Mise En Place

[KHER]

The answer to K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei's single-word query came first in the form of a sound. A steady clanking on the metal deckplates that was followed by the appearance of a spindly, towering droid that dwarfed both women easily. KHER had rounded the bend in the corridor with ease, his gait steady and perfectly precise. He moved with a strange grace that seemed perfectly suited for his form, but at odds with it all the same. Inky black eyes fell upon the Captain and their new guest, and slowing his pace, the droid stopped in front of them. Like some preybird, his head angled down to afford each with a long, studious look.

It is good to have you aboard, K'ohta'rrou Meorrei, his voice held bass notes that seemed wrapped in an odd tinny thread; as though his vox held a mishmash of mechanical tones that all demanded to be released at one time. Even through all of it though, the words seemed forced.

The Captain has informed me that I am to provide you with any assistance that you may require during your stay here.

A slight tick of the head, as though the order he'd been given previously grated on him.

I will... do my best.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa's ears flinched, and she blinked at the auditory discord from the gangly droid. Nothing at all was subtle about the automaton, and the K'ohta'rrou passed a glance to the Captain before returning her attention to KHER.

"Thank jyou, drrojid."

Had the machine replied in a fussy manner? Did she imagine it?

[KHER]

I am KHER. Not 'droid'.

Spoken in a bizarrely clipped tone, even for an automaton. It left little room for any argument.

I oversee all aspects of my larger half, and am tasked with making sure that the crew aboard are safe, a small pause as he cast his black orbs to the Captain.

... insofar as I am sufficiently able.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

One hand came up then, a single finger raised in caution.

"That is enough. You've seen our guest, now I suggest you take your ruffled feathers elsewhere."

It was as if a parent was scolding a child; and truthfully, it was a tone that she was disturbingly comfortable taking. At the very least, KHER seemed to respond better to it.

"Perhaps Master Vymes would enjoy hearing about your latest little foray into analyzing the Jedi Code?"

[KHER]

Mm. Yes.

It was a recommendation that was well enough received, and he looked past the two at an invisible spot in the far distance. His head angled sharply to the side for a split second before her spoke again.

He is just now leaving the mess hall. A wise notion, Captain, he started forward once more, moving between the two as each stepped from his path.

I am sure that he will be much more patient with my questions than you are.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

KHER departed, leaving a somewhat-bewildered T'yeellaa in his wake.

"jYourr drr..." She paused, correcting, "...KHERr. He'ss eccentrrjic, all rrjight. How do jyou tolerrate that level of..."

She paused, attempting to chew out a better word for it, but Captain s'Ilancy had already hit the nail on the head.

"...eccentrrjicjitjy?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"For as much as he is, he is still very old. Perhaps that makes him easier to deal with."

It was a thought that she'd honestly never considered, and s'Il couldn't help but find herself wondering at the true complexities of the question that T'yeellaa had posed.

"I've honestly never really put a lot of thought into it. I've only just, well, dealt with him. He's actually somewhat like an unruly cub, I must admit."

A strange realization that took root, and one that seemed truer the more she pondered. But, their time was still at a premium, as there was still the mission to consider; as well as making sure that the K'ohta'rrou was satisfactorily provided with her temporary quarters. The Lupine shook her head, as if to tsk at the departing droid.

"He'll no doubt pester Master Vymes for hours, which will allow us a spot of peace."

Turning on her heel, she led the way a few more paces down the corridor before stopping at a nondescript door. It opened at the press of a small thumbprint scan to reveal admittedly spartan quarters. I single room, with a small desk and chair along one wall, a bed along the opposite wall, and a narrow, closed door that led to an equally small fresher.

"It is not much I'm afraid," she stepped back to allow T'yeellaa the chance to enter first.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI've had mjy ssharre of drrojidss. jI thjink that jif one of them everr sspoke to me ljike that, I'd have jit ssent to majintenance forr a complete djiagnosstjic."

She was skating close to the edge of decorum, but it appeared that Captain s'Ilancy was somewhat in on the joke.

The Captain opened the door to T'yeellaa's quarters, and the K'ohta'rrou took stock. The furnishings were spartan. Even by the lowered expectations she'd acclimated herself to from her new life aboard a former Imperial space station. At least her quarters on Jovan had a common area, kitchenette, and a bed large enough to sleep two. No wonder Samus hadn't invited her aboard earlier. Still, these were the accomodations the Captain afforded her. T'yeellaa imagined that the junior officers and non-comms likely had even less. Possibly as little as a cot and a footlocker. There was no way that she was going to treat this with less than the utmost gratitude.

"Morre than ssuffjicjient, rrou'a." T'yeellaa affirmed with a crisp nod.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There were sometimes instances where she allowed herself the indulgence to test the airs around her. It was as much olfactory as it was simple feeling. And as Samus had so bravely held out before, she knew that T'yeellaa was doing the same. Though, it was more a curious lilt to the eddies she felt around them. Less striking in a way, but still as much there. Ushering her guest further in, the Captain allowed the door to close, shutting them both away from the rest of the ship.

