Corellian Camp

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Within a half standard local day of their arrival, the Corellian Jedi had set up their own camp a mere two hundred meters from the landing zone of the vessel that had brought them, on the side away from the Temple proper. A combination of campaign tents, prefabricated structures, and quick form molds formed the majority of domiciles while a quick drop barracks and mobile communication centers were situated along the most temple-ward edge of the roughly circular encampment. The center was left open and a impromptu gathering place was formed of it by the seemingly random placement of tables and barriers. A practiced military eye would recognize it as a semi-disguised fallback point after little study, however.

The encampment wasn't an attempt to separate themselves from the other Jedi but, rather, an attempt to stay together. One of the group's primary concerns, quickly conveyed to their new allies Master to Master, was being split up and having their number devestated across several minor clashes with various foes. Together they could keep an eye on their losses and send home anyone who's family line was in danger of being obliterated through attrition. The camp was open to any and all visitors and, since the Antarian Rangers were in no position to fill an entire barracks alone, the extra bunks were even quickly listed as available for transitioning soldiers to use from the greater Jedi-loyal forces.

The Jedi themselves didn't behave as insular either, for as soon as the camp was set up many of them spread out across the temple and its grounds to introduce themselves to anyone they met, offering explanation regarding their sudden and relatively late arrival. Many of the Antarian Rangers did much the same, going forth to introduce themselves to their fellow soldiers and make their arrangements with the military establishment on Ossus. They also began sketching out the layout of everything. It might look odd to the unitiated, but they were scouts by nature and training.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaziki Halcyon spent much of his time immediately after being acknowledged as a Jedi Knight by the Order exploring the immediate surroundings of the Academy itself. Strolling casually about engaging in conversation anyone who looked like they had the time to spare was a tried and true tactic for the young Corellian, nor did it fail him in that place either. There were few guards, despite the occasional tragedy in the past the Jedi felt little need for such a thing beyond their own numbers, but Kaz had a wonderful conversation with the on duty Jedi Gatekeeper under the pretense of making sure the newly arrived Corellians were up to date on any protocols for arrival and departure from the Academy. Good terms with the people who had keys was a plus.

He'd avoided the soldier emplacements, the Antarian Rangers would be making the rounds on the perimeter, but Kaz was careful to give a friendly greeting to any non-Force sensitive he passed. The Jedi had to be accessible, the mystic routine bred suspicion and that was just another form of fear. When the opportunity arose all of the Corellians had been directed to pick up civil service in the Jedi way and to inform the recipient of any such help that the Jedi (or at least the Corellian Jedi) were always available to help where needed.

When he got a little hungry he made his way into the back areas of the Temple, entering the kitchens from the 'servant' entrance. Kaz quickly ingratiated himself to the people working there, as well as one persnickity droid waiter, and snacked while helping them pass the time. At one point he even threw off his newly acquired robe, rolled up his sleeves, and assisted in the dish washing to help keep things up. He claimed it was paying for his meal, which got him the assurances that he didn't have to along with a wash of respect through the Force. He did it anyway.

The young noble blooded man even winked at a few girls along the way, including a Togruta Jedi Master he hadn't seen at his Knighting. She hadn't been prepared for such a familiar action from such a complete stranger and it showed as the Force was flooded with flattered shock. Her cheeks even reddened somewhat as he passed by. Her curiosity followed him halfway across the temple before it withdrew, he imagined, at finally finding an answer as to who he was. That reaction, along with so many others, kept a truly genuine smile on the face of the naturally social young man the entire day.

When he finally decided to head back to camp it was only once he felt the general pull of confluence through the Force, the pull that told him he needed to be there if he wanted to hear the reports of the day. He usually wasn't one for the digesting of unrefined intelligence but this time was different. This was so intriguing a project Kaz couldn't imagine being any where else. So he turned and headed back. He fell in behind a group of Jedi from the main body of the Order who were happily following one of his fellow Corellian Knights, the lot of them apparently set on a late night of Sabacc. A lot of interesting information would come of that and Kaz was unlikely to see that particular Corellian at the meeting he himself was headed for, but said Corellian was excused.

As that group went there Kaz turned hard for the center of the Corellian encampment, weaving his way along the paths between tents as if they had been in their respective locations for decades and he'd lived among them for years. When he arrived at a large, pavillion style tent Kaz swept through the entrance without hesitation and found himself standing amongst a crowd of robes of various hues of brown. His own black robe made him look like darkness amongst shade but he merely found a place he could watch overhear the reporting from and listened with a smile while waiting his turn.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

A little more than twelve standard hours later Kaz found himself standing on the training field where he'd had his brief defense against the aggressive techniques of a Jedi Master. The style itself had been more surprising than the arrival and attack, Kaz had never seen a master apply such a steadfastly offensive form before and had to admit to himself that it had been a blind spot he was fortunate to have survived long enough to identify without injury. He'd been forced to use a 'dirty' shortcut to bring things back to even despite the fact that he'd always expected to face the exact same methods amongst the Sith.

