Dagobah Slip Stream
Part Seven
"Sir we just let a ship enter the atmosphere."
"So? I do believe this is common practice."
"Sir, no one remembers giving it clearance."
Wedge noted Luke's eyebrows going up but didn't look at him. "Where is it landing?"
"Pad 23-East."
"Thank you, dismissed."
He saluted Again. "Aye, aye, sir."
Luke and the others stood just inside the building as a ship landed.
There was a woman waiting for it. She wore black boots tucked under baggy black trousers and a white tunic. Over the tunic was a sleeveless kind of dark green armor that was solid until her hips then split into two loincloth-like tails. She had a thick black leather belt around her waist and a light green headband. Over her shoulders was a black-lined green cloak.
She had long chestnut colored hair. It was all collected low on her back except for two braided forelocks and a light sprinkling of bangs across her forehead. She stood 1.52 meters, not very tall. Her skin was a light brownish color, like she worked out side a lot with out sun protection, but her eyes were her most startling features.
They were solid light mint green, like her headband, with pink spots and black slits where her pupils would be.
She was dressed in the way of the old order. The style they used during the Sith Era. When you never knew when you would be called into battle, therefore you were always on alert.
The only problem with the picture, besides her eyes, was her Lightsaber. Hers was almost twice as long as it should have been and some strange design he had never seen. That was new. He thought there had been strict codes on Lightsaber designs. Maybe he had missed something…
They all stood and watched as a ship landed. It was a glossy black, sleek with silver lines emphasizing joints in the metal. It had small wings toward the aft and is bow was pointed. An adult and a few children came down the ramp.
Cas knew the ship when she saw it, it as a J-type 327 Nubian, a ship usually reserved for the royalty of Naboo.
Cas knew that in their people's early days it had needed ships, and had needed them in secret. And that her kind had been closely aligned with the Queen of Naboo and that this woman, Queen Amidala, had provided for them. This ship, the first they had received, was named in her honor, the Padme.
The first person off the ship was a Wookie. Quwil, her fur-brother, and apprentice, that her mother had saved on her retreat from Imperial Center. Qwuil was a faithful friend. Quwil was the one that had coaxed her out of her father's Darkness and that of her brother's death. The only one that cared for her after her mother died.
Next was a nine year old Rodian carrying an infant male Nikto in her arms with two young humans, one boy-6, one girl-7 in tow.
A moment later twelve StarFighters landed. They looked like older X-Wings, T-65's.
The First one out of a Fighter was a young woman. She had blonde hair pulled up in to a curly ponytail and crystal blue eyes. She was dressed like Cas, except this woman didn't have a headband and her cape lining and armor were shades of crimson red.
Next was a dark skinned human man, dressed like that woman, except he had royal blue. His hair was short with a few braids hanging down in a few places.
She knew them, of course. Syn- her apprentice and Kir -the captain of her guard.
A male Bothan -about tewlve, and a twin female Twi'leks about eleven landed next. They were dressed in the light tan pants and tunics with brown over cloaks the New Republic's Jedi Order was known to use.
Cas looked at Kir and glared. They had not been cleared to fly yet and he knew it.
Then seven more fighters landed. Six were Guardsmen, those Jedi Militarian Police and Intelligence Commando's assigned to protect members of The Circle.
She recognized them as those assigned to her by their uniforms. You could always spot a guardsman when he wore civies. They're always-attentive posture- similar to that of Imperial Stormtroopers gave them away when they stood among a group of … well basically anyone else.
These, hers, wore gray/blue capes, trousers, tunics, and boots with slightly bluer leather armor. They held their Helmets under their arms. They were Centurion Helms the color of their armor with feathers matching their other clothes in a ridge across their tops. The guards held them under their arms.
The last was Nii, a dark skinned apprentice to her old Master, Kyl. He looked around his unnervingly blue eyes settled on her and he smiled.
He is her best friend, Zii's, younger brother. But that didn't mean she liked him. And his Playboy act didn't help the situation any.
Maybe slaying her own little brother wasn't really an accident. Maybe brothers were evil. Maybe they were…
No, she knew where these thoughts lead and where they were from. They were Dark side -and adolescent- nonsense, that tried to spring up when ever she felt distaste toward any male. Unlike Mara Jade she had not been completely able to over come her father's training. But she had always been on the side of the Light and planned to stay there.
