Chapter Eight
"Buckle up sirs, we're ready to take off," Cintel informed the three Jedi as they got into their seats for the journey to Anax. "Going through the atmosphere tends to cause a lot of shaking."
"Of course," said Forchess as he quickly pulled the belt around him. It clicked into place just as the rumbling began. Cintel staggered carefully back into the cockpit to take his seat next to the captain. Se'line and Evajo leaned back into their seats as they heard the hyperdrive humming loudly as it built up its energy ready for the jump to lightspeed. They'd both been through this so many times before on missions of peace across the galaxy but it always seemed just as exciting. As Jedi they both realised that maybe they shouldn't have thought this but it never really mattered to them.
A huge shockwave ran through the Republic transport as it entered hyperspace. Evajo looked to his side and noticed that Forchess had already begun to meditate peacefully. He would probably be like this for the rest of the journey now so his former student quietly unbuckled his belt and glanced at Se'line who nodded. They both made their way to the cockpit where Cintel sat alone, looking out at the blue streaks of energy that they were moving through.
"Where's the captain?" Se'line asked.
"In his quarters," Cintel replied. "The effects of his binge have started to kick in. You probably won't see him again until all of this is over."
"Is he always like that?" she queried. "It's not exactly very professional of him is it?"
"I guess when you've been through everything he has you don't really care," Cintel shrugged. "Even before the war he got into quite a few scrapes. Both of his legs had to be cut off when we crashed on some swamp planet a couple of years ago. They've both been replaced with cybernetic ones."
"Really?"
"Yup. He's as tough as a dewback's hide, that man. I have nothing but respect for him… a lot like you with your teacher I guess." Se'line sat in Caldo's seat next to Cintel while Evajo remained standing. There was silence for a while until the pilot decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "So what's it like… you know, being a Jedi?"
Se'line glanced at Evajo who seemed just as confused.
"You see, I've put a bit of thought into this," Cintel continued. "And I figured it's a lot like being a monk just with really gonzo weapons."
"That is an interesting and not entirely inaccurate way of putting it," Evajo replied. "Although we try not to resort to violence. It's our duty to promote peace."
"Not doing a very good job at the moment though, huh?" he asked then realised what he had said. "Sorry."
Evajo shook his head. "It's okay. We've all lost a lot in this war but it's easy to become blasé if you were not there when it all began."
"But I was," Cintel said. "Me and Captain Caldo flew one of the LAATs on Geonosis. He can handle space and atmospheric vehicles. If they can fly, he can pilot them."
"You were there?" Se'line asked, clearly interested. "What was it like?" He glanced at her. "We were on Alderaan at the time and could not be called out."
"It was hell. By the time we'd got there so many were dead it was unbelievable. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope when the clones attacked but… I don't know, there just seemed to be something wrong. It was almost as if…"
"…the clones were meant to win and the Jedi were meant to be defeated," Evajo finished him off.
"Exactly. It's like we came too late for some ultimate purpose. I don't know… Blame Captain Caldo. He turned me into quite the conspiracy theorist."
Evajo looked out at the swirling passage of hyperspace that they were travelling through. Somewhere, deep down he had the same feeling and hearing it from someone who was there had managed to bring his fears to the forefront. There was more to this war than met the eye and there were rumours around the Temple that the Sith had something to do with it. Although there was no official statement from the Council on the matter these theories had been spreading faster and faster since the war began and maybe they were true.
His attention was brought back to the present when Se'line asked Cintel a question. "So how exactly did you get to be here? You know, working with Captain Caldo?"
Cintel smiled. It was clearly a story he liked to tell. "Well, I've always liked flying. When I was a kid my brother used to transport ships over the galaxy… you see, my family were all shipbuilders. It tends to happen if you're from Correllia. I had a real sense of adventure as he put it and signed me up for the Republic Academy."
"That place has produced some of the best pilots in the fleet," Evajo observed.
"Yeah, but I wasn't signed up into the Navy straight away. I got a job on a spice freighter… as a navigator rather than a pilot. Seemed okay, I got along with the captain but he really wasn't as much of a… character as Caldo. He did his job, got his pay… usual stuff."
"Didn't like him them?"
"He was so boring!" Cintel exclaimed. "Still, it's not like I didn't care when he died. We jumped out of hyperspace in the middle of some battle. Pirates were trying to take over a Republic ship and we were there to rescue them. My captain got killed but we scared them off. I was offered a place in the Republic Navy by the Chancellor and here I am."
"Here you are indeed," a gruff voice exclaimed from behind them. Captain Caldo entered nursing his sore head. "So we're there yet then?"
"Not yet captain. We've barely entered hyperspace," Cintel replied. "I'd give it another three hours. You can go back to sleep if you want."
"You're telling me what to do on my own ship? God, kids today!"
"I'm twenty eight."
"Kids today!"
Evajo smiled at Cintel who just shrugged. The two Jedi went back to join Master Forchess in the hold.
