…Caise had been recalling one of Trask’s lectures and, in this instance, he could not help but quote some of the elder Jedi's words. "For it to be so small a thing," he said, regarding the mechanic as he strode towards Jaal, "the tongue is one of the most difficult things in the galaxy to hold, is it not?"
Ziv blushed with embarrassment; apparently Jedis had superior hearing as one of their abilities. He cleared his throat and turned and slipped away to look over the R45s, running his hand along the sides as he listened to the others talking. He was thinking about what he could do with one of these old R45s; maybe tweak it a bit and see how fast they could go.

As Jaal spoke of taking them to his plantation, Ziv turns back to them and quickly speaks, perhaps interrupting some of their group who might be responding to Jaal, “Sounds great!” Hoisting his work bag containing his equipment and anything else he could salvage from the crashed ship, he looks ready to get into one of the speeders and get out of this place before someone else arrives; someone not so friendly.

“SoroSubbs,” Mercury identify the vehicles as the shapes of the approaching speeders became clearer, “probably R45’s… maybe 47’s?”

“I do not sense that they mean us any harm,” the Jedi said as he pulled the hood of his cloak away from his head. He turned his blind gaze on Mercury for a second, offering a faint smile; “Perhaps, as you said, pilot, these are simply farmers coming to offer their help.”

Mercury cocked his eyebrow questioningly at the Jedi. “It’s Mercury. Not pilot, or boy or kid or anything else. You‘d think that a Jedi would be able to remember a name. Say! Aren’t you supposed to be able to see the future?” Mercury cocks a thumb back at the shuttle. “Should have seen this one coming.”

The landspeeder pulled up and open up to reveal two humans and a Hammerhead. “Hello,” the human male chirped, a hint of both concern and friendliness in his voice as he climbed from the driver’s seat, “We saw the crash – is everyone okay?”

The jedi nodded in reply… “With many thanks owed to a skilled pilot, yes.”…

“Mercury! Mercury Saran.” the young man sighs emphatically as if the entire world was dense except him. He immediately goes towards the speeder. “Say … that’s a nice speeder.”

I’m Jaal Darand, from Darand Plantation,” the man offered before gesturing to the lady, “This is Jeena,” then to the Ithorian, “and Umalad.”

You’re offworlders, right,” Jaal asked, a frown tingeing his voice after looking the party over, “That means you don’t have any real way around… where are you headed?”

Mercury was lost in admiration for the speeder as the others talked. Sure it was old, but it ran and that’s what counted. Out on the Fringes, you made due with hat you had and sometimes (often in young Mercury’s mind) it ran better than the newer models.

Lana commented. "I thought they quit making those R45's before I was born?"

Jaal chuckles. "Yeah, they are pretty old, but we it's cheaper to keep 'em running than it is to buy new ones. Besides, almost everything they sell these days seats no more than four sentients, unless you wanna pay extra - and my old man hates to pay extra for anything." The last is added with a grin. "Anyway, I'm pleased to meet you all - sorry it's under such circumstances."

“This is a classic, Lana!” Mercury added happily. “Say, did you modify the repulsorlifts yourself?” He asks Jaal.

The one called Jaal seemed to be very accommodating and very sincere in his offer to help the recently stranded party but, Caise sensed, Jeena and Umalad had some concerns… Not where offering assistance is concerned but, rather, with Jaal’s offer of shelter for the night and… what his father might think about one or more of us? Interesting…
"I agree that they will fare well in Dalroth, Jaal,” the ithroian responded to Jaal’s prior question, “I do not agree that your father will be pleased with these guests. He does not care for..."

Jaal waved the hammerhead off; "He doesn't like a lot of things, but these folks need a hand. I'll deal with father.

So, whaddya say," he asked, turning to face the Kul Kura escapees again.

The miraluka glanced at each of the others in turn, giving them a moment to make their own decisions and replies – a slight vibration in the Force warned him that accepting the offer might not be the best course of action for all of them and may result in finding more than just a place to rest for the evening but… “If it will cause you no trouble, Jaal,” he said after a moment, “We will accept your offer. I have business in Dalroth, myself, and, if it is as you say, I’m sure that that is likely the best place for the rest of my compatriots to get back on their own paths. However, if your father isn’t accepting of guests, perhaps it would be best if we made camp here for the night and made our way to Dalroth in the morning…”

((OOC: room for more interaction here if Jaal feels compelled to talk about his father and/or his 'father's predjudices"... otherwise, Caise is all for spending the night at the plantation and will accepts the offer... Maybe trying to get more info on the father during the ride back? ))

Jaal's face splits into a huge grin as Caise accepts his offer of hospitality. "Oustanding!" he exclaims. "Don't worry about my father - guests are always welcomed on Darand Plantation. Well, at least they are usually welcomed."

Umalad's expression is fairly tough to read - aside from sheer terror, ithorian faces simply don't show convey emotions well to most other species - but Jeena does well enough for the both of them. It is clear to everyone (save possibly Jaal) that she thinks this is a bad idea. "A jedi in our home!" he tells her as they head back to the landspeeder.

The party piles into the two landspeeders, taking advantage of the extra seating capacity that Jaal so highly touted. Lana ends up sitting next to Mercury. "Classics? These hunks of floating rust?" she snorts derisively. "Classic in the same sense as fossils, maybe."

Caise makes sure to find seating in the speeder with Jaal - though you get the impression that the young man would have it no other way. Jeena whispers a few more things to him, but he seems to disagree. When Mercury finds an opening to ask Jaal about repulsorlift mods - and the two enter into a "fascinating" conversation about the methods used in the process - she speaks to Caise.

"Listen, as I'm sure you can tell, Jaal's father is no fan of the jedi order. I'm not sure why, myself, but he makes no secret of it. He's a good man, don't get me wrong, but don't be surprised if he's not as friendly as his son." She bites her bottom lip and turns to face the landscape outside.

