Kratoury

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Somewhere in Deep Space...

The gentle hum of the Star-ship's engines was something that you simply grew used to when you spent any substantial amount of time in space. Most people simply didn't hear it, some even came to find it soothing. Either way, that hum had been the only thing tickling at Kajin Saizhou's mind for the last few hours. His personal quarters were small, but it was indicative of his recent raise in status that he had his own quarters at all. At the very least, that's what Kajin's new master had told him. Having seen the Ithorian Jedi Master's room when they first boarded... well, it seemed that accommodations wouldn't be getting much more splendorous from this point on.

Currently, Kajin found himself aboard the Cruiser 23, a large ferry that brought thousands of travelers from one planet to another on rather regular basis. They had been in transit for nearly twelve days now, and were finally nearing the end of their journey. The destination? A world by the name of Taris; it was a city world, from what Kajin had been told. Beyond that, it had something of a reputation as a rather seedy place. Why the Council would send them to such a place was currently an unknown, but knowing the council it was probably going to be something... dramatic.
 

Tirin

God-Emperor of Tealkind
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Though his accomodations were unimpressive, Kajin was pleased to be offered even the small show of trust that they represented, and so felt no desire to raise them with his master in any context that was not appreciative. Besides, the master was himself satisfied with little better, despite his decades of valuable service to the Order and the Republic - Kajin was more than wise enough to know that asking for more was not his place, nor was it befitting of a Jedi. That said, the modesty of his lodgings (and boredom that came with as such) had several times compelled the young Anzat to mingle among the other passengers of the ferry, and to that end he had left his room, carrying a comlink with him in the event that he was needed.

Now, however, he simply waited in meditation, deeply interested in the Council's purposes for sending him to Taris and wishing he had been able to discover more on the subject. Though he had his suspicions - perhaps there was a problem with the planet's governance, or crime had been on the rise? - he did not see how such problems would grow to necessitate Jedi intervention without being common knowledge aboard the ferry. Unable to reach a conclusion without calling into question the Council's judgment (which, of course, would be absurd), he now waited for the ferry's arrival at Taris and communication from his master, knowing he would find his answer planetside.
 

Kratoury

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Kajin's musings were interrupted by the thin sound of someone rapping their knuckles curtly against his door. They waited for a second, then the door slid open to reveal a short man in attire befitting one of the many servers who tended to the passengers aboard this vessel. The moved into the room, pushing a small trolley with two covered dishes resting atop it. The first, they carefully lifted and sat on the little table that sat against the wall. "Mister..." They took a moment, apparently having just a touch of difficulty with the young Jedi's name, "Saizhou? Your lunch, sir. Please enjoy." They took a few moments to stare, evidently fulfilling their curiosity in regards to what an actual real-life jedi might look like, and then they began to back out of the room.
 

Tirin

God-Emperor of Tealkind
Moderator
Kajin's gaze shot to the door the instant he heard the knock, but he relaxed quickly enough to greet the man making the delivery with an appreciative smile. "Thank you very much, sir. Enjoy your evening," he said politely, waiting for the man to leave his room before going to have a look at the lunch that... he hadn't ordered in more than a week, regarding its appearance now with the suspicion it was due. Perhaps it was a message from his master, though conveyed in an odd manner; perhaps something more sinister or dangerous. After locking his door he walked to the veiled platter that - allegedly - contained food, and swiftly removed and set down its cover, his free hand raised to defend himself from (or, if the meal was more suited to his species, subdue) the potential culinary crisis.
 

Kratoury

Active Member
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Kajin was right to shield himself; the fried vegetables were well cooked and seemed rather savory, but the thin gravy poured over them had a rather strong scent. It was the scent of fried meat, most likely they had prepared the gravy using oil that had been used to cook some sort of pork already. There was even a little plate of toast with still-melting butter sitting just to the side of the vegetables. Altogether it looked quite tasty, though the man had neglected to bring a drink. They probably wanted him to take something from the mini-bar so they could charge it to his account, the crooks

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It seemed that Neek was destined to go without ever training under a Guardian. The Jedi he was currently assigned to, Master Jito Thul, was a skilled enough duelist, but she was a councilor and she made no efforts to disguise her disdain towards open combat. She was young for a master, perhaps in her early thirties, but she was strong in the force and wise beyond her years. Or perhaps wise wasn't quite right, it was more accurate to say that she was insightful, perhaps. Having grown up as the heir to one of the most hated houses on Alderaan had forced her to develop a keen head for diplomacy, and a keener sense for danger. But diplomacy was her specialty, and as such their current mission was a diplomatic one.

