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Slumming It on Onderon
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Thursday, 12 May 2016, 8:50 PM | Message # 1 |
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Onderon wasn't Mace's kind of planet. The brochures described it optimistically as "a world of verdant jungles and a pleasant, tropical climate"—but Mace knew better. For a man accustomed to the temperate world of Hosnian Prime, Onderon was punishingly hot and humid, and the jungles were savage, full of man-eating predators. Whoever had constructed the city of Iziz thousands of years ago had been wise to wall it off from the jungle. And the slums of Iziz—the place of his meeting here today, in a seedy cantina up against the wall—left much to be desired, for his taste.
Not that Mace Ransom was a high roller. He often ran in circles such as this, but his line of work—though at times unsavory—was lucrative, and typically afforded the young man a more comfortable standard of living than Iziz had to offer. But he hadn't come here for pleasure, but for business. He'd been here on business before, too; a scavenging job in the jungle that had turned out to be a wild bantha chase. But he had made a friend: Jaxon Sky, a scavenger by profession (not that he'd had much choice in the matter). Mace had felt sorry for him, stuck here on Onderon. At the time, he'd had the feeling that he hadn't seen the last of Jaxon. As it happened, he was right.
Now, he needed Jaxon's help.
Scavenging had never been Mace's forté, but as a part-time "antiquities dealer," it was sometimes necessary. Jaxon Sky had that skill set, and now that Mace had a million-credit job on his hands—not to mention a lot of burnt bridges in the professional salvage industry—Jaxon was the perfect business partner, if he agreed.
He hadn't wanted to meet on Onderon, and Mace honestly couldn't blame him. Jaxon, apparently, had finally gotten himself off this planet and wasn't eager to come back. But for old time's sake, they had agreed to meet in this hole-in-the-wall cantina (literally, it was called Hole in the Wall. Humor wasn't totally dead on Onderon, apparently). Mace sat at the bar, waiting. Ever the cheapskate, he nursed a mug of Thuris stout as slowly as possible, earning disapproving glares from the Klatooinian bartender. Or maybe that's just his face, he thought.
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Tuesday, 17 May 2016, 1:49 PM | Message # 2 |
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The stars all of suddenly stopped whizzing by, a chirping sound with a hint of merry was heard. The Lone Traveler has entered the Japrael System, a home host to the planet of Onderon. Jaxon swore he would never come back to Onderon, and he broke his own promise. Jaxon would have only done it for someone he trusted, and that was to meet up with Mace. It had been quite a while since he had last seen the guy. A lot had happened to Jaxon in-between the meetings. Right now, he just wanted to see his friend and what it was that the man needed. The Lone Traveler made its way casually toward the Iziz starport, with landing clearance of course. Upon landing the ship in hangar bay number twelve, the young man allowed a deep exhale escape his mouth. Turning the pilot chair, he got up and put on his jacket that resembled to that of Poe Dameron's. Then Jaxon grabbed his father's lightsaber, staring at it for a moment before placing it inside the jacket as well as holstering the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol. "Let's go, BB-12." Jaxon spoke to his droid buddy, moving out of the cockpit and then the ship.
With the droid rolling up besides Jaxon, he remember every bit of the city itself. He would be able to memorize his way toward the cantina humorly called Hole in the Wall. The Resistance fighter would turn left and right a few times before getting into the cantina. Jaxon stood right by the entrance, scanning the entire area with his own eyes. BB-12 chirped inquisitively toward Jaxon, and he replied. "Now I see him." The force sensitive would quietly walk toward the bar where his friend was sitting at the counter. "It's been a while, buddy."
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2016, 0:44 AM | Message # 3 |
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| Mace turned to greet Jaxon, genuinely glad to see him. (His beer, not particularly cold in the first place, was room-temperature now, and Mace had decided that he hated the taste of Thurin stout). "Jaxon! It's been a long time, old friend," he said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Have a seat. I got you a drink," he said, pushing his mug in front of Jaxon. The Klatooinian's eyes narrowed. "Hey, you got yourself a droid," Mace observed. "BB unit, huh? Nice. I heard you got yourself a ship, too? And got yourself off this planet, too. I'm happy for you, Jax."
He meant it. Mace Ransom was often a cynical, self-centered reprobate, and he hadn't known Jaxon Sky for long, but he really had felt bad for him. The job they'd done in the jungle had been a bust, and Mace had no money to pay him. But even though the job had been hours of hard work in brutal heat and humidity, surrounded by ravenous beasts, Jaxon hadn't been angry. He was a good man, and Mace had been glad to hear he'd gotten himself out of here, though he wasn't sure how, exactly. It was none of his business.