The landspeeders follow a dirt track roughly north, where the native flora soon gives way to vast fields of grain. Before long, a group of structures, with one particularly larger than the others, comes into view. "Welcome to Darand Plantation!" Jaal exclaims as the speeders whir to a stop in front of the house. "Okay, everybody out. We'll feed you, give you a bed, even a hydro shower if you want one."

Gerald Darand proves to be much larger and imposing than his son - they share coppery locks, but little else. Despite Jeena's concerns, he is welcoming enough - while not overly warm, he is polite, and offers you free use of his home. Once he recognizes Caise as a jedi, he seems to grow thoughtful for a moment, but that is all.

"We serve dinner at 2000 standard," he explains, "and as I'm sure Jaal told you, he will be visiting the city in the morning - be ready to go by 0600. If you require anything, ask my servant, Craln, or one of the droids." He glances at Jaal. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to."

With that, he leaves.

As the clouds moved closer, the jedi kept surprising Damanil with his powers with his declaration: "I do not sense that they mean us any harm." His green eyes locked into where Caise's blind ones would be under the veil. I'm glad we're on the same side, jedi... At least for now.
Sure, the bounty hunter had heard his share of stories about the jedi. He'd even seen a few on Coruscant and other worlds as well, but never before had he personally met one, let alone witnessed their powers at close. Sensing someone's intentions might seem like a small feat for some, including the jedi himself, but to Damanil it was like magic - wondrous and scary at the same time. Can you read thoughts as well... I wonder.
Returning his attention to the landspeeders, the redhead checked his weapons, again. One could never check a weapon too often. Better to be doubly safe than sorry. It had kept him alive more than once. Despite his relaxed appearance, Damani's muscles tensioned as the windscreens opened. Fortunately, the blind jedi had been correct. The arrivals posed no threat - two kids from a nearby farm and an ithorian. None seemed to be carrying.

Introductions were given and Damanil nodded at his name. Still somewhat wary about the newcomers, he was wondering about their willingness to help total strangers and ones armed to the teeth at that. Apparently good will still existed in the world. He watched the exchange silently while taking in everyone's attitude, behavior and such. It was his way. He needed to know people - all kinds of people - in his line of work. He needed to know how someone would react in different situations. It was his way. The way of a hunter.

The Jedi's words broke the redheaded bounty hunter's silence. "The tongue is one of the most difficult things in the galaxy to hold, is it not?" He couldn't help the chuckle, quiet as it was. Damanil started to like the guy more and more every minute. Well, being saved from a certain death by someone tends to make one feel positive towards that someone. But Damanil had never heard anybody mention about a jedi with a sense of humor. This one certainly had some.

It was only then that Damanil became aware of something. He looked down at himself and cursed under his breath. He was still wearing his TDF suit. The clothes suddenly felt even more uncomfortable than the time he first got into them. Damned he hated uniforms. More often than not, they meant trouble. Though he was a member of the Guild and had documents to prove the legitimacy of his profession, officials on many worlds seemed to dislike men like him. People who hunted other people for money.

And now he was one of the officials. Damned And these locals would think of him as one of the local military, a lackey of the government. And if there was one thing Damanil Shadoran hated more than uniforms, it was working for governments. Yeah, they paid good money at times and kept their part of a deal. But boy did they push hard sometimes and they were tough to negotiate with. Shrugging, the former soldier eyed the locals. They weren't concerned about him. It was almost as if he didn't exist. That's fine by me. Just the way I like it.
But the uniform still posed a problem. If the kids thought him to be a part of the Tanaab Defense Force, he couldn't go ditching the suit without arousing suspicion. The last thing Damanil and his new companions wanted was attention of the officials. There might be other corrupted individuals amongst them, just like in the military. Tanaab didn't exactly host the most stable of governments. Still, Jaal, Jeena and Umalad seemed to be more worried about how the old man would take the presence of the jedi at his farm. Naah. It'll be ok.

“Outstanding,” Jaal exclaimed at Caise’s acceptance of his offer. “Don’t worry about my father,” he added, “Guests are always welcomed on the Darand Plantation. Well, at least, they are usually welcomed,.”

The padawan nodded faintly, accepting the man’s reassurances even though the feelings emanating from the others with him seemed to contradict Jaal’s optimism. Even without a studied read of Jeena and Umalad’s energies it wasn’t difficult to tell that the two of them had grave concerns as to how Jaal’s father might react to at least one of the wrecked shuttle’s passengers. Caise found himself mildly curious about the situation and, again, wondered if Trask hadn’t foreseen much of this before dispatching him to Taanab…

“When dealing with people, my young padawan,” the Master had told him only days before Caise had boarded the Kul Kura, “remember that you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion; creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.”

“I will, Master,” Caise had replied even as he tried to reconcile that statement with the teachings of the Code… There is no emotion, there is peace… How did what Trask said fit into the enigmatic turnings of the Jedi Code? The paradox had found its way into his meditations more than once in the past few days…
…if Trask had foreseen all of this, then, Caise decided that it would be best to try and uncover the elder Darand’s prejudices to some degree before they were introduced. He made sure to follow Jaal to his speeder in hopes of gathering information that may enlighten him further.

“A Jedi in our home!” As he followed the young man, the padawan overheard Jaal’s excited statement to the female who accompanied him, but he also felt Jeena’s uncertainty and sensed the dubious glance she cast his way.

When issues with Jaal’s father were first mentioned, Caise had foolishly assumed that the prejudices awaiting them on the Darand Plantation might be directed at Dime – the twi’lek was perhaps the most obvious non-human in the group, after all, and racism wasn’t uncommon even outside the Core Worlds – the presence of the ithorian, though, had led him away from that assumption before long. Caise had wondered, then, if Shadoran might not be the object of Mr Darand’s bigotry – the man was a soldier, after all, and likely still dressed in the uniform of the Taanab Defense Force – many people often harbored resentment for military types for one reason or another. Between Jeena’s mumblings to Jaal and the disparaging glances that she cast in his direction as he followed, Caise was beginning to wonder if the intolerance that she and the Ithorian had alluded to might not have something to do with him.

