Xae-Lin Ardel

At some point shortly after Armiena had initiated the jump, Xae-Lin had called in one of the other operatives and advised them where they might be able to find a blanket for the emaciated Jedi Master. While Armenia fitfully slept, Xae-Lin reached out to the other woman through the Force and called forth the pure energy of the Lightside to help bolster Draygo, glad they all had made it out of the mission alive.

Xae pulled the Force around her as a buffer against the cutting chill of the Iridonian atmosphere while she put her utter faith in Darex’s seemingly half-baked plan. If I can’t trust the Grandmaster of the Jedi, then who can I really trust? She really wished that she’d grabbed at least another layer other than the summer-weight button-down blue shirt she was wearing. Keldabe hadn’t been overly hot, but it wasn’t snow, ice, and lower atmosphere either. Xae drew on the light within to keep the cold at bay as Darex’s fighter sat her down near the wreckage of Misal’s ship. All she could manage was quick nod before she set to work making herself an opening with the crimson-bladed weapon. The wrecked ship just barely helped with the biting wind as the Exorcist picked her way toward what remained of the cockpit. As the blade pierced the door that would grant Xae access to Misal, she was quick to call over the comm, “I’m here to help, don’t shoot. Not a real Sith, though I play one in haphazard rescues apparently…” Placing one hand on Misal’s shoulder, Xae-Lin reached up to touch the control panel, feeling where Misal ended and the ship began and leveraging that knowledge to gently, but firmly separate the two until the injured woman was able to pull free. “Let’s get you out of here. I might be cold, and a fire sounds nice right about now, but there’s just something about a potential ship explosion I’m not so good with if it’s all the same to you.”

What the Force are those things?! Xae wondered as she brought the Lambda back around to face the Maturin halfway wondering just how long it would take the eight-appendaged things to figure her out as being a friend rather than a foe. "I'll help where I can. I might not be much of a healer, but I am essentially a Light Side battery and can probably sustain her until we can get Armiena to Skye or a temple. Darex, I'm going to do something crazy. Cover me." With Misal's vessel now spinning out of control into the upper atmosphere, Xae knew that it was up to her to extract the team from the transport shuttle. Drawing once more on Darex's knowledge of ships and space combat, she throttled the engines and angled the vessel toward the rear of the ship where the shuttle bay's magcon field glowed in deceptive invitation. Not having the frequencies of Misal's team she opened her channel to Darex, "Think you could let them know I'm coming? I also might have a red lightsaber, so tell them not to worry about that either. I'd rather keep up this 'Sith' facade as long as possible. I can reach Armiena so she knows not to actually kill me with her mind." Xae hoped her misdirection and overall overtures as a Sith on a vessel with a Sith transponder would keep up the confusion long enough that the team could make it out with Armenia alive. The more the people that held the former Grandmaster thought she'd been taken in a cross-fight between the Jedi and Sith, the hard it would be for them to sort out the truth of their loss. Was it probably immoral to mislead as Xae was, likely, but in this instance, it was the ends that mattered more than the means. It wasn't like she was planning to go on a murder spree and if it made the crew of the transit think twice before messing with her and spared their lives, then all the better. She brought the vessel into the landing bay and felt the sense of artificial gravity overtake the ship as she set it down. Leaving the engines hot, she drew the black-hilted lightsaber Jaina had made and hit the activator switch on the ship's ramp. The Force was kind enough to warn her of the volleys from the crew that arced their way towards her. No longer in the uncertainty of space in what amounted to a fancy tin can, Xae's footing was sure and she deflected the projectiles back and just over their sources. Her initial training had been as a Guardian, the warrior-diplomat of the Jedi Order and she knew how to use the Force to defend as well as attack. Using the Force she moved some of the boxes and other equipment to fence in the crew of the Maturin that opposed her, pinning them against the walls of the hangar. Her mission now was to buy time and clear a path for Misal's team and Armiena.