Both hands came together then, fingers twining together as she stared unblinking into the K'ohta'rrou's blue eyes.

"I do not care where you choose to spend your evenings, T'yeellaa," there was a quiet note of understanding in her voice. Gone were the tones of a Captain. Now the two were simply women with nothing to distinguish either.

"I know you're capable, and I trust you. Kes has spoken highly of your abilities, and I know he speaks the truth. As well," not exactly a rueful chuckle, but more an acknowledgement, "Samus has vouched for you."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa knew where things were going the moment the door closed behind them. A candid discussion she knew would be addressed at some point. It didn't mean she looked forward to it.

"Captajin," She started off, course-correcting with a brief and polite smile, "jI apprrecjiate the efforrt to accomodate me, but jit'ss harrdljy necesssarrjy. jI know jit'ss not a ssecrret that Commanderr Dage and jI arre jinvolved, but we have both made the decjissjion that jit wjill not jimpact ejitherr of uss prrofesssjionalljy. That'ss a sstance jI sstood bjy on Jovan, and jI'll sstand bjy jit herre asss well."

Pausing, the K'ohta'rrou's ears perked slightly.

"Though jI am glad to hearr that Commanderr Akjiena and Commanderr Dage both vouch forr me."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"You should be."

There was a small bit of satisfaction that shone in her eye as the Lupine stared at T'yeellaa. The other woman was steadfast in her determination to remain professional, even in the face of their solitude. It was heartening, and cemented the words of both Kes and Samus in her mind.

But, there was still the same strange bit of stiffness that dotted her attempts to be cordial outside of her rank. It was a curse, she supposed; to be forever burdened by the inability to fully commit herself to anything but a stilted, approachable individual. It plagued her now despite the efforts she was taking.

"I am... no good at being personable. Never had the talent for it, really. But, I do know that for as much as people and circumstances change, each stay equally the same."

The 'I'm trying to be nice' was left unspoken.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"That would appearr to make two of uss, then." T'yeellaa admitted, her ears lowering a little.

Maybe she should take this aside as the opportunity it was presented as - the chance to live life outside the uniform. T'yeellaa usually told anyone who pressed that her standoffishness was simply a product of the Navy, but that wasn't quite true. Worse, she suspected that Captain s'Ilancy knew it. She had been a Jedi, after all.

"Old habjitss, rrou'a. The Navjy doess encourrage jyou to pack ljight when jit comess to perrssonal matterrss, but jI thjink jI've grrown to prreferr that at all tjimess. Betterr to be a K'ohta'rrou than to be a Meorrrei."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

There was a deep understanding in the sentiment that was uttered, and s'Il found herself in much the same situation as T'yeellaa. In a way, it was surprising. But, at the same time it was not. She knew that Taataani's children each held unique gifts and attributes; some stayed close, and others struck out to find their own ways in the galaxy.

She nodded.

"I may have less of a mother's name over me, but there are... other things that loom just the same." It was a private admission that she chose to give now.

"It is better to be Alliance rather than a Jedi."

Her brow pinched then, as she pursed her lips in remembrance of her recent days at the Meorrrei Matron's villa. Everything there had been - despite her initial misgivings and few spots of uncomfortable moments - something so wonderfully unexpected. It had seemed to breath new life into her.

"But, that being said, one cannot ignore the good that those larger names do manage to bring forth amidst the chaos they inevitably or unintentionally create."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The equivocation that Captain s'Ilancy offered elicited a raised eyebrow. T'yeellaa removed her officer's cap, a small visible token that she was attempting the game of being personable. The motion revealed her platinum hair, sharply parted and drawn in a bun at the base of her neck. She tucked her cap under an arm.

"jI've neverr had rreasson to trrusst the Jedji Orrderr. jI wass verrjy jyoung durrjing the warr, but old enough to hearr the sstorrjiess. Majybe thejy arre jaundjiced bjy a vanqujisshed perrsspectjive. jYou'rre the onljy Jedji jI've met, sso forr what jit'ss worrth, jyou've challenged mjy prreconceptjionss."

The K'ohta'rrou's eyes diverted momentarily to the deck.

"jI'm told that Jedji can rread a perrsson'ss thoughtss. jIss that trrue?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her hands shifted then, coming apart momentarily before shifting to find themselves once more at the small of her back.

"Jedi are... like any other people. They have strengths and weaknesses, and are just as accountable to their failings as every person in this galaxy. Some have particular gifts for diplomacy; some for war. Others are empathic and have great abilities in understanding the thoughts of others. I am not one of those. I can feel base notions and emotions, but that is all. Acute intentions are beyond me."

She found herself somewhat curious over the question.

