Drop Zone Clear (Tal and Vex)

[A®heim]

"We're beginning our descent. ETA 12 minutes."

Very good, pilot. Take us in low and slow. Engage all cloaking systems.

"Right away, 00"

The Rishii drop ship pitched slightly forward as the quiet whine of the engine pods grew lower. Above all else, they must NOT be spotted by ANYONE. They were taking a risk with this operation: a risk for both the Familiar and the partner-to-be.

Phae hopped down from the rail behind the cockpit and settled in next to 13 Well this is it. If you have any final reprehensions speak them now or forever hold your peace. This won't be easy for you, you realize.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

System Report

Visual systems: online
Auditory systems: online
Motor systems: online
Flight Systems: online
Stinger systems: online
Short range scanner systems: online
Long range scanner systems: online
Communications systems: online
Holographic systems: online

Familiar Databank Uplink: connected
Republic Databank Uplink: connected

All Major Systems reported active.
99.9% system power
18.00 Galactic Standard Time
06.00 Local Time

Golden brown wings fluttered as the voice of 00 broke her processing. For as anxious as she was about meeting her new partner, 13 had serious misgivings about this partnership in general…so when spoke thus to her, she sat up on her haunches, head swiveling around to face him.

Reprehensions…no. Misgivings…yes. I am…uncertain…of if this is a wise decision, but I will perform to expectations.

Her front claws gripped and ungripped slightly as she spoke, that metallic tail curling around her feet as she gave a short, digitized, huff. After a moment that stiff posture seemed to relax slightly as she eased down on her front claws again.

Brother? Is it always this…difficult…this…anxiety inducing…meeting one’s partner? I might almost say I’m…nervous?

13, for all of her stoicism and inexperience in the realm of emotions, had done quite a bit of research on the various definitions of the words related to them and describing them. She wasn’t certain that what she was experiencing was any such thing as an ‘emotion,’ but the words she used seemed to coincide with the odd senses she was facing while pondering her future with the former Republic Major and the Dark Jedi who accompanied the woman. 13 had questioned Ayer extensively about the situation and everything he’d ‘felt’ and experienced, and each answer only brought new questions and sensations she couldn’t quite place. Now, as she prepared to venture out on her own to meet the two, the draconic droid turned to her eldest brother with her question as she fought the urge to pace along the small ledge that she would be leaving the ship from.

[A®heim]

Phae couldn't help but chuckle quietly as his sister fidgeted. Whether she recognized it or not, she was indeed feeling anxious. Well...a coded simulation of anxiety at any rate, but a damn good one. So what if it wasn't real neurological emotion? What was the difference between conduits and nerve cells other than their compositions? 13 may not know ti now, but she would learn the meaning of emotion soon enough. It was a Familiar's destiny.

I can't say I can truthfully answer that, I don't have an official partner if you remember. Wizard shares that bond with me, but I was brought into this Galaxy with him cheering by my side. I wouldn't know.

Phae paused recollecting on his first interactions with the organics that had created him. Had he been nervous? Not really...but after the testing had begun he had felt a sort of desire to prove himself and his abilities that went beyond being simply programmed to. Pride perhaps?

I imagine it would be different for all of us. Different emotions for different situations and personalities. Your partnership holds a great amount of importance for our kind, there's a lot riding on its success. You have every right to be nervous.

"We have visual contact of the LZ, VTOL jets deploying."

The tree tops bent and shook as the wash from the jets splashed across them. They were no more than 40 meters above the ground now. 30 meters...20 meters...10...

Once you step off this craft, you're on your own. We can't risk continued operation in this sector. The success of this now rests in your claws. Good luck and remember we will always be watching over you.

The dropship ceased its descent barely 2 meters from the surface of the clearing and hovered there waiting for the REA to depart.

Phae cracked his beak into an avian smile at his sister. No pressure. May Force and Familiar guide your path.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

13 shifted herself slightly as her older brother spoke. It must have been nice, having your partner there when one ‘woke up’…far more preferable to this sort of thing. Then he had to go and put the pressure on again, and those uncomfortable and unfamiliar (no pun intended) stimulations of her processors had to come back again. It was an odd sensation…she very much wanted to succeed, but she also had some very extreme concerns that made her want to pace and flick her tail and maybe even climb up a wall.

Thank you 00…no pressure, correct?

The pilot cut across her words and Phae continued on with his own. Sure enough…there were those words. A light huff was given, drowned out by the combination of the VOTLs and her own repulsors as they flared to life.

…Of course not…

Thank you, brother…I won’t disappoint.

No sooner had the doors opened than with a nod of her head to Phae and the pilots, she was out in miniature blur of motion and rocketing up into the sky. She was still a good distance from the meeting point, and it was likely (even with her repulsors) that it would take her a full day and a half standard cycle to reach the meeting point. Her HUD brought up the virtual map display of the area she was currently in, and the little draconic droid banked to the right as she adjusted her course.

