Ardor and Angst

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben made witness to the outburst with nothing but absolute understanding. He’d known the pain of loss in his time, perhaps more than most, he knew it well enough to recognize it’s vicious effects on the youth before him as she punched the door. He remained silent, she needed to come to terms in her own way but more importantly she needed to overcome her nerves and press onward; a foe was to the rear the likes of which they couldn’t possibly confront right now. The foe was an unknown and the assets of the unknown were vast indeed. A direct confrontation would have been fruitless and nothing but a waste not to mention a compromise of others around them that would suffer as collateral damage.

In time she mounted the speeder and drew her blaster pistol, still Ben said nothing and went about his primary duty of getting her away from the situation. Eventually though they sped away without further incident and they traded introductions; however just before that he gave her his condolences for her loss. Her openness was good, though he still felt her emotions very near the surface of her heart. It wasn’t a bad thing to be certain, it was very human of her actually, and Ben knew first hand that the Zabrak people wore their emotions like a second skin and most were very prone to utilizing them in many situations. Again, not a bad thing, for Sophii was a vibrant individual and her heart was in the right place… that and that alone was all that truly mattered.

Nodding as she spoke, he offered himself up for further assistance as apparently an opportunity had arisen in which he could help the Zabrak female once more. “A Jedi Temple, we’re quite far away from one just yet, but I know the way and one such destination happens to be where I’m heading. Instead of just getting you off-planet, if I may be so bold miss, you are welcome to accompany me. I’m heading to Kashyyyk, a small Jedi Enclave is there. We can refit, refuel, and introduce you further into the Jedi Coalition before heading deeper into Alliance Territory.” He noted her desire to make way for Koda Station and he didn’t want to leave that bit out, “Koda is far from here though, may take a few days to get there if not weeks depending on the alert level of security checkpoints along the way. But we’ll make sure you head in the right direction.”

That moment was perhaps the first time that Ben affiliated himself openly with the Jedi when he mentioned ’we’ll. Though still he hadn’t officially stated it one way or another. He wasn’t hiding anything, he just didn’t suppose its importance to her. Not wanting her to become concerned he narrated his next actions as he changed course and took a route due North away from Junction City at an increased rate of speed. “My ship is not far from here; ‘bout ten clicks north of here.”

With a moment to converse he decided to continue the line of thought. “So tell me Sophii, where do you come from and how did you come to know your friend back there?”

[Sophii Zahra]

Sophii listened to the Human and nodded her approval at his offer to take her to an Enclave nearby.
"Kashyyyk?" She perked up and her eyes seemed to light up, "That makes sense... You know, I have always wanted to go there! And I don't have to go to Koda... That was just the only place that i knew had Jedi."

The young woman let a smile touch her lips as they sped away from the city and toward the Human's ship. She breifly wondered what kind of ship he would have, but decided not to worry about it since she would see it shortly. Instead, she turned and watched Junction City fade away in the last of the sunlight, as it would hopefully be the last piece of Impirial territory she would see for a long time.

A couple of minutes passed before she turned around again and studied the Jedi beside her. Before she could glean any real insights, though, he asked her about her past.

"I'm from Cathar," she started. "My parents were Senators for Iridonia. I was adopted by a rich family after the Empire took Coruscant... A family friend, apparently. Anyway, my adoptive father never bothered to hide my powers from me or anyone else, since Cathar pretty much closed off from most of the Galaxy after Thrawn's Empire started to bounce back. He even went to the trouble of finding old manuals and a Jedi holocron for me to study. He always said to me, 'Ignorance is the leading cause of unnecessary pain."

"So he let me learn, and he let me train, and he helped me understand, and when he asked me what I wanted for my sixteenth birthday, I told him he already knew. Two weeks later, he sent me here to meet a Jedi. I never learned his name."