Anti-Violent, Attn: Orion, Shay

With a semi-defeated sigh the young padawan popped up onto the shallow crate and let her back fall against the wall with a hollow thud. A slight grimace marred her features and she pulled her bottom lip through her teeth as her head rocked back and tapped the wall behind her. Rolling her head on her shoulders, Padawan Amadis listened to the soft jingle of the beads, jewellery, and trinkets that adorned her platinum blonde hair. Silently she folded her arms inside her traditional robes, studying her surroundings with a sensitive mind's eye.

Master Stone had business with the Alliance. It had seemed urgent although he had been unwilling to share the details with his padawan. Seras shrugged as the memory was recalled, not really caring one way or another. She had preferred to remain Shedu Maad, but Nathaniel had insisted that his padawan accompany him. Seras was not going to object and once they had arrived, she felt the thrill of a new planet and new people. It was all quite exciting really. However, the excitement she had felt upon arrival had worn off. An Alliance base was not the friendliest environment for someone of Seras' disposition or age. She knew this was a place of war, her wonderings and the Force had told her that much. There was so much poorly sheltered anger emitting from these bodies on a scale that the Miraluka couldn't even conceive. She was both intrigued and frightened by it.

Exhaling slowly though her nostrils, Seras wondered where Master Stone had gone off to. It wasn't hard to imagine that whatever task had drawn him to Corellia would take some time. He had told her to explore and stay out of trouble. Seras would have rolled her eyes if she had them; like she was going to get into trouble. There wasn't anything to do around here anyway. So she had resigned herself to this crate, meditation would help the time pass. And she did have a lot to meditate on.

This place was so different than Ossus, Shedu Maad, or Manaan, especially to one used to the companionship of those akin to the Force. They were all unshielded to her vision and some of the impressions she received from these Alliance fellows were disturbing at times. Paranoia, hate, fear, anger, despair, their emotions ran the gambit and although Seras had been off world on more than one occasion and felt such emotions through the Force, it was always a shock to her system. She was also troubled by some of their impressions of her. Many watched her with suspicion and she definitely felt like an outsider. Moaning to herself, she hoped Master Stone wouldn't be much longer.

Feeling the need to explore again, she unfolded her legs and hopped off the crate and stretched. Folding her hands back inside her robs, she picked a direction. A frown creased her brow beneath the cream bandage around her eyes as images of combat reached her keen senses. She instinctively tensed as the animosity grew, feeling quite uneasy about the unfettered aggression coming from the rooms down the long corridor. Seras paused in the hallway, contemplating returning to her crate. Master Stone had told her to explore. Although the reasoning was weak, Seras continued forward and gave the scenes of violence her full attention, no matter how much it repulsed her. With a feeble shrug, she wondered if she could convince them to live an anti-violent existence.

Orion would not have said that he was being overly violent or aggressive, but it wasn't his place to say so. In fact, he would say that he was being very chilled out and non-violent today, at this moment while he was practicing by himself. Orion had been neglecting his beskad skills of late, abandoning them in favor of hand to hand skills that, though important, had seriously impacted his skill with a blade.

The beskad was not an easy weapon to master by any means. It was not a very long blade, but it was thick and built with the heavy Mando'ad iron that made it able to resist a wide variety of blades. However, it was heavy, and Orion's muscles strained with the effort of holding the blade aloft. He had just received permission to start practicing with his weapon of choice the day before, that his muscles and cybernetic arm were back in action.

Orion didn't have anyone to spar with, regretfully. Orion was dangerous just in hand to hand contact, but when he was given a beskad, his opponent had to be just as skilled in a similar weapon to stand a chance against him. And in a world where most soldiers were trained in blaster weapons, those chances were even fewer and father between than a decent hand to hand fight.

Besides, after three weeks of not working with the beskad, Orion realized that he was more than a little rusty. His muscles strained and shook violently at the effort it took to hold the heavy sword aloft. Orion was certain that the non-Mandos realized just how much grace and skill it took to fight with this weapon. Or how beautiful some of the katas could be, if one cared to watch.

The way Orion was training with the blade was much more like a dance than anything that seemed to suggest battle. But if one was attentive, they could see the potential for violence in the dance. The slash of gray through the air could just have easily been seen with the red mist of blood.

Orion started out slow, but soon the dance became faster and less cautious. Orion was grateful that there was no one in the training room at the moment. He would not have been able to do this if he had to worry about cutting apart a hapless Alliancer that wandered in. A Mandalorian, of course, would have enough sense to stay out of his way, but these outsiders were like newly emerged puppies, emerging from their den with no idea of danger.