Xae's ship bucked as the Corvettes volley managed to find something to hit on the weaving Lambda as she did her best not to fly into the line of fire of one of the few remaining Z-95s. Reason #42 why I hate flying, she thought, drawing on Darex's much more expansive knowledge of space combat through their Force connection, which also provided her with reasons #34-41 for her list. It was keeping her alive, though, and that was the important thing. Her next shots went slightly wide of her mark, indicating that there might be something going on with the targeting systems. #43 - Systems don't always work. Maybe they'll set down if we ask them nicely? The ship jolted again and this time one of the panels began shooting sparks. Guess we're a bit past the diplomacy phase of things. #44 - Fire on ships eat oxygen. #45 I need oxygen to continue fighting. #46 - There is no water in space. She reached over and grabbed her outer robe from the copilot's seat and began beating at the panel to extinguish the flames while she attempted to keep a decent line of flight. Where's a damn R4 unit when you need one? I hope Emily wasn't wanting to get her ship back in one piece... Xae's bout of errant flying had brought her in line with the Corvette and she unleashed a volley of turbo laser fire at the main bridge. If I hit the engines...they go boom. I remember that much. So bridge it is.

It was an odd thing to willingly open your mind to another person, even if they were trusted to use the ability for keeping you from pulling the wrong maneuver and getting yourself killed rather than exploring the reaches of your mind. However, Darex Trevelian was a Jedi Master - The Grandmaster no less - so if she wasn’t going to trust him, then she likely had no business in the Jedi Order. She allowed the Force to flow between her and Darex and to allow its guidance and Darex’s experience behind the yolk of a ship guide her actions and movements. It wasn’t elegant flying. It didn’t have to be. It had to be functional and serve their ends well enough. As the burst from Darex’s ion cannon bypassed her ship and headed for the GR-75, she acknowledged Darex’s command and opened fire on the ascending GR-75 - because that’s what a Sith would do, right? The GR-75’s shields popped and sparked with every shot as she threw all her little Lambda had at it. Xae-lin had a little Lambda, little Lambda, little Lambda Xae-lin had a little Lambda, and it goes pew pew pew...

At Darex’s order, Xae flipped over to the private tactical channel. “Weapons. Right,” she said hesitantly as her gaze skimmed over the vast array of buttons in front of her. “Probably? I kind of borrowed this ship from a Sith Temple and they aren’t known for their peaceful habits.” Should have grabbed a damn droid while I was at it, Xae thought as she finally located the switch she hoped would power up the weapons. Nothing happened. “This is why I never flew much in the war,” she grumbled and tried another one. <<Hail unidentified ships. This is a restricted flight zone. You will identify yourselves and remain where you are or we will fire. >> Well, this is just great, Xae thought, looking for the source of the transmission on her scanners, very much reminded of why she hated space travel. Between her and Darex and the dustball planet of Iridonia was a Corvette that was making way for their position. Long-forgotten echoes of her memories with Joreel surfaced. They'd owned a ship like the one on her scanner. It had been their home during the war - their refuge and place where their love had grown. Why does his damn ghost keep popping up all of a sudden? Xae wondered, though remembering what he'd shown her of the Cabur's controls gave her an idea of what to look for in the shuttle she was flying. She flipped another switch and a new section of the panel lit up. “I’ve got weapons!” she responded back to Darex’s comm. “I’m guessing now would be a good time to let you know I’ve never actually flown in combat. Or flown much at all. But we’ve got the Force on our side and that will have to be enough.” To the Corvette, she transmitted, "Sure, if you think getting into a fight between a Jedi fighter and a Sith Shuttle is a good idea, then be my guest. You keep to your job and we'll keep to ours."

Darex's scan turned up a Lambda-class shuttle with a Sith registration transponder who appeared to be making for the same coordinates that he was. Xae hadn't left the Mandalorian world with much fanfare, not that she'd expected to. The family connections she'd recently discovered were still slightly foreign to her, despite meeting the two men face to face. She hoped her father and brother could find some sort of common ground rather than Tros continuing to cling to his hatred for their father. Both now had her contact information, and it looked like Tros was finding purpose again after so much loss. "Good to see you again Grandmaster," Xae-Lin transmitted as soon as she'd checked out the fighter. "I hadn't expected to receive your comm so soon after my conversation with Jaina. She mentioned that I should also fill you in on my involvement on Onderon. Later though. Let's go get Master Drago."