That morning, however, the training field was being used in full as a sizable number of apprentices and younglings were out taking care of their morning exercises. Kaz was, at that moment, watching a small knot of them practicing the very basics of Form I. It was refreshing to see the flow of basic swordsmanship in effect, and a pity that so few of them would maintain the lessons of their youth. Kaz made a strong habit of going for the weapons of his opponents when the opportunity arose, especially since he had such strong defense against the same technique being used in turn being a practitioner of Makashi. The children worked at it, and at least three of them showed the kind of precision that Kaz would look for in his own students when he was ready for such a thing. The precision that would lead to a firm skill in Form II.

His comlink went off, beeping a single low tone that would have been difficult to hear from more than a foot or two away. As it was integrated into the bracer datapad he preferred over the stand alone units Kaz merely extend his arm with a quick movement that cleared his forearm from his dark robes, held it before himself, and tapped a button with his nose rather than lift his other arm to bother with it. "Halcyon," he said by way of a greeting. A robotic tone emitted from the directional speaker, informing him that he had a mission and was to report to Corellian HQ immediately. He sighed and shut it down, standing and making his way toward the Corellian camp at a sedate pace. Kaz had been raised in a aristocratic world and was adept at social movement, he'd had no illusions about his duties as a Jedi Knight when this new Jedi movement had come to their attention. He'd just hoped the Force would speak to him before he set out, give him something more critical to the future than talking somebody into doing what they already knew was the right thing...

-----------------------------------------------------

As Kaz carried his gear onto the old Lambda class armored shuttle that he'd been assigned he couldn't help but muse over the fact that he'd guessed it on the dot. His mission, whether he liked it or not, was talking some being with more money that morality into spending that money on something with strictly moral rewards. That, at least, was the primary purpose of the mission. There was a more interesting secondary element that included the need to gain access to a bit of infrastructure that supported the Kuat Drive Yards and do something devilish to it if the opportunity was available but it was, as noted, secondary.

He closed the loading ramp, set the engines to cycle, and settled into the pilots chair to make sure all the lights that were supposed to be green turned green. "I hate flying," he intoned quietly to himself. Piloting had never been his greatest of skills... or to be honest even a skill he would really claim as a skill. He was passable, able to qualify for most vessels, but they hadn't made a vessel yet that moved the way he moved. Even a dogfight in state of the art fighters was more like a clunky droid dance than a duel when compared to Kaz's expectations of a fight.

He got his clearance for departure, lifted the vessel, and was on auto-pilot just as quickly as he could get it switched over. Kaz remained in the cockpit just long enough to make the jump to lightspeed, once the vessel was clear of the mass shadow of Ossus, and then he moved to the more comfortable passenger cabin. It's conversion made the vessel like a flying dormitory or soldier's cell. The bed was small but comfortable enough and folded against the wall, as did everything else including the hard emplacement chair that was attached below the surface that would serve as a desk or dinner table. That left the central space clear for exercises, sword forms, and meditation. The last of which Kaz immediately indulged in by dropping into a cross legged sit. There was no point in wasting resources when he could simply drop into a short hibernation from which the drop from hyperspace would awaken him....

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz's return to Ossus was late, to say the least of the matter. He'd been recalled three days earlier to pick up some intelligence, materials for distribution, hard copy messages (intended to keep sensitive information off the holonet for as long as possible), and a new asset. Personally, Kaz was uninterested in the last of the list, knowing a new asset assigned by somebody without consulting him was guaranteed to be some form of control put on his freedom of action. Considering he'd spent part of his assignments attending to personal goals as well as the subject of interest to the Order there was some reason for it but not a good enough one in Kaz's opinion.

The fact that they had called on him while he'd been in the middle of negotiating a foothold on Serenno had been frustrating... for all of about three seconds until he decided to finish what he was about before returning. Three days later, he was striding across the surface of Ossus toward the heart of the Corellian camp. He'd been informed his new 'asset' would be waiting in the command structure (the tent had been replaced with a prefab bunker while he'd been away... cool). Kaz walked into the place like he owned it... and there was a fair chance that Horn credits had purchased it so he probably did. The light inside was dim compared to the lovely day outside and so Kaz paused for a few moments to let his eyes adjust.

"Don't worry everybody. I'm back, safe and sound. Where's the champagne?" He looked around with a bit of a squint. "Balloons? No?"

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura wasn't used to waiting. For anyone. When one had an appointed time to be somewhere, one was there, whether or not it was convenient. That included jumped up Corellian noblemen, the type of Corellian nobleman she was supposed to be assisting. She was almost twitchy as she waited for the venerated Kaziki Halcyon to arrive.

He was certainly held in high esteem by the Jedi Council, despite his lack of formal training, and Kura couldn't help but wonder whether daddy dearest had bought the boy's way into the Order. Likely, to be honest, from what she knew of the Corellians from her Master. In the meantime, Kura sat and meditated, ignoring the comings and goings in the simple building, choosing instead to bolster the Force within, and prepare for the coming storm. Her first mission, and she and her supposed "mentor" were likely as inexperienced as one another.