Orion was wearing full armor, for once, in the training room. It was another thing that Orion had to re accustom his body to, after these last three weeks out of it. The armor dragged a little on his movements, which was rather alarming. His armor should feel like a second skin, and move just as easily, so it made him extremely upset that he had let himself degrade this far.

Well no more. Orion was not nearly in the shape he was in before the Korriban Assault, and he would get back to his previous condition again now that he was not on light training anymore.

Very soon, the Mandalorian was simply a whirlwind of purple, black, and gray, and even for the more experienced fighters there, it would be hard to follow. Orion let his body remember what his mind could not react fast enough to do, all the patterns that made up the basis of what Orion would do in true contact.

He stopped suddenly without much warning, holding the blade at his side and panting heavily with the exertion. It felt /good/, to be able to sweat and have his muscles burn at the exertion. Sweat dripped from the end of his nose and down his neck, only to be absorbed by the undercloth of Orion's armor.

A fine practice, but Orion would need many more sessions to be back on par. He looked over curiously at the vidwindow to the room, and saw something rather... odd.

At first glance, it appeared a blonde girl at the window had no eyes. It was hard for Orion to tell that, since she seemed to have her eyes covered. She could merely be blind, but why in the world would a small, blind girl be in the middle of an Alliance Base? That couldn't be right. She looked human, but something said to Orion that she was not. Orion thought that he would have noticed a blind girl at some point on his month long stay here already. She also looked young, too young to be here. Perhaps 15 or 16? Then again, appearances could be deceiving he supposed.

Orion was aware of the report that several Jedi were visiting the compound, but he doubted this girl was one of them. She looked to timid, to afraid of everything around her. Orion sheathed his beskad again, and left the training room. He looked over, wondering if the little rabbit would take off running at the first moment she spotted him.

"Are you lost?"

The padawan watched the martial display with an odd sense of exhilaration and repulsion. The grace of the well practiced movements preformed by the armoured warrior was beautiful. Every time Seras found herself thinking that, she reminded herself of their purpose. There was no beauty in death, even if the scholars claimed that war was an art form. She would always dispute that fact. She continued to watch, trying to keep her expression neutral and hide her disapproval. It was clear from the martial prowess displayed by the warrior with each stroke of the short sword that he could break her like a twig. A bundle of nerves snapped within the padawan and an awkward smile pushed to the surface. It wasn't a push to imagine a few of the Jedi having a tough time with such an opponent.

Despite her feelings towards combat, Seras had reluctantly trained with a lightsaber and she saw small similarities between the Mandalorian's strikes and some of the more aggressive lightsaber forms. Sadly, Seras only knew Shii-cho. Her training in the most basic of lightsaber forms came slowly and her reluctance was well known amongst the Jedi. She only practiced when pushed to do so and if left to her own devices, she wouldn't pick up a training 'saber again.

Suddenly he stopped and Seras felt herself tense slightly. It quickly became apparent to the padawan that the warrior was aware of her presence. She felt a little guilty watching him practice without saying anything. However, she deemed interrupting his killing practice to be far more detrimental. Straightening up, she fidgeted with her hands before stuffing them into the folds of her long sleeves as the warrior approached.

"Are you lost?"

Seras judged his tone carefully, and was slightly surprised to hear someone so obviously well versed in martial affairs ask if she was lost or seem concerned for her well being. She smiled a little and turned a degree in his direction.
"No," the padawan replied simply in a soft and pleasant tone. "I know where I am." Thinking for a moment, she wondered as to why he had stopped training so abruptly. She believed her presence had been a factor.
"I did not mean to interrupt your training. Please, forgive my intrusion." She bowed her head and the trinkets interwoven in her platinum blonde hair jingled.

Oh no, where'd he go! She woke up with a start, when the scent of her man left the room. He was supposed to be here, to wake her up before he left! Really, she loved her pet human dearly, but sometimes he was so unruly that she thought she had to take him back to training. Her brother was blistfully unaware of the intense intrusion on her careful order around her pack, the lug continued to sleep.

Moron. She stood up and stretched her long, lean and powerfully muscled body. She was a sexy damn beast and she knew it, walking out of the room in search of her lost pet. Really, she was going to have to put a leash on him, before he got himself into trouble.

"I did not mean to interrupt your training. Please, forgive my intrusion."

That tramp! Standing there, getting too close to her man! She walked over with a purpose, her tail flagged in the air and her ears perked forward, until that jerk grabbed her collar and pulled her back. The look she turned and gave Orion-pet a scathing look that if there was any justice in the galaxy, would have made him whimper like a newborn pup.

"Traci, you're going to be nice to the young lady."

Orion shook his head apologetically as his Splice Hound sat down at his feet and stared at the woman in a very uncomfortable fashion. Another Slice Hound looked around the man's legs warily at the girl as well. They were not really pets, not as others knew them. Tal and Traci were hunters, and Orion's companions. Tal's tail wagged tentatively, though, but his sister was silent.