“Speaking of those Jedi ways,” Xae muttered (just loud enough for Tros to hear) as she heard her comm chirp for her attention. “Excuse me.” Stepping away from the tense reunion, she moved further into the building and sought out a small closet to take the call from. “Hey, Jaina. How are things? Did you get Tirzah back?” When the hologram finally materialized, Jaina looked obviously like a nerf caught in speeder halogen, as though she were unable to cogently form a thought for the space of several seconds. No, I--she’s--Tirzah’s gone. Another pause, eyes darting down and back up. I think Andon has her now. The strain and grief were evident even though the other Jedi’s voice seemed steady as could be. How are things on Mandalore? Did you find your brother? “I’m so sorry, Jaina,” the other woman whispered, sending a wave of comfort to her friend through the Force even as she reached out to the shimmering holo before her. “They’ve just gone through what looks like a major war. I’m not too sure of the details, but I did find my brother...and...my father...” Xae sighed. I saw the news holos about the sector. I’m glad you missed the fighting. If I’d have known you were going into a war zone, I probably would have either stopped you from going or sent a lot more backup with you, Jaina added apologetically. As it is, we might need you coreward sooner than I’d expected. I don’t want to preempt your time with your family… Obviously unsure as to whether or not such a reunion was, in fact, desired, Jaina’s sentence hung in the air, begging for completion. “It’s fine,” Xae-lin assured her. “I think it meant more to them. I’m not really sure I get this whole Mandalorian thing, but I don’t think it’s less important to them than being part of the Jedi Order is for me. Tros is out of the woods from his injuries. Frond seems to be glad to be planetside again. What’s up?” In a word, Faust, Jaina murmured, as though concealing the thought from any eavesdroppers, though the very act seemed paranoid at best. The Imperial fleet just arrived over Coruscant, Darex has assembled a Jedi fleet, Skye is trying to get to the bottom of the incident at the Memorial, and the Sith are going on the offensive. There was a strike on Kashyyyk. The dread plastered all over her face left no room for doubt that Jaina was drawing a connection between the Sith attack and the presence of the Jedi for the funeral of the fallen Wookiee Master. We’re going to need all available personnel on hand for whatever he tries next. “Stang, leave for a few minutes and the whole galaxy goes to Hell,” Xae swore, leaning her hand against the shelving unit. “He had some sort of construct of himself on Onderon, interrupted the talks, and made an attempt on the Dark Lord’s life during the negotiations.” She closed her eyes and pursed her lips as the memory served to remind her of another promise she’d made. “I just remembered I was supposed to meet with their police chief, Tenbree...Tensbriss...Tene...or something like that.” She shrugged, knocking over a broom handle, quickly using the Force to keep it from clattering to the ground and setting it upright again. “I can’t remember his name. Debrief on my involvement on Onderon,” she explained, taking a moment to ensure the broom wasn’t going to succumb to gravity again. “Still can’t believe that Vos pulled out at the last minute, but I guess it can be daunting staring down that many Sith vessels considering his past dealings with them,” Xae grumbled, her shoulders falling once more with the weight of everything. A few moments of silence passed between the two women before Xae spoke up again. “I can’t believe they hit Kashyyyk. Wasn’t taking Kirlocca from us enough?” The auburn-haired woman shook her head. “I guess I could always reach out to Emily and see what she might know of the Sith movements. I doubt Master Quietus would be so forthcoming...” the Exorcist pondered further, her brow furrowing. “Wait, you were there a while before the funeral, with Misal Drago, right? Any ideas what reasons the Sith might have for attacking the Wookiees outside of wanting to conscript an unpaid labor force?” Jaina shook her head, but there was steel in her eyes. Not yet, no, other than forcing another lost ally for the Alliance. I doubt they’d have much interest in what Misal and I were doing. In any case, I’ll find out about Kashyyyk, I have Emily on board with me, and I need to talk to Raynuk anyways about--other things. Her eyes narrowed suddenly as if Xae’s earlier words had finally clicked. Wait, Tenebris? Tenebris E’lann? You were on Onderon with the Supreme Commander of the GA? I have a feeling Master Trevelian is going to want to hear about this. “YES! Tenebris! That was his name. Uhhh...Supreme Commander of the GA? He was just head of CoreSec when I crossed paths with him on Onderon.” She shrugged figuring it might be better to give Jaina a bit more information on the developments on Onderon. “I’d be happy to debrief with the Grandmaster prior to speaking with Tenebris. Short version once I was planetside - Faust fired on the Dark Lord of the Sith and I might have stepped between them considering we were all meeting under terms of talking things out. We both know how Faust likes rules…” You didn’t. It wasn’t a question, nor did it contain any ounce of surprise. You know, between you and I, we’re probably half the reason the Jedi have a reputation for getting into trouble and sticking our noses where they don’t belong… Amusement played behind a self-deprecating smirk. Though it is nice to know that Faust has no love for the current iteration of what passes for Sith. I admit to having been rather disappointed by them lately. Maybe the Hunter has become a bit of a lone wolf. In any case, hightail it back here. I have a feeling we’re about to need all the help we can get. “Will do. It’s somewhat uncomfortable for me to hide who I am around here and Mandos aren’t known for being the most tolerant of our kind. I’ll ping you once I’m en route. And Jaina,” Xae raised her hand to the hologram as though reaching for her friend. “Don’t run. Not from your feelings. They’ll eat you alive if you keep shoving them down. You once told me you were tired of running. Keep your promises to yourself. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. We’ll be together soon hopefully and I can give you a hug in person. May the Force be with you, my sister.”