She watched as he came over in their Master's signature green armor, with out the Knight/Master-hood head band, of course. "Knight Cas, Our Master has sent me into your care. She believes the Knights of the Circle of the Masters of Balance will all be here in the near future. That includes my sister who I am to care for."
"She doesn't thing I would care for my best friend?"
"She thinks you will be to busy with other affairs." He looked over her shoulder for emphasis at the people exiting the building, coming directly to them.
"You, young Padawan-apprentice, act like I can not sense things around me." She glared down her nose at him. "Do not assume. Know, then act." He bowed, apologizing. "If you are here with me you will act like my apprentice. Go now and dawn the proper attire, Syn will show you." He bowed again and she waved him over to the other little crowd of Jedi.
"We will talk later, my Young Ones," She said as she shooed them toward the ship. "Go back with Syn and Nii. I need to settle a few things then you may join me." Cas turned as Wedge, Luke and Han neared with Mara and Leia a little behind them with Ben.
She waved her guards to let through and bowed formally, as was required when meeting a Master for the first time. Luke returned that.
"You are the Skywalker?"
"Yes." He said recovering smoothly. He had only stared a few moments, not as long as many in the Insiders, except Wedge, he noticed. It was almost like Wedge had known she was there when Leia and the others hadn't
"Misc?" Han asked surprised.
She nodded. "I am Cas Shik'rican, a representative of my people. I have been asked to offer you our help" Her gaze was riveted on Luke.
"What are you offering?" he asked.
Voices started in Luke's head. 'Not there.' 'Come here' 'this way' 'not yet' 'no please' 'turn away' 'its not here' 'there she is' Short sentences coming from all different directions. Luke tried to follow them and then he realized.
He looked at Cas. An odd little smirk slid onto her face. 'You are not the only one with gifts.' The Republic Jedi present were all standing there, with their mouths agape.
She coughed, hiding another smirk, and spoke. "My people have ships, materiel and connections on most civilized worlds."
"Which worlds?"
"No." Mara said from behind the man, she had moved forward behind Luke. "You can not except her help."
"Why not?"
"She is a Sith. Trained by Palpatine himself." Mara glared at her, daring her to prove she was right.
"Can people not change, Mara? I was still young when my mother took me and we abandoned Imperial Center-"
"You were still young when you destroyed your twin brother."
"-When my mother was destroyed, by my people, for her vileness. They saved me. They recognized me. A member of the Light, trained in Darkness but not yet corrupted. And one, Master Kyl, took me on as her personal charge and Padawan-apprentice. I owe everything to her. And that is why I am still here." She sighed. "I was only asked to offer you things you might need. If you wish I will leave."
Wedge stepped forward. "I am commander of this site. I say you should settle in for a while, while we talk about your offer." She nodded. "But first," he said, "Tell me about these Starfighters, they don't look exactly… right."
She smiled, "Only a true X-Wing jockey would notice. No these are modified Jedi Star Fighters. They look like older X-Wings, Incom T-65's, I believe, but that is only a shell over the real StarFighter. Our Master of Engineering had come up with them along with their astromechs, R2-XJ's."
"First he had mounted concussion missile launchers and hyper-drives on the Jedi Star Fighter. Then he made the X-Wing 'cover' and mounted that on the Star Fighter."
"The X-Wing cover had its own Proton Torpedo launchers and its laser cannons intensified those of the Star Fighter and allowed it to fire skitter shots."
"The Star Fighter Pilot could also blow the X-Wing covering and have the more agile Jedi Plane to fly with its weapons and a distraction-the cover's explosion. But that was only to be used in extreme cases." She reached over to the Fighter Nii had been Piloting, her Star Fighter, and pulled out the Astromech. "This is Bruiser, he's an R2-XJ. They were designed after your own little buddy, Luke, but made to be specially attuned to their pilot and manipulable by the Force."
Wedge nodded. "Interesting. These are for Jedi?"
"Yes, they work best with a Jedi at the helm but, theoretically, anyone could fly it."
He nodded. "Get settled." He waved to a near by Flight Officer. "He will show you to suitable quarters."
And they all left Cas, to answer her Masters with out answers