"Listen, Jax, I've felt bad about how the last job went. Really, I have. So I wanted to involve you in another job. A sure bet, this time." He spared a cautious glance around the room, lowering his voice. "It's a million-credit payoff, at least. What do you say? Are you busy? What are you up to these days, anyway?" he asked, looking at the BB droid warily.
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Thursday, 19 May 2016, 4:17 PM | Message # 4 |
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| Jaxon smiled lightly and nodded, moving to take a seat right next to his friend. When the drink came, he shook his head. "I don't drink much anymore. I'm more of a smoker. Well, the healthy kind ya know." The young man turned his gaze toward BB-12, as the droid chirped inquisitively and looked at Mace. Immediately, Jaxon took a knee in front of the droid. "It's alright. He's cool." When his friend brought up the topic of him having a ship and finally finding a way off the planet, he shook his head. "I didn't leave by choice. I had to escape the First Order. But thank you." Jaxon made it obvious that he did not want to come back to the place where he has grown up on. Returning to the seat, "It isn't easy escaping without a co-pilot, tho."
The young ex-scavenger wasn't going to explain everything at once to Mace, and he also didn't have to. His friend did not need to know any more details unless circumstances force his hands. Mace was shifting the topic to some type of job. Jaxon would let out a light sigh, looking down at the droid once more. "To be honest, I am done scavenging. Now, I walk a different path. However, I might just consider do it just this once for you. It depends on what this job is." Jaxon really wasn't the sort of person that cared about money, but at the very least Mace could do is to help him out. "What is the job?"
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Monday, 23 May 2016, 11:00 PM | Message # 5 |
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Trainee
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| 'Healthy' smoking was a relative thing, of course. Mace? He had a weakness for tabac, and was seldom without a crumpled pack of cigarras in his pocket. He knew it wasn't good for him, but neither was his profession. Officially, Mace was a racer. Of stunt fighters, specifically. He'd qualified for the Junior Sabers tournament a couple of years ago, but was disqualified when he tested positive for Andris spice. Since then, he'd made a name for himself in the former Hutt Space, participating in questionably-legal races. He sometimes hired himself out for the occasional escort mission, too—usually in pirate-infested space.
His mother, needless to say, hated all of this. It was one reason why Life Day at the Ransom household was an awkward event. One of many reasons.
But Mace's real passion was treasure-hunting. He often used his racing as a cover to smuggle antiquities in and out of Republic space, selling them on the black market. Imperial antiques were popular these days; helmets, flags, Imperial officer's caps and blaster pistols were especially so. But Mace had also traded in rare Alderaanian wine, Rebel signet rings, Maill coins, Mandalorian iron swords, and ancient Rakatan artifacts. Of course, acquiring these items was not easy, and often dangerous. Sometimes, Mace needed help. And that's where Jaxon came in.
Perhaps Jaxon didn't consider himself a scavenger anymore, but a half-million credits was nothing to scoff at. Those credits would pay for a lot of fuel for his brand new ship—or a co-pilot's salary. Mace had a bad habit of wasting his money on modifications to his Spearhead interceptor, itself a heavily-modified antique. But more often, he spent it on drugs. No doubt, Jaxon would spend his share more responsibly.
The First Order was here? Mace thought as Jaxon described his escape from Onderon. I wonder why. But he had the feeling that Jaxon didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't ask. When Jaxon told him that he 'walked a different path now,' Mace immediately thought of the B'omarr monks, or the Order of the Ffib, or some other goofy cult. He definitely didn't ask.
Mace spared a conspiratorial glance over his shoulder, to make sure no one in the cantina was listening in. Most of the patrons were too drunk or busy at the barely-functioning pazaak table to notice. And the bartender only wanted to hear him order another drink. Even so, Mace spoke softly. "I have a lead on a Jedi holocron," he said, hardly able to contain the excitement in his voice. "And the word is, the First Order will pay big money for it. A million credits!" Why the First Order should care about a Jedi relic, Mace didn't know. He didn't care, either. The Jedi were ancient history, as far as he was concerned.
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 11:27 AM | Message # 6 |
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| Jaxon never really asked about what Mace was doing with his scavenging business other than when they're on a job run together. Along the way, Jaxon indeed did find nice treasure such as those that Mace has found, but they held no sentimental value to him at least not at the moment. Whether he needed the money or not, he needed a co-pilot to fly a ship like a YT-1300 light freighter. It's an old ship but is strangely still effective even to this day.