The sound of the Rishii drop ship switching from its VOTL back to the sub-light engines it needed to break free of the atmosphere of Carida. The sound made her turn her head and pause in her flight, hovering for a moment to watch the ship turn and go on its way. A strange new stimuli coursed through her processors as she watched it go. The little REA may not have known it, but the feeling was a mixture of fear, uncertainty, and loss…something she hadn’t yet experienced in all of the simulations and tests she’d been put through…not even her field test had brought this new sensation. Shaking the sensation off, REA-13 turned and shot off in a new direction.

Logically, should she be followed or tracked, it would be wisest to keep her destination as unknown as possible. With that, she swooped down low to the ground now that she was out of the grove of trees and swooped through the waving grasses of the plains. It would be far more difficult to track her this way…amidst all of this grass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last time she’d walked through the forest with Vex, it had been a rather tranquil and eye opening experience. It had been night, then, and she’d all but bombarded him with questions about his life…just for good measure the force had decided to toss a vision and a song in as well. If this hadn’t been enough information for the former major, Aunna had given herself more as she’d probed him gently with her new senses in the force, trying to puzzle out just how he ‘felt’ through the force…what might make him ‘feel’ different from someone else. Honestly, she’d taken his presence for granted…something she felt and knew, but hadn’t ever really ‘noticed’ or bothered to even try to discern how he might ‘feel’ different from someone else. Though…to be perfectly fair…she hadn’t ever had a reason to think that one person might ‘feel’ different from another either, nor had she had a reason to attempt to differentiate.

Either way, THIS walk was far less pleasant…at least, it FELT less pleasant. The meeting point for the droid was almost two days walk from where the Consul had been settled, and there was no way Vex was going to allow her to just go on her own…even SHE knew that. That didn’t mean that he was going to be happy about following her, however. He’d thought it foolish of her to accept the communication from Familiar in the first place, but when she’d informed him about the droid…well…So here they were, walking through the forest, and all she could feel was a tense sort of air hanging around and between the two of them. The only problem was…Aunna wasn’t entirely sure which of the two of them was the cause of it.

((holding off on continuing this, please...would like that vision to happen before they get 13))

[Vex]

Vex followed along behind the former major like a brooding shadow. To say that he was unhappy with events was to speak in a dire understatement. He found nothing of this pleasant. The fact that someone had found them so quickly and had made contact already had him considering options for leaving the planet and finding another location. She didn't seem to put their security and safety at such a high priority, however.

That was apparent in this little trip they were taking. She had agreed to "meet" this droid. For all they knew, it could be a ruse. Once they were out here in the wilds, there could be any number of ambushes waiting for them. She seemed ready to trust anyone at a whim. He didn't care of Ayer had been there on the comms. No matter how "organic" they tried to make the droid, he was still a droid...a programmable being that could be recoded to do anything...even betray friends.

Now she wanted to pick up this new droid. Something that could, for all they know, have a tracking system...something that could allow anyone to find them whenever they wished. No, he wasn't happy. She was doing everything possible to make it harder for him to keep her safe.

As they passed through the forest, he brought up the argument they had been having since the communications. "You know nothing about this person...their intentions, or anything. Ayer is a droid. His candor cannot be trusted...it simply could have been programmed. We have no way of making sure that this droid cannot somehow broadcast our position and make us vulnerable. The only thing we do know is that whoever this person is...they have affiliations with the Republic military. People that want you imprisoned or dead."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She sighed and nodded for what felt like the five hundredth time.

Yes, Vex, I know…this is a big risk, I know it is…but why, then would I have been so drawn to answer that communication? It wasn’t my own stupidity you know…even I think answering that was stupid, but…

They’d been over this same thing for the past day and a half. He’d point out the obvious dangers of this entire ordeal, she’d nod silently, he’d (typically) ask why she’d done something so stupid, she’d shrug and tell him something along the lines of what she’d just told him. The conversation could then go several ways…he’d drop it and pick back up later, he’d fume for a moment and reiterate how much of a fool she was, he’d persist in arguing over the topic, or he’d beat the tar out of her with training. This time she decided to save them both some time and breath and cut to the agreeing she was a fool early on.

You could very well be right, or you could be wrong…I honestly don’t know. I also don’t pretend to have any sort of well developed senses in the force, but there was just something…right…about all of that…and that includes this. I don’t know what else to tell you that I haven’t said before, la…

She cut her words off immediately and kept walking, obviously keen on remaining silent from that point on.

