Are you... legitimately..." He gestured to the cockpit around them before drawing his pistol to show it to her. "Ya know who you're...? Like, do you even think..." He couldn't even finish his sentence. Resigning himself to the ignorance of his pasanger, he threw his arms up and turned his attention back to his dashboard.

"Fine. Fine, you know what? Let's just go check it. You judge for yourself." He wasted no time to fly out of atmosphere and shift his Basilisk for a jump. But in that moment he hesitated. "I just remembered. Where we're goin', we, uh..." Yuri scratched the back of his head as he tried to find the words. "We, uh... it's... ya know what?" A cool grin wrapped along his maw before he tapped his cybernetic arm against Jonyna's leg. In an instant he unleashed a powerful electrical blast capable of knocking out just about any person in the galaxy. Just to be sure, he slapped her leg a few more times just to be certain.

Once he was comfortable that secrecy reigned in the cockpit, he punched the coordinates in and jumped to hyperspace. Thankfully it was a quick jump, though Yuri kept tapping away just to be sure everything was squared away.

After a relatively quick jump later, the Basilisk was safely locked inside of a hangar. Outside, winds howled and a frigid cold cut through just about anything. Yuri, dressed in his armour, kept tapping Jonyna's face until she awoke. "Come on fleabag, put this on." He called out, tossing a thick jacket at the Cathar before clambering out of Baby's cockpit.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

Jonyna didn't often get surprised. She took pride in how much she had prepared for things.

Getting an involuntary nap was a surprise. Had it been in the heat of battle, she probably would've been able to defend against it. Then again, she should've expected this sort of thing from Yuri.

As she awoke, she frowned. "Was that really necessary?" She said, as she caught the jacket. She paused, looking at it, then down at her thick coat she was already wearing. "How many layers do you think I need?"

 

[Yuri Maji]

Jonyna finally stirred awake and greeted the Mandalorian with a justifiable annoyance. Not that Yuri was bothered at all by her reaction. "Uh... yeah? I'm takin' any chance I get to sour your day." He remarked with a shrug.

Slipping his helmet on, he waited for her to get out and get suited up. She asked about the jacket, though Yuri simple pointed out a frozen window in the hangar's roof. "I don't know how you handle freezing temperatures. But it'll also help to cover your identity. People are a little tightly wound around here lately." He explained to her before tapping a control againt the wall, opening the door of the hangar to let a freezing gust of wind blow through.

"Stay close. The Vong got driven back, but there's still some crazy stuff goin' on. Blizzard ain't helpin' either." He spoke with a hint of concern as he began to lead her though some ruined streets.

He never told her, but the Mandalorian architecture and markings all around the battered city was an indication of their whereabouts. Like a wound, the city was built into a mountain with sprawling streets and grand buildings. Signs of a war dotted their surroundings, with some buildings either damaged or completely blown out. Some still had lights shining through the windows, and the street lights still shimmered, but the city had fallen from grace.

They were in Tor Valum, and the piercing winds gave the same welcome it gave to anyone else who visited Kestri.

"Place looks like crap, but hey. At least we got home under control." Yuri joked, adjusting his suit's temperature a little higher. It had been a while since he visited.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

Jonyna let out a huff, as she hopped out of the cockpit, landing with a thud before her body suddenly ignited in a low, blue flame. It would be enough to keep her warm, and the blue would keep her hidden enough. Not that she was worried, as her senses extended out into the storm. The Force was the same on any planet.

"What's your beef with me anyways? I know we fought, but that was darn near two years ago now."

She had taken his arm, but the sad part was, Jonyna genuinely didn't remember.

Her life had started to blur together, over time. Three fights became one. A war became a single battle. She'd lived life in the fast lane for so long, she couldn't keep track of it all.

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Jedi's remark instantly brought Yuri to a halt in the middle of the street. He squared up against her and shoved her towards a nearby wall. Anger rose within him, a fury he hadn't felt in a long while. Something he had worked on ever since he made peace with his aunt.