A brash, loud, confident voice knocked her out of her reverie, and Kura blinked a few times, gazing directly, unsmilingly, at the new arrival, who was acting for all the world as though he owned the place. A few seconds of silence, and she raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips in near disapproval. "There is no champagne." Kura stood, raising herself to her full height, which was not unimposing to most people when her montrals were taken into account. "Are you Kaziki Halcyon?"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Oh..." Kaz brightened up considerably from the disappointment of no party to celebrate his return at the site of the Togruta. She was as striking as most of her species, perhaps more so as Kaz found himself momentarily silent for just wanting to look. His recovery, when it came, was smooth and flawless. "I'll have to plan the next one myself. Once they see how much fun it is everybody else will get on board." He grinned mischievously at her for a long moment until she asked if he was Kaziki Halcyon.

"At your service." He gave her a sweeping bow and came up again like he'd trained all his life for the action. "You can call me Kaz, unless I owe you money and then it's Lord Horn." His smile got grander when he got a few chuckles from the technicians at the monitors, he was starting to win over his usual audience again even though there was an outsider on hand. "Or possibly Terrik depending on the nature of said debt but enough about me. Let's talk about you. Do you think I owe you money?" A snort and some more laughter got him to give her a wink.

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura's face remained expressionless as the young man gazed at her for a second or two before replying to her comment about there being no champagne. Like all humans, he was exotic to her eyes, and she took a moment to take in his appearance. Despite having trained with a few humans, she still found the sight of them arresting, almost alluring. However, the owner of such an attractive shell didn't seem to have such an attractive personality to go with it. "Fun is not an imperative at this time," she replied impassively, her voice low and ever so slightly husky. "I was not sent here to have fun."

A wry twitch tugged at the corner of her lips as Kaziki bowed, his ego seemingly inflating further as he played to his audience. The technicians seemed to be finding this all extremely amusing, and Kura shot them a withering stare. "You owe me nothing," she replied, her face once again expressionless. After all, she was here on a mission, not for pleasure, and there was little need for wordplay.

"My name is Kura Nuhok, and I am a Jedi Knight. I have been sent to assist you in your mission. Although, if you are fleeing from those to whom you owe money, perhaps I have been sent to protect you instead." A second's stony glance at Kaz, and her lips twitched upwards momentarily, almost challengingly in slight amusement as she watched the young Corellian. He could be almost intriguing if he were to step outside of his own ego for a while.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"A smile a day keeps the Dark Side at bay. Even in our darkest hours we mustn't become grim and humorless creatures, that's the trap the Sith have fallen into. Taking themselves entirely too seriously." He didn't mention it was the same trap the Jedi Order had fallen into many, many times to its own near demise. It was painful not learning from history. The fact that they had to number Jedi Purges in history should have started to tell people that but he saw the order plodding toward that same path whenever he looked into the future. "I wasn't sent to have fun either but I like to exceed my orders whenever possible."

"We'll see." It was a simple and friendly response that subtly indicated he wasn't against owing her something. His behavior had settled back to something more life sized than upon his first entry. Kaz hadn't been trying to impress her, he hadn't really known who or where she'd be but rather had been being... well, his persona. He really hoped his new companion wasn't always a wet blanket though, it would make it a miserable partnership.

"I'm honored to meet you Kura Nuhok," Kaz pronounced it perfectly back to her. "Help, protection... a little from column A and a little from column B most likely. There should be a little larceny in there as well. Always good to have a new best friend, right?" He turned and gestured toward the door he'd come through. "Shall we walk, talk, get to know each other? I can show you the ship and get you settled into your new quarters." His smile was polite, his demeanor gentlemanly.

[Kura Nuhok]

Cocking her head to one side, Kura regarded Kaz quietly while he talked. That was the way of her people: listen, observe, learn, speak only when necessary. Most times, words were utterly superfluous to the situation, so why waste them? A slight, wry smile twitched into place as he expressed the need for humour, and she arced an eyebrow up. "Seeking to exceed your orders is a noble pursuit, Kaziki Halcyon," she replied, an amused note to her low, husky voice. "Perhaps we shall succeed."

Suddenly, the feigned arrogance was gone, just two simple words stripping away the persona that the young Knight had presented for the benefit of his ready-made audience of technicians, and Kura found herself already having to re-evaluate the Corellian nobleman. There seemed to be many facets to him. "We shall see indeed," she allowed quietly, for the first time looking at him with something other than guarded politeness. Perhaps this assignment might not be so bad after all.

"I, too, am honoured to meet you, Kaziki Halcyon," she replied in kind. Her black eyes glittered in the half-light of the building, and she smiled - genuinely smiled, this time - at Kaz's assessment of their proposed working relationship. "Larceny... is probably more of your skillset than of mine, Kaz," she rebuked lightly. "My Force is connected with the natural world, and our superiors feel that our powers should balance each other out." Nodding at Kaz's offer to walk and talk, Kura grabbed a pack that had been under the table, and headed wordlessly towards the door, stepping out into the bright sunlight.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned, looking at Kaz in the full light for the first time, and rather enjoying the view. Humans had always held an exotic allure for her, and it would appear that Kaz Halcyon was no exception. "I feel you should know that this is my first assignment," she stated flatly. "And I feel somewhat... trepidatious."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

He casually mirrored her head movement, bringing to bear all the psychology that existed in the practice. Kaz kept talking. That was the way of his people: talk, maneuver, scam, inspire, speak whenever possible. Most times, silence was utterly unnecessary to any activity. Somebody who couldn't act while talking or amidst the distraction was somebody with an undisciplined mind. It was hard to get to know people, why waste an opportunity? Her smile pleased him beyond measure, he'd cracked the facade. "It has a tendency to drive the Masters to distraction but I agree."

