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| - (Johanna) "That's a crock of you-know-what," Johanna counters as politely as she can, "And Kyle Senesca *is* a half-baked idiot. Do you know what he was running around asking us to do?" She pauses for a moment, more for dramatic effect than anything else, and plants her hands on her hips in that old way of hers that generally indicates genuine displeasure with a certain someone or something. "He wanders into the Basilica, squats there for Maker only knows how many weeks, babbling on about these... what the kark did he call them... runes, I think, of his that he purportedly got chased off of... uh.... Orphenhalz III, wherever the kark THAT is!... for, and then he demands that the Jedi who have... well... oh, for Maker's sake! Nevermind! It's stupid, you know that? He's stupid. This whole idea is just STUPID!" She can't very well start recounting the incident with Vadim to Zik, so she does the best she can with what she has. (Enb'Zik) The Sullustan watches Johanna's tirade as it grows from simple suspicion into a full-blown but not-quite-logical rant. "What's a crock of you-know-what, Joh?" he asks when she's done. "That we have to go into Imperial territory?" He gestures widely with a hand toward the two Gunships and the squadron of fighters, "What do you think this hardware is dedicated to? Why /NOT/ go into Imperial territory? It's not like the Rogues sat home knitting scarves for refugees on Belsavis." He huffs out a breath, reminding himself that this isn't really about going into Imperial territory. It also dawns on him that he's becoming defensive. He looks sideways at the floor, then back at the woman, crossing his arms over his chest. His voice is quieter when he speaks again, "What's wrong with you, Joh? This is my first mission in charge of something resembling a fleet; I have to do this right. If this is a dangerous mission, then I need to know that, and we'll proceed with caution. But if I'm going to tell the Chief of State that this is a bad idea, I need a reason more substantial than telling her the person she brought to me is half-baked and that the whole idea is stupid." (Johanna) "No, no, no. The hardware is not the problem. Going into Imperial territory is not the problem. For the love of the Maker, I would think you knew me better than that," she replies, "Especially since we only did it ten thousand times ourselves. It's the stones that are the problem. I can't be certain they are what I suspect they are, but if they're in fact... well. Kyle is in far over his head and while you know that I have nothing but the utmost respect for you, this is no mission you can equip yourself for through any conventional means. With all due respect to the chief of state, she's out of her bloody mind." There, she's said her bit! Johanna exhales sharply, wishing very much she were in her jumpsuit with so many lovely pockets to shove her hands into. "Look, we've flown how many sorties together? A lot, right? You know I don't make decisions about a mission just based on a whim. Whatever faults I may have, they didn't extend to the discharge of my duties in Star Ops." (Enb'Zik) "What you're saying," Zik says after a moment, "is that you think this mission should be handled by the Jedi, and not by the military." Ikihsa has managed to fully regain his calm, but he doesn't seem quite willing to give up his squadron's part yet. He nods, however, "Johanna, if we find stones there, would it make you feel better if we contact you immediately? I have no problem letting people with more expertise than myself handle a job I'm not qualified for." He takes a breath, "However, extracting these stones is not what we're going in for. We're going in to find out the status of Mister Senesca's family and research. And to make it worthwhile for the Republic, I want to scout Orpenhalz to see what kind of resistance has formed there and what quarter we might find if we ever need to use the planet as a base from which to attack the Empire. It is very deep inside their borders." (Johanna) At the news of the stones not being the primary objective, the pilot relaxes a little. "What I'm saying," she clarifies, "Is that the stones shouldn't be handled by anyone, Jedi or not. But since it seems that you're going there to recon for military purposes, I guess I don't have to worry about it." There, much better! "Research and excavations are for academics, not for veterans like us." In a gesture of goodwill, she offers a hearty pat to Zik's shoulder. "It's good to be around you again, at any rate. I didn't mean to chew you out, it's just that this subject makes me rather jumpy. As you so richly had demonstrated for you just now. I had a bad experience with similar things myself and while I won't bore you with the details, it was something for the record books in the annals of my life." (Enb'Zik) Enb'Zik smiles faintly at the pat on his back and begins walking again after the brief pause at the gangway onto the Forge. Heading toward the Ranger, he's glad that his former CO is a bit more relaxed, but he's not sure the response is justified. Should he tell her? Uncertain, he changes the subject - sort of. Enough to come at this from a different tack. "You know, Johanna, my mother used to put me and my siblings to sleep with stories about the Jedi. I doubt seriously that your experiences would be something I'd consider boring. I used to study whatever I could get my hands on about things like that, even if references were few and far between." (Johanna) Glad to be back amongst the fighters, she decides to indulge her previous impulse and vaults onto one of the Ranger's wings once they've gotten closer. "I hope you don't mind," Johanna grins, "I promise I won't dirty her up. As for my experiences with the stones, that's something that I haven't shared with anyone and for now I think it's going to stay that way. Sabrina Rheatis had a bad experience with them too. They've