Shadoran, Dime, Lana, and Ziv had all piled into the landspeeder driven by the Ithorian, he noticed. Whether by choice (in hopes of continuing his discussion of repulsorlift modification with their host) or by default, Mercury, too, had found a seat in Jaal and Jeena’s speeder. Caise climbed in and took a seat next to the young pilot. “I meant no disrespect in addressing you as pilot,” he said to the lad after settling into the seat, attempting an apology for the slight that Mercury had perceived earlier. “Had I known your name, Mercury Saran, I would certainly have addressed you properly… and will do so from here on...”

((OOC: Room for backposting any convo between Mercury and Caise here… assuming a bit occurs between the two while Jeena and Jaal are having their “back and forth”.

As Mercury and Jaal slip into their gearhead conversation, though…))

When Mercury renewed his conversation about repulsorlifts with Jaal, Caise half-listened for a moment but was drawn away from the back and forth between the two when he sensed Jeena turn and look at him. His head swiveled, redirecting his attentions from the two young men to meet the girl’s gaze.

“Listen,” she said softly yet matter-of-factly, “as I'm sure you can tell, Jaal's father is no fan of the Jedi order. I'm not sure why, myself, but he makes no secret of it. He's a good man, don't get me wrong, but don't be surprised if he's not as friendly as his son.”

The miraluka nodded and offered a warm smile. “I had begun to think as much,” he replied, a little disappointed that she couldn’t provide more insight into the father’s intolerance of the Jedi Order but grateful that she had shared what she was able to, “thank you, Jeena. I shall remember that and do what I can to spare Jaal his father’s disapproval.”

The girl said no more but, biting her lower lip, turned to watch through the windscreen as Taanab’s landscape sped by. Before long, a group of structures, with one particularly larger than the others, came into view. "Welcome to Darand Plantation!" Jaal exclaimed bringing the speeder to a stop in front of the house. "Okay, everybody out. We'll feed you, give you a bed, even a hydro shower if you want one."

((Assuming “dad” came out to meet the speeders…))

Jaal’s father – who had been introduced as Gerald Darand – was physically larger and (more than just physically) more imposing than his son. In fact, other than their surname, Caise could perceive very few similarities between the two. Despite Jeena's concerns, though, Gerald seemed hospitable enough - while not overly warm, he was polite in greeting them and didn’t seem hesitant to offer the free use of his home. The miraluka felt a slight rippling in the energies about the man when he realized that Caise was a Jedi but it wasn’t the overwhelming crush of disapproval or hatred that he, perhaps, had been expecting; instead, the man seemed to become introspective for a moment, falling silent for the briefest of instants before continuing on with his welcome speech and the schedule to which he obviously held everyone at his plantation accountable. Dinner at 2000, depart for Dalroth at 0600, any requirements that the guests might have should be directed to a servant named Craln or one of the plantation’s droids.

Caise nodded his understanding to each of these things but, otherwise, made no immediate efforts to engage the elder Darand in conversation other than to express his thanks. “Your hospitality is greatly appreciated, Mr Darand,” he said before Gerald turned and strode away, “Thank you.”

The padawan thought he sensed a bit of disappointment or maybe disapproval pass between father and son at that moment but said nothing of it, right away. He simply watched as the larger man walked away, then turned to regard the rest of the people clustered around the speeders. “I’m sure we’ll be safe here for the night, my friends, but I think that it would be best if I were to stay out of the way until morning,” he said. His blind eyes turned to Jaal; “If you would, Jaal, show me to a place where I might meditate… and perhaps assist me in contacting someone in Dalroth? Is the city out of standard commlink range from here?”

((OOC: Let’s go with that for now… Assuming Jaal will show Caise to a room or some such, the jedi will ask him about his father’s “distaste” for the Jedi Order (if the opportunity arises, of course… backposts to that as necessary). If Jaal confirms that Dalroth is within commlink range of the plantation, Caise will again try to contact Leyan Rool. After that, assuming nothing else goes kaflooey, the padawan will spend the rest of the evening in meditation, resting, training, etc (out of sight of Gerald if possible) and/or conversing with anyone who is so inclined.))

Jaal's face splits into a huge grin as Caise accepts his offer of hospitality. "Oustanding!" he exclaims. "Don't worry about my father - guests are always welcomed on Darand Plantation. Well, at least they are usually welcomed."
Ziv rolled his eyes at Jaal’s enthusiasm over the Jedi’s acceptance; for while he had to admit, only to himself, the Jedi was indeed handy to have around when the blaster bolts started flying, he didn’t feel in awe of them like alot of people.

The party piles into the two landspeeders, taking advantage of the extra seating capacity that Jaal so highly touted. Lana ends up sitting next to Mercury. "Classics? These hunks of floating rust?" she snorts derisively. "Classic in the same sense as fossils, maybe."
He piled into the back of one of the speeders and watched the landscape as they raced to the Plantation. He chuckled at Lana’s typical sarcastic response to Mercury’s comment about the R45s, “Well you should know a ‘hunk of floating rust’ when you see it…afterall you were aboard the Kul Kura.” He laughed at his joke knowing that it would probably anger her which he loved to do.

The landspeeders follow a dirt track roughly north, where the native flora soon gives way to vast fields of grain. Before long, a group of structures, with one particularly larger than the others, comes into view. "Welcome to Darand Plantation!" Jaal exclaims as the speeders whir to a stop in front of the house. "Okay, everybody out. We'll feed you, give you a bed, even a hydro shower if you want one."
Ziv hops out of the speeder and grabs his gear and looks around nodding appreciatively, “Not a bad spread,“ He says to no one in particular.

Gerald Darand proves to be much larger and imposing than his son - they share coppery locks, but little else. Despite Jeena's concerns, he is welcoming enough - while not overly warm, he is polite, and offers you free use of his home. Once he recognizes Caise as a jedi, he seems to grow thoughtful for a moment, but that is all.