"Kaz, just Kaz. I hear my entire name from every majordomo in the galaxy and the novelty quickly wears off." He said simply, largely neutral on the matter but figuring it was better to hear his nickname from time to time. Even the Antarian Rangers referred to him as Knight Halcyon. He then looked mock aghast, his hand on his chest in shock to make up for the dim lighting inside. "And then she goes and accuses me of being a career thief. Not all us city folk are fast talking con artists... and in polite society we refer to those who are as politicians." He grinned at his own joke and followed her outside.

Her sudden stop and turn caught him a touch by surprise but he managed to stop mid step with the practiced ease of a professional dancer, managing to stop short of being nose to nose with her. Personal space being what it was and all. Rather than be confused or put off Kaz shot the Togruta his best smile. He was lightly tanned, dark haired, clean shaven, and possessed of unique green eyes the color of an Emerald in direct sunlight. At least so long as they were in direct sunlight. At six feet tall he was a bit taller than her properly, though the horns or what ever they were called more than made up for that on her.

"Ooooo, trepidation. That's going on my word a day galactic calendar." Kaz wasn't being teasing or anything, merely remarking over a larger word than most people tended to use. "I've long since lost count of how many 'missions' I've been on but, as always, I'm exuberant."

[Kura Nuhok]

"Kaz, then," Kura conceded. "And you may call me Kura." Human beings, though, seemed not to stand on ceremony, so it was unlikely that that concession had been entirely necessary. And then he looked almost offended as she stated that larceny was probably better suited to him than it was to her, and she arced a frosty eyebrow at him. Only for a second or two, though, before something in his odd, human expression told her that he was trying to joke with her.

"If I were to accuse you of being a 'career thief', I would say it outright," she replied, a hint of laughter settling into her voice. Maybe this man wasn't the cocky maverick that he appeared to be, after all. "I merely feel that your more... urban and worldly skills are far more in tune with larceny than... talking to animals. Or controlling the environment." A smile twitched at the corners of her lips again, showing how proud she was of that ability. "What are your powers, anyway," she asked curiously. "The Masters did not brief me fully."

Kura honestly hadn't meant to stop as suddenly as she did. And when she did, Kaz almost bumped right into her, his nose ended up merely an inch or two from hers. He was only a couple of inches taller than she was, although her montrals meant that, technically, she had an advantage of a fair few inches on him. Tilting her chin slightly, she looked him directly in his brilliant green eyes, and returned his bright smile with a small, pale one of her own - it was the closest he was going to get to the real deal at the moment.

"I will gift you a word of the day calendar for your birthday," she replied dryly. "I think you will find 'trepidation' near the end of the year this year." She swallowed as he admitted he had been on more missions than he had cared to count, and, slightly nervously, Kura nodded, feeling like a newly-minted Padawan again for a moment. "I do not wish to let you down, Kaz."

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"Pretty name, Kura." No point in telling her he'd already intended to... or maybe Stripes, that would be a good nickname to try out later when they had some working relationship set up. Besides, what he said was true and it needed expounding on. "Matches the barer." It was an easy and, best of all, true compliment (lying to a Jedi was bad, not to mention really hard to do).

She went on to explain that she merely thought his more worldly and urban skills weren't so suited to what she found was her area of expertise. "Quite the contrary. I talk to animals quite regularly and live to control my environment... though I have a feeling that I'm using a more liberal definition of the two words. My animals are beings of the semi-sentient variety. My environment the halls of power be it political, criminal, or economic. So... no hawkbats but I'm on a first name basis with at least three Hutts. I used to have a pet lizard..." Kaz shrugged at that last bit, knowing it wasn't the most relevant factoid but he'd liked that lizard.

"I'm very good at convincing people to do the right thing, whether they are the type or not." He chuckled, mostly to himself. Kaz enjoyed few things in his world but first and foremost was word games. "But then, that's more a skill than power. However, on the oh so rare occasion that it doesn't work..." He held out his left hand, flat and palm up, closed his right hand over it, and when he parted the two a perfect Corellian Lily blossom lay glistening in the palm of his hand. He waited a few moments for her to get a good look at it before he wiggled the fingers of his right hand at the blossom causing it to break into a glittering dust and float away on an imaginary breeze.

Kaz watched her for her reaction with a self-pleased grin. "The Masters, at least the ones you're referring to, aren't completely aware of what I can do. It's ok by me, of course. I like it that way really." They were close enough to kiss and he tilted his head as he regarded her. There were a lot of folks around, the Corellian camp veritably buzzing with activity at all hours of the day and night. If he properly remembered Togruta from his xeno-psychology lessons then she was in her element... but he couldn't help but wonder how she would feel on a heavy cargo ship that tended to be more empty space than anything else.

"I found 'beauty' already. I imagine the 't' words are a ways off, indeed." He smiled as a tingle in the Force reached him. "I don't wish to be let down so I tell you what. I'll keep my expectations realistic and you just give it your best go. Hold on a moment, I have to speak to my spie... er, students. Yes, students." He turned on his hill as first one, then two, and a final count of a half dozen Younglings came running through the various tents and semi-permanent structures that served as the Corellian camp. He held out his arms as he stepped toward them and laughed.

