Shadows of the Republic - Nemesis Ulterior

[Tionne Thanewulf]

There were times when a Master needed to do nothing else but shake head and chuckle; this was one of those times. Their relationship turned into a competition where one outsmarted the other; as healthy and stimulating as such an approach could be, one needed to know when to let go. Tionne merely nudged him in the most maternal of ways she could muster, then let silent minutes pass as they made their way to the Republica 500 district. An exercise in observation and perception of reality around them was always welcome, but it required a quieted mind and more importantly - a mouth firmly shut. The Knight knew the only way of keeping a Corellian in relative silence was to admit verbal defeat - and let him relish his petite victory that fed his ego further. As the sun descended behind the jagged horizon, the city lost little of its daily bustle, the clamour of airlanes above them the neverending symphony of the eternally awake planet.

''It's good to be home.'' the Coruscanti spoke at lenght, once they boarded a turbolift that would take them to the Thanewulf apartment on one of the upper floors of a tower opposing the infamous Republica 500 skyscraper.
''And by home, I do not mean the Temple. But, home - home. You know, a place where I can walk in my underwear and pick my nose without anybody staring at me.'' she said, glancing over to her student and the blond wisp of hair protruding from under his hood.

''You gonna let me cut the ends off at least? Since I noticed you are quite keen on letting your hair grow long.'' was her kind-hearted comment, stated in her earnest intent to make her student look less scruffy.

[Klo-Ude Jinn]

Whatever mirth may have come from his petty triumph was quashed by the brewing dread at nearly blowing his cover. While some exceptions were made to the rule (and his own instructor being a constant reminder of them), Jedi were still dissuaded from attachment to their former life. Any attempt at researching lineage, contacting parents, or otherwise involving oneself in the affairs of relatives outside the Order was frowned upon. But Klo-Ude could remember them and, discounting a mind-wipe, their faces were nigh impossible to forget.

With all the brooding due a late-teens student of a quite liberal Jedi, the young man inadvertently shouldered a Quarren stepping off of the turbolift. A polite bow and the sincerest of apologies settled the ripple of the alien's mouth tentacles, and the doors hissed closed. There was always a moment of vertigo that accompanied the rapid acceleration in the Coruscanti lifts. Occasionally, Klo-Ude imagined the repulsor fields at the top failing and viewing a ultra-powered catapult being unveiled to the unsuspecting public on the HoloNews at 1900 GST.

But then the lift would stop, and Klo-Ude would feel a slight pang of regret at not getting to experience a firsthand view of Coruscant's mesosphere. He was certain this time would be no exception. "I see I fall into the non-persona category once again," the young man mused aloud. "Does that mean I can watch all I want? I love the look on your face when you dig out a good one...whoa..."

Arms splayed out in a sudden spread-eagle, he braced himself against the rapid stop of the lift. Normally he was ready for it, a small timer in the back of his mind ticking down the seconds until...someone else must be getting on. But going up? The doors separated, inviting an Omwati diplomat onto the lift. Bowing his head, Klo-Ude turned his blue eyes mischievously over to his Master. Before she could even dissuade him, he was on point.

"I told you, darling, I'll get it checked out in the morning," he said, his near-whispered tone dripping with exasperation. "It's only a few centimeters wide, and it doesn't even rub against my thigh when I walk yet. Although, I guess you have more to complain about than I do, what with the seepage and all. I promise I'll start doing more laundry soon."

Within three floors, the Omwati was off and waiting for the next lift. Satisfied, Klo-Ude leaned back against the transparisteel, arms folded and ankles crossed. "I guess you can," he said. "But it has to be in front of a mirror. No surprises like last time." He ran a hand through the center of his scalp, memories drifting back to the "oops, I forgot to put on the spacer" moment that turned his skin bone-white. He'd worn his cloak, hood-up, for nearly six-months straight outside of his room.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

''Your attitude in public is not helping in preventing me from shaving every single hair off your scalp. You have to sleep sometime, you know.'' she threatened as the lift came to a complete stop, finally reaching the high residence of the Thanewulf family. The door slid opened, with Tionne slipping past her apprentice, granting him a patronizing, dissatisfied look. Hardly in the mood to indulge his teenage whims, the Jedi waved her hand dismissively as she made her way down the corridor that lead to her father's multilevel estate. The datapad in her pocket itched, as if crying for attention. Tionne almost forgot why they were back on Coruscant in the first place.