“We serve dinner at 2000 standard," he explains, "and as I'm sure Jaal told you, he will be visiting the city in the morning - be ready to go by 0600. If you require anything, ask my servant, Craln, or one of the droids." He glances at Jaal. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to."

With that, he leaves.
“Pleasant man..” he mutters slightly and drops his bag down on the floor with a clank and checks out the place seeming not to care that he might be prying into anything private. He soon finds a comfortable chair or couch to plop down on and kicks his feet up. “When was dinner?” He asks not two minutes after the father had told them all, “I’m starving!”

“…how long have you been with the Order?” Jaal asked. The question was only the most recent in a barrage the man had fired at him since leading Caise away from the speeders to show him to a room. There had been questions about the Force, about the use of lightsabers, about training and adventures that he might have seen. Caise answered each of the questions as best he could, of course, but he was sure that some of his replies hadn’t been what Jaal had expected… perhaps a bit more blunt than the farmer had anticipated in some cases; more than a little cryptic in others.

“Master Vantariel took me to the Temple on Coruscant when I was three,” Caise answered simply, this time, “As long as I can remember…”

“And you’re what? Twenty? Twenty-three, maybe?”

“Nineteen.”

“Wow! So, sixteen years. And this is your first mission without your Master?” Jaal’s footsteps had first slowed then suddenly stopped; “Here’s your room…”

“Thank you,” Caise nodded faintly before stepping through the door into one of the house’s guest rooms, then proceeded to answer Jaal’s latest query; “In a manner of speaking, yes. I have operated independently of Master Trask on several occasions since he took me as his padawan but this is the first assignment that he has not accompanied me on. Typically, before this, he had been in, at least, the same system.”

“Wizard!” Jaal had followed him into the room and the miraluka padawan sensed that there would be yet another question coming. It wasn’t that Caise so much minded answering the man’s inquiries – so far he had asked nothing was out of his ability to answer – but there seemed to be an endless amount of them and, while grateful for the hospitality, Caise needed to tend to business. “So there’s a lot of training before you…”

“I’m sorry, Jaal,” Caise interrupted, drawing his hood back and turning to face his host, “I do not mind answering your questions but I do have some business to attend and…”

“Oh,” Jaal said, his energies flaring a bit as he realized that he may have been monopolizing the Jedi’s time a bit, “I’m sorry, Caise… I just… you know… the Jedi are…”

“No need to apologize,” the padawan said, smiling faintly as he slipped his commlink from his belt, “we can continue the conversation later – perhaps over dinner if your father doesn’t object – but right now, I need to figure out why this frequency isn’t working and contact my Master’s colleague.”

“Comm frequencies,” Jaal’s energies cooled from their embarrassed tones and Caise could hear the widening smile in his tone, “I can help with that. You’re probably hitting a jammed channel or something… there’s a lot of that going on these days.” He extended a hand; “May I?”

Jammed frequencies? the Jedi arched a brow even as he handed Jaal the commlink. Strange that the government would be regulating comm. channels on an agricultural world such as this. “I would appreciate that,” he said, watching as Jaal took the commlink and made adjustments to the device’s transmitter.

“Your father,” Caise asked as Jaal’s attentions were on the communicator, “doesn’t seem to have a high opinion of Jedi; is there a reason?”

The red-haired man shrugged and never looked up from the commlink. “I dunno,” he said, even though his aura attested otherwise, “Just had a bad experience with the Jedi once, I guess.

Here you go,” Jaal said, thrusting the commlink back at the miraluka and obviously loathe to discuss the topic of his father at any length, “that frequency should get you Dalroth, at least.”
“Thank you,” Caise nodded, accepting the commlink and making note of the modified channel. Best to leave your father to another time, as well, perhaps.
“Not a problem,” Jaal returned, backing towards the door, “I guess I’d better go see to your friends. You let me know if there’s anything else you need, okay? See you at dinner.”

Another nod from the Jedi. “I will,” he replied as Jaal stepped out into the corridor, “may the Force be with you, Jaal.”

“And with you, Caise,” …the man’s aura gleamed brilliantly for a moment… “see you at dinner.” The door closed and the Jedi was left alone in the room.

Caise stripped off his outer robe and laid it across the bed, then, being as he was alone, he also removed the scarf that usually covered his sightless eyes before activating the commlink. “Leyan Rool,” he said lifting the device closer to his lips as he strolled towards the single window in the room, “This is Caise Jhorap, do you read?”

There was a small amount of feedback at first but Master Trask’s associate responded quickly enough. “Thank the stars! It is good to hear your voice, Caise,” Rool’s voice replied, “I had heard of some difficulties regarding the TDF and an offworlder ship and feared that, somehow, you might have been involved.”

“To a certain extent, I was,” Caise chuckled, “but not to any great extent.”

“Good, good. Where are you now? Are you planetside?”

“Yes, I am at the Darand plantation,” the padawan answered, “not far from Dalroth as I understand it. I have secured transportation to the city in the morning and, if your available, we can meet and discuss…”

“Yes, yes,” Rool cut him off, “let’s not discuss that any further over the commlink, shall we? I am less than convinced that the comm. channels that haven’t been jammed by the TDF are secure…”

“Very well,” Caise acquiesced, “as I said, then, I have secured a ride to Dalroth at 0600 Standard, tomorrow. Where and when shall we meet?”

((OOC: Okay… might have taken some wee small liberties with some of this, Olan. Edit as you see fit. Based on our back and forth re: the comm.link, I’m assuming that Rool gives Caise a time (mid morning) and place to meet with him in Dalroth. Once the communication has ended with Rool, Caise will do his Jedi stuff – meditating, “training”, etc, until dinner time (he’s been considering not going to keep tensions between Jaal and his father to a minimum but he will attend if he’s asked)…))

In the Speeder:
The blind Jedi climbed in and took a seat next to Mercury. “I meant no disrespect in addressing you as pilot,” he said after settling into the seat, attempting an apology. “Had I known your name, Mercury Saran, I would certainly have addressed you properly… and will do so from here on...”