"You all have your reports?" The chorus of affirmatives resounded back: four in common, one in a Wookie dialect, and the last in Rodian. They all held up datapads, the youth versions often handed out to young students, he grinned back at them. "Very good! Send them over here." Kaz pulled up his left sleeve to reveal his bracer mounted datapad and set it to receive the various reports. It didn't take long, the kids all direct linking their work to his data storage and then looking at him expectantly. "Very good. I'll go over these and have notes on them when I get back. Now, what did I say?"

The children all exuberantly responded as one. No presumptions, only facts. What we see, what we hear. Kaz nodded proudly. "All of you select a new target and do it again. We'll compare the second profile to your firsts and look for improvement. Go. Off with you and good work." He waived the children away and they all raced off through the camp toward the main temple, no doubt in search of their new targets. Kaz just looked like a proud father sending his brood off to do heartfelt charity. "Ah... children," he intoned.

[Kura Nuhok]

Merely nodding at Kaz's statement that she had a pretty name, Kura's lips twitched upwards, ever so slightly, as he asserted that it matched the owner of the name. She wasn't used to receiving compliments: the Togruta didn't particularly hold physical appearance in much regard, preferring to judge others on who they were, and how they contributed to the society, other than what they looked like. As such, she didn't know how to respond, other than holding Kaz's gaze, her nostrils flaring for a split second as she took in his scent for the first time, the way she would get her first hint of her prey when hunting.

Cherry blossom.

She told herself that she had to get to know his scent, as, without it, if they were separated in the heat of battle, or at any other point, she would be able to track him with the least difficulty possible. The fact that it was quite a pleasing scent in and of itself at least meant that it was no hardship.

Listening as Kaz explained that he was generally good at persuasion, and then went on to try to incorporate animals into his skillset, Kura smiled slightly, before shaking her head. "I think I shall leave you to deal with the people, if you promise to allow me to deal with the animals," she replied, a wry smile in place. "I am not so good with people; I speak only when necessary, and many people take this as rudeness. I simply see no need to talk when listening is of the greater benefit."

She blinked, though, as Kaz gave her an unexpected demonstration of his powers, creating a beautiful flower in the palm of his hand, a flower that looked so real that she reached out to touch it, before he made it dissolve into dust that sparkled as it drifted away. "That... was beautiful," she said quietly, and she looked him directly in the eye. "And most impressive. I am honoured to be working with you, Kaz. Jedi of your skill are few and far between."

Kura stood her ground as Kaz remained close to her, and she could feel the heat coming from his body. A Togruta never backed down, never gave unnecessary ground, no matter what the situation, and she saw no reason to take a step back now. The bustling activity of the camp soothed her like a balm, and she tilted her proud face slightly upwards, meeting Kaz's gaze as an equal. "Beauty lies wherever you see it," she replied softly, wondering precisely what the man was made of. After all, in turns, he had shown her brash arrogance, plain practicality, and now the soul of a poet. She had no idea who the real Kaziki Halcyon actually was, and that was something she would need to remedy: if you didn't know who you were fighting side by side with, it was a danger to all.

However, the quiet moment between them was soon shattered by the arrival of six Younglings of various ages, and Kura stepped back, slipping easily back into the stoic, silent face of the Togruta, watching as Kaz dealt with them. It was clear that they adored the man, although she wasn't quite sure that teaching them how to spy on others was something that she would agree with at such a tender age.

Smiling slightly as he dismissed them, Kura stepped to stand beside him, further apart this time, though. "I was learning to hunt Akul at that age," she stated, her fingers toying with the teeth that made up her necklace. "I took my first solo kill when I was sixteen." She didn't tell him that she had torn the flesh from the beast with her teeth, and feasted into the night with her people. That kind of detail tended to make others look at her with a certain measure of disgust.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz kept smiling, apparently he did that a lot, and nodded sagely. "Well, at the very least I'll stick to those that would be assumed to be sentient." He didn't promise though he doubted she or anyone else would notice that little detail. Kaziki Halcyon always kept his promises and making even one so innocuous as the one she'd asked for dangerous. "Not good with people? That seems a bit odd coming from somebody who has an immediate family numbering in the double digits..." He chuckled, everyday thankful he was an only child with a mere couple of cousins.

"I can appreciate your philosophy. It's different than mine but that's why we find ourselves here, yes?" He watched as she stood awed by the little trick he'd pulled. Well, not little. Forcing an image into the mind of another, especially a trained Jedi, completely enough to make them believe they were seeing it was powerful manifestation of the Force. Kaz had just perfected the art of making it look easy. He'd dismissed it just as soon as her sense of disbelief had begun to stir, before it could begin to distort and break the image he'd created.

She merely tilted her head back as they stood so close and Kaz had to actively resist the urge to kiss her and find a way off planet before she could kill him. It'd be worth the reprimand from the High Council, he just knew it. Buuuuuut... he had to work with her. For who knew how long. His mother had very rarely given him romantic advice, considering him far too capable on his own to extend such assistance often, but she'd given him some of the best he'd ever received. Don't play where you work. Not that he couldn't take his leisure with other Jedi, just not the ones he had to have close working relationships with. "It's in the eye of the beholder, and I'm the beholder. Say thank you Kaz." He winked.