''If we finish early tonight, maybe I can take you to that club I told you about. I have an acquaintance who works there, so the fact you are a minor would not be an obstacle. Provided you do not comment on sexually transmitted diseases and our alleged, yet non-existent and completely imaginary intimate life. I know these people - I don't want them to think I'm a child molester.'' the redhead discoursed while inputting the confirmation code on the security panel just outside of her apartment. With the light flashing green, the carved durasteel doors parted to reveal a majestic, yet minimalistic chamber that served as living room. An array of windows adorned an entire wall, conveniently offering a magnificent view of the darkening Coruscant skyline.

''Home.'' Tionne said with a sigh, kicking her boots off into the corner of the room. Bare feet patted against the polished floor towards the kitchen, only to inspect the contents of the fridge after tossing the datapad on one of the working surfaces. There was a rummage in her stomach that needed attention.
''Will you please attach that to the main screen while I see if there is anything edible here..'' the redhead pleaded, motioning towards the datapad with head still protruded into the depths of refrigerating unit -''..or at least worth being thermally processed into something edible?''

[Klo-Ude Jinn]

Sub-consciously, Klo-Ude ran a hand through his hair once more. While not quite a vanity impulse, Klo-Ude did enjoy the way the wind whipped at his lengthening locks. And while she meant no real harm by it, Tio was perfectly capable - and willing - to act on her threats. Which made them all the more threatening. That didn't mean he was going to back down, though...not entirely, at least.

"Hey, I could pass for legal," the Corellian said, resentment dancing through his words, adjusting their cadence. As if to demonstrate, he rolled up a sleeve in his robes, revealing the chiseled, sun-kissed limb concealed beneath. He made an effort to flex, but some would liken a Jedi's attempt at forcing muscles to bulge to a Hutt sucking in air to make himself look bigger. "Do those blasters look underage to you? Huh?" He slid his sleeve back down as the doors hissed open, thoroughly content he had made his point - or at least antagonized his Master further. Either way, he would be happy.

Despite the numerous times Klo-Ude had been within the Thanewulf estate, it still struck him as a marvel of design. Granted, his frame of reference was particularly spartan-yet-esoteric, so something consistently average would have dropped his jaw. The way the acoustics carried voices...Tionne could have been standing beside him as she spoke from within the refrigeration unit, and would have resonated just as clearly. Although the slight rise to her voice might have stung his ear a bit.

He tore his gaze away from the skyline to the gestured datapad, and thumbed it from the countertop. Plugging it into the directed reader, Klo-Ude called to the kitchen area, "Do you want me to start it up, or are we having dinner and a movie? I can round up some candles..." Fortunately for all within earshot, the hiss of static from the datacard kicked in and overrode Klo-Ude's commentary.

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Tionne completely disregarded all of Klo-Ude's input on the matter; she was already used to his amorous nature and his perpetual riff, attributing it to his tender age and gender. Instead, the Knight opened every single compartment of the fridge in search for food, concentrating her efforts on finding something edible.
''A-hah!'' she exclaimed victoriously, pulling out a finely packed roast that was clearly a left-over from last night's exclusive catering her father had ordered in abundance. The Coruscanti elite often relished delicacies that were far beyond affordability of mortals living in levels below Republica 500; the Knight, however, inclined towards simpler food, preferably not made out of some endangered species. Still, she would never say no to a good roast, thus stuffing the container with the meat into the heating unit for a quick warming. It was only then that Thanewulf ceased to raid the fridge for an accompanying side-dish and straightened herself out, attention turning to the screen display. The sheer sound of static made the Knight alert.

