"Just walking to walk; which way?"

"You'll want to follow the - mm, but you wouldn't - here, howsabout I walk with you?  Figure our illustrious overlady can't complain either way about that."

He'll lead on through the green space first, and if that seems like it isn't really working, the 'skylight' is over thataway where it won't be potentially interrupting anything structurally significant.

The green space is much more the thing; after two days cooped up he's not in the mood for sitting, no matter how nice the view is.

Quite understandable.  The crewmember is much more inclined to sit down.

"...Credit for your thoughts?  Probably not quite that much as you can talk about, or that you'd want to on the other hand, with our illustrious overlady so involved, but.  Seems like something's keeping you awake, and I don't think I've escaped working here long enough to know how important a listening ear is.  And good sleep, too."

"It's not much to do with her? Or, not directly I guess. It's - I don't know - do you like it here?"

"...I doubt I'd still be here if I didn't like the work.  Or, no - if I didn't think it was worth doing.  Even though the day to day of it is about as bad as any soldier's duties.  ...The lady's always going on about there being other options, that we don't have to be here risking whatever for her - and nobody has the heart to tell her we all already know.  I don't have a big story about that sort of thing m'self, it's just...  the little things that've built up ever since I first signed on here - but...  I know there's a few Skywalkers hanging about, and goodness knows the lady hates Hutts as much as anything.  She'll dress it all up in calling them hypocrites, since slavery is," and here he does a surprisingly passable imitation of Darth Kalbetis' voice, "'direly inefficient, economically speaking', but - mm.  It slips out round the edges if you actually get to see her any behind the masks, especially if'n you go get her running on the subject of what she thinks being a Sith ought to mean.  An' I'm just a barracks philosopher, but I'm pretty sure she's put enough thought in to that to start a religion if she wanted.  Shame she doesn't, really.  I'd join."

"...huh. I didn't know she was doing all that. I'm - I guess that makes some sense of her offer, in a way? I wasn't a slave but I was... stuck. And she said I could stay if I wanted to, and I might, but it's a big decision, you know?"

"Yeah.  It is.  And you wanna know if it's gonna be worth it, I bet.

"...Not sure as I can answer that, but I bet the lady could.  Might even have statistics."

"I'm not sure that'd help? I'm not - like - none of my other options are good either, I'm not trying to figure out if it's good enough here to beat them. It's just - she's a Sith - and everything I've heard has been bad, about Sith. And they lie, so her saying she's different... I don't know, it looks true, but..."

"Mmm.  I don't think I can help you with that one.  I'd say ask her ladyship, but that's the problem, innit?  That you can't, not and believe what she says?  But without some external force telling you, you might just have to take it on faith if you're ever going to take it."

Poor kid.

He is really behind on his meditation, isn't he. "Yeah. This did help, though, thanks."

"Glad I could help."

He doesn't want to go back yet - and there's a reason he's barely meditated since Master Chenk died - so he spends a little longer wandering between the plants, until he feels settled enough to face the prospect of them, and then goes to sit by the skylight. Being in space has never been a part of travel he likes, particularly - it's fine, it's just not that interesting - but it feels apt, right now, facing down the void.

He closes his eyes and lets the memories surface, considering them as they come. He'd always thought of Master Chenk as stern, frustrating, but he knows now that the older Jedi's concern was well justified. 

"The known path is the safest," his master's voice echoes. Rafiik considers it, and sees the kernel of truth it holds. His curiosity did lead him into danger. He can't quite find it in himself to regret it, though, as much as he's definitely not going to nose around strange Siths' business alone any time soon.

He does regret how he left things - he should have retrieved Master Chenk's body, and seen to it that he got a proper pyre, at least. He's not sure if he could have sent a report and still gotten away from the Jedi, but... He could have checked. He should have. He'll do better next time, if there's a next time. That doesn't make it better for Master Chenk, but it's an ache he can live with.