“Please don’t feel you’ve got to be civil to one another on my account,” Xae remarked, releasing Frond’s “hand” and looking at her half-brother and father once again. “And I go by Xae.” Still feeling the pull of the Force around them, she placed her hand on Tros’s shoulder and allowed it to flow through her and into him, provided he was willing. Though she wasn’t a healer, she trusted in the Force’s will and power to benefit her brother’s recovery. “Too many people speak formalities and riddles and too few say what’s on their hearts. It’s all to plain that there is a lot of anger and hurt on either side. We were brought together for a reason, and that could very well be to figure out ways past the hurt we’ve caused each other. I may be your little sister, but I’m also a big girl who can handle more than a heated argument between family members.” “Besides,” she turned to look at Bas’lan, with a mischievous smile, “He and I already had it out.”

“‘Dar’Manda’?” Xae echoed as her mind worked to piece together the translation. “No longer a Mandalorian?” She gave him a sympathetic look. “Tro’solus,” she began gently, “I’ve never been a Mandalorian. You know what I am. And I’m afraid I don’t remember much of your language from my time together with a Mandalorian called Joreel Ordo, so I’m not quite sure I was able to follow all of that.” Her eyes met his, and she could recognize the fact he was opening up to her and admitting something she wouldn’t have expected most Mandalorians to openly admit. “Joreel left me to lead your people and I haven’t heard from him since.” Xae still wasn’t quite able to hide the pain of the admission from her eyes. Tros had opened up with her; she was more than willing to respond in kind. All in all, though, it was a very clinical description of what had once ignited a passion deep inside her very being, but one that had been tempered as she’d begun to find herself left for one reason or another. When Joreel had ultimately left the Order, Xae had done her best to let her feelings go with him. It was easier said than done, especially when so many reminders of him would still crop up. Maybe part of her had been willing to come to Mandalore in the hopes that she might run into him, or at least hear of his fate. Darex had hinted that there might be some larger form of resolution or closure to the situation, but perhaps the Force had other plans in mind. Frond’s interjections, as well as his presence at this most awkward of reunions, confirmed her second theory. “Of course I care, Frond. Even if they weren’t ‘kin’ I would care,” she looked from Tros to Bas’lan, to Frond and back again. “I don’t know how to save him. Kriff. I’m an Exorcist, not a healer.” Despite her correction, the viney hand remained held toward her, insistent. She could feel the Force beginning to surge around them as she began to understand and extended her hand toward her father and took Frond’s as well. Maybe I can exorcise the demons that plague this family. Trevelian indicated that there was a measure of peace to be found here.

"Calm down!" Xae cried as she forced him to lie back down as the monitors began keening. "Yes, I found our Dad," she began, still not fully grasping Tros's reasons for hating the man so much. His agitation hadn't abated, so Xae leaned toward his ear and whispered in a low warning, "You would be dead now if not for him. I would never have found you. Holding on to your anger is only hurting you so I suggest you drop it until you can at least stand squarely on your own two feet." She leaned away from him but kept her hand on his arm. "I've heard his story. I would now hear your side. You sought me out. Why?"