"Buckle up sirs, we're ready to take off," Cintel informed the three Jedi as they got into their seats for the journey to Anax. "Going through the atmosphere tends to cause a lot of shaking."
"Of course," said Forchess as he quickly pulled the belt around him. It clicked into place just as the rumbling began. Cintel staggered carefully back into the cockpit to take his seat next to the captain. Se'line and Evajo leaned back into their seats as they heard the hyperdrive humming loudly as it built up its energy ready for the jump to lightspeed. They'd both been through this so many times before on missions of peace across the galaxy but it always seemed just as exciting. As Jedi they both realised that maybe they shouldn't have thought this but it never really mattered to them.
A huge shockwave ran through the Republic transport as it entered hyperspace. Evajo looked to his side and noticed that Forchess had already begun to meditate peacefully. He would probably be like this for the rest of the journey now so his former student quietly unbuckled his belt and glanced at Se'line who nodded. They both made their way to the cockpit where Cintel sat alone, looking out at the blue streaks of energy that they were moving through.
"Where's the captain?" Se'line asked.
"In his quarters," Cintel replied. "The effects of his binge have started to kick in. You probably won't see him again until all of this is over."
"Is he always like that?" she queried. "It's not exactly very professional of him is it?"
"I guess when you've been through everything he has you don't really care," Cintel shrugged. "Even before the war he got into quite a few scrapes. Both of his legs had to be cut off when we crashed on some swamp planet a couple of years ago. They've both been replaced with cybernetic ones."
"Really?"
"Yup. He's as tough as a dewback's hide, that man. I have nothing but respect for him… a lot like you with your teacher I guess." Se'line sat in Caldo's seat next to Cintel while Evajo remained standing. There was silence for a while until the pilot decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "So what's it like… you know, being a Jedi?"
Se'line glanced at Evajo who seemed just as confused.
"You see, I've put a bit of thought into this," Cintel continued. "And I figured it's a lot like being a monk just with really gonzo weapons."
"That is an interesting and not entirely inaccurate way of putting it," Evajo replied. "Although we try not to resort to violence. It's our duty to promote peace."
"Not doing a very good job at the moment though, huh?" he asked then realised what he had said. "Sorry."
Evajo shook his head. "It's okay. We've all lost a lot in this war but it's easy to become blasé if you were not there when it all began."
"But I was," Cintel said. "Me and Captain Caldo flew one of the LAATs on Geonosis. He can handle space and atmospheric vehicles. If they can fly, he can pilot them."
"You were there?" Se'line asked, clearly interested. "What was it like?" He glanced at her. "We were on Alderaan at the time and could not be called out."
"It was hell. By the time we'd got there so many were dead it was unbelievable. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope when the clones attacked but… I don't know, there just seemed to be something wrong. It was almost as if…"
"…the clones were meant to win and the Jedi were meant to be defeated," Evajo finished him off.
"Exactly. It's like we came too late for some ultimate purpose. I don't know… Blame Captain Caldo. He turned me into quite the conspiracy theorist."
Evajo looked out at the swirling passage of hyperspace that they were travelling through. Somewhere, deep down he had the same feeling and hearing it from someone who was there had managed to bring his fears to the forefront. There was more to this war than met the eye and there were rumours around the Temple that the Sith had something to do with it. Although there was no official statement from the Council on the matter these theories had been spreading faster and faster since the war began and maybe they were true.
His attention was brought back to the present when Se'line asked Cintel a question. "So how exactly did you get to be here? You know, working with Captain Caldo?"
Cintel smiled. It was clearly a story he liked to tell. "Well, I've always liked flying. When I was a kid my brother used to transport ships over the galaxy… you see, my family were all shipbuilders. It tends to happen if you're from Correllia. I had a real sense of adventure as he put it and signed me up for the Republic Academy."
"That place has produced some of the best pilots in the fleet," Evajo observed.
"Yeah, but I wasn't signed up into the Navy straight away. I got a job on a spice freighter… as a navigator rather than a pilot. Seemed okay, I got along with the captain but he really wasn't as much of a… character as Caldo. He did his job, got his pay… usual stuff."
"Didn't like him them?"
"He was so boring!" Cintel exclaimed. "Still, it's not like I didn't care when he died. We jumped out of hyperspace in the middle of some battle. Pirates were trying to take over a Republic ship and we were there to rescue them. My captain got killed but we scared them off. I was offered a place in the Republic Navy by the Chancellor and here I am."
"Here you are indeed," a gruff voice exclaimed from behind them. Captain Caldo entered nursing his sore head. "So we're there yet then?"
"Not yet captain. We've barely entered hyperspace," Cintel replied. "I'd give it another three hours. You can go back to sleep if you want."
"You're telling me what to do on my own ship? God, kids today!"
"I'm twenty eight."
"Kids today!"
Evajo smiled at Cintel who just shrugged. The two Jedi went back to join Master Forchess in the hold.