The ship Neek and his new master had come in on was a mid-class freighter, and it had been fast. Neek didn't recognize the pilot, and they didn't seem to be with the republic. As a matter of fact, this "dock" didn't seem particularly sanctioned either. It almost seemed as though the pilot might be somewhat sketchy, but from the familiar way Master Jito chatted with them they seemed to be old friends. Either way the ship's doors opened and the ramp lowered. Balmorra was not a nice place right now, and the people waiting to greet them didn't seem all that nice either. They seemed a lot like soldiers. Jito waved Neek forward, signaling them to follow as she began to walk through a somewhat run-down encampment.
 

Easy

Right Honorable Justice
Member
Neek followed just behind and slightly to the right of Master Thul with genuine respect and deference, though he stood head and shoulders over her, and the slight off-orange tinge in his eyes hinted at an underlying feeling of mild resentment. It wasn't all the staring, of course - he'd long since gotten used to the idea that any interaction with strangers tended to carry a pretty high chance of them asking something like: "So they're letting droids become Jedi now, are they?" But the inside of that metal head held the mind of a teenager, and being a teenager, he couldn't help but feel a little frustrated with not being treated like an adult. He'd passed his trial, hadn't he? Was this not his own lightsaber, carried on his belt? He'd even gone through the trouble of getting himself a paint job to mark the occasion, in lieu of having any real friends to celebrate with, and had been secretly very pleased with how he looked in black. "IT IS LARGELY A FUNCTIONAL MODIFICATION," he'd lied, making up some flimsy excuse about visibility and discretion. Meanwhile, he was already making plans to add a lacquer coating when he was knighted.

Now, it was starting to feel like that day was never going to come. Master Ludo had kept his word to the letter, though he hadn't seemed especially happy about it, and only after making it painfully clear that he had no interest in working with Neek ever again. That stung a bit, but the other Masters reviewing his trial performance had cheered him up. Master Fa'Les had even laughed when he heard of it, and then congratulated Neek on his lateral thinking. The future was looking bright, and then...

And then he was here, back to taking orders without explanations, back to following a senior around and waiting for further instructions. Worse, it was a diplomatic mission. They knew he was terrible at diplomatic missions. It was the way his eyes and vocal pitch always gave away his feelings. He'd tried telling Master Ludo that they were hard-wired to his emotional state and he couldn't control them, but he'd just replied: "Then control your emotions, instead." Then he became angry when Neek showed him the plans for a prototype "NEUROTRANSMITTER LEVEL CONTROL AUGMENTATION," which in hindsight was fairly ironic, and Neek gave up on ever mastering the art of diplomacy. He'd thought they were done trying to teach him, too, but instead they'd immediately sent one of the strongest warriors of his generation to work under one of the keenest diplomats of her's. Master Thul had been unfailingly polite, of course, but from Neek's point of view the Council might as well have stuck a sign that said "Watch And Learn" on her back. At least if they'd sent him with a Guardian, he could help with...

A thought occurred to him: help with what? Fighting? Why would a Guardian need help with that?

Of course. It all made sense now. He must have been assigned here in case something went wrong. With that thought in mind, he began looking around as he walked with renewed vigor, taking in any useful details he could with those blue-tinged robotic eyes.
 
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Tirin

God-Emperor of Tealkind
Moderator
As delicious as the food smelled, Kajin knew - from a great deal of experience - that it would be bland and, though it would sustain him, would do nothing to sate his deeper hunger. He ate quickly, deriving little pleasure from eating at all, and neglected to purchase the beverage - he would much sooner drink water for free than waste the Order's credits on petty and unfulfilling luxuries. When he finished, the Anzat covered the now-bare platter and left his room, locking it behind him. His first stop was the nearest fountain, where he quenched his thirst; his second was his master's room, the door to which he gently knocked on before taking a step back from. Though Kajin was (reasonably) patient, he thought it best to learn as much about their mission as possible, particularly with their arrival on Taris drawing ever nearer. Hopefully the Ithorian master would put value on his taking initiative instead of chide him for being hasty in his duties - but there was only one way to find out.
 
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