Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Jun 6, 2011 10:18:45 GMT -5
Time period: 3605 BBY
Location: Pantolomin
Participants: Sherasti Rin, Hult Pedara (NPC)
Other Info: If for some reason you feel the desire to find a way into this post, go ahead I guess.
“Master Pedara!” A younger Sherasti Rin turned the corner a little too rapidly after her master and skidded to a halt abruptly. Her montrals were not fully grown, her skin was a youthful orange, and her lekku had quite a lot of length to be added still, but it was her demeanor that was most different. She had not yet become the serene Jedi Knight she would be, instead she was still very much the picture of youth. Confidence, albeit misplaced confidence, joined with a general aura of excitement in the person of the young Togruta.
“Yes?” Master Hult Pedara answered with his signature patience, only a wry smile barely visible through his graying beard revealing his amusement. He’d never mentioned it, but he’d selected Sherasti as his Padawan based just as much off of her entertainment value as her strengths. His last Padawan had been far too serious, with no sense of humor at all. It had made for a very long decade of training.
The Togruta Padawan calmed herself and collected her thoughts. It was difficult, after all it was her first time on Pantolomin. And Pantolomin could be an enrapturing place, even to a Jedi. The mostly oceanic planet was a tourist destination across the galaxy, renowned for gambling and live entertainment set below the waves against the picturesque ecosystem of the famed coral reefs. They’d only been on the planet for a few days, and the novelty hadn’t worn off. In fact, it might never wear off. It was one public-relations mission she was very, very pleased with.
“I’m sorry Master, I lost track of things for a moment. It won’t happen again.” She sounded slightly sheepish. For the most part, Sherasti had been able to improve her awareness and ‘sense’ for lack of a better word. She’d stayed focused extremely well, and she’d been growing more mature each day. But surrounded by the dazzling views, even Pedara had to admit he felt very young again. In his younger days he'd been a bit of a Pazaak shark, and it was tempting to hit up a casino... But the Jedi had an image to protect.
“It will happen again,” he quipped. “You can rest assured of that, simply because we are Jedi doesn’t mean we aren’t-“ the word 'human' died on his lips. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from his childhood. Sure, from a certain perspective everyone was human. But tact was tact. And courtesy was important. “Imperfect.” He substituted. But the change didn’t go unnoticed.
Sherasti understood just fine, years with Pedara had allowed her to see a good deal of his mind. It would be obvious to even a Youngling that the Master had no prejudices at all, and for the Togruta it was a laughable idea. She was able to convey that impression easily, even without using her own telepathic abilities. “I’ll still try to be a bit more alert, for example-“ Her eyes widened a little. “We need to hurry.”
Pedara had very much the same expression. “I sense it too.”
Danger. Looming ahead, whether at that very moment or in an hour, they couldn't tell. But it couldn't wait.
Without anything else said, the two Jedi started sprinting towards the source of their alarm. Their speed and vigilance were rewarded, the office they’d burst into was quiet and perfectly normal. Two men were inside it. The first was a human guard in a blue uniform, and the second was a Lomin dressed in very traditional attire.
The guard rose, a hand on his blaster. He was quickly waved off by the Lomin though. “No Sergeant, these are Jedi. I’m sure they have a reason for being here.” Turning his gaze to the two robed figures, the amphibious alien looked at them inquiringly. “I am Kevra Vreed, Chief Adviser to Senator Deparn. Who may I ask are you?”
Pedara adjusted to the quick switch in expectations a little better than Sherasti did. While the Padawan was still in a defensive posture and scrutinizing objects, the Master was already answering questions.
“I am Jedi Master Hult Pedara, and this is my Padawan Sherasti Rin. We sensed you were in some sort of imminent danger.”
“I thank you for your concern, but as you can see I am clearly just fine.” Vreed waved the concern away dismissively. “If there were any danger, Sergeant Netar here would be perfectly capable of dealing with it.” He gestured to the uniformed human.
The guard nodded. "Trust me," a look of confidence came into his grizzled face, "this is one of the most secure locations on Pantolomin. No one even knows we're here."
Pedara arced an eyebrow. "In my experience, secrets are generally not as secret as we'd like to believe. Something could be on its way here right now in fact."
Sherasti moved a little closer to Vreed, standing between him and the large window in the room overlooking a main square several stories down. Through the window, she could see the transparent walls of the main square looking out onto the coral reefs. The view was stunning of course, but it gave the Togruta vertigo. Netar on the other hand seemed totally at ease by the window. “It’s not a problem Master Jedi. I have everything totally under control.”