When his friend decided to stared at him, it was when he knew the scavenger was about to tell him what the job was. Jaxon thought it would be some meaningless job, like scavenging an abandoned ship or going to a junkyard. When Mace mentioned a Jedi holocron, BB-12 chirped inquisitively. The Jedi-to-be was stunned, turning his glance toward his droid buddy yet again for a brief moment. "Uh..." He leaned slightly toward Mace, "I need that Jedi holocron."
Jaxon knew he might need it, as seeing how the Jedi has disappeared. Then again, they are on the clock from this moment on. "We have to get that thing away from the First Order. Where is it?" He looked at his friend, itching to get this adventure started. He made sure to cover his jacket, so the lightsaber wouldn't be shown and he wasn't ready to tell his friend neither. Eventually, he might have to but not at the moment. "Would it just be two of us plus BB-12 here?"
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Friday, 27 May 2016, 1:26 AM | Message # 7 |
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| Mace put his arm around the man's shoulder. "That's the spirit!" he said, excitedly. "I know exactly what you mean, my friend; I need that holocron too," he joked, unaware that the holocron was worth more to Jaxon than just money. "Five hundred thousand," Mace sighed, "At least that much, and maybe more! I'll be able to get new stabilizers for my Spearhead, scrap the old J-77s and get the latest Novaldex engines. I'll bet I can get another twenty MGLT out of the old girl." He had a wistful smile on his face as he imagined it, but a moment later the smile faded, and the young man seemed more serious than he'd been before: "And I can do something for my mom, too. Buy her a house somewhere so she doesn't need to live in my dad's old piece-of-junk ship. She deserves better."
Mace frowned when Jaxon spoke of keeping the holocron 'away from the First Order.' "You mean get it to the First Order, right? Don't get me wrong—the First Order is creepy, for sure. I'm not a fan. But that crusty old Snoke is going to make us rich, Jax. Let's put our politics aside just this once, eh?"
There was a lot that Mace didn't understand. Explaining to him that Jaxon was a Jedi would take a long time, and Jaxon probably didn't want to do it in this bar. Mace wasn't even sure what a Jedi was. Sure, he knew his history (Mace learned a lot of history in the course of his antiques dealing), but he assumed most of the stories about the Jedi were myths. 'The Force'? Yeah, right. There was no all-powerful 'Force' controlling his destiny, that's for sure. Mace looked out for himself, his family, and his friends. He hoped Jaxon was still one of them.
He didn't understand the danger of the First Order, either. In his line of work, Mace encountered people who were obsessed with the ancient Rakatan Empire or the Pius Dea cult, or dressed themselves up as Jedi Knights and re-enacted battles from the Clone Wars. As far as Mace knew, the First Order was just a group of Galactic Empire enthusiasts who took themselves way too seriously. Creepy, yes. But harmless.
Mace had a lot to learn but, as Jaxon observed, they were on the clock now. Jaxon's best chance to get the holocron now would be to pretend along with Mace and try to explain everything to him later.
"Ah, 'where is it,' you ask? Good question," Mace said, looking suspiciously at BB-12. He couldn't help but feel that the droid was judging him. "I don't know—but! I have a general idea. And I know someone who can help us find out its exact location. Trust me, my friend. It's a sure bet this time."
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Friday, 27 May 2016, 10:29 AM | Message # 8 |
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| It did not occur to Mace when his arms wrapped around Jaxon that this person did not care much for credits anymore. He never has, really. Yes, he did collect enough credits to survive, but that was mainly to get food and a few basic essentials. The Jedi-to-be stared right at Mace in the eyes when his buddy asked if he meant to get the Jedi Holocron to the First Order. Well, the First Order probably isn't really a threat to Mace mainly because he had nothing of value. However, Jaxon was the opposite. The First Order would come for him because they would want to stop him before he become a fully-trained Jedi Knight and be a valuable asset to the Resistance. Jaxon's eyes were wide open for a moment, and shook his head as if he truly knew something Mace did not. "It has nothing to do with politics. It's a long story, and one that I'm not ready to talk about."
If there was one thing Jaxon appreciated about the friendship between him and Mace, it is that they were always honest. Maybe they have withheld information from each other, but they didn't lie to each other. BB-12 chirped inquisitively yet again, giving off signs of anxiety. The droid was worried about Jaxon's safety now that Mace did not care for consequences should a Jedi holocron fall in the hands of the First Order. He had heard BB-12's slight disapproval, and would take it into consideration, but for now they need to work together in order to get what he needed. "I know, I know my little buddy." He wanted to keep the droid's composure in check for the time being.
