As the only occupant to stand above two metres tall in fully armoured boots and helmet, it was impossible to not be noticed by every other passenger in the crowded transport. Through the visor of her helmet, she could see quite a few less reputable faces taking note of her. Mandalorians, especially imposing ones, were always threatening to the criminal sort.
Fortunately for them, her lightsaber was hidden inside her right leg, beneath metal and armour plating. Not easy to reach in a moment of crisis, but she didn't need it for reflexive defence anyway.
"Arriving at Twa'janii Station. All passengers will disembark in an orderly manner. Prepare travel cards and identification for inspection."
The message was repeated afterward in several other languages, including her semi-native Mando'a. Miresan had become a far more obscure dialect of the homeworld tongue.
When it finally came time for her to move, she retrieved the necessary cards from a compartment inside her chestpiece. To her annoyance, the registry line was a lot slower than she first expected. At least twice while waiting, she felt sticky fingers trying to take the cards from her hand. A mere turn of her head to ensure they saw the clan mark on her helmet was enough to scare them off until she finally reached the registry.
The Twi'lek guard accompanying the droid glared at her while she handed the cards over. It didn't take long to deduce that he wanted the helmet removed, but he lacked the actual courage to say it. Normally she wouldn't give in to such petty pressure, but the instructions had been clear about not causing a scene.
When she finally removed her helmet, hauling it under her right arm, she glared back down at the Twi'lek. "I'm not proud of having half my face burned off."
"Not my problem."
The droid handed back her cards at that moment. "Welcome to the station, Jayden Mires. Please do enjoy your stay."
Jayden took the cards back and slipped her helmet back on before she had time to sneer at the guard. Further ahead were two more guards, apparently looking to inspect for weapons. With a carbine strapped across her back, a gift from Qoso on their fifth anniversary, as well as three blades across her body, a low profile blaster pistol hidden behind her back…
"Cause any trouble, Mando, and we will take you down."
She walked past them with just a stern nod in reply. Being told to remove her helmet in public was insulting enough. An order to remove her right leg for inspection would have pushed her patience too far, as well as exposing her as the only Jedi in the galaxy allowed to wear that helmet.
Once on the main promenade, she noticed a much lower number of guards. The few there were patrolling, or even enjoying some of the side stalls the station had to offer. Master Torbut had not given her specific instructions on where to meet Master Lauran and her group, so she was left with a sudden feeling of uncertainty. So often before, meetings such as that had a level of coordination she could easily work around.
Worse, she was also meant to look for a Twi'lek woman on a station quite literally filled with them.
Her idle wanderings soon brought her towards the residential section. There she found the rather odd pair of an older Twi'lek woman, accompanied by a Wookiee of all things. Two people that Torbut had mentioned to her in the last briefing as trustworthy contacts.
"Hail Mission and Zaalbar!" She approached them swiftly, keeping her hands in clear view to avoid startling the latter. Once close enough, she returned to a normal walking pace and continued on with them. "I'm looking for a woman who goes by Dana Lauran, and was told you have started negotiations with her."
Mission looked to Zaalbar, who shrugged back. Odd as it was to have a Mandalorian hurry over like that, she apparently knew who they were and who to ask for. "That's true, yes. I'd like to know who's asking before I tell you where to find her though."
"Jayden of Clan Mires. I'll say for now that my occupation is far from that of a bounty hunter." She reached up to her helmet to adjust the tinting briefly. "Dana and I have something in common."
After thinking it over further, Mission pointed down the hallway to one of the far doors. "Last I checked she's still there. Our first meeting doesn't start for another hour." She nodded quickly to Zaalbar, bringing her hand to rest on her pistol. "Better be one of the honourable Mandalorians, Jayden. Not all of us happen to like the Steadfast."
Being a close supporter of the current Mandalore made it hard for Jayden to let that pass. But she had far more to worry about than that side of her heritage. "I'm glad to see caution is still common practise around here." She glanced at the Wookiee again directly, something very few others could do, before moving past to make her way to the aforementioned door.
Fortunately for her, Dana was in, and ready to allow her inside almost immediately after identification.
The room was lit to a normal level, Dana herself preparing a small meal for herself at that moment.
"I expected you to be better prepared for my entrance. Leaving your back to the door after letting someone in on a name is not good for life expectancy."
"I've survived worse." Dana waited until the door was closed before turning around. She had heard reports about Jayden before certainly, but none quite captured the presence she held in person. Fully suited up in dark green Mandalorian armour, she looked very intimidating.
With the meal in hand, she made her way back to the common room and took a seat on the lounge she had grown quite fond of. "So, you're her. Looking quite well given what I heard you went through."
