Log:O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Somewhere in the galaxy is a man. Valeska doesn't know his name. She doesn't know what he looks like. Has no clue where he is. But he is her brother, and she /will/ find him. Years of searching and dead ends have brought her to the Corellian countryside where she has zeroed in on the coordinates of her great-grandfather's former home. Perhaps clues can be found there.

Next Log: Brains and Brawn

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Part 01

OOC Date: July 10, 2022
Location: Expansive Countryside, Corellia
Participants: Valeska Kora (GM), Colo Nell, Jax Greystorm

---< Landing Clearing - Coronet City, Corellia >---```---```---```---```---```

This is a grassy clearing on the northeastern edge of the farmlands that sit on the edges of the Coronet City territories of Corellia.

These farmlands are grassy, hilly, and offer a picturesque view of the planet's better elements. As a Core World, Corellia has a long standing history of being one of the Core's more prominent worlds. Though it has a history filled with ups and downs, its citizens are filled with pride toward their home planet. To the south the skyscrapers of Coronet City are visible, as well as the coastline of the ocean that the city rests beside.

---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```---```

-- Valeska --

The Corellian countryside is as scenic as one would imagine. Rolling hills as far as the eye can see overgrown with tall grasses and dense trees that manage to hide most -- not all -- of the scars the planet bears. By in large, the terrain is uneven: pock-marked by battles that raged in this very spot three decades ago. But most have the damage has been smoothed over by weather and time. Now all that remains is the bounty of Corellia's majesty.

Valeska hardly looks impressed. She is completely out of her armour today because nothing says 'Look what I'm up to!' like a Mandalorian roaming around the hills of Corellia's outskirts. So in civilian clothing capped by the thirty-year-old, oversized Rebel jacket, she stands with her hands on her hips as she looks around at... nothing.

"Dunno what I expected. Place is as dull as I thought it would be." She has no qualsm saying that to the pair of proud Corellian men standing with her. They had all met at the coordinates she had discovered in her plunging of real estate records. Yet no home or even foundtation remains.

"Oh... er. Colo, this is Jax. My cousin. I told you about him." The tone implies she told him nearly /everything/ about him. At least the important details. "Jax, this is Colo. The man insane enough to date me. Counts for something, yeah?"

-- Colo --

To a proper Corellian like Colo, the atmosphere is...different. It's the first he's set foot on proper, Corellian soil in some time. Even stepping off the landing walkway of the ship that brought him here is awkward, uneven for him. The rush of memories is enough to make him shiver at first.

Just at first, though. It's all old hat and foggy memories right up until they journey to the rolling hills that make him begin to muse aloud a bit. "How long ago was the fighting here?" He knows the timing. Roughly 30 years. Maybe Valeska and Jax even catch him counting some math off on his fingers. A weird revelation runs up his spine as he feels compelled to murmur aloud ever more. "I think I was conceived after dad got through this." The way he says it makes him think he wants some bleach and a nice nap away from it all.

But. But. It -is- dull. And there's Valeska and this, ah, interesting man along with her. Colo forces an awkwardly-charming smile in response and rapidly waggles his fingers in a simple wave. "That's me. Too dumb to steer clear of armored angels."

-- Jax --

Jax looked any other Corellian hotshot rocket jockey as he stood there with the rest of the trio. "Lucky it didn't get involved in the last round of ground war, that was about a year ago." He extends a hand to Colo, "Jax Greystorm. Nice to meet you. Don't believe anything she says about me. None of it's true." He says with a lazy grin. "My wife's a Iridonian. In a way I understand. Proud and stubborn."

With the formalities over he looks out at the landscape, "Val, when you said farm house. I was imagining well a farm house." He says reaching down to pluck a piece of long grass.

-- Valeska --

Valeska give the two men a side-eye as they bond over their woes in choosing strong-willed women as partners. Hazel eyes roll upwards and away, her head turning to hide the slight smile that appears on her lips. "You can sing my praises later," she quips to them and steps forward. As if stepping forward would bring her closer to some kind of destination. There's nothing here. Just the wind blowing through grass that threatens to tickle her knees.

"The records I found was of a Seiji Jaivon: my great-grandfather. Dead long before I was born. Pretty sure he died before mom even joined the Rebels. This place--" A hand gestures to the vast nothing of Corellia "--saw a lot of action during the Imperial occupation at the civil war's peak. And I /know/ Seiji's home was here. The coordinates are correct. But I'm positive there is something here, yeah? When I was little, mom spoke of this place." Valeska frowns and looks back to the men. "An underground keep of sorts, yeah? Where he kept all his studies and research. But I don't know how to even begin looking for something buried."