''Record it...record it! It's getting away!'' a panicking voice sounded from the recording of a ship's interior and the viewport, dominated by the blue-and-green orb of some nameless planet. The camera slid in closer to the viewport, focusing on some irregular object that haphazardly danced in orbit.
''There's nothing on the scanners! Nothing! As if it is not even there!'' another voice added, evidently astonished by the performance of the alien vessel.
''What in the name of the hawkbat is that? Take all necessary metrics!'' an elderly voice commanded with the camera slightly shifting towards the controls and a pair of clawed Arkanian hands sliding over the mainboard.
''Sir! It is alive!'' the analyst inferred upon interpreting the metrics, with the vessel taking a sharp turn only to fly forwards.
''They are charging weapons!''
The entirety of the hull shook, some sort of tremor overwhelming the ship.
''Shields at maximum, prepare to fir....''

Even before the order was given out, the view was once again obscured by static snow. Transmission was evidently lost.
''Eh?'' Tionne inquired with a raised brow, casually leaning on the kitchen table.
''What was that all about?''

[Klo-Ude Jinn]

From the moment the recording began playback, Klo-Ude was honed in. Brow furrowing in concentration, he watched the events unfold as if he were there. The shock of its abrupt start only contributed to the effect. Eyes darting, assessing the situation as the holocam snapped from vector to vector, the Corellian apprentice attempted to gather as much information on the first play as he could.

For all his sardonicism and youthful brashness, his dependability when the time came was undeniable. The seventeen-year-old disappeared in a flash, jaw hardening and eyes turning to cold, concentrated steel. Even his voice aged, belying a maturity untapped - and, seemingly, undiscovered - by him. This, clearly, was one of those times, prefaced cleanly by his response. "I have no idea...hang on..." Manually rewinding the feed, he counted back a few static pulses to the image from the ill-fated ship's viewport.

A hand broke from its knot in front of his developing chest, and a single digit pinpointed the strange ship the crew was indicating. Alive? Klo-Ude pinched the location between thumb and forefinger, then quickly spread the two fleshy tips apart, expanding the view of the alien ship once, then again. The screen did its best to compensate for the massive alteration of the image's size, but nevertheless came out a big, splotchy brown-and-green blur.

Or did it? Squinting his eyes, Klo-Ude noticed that the image did not sharpen any, nor did it dull any further upon another zoom. Double-tapping the screen, the video feed reverted to its original size, and Klo-Ude started it from the beginning, dialing down the volume for a moment.

"It looks like they ran into the determined end of an asteroid...but..." He snapped his fingers as another hiss crackled over the speakers. "That...that wasn't an impact tremor. That was a shield getting obliterated." He tapped a spot on the screen, and the video began an endless looped playback. "Something's not right..."

[Tionne Thanewulf]

Just as Tionne began to approach the screen, the recording had been abruptly discontinued. In a matter of nanoseconds, the entirety of the screen had been consumed by a large, fair-skinned face framed by ash-coloured hair.
''Haaaaaah!'' the Knight exclaimed in startle, jumping a good foot away. A few idle moments passed as Tionne's brain processed the person that now appeared before them.
''For frell's sake... Jennir!'' the redhead cursed, shaking a threatening fist - ''Don't you ever politely call? What if I was watching some holomovie or the news or doing some research?''
The question was valid. Barging in somebody's privacy was hardly Jedi-ish, but Jennir was not the traditional type. Certainly, both Thanewulfs could relate to such an approach, but it made such intrusions unwelcome nevertheless.

''I programmed the datapad to signal me when you are done watching.'' he replied calmly, no sign of apology on his rugged face.
''What's next, Master? A camera in my bathroom?'' Tionne spat out in measured fury, knuckles demonstratively pressed against her waist. A loose strand found its way over her snub nose, the Knight frustratedly blowing it away from her face.
''Im not a fan of horror.'' was the Master's dry reply, his hands clasping together in determination.
''The recording you saw was taken by Lorrdian scientists during a routine mission in Kanz sector, over Bimmiel. Republic government officials contacted the Council to investigate this...presence.'' the fair-haired Jedi explained.
''Since you have the recording, I assume they are...alive?'' Thanewulf quizzed, arms crossing over her chest as her features darkened.
''Yes, but they don't remember anything of this incident.'' Jennir inserted in a neutral tone, as if it was nothing unusual. Tionne merely eyed her student, a ginger brow rising.

