Star Wars - Shadows Of The Outer Rim

8. | Tenor

Kiera sat cross-legged on the floor of her quarters, the low hum of the cruiser's engines vibrating beneath her palms. She inhaled slowly, letting her breath fill her lungs, then released it in a measured exhale the way Master Kallor always taught her.

Focus. Center. Listen.

She tried.

The Force flowed around her, but it felt like wading through murky water. Every time she reached her senses outward, her thoughts circled back to Falmar's trail going cold, the widening rift between Korath and Dasturn, and the fact that she was being sent on a mission the council didn't even know about.

Her comm pad blinked once on the small table. No message.

Her breath fell short. Master Kallor always returned her calls. Even if he was halfway across the Outer Rim or freshly out of an intense battle. The fear that something terrible may have happened was weighing heavily on her. It has been several days now. She closed her eyes once again and attempted to center herself, focus and reach out through the force to him. She emptied her mind of her current worries, her mission, her soldiers and instead directed it towards her master. She reached deeper into the force, like a hand grasping for a familiar presence. Then, for a moment she felt something. Something familiar, something that was uncertain but promising. Then, just as fast as it had come, it was gone again like a fog was clouding the connection.

She pulled herself out of the deep meditation and opened her eyes, a long exhale leaving her mouth. She wished she could only speak with him for a few minutes, to get advice on what to do next, the trail to Falmar going cold. But that conversation was not going to happen. Kiera knew she had to set aside her worry for her Master, that she was supposed to separate her personal connections. She had always been taught emotional attachments were dangerous, a true Jedi could balance relationships, but Kiera struggled with this more than most. She attempted to instead focus on the current objective. 

When she finally pushed herself out of her quarters, she walked straight into the common area. Jax was leaning down on a work bench, cleaning his blaster with a precision that could only come from years of battle experience. The shuttle was small and cramped, however the journey to Tenor was not far. Kiera had elected to bring along a small group of 5 soldiers including Corporal Reznik, while leaving the rest at the palace to provide additional security. The last thing this system needed was a contentious political assassination that would certainly ignite the last spark needed to start a war. Besides, Kiera worried that showing up with an entire platoon might draw too much attention or scare off potential leads. She needed this one to work out, information relating to Falmar was too limited and the conspiracy just continued spiralling. What could be gained from Falmar?

Upon her approach, Jax turned setting his blaster and tools down on the bench. He eyed her briefly for only a moment. "Whatever's eating you, kid," he said without hesitation, "don't let it eat your mission."

She tried for a smile, but it came out broken. Jax quickly picked up on this and folded his arms knowingly. His expression asked her what was going on without him having to say a word. "I can't reach Master Kallor. Not on Comms, not through the Force...he's just...distant."

Jax's expression softened, just slightly. "If there's someone in this galaxy who doesn't need hand-holding, it's that old man. He's probably giving some poor pirate a lecture on honour."

Kiera huffed out a humorless laugh. "Yeah. Maybe."

"Hey." He nudged her shoulder. "That situation with the blockade, leaving in the middle of it. I know it's hard not to think about what's going on over there but Kallor is one of the wisest Jedi I've ever worked for. I've seen him wiggle his way out of far worse situations. The fear of the unknown can be dangerous, eh?"