No sooner had he said that than an object crashed through the window and landed on the floor. Even though she was no soldier, the Togruta Padawan was perfectly capable of recognizing a thermal detonator. Swiftly she summoned what physical abilities she had and leaped. Her trajectory succeeded in knocking Vreed down behind a desk, but the timing wasn’t good enough to carry her to safety as well. With a deafening boom, Sherasti was thrown across the room and into a wall. Hard. She crumpled to the ground, everything black for a moment.
Her vision came back first, though it was blurred. Then came some sensation. She could feel her right arm and her legs, but a good portion of her left side felt numb and lifeless. Interestingly enough, her hearing was intact. Without ears, Togruta relied on their montrals. The result was a keen spatial awareness and very perceptive hearing. Sounds could be 'felt' so to speak. And though she could still 'feel' every bit of sound in the room, it ached. It was 'sharp' to the 'touch.'
Slowly she dragged herself across the floor with a single-minded purpose: to reach Vreed. After a seemingly monumental effort, she reached the Lomin and collapsed alongside him. Through her fatigue and pain she could still distinctly tell he was alive.
After that, darkness took her again. She’d saved his life, and that had been her only goal.
Sherasti Rin’s eyelids fluttered and finally opened, revealing the expressive violet eyes of the Togruta Padawan. She blinked a few times, trying to place her surroundings. They were bright and white, but other than that she had no visual guide to use. “Where am I?” Her voice sounded rough and cracked in her ears, she’d obviously been out of things long enough for her throat to become parched.
Hult Pedara came into view over her, a look of relief on his lined face. “Good. You had us worried for a while there. Don’t try to move yet,” he warned belatedly as Sherasti winced. “That was quite a beating you took. The Doctors tell me you were thrown into the wall with a great deal of force. You broke your left arm and you managed to burn your skin a little too. Kolto helped with the burns, but I’m afraid it doesn’t help broken bones. Luckily though, they tell me you’ll be fine. No scars on your sunny little face either.”
The Padawan swallowed a glass of water offered to her, then cleared her throat. As she started to speak she could feel her lilting voice returning. “I remember a thermal detonator being thrown in, and I remember jumping to push him to the ground. Then I vaguely think I crawled over to Kevra Vreed. After that, nothing. Is he okay? How long have I been out?” The Apprentice asked two questions in rapid succession.
“He’s fine, and you’ve been unconscious for one week,” Pedara answered apologetically. “While you were being treated I did what investigating I could. The would-be assassin escaped I’m afraid, but as soon as you’re healed we’ll continue our search together.”
The Togruta smiled thinly. “Thanks.” She turned her head slightly to gaze at her left arm. She couldn’t feel it. But it was there, and it would heal. Hopefully. “Good thing I liked Makashi better than Shii Cho any way,” she said wryly, commenting on the ease of using a single hand in the Makashi style of lightsaber combat. She’d have to now. And it gave her the excuse to craft a new lightsaber. You could do Makashi with a regular saber, but it was a lot clumsier. She knew because she'd been trying.
The Master patted his Padawan’s working arm. “You’ll be fine, good as new in no time at all. If you survived a thermal detonator I think you can survive a broken arm. Otherwise I would be so very, very disappointed,” he said mock-seriously.
“Thanks,” Sherasti murmured once more as she felt herself falling asleep again, confident now with her master watching over her. She really didn't appreciate quite how much she'd worked her way into Pedara's heart.
The Jedi Master gently laid a hand on one of Sherasti's sloping, curving, montrals. Their texture had always surprised him, since they looked so much like horns he'd expected them to be bony. But he'd found them to be much more rubbery, firm but slightly yielding to the touch. He ran that hand gently down the lekku as well, very much like any human father would gently stroke his daughter's hair.
He was rewarded by a smile appearing on Sherasti's sleeping face.
"You've made it this far, just make it a little further..." Pedara had stretched the truth a little. His Padawan had been unconscious for one week in a medically-induced coma while they treated her for severe internal bleeding and ran scans for head trauma. And the 'broken arm?' Every single bone in her arm had been shattered. Some in multiple places. It had taken them two days to simply sort everything out, and only Pedara's vehement insistence had prevented an amputation and mechanical replacement, he knew Sherasti wouldn't have wanted some metal monstrosity on her body.
So bones they could fuse were repaired, and the ones too badly damaged were replaced with synthetic materials. But it was still the Togruta's natural arm, and her own muscles, ligaments, and skin. Her flesh and blood. The way she would have wanted it.
Pedara removed his hand finally and straightened. He still had an investigation to start. He headed for the door, stopping by the medical droid on the way out. "Take care of her."