[Klo-Ude Jinn]

To his surprise, Klo-Ude did not recoil as his Master did. Rather, his body stiffened, and he felt as though spiders had begun crawling out of his every pore. He felt his spine jolt and the blood drain from his face, and drew heavily upon the Force to steel his legs in place. It would do no good to be started into an inadvertent collapse by something as simple as a transmission interruption.

The first few comments passed between Tionne and Master Jennir were lost to Klo-Ude's immediate memory, his mind still rolling over the images seen on the video. Once he switched gears, he picked right up in the conversation.

Master Jennir's emphasis on presence suggested that, by all accounts, those who were debriefed on this incident were fortunate to be alive. A hand traveled idly to his side, his battle-readiness - and prickly danger-sense - compelling him on instinct to be ready for anything. Quickly, he calmed himself with a few deep draws of oxygen, and felt his stomach dance as the scent of Tionne's meal choice emanated from the kitchen.

Catching his Master's glance, Klo-Ude leveled his shoulders, standing statue-straight and letting his breath normalize with a long release. "Why Bimmiel? It's uninhabitable, right?" Tionne could never say shooting his mouth off did him no good any longer. As much time as he spent in the Archives, having tried his Master's patience too much in a day, something was bound to stick. "I mean, did the University have that much extra funding?"

[Tionne Thanewulf]

The Knight scratched her head as her mental apparatus rummaged through the archives of her brain in search of memorized info on this rather insignificant planet. Quite a difficult task, given the fact known space contained over twenty thousand inhabitable worlds. Still, the Coruscanti struggled, a faint grunt of frustration leaving her nostrils in a trademark snort.
''Well, scientists like to prick around things for no good reason. It's what we do. Poke around with a stick.'' the Jedi inserted cynically, self-absorbed in her quest for data shelved amongst her neural pathways. Jennir's attention turned to Klo-Ude, his thin lips transforming into an approving smile.

''That is for you to find out, my young apprentice. See that your Master reports directly to me, via a secure line. Jennir out.'' The transmission was ended to leave a blank screen. The Knight blinked, rubbing her chin.
''Bimmiel...Bimmiel... Where the frell is Bimmiel...'' she murmured to herself, idly motioning her student toward the sizzling food that was to be found on the table. Her hand reached for the remote control, stellar chart spanning over the entirety of the screen. As soon as the coordinates of Kanz sector were put in and the constellation appeared in front of her, Tionne remembered.

''Oh, it is not uninhabitable. Atmosphere is Type I at least, but the planet has an extremely elliptical orbit around the sun. Such differences create tremendous differences in seasons of the year... Just look at the span of surface temperatures...'' was her self-addressing comment, as the Knight assumed very little of this interested her student. The Corellian was far too emotional to be installed with a love for science and everything purely rational.

''Whatever that was, out there... It must be highly developed. Such a planet would only interest a species with advanced technologies, simply for exploratory purposes. But we'll see...'' Tionne mused out loud, then shifted her gaze to her student - ''Do you want some blue milk with that?''

[Klo-Ude Jinn]

Klo-Ude's only response was a fervent nod of his head, his jaw already working through the oversized bite of meat he had taken. With Tionne's internal archive search (something Klo-Ude had gotten accustomed to feeling from her over the years) paired to the ravenous, perpetual hunger of a teenage male, it was no surprise that he was already digging in by the time his Master addressed him directly.

Even after he swallowed, his cheeks remained slightly puffed with food, and he worked at another round of the roast as preliminary data on Bimmiel cycled on the screen. He squinted at the words, the vigorous champing of his chin necessitating an acute focus to make the letters solidify.

Once he had enough room to allow a breath to pass through, Klo-Ude was speaking. Which meant his remaining bite of roast was allowed to eavesdrop on the conversation from against his cheek. "Didn't look like they were all that set on just exploring to me, Master," he said, turning his gaze to her. Jabbing a fork at the screen, he added, "That was a pretty heavy payload for even a scout ship to be carrying. That thing looked like it could take on one of those new Venator-class cruisers the Senate is trying to contract out."