Jayden sighed as she pulled her helmet off at last, leaving it on a nearby table. The gloves were soon placed beside it while she sat down opposite Dana. "Arkanis was a good hospital until the place was devastated. And I heal better in battle than I do in bed." Now that she was free to relax, she gripped onto her right thigh and disconnected the leg entirely. She needed to give her hip time to recover from the constant cybernetic activity.
"I'd avoid doing that in front of Teegs, or our resident droid Cecile. They're both somewhat immature in their own ways."
"Then I will straighten them both out." As if to punctuate her point, she pulled the cybernetic leg out until it was perfectly straight, then rested it over her other thigh. "The Council already told me as much as they were willing to about Maarani. What I need to know from you is how you planned to go about teaching her about the ways of the Force."
Dana glanced back over her shoulder at the door. Maarani still hadn't come by for the first lesson she had planned to begin with. "When she wakes, I intend to start with applicable philosophy of the Force. Starting with how to reach a state of perpetual calm. Right now more than anything, she needs to learn about controlling her emotions, they can't keep controlling her anymore."
"And where is she now?"
At that, Dana tightened her lips. The irony had only just occurred to her. "In bed with the station commander's daughter, I believe…"
Jayden's face landed in her hand as another long sigh came. "And you've been here for all of three days now? I don't like to make assumptions, but is this what Twi'lek really are like?"
"Zariba is Force sensitive, I believe that letting Teegs spend time with her will help with moving past her own block. And quite frankly, I don't see the harm in letting her experience positive emotion for a change."
"Lust is not a positive emotion, Lauran. You cannot possibly tell me that those two are experiencing anything more than raw desire after a few days of knowing each other." At that, Jayden reconnected her leg so she could stand up properly and pace around the room. Already, the assignment to be a trainer was throwing all manner of unexpected difficulties in the way.
The notion was bothering her on another level entirely. It took much longer for her to admit that. "I left my husband alone yet again for this, right after I vowed to try and stay with him more. But I expected it to be worthwhile; that the student wouldn't be flaunting about in such a careless manner."
"Jayden please, she's been to hell and back over the past two months. She certainly isn't doing it to rub in the fact that you're missing your other half out here…" Dana winced as she was glared at with the scarred eye. "Bad choice of words. Just focus on her physical training, and I'll focus on her spiritual training when she is ready to move on from this little fling of hers."
At that, the half Mandalorian retrieved her helmet and replaced it on her head. For the moment, she was no longer speaking as a Jedi. "You can handle her spirituality alright. But if she was trained in the manner of a soldier before, then that is how I will proceed. Discipline and orders."
Dana threw her arms up in defeat. The exasperated sigh that came after Jayden left was about all she could do to express herself. A soldier was exactly what Maarani was not to become. There was already too much militarization of the Jedi to begin with.
For the first time in well over a year, Maarani woke up with a smile on her face. Zariba's arms were wrapped around her stomach, and there were two lekku draped over her right shoulder.
It was blissfully warm. She wanted anything other than for that moment to go away. But now that she had finally been given a truly restful sleep, it was a lot easier to remember the events of the past few days. Among which was a decision by Dana to give her Jedi training another go.
It wouldn't have the mediocrity and bland pointlessness that the training Atris had tried to give was completely full of after all.
She let out a soft groan while very carefully twisting herself around to embrace Zariba directly. Not an easy matter with how entangled their legs had become. When face to face with the sleeping Twi'lek, she reached her hand up to very gently stroke down her jawline.
"Zari, got a big day ahead of us."
Zariba's eyes began to flutter open. Weakly at first. After being kissed again by Maarani, she couldn't help smiling and gradually forcing them open at last. The big blue eyes staring right back at her was only slightly unnerving for a few seconds. She had to maintain the perception that she would have withdrawn into herself again by morning after all.
"Mm, surely you don't need to guard your employer constantly."
Maarani grinned at that, letting her hand slide down over her perfect smooth shoulder. "Can you keep a secret? Really, just between us. I know you really care about your father a lot, but it's for his protection…"
She softened down to a whisper as Zariba nodded slowly. Even then, she felt a need to lean just a little closer in. "She's not my employer. She's my trainer."
In a weird turn of events, the contouring pillow was yanked out from under her head, only to be planted back over her face with a loud thwump. Through it, she could hear faint giggling from above.
"You're asking for it Zari." She shoved the pillow off her face and sat up. Across the room, she could see her shirt and pants, which she didn't recall taking off. Her undergarments were still safely in place.
She left the matter at that. Zariba was keen to return to sleep from what she could tell. Rather than using it as an excuse to keep sleeping, she reluctantly slid herself off the bed altogether and went to retrieve her clothes. "I'm supposed to meet her for the first lesson today actually. And I figured that since you were going to show us around the colony, that'd be a good opportunity for it."
There was a tired mumble from the bed.