-- Colo --

Colo's hand is swift to greet Jax's offer in turn. He's equally as quick to lose some of his hesitancy in favor of a warm smile and a firm shake. His fingers flex and drift to his side again soon after more from reflex than anything else as he comments. "Iridonian? Huh. Maybe you can give me some tips with th--" Colo begins, and promptly ends.

Valeska's interruption is enough to gain his attention again. Probably for the best. A knowing wink is shot at Jax as he intends on picking the man's mind about it later. He listens with all the intent of someone who knows not much about violence, warfare, or even blasters, but with plenty about when and where to hide things.

Confidence fills his voice as he chimes in: "Figure the landscape's been blasted to the seven hells, right? Well, that just means lotsa dirt kicked up over the time, lotta weird-looking lumps, yeah? I'd start, er...paradoxically. Look for an area that looks -too- normal."

-- Jax --

Jax laughs, "I have no wisdom to impart." He says of Colo's request on tips. He gives his cousin a grin. Then turns to look out at the land scape as he mulls over the news of an underground bunker and what Colo suggests. "Like a few smuggler caches and bunkers out there. Seems to make sense." Then his eyes fall on a flat part of the ground that looks like it was once the foundation of a house. "There." He says pointing, "If I was a betting man, it's too flat compared to the rest of the terrain and roughly house size. It also looks like it got hit by orbital bombardment." Jax knows.

-- Valeska --

"He /has/ wisdom to impart," Valeska gives as an aside to Colo as Jax steps forward to scan the horizon. "He just doesn't want to, yeah? Bet he wants you to learn the hard way like he did. School of Hard Knocks. But with girlfriends." Valeska puts her hands on her hips and looks around, as well. Trying to find some kind of clue to there they could even begin. All she can see is frields of grass and a line where the sky meets it.

Jax manages to find something and Valeska is quick to join him. As quick as that noticable limp in her right leg will take her. Still healing but alive. Gotta keep going. "Orbital? Doubt it, yeah? We're not standing in a crater. Still... yeah. Something pulverized this place. And quite some time ago. Why?"

She frowns. "Did the Empire know about this place?"

-- Colo --

The man clearly has wisdom to impart, but Colo's wise enough to keep his dumb mouth shut. He clams up and opines on the scenery, instead. "I think...yeah. Flat area right there, like Jax says," He points out, just a bit slower on the draw. Nonetheless, the survey of the terrain seems to turn up some odd spots here and there, or what he -thinks- are odd spots. The sentient mind is great at making patterns that aren't there, he well knows.

Though his ears perk over Valeska's own input, he's not sure on that front. "Why would the Imperials know about it...?" He's genuinely asking, unsure, but...unwilling to toss it out, either. And in his tromping about, he squints especially hard over some of the foliage nearby. Instinctively, the Corellian eases down and starts to brush away at some of the overgrowth to find significant divots in the ground. On a lark, he tests his theory and...finds another one, not terribly far forward. "Ah...So. Think I got somethin' here?"

-- Jax --

Jax looks at Val for a moment then back to Colo. "They were enemies of the Empire. That had proven hard to kill. Sometimes the Imperials will consider it better to apply maximum firepower to the situation from a distance. First Order would do it too. Once saw them use a Super Star Destroyer to bring down a building on top of some Resistance members that they wanted erased. It was dramatic." He was a few feet away from Colo, "What did you find?"

-- Valeska --

Valeska is trying to search the area, but she cannot see beyond the foliage. The grass is starting to annoy her to no ends now and it is only be virtue of Colo speaking up that she doesn't pick up a piece of rubble and throw it out of frustration. "Empire destroyed everything. That's what they did best." She moseys back over to Colo and looks at the pock-marks he is leaping from one to the other. In a pattern.

"Looks like... a Walker?" She watches his trajectory and follows along. Even where some spots have been smoothed over in time another is often found down the line. "It's leading away from the house." But the only thing ahead is more trees. More bushes. More tangled brambles and boulders. Beyond it, the tracks continue into yards of terrain. "They wouldn't be patrolling out here. What the hell were they chasing?"

-- Colo --

Though Colo listens, it would be a lie to say he was paying full attention. His mind doesn't enjoy paying much heed to military details, to violence, to destruction. He winces sympathetically, in fact, at just the idea of the First Order raining down fire and chooses--perhaps wisely--to bite his tongue.

