Ban Ulfson

"I'm not really surprised you haven't heard of the Kosai. They're a small group of nomads. Derivative culture and teachings from both the Jedi and Sith, though most of us lean towards the light. All of us, however, serve the Living Force, as the Jedi know it. We are drawn to places, people, and act to restore balance." Ban took one final look around the hangar before continuing. "I was following a man that was on the transport here. Seemed to be an Imperial mechanic or engineer by the look of him. He was in the same bar that the girl I was tracking was last seen in, and I had a strong feeling that I needed to follow him. Now I understand why. As for the girl...well, she will find her own balance in the Force one way or another. For now, it seems I am meant for greater tasks. If the Force led me to an organization, or rather, organizations as large as this gathering, then the tides in the Force are shifting on a far greater scale than they should."

"Uhh...yeah. Ban. Ban Ulfson. Thanks, Master Koi, I didn't think there would, ah...be an issue." Ban was partially dumbfounded realizing there were Galactic Alliance personnel here as well. What the hell had he stumbled into this time? He slowly stood from where he knelt, realizing his former trail had gone cold. He'd never find the man in all of these soldiers unless he was lucky, and his senses told him nothing of his whereabouts. But this lieutenant...she felt right. Like he was supposed to be here. That was likely why he was so relaxed, nothing had actually prickled his senses that this would turn out to be a hostile encounter. Very strange indeed that the Force would will him into such a situation. He'd often wondered if it had a sense of humor, but Kosai doctrine clearly spoke otherwise, likely the Jedi influence on the original order of nomads. After the situation was mostly resolved and the troops retreated back to their duties, Ban turned to the lieutenant, still rather dumbstruck. "So...what now? I suppose you had a reason for pulling my hide out of the fire? Look, I didn't mean any trouble, I was just following a lead on a missing girl I'm trying to track down. I'm just a...well, a Kosai, if you've heard of them."

((Note: These actions were approved beforehand by affected parties.)) Fifty feet back. That was about the optimal distance for following someone, at least that was the distance Ban preferred. He could trail back further and track them via the Force, but he didn't like to lean on the Force unless it was necessary. If it were a more crowded area, he might have risked getting closer, but for now it was simple to follow the man on the bustling streets relatively unnoticed. It was kind of a long shot, but one the Kosai tracker was willing to take. He'd taken other shots in the dark before, and the Force always managed to send him on the correct path. His instincts told him the child was already long gone, but something in the back of his head told him he needed to follow this man. In his investigating, Ban had uncovered evidence that the girl was already taken offworld, having found a fake identification for a girl with similar description in the outbound manifests at the local spaceport. Before then, she was last seen at a seedy bar, the same one Ban departed minutes ago to follow his new target on a hunch. He wasn't sure why he'd taken this particular job, every last bit of experience told him it wouldn't be worth it. The girl was a known to be rebellious against her guardians, having run away from home more than once now and involving herself with the local gangs. If anything, she was likely already sold into slavery, and there was a chance that was what she wanted. A female slave in the right criminal circles could work her way up to a very cushy and rules-free life in this galaxy. Or, she could have joined up with any of half a dozen other groups nearby, from smugglers to pirates to drug distributors. But this man from the bar...he was important. His senses told him so. This was the path he was meant to be on, and he would pursue it to the end. Thankfully, he still hadn't noticed the Kosai, but Ban was particularly skilled at remaining unseen. The black robes helped, but it was more in how he moved, casually, like he belonged. Like he suspected, the man eventually wound up at the spaceport, boarding a private but larger transport. Imperial troops of varying uniforms bustled about, along with some other mercenary-types Ban didn't recognize. Very strange. This moon had been taken by the Imperials, that much was common knowledge, but it wasn't like them to work with mercenaries. Not to mention, none of this was adding up as far as the girl was concerned. But if he didn't get on that transport, he would never find out. If he was lucky, it was bound for another spaceport and he would be able to slip on and off without trouble. If it was bound for one of the military ships in orbit, however... Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he decided to go for it. He'd cross that bridge when he got there. Force willing, he wasn't about to charge to his death. A nearby dock worker still loading crates onto the transport provided him with all the camouflage he needed, using a quick application of the Force as he approached to make himself as nonthreatening to the man as possible. "Hey, whoa, let me help you with that!" Another small telekinetic tap of the Force destabilized the crates on the man's over packed hoversled, allowing Ban to jump in at the right time and save them from crashing everywhere. Halting the sled, the worker rushed around the front, scrambling to help Ban ensure the boxes remained in place. "Thank you ever so much, Master Jedi! I must say, it truly is an honor to be working with you lot." Ban flashed a smile and quickly replied, "Not a problem at all. Let me help you load these on in, you look like you could use a hand and I'm not particularly busy." The worker was incredibly appreciative of the offer, letting Ban carry on up and into the transport. It was all he could do to mask his absolute confusion, however. The Jedi working with the Imperials? Since when did that happen? These were truly strange times, indeed. After a few minutes, Ban had finished helping the dock worker in the cargo hold, and he went to go sit down in the crew transport, checking to ensure his target was still aboard. He caught the stray glance here and there, but from what Ban could tell most just assumed he was a Jedi from the style of his robes and how he carried himself. If it worked, it worked, and Ban made every effort to look serene and peaceful. Moments later, the transport was airborne, then finally it cleared the atmosphere. Ban's stomach dropped as he saw the transport approach one of the larger capital ships in orbit, the large MC90a looming in front of them. The transport landed without incident, and the Kosai found himself in the spacious hangar, with various engineers and technicians milling about mixed with troops tending to their equipment. From the looks of it, they had just come from a major engagement, as most were tending to some kind of repair on whatever it was they were working on. "You! Stop right there!" Ban froze, his senses tingling. Slowly, he turned, not making a move. It was a Jedi Apprentice clad in traditional brown robes flanked by four Stormtroopers. The Jedi already had their hilt in hand and the troopers had their weapons trained on him. "Your facial scan on the shuttle wasn't recognized. Place your hands behind your head, get on your knees, and identify yourself!" The Apprentice had clearly seen the lightsaber hilts hanging from Ban's belt. Super. This was turning out to be a super day. Still...nothing felt wrong about this. Was this the path he was destined for? What kind of twisted balance did the Force need to restore here? Slowly, Ban complied, getting on his knees. At least one thing was for sure, the day wasn't over yet.

