Chapter 15: The Grand Escape! (But not really actually)

The hangar bay of the Jedi Temple was a busy place, being essentially the parking garage for one of the most religiously important sites in the galaxy. Were one to be standing in it, or even just observing it from a distance, it would be nigh impossible to keep track of just what was going on. Ships took off, and ships lands. Crates were loaded and unloaded. Crewmen and engineers dashed around frantically, both to complete their tasks quickly and also so as to not be squished by an oncoming ship.

It was because of this, that the sleek, silver ST-70 went entirely unnoticed as its engines activated, bringing it into a rising hover before it turned and drifted out of the hangar. Simply another ship, coming and going with nothing of particular interest except maybe a Jedi or two.

It was these very reasonings that soothed Kandria's nervousness as Vancil piloted the ship out of the hangar. The sun glared through the viewport, giving a breathtaking view of the sheer scale of the super city before them.

Yet, no view could stifle the tenseness in her muscles, nor the slight shaking of one of her hands. Her gaze flicked over to Vancil, whose red eyes were locked forward, a look of slight boredom and indifference in them. Looking out front as well, Kandria clenched her teeth discreetly before she promptly clamped her hands together in her lap to stop their trembling.

His presence, despite everything he was and everything she knew about him, was soothing. Perhaps it was the fact that he himself seemed so unbothered by what they were doing, or because he seemed so confident even in his indifference. Another matter which confused her greatly was the fact that she wasn't really sure how to view him now. She was no longer a Jedi, no matter what that damned council said. So…were they still mortal enemies? Vancil seemed to have a straightforward view of allies and enemies, considering that there hadn't been a moments hesitation when he saved her from the final Mandalorian, even stating it himself.

So, what would he think about her not being a Jedi anymore? He seemed to live only to hate Jedi and the Republic. Would he still feel the same? Would he regard her as he might regard a civilian, whatever that looked like. Or would he even despise her even more because she was a traitor to her own order?

That last one seemed like a long shot, but her understanding so far was that he was an erratic and irrational person.

Then, as these thoughts were racing through her head, she realised one very important thing. She hadn't even told him. She had offered very little in fact other than 'There is nothing for me here'. And even that could be interpreted in different ways. It could be interpreted as her leaving the Order, true, but it could also be interpreted as her just needing to go out looking for her purpose while still remaining a Jedi.

The strange feeling returned, however, as something else came to mind. He had still accepted her into joining him, even being the one who invited Kandria in the first place. That warmed her in ways she couldn't describe. Perhaps she didn't need to clarify. He seemed satisfied enough without it.

A sliver of a smile crept onto her face as she released the iron grip her hands had on each other, as it was no longer necessary. She turned her head to Vancil as the ship began to climb out of the atmosphere.

"So, got any plans for where we're going?" She asked, interested if he had any place in particular. She herself had a few places she had wanted to visit in their own galaxy, and so it was inevitable for her to wonder about his own interests.

Vancil kept his gaze forward, as he tapped some buttons on the console, "I've got two places I need to go to first. After that, I'm not really sure. Maybe Mandalore."

Kandria tilted her head in curiosity, "You make it sound like an errand, whatever these, 'two places' are."

Vancil chuckled lightly as he glanced in her direction, "I suppose it kind of is an errand, what I plan to do. I got some loose ends to tie up, simple as that."

"Come on, you can give me more than that." Kandria frowned and thinned her lips as she chided in a playful manner.

Vancil smirked in bemusement and stayed silent for a second before he replied, "I'm going to Kavir to get some flowers. After that we're off to Aaloth where these loose ends will be tied up."

Instantly Kandria flew through her personal knowledge, picking apart his still cryptic sentence and analysing every nook of it. Aaloth, she recognised. It had been the site of some of the bloodiest fighting during the Great War, the battle even still going on when they had arrived onto that accursed Rakatan vessel.

The other one, however, "I've never heard of Kavir before. Why are we going there?"

Vancil's smirk faltered slightly, "I told you; we're getting some flowers. Storm Petals to be exact."

Kandria's eyes narrowed accusingly as he mentioned another thing she didn't recognise, "And why exactly do we need these 'Storm Petals'?"

