Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

[Ambrus]

Although his fellow padawan appears to be giving in to his passion, the neti continues to speak in his damnably calm baritone voice. "I agree with you Yeshua; we should leave soon. Since the pirates maintain a regular schedule of launching an attack every other month, and that their last raid occurred approximately two months ago, it would seem possible that we may yet arrive in time to witness their next such attack.

I have some doubts however that any lives are at stake. The cave-in which occurred during the last raid is what caused the loss of so much life; but it appears to have been entirely unintentional. The populace is well used to taking cover before an attack and the pirates seem to have little desire to inflict harm beyond damaging a single building during their raids.

For the sake of expediency, I believe it would be prudent to return to the landing pad to ensure that refueling is underway. We can discuss our intentions while we walk. Hopefully, by the time we're done our data transmission will have arrived."

 

[Dire Lemming]

Yeshua looks confused, "I... don't... Wha- Aw, nevermind... You're right, we should make sure that the ship is preparing for departure."

Yeshua heads back out to the landing pad to check on the ship.

 

[Ambrus]

Eager to walk beneath the rays of the Ossus sun outside of the library, Lorem falls into step with the human. With a backwards glance, the neti silently invites the others to join them. Once outside, Lorem's head-vines rise and unfurl their tiny leaves to better absorb the light, encircling the neti's head in a crown of verdant foliage. Taking the initiative, the young padawan begins to voice his analysis of the situation. "So then... The pirate forces appear to be comprised largely of a mixed group of native and foreign humans along with members from a handful of other races. It also appears that some of the pirates are force-users of one type or another and that they successfully use the force to obfuscate their movements and illicit activities.

They command at least five, though possibly as many as fifteen, heavily armed and armored corvettes. The pirates may or may not be acquiring upgrades for their vessels from the Lornic Arms manufacturing plant in the neighboring system. These vessels easily outclass the Farnost navy's entire fleet of fifteen light cruisers and, in ten years of raids, the Farnost navy has been unable to track the pirate corvettes or positively identify an in-system staging-base for the raids. Although they have no evidence to support it, the Farnost system's government suspects the pirates may have some type of base hidden within that system's asteroid belt.

Due to their familiarity with the pirates modus operandi, the Farnost system's government also believes that they can anticipate which planet will be the pirate's next target as well as estimate the approximate date of their next raid."

The neti pauses and looks around the group, silently asking if they have anything to add to his analysis.

 

[Shayuri]

Kestrel's eyes widen, and she looks at Lorem.

"We can track them with the Force! If we can get close enough, and they really are using the Force, we should be able to sense it."

 

[Ambrus]

Lorem's wooden face broadens into a grin as he nods his head slowly towards Kestrel, setting his crown of leaves to rustling. "Yes, that was my thought as well. In fact, it seems that there are no other means of tracking them. If it were at all possible to do so technologically it seems likely that the Farnost navy would have succeeded in doing so by now. Unfortunately, since they have force users amongst their numbers, they may likewise be able to detect us with the force. We do however seem to have the element of surprise on our side; they aren't yet aware that other force users are seeking them. We have to choose a means by which we may capitalize on that advantage."

 

[Dire Lemming]

"I wonder... Why do you think that there is more than one, it's strange that someone sensitive to the force would have ended up with a group like this in the first place. I wonder how he does that to the cameras."

 

[Ambrus]

Lorem grows serious once more. "Dampening mechanical devices, including sensors and recording devices is a relatively easy feat to accomplish with the force; it is simply a technique not widely practiced within the Jedi order. We usually have little reason to seek to hide ourselves in such a fashion.

As to my I suspicions about their numbers; it seems to me that it would be exceedingly difficult for a single force-user to simultaneously mask the approach and departure of multiple corvettes from the system's entire satellite tracking network. It would also be difficult for a single force user to dampen all of the internal and exterior sensors and recorders in the vicinity of the pirates during a raid. Although it remains possible that a single-force user could accomplish all of these feats simultaneously for over ten years with so few oversights, that person would have to be exceedingly strong in the force. If such a force-user did exist, I imagine that the Jedi order would be aware of his or her existence already and that he or she wouldn't be content to merely continue raiding the planets of one small system.

I am curious to learn about the force-tradition the force-using pirates belong to however."

 

[Voda Vosa]

"Jedis way is not the only way of the Force, I myself belong to an ancient tradition of Force users, the druids of Krevas. Despiste our neutral behaivour, there may, and surely are, other tradition of Force users, and probably they could be as evil as the pirates they join. Power and wealth are a temptation few humans can resist. Also other races feel atracted to such mundane things, so some Force users among the pirates will be moust likely" Voda says. Then he rubb his cephalic plates with his tentacles, like trying to remember something. Finaly he finds it
Oh... I almost forgot, that there are some devices to trick cameras and such electric devices. And they are not traceable. Some sort of ion field generators... I really don't remember quite well... One of my many brothers was a techinician" Voda expalins.

 

[Dire Lemming]

Deciding to ignore Voda's racist comments for the time being Yeshua replies to Lorem. He sighs in resignation; "As much as I hate to think that's true, what you say makes sense Lorem. You're probably right. I guess we should research that as well."

 

[Ambrus]

Arriving at the landing pad where their transport is located, Lorem gestures with an outstretched limb to gain the attention of a nearby technician. "I believe it would be wise Voda to avoid generalizing about humans in such a fashion. After all, although our small group is somewhat eclectic, the fact remains that selfless and honourable humans make up the majority of the entire Jedi Order. I think it speaks rather well of their species as a whole." Lorem smiles and inclines his branch-crowned head to acknowledge his three human and near-human companions.

Turning his attention back to the krevaaki, the neti continues. "Although possible, I do find it unlikely that the pirates are using ion-field generators or similar technology to circumvent Farnostian sensors. It is my understanding that such technology doesn't merely interfere with sensors and recorders, it in fact causes significant damage to their delicate electronic components. If such was the case, the Farnost forensic investigators could easily have identified the cause of the sensor-dampening. Since the cause remains a mystery to them after ten years, it would seem likely that non-technological means are being used."

Turning to acknowledge Yeshua, Lorem addresses his suggestion. "Unfortunately my suspicions about the force users remain just that: suspicions. Without any further clues, there's precious little that research could reveal to us at this time. Fortunately I've spent several years here on Ossus and have made a study of the history of force-use throughout the galaxy. I'm familiar with over a dozen non-Jedi force traditions, such as our dear Voda's Krevaaki nature-centered religion. Hopefully the knowledge I have will be sufficient to give us further insight once we learn more about these pirates firsthand."

The young neti pauses as his facial bark seems to darken in momentary concern. "Unfortunately, there is one force tradition associated with the Farnost system's distant past which does give me reason to pause; that of the Sith." Having said that, Lorem turns to speak with the technician to inquire when the transport will be ready to launch.