Location: Pantolomin
Participants: Sherasti Rin, Hult Pedara (NPC)
Other Info: If for some reason you feel the desire to find a way into this post, go ahead I guess.
“Master Pedara!” A younger Sherasti Rin turned the corner a little too rapidly after her master and skidded to a halt abruptly. Her montrals were not fully grown, her skin was a youthful orange, and her lekku had quite a lot of length to be added still, but it was her demeanor that was most different. She had not yet become the serene Jedi Knight she would be, instead she was still very much the picture of youth. Confidence, albeit misplaced confidence, joined with a general aura of excitement in the person of the young Togruta.
“Yes?” Master Hult Pedara answered with his signature patience, only a wry smile barely visible through his graying beard revealing his amusement. He’d never mentioned it, but he’d selected Sherasti as his Padawan based just as much off of her entertainment value as her strengths. His last Padawan had been far too serious, with no sense of humor at all. It had made for a very long decade of training.
The Togruta Padawan calmed herself and collected her thoughts. It was difficult, after all it was her first time on Pantolomin. And Pantolomin could be an enrapturing place, even to a Jedi. The mostly oceanic planet was a tourist destination across the galaxy, renowned for gambling and live entertainment set below the waves against the picturesque ecosystem of the famed coral reefs. They’d only been on the planet for a few days, and the novelty hadn’t worn off. In fact, it might never wear off. It was one public-relations mission she was very, very pleased with.
“I’m sorry Master, I lost track of things for a moment. It won’t happen again.” She sounded slightly sheepish. For the most part, Sherasti had been able to improve her awareness and ‘sense’ for lack of a better word. She’d stayed focused extremely well, and she’d been growing more mature each day. But surrounded by the dazzling views, even Pedara had to admit he felt very young again. In his younger days he'd been a bit of a Pazaak shark, and it was tempting to hit up a casino... But the Jedi had an image to protect.
“It will happen again,” he quipped. “You can rest assured of that, simply because we are Jedi doesn’t mean we aren’t-“ the word 'human' died on his lips. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from his childhood. Sure, from a certain perspective everyone was human. But tact was tact. And courtesy was important. “Imperfect.” He substituted. But the change didn’t go unnoticed.
Sherasti understood just fine, years with Pedara had allowed her to see a good deal of his mind. It would be obvious to even a Youngling that the Master had no prejudices at all, and for the Togruta it was a laughable idea. She was able to convey that impression easily, even without using her own telepathic abilities. “I’ll still try to be a bit more alert, for example-“ Her eyes widened a little. “We need to hurry.”
Pedara had very much the same expression. “I sense it too.”
Danger. Looming ahead, whether at that very moment or in an hour, they couldn't tell. But it couldn't wait.
Without anything else said, the two Jedi started sprinting towards the source of their alarm. Their speed and vigilance were rewarded, the office they’d burst into was quiet and perfectly normal. Two men were inside it. The first was a human guard in a blue uniform, and the second was a Lomin dressed in very traditional attire.
The guard rose, a hand on his blaster. He was quickly waved off by the Lomin though. “No Sergeant, these are Jedi. I’m sure they have a reason for being here.” Turning his gaze to the two robed figures, the amphibious alien looked at them inquiringly. “I am Kevra Vreed, Chief Adviser to Senator Deparn. Who may I ask are you?”
Pedara adjusted to the quick switch in expectations a little better than Sherasti did. While the Padawan was still in a defensive posture and scrutinizing objects, the Master was already answering questions.
“I am Jedi Master Hult Pedara, and this is my Padawan Sherasti Rin. We sensed you were in some sort of imminent danger.”
“I thank you for your concern, but as you can see I am clearly just fine.” Vreed waved the concern away dismissively. “If there were any danger, Sergeant Netar here would be perfectly capable of dealing with it.” He gestured to the uniformed human.
The guard nodded. "Trust me," a look of confidence came into his grizzled face, "this is one of the most secure locations on Pantolomin. No one even knows we're here."
Pedara arced an eyebrow. "In my experience, secrets are generally not as secret as we'd like to believe. Something could be on its way here right now in fact."
Sherasti moved a little closer to Vreed, standing between him and the large window in the room overlooking a main square several stories down. Through the window, she could see the transparent walls of the main square looking out onto the coral reefs. The view was stunning of course, but it gave the Togruta vertigo. Netar on the other hand seemed totally at ease by the window. “It’s not a problem Master Jedi. I have everything totally under control.”