“What?” Mercury responded, once his mind had turned to speeders, the slight was long forgotten. ”Oh! Yeah! Don’t worry about it. It just bugs me, that’s all.” The young man looked closer at the Jesi, “Caise is it? Am I supposed to put a lord or sir in front of that? You’re not really blind are you?” Mercury said waving a hand in front of the man’s eyes. “I mean you are but you aren’t right? That thing you used on the ship, was that was a light sword wasn’t it?

The Plantation:
Mercury kept to the back and listened to the owner of the plantation offer them food, and a place to stay. Feeling suddenly quite tired, Mercury asked one of the servants if he could be shown to the quarters. He was lead to a room with a number of bunk beds – shared quarters for the hired hands no doubt. Everyone must be working as the place was empty.

Mercury sat down on bunk and sighed. Something dog into his side, so he pulled it out – the blaster he had taken from the dead guard. This isn’t my blaster.
The blaster before him was a DL-16. A modern, no doubt very efficient type of blaster. His blaster had been a Thanagian mark 4 – an antique by any standard but given to him but captain Thom when Mercury first joined a crew. The handle was cracked, so the power pack wouldn’t stay inside, but Mercury had fixed that using one sided fusion tape. He had wrapped it carefully so that in the end it looked like it was a special made handle. A captain’s sidearm, Thom had called it. Designed to shoot very loudly and with a bright muzzle flash, the Mark 4 was made showy to frighten those that might board a ship.

This was mine, but I want you to have it.” The Duro said handling the weapon to him, while looking at him with those big red eyes, “It needs some work but I’m sure a bright boy like you will fix it up right. It is important for a man to have a good blaster out here on the fringes. Always those around who want to take things from you. Never be afraid to use it Mercury, because it will save your life”
But it was gone now - gone along side the Captain, who had been Mercury’s best friend until now, and the ship he had called home for the last two years.

Why didn’t you tell me you were smuggling spice!
It was then that it hit him. Mercury got up and made a mad search through his pockets hoping beyond hope that it was there. But he knew it wasn’t. It was on the side of his bunk on the ship. The picture of him with his brothers and sisters back on Corellia, standing outside their home on Biel’s 10th birthday – no doubt destroyed.

Mercury never felt so alone in his life. Tears threatened to burst forth from his eyes, but he fought them back. He promised himself long ago he’d never cry again.

Exhaustion… Nostalgia… Disappointment.

Why didn’t you tell me…
A sudden sense of loss…Loneliness… Despair.

“Mercury?”

The sudden and almost overwhelming surge of emotional turbulence in the Force chased the miralukan padawan from the depths of his trance-like meditations and his blind eyes shot open. Caise had entered the trance in hopes of revitalizing himself and replenishing the energies that calling consciously upon the Force so often in the past few hours had sapped from him… an attempt to disconnect himself from the physical and re-center himself in the flow of the Force. Immersing himself into the tides of that energy, though, seemed to have opened his senses all the more and the young pilot’s anguish crashed over him like an angry wave on some storm wracked beach. Mercury was suffering and the Jedi couldn’t ignore it.

Drawing in a deep breath to dispel the knot that Mercury’s anguish had twisted in his gut, Caise rose smoothly out of his meditative position, retrieved the neatly folded strip of deep, blue fabric from where he had placed it on the end of the bunk and re-secured the sash over his eyes. “I don’t know that I can do this, Master,” he breathed, knowing that Trask couldn’t hear him but hoping that he could evoke some of the elder Jedi’s wisdom, “I’m a guardian, not a consular…”

You are a Jedi, Caise, the Master’s voice answered, echoing from some time in the past, The distinction between guardian and consular is vague enough for those in the order let alone those others in the galaxy who haven’t the insight. Where do the duties of one begin and the other end? Do you know? Should they?
“No, Master,” the padawan agreed as he stepped out into the corridor and tried to sense which of the many rooms the Corellian pilot might be, “I suppose not.”

What we call despair, younglings another voice, older than Trask’s, added as Caise located Mercury’s quarters, is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope. Feed that hope, my pupils, and the despair will certainly lessen.
The padawan answered this bit of wisdom with only the faintest of nods and, equipped with wisdom from both Trask and Vantariel, knocked softly on the door before him; “Mercury? It’s Caise… May I come in?”

((OOC: All righty, the GM allowed Caise to pick up on Merc’s flood of emotion so, of course, the padawan is acting on it – Trask would expect nothing less, after all. Someone’s knocking, Merc… should you let them in? ))

Ziv sat for awhile and sighed, bored he hops up off of the couch and grabs his bag, slings it over his shoulder and heads outside. Looking around he spies the R45s sitting there and smiles. Shambling over to the land speeders he sets his bag down and pops the maintenance compartment and peers inside. Seeing a lot of patch work here and there he shakes his head.

“Man, what a mess!”

Bending down he opens his bag and brings out a hydro spanner and his data pad and starts tinkering with the engines. Running calculations on his data pad and recalling old specs, he tries to find ways to enhance the engines output and reduce energy usage. (Lets GM decide on success - Craft (Landspeeders) +5, and Repair +12).

As he tinkers his mind wanders a bit, mostly about their current situation and new comrades. Lana he knows well, having worked with her for over a year now, and while they argue constantly, mostly over technical stuff, he trusts her the most.

His thoughts dwell on the new comers...

While he is impressed with the Jedi and his abilities, he still doesn’t know if he can trust him. The Jedis are known as keepers of the Law and peace, and while he has nothing against the peace part he has been known to bend the law sometimes; when he can get away with it. You can’t expect him to make it on an engineer’s salary. He doesn’t deal in anything that will hurt people, just small jobs that make a tidy profit. Spice was something he never would have had any dealings and frankly he was surprised learning the Captain was hauling a cargo.

