Aerandir Calmcacil
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 13, 2016 23:00:43 GMT -8
*Nearly every word that followed had elicited intrigue. His own name, which he didn't remember giving. Her claim that the universe "demanded" her stay on Nar Shaddaa. A claimed "trip to the past" by Na'an...* "Can't say I have..." *he replied, remaining casual as always.* "That's weird. I don't remember giving you my name, though."
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 13, 2016 23:06:27 GMT -8
"You didn't."
A playful smirk graced her lips, a single spark flashing in her eyes.
"Jedi Master Aerandir Calmcacil. Stationed on Felucia. Loving husband and father of two, last I checked. Morgan and Kayla."
Again came the laugh, the bitter sound of self-derision.
"Look at me go. Old habits do die hard, don't they..?"
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 13, 2016 23:15:21 GMT -8
*The way she so casually listed those facts about Aerandir was only mildly alarming. In truth, his name and rank were far from secret, and his station wouldn't be difficult to determine. Hell, it would be reasonable to identify Morgan and Kayla. The fact that he was married though? Then again, marriage records... That, and there was a large crucial hole in her plethora of facts that elicited a smirk from him.*
"You missed a couple," *he remarked.* "Granted, one or two are very recent, but I've had the others a while."
*He chuckled, then tilted his head again.* "But you haven't yet told me why apparently the universe 'willed' you to be on Nar Shaddaa."
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 13, 2016 23:35:42 GMT -8
Part of her missed the back-and-forth of this sort of banter. It had certainly been quality entertainment in her old life.
You don't get to enjoy that anymore.
She sighed. No one else had seemed to understand the implications of what had happened on Kamino.. Perhaps Aerandir would be different.
"Around three years ago, Na'an and.. Leigh.."
It was the first time she had said the name out loud. As seemed to be typical of this interaction, the emotions on her face were complicated: in this case, a mix of pride and sadness.
"..ahem. Na'an and Leigh commandeered a craft that was designed to rip apart the fabric of the universe. They went back in time. Na'an was trying to rid the galaxy of a brilliant madman.. She didn't know I would be there, though. Things didn't go as she had planned. No one died, and after they left, things went back to the way they had been.
"Except now we knew our future. We knew we were slated to die in less than a year. The future is always in motion, but ours wasn't. Things had to play out so that ... he and I would die, and we wouldn't have any place in the galaxy anymore."
Again with the tiny smile.
"At least.. It had to seem that way. We didn't know what would happen if we changed things from the way they were supposed to go, and we weren't going to find out. So we faked our deaths, and we hid apart from each other."
She sighed.
"I'm hoping this is making sense."
What makes you think he even cares. Shut your mouth, girl.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 14, 2016 0:02:10 GMT -8
*Interesting. She hadn't had much of a reaction to the knowledge she'd miscalculated. A touch of wistfulness, but for what? But then she sighed, beginning to explain her story with some brief hesitance after the mention of Leigh. Leigh, who, despite resembling an armored combat droid on the outside, was still a daughter to Eliana.
If there was anything Aerandir could empathize with Eliana on, it was children.
And yet, the story that followed... it was quite fantastical. Time travel? That was all theoretical; even the most advanced Force techniques could not change the past. You could change one's perception of the past, but not the event itself, and that alone required the most powerful dedication. What could technology accomplish that the Force could not? Plus, he felt like he'd at least have heard a whisper of such a creation's existence...
But if he had to take her story at face value...* "Well, I'd say your continued existence alone, regardless of whatever false identities you may have had for yourselves, would have affected the time stream. If you were worried about changing the future, I'd think it's possible you had regardless. Who knows what inserting yourself into the Nar Shaddaa underworld did for their original timeline?" *If such a thing existed... he was definitely conferring with Na'an about this later.
He folded his hands and rested his elbows on his lap, propping his chin on his fingers.* "So you put yourself in a tight spot, basically. And you raised hell for so many people. I could buy self-preservation, but using a Jedi and CorSec agent like you did? Willingly endangering her life, and the lives of people you knew?" *His voice was almost free of accusation; it faltered a bit when indirectly mentioning Adelle, but considering her relationship with Morgan, Aerandir had some personal investment in that angle.*
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 14, 2016 17:25:54 GMT -8
She knew he was humouring her with his acceptance of her story. Well, that was fine. She hadn't expected anything else. There was nothing more to say on that subject; while normally she would be fine with a good discussion of temporal theory, this was anything but a normal time.
Something he had said, though, struck her as off.
"..how exactly do you think I used Adelle..?"
It had been an indirect mention, of course, but it didn't take a genius to figure out who he had meant.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 14, 2016 18:46:34 GMT -8
*It wasn't an invitation to deduction: It was genuine confusion. Aerandir frowned; how couldn't she know what he was talking about? To be completely fair, he didn't know all the details himself, but he had Na'an's... admittedly brief account.* "According to Na'an," *he explained slowly,* "you recruited her under false pretenses. She didn't explain more than that, other than that it resulted in Adelle attempting to fight in a state of exhaustion."