Xae followed Bas'lan Ardell along the same path she'd seen Frond disappear. From where Frond was standing over her half-brother, it wasn't hard to figure out which injured figure was Tro'solus. "I'm kind of shocked they let you in here without a fuss," Xae whispered as she stepped in beside her tree-like friend as she took his place holding Tros's hand. "I told you I'd find you in Keldable as soon as I was able. I guess it was one hell of a war, then?" Her tone was light, an attempt at humor in order to evoke a response. "I found Dad. I believe you."

As odd as it sounded, Xae did know what it was like to have lost a family. Hers wasn’t the one that she was born to or the half-sibling she’d grown up with, but rather a life that might have existed were it not for Joreel’s decision to leave the order and lead his people. She only knew the surface of the Mandalorian people, but family was a large part of that surface level. To even have a word for a parental-divorce...Xae merely shook her head. “Girls are prized in Dathomiri culture, especially among the Nightsisters,” she admitted, looking away from him. “If I had been born a boy, I’m sure she would have thrust me into your arms and told you never to return.” The Jedi Knight sighed. “Still, I knew you, at least. Maybe not as my father, but you taught me enough that I didn’t lose myself in my mother’s darkness.” She could feel his brokenness and pain in the Force as well as her half-brothers. “I’ll still claim you. I don’t even know what that means, but everyone deserves someone to stand by them. I may not know much about being a Mandalorian, but I do know how important family is. Why else would Tro’solus have sought me out across the galaxy?”

“His name is Frond, and he’s just as sentient as you or I,” Xae stated firmly as her traveling companion strode off in stoic silence. “He found me on Kashyyyk and told me I was needed here. So here I am.” She sighed and searched her father’s rough expression. “I promise, it’s not my intent to pick a fight with you, Bas’lan. I’m not a Mandalorian. You’re my father, and my brother is in there. Someone apparently picked a fight with the Mandalorians and lost, and I bet I can guarantee that it wasn’t because the families that defended Mandalore were fighting amongst themselves. I want to know you both.” The truth of the matter was that she barely knew him at all. Sure, she somewhat remembered him from her past - the name he’d used resonating deep within her. How had he come to leave his family here to help bring her into being? Curiosity flooded her in the moments of silence she appraised the man who’d sired, then been denied a place in her life. He wasn’t lying about that; the Force rang with the truth of his words. It did little to provide any actual answers to her questions, however. There was only one still living who could, and he was standing before her. “I don’t understand,” Xae-Lin began as she took a step toward him, her voice calmer now that her anger melted away. The use of a nickname she hadn’t heard in years only served to solidify his story being true. Her soul remembered it, even if her mind did not. His words also brought a level of explanation that helped soothe the hurt of a young girl who’d been left to fend for herself and her sense of honor among the vipers of the Dathomiri jungles. “Why didn’t you tell me? You always said I was clever and quick to understand anything you could explain to me. My mother was horrible, how could you even? Why did you leave your old family to start a new family just to leave it? I know my mother was horrible, Why didn’t you ever tell me I was yours? And what is ‘dar’buir’?” One question after another continued to bubble up within her mind as she remembered little from her early years other than her mother’s cruelty and the reprieve she got when Bas’lan had stayed for a bit between his trips to and from the sector. Her hands came to her head in a physical attempt to stem the flow. At the time Tro'solus had presented himself, Xae hadn’t had the head space to process or fully think about what his appearance might mean. Bas’lan’s presence where she least expected it now through her in ways she hadn’t expected. There is emotion, yet peace. Find yours.

Xae stepped back from him, visibly hurt and taken aback by his reaction. "I here because I made a promise. Something that I actually hold to, unlike some other people I could name." She closed her eyes and sighed. The Force had given her a second chance with her father and she'd let her past hurts barb her words. "You'd promised to take me with you and all you did is left and never came back. I had to figure things out on my own. What right do you have to demand anything of me?" There is emotion, yet peace. Let it go, Xae. The Jedi Knight had not expected the deeply buried feelings of anger toward the man who'd been her protector and taught her to fight to surface so rapidly or even that they'd existed at all. She took another breath and found her calm focus in the Force once more. "I didn't know it was a war zone until I got here, okay? I always wondered what could have happened to you to make you forget about me. I thought you were dead because that was the easier thing to believe at the time. I'd even forgotten about you until some bounty hunter claiming to be my brother dropped into my life. Is it true? Do I have another brother? Is he why you left?"