Author Topic: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk  (Read 14540 times)

GM Craig

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It is almost two weeks to Kashyyyk from Horuz.

On the old Consular ship, things are quiet. The mostly stocked medical bay, and Collan's care, helps everyone get back to their full strength. Keshani rigs up a scanner to detect her implant, and locates it in her back between her shoulder blades. It is just sub-dermal - only a small incision is required. There is some tense discussion, but eventually Keshani let's Collan remove it. It is not quite painless, but the relief she feels when he hands it to her and lets her crush it under her boot more than makes up for it.

During the course of the trip, Collan learns that the old blind man is Rahm Kota, former Jedi Master and a General in the Clone Wars. He and Bail Organa appear to be particular friends.

On the Rogue Shadow, PROXY has some very good medical programming. Niil and Trax are up and around after about a week, but Nim stays in the tank for a while. Danny is up as well, but she is shy and reclusive. Other than asking where Keshani is, she keeps to herself. Juno stays in the cockpit around the clock, with the door sealed, so the two men are left on their own.

It is during this time that Niil finds, quite by accident, an occupied stasis pod. Closer examination revealed the body of Mariah, preserved in stasis. It is clear she is quite dead.

Eventually, even Nim comes out of the bacta, but some some reason she stays in the medical bay, and refuses visitors.

Eventually, both ships drop out of hyperspace. Bail Organa comes on the comlink. "Rogue Shadow, follow us. There's a safe spot where we can meet."

About an hour later, the ships touch down in a largely clear zone in the middle of Kashyyyk's great forest. There are ruins nearby - it looks like some sort of single family settlement, long abandoned and burned. The sun is setting as both groups are reunited. Everyone seems hale and healthy, with the exception of Nim who looks like death warmed over. Despite the warm temperature, she is wrapped in a heavy blanked, but sweating heavily. Her speech is slurred, and she walks unsteadily, often stopping to brace herself.

Danny, looking shy and nervous, steps off the ship behind the others.

Coming down the low rise that leads to the main building, you see a woman dressed in white with long, dark hair. She runs up to Bail Ograna and they embrace and kiss. He refers to her as Leia.

No one on either vessel has seen Maris since you left the Death Star.

[Pausing her for reactions. Maybe have private conversations in your scratchpads / public conversations here? You have about 15 minutes as the senators catch Leia up on everything that happened. After that, the senators head up the hill to finish what they started on Corellia.]

Collan

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2016, 07:09:24 AM »
[ooc: what abour Rand and the other guy that works foe Bel Iblis]

Collan first approached Juno. Her loss was perhaps the greatest of all. She would be in a great deal of pain.

"Juno," he said gravely, "I'm so sorry. You should talk to General Kota but I think Galen did precisely what he wanted."

GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2016, 07:14:51 AM »
[OOC: Thanks, I forgot about them in all the excitement. They stayed on board the consular ship. Rand is still not mobile - she'll need implants if she's ever going to walk again. Wyrren spent a lot of private time with Bel-Iblis.

Keshani

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2016, 07:33:27 AM »
Keshani followed the others out of the ship, still feeling out of sorts and very uncertain of what was going on. She was drawn toward Danny - the two outcasts in a sea of people.

Her eyes, however, were drawn in the direction of Trax. She hadn't seen him, Nim or Niil since they had split up on the two different ships and as much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't care about anyone or what they thought of her, she knew it wasn't true. As much as she wanted to pretend that she could just go off in the galaxy by herself now that she was free and be answerable to no one but herself, she knew there was some sort of longing inside of her to BE part of a group; to HAVE someone who cared about her. If they would have her...

But there was also the thing that she couldn't shake the feeling that she would be expected to provide some sort of "payment", for want of a better word, in return for having rescued her and for allowing her to stay with them. People just didn't do things for free; out of the "kindness of their hearts". It just didn't happen.

And there was this comparison between her and some other girl named Mariah....