At least, mostly. "I'm...not sure? Definitely man-made, though. Droid-made?" He ventures, unsure of terminology. A shrug, though, and he stands up. "Val, c'mere." Whether on her own terms or his, Valeska arrives and comes to a more reasonable conclusion than he. "I figured digger...huh. Walker is probably right!"

Like an excited teen on an archaeology dig, he starts patrolling further out and halts every few seconds. One arm hikes up of a sudden to point at first one spot, then the other. "Not a walker!" He bellows, confident, grinning all the while. "TWO! And...not chasing. Well. Chasing. Shooting to kill, though. Er...Hey, Val, was the bunker armed?"

-- Jax --

"Probably chasing a survivor that was running, probably in a speeder. I mean if they were on foot the walker would quickly out pace them. I mean unless they were a droid or maybe a jedi or something? I hear they can move pretty fast when they want." Jax moves over to one of the tracks laying his hand on it for a moment studying it. He draws his breath in calming himself and finding his center to in using the force to see what it tells him.

-- Valeska --

Valeska and Colo are busy looking at the dips in the ground trying to figure out where they were going and why. Meanwhile Jax is looking beyond the veil of present time and reaching into the distant past. The backdrop remains the same: tall grass swaying in the breeze. A young pair of would-be sleuths having no clue what they're doing. A freighter flying high overhead.

Yet Jax's senses catch onto strong imprints from thirty years ago. He looks up to see two ghostly figures running side-by-side. Explosions erupting around them as two Imperial AT-ST walkers stomp and tromp at a distance, raining down cannon fire. On bolt hits exactly where Colo and Valeska are now standing, completely unaware of the history.

More shots: Stormtroopers running after the pair, as well. Opening fire in a horizontal hail. The black-haired woman bearing a strong resemblance to Valeska is hit and staggers forward. The sandy-haired man helps her back to their feet and they continue to run. And run... and run. Until they disappear into the ground some forty yards ahead.

Jax is able to lead Valeska and Colo right to a place between two large trees; damaged years ago but healed over and still growing. Behind the thick bristles of a bramble bush is a blanket of sod and dead plant-matter. And below that.... a metal hatch built into the ground.

-- Colo --

"A...speeder?" Colo shoots back, considering the matter. Yes, these two are definitely more practiced in the art of what might be more prevalent on a battlefield of sorts. He hadn't even considered -speeding- away from a walker, nevermind something more. Jax's mention of a Jedi makes him roll his eyes, albeit to himself. Some skepticism is there, to say the least.

Skepticism he'll continue to bottle up as the bearded cousin proceeds ahead, sight-unseen, and leads them right towards a hatch that no one would possibly see with the naked eye, yet is so plainly there when they even once disturb the brambles guarding it. Colo, for his part, looks positively flabbergasted. "How did you see that?"

-- Jax --

"I'm a trained investigator. Graduated from Corsec. I've done this before. Military hotspots and various ops as a merc. Sometimes it takes planning and scouting." Jax says not quiet revealing he's a jedi himself. Though as he studies the bunker hatch. "Rusted over. I see." Then using the force again to add his strength he reaches down to pry the hatch open.

-- Valeska --

Valeska doesn't seem to be nearly in as much awe. She does follow along, though, and when they reach the hatch, she has her hands on her hips again. "Awesome. Glad to see it isn't collapsed in. Bet they were tryin' to destroy the place or somethin', yeah?" Colo's inquiry and Jax's cryptic response both get an eyeroll that she doesn't bother trying to hide this time. "He's a Jedi. Colo, I've told you this before. It's a buncha hoodoo but I've seen it do drek that I can't explain. Had one like 'im save my shebs on Mandalore during the---"

She arrests the train of though and just stands by while Jax applies no small amount of force -- literal and figurative -- to break down the hatch door. All by himself. Without even a run up or a hearty kick to the handle. She gestures towards it with a raised brow towards Colo. A classic 'told you so' maneuver. Whether Colo chooses to believe his eyes or if cognitive dissonance wins out again? We shall see.

"This is it. Whatever we find down there, if anything, is going to be our last shot, yeah?" She hesitates being the first to go in. "Uh... so go on, Colo. Lead the way."

-- Colo --

"...that makes sense." Colo agrees, nods, for his own sanity. A trained CoreSec makes much more sense than his suspicion that he's dealing with a wizard or a con artist. Valeska wouldn't associate with that sort, right? Right. "Point taken. You'll hafta show me that trick later," He murmurs, still skeptical but on the positive side of the ledger.