The kids were gone and she rejoined him. Kaz watched the children until they were safely out of sight before he turned, gesturing they should start walking. He began to stride and addressed her statement. "The first part of hunting, and forgive me for lecturing somebody who likely knows the subject better than myself, is observation. I'm teaching them to look without making conclusions, to gather information without their own prejudices coming into play. A necessary skill to negotiate disagreements between beings. I imagine it would have its uses when hunting prey that are predators in their own right."

"In return, I get information on the state of things here on Ossus. My people came late to this gathering of our lost Order, we need to learn quickly if we are going to stand high in the future of the Jedi. It's a subject very important to us because we have watched the Order walk to the brink of destruction too many times. We don't want to be outsiders again." Not if it meant watching the Order degrade into the same lumbering target it had become so many times before. The Corellians were determined to rescue it this time, and if that failed that had a plan B as well. "What do you know of the Antarian Rangers?"

[Kura Nuhok]

Kura's face remained stoically impassive as Kaz skirted around the issue of each of them dealing with those - people or animals - to whom the Force lent them the most affinity She could tell that it would probably take some time to convince the Corellian that communication with the thought-to-be less sentient beings that they might encounter would be better left to her.

Among other things.

Shrugging lightly as Kaz commented on the likely size of her family, Kura tilted her chin proudly. "Togruta understand one another," she replied simply. "Speech is rarely needed, and, as such, our social skills with other races can be... somewhat limited." That was an understatement. Most saw the Togruta as a bloodthirsty, carnivorous race who might eat them as soon as look at them, and, as a result, Kura's exposure to other races and cultures - outside of the Jedi Order, at least - wasn't as extensive as it could be.

He was right, though: her philosophy was different from his, and, if the Jedi Council were right, their outlooks and powers could - and should - balance one another out. "You are correct," Kura replied, that slight ghost of a smile playing on her lips again, this time showing a hint of sharp, pointed teeth. "I would hope that our differences will become a strength, and not a weakness." She had only worked closely with her Master before, and with her, their similarities had provided a bond and a strength that was unexpected. To work with someone else, someone who was so completely different... well, she had some doubts, to say the least.

Glancing back down at Kaz's hand, just to make sure that there wasn't really a lily there, or that he hadn't tossed it to the ground, Kura caught his gaze again as he assured her that he found her beautiful. That just didn't make sense to her. The Togruta regarded physical appearance as a distraction, so for Kaz to comment on it was alien to her ears. They were close enough now for her to feel his warm breath on her face, and the scent of cherry blossom caught intoxicatingly in her nostrils. Kura was the first to look away, casting her eyes to the floor. "Thank you, Kaz," she murmured, the phrase tasting strange on her tongue.

Walking alongside Kaz, a respectful distance apart, and listening as he tried to explain why he was training the children the way he was, Kura glanced sidelong at him. "In some respects, you are correct," she conceded. "However, knowing the habits of your prey before you even begin to hunt is of even more importance." she left a beat of silence before casting her eyes ahead again. "Never begin to hunt unless you are sure of your own ability to effect the outcome you desire."

It was clear that Kaz was using these children to his own ends, but that was common in many cultures: if you wished to raise young Jedi, you would treat them as young Jedi in the first instance. It wasn't her place to intrude on that. A frown settled into place as Kaz asked what she knew about Antarian Rangers, and Kura tugged her Togruta robes up off the ground a little; it was too stony to be wearing clothes of such length here. "A little," she replied. "They provide paramilitary support to the Jedi, recruitment is usually by word of mouth only, and the Rangers often actively recruit from those who failed to make the grade for Jedi training." She narrowed her eyes a little. "What else should I know?"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

"I disagree, but go on." Kaz responded in a way that said it wasn't an important disagreement for the time being. Somewhere along the line the philosophy that speech was superfluous had gained ground, likely coming from a species that communicated non-vocally and assumed that meant they didn't talk just as much as other beings. The young Corellian disagreed with the thought vehemently. There were times, even in his young experience, where so long as dialogue was maintained violence was held at bay. "Oh, with your species its not so much that the rest of us dislike the way you talk. You just scare the whits out of any being who never took a xeno-biology course or two."

Kaz chuckled quietly to himself as they continued on. He'd have had no end of amusement if he'd been born to a species that was erroneously thought to be poisonous, or anything else similar for that matter. "We only have weaknesses if we allow our traits to become such. I prefer to turn such things into strengths. I tend to come off as an over indulged nobleman's son so I let my enemies and allies underestimate me. When I act they have to spend time assimilating the reality and by then I've already won." He held his fists up in front of himself, turning a little sideways and dancing like a shock-boxing champion along with his announcement of sudden victory. "An old champion called the technique the rope-a-dope."