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 15, 2016 22:01:34 GMT -8
"I was working a bounty snatch. It was a solo mission. She chose to jump in and lend her aid."
She sighed.
"It was.. a mistake to bring my mission into a civilian area. But her involvement was her choice."
Her sapphire gaze once more dropped to the floor.
"I also failed to anticipate running into .. anyone I used to know."
They loved you when you were dead. Shame they had to find out the truth, huh?
Elly closed her eyes, another sigh escaping her lips. Her elbows went to her knees, her hands coming up to hold her face.
They hate you.
I hate me.
Good.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Affiliation: The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 15, 2016 22:24:57 GMT -8
*And that explained it: Adelle's involvement was voluntary, albeit it was still Eliana's fault the mission entered civilian territory. He mentally filed that one away with things to discuss with Adelle. Eliana seemed to feel bad about it... or perhaps about the fact that she'd been discovered?
Come to think of it, Eliana and at least Na'an seemed to have been close at some point. And now they were reduced to... enemies? No, not quite. Na'an had said the entire ordeal had made her "furious." Were it any typical crook who'd done the same thing in Eliana's shoes, he doubted she'd have that opinion. Which meant Na'an obviously expected better of her... Because she knew her. And Eliana had disappointed her.
And she hated herself for it.*
"And then what happened?" *he asked, wondering what else might deviate from Na'an's account.*
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 15, 2016 23:24:45 GMT -8
Oh, gods. Now he wanted the whole story. She pulled her head up from her hands, once more locking eyes with him, the pain she felt quite evident behind those crystalline irises.
"I.."
A sudden realization befell her, and in a moment of clarity, she was able to smile.
"I'd love to tell you all about the dini'la osik that went down at Palecki's, but.. think I could get some actual clothes in here? If not mine, then something at least semi-decent?"
She was, after all, still in her medical gown..
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Affiliation: The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 15, 2016 23:42:21 GMT -8
*Reluctance. Pain. It was evident. And understandable. But Aerandir needed to get her side of the story, needed to have all the pieces. Which, as his eyes looked away from Eliana as though looking through walls, subtly reminded him there was one other witness and culprit he hadn't yet considered.
His focus returned to the girl as she began to speak, then halted before asking for clothing. Right. Aerandir hadn't even thought of that. He turned to Narvos, who was still watching along with the other two Masters, and gestured back towards the detention center's entrance.* "There's a cabinet—"
"I'm aware," *the Nelvaanian replied dutifully, unfolding his arms as he headed back towards that way.
He'd clearly quickly acquainted himself with his new post. Aerandir gave a small smile, pleased by his diligence. The Brute quickly returned with a dull gray uniform, consisting of a short-sleeved top and pants. Aerandir stood, taking a few steps towards the entrance and reaching out to accept them, then turned to offer them to Eliana.*
"Not quite designer, but here you go," *he commented. He then made to stand in the doorway, back turned so as to afford her some privacy, without allowing her an escape route; regardless of her current state, he wasn't about to risk anything. And if she tried to attack him? He had another eye on her already: The Force's. He would know and be able to respond in kind.
Not that he expected her to attempt anything, what with her willingly suppressing her own Force use and not one, but four skilled Jedi in the immediate area.
While he stood in the doorway, the other three Jedi also respected her privacy, albeit by more simply walking just out of the cell's line of sight. Far enough away to appease her, close enough to assist Aerandir should it be necessary.*
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 16, 2016 0:16:50 GMT -8
She could sense Aerandir's watchful mental eye on her, and it caused the smile to widen a bit. She was almost offended; he himself had said she was brilliant. Did he really think she was going to-..
Maybe you could get them to kill you. Wouldn't that be great?
And just like that, the smile was gone. She stood halfheartedly, her limbs feeling once more like they were made of lead. The medical gown fell away, and she started putting on the uniform.
To come all this way, just to get yourself killed. But that wouldn't fix anything, would it?
Shockingly, the uniform actually fit her well enough. That was good, at least.
"Thanks."
With the brief interlude over, she knew she was going to have to tell Aerandir her story. She sat back down, her eyes drifting to the device housing the orange lightsaber crystal that had once belonged to her mother.
If only she could see you now.
That thought was a slap to the face, and she flinched as if struck. Her hands tightened into fists again, briefly driving her nails once more into the bandaged wounds. A single spark flew from her left hand before she drew another breath, trying to take her mind off her past..
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 16, 2016 23:15:49 GMT -8
*Coupled with the preceding sounds of ruffling fabric, Aerandir took the grateful remark as a sign she had finished changing and carefully turned toward her, proving he was right. His reentering the cell prompted his comrades to return to their original positions.