"Are you sure it's a sure bet? What if this person is a First Order sympathizer?" Jaxon was getting more and more focused by the minute, and it would look odd to Mace seeing as he always drifted on a survival mindset on a daily basis. Of course, everything changed when he was forced off Onderon the first time around. "If this contact of yours is not on Onderon, we can take my ship."
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Saturday, 28 May 2016, 0:41 AM | Message # 9 |
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| "'First Order sympathizer'?" Mace smiled and shook his head. "She's my sister. She works for New Republic Intelligence." He rummaged through his pocket for druggats to pay the bartender. With the Republic in political chaos and widely-assumed to be on the brink of collapse, the Republic credit wasn't worth much outside of the Core. Even here on the Inner Rim, the old currencies—druggats, wuipi, even nova crystals—were a safer bet. "Let's go have a look at your new ship!" Mace stood, dropped a pair of druggats on the counter, and grabbed his half-empty mug of room temperature Thurin stout. He threw it back in an instant and planted the mug firmly on the counter, looking as if he might turn as green as a Nautolan, and almost as glassy-eyed. But Mace Ransom always got what he paid for.
Both of them were happy, probably, to leave the 'Hole in the Wall.' The starport was on the other side of Iziz, but Mace didn't mind stretching his legs. And Jaxon got to see the sights and sounds of his adopted homeworld one last time. Mace was beginning to suspect that Jax was on the run from the First Order. Didn't he say that he 'escaped' from the First Order? Mace tried to remember, but the beer was clouding his short-term memory. Whatever Jax had against the First Order, he understood now that it wasn't political. It was personal. Truth be told, the First Order left a bad taste in Mace's mouth too. Almost as bad a taste as Thurin stout, in fact. Sure, the Republic wasn't perfect, but from the stories his father told him about the Empire, Mace didn't understand anyone wanting to bring it back.
But Mace had made lots of compromises for money, and this was just another job as far as he was concerned. He just hoped that Jax's personal feelings wouldn't get in the way; Mace needed his help, after all.
BB-12 rolled along behind Mace as they walked toward Iziz Starport. He couldn't help but feel that the droid was watching him. Mace didn't like the idea of the droid seeing (and recording) everything he was saying. He looked over his shoulder suspiciously, then at Jaxon. "So what's with the droid?" he asked. "Do you trust it?"
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Saturday, 28 May 2016, 10:28 AM | Message # 10 |
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| Jaxon was somewhat relieved that Mace's contact of information both came from his own sister and New Republic Intelligence. Still, he knew the Resistance is only secretly funded by the New Republic. Therefore, it's likely if he was caaught the New Republic would only deny. Secondly, they're on a time crunch. If the New Republic Intelligence can find some information on something like a Jedi holocron, the First Order isn't far behind. "Alright." He simply responded in regard to Jaxon's ship. The young man would leave the counter, allowing Mace to pay for his own drinks. Then, the trio left the rundown cantina.
Jaxon was happy to finally getting ready to leave the planet, he especially felt he had wasted the entire time waiting on Onderon. It was definitely personal for Jaxon, especially if his parents were actually hunted down by the First Order. He did not want to talk about what happened, at least not until Mace help him locate the Jedi holocron. Normally, he was able to separate his feelings on a business run. However, he needed it so bad in order to somehow enhance his Jedi training until he finds a safer and tougher alternative: locating a Master to teach him the ways of the Jedi. Jaxon also has to consider the possibility that he may be the only one in the entire galaxy.
BB-12 indeed did roll along behind Mace, watching his buddy closely. Who could blame the droid after what had happened? Jax turned his eyes and did not hesitate to answer the latest question, "I trust him with my life. BB-12 helped me escape. It's just he doesn't want anyone abusing my trust, that's all." If Mace noticed, Jax referred the droid as a 'him' instead of a 'it,' showing his respect for BB-12. In inadvertently revealing he escaped from the First Order yet again, he would only confirm Mace's suspicions.
As the trio has finally arrived the starport of Iziz, Jax took one last look at the entire city from his own eyes as much as he could, "I'm not coming back here again. You hear that, Onderon?" He softly whispered to himself, though Mace would clearly be able to hear. They moved into sections, walking non-stop until they had reached number twelve. With the proper clearance, he brought his buddies inside the hangar bay. Mace would see a YT-1300 light freighter docked, as he turned to look at the scavenger. "The ship may not look much, but I escaped inside this ship so this is an effective ship."