She was sure that if she stayed with this group that at some point, probably sooner rather than later, they would realize that she was NOT this other girl, that she was a disappointment, and that she wasn't worth their time...

And so she stood, a bit aloof from the others, and just observed and waited.....


GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2016, 08:30:24 AM »
"Juno," he said gravely, "I'm so sorry. You should talk to General Kota but I think Galen did precisely what he wanted."

She looks at you, and there is a flash of anger in her eyes, though she masks it quickly. "Thank you," she says tersely, and moves away.


GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2016, 08:32:50 AM »
Keshani followed the others out of the ship, still feeling out of sorts and very uncertain of what was going on. She was drawn toward Danny - the two outcasts in a sea of people.

Her eyes, however, were drawn in the direction of Trax. She hadn't seen him, Nim or Niil since they had split up on the two different ships and as much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't care about anyone or what they thought of her, she knew it wasn't true. As much as she wanted to pretend that she could just go off in the galaxy by herself now that she was free and be answerable to no one but herself, she knew there was some sort of longing inside of her to BE part of a group; to HAVE someone who cared about her. If they would have her...

But there was also the thing that she couldn't shake the feeling that she would be expected to provide some sort of "payment", for want of a better word, in return for having rescued her and for allowing her to stay with them. People just didn't do things for free; out of the "kindness of their hearts". It just didn't happen.

And there was this comparison between her and some other girl named Mariah....

She was sure that if she stayed with this group that at some point, probably sooner rather than later, they would realize that she was NOT this other girl, that she was a disappointment, and that she wasn't worth their time...

And so she stood, a bit aloof from the others, and just observed and waited.....

Danny's eyes fall on Keshani, and the former Imperial makes her way over.

She stands beside Keshani and looks at the others. Quietly she says, "Thank you. I would be dead by now if you hadn't..." Her voice breaks.

Collan

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2016, 08:37:56 AM »
Collan shook his head. A lot of pain. He realized that his words were easily misinterpreted saying that Galen chose to die instead of be with you. A Jedi serves a higher cause. Ch'lana's caution about sacrifice loomed large in his mind. Collan knew why Galen had chosen his path. It was the way of a Jedi Knight.

He sought out Kota. He had a need as well. Inigo Rostiern would be coming for him; his actions on the station had advanced that timeline considerably. Collan needed a teacher. So did Niil, whom Collan snagged.

"General Kota. We need to speak with you," Collan said.

GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2016, 08:47:41 AM »
Rahm Kota holds up his hand, turning his bandaged eyes toward you. "Yes, I feel the questions burning within you. But the answers you seek must necessarily be part of a larger discussion, and that will have to wait. I ask your patience for a time."

Collan

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2016, 09:41:45 AM »
Collan nodded. Patience was a virtue and they had plenty of time.

"Of course, General, but when you deem the time right, you might want to talk to Juno. I get the feeling she's in an incredible amount of pain right now."

Collan offered the general a formal bow and turned to Niil. It was time for the conversation he had been dreading; Trax.

"Niil...you know I have to talk to Trax, right?"

Niil Spaar

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2016, 11:11:26 AM »
Niil nodded, his face etched with weariness.  Back on the Death Star, he had known something was amiss when he'd heard Nim yell out, "For Mariah!", but had been too preoccupied with fighting the Inquisitor to dwell on it much.  Seeing her body in the stasis pod, though . . . it had felt like a strong man had driven a full-force punch to Niil's midriff.  He had sat next to the stasis pod and had remained there for hours. 

"Yeah, you do.  Don't worry; I'll provide backup.  Besides, he's had time to think about all that went down, and Nim is a Lorrdian.  She probably saw that you were trying to pull a bluff.  Collan . . . you know about Mariah, right?"
"There is a Force common to all life-forms, a dynamic beauty in which an ultimate symmetry of context reveals itself to . . . oh, frak, the holorecorder battery is running out!  Jex, see if there's another battery in-"  - Niil Spaar, Philosophising on a Saturday Night:  The Karvis Jedi Academy

Keshani

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2016, 11:38:08 AM »
Keshani followed the others out of the ship, still feeling out of sorts and very uncertain of what was going on. She was drawn toward Danny - the two outcasts in a sea of people.