He thinks again about the last time he saw his master, insisting that he stay behind for his final mission, claiming that it was too dangerous. Rafiik hadn't believed him, at the time. "Personal wants must yield to greater needs," he'd said, and Rafiik had bristled at one more example of the principle being used to keep him from something he wanted to do. He sees the wisdom, now, and respects his master the more for it - it can't have been easy, walking into that situation alone. He wishes he could tell him how he feels about it now.

He misses the man. He hadn't thought he would. Their relationship was never easy, and he's more sure than ever that the path he was trying to guide him down was the wrong one for him. But there was a kindness, there, in its own way, and his frustration dissolves in the face of it.

He feels much more centered, now, and listens through the clarity to see what the Force has to say to him.

He's not nearly surprised as he could be to find that it likes these strange Sith he's found himself with.

Rafiik joins them late for the next day's healing.  Kalbetis doesn't push on the matter, even though her own future selves seem to be emoting a bit of trepidation at his possible future actions after the Jedi have arrived.  It wouldn't help.

...Speaking of, though - she does need to know his decision, on that matter from earlier - so they can prepare.

Well, he was originally thinking that if they wanted to leave without coming over to help he'd want to go with them, but he's actually changed his mind on that, sort of? He'd like the option to call for help, if they think they can get him back without too much collateral damage. And he's probably going to want to stay but he wants to see how things go with the Jedi being here, too. If they need him to pick now he'll pick staying, though.

...That can definitely be planned around - and, yes, they can definitely get him a panic button.

(Oh no what has she done.  She may have offered, she could do no less, but he wasn't supposed to seriously want to stay here afterwards...  Damn it, Force, what did you do?)

(lol, get befriended u dork)

He appreciates it.

The Force is laughing.  Well, that sure is a sign.

She will just be in Mechanical for a bit this evening, making that panic button.  (Sure, she could equip him with a simple off-the-shelf radio or hypercomm button, but...)

(The Force should be with him.  So she's making this herself.)

Pradnakt shows up toward the end of the project, accompanied by Daisy and looking a bit wrung out, and wordlessly cuddles up next to her and begins handing her parts.

Mechanical probably isn't the comfiest place for cuddling, but she can make this work.

She just as wordlessly nods a thankful acknowledgement of Pradnakt's presence, and - starts assembling another one from scratch once she's finished with the first, pulling out, of all things, a timing crystal as the core of it before her alchemy does its work.  This one's for Daisy.

Because the ability to call a Darth for help if some Jedi is being rude is not to be underestimated.

Much appreciated. That kind of thing is part of what the private comm to Nine is for, it's much less common that Pradnakt is separated from both of them than one, but she's certainly not going to object to an extra layer of security with a heftier payload.

You okay with the kid? she asks after a bit.

...Yes - no - it's complicated - can't have an apprentice.  Especially not if it's him.  The eyes on me would expect things I cannot do, and - cannot protect him from, if I do not.  People I cannot yet survive the aftermath of vigorous self-defense against have some opinions on what Darths' apprentices should be made into, especially if they're possibly a turned Jedi.  I don't mind him, though, divorced from that context.

...I just...  think he'd be a better Jedi, be better off as a Jedi, even with the wanderlust - or perhaps because of the wanderlust.  And I don't want him to throw that away because I'm kind.  If he doesn't qualify for a field promotion after all this nonsense I'll be vastly surprised, and at that point a lot of his problems with the Order are vastly diminished.  Or he could transfer into their surveyor corps, if that appeals...

Just...  He has options and why he'd tie himself to me, of all his choices, is...  Baffling.  Even if he doesn't intend to stay in the long run.  What could I possibly do, possibly be, to make it worth the price he'd pay?

"Mm," He's scared, right now. Not surprising, really, Tuscias got him pretty good. I don't think he's looking for a master, I think he's looking for a safe place to hide, with less of a cost than the Jedi would have.

...Ah.  That...  That, I'm probably better at than the Jedi Order ever could be, despite the worse circumstances I'm in to start out with.