He just gave her a wink in response to her thanking him as he'd suggested, doing nothing to further her discomfort at an unexpected compliment. Jedi didn't go about lavishing each other with physical praise to begin with but then Kaz wasn't the typical Jedi. She grudgingly admitted that he had something of a point when it came to his analogy regarding hunting. Knowing the habits of your prey before you even begin to hunt is of even more importance. "Exactly." Kaz tapped the currently inactive screen of his bracer mounted datapad while giving her a too clever smile of victory that would indicate she'd walked right into his reasoning of her own free will.

"Besides, they are learning an important skill in return and sooner or later I have to select an apprentice anyway. Might as well see what a few of them have in their heads before then." A Padawan learner wasn't something he was overly anxious to take on at that very moment but it never hurt to think ahead. As they worked their way to the edge of the Corellian encampment she listed off what she knew about the Antarian Rangers. "Sounds like it came from the holocron of somebody who'd never associated with them. Not to mention pre-Palpatine. However, technically correct even now."

Kaz stopped at the edge of camp, where it practically bordered a miniature, functional albeit rustic, space port. The Corellian made a gesture with his arm that indicated a rust-red Action XIII freighter that had been heavily modified to operate at the level of a small military corvette. "If I were you, I'd learn a few of their names." Blue uniforms moved about the near end of the field, a few here and there wearing brown, leather spacer jackets. "They appreciate the consideration."

[Kura Nuhok]

And there it was.

The first genuine laugh that Kaz had managed to elicit from Kura, and she tried to stifle it almost as quickly as it had begun. It was too late, however, and she was left with a smirk on her face that was unmistakable. "It is true," she smiled, failing miserably to get her smile back under control. "However, I can assure you... I would never bite you unless I thought I would like the taste of you." Her lips twitched again as she allowed herself that little joke.

Listening quietly, as was her way. while Kaz spoke about how he allowed most people to underestimate him, Kura nodded slightly. She could see how that was possible: to all intents and purposes, a spoilt young nobleman, but with an uncanny ability to create such lifelike illusions that it had taken her breath away. She wondered precisely how much the Council did know about his abilities, and, by extension, just how much he would let her witness, lest she run back and tell everything to their Masters.

That, she supposed, would depend entirely on how strong a bond they formed.

"It is a valid and worthy technique," she replied, cocking her head slightly to one side. "Use whatever you can to your advantage, and I can tell that cunning and wiliness are major weapons in your arsenal. Those are excellent traits to display." She gazed at him steadily for a few seconds. "I, on the other hand, have great stamina and fortitude in a fight. Yet another area in which we complement one another, it would seem."

The wink, followed by the result of his roundabout, almost circular wordplay, brought a scowl to Kura's features, and she continued to walk beside him, picking up her pace a little, holding her Togruta robes off the dusty ground. She raised an eyebrow in surprise as he mentioned Padawans. "You are already considering an apprentice of your own," she replied, her voice filled with surprise. "I cannot even consider that yet. At the moment, I have to concentrate to acquit myself as a Jedi." She refused to admit the self-doubt that had been plaguing her since she was told of her new assignment. That would make it real.

Kura cast a sidelong glance at Kaz as he more or less dismissed the basic knowledge that she had of Antarian Rangers. "If my knowledge is not up to standard, may I be so bold as to ask you to assist me," she asked carefully, an honest question lingering in her voice. "I have never had contact with Antarian Rangers before, and rely solely on what I was taught at Jedi camp."

Nodding as Kaz advised her to learn names of the Rangers, she cast her eyes over the bustling mini-space port that bordered the camp. The red freighter appeared to be something that Kaz was proud of as he gestured to it, and Kura turned to face him. "Your ship, I would presume?"

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Kaz kept it under control so as not to draw looks from the other beings moving about the Corellian camp but he quietly faux cheered, "Victory!" when she finally laughed. He'd cracked the shell and begun to deescalate the encounter. Where he had met a semi-hostile, or at least neutral, counterpart he was now walking with a slowly warming potential friend. "I'll have to remember not to take any sonic showers with the eleven herbs and spices setting on." Getting bitten by her, under the appropriate circumstances, didn't seem like such a bad thing but that was a thought for another time.

Kura passed down her approval of his tactics and Kaz inclined his head in acceptance. "I'm glad you approve, tactical flexibility has often been a friend to me." The fact was, if you were several steps ahead of an opponent you could control when or if a fight happened. Sometimes a short demonstration of just where somebody stood on the life and death chart was all it took to inspire a radical shift in perspective. If forced to combat being a few steps ahead meant never letting your opponent's strengths get off the ground. "Ah, stamina... If we do things right we'll have to find other, more worthy pursuits to spend ourselves on than combat."

"I'm always considering the future, a bad habit of my personally held philosophy but one that has served me well on occasion also. It's not that I think myself personally ready for such a responsibility but rather that I understand when that responsibility comes floating down the river of time I need to be as prepared as possible. As long as I don't end up with a lazy thinker that practices Niman I should be sufficient for the task." A Gamorean trash picker that considered their lightsaber to be decoration would be a nightmare Kaz would be inspired to largely ignore. As for the rest... "Your thoughts betray you. Have faith in your training, trust your instincts, we may take different paths to a given goal but I believe we are both equally capable of getting there at the right time."