Vancil's mouth shut and he visibly worked his jaw as the ship gracefully glided out of the path of a larger cargo vessel, "That's…complicated."

Kandria instantly pulled back the grill she had placed on him. Was that…sorrow, she sensed from him? Banishing the interrogative look she had donned she replaced it with one of very mild concern.

"I can handle complicated. I'm sitting in her with you aren't I?" She attempted some sort of humour to liven him up, lest he take personal offense to her aggressive examination.

Vancil sighed in what could only be a forlorn manner, as though he regretted the words, he was to say next, "Kavir is my home world. Storm Petals are a flower unique to it that are very significant. As in, one of the main staples of the culture there. I need the flowers because I…"

He faltered slightly, his face tightening into stubbornness, as though he didn't want to say the next words but refused to surrender to such a prospect.

"…I had a sister. In my search through the archives, I found out she died on Aaloth. She's the last thing connecting me back to the galaxy I came from, excluding you of course. There's a memorial, on Aaloth. I'm going to pay respects to her, in the Kaviran way."

Kandria was dead silent. That was complicated. But also…not? Vancil had a sister. She was more surprised at herself for being shocked at this. Vancil was a person after all. He likely had a mother, a father, and even extended family. Things she had never experienced. Things she never would experience.

Perhaps there was some truth to the Jedi teaching of attachment. Vancil was attached to his family, his sister, and that attachment was now dictating his actions. That was the reasonable conclusion. She wasn't a Jedi anymore, however. Which meant that she didn't have to be reasonable.

Tentatively, Kandria spoke up, her words sounding unsure even in her own mouth, "I'm…sorry."

She kicked herself mentally at that. Sorry. That was all she could say.

"…You don't have to be. This is good anyway. It's been a while since I've really…talked to someone." He replied, halting her internal berating.

"What, are all Sith shy or something?" She quickly picked it back up again, once again going for the humour route.

Vancil's chuckles seemed to point to success on that front, "Oh no, not exactly. Sith are very…competitive. Everyone around you is a potential enemy or weapon. And you don't exactly give a wild badger a gun full of loaded ammunition with exact instructions on how to shoot you."

Kandria nodded slowly; however, her face became perplexed, "What's badger?"

Vancil exhaled dramatically and shook his head, "Savage little things. They'll bite your ears off in your sleep if you're not careful. We might see some on Kavir, so better start praying to every god you know we don't encounter one."

Kandria shivered slightly. If something scared even Vancil, it surely had to be one of the most ferocious beings in the galaxy, "I'll do just that."

Silence consumed the cockpit once again, only punctuated by the slight hum of the ship as they exited the atmosphere, leaving Coruscant behind.

"You know…If you do need to talk…I can listen." She said after a time.

A warm, genuine smile grew on Vancil's face, "Thanks."

That smile instantly dropped however as he began rapidly typing a series of numbers into the computer with one hand while he refitted the metal mask onto his face, flicking his hood back up, "Alright, get ready."

Jumping slightly, Kandria subconsciously acquiesced, pulling up her own mask and hood, "What, why?" She asked in worry.

Vancil finished typing in the numbers and the familiar hum of a hyperdrive spooling up started, "When I was in the archives I searched for Kavir. It was gone. This isn't some lost knowledge over millennia shit either. That planet has been wiped clean from every entry that could possibly even mention it. The real kicker though was the entry on Storm Petals. The planet of origin is simply an error message."

Kandria licked her lips as she caught up to the implications of what he was saying. Access to the archives was limited, and had been from even before her original time. Only verified custodians and Jedi Masters were allowed constant, unsupervised access, and it took even more authority to edit entries. This was common knowledge among the Jedi, and she also knew it was somewhat something said among others in the galaxy who learnt of it through passing conversation with a Jedi.

The puzzle pieces slowly clicked together, "That would mean.."

Vancil nodded as he gripped the steering controls tightly, "Yep. Someone, likely with extremely high standing, removed Kavir from the Archives. In a way too clean to be mistaken as anything but. So, chances are, they wanted this planet out of the eyes of the Jedi."

Kandria paled starkly. The indications were everywhere.

Vancil chuckled half-madly, "Doesn't matter what time period it is in the galaxy. This has got Sith written all over it."