Aunna had been working, the last few nights since the communication, on extending the reach of her senses. She took the time, in her room at night, to simply close her eyes and attempt to feel anything around her…the ship, the forest, the animals and birds and plants within it…anything she might find. Vex hadn’t begun training her in anything more than the lightsaber yet, and so she’d taken it upon herself to experiment with her new abilities. It had helped, those experiments, as she was able to pick out some of the movements of the creatures of the forest around them as they walked, and so far nothing seemed to be the size of a human. Larger things were easier for her to pick up on…wolves, deer, bears…she was able to sense Vex well enough (when he wasn’t hiding himself anyway)…certainly another human would not be so difficult to sense?

As they neared the designated meeting grounds, Aunna paused and glanced over to Vex. They weren’t there yet, but if someone was waiting for them, no doubt they would be close by…unfortunately, they would also know about Vex and his abilities. That simple glance told her all she needed to know…he still didn’t sense anything. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she continued on and hoped that his fears would be unfounded…at least the initial ones. What they didn’t know was that the little draconic droid was already waiting for them in the higher branches of the trees and just out of sight. 13 had arrived earlier than she’d expected, and done a complete sweep of the area surrounding the meeting area. Thorough as usual, she had scanned for all manner of explosives, traps, life forms, and other droids…the results only yielding the wildlife that was expected to inhabit the area.

Proximity alerts went off in her processors as motion was detected near by and those photoreceptors scanned the area. Clinging to the trunk of the tree, she slithered a bit further up it and powered down her holographic projectors to make herself less noticeable. Internally a clip of ammunition shuffled itself into place and the first tranquilizer round loaded into her tail. Thin metallic head swiveled around and eyed the two approaching humanoids. Facial recognition connected mapped out points from the face of the woman to the image stored in her processors and the first green light clicked on in her mind…the man came next and the second green light went on in her mind. Turning about, she clawed her way back down the truck of the tree like some tiny, odd, metallic dragon, those holographic projectors flickering on once more as they shifted to a rather prideful blue-green.

Greetings, Miss Borgonia, Mr. Praetor…I am familiar droid REA-13…it is a pleasure to meet you both.

[Vex]

"Because you don't understand it...are not used to understand the ebbs and flows of the Force. You are like a crackpot fortune-teller that knows enough to be dangerous. Because you think you know, you rush in blindly without thought or consideration. Even if you know the future, you do not know the path that leads to it. In your attempts to avoid that path, you can wind up on that path...that destination...without ever knowing it until it is too late." He shook his head, the growl in his voice an undertone beneath the rasp of the mask. "You ask for my advice and guidance...my experience with this...and yet blatantly ignore it when you don't like what I tell you. You may, quite possibly, be more arrogant than me."

He kept his senses out as far as he could...but there was nothing that he could pick up on. That hardly brought him ease, however. Paranoia was a part of his life and he always assumed that any enemies would know his strength and his weaknesses and exploit them to their advantage if possible. He had the Republic, the Jedi, and most likely Dark Jedi hunting him. Any and all would use whatever advantages or tricks they could to undermine his capabilities.

As they walked and he heard the sound of something coming down the nearby tree, he spun, reacting because he was so on edge. The violet saber came out, flashing to light and leaving his hand. What little telekinetic power he could draw upon worked to keep it at least marginally on level. It flipped and spun around, embedding itself into the tree above the droid and slowly beginning to sizzle and smoke down through the tree trunk as the droid finished speaking and introducing herself.

Dark eyes flashed dangerously as he glared at the creature, clearly not returning the pleasure at this meeting.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Those words had been meant to hurt…to chastise her and put her back in her place. It worked to some surprising degree. Aunna didn’t even bother to reply to his growled words, a nearly silent sigh and a quiet mind his only reply. Arrogance or ignorance…which was it? Perhaps a bit of both, but likely more the latter and less the former. It was something she would have to work on…asking him questions, getting rid of that ignorance. She had, indeed, asked for his advice and guidance…just as he said. When had she become so bullheaded? Aunna had just taken a just taken a breath to say something when she too hear the rustling and clawing from the tree and her hand had immediately gone to her spear.

Slower than her counterpart, the woman only had the hilt of it in her hand by the time he’d thrown his own weapon. It buried itself in the trunk of the tree just above the little droid, who’s wings flickered a bright yellow as it scrambled off the tree, repulsors flaring, and hovering near to the tree in question, but not near enough to be further threatened by that pulsing hot blade. Those wings shifted back to that drab tan color once again and its tail curled beneath it like some venomous stinger. After a moment, when no more immediate actions were taken against it, the draconic droid lowered its tail so that it swayed lightly behind it.

For several moments Aunna couldn’t think of a thing to say, between the pulsing darkness emanating from Vex, his actions, and the sudden appearance of the droid, she was simply at a loss for words. If she’d had to fight the damn thing she’d have reacted more swiftly than when she actually had to speak to it. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath, sighing it out shortly after. That collapsed weapon never left her hand, her thumb sliding lightly across the switch that would allow the smooth metal to form into that spear she preferred.