At least, until Val's insistence takes him completely towards the skeptical side. A funny thing about human biology asserts that, in the face of all evidence, many people simply confirm their original beliefs if shown evidence to the contrary. Colo's among them where Jedi are concerned. He looks...is skeptical an entire expression? It dominates his face, completely. "Jedi. Right." Droll and uninterested in hearing more about holovid magic, the gambler instead pays more attention to the reality of the door breaking down, singlehandedly.

"I think mister Doorbreaker should le--er, okay," He winces and starts to tiptoe forward. Only a passing comment to Jax is given. "You'll -definitely- have to show me -that- trick. Who's your trainer?"

-- Jax --

Jax shrugs, "Val is right. We were unwelcome in the galaxy for so long and then for the briefest of moments we were welcome. That seems to be past now and it is easier for me to lie and dissemble. I try to hide who I am and what I do for my safety and for others." He extends his hand again to Colo, "Let's try this again. I am Jax Greystorm, jedi knight." Though if the other Corellian takes his hand or not that doesn't stop for beginning a walking meditation as he slowly walks the path letting the force show him things.

-- Valeska --

"The Republic don't have their head on straight, if ya ask me." And surely someone did, right? Right? "I don't get the whole Jedi/Sith thing, but over the past year I've been made to realize it's real. Besides... ya know. Jax is one and I might care a little for the pain in my arse." She gives Jax a little nudge with her elbow as they all descend the old metal stairs.

To Jax, the Force shows him a far more recent ghost traversing the small space. That same young man he had seen running across the Corellian landscape on the surface was now descending those same steps and looking aged by decades. He wore a familiar robe of the Jedi and a dour look on his face. When he reaches the bottom of the steps, the image fades....

Valeska and Colo do not see the imprint haunting this place. Only a singular room build into the ground that houses rows upon rows of shelves. They are all empty now and many have started to decay and collapse. There is a layer of dust settled upon everything and the air smells of mildew and dirt. In another decade or so, this will also collapse and be retaken by the planet.

But there in the center of the room is a small devise. Familiar to them: a holoprojector. Valeska heads immediately over to it and while she does not pick it up, she crouches down in front of it. "This... looks like newer tech, yeah?"

-- Colo --

Ugh. Things are never easy, are they? Colo's suddenly faced with a True Believer and a hanger-on in the guise of Valeska. He trusts her judgement, but on this? It's just...plain that he doesn't buy it. So he practically winces as Jax offers his hand and the greeting that, to him, is more than a bit ostentatious. Colo, alas, can't keep his tongue from wagging as he meets the man's grip for a second time. "Colo Nell, Corellian Cantrip-Master." Dammit, Colo.

As if sensing the rebuke that's about to arise from Val, he makes a point of shutting his mouth in the next moments. Definitely for the best. Instead? He defers to the very real results that Jax produces rather than the mumbo jumbo that the others profess to believe in. While he might thing Jedi are fake, Jax is taking point and, for him, that's what matters.

The gambler trundles off after Valeska, producing his own flashlight from a jacket pocket to assist in illumination where necessary. His eyes are more keen on searching and taking in the 'ancient' surroundings than divining secrets, but the holoprojector catches his eye. "That's...do you think someone's still hiding here? What sense does -that- make?"

-- Jax --

Jax chuckles, "Cantrip-Master? As in you are good with slight of hand? Wonderful. I would love to see that." The Corellian shakes his head, "Jinn was here but it wasn't too recently. So there's no one here. I bet he left the holoviewer. Do you want me to check it for traps?"

-- Valeska --

"Tai was here?" There is skeptical hope in Valeska's voice as she looks up to Jax then to Colo. The question of traps has her pondering. "He was supposed to be Jedi, right?" Going on that logic and absolutely nothing else, Valeska reaches out to activate the device.

A grainy blue hologram flickers to life filling the small space with an eerie glow and shadows in all corners. There prone on the floor is the figure of a man sunk to both knees, a hand to the ground, head bowed. It is a long, painful pause before he finally speaks, voice straining to find the words then resisting the necessity to utter them.