brought a lot of unhappiness to those who've come into contact with them. We were all nearly killed on Kashyyyk. But I find it interesting that your mother told you stories about the Jedi." She seats herself now, legs dangling over the wing's leading edge. "What did she tell you? Growing up on Tatooine we all heard bits and pieces about Mister Skywalker's exploits, though I think they added a lot more into those over the years than actually happened. Not that his exploits have been pedestrian by any measure. But I didn't think the Jedi actually existed until I joined the Republic military." (Enb'Zik) Watching as Johanna hops up onto his ship, Enb'Zik silently sucks in a breath, his eyes turning briefly toward the Ranger's open canopy then back to the woman. It would be hidden from the perspective of anyone on the ground, but from the point of view atop the wing, an object of interest can be spied laying in the aft shock couch of the Mantaray. A very distinctive twenty-three centimeter long cylinder, made of a silvery material and wrapped in gold-colored trappings, rests atop the molded cushion. "Stories," Ikihsa answers, clearing his throat and looking Johanna in the eyes. "The Clone Wars. Heroes. Villains. The kind of things that young males of every species wants to hear and dream about doing someday when he grows up." (Johanna) I don't much about that era. Frankly I'm downright uneducated when it comes to anything not having to do with fighters and ships and weapons. Sometimes I think I'm an embarrassment to the others." With a laugh she rises, stretching. Speaking of weapons! "What in the..." Johanna peers down into the cockpit, eyes narrowing. "Is that...?" Only one way to find out! Grabby boor that she is, she reaches inside and withdraws the deactivated thing that looks so very much like a lightsaber. "Where'd THIS come from?" (Enb'Zik) What color does a Sullustan turn when blood rushes into his face? Enb'Zik had seen the lightsaber fall out of the storage slot in the console when he'd disembarked earlier. He'd intended to take it on board the Forge and stow it in his quarters, but at the time he was eager to get back to his research, didn't expect anyone to be in a position to see into the cockpit, and certainly wasn't expecting a visit from Johanna. "That... is..." There's no way to deny what it is. The Sullustan is, instead, stalling for enough time for his brain to come up with a true but vague answer to her question. "Just something I've been tinkering with," he finally manages. (Johanna) Tinkering? "These aren't something you tinker with," Johanna replies briskly, "You can really hurt yourself if you don't know exactly what you're doing." The weight of it is familiar in her hand as she examines the object with a critical gaze. "I'd still like to know where you got it. Lightsabers aren't something one comes by easily. Been busy with the black market?" It ignites, the blade glowing an odd greenish-grey. "Have you... tried wielding it? Takes a lot of getting used to, let me tell you! About near cut off my own foot the first time I played around with one. Cricket was having a field day." After a few moments the weapon is deactivated and she carefully places it back inside the cockpit, reseating herself on the wing. "You're a lot more curious about the Jedi than I ever was. I was a little blindsided by the whole affair, in all honesty." (Enb'Zik) Enb'Zik frowns, subdued. He's more embarrassed than he could possibly put into words. "It won't cut," he says softly, extending his hand for it, then lowering the hand again as Johanna puts the device back where she found it instead. Under other circumstances, he'd laugh upon hearing Cricket's antics, but his heart is too far down in his stomach. "I actually haven't done much with it in a long time. The last time I worked on it was probably... I dunno. Five years ago? And no. It didn't come off the black market." Climbing up the boarding ladder, he reaches for the lightsaber hilt. Unzipping the top of his flightsuit, he tucks it carefully into an inside pocket without yet explaining further. He doubts the questions will stop now, but the chagrin is a bit overwhelming. (Johanna) "No need to be embarrassed. You haven't done anything wrong. Just try not to play with it too much until you can have it looked at in depth by a Jedi. I'd hate for it to explode at you or something." Kind of like hers did on Corellia when she'd tried to jury-rig it after the EMP detonation had fried it. Being blind for months wasn't a fun thing. "It took me a long while to build my lightsaber and even longer to find a suitable crystal for it. Tyler and I have the same sort, you know." She pulls her weapon free and activates it, the bright white blade filling the space around it with an ethereal glow. "I felt so accomplished when I was done. A good measure of love and pride went into finishing this, even if its first combat situation was against my brother." (Enb'Zik) Enb'Zik frowns, then shakes his head. "Sorry, Joh," he explains, "It's just... this has always been somewhat personal for me. It's hard to explain." Leaving the ladder and climbing out onto the wing, he sits down there, careful to avoid the brilliant alabaster blade. He doesn't seem surprised when she mentions the possibility of an explosion. Instead, he nods, "I had heard that could happen." For a moment, he seems to think back, and his brow wrinkles sharply at an odd thought. Curious about something, he files the question away and goes on with what he'd been planning to say before it came to him, "Like I said, I still haven't gotten this one to work just right. The focussing crystal was the easy part. It was given to my parents as a gift back before the Old Republic fell." Safely seated, he looks up at the shine of Johanna's blade, knowing it's so much more dangerous than his own. Hers is a real one. One that works the way it's supposed to. END PART TWO
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