While Ziv knew that the Jedi didn’t know about any of his law bending, he still wasn’t sure if having a Jedi around was a good idea. Still, the blind man was certainly good in a fight. He was impressed, but he tried to hide it.

The Twilek was a strange one and something about him made Ziv trust him the least. He seemed to be hiding something and he seemed so cryptic and secretive, it made Ziv wonder if he was a criminal or something. He didn’t know but he was sure going to keep his eye on that one.

The Pilot, Mercury, he knew from the ship and he had always seemed a decent guy, though Pilots and Engineers didn’t hang out much when off duty. Still, Mercury seemed an alright sort and their mutual loss of the ship sort of put Lana and them together as a group of land locked travelers. He hoped they found a way off this rock soon, he didn’t like planetside for too long, he bored easily.

As the hour grows late and 2000 hour approaches, Ziv wipes the sweat from his brow and puts his tools away. Running a last minute check of the system, he doesn’t see anything he missed so he guesses it is the best he can do.

Shutting the engine compartments he picks up his bag and walks back to the house and plops his bag on a chair out of the way and asks of anyone there, “Dinner ready, I’m Starving!”

((OOC: Can edit for back posts if anyone interferes or interacts with Ziv))

Ziv's earnest attempts to tinker with the landspeeder are interrupted by a female voice. "What exactly do you think you are doing?"

The begoggled young engineer nearly conks his head on an access hatch as he turns to focus on the disapproving stare of Jeena. "Let me see that," she demands, indicating the datapad.

GM's note: assuming he agrees...
After reading the output on the screen, she visibly relaxes. "Offworlders," she speaks, rolling her eyes. "You do realize that if a stranger showed up in your garage and started tinkering with your equipment, you might think they were trying to sabotage things or something? I can see that you're not, but in the future, it might be wise to ask before you go poking into other people's gear."

As she hands the datapad back to Ziv, he notices grease under Jeena's fingernails. The look on his face says it all, and she laughs prettily. "Sure, you're not the only gearhead around here. I've spent plenty of time out here, working on things with Jaal. He showed me everything I know, but I'm better than he is at a lot of things now - including speeders."

Indeed, she is good - despite the age of the equipment, Ziv can find no way to improve the performance of the landspeeders. Eventually, the time comes for dinner, and the two of them head that direction.

*************

He stood in the shadows beyond the periphery of the compound and away from prying ears. "That's correct," the large man spoke quietly into his commlink. "I trust that the information will be beneficial to our mutual interests?"

He nodded at the reply. "Remember, you MUST allow enough time for the transportation to clear!" This time, the reply was enough to cause a wide grin to split the man's face.

"Excellent." With that, he cut the comm off. In some small way, he would have his revenge.


*************

The food, though basic fare, is rather tasty, and quite plentiful. Gerald is fairly quiet throughout dinner, refusing to even look in Caise's direction, and sticks mostly to monosyllable answers. Jaal sits next to Jeena, and attempts to keep the conversation lively, but has very limited success - Gerald acts as a proverbial wet blanket. Eventually, the time for sleep arrives.

The morning comes soon enough, and it is time to head in to Dalroth. There is a brief argument where Gerald apparently tries to order his son to allow Umalad to drive the party to town, but Jaal objects strenuously, and eventually wins the discussion. He and Jeena pile into one of the SoroSuub 45's along with the group, and the distance to the city is covered rather quickly.

"I don't understand why he's being like this," Jaal complains. "He rides me for days about being responsible, keeping my appointments, that kind of thing, and suddenly he wants me to just not show this morning? I know that he doesn't like jedi, but it's not like you're going to get me to run off and join your order or something." He rolls his eyes, and Jeena chuckles gaily as she leans against the young man. All in all, it is a pleasant ride.

When compared to, say, the settlements of the core worlds, Dalroth is a mere speck on the landscape, but in the sparsely populated countryside found in this part of Taanab, is is a veritible metropolis. Hovercars and speeders dart this way and that, and despite the early hour, a large assortment of beings pack the streets as they go about their business.

Jaal negotiates the traffic until the speeder arrives as a long, squat building contructed of drab gray polyblock. "Brod's Mercantile," Jaal announces. "The place to purchase ag equipment at decent rates here in Dalroth - provided that you have the know-how to make any needed 'improvements'."

Jeena snickers. "Don't you mean, fix the broken junk they try to pawn off on you?"

Jaal chuckles in response. "You get what you pay for! Still, it's also the biggest trading post here in Dalroth - if you need any gear, this is probably your best bet in the city."

Everyone climbs out of the speeder and Jaal sets the security field before speaking again. "I supose this is where we part ways - Jeena and I back to our boring lives, and the rest of you off to adventure and excitment, eh?" He smiles, an odd expression in his eyes. "I'll be here for a couple of hours, at least, so if you need anything, just ask." He focuses on Caise. "It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions." He then looks around. "And the rest of you, as well. Safe travels to you all!"

GM's note: any conversation can go here...
For her part, Jeena simply smiles, bids you goodbye, and takes Jaal's hand. The two of them enter the mercantile, leaving you in the busy street.

((OOC: Collaborative post between Eol and Z))
Mercury looked up at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Mercury? It's Caise… May I come in?"

The young man opened the door and let the Jedi into the room. It was only then he realized he still had the blaster in his hand. "Sorry. It isn't mine. I mean…it is mine now but I wasn't …let me put this away." He put the blaster back into his holster. "What…What did you want? I mean … you have any idea what we …I mean you are doing now? Cause if you need a good pilot, I'm ummm sort of looking for work now."

Mercury’s aura was a turbulent whirlpool in the Force; his emotions a frantic vortex of sadness, loneliness, confusion, and grief, though, outwardly, the young man tried to mask it.