He paused briefly in his approach, noting the spark coming out of her left hand with surprise and curiosity. And caution; whatever had just caused that might have been worth investigation, if she had some sort of implants. But that was a topic for afterward, as he this time leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking as casual as ever.* "Sorry about that," *he commented in regards to her prolonged wearing of a medical gown.* "Now then, you were going to tell me about what happened after Adelle got involved?"
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 21, 2016 21:03:45 GMT -8
And so they were going to launch straight back into the interview. That was okay, she could use a distraction from the thought of her mother. She unflexed her hands and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking again.
"Adelle held off the bounty hunter. I escorted the target to an establishment I .. used to frequent. I didn't expect..."
You expected your life to stay "perfect."
".. to see Na'an and Leigh there at that time. I definitely didn't expect to see my brother. They confronted me, the bounty hunter caught up, some more thugs caught up, everything turned into chaos. I took a pretty bad hit, my visor broke, and.. I don't really remember much after that."
She shrugged, waiting for more questions..
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 21, 2016 22:03:30 GMT -8
*The continued story seemed to corroborate Na'an's report. It seemed, then, the only inconsistent detail was the nature of Adelle's involvement. That meant yet another debriefing was in order until he was sure he had all the pieces.
But there was nothing left to ask Eliana at this juncture. She'd given all the details she could. Though he had to be sure of at least one more thing.* "What was your next memory? And do you know anything about what happened between then and your passing out?"
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 22, 2016 23:45:23 GMT -8
"I know Cao killed people to protect me. Or at least, Vilus did. Everything was hitting me, and Cao was in here.."
She brought her right hand up to tap at her temple.
"..keeping me sane. But.. I'm sorry for the lives it cost."
Her hand fell back down, as did her gaze. She opened her mouth to speak.. but closed it again, right away.
You never meant for that to happen, huh? That excuse won't work anymore.
She sighed, then looked back up at him, staring at him with pleading eyes.
"Can I ask you something?"
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 23, 2016 17:46:28 GMT -8
*So she was aware of Caoimhin's actions; or rather, Vilus's. And yet, apparently her brother, amidst all the chaos caused by the breaking of her strange visor, had somehow attempted to keep her "sane," as she put it. Aerandir glanced down at the visor, aware of its functions, but still endlessly curious about its existence in the first place. It was reasonable to assume she used it to help keep herself hidden during those years of faked death; Aerandir idly wondered how he would fare in such a situation, considering he often stressed the importance of functioning without the Force should one find themselves suddenly without it.
Eliana claimed to be sorry for the lives lost in the struggle, seemingly feeling defeated once more. Was it sincere? As much as it had seemed to be up until now, Aerandir practiced caution; he didn't even know her, after all. Before he could explore this any further, however, she looked up at him pleadingly, asking if she could ask him something.* "You just did," *he quipped with a small smirk, despite the situation. The smirk became a kind smile as he added,* "But seriously, by all means."
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 23, 2016 20:03:00 GMT -8
She would have laughed, normally, but as things were now, it was lucky that a smile briefly made an appearance on her face. It was just a fleeting moment, though, and she glanced away as she spoke.
"I know Leigh .. hates me. Lana, probably, at this point. I don't know. But.."
Once more she looked up at him, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.
"..have you heard anything of 01?"
She realized that he didn't have to even answer her. She didn't know whether he even knew about LE-01. But a mother could hope..
Some mother you are.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Sept 23, 2016 20:45:10 GMT -8
*Aerandir was almost disappointed his little joke hadn't drawn much of a reaction; humor was a tool he used to lighten the mood as best as he could, after all. Or irritate his enemies. But even he felt a little twinge of sympathy when she again spoke of her children, feeling as though they hated her. Aerandir wasn't certain that was true at all, but he definitely knew he wouldn't know how to react if one of his own children somehow came to loathe him.
It was a thought he violently fought back, only to somehow feel empty as he looked at the floor when Eliana asked about 01. Yes... the third one. Or first, rather. Lana had talked about her. No one knew where she was. Something Aerandir hated to have to be the one to tell Eliana; hers was a position he never wanted to be in himself either.
He slowly shook his head.* "I wish I had." *He looked up at her, letting his sympathy show. He almost wanted to assure her that they could find her, or at least a lead... but he had to remind himself that Eliana was kind of a convict at the moment, so he stopped short.
Come to think of it, he felt like he had all he needed now, but it certainly would have been an awful time to leave.* "... we'll look into it," *he let slip at last. Somewhat apologetically, he added,* "But for now, we sort of have to settle this case first."
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Post by Eliana Shan on Sept 27, 2016 21:18:40 GMT -8
"..of course." Realistically, she hadn't expected anything more. She was, after all, a criminal, though a part of her wondered if she had broken any Felucian laws. Still, she understood the precautions, and she wasn't going to say anything more about it."Thanks." Think she'll hate you, too?She sighed, then turned as a familiar voice could be heard from across and down the hallway. |
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