Space - To Balmorra!!

Janella appeared at the top of the loading ramp, she decended and stood between her Master and Ashaiya wearing her usual clothes with her belt that boasted, among other things her lightsaber and DL-44 Blaster Pistol.

"So, where do we start?"

"According to the archives, Balmorra was once the head of the New Jedi Republic and Master Onasi was in partial control of it. He may have went to the old head quarters at some time so we should check there."

With that said, Terand lead the way. Time had passed as they journeyed the streets until coming upon the old New Jedi Republic head quarters.

"That's a sound plan.."

Hoping he had some idea as to where this New Jedi Republic was located though, since she had no idea. Though she never really heard anything about an 'New Jedi Republic', she knew of the Republic and it's long history and alliance with the Jedi Order. Though only remember every couple of things here and there all she knew was that Republic had been around for an incredibly long time now.

Though as soon came upon this headquarters she was relieved that he knew where they were going. She may take the opportunity here to use her Psychometry and learn a few things. Since a building like this certainly had some history to it.

"Well, being a New Jedi Republic. I'm pretty sure we can just walk right into this one."

Janella followed her Masters lead, he seemed to know where he was going but after a while she wasn't so sure. Once they had found it she looked up at the building and sighed.

"Now we found the place, maybe we can hurry up and get some answers."

((Breaking character here for a bit of comic relief. 8 P ))

Turning around to Ashaiya and Janella, Terand's serious look turned to that of a care free one.

"Good thing we found the place. I thought we would've gotten lost instead. Say, did either of you pay attention to where we went so we can get back to the ship?"

Terand turned back around and went forward into the building. He took a step inside and looked around. He didn't know what to expect inside the building.

Was he serious? He wasn't paying attention either? She hadn't bothered since she figured he knew where he was going. Although that would've been random but she wasn't really thinking about it at the time. However even if Janella didn't know then she could still figure out through Psychometry. Taking a quick moment without answering Terand she crouched down and touched her own boot. Using Psychometry she could now see the path they had walked to get here. Standing once more as Terand began walking towards the building, she briefly jogged to catch up to him.

"I know the way back now."

Stepping inside the building with Terand she didn't really expect the interior to look like what it did.

((Character in play: Niral))

Niral drained his caf mug, then set it down and rose. "Well, guys, I'm about ready to go. I'll see you all tomorrow." A chorus of farewells answered him as he left the small café and walked out into the streets, beginning the trek home.

He loved that little caf shop; it was small and quaint and close to home, and--most importantly--the route he took to get there took him past the old, abandoned headquarters of the NJR. He walked past there four times a day, two of them in the morning on his way to and from the café, and twice in the evening with his wife when they were heading downtown to their favorite restaurant. He also went inside the building once a day with a friend to make sure nothing was disturbing it in its rest. It reminded him of a better time, a time in which the Jedi were numerous enough to steward the entire galaxy, not just those few worlds in which they had sanctuaries, and Balmorra, as the capital world of the NJR, had received special protection. He dreamed of a day in which that feeling of security came once again; since the NJR had dissolved and the Jedi had left this planet, the crime rate had risen and the entire galaxy felt a little less safe for his family.

So he, along with a couple of his friends, kept a close watch on this relic of a building, making sure everything remained in place for the day in which he hoped the Jedi would again claim their headquarters and the things enclosed within. He had done this for many years, even as his fellow officers had gone on to other causes, most notably the Jedi Federation and the Jedi Coalition, both of which also had gone inactive in recent years. Perhaps one day the remnants of the three groups would join together to form one strong confederation of peacekeepers, but until that day came, he would safeguard the remains.

Up ahead, the familiar sight of the building came into view, and the older man smiled slightly to himself. Here, his hope for the galaxy was kindled, for the memories of the good old days filled his mind once again. He could recall standing alongside the Jedi Master Axem Steel on his flagship, watching him hammer out a treaty with yet another world...

What's this?

He was not quite up to the large building when he caught sight of three figures loitering outside the front door. That was highly unusual; most people nowadays just ignored the once-great building. It was old news by now, abandoned and useless, and the people in this city just hurried by it on their way to work. WIthout slowing his pace--he tended to walk leisurely anyways--or obviously looking towards the trio, he pulled out his comlink and whispered into it, looking like any other gentleman who might be calling an associate or his wife. This call was to a friend who lived nearby, one who shared his fascination with the New Jedi Republic. "Thomas, there are some people peering into the NJR headquarter building. They look--oh!" The last word came out as a soft gasp.

They were going inside.