Thirteen? Typically I would say something similar, however, I can’t honestly say I’m thrilled at the fact that you appeared so suddenly…you, obviously, nearly got yourself sliced in half.

The question as to its ‘name’ (if it could be called that), had earned a slight tilt of the head from the woman and the little droid responded in kind, those wings shimmering an olive drab in its curiosity before they returned once more to the previous tan. 13 knew quite well that she’d almost been sliced in half…the sudden (and nearly fatal) action had brought the first strong emotion she’d ever really experienced…fear. Fear of sudden termination to be exact, but fear none the less. As she’d launched herself into the air, her Stinger program winked online as her vision flickered into the brilliant hues of thermal spectrum and her systems targeted the taller of the two. The one who’d attacked her.

As neither had made another move, those systems were slowly deactivated once more and that tail lowered, bringing back the vivid hues of the world of Carida. That slim head swiveled first to the man, then back to the woman as that silence had drawn out between them. Well…it was a rather awkward meeting, and not at all what she’d expected. Nearly instantly she wished she’d been assigned to someone else…someone, perhaps, NOT a fugitive of the law working with a dark jedi? Yes…that would have been MUCH more appealing. That question, and following statement had her a bit puzzled at first, but the information took less that a second to process and all the pieces fit into place. Of COURSE her sudden appearance would have startled them. They were fugitives after all, and had likely been expecting some form of trap. Oh this was going to take a lot of work.

Please forgive my sudden appearance, Miss Borgonia, but I had to be certain that you were…in fact…who I was assigned to meet. I could not risk falling into the wrong hands and compromising either your safety or my own…though it seems that my concerns for my remaining in relative safety would be a moot point.

Those photoreceptors scanned the full height of the dark man accompanying the woman she was assigned to. His glare was one of almost certain death for her if she wasn’t careful…if the saber hadn’t been enough warning THAT look certainly was. With a digitized sigh, the little droid lowered herself to the ground, attempting to make herself as non-threatening as possible and slowly crept toward them, stopping several feet away from them and gazing up at the two as she propped herself up on her hind legs, that tail curling around her feet like a cat’s tail to help keep her balanced in that position.

[Vex]

“You are correct, droid. Your safety is a moot point. If you and your creator were truly as concerned about Aunna’s safety as you claim, then you would never have come here. You only cause more risk. Let us at least hope you prove to have some modicum of usefulness to you. Otherwise, I’ll scrap you just to ensure that she remains safe.” He looked straight back at the creature, knowing that the little automaton was looking back at him.

Stalking past thirteen, he moved to the tree. The blade had sunk down farther, leaving a scorched path and gaping hole in it. It was fortunate for them that it didn’t start a fire. Gripping the hilt, he deactivated the power and moved it back to his belt. Gazing out at the forest around them again, he assessed their status once more and then turned back. All but ignoring the creature, he walked back toward Aunna’s side.

At least the little thing knew when to shut up and simply be silent. At least, it appeared that way for now. Whether or not it proved to be true would remain to be seen. He shook his head, catching Aunna’s eye. “We seem to be without threat for the moment. Now that we’ve fetched the thing, will you be satisfied in allowing us to return? I am quite finished being patient with this fool’s errand.”

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((yay for craptastic posts! ^.^ ))

That certainly hadn’t been what the little droid had meant, but…well, she wasn’t going to argue the point. It was a trivial matter to argue with this topic. Her head swiveled around to watch him retrieve his saber from the tree, her repulsors flaring to life once more as she brought herself back up to eye level. Aunna shook her head and sighed slightly, letting her frustration flow away from her easily. His comment, however, brought it all right back and she struggled a moment with herself, swiftly reigning in the urge to give a smart retort back to him. That just wouldn’t help things, and she’d regret it afterward anyway…whether he attempted to make her regret it or not…she’d end up feeling poorly simply for saying it.

Yes, of course.

There really wasn’t much more to say than that and so she’d started the walk back, clipping her spear back to her belt. It was going to be a long walk, no doubt…already the air was thick with Vex’s “discontent,” and Aunna just couldn’t see it being any better for several days…and that was if she was lucky. 13, on the other hand, was hardly concerned with the amount of tension in the air. There had always been tension at the labs, someone had always been annoyed with something, or someone, else and stars forbid you disturbed a scientist while they were working! She couldn’t yet differentiate the difference between THIS kind of tension and the tension she’d observed there. With the thought that the two were simply concentrating on their own thoughts (well, she’d have said Vex was more “brooding” than concentrating), she remained silent as she moved along with them, scans of the area constantly listing their results along the inside of her visor.