Caise offered an understanding smile, excusing the unholstered blaster with a nod. “Apologies are unnecessary, Mercury,” he said, still scrutinizing the chaotic tumble of energies even as the pilot went rapid-fire through his series of questions. The padawan waited until he was certain that Mercury was going to say no more, then smiled again.

“I do have an idea of what I will do, now,” he said, recalling how, aboard the Kul Kura, this man’s energies had flashed brightly in his sight, “and it is quite possible that I will require the services of a pilot…” Caise stepped through the door, his veiled eyes skimming the bunkroom before turning back to the young fringer, “…but are you sure that it’s a job you seek and not something else, Mercury Saran? I sense uncertainty in you that seems to go beyond what you might next do for work.”

Mercury took a step back, "You messing with my head? I heard that Jedis can do that?"

Caise shook his head. “No, my friend. I’m not, as you put it, messing with your head. I do sense that more concerns you than just your next job, though, and I wanted to make sure that you were all right.”

"Oh it's just ... I left home a couple of years ago and it wasn't really my idea. I got trapped in the hold of the Kul Kura and by the time they found me we were light years away from Corellia. The Captain was really good to me, made me feel welcome but ..."

The pilot’s aura rippled as Captain Dulo’s memory again stirred sadness and a sense of seclusion to the forefront of his energies. “But, now, Captain Dulo is gone…”

"Yeah! I just feel very alone right now. That's all"

“That’s all,” Caise repeated, a skeptical brow spiking upward behind the sash that covered his eyes, “are you certain, Mercury? I cannot help be get the feeling that loneliness and yourself are far from strangers…” The Jedi padded towards one of the room’s small windows and seemed to contemplate the view for a moment before continuing, “There is more here, than just the loss of the good captain, I think.”

He once again fixed the pilot in his gaze. Mercury’s admission to a sense of loneliness had quelled one of the dark ripples in his aura but there were still others. “My Master once told me,” Caise continued, hoping that the young pilot wouldn’t feel as if he were assuming too much, “that people who lead lonely existences often have something on their minds that they are eager to talk about. Even if they don’t care to admit to it, Mr Saran, it does get expressed in other ways… a need to prove oneself, for instance…”

"What! I don't need to prove myself to anyone! Not You! Not my father!" Mercury retorted. "I'll be fine, I always am so don't be worrying about me. Now if you don't mind, I'd rather be alone." the young man threw himself on the bunk rather dramatically and crossed his arms, "I need some rest, that's all."

The padawan stood firm in the gale of Mercury’s indignant response, failing to flinch at the young man’s outburst. Inwardly, though, Caise chastised himself for, once again, failing to properly express his intent. Instead of coaxing Mercury into opening up and addressing whatever it was that troubled him, it seemed that Caise’s efforts had only succeeded in chasing the fringer back into the shelter of his own brooding, perhaps closing the door on the conversation all together. I am sorry, Master, the padawan sighed inwardly, despite your teachings, my diplomacy skills still seem to be desperately lacking…

Wait… ‘Not my father’, did he say? The Jedi had to keep himself from smiling. Mercury’s response had been angry and, at first, seemed to imply an unwillingness to share anymore. Whether he knew it or not, though, the fringer had shared more than enough. Not wanting to alienate Mercury any farther, though, Caise decided that perhaps he should let the man get his rest… allow him some time to calm down a bit and make his own peace with the turmoil that brewed within him… then, perhaps, approach the subject again at another time.

“Forgive me, Mercury,” Caise said softly, sketching a bow as the fringer flopped himself down on the bunk, “I had hoped to ease your mind, not upset you more.” He moved to the door, content for now to allow Mercury his solitude. Before stepping into the hall again, though, Caise turned and said; “The joys of a parent are secret, Mercury, as are their griefs and fears. You are correct that you don’t have anything to prove to me… you don’t have anything to prove to your father, either. Perhaps if you believed that with the same conviction you spoke it you would have nothing to prove to yourself, either.

We can gather strength from sadness and from pain, my friend, and each time we die we learn to live again. Or we can let that sadness and pain consume us… eat us away like some malignant cancer… it is then – when we forbid the light from shining through the darkness – that death is final.

May the Force be with you, Mercury Saran.”

((OOC2: Another post coming soon... figured I'd go ahead and post this part just to keep the board moving. ))

Caise was nearly as quiet as Jaal’s father when everyone convened around the dinner table… more in hopes of keeping the peace between Jaal and his father than by way of keeping himself detached from the others. He replied when he was spoken to, of course, and in a more thorough fashion than the withdrawn, elder Darand had, but was quick to turn the conversation away from any topic that might bring the Jedi Order in to play. He didn’t fail to notice, either, that Gerald Darand refused to so much as glance in his direction throughout the course of the meal. There was much more to the man’s disdain for the Jedi than had been hinted at, of that the miraluka was certain, but thus far no one seemed willing to provide anything but the vaguest of explanations and Gerald, himself, was almost frustratingly unreadable. That in itself was unsettling enough and, were it not for being opposed to widening what was already an apparent rift between father and son, Caise might have found himself aggressively pursuing answers from the man

There was also the scope of his own mission to consider, he decided, and given that he had been sent here to determine where Taanab fit into the puzzle of the separatist movement, pursuing such a conversation may lead to more trouble than it prevented. Especially if Gerald had separatist leanings of his own… Given the relationship of the Jedi and the Republic, the miraluka thought at one point, disdain for one could easily become derision for both.
When the evening ended and everyone retired to their rooms, Caise meditated for quite some time on the often tumultuous relationships that seemed to form between fathers and sons – those relationships seemed to be a focal point in the Force of late considering the tension between Jaal and his father and the rift hinted at by Mercury with his own. As the hour got late, the young Jedi abandoned his reflections of these others and, immersing himself into the flow of the Force until morning, allowed the all-encompassing energies to replenish him. Tomorrow, he sensed, would be no less taxing than this day had been.