"Well, aside from carving my arm off?" He began with a snarl in his voice. "You didn't even have the common karkin' courtesy of using a lightsaber." He backed off, practically shaking with anger as he faced her in the street with a hand resting on his pistol. But he backed down, instead drawing a breath as he started down the road.

"... A good couple years ago." Yuri began with a somewhat calmer tone. "I was still a pup. Ma told me of this spunky Jedi padawan she fought on Rodia. Engagement left an impression on her." Another deep breath, the Hound's anger subsided for the most part. "She told me that this padawan stood like a salt pillar and fought like absolute bantha poodoo. But her heart was right." He turned to face Jonyna again, his visor hiding the pain creeping up.

"Ma wasn't perfect. But she was a damn good fighter. And she was a damn good judge of character. I grew up hearing about the stories of the Jedi. Just like Ma, and just like Granny. Hell, my Auntie is the damn Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. I grew up wantin' to be one." Yuri's piercing gaze cut right through his visor as he took a few steps closer to Jonyna.

"Then that same Grandmaster tells me that she gunned down my Ma. People tell me how the Jedi abandoned them. And then that same spunky Jedi tears my arm off without any remorse, after years of wanting to meet this hero." Yuri approached her with a fist raised, however nothing came from it. Anger swelled withing him but no malice came from him. "My beef with you? Engaging you wasn't just some fight. Might've been for you. For me? It was the absolute peak of all the good and bad that's ever happened in my life. Some of the worst choices I ever made. And now I'll never be whole again because of it." He finally finished. The pain set in again. A pain he hadn't felt in a long while. A nonexistent shoulder began to ache where only metal resided. A few T-visors peered through windows and broken walls around them, drawing Yuri's attention. He locked eyes with some of them for a few moments before turning to continue onwards.

"Move it. Gettin' hot very quickly." He commented as he led the way.

Eventually they reached a tall structure built into the mountain. An amalgamation of stone and steel only cut off by a door chained shut. Yuri stared at it for a moment then glanced at Jonyna. "Magic hand thing would be useful right now." He remarked, gesturing to the massive doors ahead of them.

Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAGS: Yuri Maji​

Jonyna blinked as she was shoved up against a wall. The flames engulfing her body flickered, and yet the cathar didn't move. She just sort of let it happen.

She wasn't here to make enemies.

But she also didn't remember that. She remember taking a mando's arm off, but it was starting to slip. Was it Yuri's, or Sig's? She couldn't remember.

It all blurred together.

And yet, the one thing she could remember...

"I wasn't a padawan."

Jonyna let Yuri back off, before continuing. "If your mom thought I was, she was mistaken. My years as a padawan were spent raiding imperial bases and fighting Inquisitors. Dealing with Stormtroopers and ambushing walker columns. Dealing with my two boyfriends, a jedi exile and a battle droid, both of which could barely stay in a room together for more than two minutes before arguing."

Jonyna let out a huff, as Yuri motioned them to keep moving. "I was a knight by then. Earned it through kicking a moff 30 stories off my home-tree, after impaling him with that same sword. Truth is, my memory is starting to slip. I barely remember that fight with your mom. I only met her the once. You wanna be mad at me? Fine. I'm not. Jenn's gone, The Alliance is gone, the Crusaders are gone. Way I see it, I can't keep myself stuck in those days. If you had faced me back then, when I fought alongside your mom, I might've. Back then, I only saw your people, the Mandalorians, as marauders. War Criminals who only sought glory through making other people suffer. Now? Earn your glory, I don't care. Just don't force it on people who don't want it. I'm happy to help your people if it means others can be free. Just don't hit me with that crusader bullshit again."

As they approached the door, Jonyna tilted her head slightly. The chain was hefty enough where she wasn't entirely sure she could just rip it off.

Instead, she did the old standby. Her saber ignited, and she threw it at the problem, cutting through the chains before it returned to her hand, extinguishing in a moment.