<"Kodi."> He sounds like he is on the verge of tears. Or just coming off of them. <"They're dead. All of them. The school is in ash and ruins. The Order scattered. All... is lost."> The ghostly transparent image lifts his head, revealing a man bearing the lines of five decades on his face. Carved all the deeper with dismay and pained with a battle to keep the anger at bay. <"Luke is missing. Abandoned us. Did... did he do this? No! No, it couldn't have been him. Who? Who?">

He goes silent, lost in thought or perhaps struggling with himself. It is difficult to surmise in this crackling, waning recording. Drawing in a deep, shaking breath the image of Tai Jinn looks around. <"Remember when we came here? I was looking for information on Master Qui-Gon. You had said your grandfather may have it and... indeed he did. A lot of good it did me. I spent so many of my years dedicated to---"> He looks away. <"It's all gone.">

The image of Tai pushes himself to his feet and he can be seen moving around the space and clearly seeing ruin. He is silent again but the holovid is still playing. There is more.

-- Colo --

"Something like that," Colo squeaks, reluctant to say more. Yet he keeps on, ready to start rambling more except that the feed clicks on shortly thereafter. That, if nothing, catches his eyes, focuses the intense gambler on what's being spilled out.

Amidst the projection, he steps instinctively closer to Valeska, someone who he knows will keep him safe in case there -are- traps. Sympathy shines up soon at the mention of dead, the tearful gent on the 'screen' drawing something out of his heart a beat later. His voice breaks up a quiet moment, enthralled though he is. "Who were these people...?" He asks no one in particular.

-- Jax --

"More I meant traps that erased the data.. or not." Jax also says not saying anything else for the moment. Then at Colo's question. "Qui-gon Jinn was Obi-wan Kenobi's jedi master. General Kenobi was a famous General in the Clone Wars. He also trained Anakin Skywalker, also a famous Clone War General. Most the Galaxy knew him as Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker was Anakin's son. He also was the leader of the order when this man was a jedi. A few survived Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren. One was running around the galaxy as a Sith Lord a while back but seems to have disappeared. We found ourselves at a stale mate. Perhaps the current Sith Queen had him erased."

-- Valeska --

Tai swallows hard, running aged fingers through his mussed hair. It swipes along from the hairline to the back, then around to rub at the week-long beard growing over his jawline. There is agitation warring with sorrow on the men's features and an underlying worry knowing that both will steer him awry. <"I stood right here and said I would be there for you. That I would never leave."> He tries to laugh but it breaks out as a sob. <"I took our son and did exactly that. I'm sorry, Kodi. I'm so sorry.">

Watching the scene play out, Valeska leans up against Colo from her crouching position. Some of the old lore she knew just from the merit that her parents knew a man named Luke. Knew of the horror stories of Vader. The Death Star. The Empire. Tales she never gave weight to before. Until now. "Tai and mom were married before he became a Jedi." She says quietly, prepared to be quiet as soon as the holorecording starts speaking again. "It's how I finally found her bounty records and stuff. Under Kodi Jinn at one point."

The blue image paces around, the lines on his face noticeably darkening even in the static. <"I've heard of some Jedi hunters. They must be the ones. I have a lead that I'm going to follow. I have to--- I /will/ find out who did this. I will find out, I will find out."> The last two passes are more to himself than to the woman he wishes to speak to over distance and time. <"Then I will come back. I'll bring our son. But if you don't hear from me---"> Tai leans forward and seems to insert something into the device <"--here is where I am going. I don't expect you to forgive me, Kodi. But know I will try to make it right. By any means necessary."> One more pause as he forces himself to look into the camera. <"I love you.">

The recording ends and the dull blue glow filling the room dies with it.

-- Colo --

Corellian history is a weird thing for Colo. By every measure of his own education, the planet and the galaxy was fought over and freed by the concerted efforts of a succession of odd-ball generals and legions of Clones, sure, but his knowledge of Vader, Skywalker, and the more recent efforts is...limited. What he does know is that they're important, that the Empire fell and was replaced by the Republic and its flailing wars due to the combination of their squabbles.

And he knows that Valeska's against him. Her presence breaks the spell of the holo, just a bit, and he casts his eyes over to Jax as if seeking an answer. The man says more mumbo jumbo, words he's heard, but doesn't quite comprehend. No comments come this time, though. The vid plays out and he merely breathes, trying to process.

-- Jax --

Jax lets the recording play out, "We know where he was heading then?" The knight says to confirm the information. "I know what he would have found. It would have been either the Knights of Ren or Sith Assassins. Both groups exist and I have never heard of Tai other than what Kodi and Val have mentioned."