No sooner had he said that than an object crashed through the window and landed on the floor. Even though she was no soldier, the Togruta Padawan was perfectly capable of recognizing a thermal detonator. Swiftly she summoned what physical abilities she had and leaped. Her trajectory succeeded in knocking Vreed down behind a desk, but the timing wasn’t good enough to carry her to safety as well. With a deafening boom, Sherasti was thrown across the room and into a wall. Hard. She crumpled to the ground, everything black for a moment.
Her vision came back first, though it was blurred. Then came some sensation. She could feel her right arm and her legs, but a good portion of her left side felt numb and lifeless. Interestingly enough, her hearing was intact. Without ears, Togruta relied on their montrals. The result was a keen spatial awareness and very perceptive hearing. Sounds could be 'felt' so to speak. And though she could still 'feel' every bit of sound in the room, it ached. It was 'sharp' to the 'touch.'
Slowly she dragged herself across the floor with a single-minded purpose: to reach Vreed. After a seemingly monumental effort, she reached the Lomin and collapsed alongside him. Through her fatigue and pain she could still distinctly tell he was alive.
After that, darkness took her again. She’d saved his life, and that had been her only goal.
Sherasti Rin’s eyelids fluttered and finally opened, revealing the expressive violet eyes of the Togruta Padawan. She blinked a few times, trying to place her surroundings. They were bright and white, but other than that she had no visual guide to use. “Where am I?” Her voice sounded rough and cracked in her ears, she’d obviously been out of things long enough for her throat to become parched.
Hult Pedara came into view over her, a look of relief on his lined face. “Good. You had us worried for a while there. Don’t try to move yet,” he warned belatedly as Sherasti winced. “That was quite a beating you took. The Doctors tell me you were thrown into the wall with a great deal of force. You broke your left arm and you managed to burn your skin a little too. Kolto helped with the burns, but I’m afraid it doesn’t help broken bones. Luckily though, they tell me you’ll be fine. No scars on your sunny little face either.”
The Padawan swallowed a glass of water offered to her, then cleared her throat. As she started to speak she could feel her lilting voice returning. “I remember a thermal detonator being thrown in, and I remember jumping to push him to the ground. Then I vaguely think I crawled over to Kevra Vreed. After that, nothing. Is he okay? How long have I been out?” The Apprentice asked two questions in rapid succession.
“He’s fine, and you’ve been unconscious for one week,” Pedara answered apologetically. “While you were being treated I did what investigating I could. The would-be assassin escaped I’m afraid, but as soon as you’re healed we’ll continue our search together.”
The Togruta smiled thinly. “Thanks.” She turned her head slightly to gaze at her left arm. She couldn’t feel it. But it was there, and it would heal. Hopefully. “Good thing I liked Makashi better than Shii Cho any way,” she said wryly, commenting on the ease of using a single hand in the Makashi style of lightsaber combat. She’d have to now. And it gave her the excuse to craft a new lightsaber. You could do Makashi with a regular saber, but it was a lot clumsier. She knew because she'd been trying.
The Master patted his Padawan’s working arm. “You’ll be fine, good as new in no time at all. If you survived a thermal detonator I think you can survive a broken arm. Otherwise I would be so very, very disappointed,” he said mock-seriously.
“Thanks,” Sherasti murmured once more as she felt herself falling asleep again, confident now with her master watching over her. She really didn't appreciate quite how much she'd worked her way into Pedara's heart.
The Jedi Master gently laid a hand on one of Sherasti's sloping, curving, montrals. Their texture had always surprised him, since they looked so much like horns he'd expected them to be bony. But he'd found them to be much more rubbery, firm but slightly yielding to the touch. He ran that hand gently down the lekku as well, very much like any human father would gently stroke his daughter's hair.
He was rewarded by a smile appearing on Sherasti's sleeping face.
"You've made it this far, just make it a little further..." Pedara had stretched the truth a little. His Padawan had been unconscious for one week in a medically-induced coma while they treated her for severe internal bleeding and ran scans for head trauma. And the 'broken arm?' Every single bone in her arm had been shattered. Some in multiple places. It had taken them two days to simply sort everything out, and only Pedara's vehement insistence had prevented an amputation and mechanical replacement, he knew Sherasti wouldn't have wanted some metal monstrosity on her body.
So bones they could fuse were repaired, and the ones too badly damaged were replaced with synthetic materials. But it was still the Togruta's natural arm, and her own muscles, ligaments, and skin. Her flesh and blood. The way she would have wanted it.
Pedara removed his hand finally and straightened. He still had an investigation to start. He headed for the door, stopping by the medical droid on the way out. "Take care of her."