Jaxon always heard of spacers' tales, especially about the adventures of Millennium Falcon. This is probably one of the reasons why he decided to take this particular ship. Perhaps he could create his own memories with the ship. "Let's not waste any more time, let's go Mace." It was clear Jaxon was itching to get offworld. "Do you know how to fly? IT'll be easier to have a copilot this time around." He asked just as both Jaxon and BB-12 were moving up the ramp.
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Mace_Ransom | Date: Sunday, 29 May 2016, 10:39 AM | Message # 11 |
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| Mace heard Jaxon's remark to himself about leaving Onderon behind, and smiled. He'd thought the same thing about Hosnian when he'd first left his family there a few years ago. Sure, he'd been back to Hosnian since then, but only to visit. He wasn't dependent on Leroy Ransom any longer. He didn't 'live under his roof and have to follow his rules,' as his father put it. Mace was independent now, a self-employed, semi-legitimate businessbeing. Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't homesick occasionally, but he had a feeling Jaxon wouldn't miss Onderon at all. Mace didn't blame him, as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Damn this heat, he thought.
He accepted Jaxon's explanation about BB-12 with a nod, but he still didn't like it. Mace reminded himself later on to look up where exactly the power switch was on a BB-series droid, just in case.
He stopped in his tracks when they reached Docking Bay 12 and Mace got his first look at Jaxon's 'ship.' His mouth was open in astonishment. "Uh, Jax. Are you sure this thing is spaceworthy?" he asked, sarcastically. "This ship is pre-Clone Wars. And I know a thing or two about antiques, Jax. I can tell you, nobody would pay even a single credit for this... thing." He paced around the ship, taking a closer look at 60 or 70 years' worth of crusted-on carbon scoring, atmospheric burns, and other wear-and-tear. He pointed at the sensor dish on the port side; "They don't even make that anymore," he observed. "And why is the cockpit way over there? Really, my friend, next time steal yourself a better ship. Something, you know, not from the Corellian Interregnal period."
Mace patted his friend on the shoulder to let him know he was just kidding. "I'll fly with you," he said, "but not just yet. I need to work up the courage," he joked. "But seriously, I don't want to leave my Spearhead here on Onderon. I can't bear to think of what the humidity would do to her. So let's meet up on Hosnian; I'll take my Spearhead, and you can take your... that thing. I'll probably get there a day ahead of you, but that's fine. I'll pick up some supplies, find a garage for my Spearhead, we'll talk to my sister, and then I'll ride shotgun with you the rest of our trip. Sounds good?"
Mace "Gus" Ransom
Racer and "Antiquities Dealer"
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| Jaxon_Sky | Date: Monday, 30 May 2016, 10:17 AM | Message # 12 |
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| Jaxon looked at Mace saying how ancient the ship was, but then back tracked. He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it was a gift. Besides, I don't care. I was able to escape the TIEs with this ship." BB-12 rolled up the ramp with Jaxon, but the resistance fighter did not get inside the ship completely. He nodded in agreement, "It's fine with me, Mace. We'll meet up on Hosnian." Jaxon smiled slightly, it was his first ever trip to Hosnian. Perhaps it would do him good to see what the capital of New Republic looks like. "You'd be surprised at how fast this ship can travel in hyperspace. May the Force be with you, buddy." It was his way of telling his friend to be careful.
The pair finally moved into the ship, closing the ramp. While the duo were walking through the main galley, BB-12 chirped nervously. "He has never let me down before, BB-12. Besides, we need that Jedi holocron." BB-12 chirped anxiously, and Jaxon responded once more. "Me too." Finally, they entered the cockpit and sat down before punching a few buttons and controls to power the ship up. Mace would hear a loud engine revving if he was still nearby. The YT-1300 light freighter pulled itself off the ground and left the Iziz starport. He looked out the cockpit and see the Iziz itself and the jungle surrounding it.
The Jedi-to-be shook his head before the ship entered the space, seeing thousands of stars outside the window. Ever since the first time he escaped Onderon and see the space for the very first time, he has always appreciated the sights. Jaxon would unholster his DL-44 heavy blaster pistol and put it on the chair next to him. Then he took out his father's lightsaber, looking at it for a moment before resting it on the very same chair. BB-12 chirped inquisitively, "It'll be a while before we get to Hosnian." There was a beep, and the stars went whizzing by.
~Jaxon Sky
Resistance Soldier/New Generation of the Jedi
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| Delia_Ransom | Date: Saturday, 04 Jun 2016, 10:24 PM | Message # 13 |
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