-- Valeska --

Valeska is looking ahead, still seeing the man's face burned into her retinas. A few blinks don't so much as erase it though it does bring her back enough to answer. "Which means we could be chasing a dead man's trail. But he's the only one that knows -- knew?" Considering her options, Val chooses to be optimistic. "Knows where my brother was. At least however long ago this recording was. Whenever your Order was scattered again. I am guessing with that Ben Solo guy massacred everyone. But this is good news." It is?! "It means my brother wasn't among the students killed. Whenever Tai made this recording, my brother was still alive." Which is a hell of a lot more hope than she had before.

Taking the device, Valeska tucks it into her pack for safekeeping. "We'll get the location of where he was heading and figure things out from there. It's old information. I doubt we'll find him, but if he didn't die there, we might find a trail. I don't think we're going to find anything else---" Wait.

What was that?

Her hazel eyes settle on Jax, narrowing. "You talked to my mom? About this?"

-- Colo --

If Valeska's hopeful, so Colo can be too. He brightens some amidst the dark mood of the holovid's memento mori with knowledge that, at least, someone, somewhere might still be breathing. Somewhere, Val's brother might be just waiting to be discovered, sequestered away from...all this.

His eyes reflexively track the position of the projector, but he soon looks to the duo of warrior and knight--well, 'knight' in his mind. The gambler folds his arms over his chest and considers them both with a curious eye. "Still, an old trail's better than no trail..."

-- Jax --

Jax shrugs, "Yeah, I did. I was following the only lead I had on this at the time. She proved more tight lipped and gundark headed than my own mother. I didn't know that was possible."

-- Valeska --

Valeska rises to her feet still squinting at her cousin with the burning judgement of childhood friends. Then, what may come a surprise to both men who know her well, she lets it go with a sag of her shoulders. "Well, sounds like nothing much has changed then. Sorry you made the trip all the way out to Dantooine just to get stonewalled, but I coulda told you that would happen. Mom refuses to talk about any of it. Drives me crazy."

She pats the pouch where the holoprojector is stored with a weak grin. "But we've got a lead now. And she don't need to know about it, yeah?" Though even to her, keeping this very personal message from Tai from her mother seems a bit.... wrong. That's not going to stop Val from coveting it for now. Until her search is over. "We should head out, yeah? Before this whole place collapses on us. Thanks for helping us, cuz. Literally wouldn't have found it without ya."

She starts back towards the stairs, taking Colo by the hand as she goes and glancing back at him. "You're abnormally quiet. You okay?"

-- Colo --

Colo tracks the Jedi with a curious eye and even laughs with one, soft exhale at the specific metaphor he uses. No words flow, though, not yet anyway. He keeps mum just a bit longer while the cousins trade information--or lack thereof.

Valeska's thanks becomes his own, albeit with an awkward half-smile from the Corellian. "Thanks, ah. Jax. Nice to meet you, too. Glad we made some progress on..." He waves his hand around generally, indicating the strange bunker they've found their way inside of. But he doesn't need telling twice about escaping from a brittle shelter. The man swiftly sets to scampering and gratefully grasps hold of Val's hand.

As his fingers link to hers, he forces a smile. "Fine. Just...mh. Forgot how much damage this planet has seen. Guess that's part of why I left. A lotta the old vets just wanted to keep telling me how lucky I was I never had to serve, y'know? Dad, too..."

-- Jax --

Once they reach the surface, Jax shakes his head. "Val, you should share that with your mother. It was a message meant for her. In 30 years if your child did this to you. You would be... unhappy to say the least. Don't covet the message for long. When you need me again." He nods his head to Colo, "Well met. I'm sure we will meet again soon. Keep an eye on her. She doesn't know how to dodge." Then as they stand in the shadow of the tree that the bunker was just hidden under, the Corellian simply vanishes.

-- Valeska --

Valeska looks down at the pouch with a thin line pressed into her lips and a furrow of her brows. It /is/ a message for her mother, sure. But from an ex-husband that also took her brother away. How dare he profess love after all these years. What good would it do anyways? So many thoughts in her head but they don't quite convince her that she is right to keep it from her mom forever. So she resigns to agree to give it a good think instead of just hiding it forever out of spite.

"Hey! I can dodge!" Valeska's head lifts back up, ready to defend herself against the accusations. Or at the very least explain just how many people, droids, and cannons are firing at any given amount of time. But she looks up to find Jax is gone and she blinks a little. Then grumps. "Convenient trick, Jax." She says to nothing.