BAN ULFSON'S CHARACTER SHEET Identity Real Name: Ban Ulfson A.K.A: N/A Homeworld: Unknown, suspected Corellia, raised on Thalassia Species: Human Physical Description Age: 39 Height: 5'10" Weight: 175 lbs Hair: Black with peppered Grey Eyes: Brown Sex: Male Equipment Clothing or Armor: Typical black Kosai attire, similar to Jedi robes but more form fitting and focused on being lightweight, mobile, and stealth-minded coloring. Weapon: Twin lightsabers that can connect and lock at the base of their hilts to form a makeshift staff saber, main hand has a deep purple blade, while the off hand has a bright white blade Common Inventory: Comlink, credits when he has them Faction Information Force User, Force Sensitive or Non-Force User: Force Sensitive Alignment: Neutral Current Faction Affiliation: Freelance (Kosai) Current Faction Rank: Jedi Knight equivalent History Force Side: Grey (Light leaning) Trained by: Cairus Rex Trained who: N/A Known Skills: Telekinesis (to include rudimentary forms of barriers), Force movement (Speed/Jump/Cushioned Fall, etc.), familiar with simple mind tricks, finely tuned tracking senses Background: Ban never knew his parents. He was recovered from a spaceship crash on Thalassia after a pirate attack, his parents dying in the process. While the pirates had left him for dead, a compassionate Thalassian salvager found him shortly thereafter and nursed him back to health, raising him with the rest of their family. Ban was worked hard during this time, but he learned much about technology and how to work with his hands, experience he now considers invaluable and well worth the pain. When Ban was a teenager, a strange old man named Cairus Rex came to the settlement his family lived in, identifying himself as a Kosai. While he carried on like a quiet kind of mercenary, he took care of a nearby problem for the village and was paid well despite the rest of the village treating him with disdain. Before Cairus left, he made Ban an offer, having studied him from afar for the several days he was there. He explained to Ban that the teenager was special, and he could truly teach the boy to unlock his potential. Sensing the opportunity put before him, and dazzled by the old man's feats, Ban accepted, reluctantly leaving his family behind to live the life of a Kosai nomad. Years passed, and Ban completed his training, spending a few more adventures with old Cairus before striking out on his own, selling his services to those who needed them, following the will of the Living Force, establishing balance to the natural order of things. Only two months later, Ban received word of Cairus's passing, an unfortunate spacefaring accident caused by a malfunctioning navicomputer. While Ban mourns his master's passing, he accepts it as the will of the Force, and tries to live as he was taught. Ship Registration Name: Quietude's Penumbra Class: Shuttle Model: Upsilon-class Command Shuttle Manufacturer: Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems Length: 12.3 m (37.2 m tall, with wings extended) Armaments: Twin Heavy Laser Canons (2), Anti-Projectile Deflection System Armor: Reinforced Durasteel Hull, Layered Deflector Shields (2) Anti-Personnel Defenses: Biometric Lockouts, Sensor Jammer Modifications: N/A, but comes standard with enhanced military-grade sensor suites, as well as a subspace communications antenna and a hyperwave comms scanner, generally used to listen in on unsecured enemy communications. Ban has a vague idea what less than half of these advanced systems do. Appearance: