Residential Quarters

Mike laughed. He couldn't help it.

"Clearly, you haven't seen a Gungan try to play darts. Those crazy little suckers can't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside."

Well, with the serious bits out of the way, Mike didn't feel bad about turning on the holoprojector.

"Right, so these are the fighters."

There were three Sith fighters sitting in a hole in the sand. The sides of the hole had been stabilized with a plasticizing agent that held back the dunes, which was handy, because the thing was at least 30 meters deep, which explained why the Jawas hadn't found them.

"They haven't figured out exactly why the things were buried, but what we do know is that they are amazingly well preserved. They'll never fly again, but I thought you might find them interesting."

"By and large, the portrayals are actually kind of disgusting. Need a bumbling, unintelligent fool? Bring in a Gungan. They are uncoordinated as hell, but that mainly stems from the fact that they didn't evolve for life on land, and they haven't really adapted as well as, say, a Mon Cal or Quarren. In the water, they're about as graceful as any aquatic species I've ever met, and while they have their share of idiots, so does humanity. Their scientists have some pretty impressive accomplishments under their belts, as anyone that's seen their cities can attest. Their semi-permeable shielding technology is amazing."

Back on the subject of the ships, Mike manipulated the hologram to overlay a schematic wire-frame over the the image of the ships themselves. It was clear what parts were missing and what had been added on, and it was helpful for getting a good idea of what shape the fighters were in. Once the overlay was added, he removed the background, leaving only the fighters themselves. At times like this, nearly bleeding out in the ER from a gut wound nearly seemed worth it.

"It might not have done these ships any good, mind. Keeps out liquid and energy and holds in atmosphere, but sand falls in exactly none of those categories. All the evidence suggests that the ships were buried deliberately, as evidenced by the fact that there seems to be surprisingly little in the way of weather damage. The damage, they think, was probably already in place when they were buried, which makes it unlikely that they were placed there for the purpose of being used as escape craft or maybe a private reserve for a warlord."

Mike was clearly in science mode. His usual humor and the tendency towards profanity gave was to a matter of factness that one might associate with a talking head brought in on HNN to explain something vaguely sciency, the primary difference being that he actually knew what he was talking about.

"If I'm honest, one of the reasons I wanted to show you this deals with your experience in a fighter. I can tell that the ships are damaged, but I can't tell a laser blast from a meteor strike, and everyone onsite seems to be equally flummoxed. The damage here and here" he pointed to a series of jagged holes on the wing of the middle craft and a nearly identical series of holes across the fuselage of the craft on the right "almost look like someone shot the things up with an automatic slugthrower, but we just don't know."

Mike shrugged.

"I didn't. The find was made by an acquaintance of mine who was looking for something completely unrelated."

The shadow that passed across Alexis's face told him that there was more going on here than even he had originally believed. Was this one of her odd premonitions? He hadn't sensed anything ominous, but he knew that she was in tune with aspects of the Force that he could never hope to tap.

"I do plan to have a look at the fighters eventually, but they won't be on Tatooine for long. There have already been a few minor skirmishes among local gangsters and warlords over who gets to kill the researchers and take the things, and the mercs they've hired won't renew their contract. They'll be headed offplanet as soon as they can arrange for a home."

There were any number of museums, universities, and other research centers that would have gladly taken the fighters, and according to his friend, there was already a pretty significant bidding war over who would end up with the fighters. The research team had put in three conditions. The first was that the fighters all be kept together. The second was that the original research team would take the lead on the investigation, and the third was that they could bring in outside consultants. The third clause had been made with Mike in mind specifically.

"I've got an invite to take a look as soon as they get set up. There aren't many Jedi archaeologists willing to work with folks outside of the order, so there are a lot of misconceptions about how much the Force can tell us. Sian and I have worked together before so he knows that most of the rumors are crap, but he's not above capitalizing on them if need be. I'm not sure what he has in mind, but I definitely plan on heading that way in a few months. I will, of course, be looking for a pilot that can land a ship without endangering everyone within a ten mile radius."

Though Mike's expression remained serious, there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"And if that pilot just so happens to be an experienced starfighter jockey who might have valuable insight on the project, well, I suppose this pilot would be more than welcome to take a look along with me."

It was a shitty situation, but not one that they could do much about.

"Even if we left now, the ships would probably be off the planet by the time we get there."

Mike deftly dodged the jab at his piloting skills by virtue of pretending to study his fingernails.

"Weeelllll, I suppose I could take you into consideration. Do you have experience ferrying cranky archaeologists to far-off planets for potentially dangerous and almost certainly tedious research?"

"I'm advocating visiting the place where they eventually end up as part of the research team, not stealing the damn things."

Mike grinned sheepishly.

"Touche. I need a pilot, and you're the padawan with a plan. Or you will have a plan. After I give you one."

Cue awkward silence.

"Sooooo...What have you been up to since last we spoke?

It wasn't uncommon for Jedi to go months without seeing each other, what with missions taking friends to the far end of the galaxy. Catching up could be awkward, since missions were often top secret. There were things that could be discussed, things that couldn't, and things that were best left unsaid, whether because of awkwardness or embarrassment or because they just didn't need to be said. Fortunately, they had the single most awkward issue out of the way.

Alexis rolled her eyes dramatically. "I wasn't advocating stealing them, you clown. There's no way they'll fly, so that would automatically be doomed to failure from the jump." She smiled to let him know she wasn't serious. There was nothing she could think of that would convince her to steal them. She had the most amazing fighter in the universe already as far as she was concerned. And while she was naturally very curious about these relics of a bygone era, stealing them was not what she had in mind.

"Yeah, I think as long as you let me take care of the flying part of things, we'll be fine. The ground side of things is your area of expertise." She could of course have brought up the whole 'exiting hyperspace aft over bow' thing, but in this case she took the moral high ground and stayed there by saving that for later reference. However, he had brought up something else. "You know I will not be a padawan forever, right?"

She grimaced. His question immediately reminded her of one thing, and though she did blush faintly, she recovered with only a second's hesitation. Mike had not judged her, instead he'd been supportive in a way that she had not experienced in a long time, and really had not allowed herself to hope for again. Losing first Nathan and then Dav had caused her more emotional pain than she'd thought herself capable of surviving. But, she'd done so.

Alexis turned slightly, so he could see the jagged raw cut that was still healing under her left eye tracing back towards her ear. She pointed to it, gently brushing the edge of it since it was stinging. Bright red smeared across her fingertip in response to her light touch. "I went to Nar Shaddaa---to my old 'home' to settle a ghost and an old debt. What about you?" She'd never have outright admitted it, but she had kind of missed him since they had parted ways after leaving Roon and returning to Honoghr.

Alexis simply stared at him in dignified shock. Had Mike lost his mind? (Or had his writer just had too much bourbon and cola?) Still, she refused to reply to his remark, only smiling faintly as his behavior had just deviated greatly from what she was familiar with. Evidently long sojourns of time without much social interaction negatively affected his skills.

"If that is the only way in which you feel superior, Mike, feel free to enjoy it for the time it lasts." Really, the difference in title from padawan to knight was not something that mattered to her except that technically within the Order it meant she had finished her official training period and was fully a Jedi.

"And what book brought you here now?" She felt vaguely disappointed, though she wasn't sure why. Alexis had thought he might eventually come to Yavin because that was where she was working. Even though the Order was unified, it still felt like the Jedi were a bit scattered. The universe was a small place, but it was still all too easy to lose track of one's friends. It was another hint at how drastically her life had been turned upside down that Mike Hamish was a point of stability in her personal universe.

Alexis contemplated Mike seriously, and then laughed. Her eyes widened as she suddenly stopped, one hand reaching for her throat in surprise as she looked over at him. "I never laugh," she explained quietly. It just wasn't something that had ever had a place in her life. Not that she had never been happy, it just didn't happen very often that she consciously realized it. This was the second time she had laughed that she could remember, and the first time had also been around Mike. "Sorry."

"Didn't Luke Skywalker lose a student to the Dark Side due to Exar Kun's influence from beyond? That was here on Yavin, I thought."

She frowned. The holovids and documentaries that Nathan had sworn by had sometimes been really dry. She had tried to pay attention to all of them, but it just didn't happen like that.

"A Sith without ego?" Alexis frowned. "I thought ego was part of the Sith code. But I don't know if I would classify that as an adventure. It sounds really dangerous."

She didn't want him to get himself killed, but she realized that he could probably take care of himself in just about any situation, unless it involved flying. And he had survived his last experience in interplanetary travel. "Mike, you seem to work alone for the majority of the time. Have you ever thought about working for the Council of First Knowledge?" He didn't feel like a Shadow to her, and she instinctively knew whenever he was around, but she wondered if he really was a freelancer within the Order. "Just in case you ever need backup or something..."

Alexis smiled briefly, amused that Mike was actually trying to figure this out. She'd long since accepted it as a fact of life, to the point that when she had laughed, the sound had startled her. "I'm sure it'll just happen, Mike, no need to worry about it, though I do enjoy hanging out with you. I would guess that it's a leftover from my life on Nar Shaddaa."

She took the datapad and switched it on quickly, skimming over the contents for now as she'd read it more thoroughly later. Brown eyes suddenly looked up at Mike. "Kyp Durron and the Sun Crusher, you mean? Didn't he die as a result of that?" She was fuzzy on the details of that instance of more recent Jedi history. She'd heard Kyp mentioned, but his life hadn't really stuck with her. He was one of those people that she really didn't feel very much in tune with.

After a couple minutes she switched off the datapad and set it on his desk before returning her full attention to him. "Yeah, that does seem to make her a bit unpredictable. And unpredictable is not something one wants in an enemy." She suddenly smiled, "Us as in, you think I'll help you in your search? Or 'us' as in the more general Jedi Order?" she suspected the latter was what he'd meant, but she asked anyway. She didn't know why, whether she wanted it to be the former, or what. In fact, she wished she hadn't asked. But it was too late for that.