She asked for help and he nodded sagely. "As I said, your information is technically correct, but it's somewhat... dry. The Antarians are boon companions. They did, at one point, recruit heavily from those who were turned down for Jedi training but that sort of thing rarely happens anymore so they have modified their recruitment procedures somewhat. They still have plenty of lesser Force-sensitives amongst their ranks, and a few Corellian bloodlines make a point of sending their non-Force-sensitive family members for Ranger training. We Jedi train to survive in abnormal conditions but even you would be lost if stranded on a world like, say, Hoth. An Antarian Ranger companion would know what to do, how to survive, and would likely have the gear on hand to help that goal along."

Kaz grinned at her. "Finest ship in the system. The Corroded Serpent."

[Kura Nuhok]

Giving Kaz a mock-reproving look as he cheered at her laughter, Kura schooled her features into something approaching a prim expression, an expression that only lasted a few seconds before the smile broke out again, her pointy little teeth sparkling. "I'll be sure to give you a fair head start if your scent ever becomes... too enticing," she replied quietly, the smile still in place. She knew that friendships weren't encouraged within the Order, but she found herself starting to like Kaz more than she had expected to.

She would have to keep that in check if their working relationship was to remain uncompromised.

"Is moral flexibility your friend as well," she queried, wondering precisely where Kaz stood on the rights and wrongs of the universe. Just how far would he be prepared to go to achieve his goals? Kura saw great honour in morality, and did not like having to compromise her beliefs, no matter the ends. As he commented on her stamina, she merely quirked him a lopsided smile and carried on walking. "Indeed..."

Kura's gaze swept the busy camp as they walked, Kaz keeping up a steady stream of chatter, drip-feeding her little snippets about himself, snippets that she was starting to stitch together into a pale picture of the whole man. "It is noble to consider the future, but nobler still to resolve the here and now," she replied. A simplistic statement, perhaps, but, as her grandmother had taught her, without dealing with the here and now appropriately, the future was little more than a tangled knot of potential, impossible to unravel.

It would appear that Kura's doubts were a little more obvious than she would have liked, and she cast her eyes down at Kaz's comment, feeling shame that someone had been able to read her so easily. "Were you never afraid that you would be unworthy of the task set to you," she asked quietly, not wanting to glance back to her companion. "Have you ever had a doubt about anything in your entire life?" Somehow, she would expect that this self-confident young man had always been completely sure of himself.

She merely nodded to acknowledge his speech on the Rangers, taking everything in and making notes to do as he suggested. However, a slight smile slipped back into place as he formally introduced his ship, as though it were the finest thing in the galaxy. Maybe, to him, it was. "How many will be on board," she asked, more than a little concerned about the ability to find company. Like most of her people, Kura preferred to be part of a crowd whenever possible. "And... do you expect me to fulfil any duties on the ship?" Probably an odd question, but she wasn't expecting her passage for nothing. She was a hard worker, and would continue to be so, even now.

[Kaziki Halcyon]

Her mock-reproving look got an unabashed grin in return, then the prim expression an expectant smile until her own smile returned to which Kaz shifted to a satisfied half-smile. "I'll be sure to take advantage of it. Which reminds me, I should work on my Force Sprints." Discouragement be damned he was turning the young female to his side. She'd come into the situation intent on disliking him but he had her smiling and laughing in just a couple of minutes. He'd have to remember to reward the younglings on their timing when he came back.

"All flexibility is my friend but morality is perceptional to begin with." He treated it like it was a matter of little import. "There are those who would save a sick calf from a predatory creature because it seems the moral thing to do, never considering that in protecting that sick calf you are bringing down its herd and starving the predator. Possibly starving its young. Is that morally superior? It seems like it in the moment, but if you see the big picture..." Kaz let that hang, knowing she of all people would be able to see what he was getting at. Nothing was cut and dry enough to make moral inflexibility anything but a selfish detriment to the dynamic goals of a Jedi.

"If I'm on the ball the here and now was resolved a couple of days ago. Admittedly I occasionally have to step into the flow of things to deal with unexpected events such as the assignment of a partner to a task I had just grown accustomed to doing alone. But here I am, turning your frown upside down." Kaz smiled in amusement at her. "I think I can figure out a use for an enduring, attractive, practitioner of Shien. If nothing else you'd make an exotic and intimidating player of the role of bodyguard for Kaziki Horn, son and herald of the Baron of Coronet City."

Kaz paused and turned to look her steadily in the eye. "Yes. Everyday I stop for a moment and wonder if what I'm doing is the best way to bring balance back to the galaxy, if the Jedi are striding down the right path, if my contribution is truly a benefit or a utterly idealistic mistake. But let me let you in on a little secret my grandfather told me. Confidence is a function of courage. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the willingness and ability to act anyway. Face your fear, let it pass through you, and you will find that when it is gone only you will remain."

She asked the question he'd been waiting on all along. "There will be about 25 of us on board, though from time to time a couple come and go so the exact number fluctuates. The ship is a former cargo vessel and we aren't carrying a fighter wing at the moment so there is plenty of space for us to keep our more mobile skills sharp." He smiled when she asked about her duties. "Just do what I do. Keep your mind open to sensing threats to the vessel, help everybody when you can, and otherwise let the specialists do what they do. Some of the younger apprentice rangers might come around looking to impress you in the hopes that at some point you'll ask for your own Ranger to be assigned."