Her eyes, however, were drawn in the direction of Trax. She hadn't seen him, Nim or Niil since they had split up on the two different ships and as much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't care about anyone or what they thought of her, she knew it wasn't true. As much as she wanted to pretend that she could just go off in the galaxy by herself now that she was free and be answerable to no one but herself, she knew there was some sort of longing inside of her to BE part of a group; to HAVE someone who cared about her. If they would have her...

But there was also the thing that she couldn't shake the feeling that she would be expected to provide some sort of "payment", for want of a better word, in return for having rescued her and for allowing her to stay with them. People just didn't do things for free; out of the "kindness of their hearts". It just didn't happen.

And there was this comparison between her and some other girl named Mariah....

She was sure that if she stayed with this group that at some point, probably sooner rather than later, they would realize that she was NOT this other girl, that she was a disappointment, and that she wasn't worth their time...

And so she stood, a bit aloof from the others, and just observed and waited.....

Danny's eyes fall on Keshani, and the former Imperial makes her way over.

She stands beside Keshani and looks at the others. Quietly she says, "Thank you. I would be dead by now if you hadn't..." Her voice breaks.

She couldn't help but smile a bit as Danny came up to stand beside her. It was a tentative smile, but it was still a smile. It felt...strange.

Gods, when was the last time I had reason to smile?

She took the older girl's hand and squeezed it.

"And I would be worse than dead if you hadn't rescued ME."

She turned toward Danny and studied her carefully, trying to convince herself that she was actually ok.

"I'm glad we are both okay. Do you know what you'll do now?"

GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2016, 11:51:28 AM »
She couldn't help but smile a bit as Danny came up to stand beside her. It was a tentative smile, but it was still a smile. It felt...strange.

Gods, when was the last time I had reason to smile?

She took the older girl's hand and squeezed it.

"And I would be worse than dead if you hadn't rescued ME."

She turned toward Danny and studied her carefully, trying to convince herself that she was actually ok.

"I'm glad we are both okay. Do you know what you'll do now?"

She squeezes your hand back and sighs. "For years I knew exactly what my life was going to be. My path was laid out before me, straight as an arrow. Now, I have no idea. The Imperial Military has been part of my life for so long, I don't know how to live without it."

Keshani

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2016, 11:58:36 AM »
Kesh looked down at the ground at her words. "This is all my fault..."

GM Craig

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2016, 12:10:11 PM »
Danny turns to Keshani, and forces her to face her. "Yes. Your fault for making me realize we were treating people like animals. That I was working for an Empire that thought it was right and just to make slaves out of young women. Your fault for teaching me that even a slave can show compassion to their oppressors when I had been taught that slaves were less than human. Your fault for opening my eyes and letting me see what I was working for - what I was becoming. And your fault for freeing me from being part of the machinery of tyranny. For making me realize how terrible the things I had done actually were."

She reaches out and grabs Keshani in a hug (willing or no). "You saved me. You owe me no apology. I should be apologizing to you, now and forever, for being part of the thing that made you a slave."

Keshani

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Re: Collan, Kehsnai, Nightshade, Niil, Nim, Trax: Refuge on Kashyyk
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2016, 12:22:44 PM »
Kesh resisted the hug at first, but then returned it tightly.

She didn't say anything as the two stood there, tears silently welling up in her eyes. She moved to wipe them away.

"You could stay with us..."

She blinked as she realized what she had said. "Us". Was this group really her home now? Would they want her to stay? Did she WANT to stay? Her stomach felt a bit queasy at the thought. She wasn't quite sure yet what her decision would be....