"It'll be nice. Can't say fun, since meditative stuff isn't supposed to be fun apparently." After pulling her shirt back on, she noted the location of her jacket, then tossed Zariba's clothing onto a chair next to the bed. "Come by the landing bay when you're ready then, I guess? I'll be looking for wherever I can satisfy this sweet tooth I've got coming."
She grabbed her jacket on the way out in a smooth motion that was meant to impress, but had apparently gone unnoticed.
"Showing off again Teegs…" Maarani's lip tightened. Only for a little while as she left the room altogether. The pure happiness of how things had turned out for her had run a little longer than was deserved.
As soon as she was gone, Zariba sat up and gestured around to her clothes. The shirt she slipped on quickly, after which she twisted her headdress around to use the concealed communicator for speaking into as well this time.
"Papa, Tegama wants to go down to the colony with me and her Jedi employer. She hasn't revealed anything suspect. I think she might really be just looking for guard work."
There was some faint whispering on the other end of the line.
"I'll notify the overseer of your impending arrival. Just ensure that you direct them to the family shuttle. I don't want you flying around in the trash they arrived here in."
"I think she'd be hurt to hear that Papa." Zariba giggled at that impression anyway, having not seen the ship for herself yet. "Anything else?"
"Stay safe child. I am glad you have taken to your new playmate."
She closed off the channel, then tossed the entire headdress away. Her head landed back on the pillow with a loud thump that mostly concealed her sigh.
However much she loved her father, and being able to open up comfortably, exposing the whole truth would dash her real chance at a life beyond the station. When it would be with someone who genuinely cared about her in a way that she sorely wanted, there was no other choice to make.
Maarani had gone about five steps before running into the last people she had expected to be waiting for her around the corner.
The sheer surprise left her completely lost for words.
"Good, you're awake. Mind taking a walk with us Tegama?"
Zaalbar grunted impatiently.
"Hey, give her a moment Z." Mission prodded Maarani's shoulder lightly, grinning like the trickster she always was at heart. "Your 'boss' told us you were a fan, and since we're just waiting on her, I decided that we'd come surprise you first." She elbowed Zaalbar's hand away when he tried to prod Maarani as well.
Maarani finally blinked when she came out of the moment. "Uhh, she did? I saw you around here, but I didn't want to call out… and make things awkward." Her hand went up to her head in the further realization that she had just done that anyway. Even after having them be the first to introduce themselves.
Mission quickly shrugged it off and gestured for the younger Twi'lek to walk between them. "Don't need to be so tangled up about it. We're not that big a deal."
"I'm not tangled. Just, unprepared?" Maarani nervously glanced up at the Wookiee, trying to smile. "Now I don't know what to say that you haven't heard hundreds of times already."
"Start with yourself? Your boss made quite a big deal about how important you are." When they reached the promenade, Mission lifted her tone a little. "Wouldn't happen to be a slicer by any chance?"
"Pilot, actually."
"Oh, a flygirl huh? I suppose that's not so bad then." She glanced at her jacket. Republic military patches. "Must be fun getting to fly to different planets, all the men hanging off your arm having just saved the day for their planet, ready to listen to every one of your tales."
If it were anyone else in the galaxy, Maarani might have just gone on a small rant about how everything she had just said was completely wrong. But it was Mission. She didn't feel enough determination to make even the slightest of corrections.
What could she possibly say? That being in the military was actually a hard mix between seeing the sights while everyone else bombarded her with obscenities?
"Hey, what's wrong?"
She hadn't even noticed that she was on the verge of crying. Then again, it was something she did so often that it was almost a daily issue to overcome. Most days she didn't even try.
When it was about to set in, she paused for a calming breath, pushing out all of the memories that had tried to resurface. "Mission, I really don't want to sound like I'm being a jerk here, because meeting you really does mean a lot…"
"Oh, I've had to deal with far worse, believe me. Zaalbar had to cover his ears most times."
Zaalbar grunted at Mission for bringing that up.
By that point Maarani had calmed herself enough to shrug the whole thing off. "Bad war memories, what's new? Nothing I can't handle." She reached up behind her left shoulder to drape her lekku down the front again, much like how Mission herself did. "But uh, I suppose there was some of that on Mandalore and Sarka. Don't recall having anyone hanging off my arms, let alone men."
"That was a figure of... Oh nevermind, I just like knowing the real heroes get their recognition. You don't get medals for importing and exporting."
"Sounds a lot safer though. At this point I'd rather come home intact than get a medal."
"Raaargh!"
Maarani looked to Zaalbar again, this time with a nervous chuckle. When he looked back at her, she quickly turned to Mission. "I uh, was never deployed near Kashyyyk, so…"
"He doesn't care about medals. Guess you two have something in common."
She nearly jumped out of fright when he threw an arm around her shoulders to hug her closer. The hold wasn't nearly as terrifyingly strong as that of the HK droids, but they weren't trying to be friendly.