Speaking softly--if needlessly so, considering the fact that he was on the opposite side of the street, and that there were a few people around him to mask the sound--he said, "Thomas, get here as quickly as you can. They're going inside."

He allowed the flow of people to carry him along past the building, then crossed the street at the nearest crosswalk and doubled back, nonchalantly walking back towards the building like any ordinary citizen...but a look of determination was on his face. He'd be damned if the NJR HQ was looted on his watch...granted, there were three of them, but one of them looked young and inexperienced, and if he got the drop on her he should be able to force the other two to yield. Besides, Thomas would be getting here soon enough, and if Niral knew him well he would be on the comlink with the police at that very moment. The prudent thing to do would be to wait for the authorities, but Niral could not bear the thought of the looters having their way in the building for so long.

As he neared the building, he saw the first woman follow the man inside, and he quickened his pace, but managed to remain inconspicuous. His blaster pistol was now drawn in his left hand and hidden against his side, and as he came up close to the younger girl he aimed it upwards at her side, keeping it near his hip so it wouldn't be easily noticeable. Fortunately, the foot traffic had lightened, so his chance of another pedestrian noticing him were slim. The only danger was that the girl herself would notice him, but hopefully she was too focused on what was inside to pay attention to a random old man on the street. If she did, well...he doubted she was fast enough to dodge the blaster bolt that would be coming her way. He hoped and thought that that wouldn't be necessary, though, because he would likely be upon her before she realized what was happening.

If he were to get to her before she noticed his gun, he would come around behind her, pressing the blaster to her back. "Inside the building. Now!" he would whisper gruffly, then, to the other two inside, he would say, "On the ground, now, or I shoot the girl. Don't try anything." If the girl were to comply with his order, he would shut the door behind them. "No one's gonna touch this place if I have anything to say about it!"

Janella watched as her Master and Ashaiya enter the building when she had a strange feeling, she turned and looked around the street but saw only a steady stream of people moving in either directions. She discarded this feeling and made to enter the building when she sensed someone behind her, in one movement she pivoted to her right while using her right hand to grasp at his wrist tightly hoping to make him let go of the weapon she sensed. Then with her left hand she force pulled and ignited her training saber to reveal its yellow blade, she span the blade around so it was inches from his chest. Of course it wouldn't do much damage but it would make him think twice about making another move.

Feeling something was wrong outside, Terand turned around and headed back for the door. Along the way he drew his right blaster just in case.He made it out side to see Janella in confrontation with a man. Taking aim at the man, Terand spoke out.

"Got a problem here mister?"

She was currently using Psychometry on the floor of this place when the confrontation between the man and Janella started. Seeing images of the place in action with what appeared to be two Jedi, basing this off the emotions she was feeling. She also saw images of two men entering this seemingly abandoned building years later. She could feel what they both felt, and could sense their devotion to this place. Though as Terand turned and double-backed, she finally ended her ability and followed Terand figuring something was wrong. Recognizing the man who was currently being threatened though as one from one of her visions. She quickly moved up closer to Janella.

"Lower your weapons. He merely has the wrong idea about us."

She spoke this to both as she then turned to the man, bowing her head slightly.

"I give you my word that we're not here to cause any harm to this building. I am Jedi Knight Ashaiya Sihn. The girl is Jedi Padawan Janella, and the male Jedi Knight Terand Ranus."

She really had no proof to back this up though, since a lightsaber could be wielded by both a Sith and Jedi. So hoping to use her's would be useless, as a man who took it upon himself to protect this building most likely knew the difference between the two groups. Instead she would merely hope that the fact he was not dead right now was reassurance enough.

The girl moved fast, faster than Niral had been expecting. In his prime, he would have been able to react in time to fire off the shot into her heart before she got to his blaster, but he was an old man now, and his reflexes weren't what they used to be. Her hand caught his wrist and, while his tactical instincts had forced him to keep a firm grip on the blaster, she managed to move his hand enough out of the way so that the blaster shot he fired went a spare centimeter past her side, hitting the door hinge behind her. He was about to bring the blaster up for another shot, but suddenly he was staring down at the tip of a fiery lightsaber. His blood ran cold, and he instantly began putting up the mental walls around his mind to keep intruders out, a technique Axem Steel had taught him a long time ago. Of course, he was out of practice, but he did manage to focus the walls around the most important parts of his mind, the parts that might contain valuable information that they might be seeking, so that it would take a considerable effort to get through.

For a split second, he entertained the thought that they could be Jedi, but he quickly discarded that idea. If Lancer or Master Steel had sent Jedi to reclaim the HQ, they would have sent word to Niral and his companions, and the lightsaber meant there was only other possibility.