((entering a Force Trance for the night to replenish any VP, etc that may not be covered by a night’s rest… will awaken if someone approaches the room or at 0500 if undisturbed))

****----****

Caise awoke early and was prepared for the trip to Dalroth in advance of the scheduled departure time. He heard the argument between father and son, of course – though he tried to dismiss it as nothing more than a typical disagreement between the two, the padawan couldn’t help but sense that there was something a little peculiar about this one… He couldn’t quite isolate the thread of energy that dug at his senses but there was something…

"I don't understand why he's being like this," Jaal complained after having won the disagreement with his father. "He rides me for days about being responsible, keeping my appointments, that kind of thing, and suddenly he wants me to just not show this morning? I know that he doesn't like jedi, but it's not like you're going to get me to run off and join your order or something."

“That wasn’t my intent, no,” Caise affirmed, smiling at the sound of Jeena’s laughter, “I think, perhaps, your father is aware of that, as well, but whatever his experiences might have been with the Order, they overshadow his intuition and cloud his perceptions. He seeks only to protect you, Jaal.”

When they reached Dalroth, the Force became much more frenetic in Caise’s sight. Sentients of all sorts bustled back and forth along the tiny cities thoroughfares and energies flitted back and forth between them as they interacted with one another… a far cry from the almost tranquil, undulating flow of energies experienced in the countryside… civilization, once again. While Dalroth wasn’t a large city by Republic standards (especially as compared to what cities were in the Core), but it was of a respectable size as compared to others on other worlds in the farther reaches of the galaxy.

"Brod's Mercantile," Jaal announces, bringing the speeder to a stop in front of a low building "The place to purchase ag equipment at decent rates here in Dalroth - provided that you have the know-how to make any needed 'improvements'."

"Don't you mean, fix the broken junk they try to pawn off on you?" Jeena snickered.

"You get what you pay for!” Jaal returned mirthfully, “Still, it's also the biggest trading post here in Dalroth - if you need any gear, this is probably your best bet in the city."

Caise climbed out of the speeder and, gathering his cloak about him surveyed the mercantile and the cityscape surrounding them. It was very convenient that the rendezvous point that Leyan Rool had specified was directly across the street - no need to ask directions and perhaps draw unwanted attention. “Thank you, Jaal,” he said, finishing his scan of the streets and returning his gaze to the man, “Your kindness and hospitality is appreciated and will be remembered.”

"I suppose this is where we part ways - Jeena and I back to our boring lives, and the rest of you off to adventure and excitement, eh?" Caise heard the smile in Jaal’s voice and thought he also perceived an odd stirring in the man’s aura.

"I'll be here for a couple of hours, at least, so if you need anything, just ask." Jaal continued, focusing on Caise. "It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions." He then looked around. "And the rest of you, as well. Safe travels to you all!"

“As it was to meet you, Jaal Darand,” Caise responded, bowing a bit at the waist, “Remember, my friend, adventure is not outside a man; it is found within.”

Jeena’s aura flared as she smiled and bid the party farewell. Then, taking Jaal's hand, the two of them took their leave and entered the mercantile.

Caise watched the young couple for a moment, then turned and regarded the others. “I have an appointment I must keep in a couple of hours,” he said, “My mission, for the time, at least, is here…” His head turned is Mercury’s direction; “I know that you and I discussed what you might do next, Mercury, and my offer still stands; you are still welcome to accompany me if you choose…” his gaze pans over Dime, Ziv, Damanil, and Lana, as well, “…as are you all, should you so choose. I cannot pretend to know what each of your plans are…”

((OOC: room for conversation and such throughout, of course...Okay, for his part, Caise is going to pass the time until his scheduled meeting with Rool by, first, visiting the mercantile – usually a good place to overhear information, you know, and also wouldn’t hurt if he could find and aquata breather for a decent price… I’ll be keeping my senses open for some saber components, as well, I think, just because… shortly before time for the meeting (and assuming the time spent in the shop is uneventful) Caise will do a quick recon of the location where he’s supposed to meet Rool. If nothing is “out of sorts” he’ll attend the meeting as scheduled))

Rubbing his head Ziv looks at Jeena with embarassment and hands over the data pad when she requests it. He stands by and lets her berate him for tinkering with their speeders. “Your absolutely right.. I wouldn’t like it either.. I was just hoping I could help… My apologizes.”

“Besides it looks like there isn’t much I can do to help here,” He adds with a smile, “someone obviously has things well in hand.”

Tucking away his data pad and gathering up his things, he closes up the speeder maintenance hatch and follows her to the house for dinner.

Ziv enjoys dinner and comments to their hosts about how ‘they didn’t have anything this good back on the ship’. He certainly puts away his share and hardly speaks during dinner because of his mouth being constantly full.

After being shown to a bed for the night, he crashes and quickly falls asleep, his rack back on the ship wasn’t this comfortable either.

The next morning he is up and has his gear ready to go. When he sees Luna he asks, “Sleep well?”

“No! The beds here are too soft,” she replies, “not like on the ship.”

Ziv chuckles. “Well I sleep like a rock.. Maybe it was your bed,” he grins mischievously and adds, “maybe next time you sleep with me.”

He piles into the speeder quickly before he has to endure her temper.

He watches the terrain fly by and listens to the conversations around him and when they arrive in Dalroth he hops out grabbing his things and says his goodbyes to Jaal and Jeena, “Thanks for your hospitality.. the food and accommodations were excellent.”

When the Jedi spoke of missions and plans, Ziv shrugged and looked at the others, Luna was the closest thing he had to a comrade and he still wasn’t sure about the others. Though he still had his doubts about the Jedi he wasn’t sure what they could do here on this planet.

“Well, I don’t have anything else to do,” he looked at Luna and the others, “want to hang with the Jedi for awhile? Might be interesting!” He grinned.

((Ziv will accompany Caise and the others if that is the general consensus. At the mercantile he will look around at the tools, and any other engineer stuff they might have in stock. He is out of his element here planetside, so he will be alert and watchful of everyone and everything around him.))