The conversation continued on for a while longer, mostly consisting of Maarani finally breaking down and asking all manner of questions about their adventures with Revan. She also ended up recounting some of her more recent adventures yet again. While Zariba had seemed concerned afterwards, Mission was clearly excited, and a little impressed by it all.
After making their way back to the residential section, Mission finally clasped Maarani's shoulder. "You're a real tough woman. Don't let others call you a kid, or little girl, because I'm sure you could kick their ass easily. Maybe not Dana's, but just about anyone else sure."
Maarani grinned at that. Dana certainly didn't seem like a Jedi who taught combat of any form, so it was unlikely the chance would ever arise.
"I'll keep it in mind." Her eyes slid over to the door of Dana's quarters. A tricker's grin began to form.
"I didn't mean you should give it a try."
She shrugged that off on her way into the room. Dana was in the kitchen area, her back turned to the doorway. The perfect opportunity to get a sneaky strike in.
Boots weren't ideal for sneaking. The floor was carpeted at least, which allowed her to get right up to the hard surface of the kitchen in near perfect silence. With tense breath, her next few steps were slow, and heavily calculated.
Finally, she was close enough to make a jab directly for her right shoulder. The grin grew ever wider as she raised her hand up, finger ready to strike…
In the instant that she plunged forward, Dana's own right hand lashed out and grabbed her finger firmly. Her left hand went for the lower part of her spine, but that too was immediately blocked by the Jedi. With little other choice, she went for the shin kick.
"Teegs."
The sudden shock of hearing her speak caused Maarani's kick to go wild. Her balance was thrown off altogether; the resulting swing up from her leg causing her to topple to the ground.
"Do I need three guesses to work out who told you to 'attack' me?"
"No-one told me to…" Maarani bit her lip as she suddenly realized the irony of it all. "Mission said I could maybe beat you up for calling me immature…"
"By trying to poke, tickle and kick me?" Dana had turned from the counter by then. She leaned over to give Maarani a very small clap. "Hope you had fun. Looks like Jayden isn't the smiling sort. At least from the first impression she gave me."
Maarani grabbed onto her hand when it was finally offered. While being helped back onto her feet, she became confused at the vague description given. "Well that's odd. The Mandalorians I knew were quite friendly when we arrived there. What's got this Jayden all riled up?"
"Probably the burn scars. Just really do be tactful around her. She's nearly twice our size." Dana sighed as she leaned back against the bench. "Try not to talk about your girlfriend around her either."
"Oh, is she one of those…"
Dana shook her head at that. "She's been through a pretty hard time with her husband, and is probably projecting those frustrations onto others. Hard to be certain from the brief conversation we had, though her focus on sticking to military code is worrying. I wouldn't read anything personal into it."
"Fine. I'll come complain if she's being too harsh and won't back off." Maarani also leaned back against the nearest secure point she could find, which ended up being one of the bulkheads. "Oh, so, Zariba figured out the whole thing with the Force, and uh, I invited her along to that training session you wanted to do."
There was silence from Dana, aside from the light drumming of her fingers. Her lip tightened slightly just before she spoke up. "The cover story was your idea to begin with. Do you really think its a good idea to go and undo it now?"
"She isn't going to tell her father, believe me. I also mentioned how we're on the run, and him knowing less is going to keep him safe. I'm pretty sure that's how she understood what I was saying anyway."
"It seems all we can do is hope that's the case." Dana leaned forward again, gesturing across the room to her coat and carry bag. Inside was her normal Jedi attire. "Pack clothing that you'll be comfortable sitting on the ground in for a few hours. Preferably not this." She gestured to the outfit Maarani was currently wearing.
"Oh, it's not Jedi enough or something? I'm not wearing twenty layers of itchy fabric."
"Then don't wear twenty layers, and don't pick itchy fabric. The idea is not to stand out in a crowd, or be restricted in movement in some way." Dana yanked her robe out of the bag to hold over her form as demonstration. "This is a typical Jedi robe that I crafted by hand myself based on the standard design, in a nice shade of white. I only wear it when I need to enter deep meditation, or there is an important ceremony. It's easy to move in, and certainly isn't twenty layers thick."
"It still looks uncomfortable."
Dana clasped at her forehead. Somehow it was harder to deal with Maarani when she was in a fairly normal mood. "Go and find something better already, please."
"Fine, mom."
"That's not funny Teegs."
Maarani stuck her tongue out. This time it was with a real look of defiance about her.
Before things escalated further, Dana took the time to focus herself. The robes were left on the nearby seat when she walked over so that she could hold both of the Twi'lek's shoulders. "Padawan Arani, as your master, I am asking you to do this one task. Work out a good set of meditative robes for our lessons. Zariba needs a good role model after all."
For once, Maarani was very quick to notice what Dana was trying to do. "I thought you said I'd have to scrub the entrance hall if…"