"Go ahead and kill me, Sith, you'll get nothing out of me," he spat at the girl, knowing full well that a Sith would be able to take him down, blaster or no. He ignored the shrieking that was coming from around him as the pedestrians vacated the premeses, running and shouting for help. He also ignored her male companion, who came out of the building holding a blaster pistol. No, he kept his hardened eyes staring straight up at the girl, the one he expected to end his life. He was determined that he wouldn't give her any information before she did so.

But he could not ignore the last person in the group. His eyes perked up visibly as she mentioned Jedi, but he then clamped down again. "Jedi? Yeah, right. I must tell you, I am a student of the Jedi, and I don't recognize those names." It was not entirely true, for the last name she mentioned seemed vaguely familiar, but he wasn't about to let her know that. If they were not Sith, he wanted some form of explanation, damnit!

Besides, he was still not entirely convinced of what she was saying. Granted, she did seem a bit too...humble for a Sith, but if there was one thing the Sith knew how to do, it was deceive, and he was not going to fall for their tricks. The only reason a Sith would keep him alive would be if they suspected or knew he had some information of value, and he was not going to give them that. So he kept his mind guarded, especially his minor deception and the parts of his mind containing sensitive information.

Janella didn't move for a few seconds, she stared into the mans eyes and sensed his he meant her no harm. She let her grasp on his wrist loosen and withdrew her lightsaber.

"We are no Sith. Now explain yourself, why were you sneaking up on me?"

Terand placed his blaster back into his holster as he watched the man.

"If we were Sith then we'd just kill you and take what we wanted. Even information can be taken from the dead with the Force. As a student of the Jedi, you should know that."

"Like Terand said, if we were Sith we would've already attacked. Since I could just use an ability that allows me to read the past of any object or corpse."

Although while that was true she would always avoid using the ability on a corpse. Being that she would be able to feel whatever they felt at the time, emotional and physical. Something that she would prefer to avoid as emotions before death had a tendency to be rather over-whelming. Or at least that's what she was told, never experiencing it herself.

Niral kept his composure, but only barely. He had heard rumors of such a power as the one they mentioned, but had mostly discarded them as just that: rumors. Perhaps they were bluffing, or perhaps they really had a means of gleaning vital secrets from his corpse. That could not happen...but as he stood there staring at the three, a plan began to form in his mind, and he immediately put up his shields around it, diverting some (but not all) power from the other places he was guarding. He knew how to prove if they were Jedi, and the same plan would...dispose of them if they were not. The fact that this were an all-or-nothing plan made it less imperative that they not get any information from him, because if they were Jedi they had a right to know the information, and if they weren't, they would be dead before the information could be put into practice. Their actions had almost convinced him they were true Jedi, but it wouldn't hurt to be safe.

He narrowed his eyes, then said suspiciously, "Tell me, then, what would the Jedi be doing here? Are you planning on reinstating the NJR?" Try as he might, he could not keep a hopeful tone out of his voice as he said his last statement.

Janella watched him closely as he thought, he was obviously very cautious. The planet had probably gotten considerably less carefree since the loss of the Republic.

"At the moment we are looking for other Jedi since there are so few of us. But in particular we are looking for Jedi Master Lancer Onasi. Did you know him?"

"We're not here to reinstate the NJR. Like my padawan said, we're investigating the disappearance of Jedi Master Lancer Onasi. Our information has lead us here."

Her response was not necessary at this point, seeing as both had answered. So instead she simply stepped back to give each other a bit more room than before. Though she would have to make sure to check her copy of the Jedi Archives for this NJR at some point. It may help with the mission, and if not it would simply broaden her knowledge.

Niral's eyes perked up ever-so-slightly at the mention of Lancer Onasi, but his shoulders slumped when he realized they were not here to reinstate the NJR. "A pity, that is. But...did you say Lancer Onasi has disappeared?" His mind raced at this thought. Aside from Axem Steel, Lancer was the Jedi he had had contact with most, and his disappearance did not bode well for the safety of the galaxy. He remembered the Kel Dor Jedi as he was when they had first met: quiet, unassuming, yet idealistic and ready to protect the galaxy. As the Jedi Knight had grown, he had matured and strengthened, and eventually attained the rank of Jedi Master. More recently, Niral had been visited several times by the Jedi Master, but their last conversation had been years ago.

((Just going to skip Janella and get the RP moving again.))

"Indeed. We've managed to follow his trail to here from contacts he lost saw. Would you happen to know anything that could help our mission in discovering his current...status?"