"My talents were more for the martial disciplines, and my Master kept me focused largely on those. About the closest I can come to divining a person's precise thoughts is in battle."

A slight, rueful laugh.

"Master Windu called it Battle Meditation. Back then though, I called it frustrating."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

What s'Ilancy said fell on disappointed ears. T'yeellaa hoped that the Jedi somehow tapped into a code within her mother that no one else had been able to break. That she'd associated with her because she knew her motivations and intentions were wholly good-spirited. The reality turned out to be rather pedestrian. The Jedi were like any other people, alright. Loklorien s'Ilancy couldn't crack acute intentions. Unfortunately, her mother kept those locked airtight in a vault.

"jI have no doubt that jyou arre a grreat warrrjiorr and leaderr. The Battle of Osssuss sspeakss forr jitsself."

Placating words, and T'yeellaa gave them with an affirming nod.

"Even jif jit djidn't, jI'd hearr no end of jit frrom Rrou'fai and Arr'uhai aljike. Mjy brrotherr thjinkss jyou can walk on waterr."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

To hear such words made her smile then, and s'Il bowed her head in a slight bit of embarrassment.

"When your brother first met me, I was very close to birthing my first child. As such, I was in a very different state of existence than the one I'm in now."

The 'now' was a life so far removed from when Sanis had landed on Cathar with the burly, barrel-chested Cizerack tagalong at his heels.

"Cirr is perhaps the most honest and loyal person I know."

Pursing her lips, she let her broken gaze lock with T'yeellaa's own eyes.

"Ossus would not have been won without him."

A moment of thought, as she considered the woman who stood before her. For all of Taataani's flowery words and grand gestures, there was something to be said for her cubs; particularly the ones that had forged into such new territory.

"But, it is not just Cirr who has... " she paused, trying to find the right wording.

"... gone beyond what was expected."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Talk about Cirrsseeto made T'yeellaa think about the first time she'd confronted him about his service - during the Jovan hostage crisis. She hadn't been prepared to deal with the notion that her brother had become almost a completely different person. The very thought that he'd signed up to dance on that razor's edge filled her at first with a sense of shame and failure. In her mind, she still saw herself as his protector, and he still needed protecting. Going from that to the feeling that he not only didn't need her - that he surpassed her - it filled her with a lot of misplaced resentment. It was an awful thought, but if the hostage crisis didn't happen, they may never have reconciled at all.

"jI have a larrge famjiljy full of ambjitjiouss, vajin, powerrful, and manjipulatjive ssjibljingss, Captajin. Cirrsseeto posssesssess few Meorrrei vjirrtuess. He'ss betterr becausse of jit."

Then s'Ilancy turned the discussion to an unexpected implication.

"What do jyou mean?" T'yeellaa asked, somewhat guardedly. Her ears cocked slightly askew as she tried to tease out the Captain's words.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a thin smile that turned up one corner of her mouth.

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

For as long as she had known Taataani Meorrrei, s'Il knew also that the matron cast a very long shadow. For those that strove to emerge from it, it was a difficult battle. But not insurmountable. T'yeellaa Meorrrei had done just that whether she realized it or not, and even if she had thought her assignment to Jovan Station a setback, the truth of the matter was exactly the opposite.

"The position that you are in now is one that will only take you closer to being remembered for you, and not your name."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI'm glad that jyou thjink sso."

T'yeellaa's expression turned wistful. She wasn't ungrateful for the sentiment, but was the former Jedi being naive? She'd lashed out againt her mother the instant she found out she was to be posted to Jovan, because it was certainly the Rrou'fai's doing. And in doing so, Taataani simply pointed out that her daughter certainly had ambition to match her namesake. It would never be enough for Taataani's eldest to simply take up the mantle. She expected T'yeellaa to surpass her, just as she'd done to become the matriarch herself.

Still, T'yeellaa resisted. She tried to manifest herself as a repudiation of her mother's manipulation and double-dealing. Some days it felt like victory. Other days? It felt like she was just putting off the inevitable. So where did that leave her? Her career? Samus?

"jI wonderr jif mjy motherr thought the ssame wajy when sshe wass jyoungerr. Therre'ss a ssajyjing among Cizerack, Captajin. A trrue Rrou'fai doessn't jinhejirrjit the tjitle. Thejy take jit. Mjy grrandmotherr jiss sstjill aljive. jI can tell jyou that sshe djidn't passs the mantle to mjy motherr out of the goodnesss of herr hearrt. But sshe'ss harrdljy a vjictjim. Sshe ssowed herr undojing herrsself.

Sso that'ss funnjy, ne? All jI've prroven jiss that jI can beat the oddss. All jI've done jiss prrove mjy motherr rrjight. Who'ss to ssajy that one dajy jI won't turrn that ambjitjion agajinsst herr and prrove jI'm a Meorrrei afterr all?"