She wasn't quite positive on how to word that ending of her question, considering their mission was more to discover what exactly happened to Lancer. Not necessarily to 'save' him, of course they would if necessary. The mission just specifically wasn't that since no one knew about his whereabouts or if he was even alive. But mentally shrugging this off she waited on his answer.

Niral nodded thoughtfully, then pushed past the so-called Jedi and into the former NJR headquarters. Anyone who didn't know that he and his friend still came here regularly would have been surprised to see that it was totally immaculate, without a hint of dust anywhere, and, aside from the lack of people, it almost looked like it was open for business. He was determined not to let this place become too old and dilapidated so as to be more trouble than it was worth to rehabilitate...and besides, he was retired, and had far too much time on his hands.

He walked to the side of the wall and flicked a few switches, and the building came alive with light. The building was magnificent, as lavishly decorated as any government or business building was nowadays, at it was an interesting sight to behold. Motioning for the three strangers to follow him, Niral began walking down the hallway at a brisk pace. He took out his comlink and called Thomas, reassuring him that it was okay, it was a false alarm, he didn't have to come down here any more, and then put the comlink away and turned over his shoulder at the Jedi. "As it so happens, Jedi Lancer has come to visit me multiple times, but I haven't seen him since nine years ago. That wouldn't happen to be when he disappeared, would it?"

"Nine years ago he left on a mission and met with a friend of his on Abregado-Rae."

"Interesting..." Niral muttered as he continued along the pathway. "Well, he did mention a secret mission the last time he was here..." He was suddenly a lot more candor and talkative, as if he had truly accepted that the others were Jedi. In reality he still had his doubts, but he figured that if they weren't Jedi like they said they were, they would not be around for much longer anyways. "He said he was searching for a Sith Lord...of course, I couldn't help him much, as my web of contacts is not what it used to be, but he stuck around for a week or so, presumably investigating. He told me before he left that he had a lead but didn't tell me where he was going." He fell silent, glancing behind his shoulder to see their reaction. It was true, of course, but he was also leaving some crucial information out, such as the fact that he knew how to get the information they needed.

They passed by a large, lavishly decorated double-door, and Niral gestured at it pridefully. "That was the old debriefing room. I remember meeting there with Master Steel and Jedi Lancer and the rest of the admirals, planning our missions and dealing with threats. Those were better times, times in which the Jedi were numerous enough to safeguard much of the galaxy. The Sith were more numerous then, too, but they were too occupied fighting the Jedi to wreak havoc like they have been for the past decade or so." His eyes glazed over with memories, and his voice became somewhat wistful. Nostalgia struck him whenever he entered this building, but it was worth it for the great memories that came with it.

Terand listened as Niral continued on about the history he had with the Jedi and the NJR. It seemed like they weren't getting anywhere. All at once Terand felt a sharp cry through the force and nearly fell. He held himself against a wall where he stopped to regain himself. A large number of violent deaths had just occurred and he could feel it. Something terrible just happened, but what it was he didn't know exactly. All he knew for sure was that something dark was about to happen to the galaxy. Looking towards Ashaiya and Janella, Terand was seeing if they had felt the something, although he wasn't sure if Janella could since she had just began her training.

"I have a feeling you're holding something back. If it'll help us to find out what happened to Master Onasi then please tell us."

"Ah, yes, the fabled Jedi senses," Niral replied, noting the small strain of urgency that had crept into Terand's voice. It puzzled him; he had seen nothing that would cause such a sudden uprising of anxiety, but perhaps the Jedi's senses were telling him something else besides the fact that Niral was not telling everything he knew. "Well, I have told you everything I know about his mission...but he may have left some clues for you here. The day he left, when he told me about the lead he had found, he also told me he was leaving a message here especially coded into the local Jedi Archives port. I'm leading you there now."

Niral would continue along the route to the Jedi Archives until he arrived at the Jedi Archives, which was a room all of its own. It was a fairly small room, designed for the use of only 5 or 6 people at a time, but it looked larger due to the fact that it was entirely empty aside from the Archives port in the wall. Like many Jedi Archives ports, this one was safeguarded by certain security measures...although this one's security had been greatly upgraded before the NJR was disbanded, and Niral kept it in top form. "There," he said, pointing at the machine. "It has three scanners: fingerprint, voice, and DNA." Niral watched Terand closely, waiting for any sort of reaction from the machine. It was kept up-to-date with Jedi records through the holonet, so even a fairly new Jedi would be able to pass the test. If, however, they were not really Jedi, the machine would take appropriate steps to deal with that.