"I did not mean to interrupt your training. Please, forgive my intrusion."

Orion raised an eyebrow, laughing softly. If the girl thought that she was a distraction for him, she was sorely mistaken.

"Actually, I was wondering if you would like to join me."

Seras paid close attention as the slice hound approached from behind the Mandalorian. The canine was focused upon her and flicks of aggression shuddered from its aura. She had met similar creatures deep within the ice caves of Illum and knew them to be defensive of their pack. With a little help from Master Stone the padawan had managed to convince those hounds that she wasn't a threat. Seras didn't doubt that she would be able to befriend a domesticated slice hound.

"Traci, you're going to be nice to the young lady."

As Orion reached out and took the beast by the collar and pulled it back to his side, Seras smiled, shifting her position slightly. She could have been mistaken, but this slice hound seemed to be far larger than the ones she remembered meeting on Illum. If the canine decided to attack her, Seras doubted that its owner would be able to hold it back. Pushing those morbid thoughts from her mind, she reminded herself that she didn't have anything to fear. She was no threat to the creature and it would realise that. Seras was also prepared to help her case.

"Traci, that's a beautiful name. Yes it is..." she commented, taking a few small steps forward and crouching before the possessive slice hound with a generous smile. The padwan augmented her aura, sending waves of calming energies to soothe the beast and any unwarranted thoughts that occupied its mind. Unfolding a small hand from inside her robe, she held it out for Traci's inspection.

"Actually, I was wondering if you would like to join me."

Seras twitched, surely he knew better than to ask her for a dual. Oh, right. She wasn't amongst the Order. Many of the padwans had learnt not to look to her for a spar or a good natured fight. That was normally when the lectures began and even if they managed to coax her into dusting off the training 'saber and step onto the mat, she never gave it her all. Beating Seras Amadis in a dual wasn't a bragging right. She laughed a little, finding the situation quite preposterous. Could this have been an attempt at humour? Surely he could see the funny side of them sparring.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the padawan said as she rose from her haunches. Even whilst standing she was a good foot and a half shorter than the armoured warrior. "I don't think that I would be a challenge for someone of your prowess."

The Slice Hound was unimpressed, but she was rarely impressed with any bipedal species. She ignored the hand the girl held out, though Tal ventured forward a little with a tentatively wagging tail and a sniff. He was quickly dissuaded of this plan when Traci snapped at him, though, making him retreat back behind Orion's leg.

Orion hoped the young lady wasn't offended, but there was nothing much he could do about the Splice Hound's standoffish nature with strangers. He shrugged noncommittally, wondering why the girl was being so cautious. He liked to think that he wasn't /that/ scary.

Orion could almost tell before the girl ever said anything that she was planning on turning him down, something that Orion found most confusing. There were so many here that were reluctant to fight, even though it was merely in practice. Then again, he didn't know the girl's history, but she didn't seem like someone to which fighting was a completely foreign concept. She should have no real reason for turning him down.

"I don't think that I would be a challenge for someone of your prowess."

Orion smiled at her, cocking his hip slightly to a more relaxed state. So that was it, huh? That explained a lot. The girl was just a little shy. No matter, Orion liked to think that he was easy to get along with.

"Young lady, not many sentients can. That's no excuse for not practicing with everyone you can find, though."

Orion's tone was slightly lecturing, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. Another Mandalorian would have perhaps dragged her into the room despite it all, but Orion was curious as to why the girl was trying to brush him off.

"I'm sorry, my manners must be lacking, I never introduced myself. My name's Orion of Clan Athiachos." Orion smiled friendly, hooking the thumb of his right hand into his belt.

"So tell me, why are you trying so hard to get out of one simple sparring match?" Orion asked curiously.

While she had initially offered her hand to the more aggressive and standoffish of the slice hounds, her unnatural vision identified the more submissive of the creatures coming towards her hesitantly. Shifting her feet beneath her crouched form, she turned to face the more adventurous of the pair with a small smile. She spoke softly to the hound, beckoning it forward and her smile grew as the canine approached. Seras frowned beneath the cream bandage around her eyes as Traci snapped and drove the other into hiding. That one had problems, she noted mentally. Feeling that she had gotten as far as she could with the creatures without losing a limb, Seras sighed quietly beneath her breath and stood.

"Young lady, not many sentients can. That's no excuse for not practicing with everyone you can find, though."

Practicing to kill, Seras tacked onto the end of what Orion had said with a carefully controlled frown that was hardly visible under her obscured features. She didn't understand how that was supposed to convince her to spar with him. If anything, that was a perfect reason as why not to spar with him. What was he expecting from her?

"I'm sorry, my manners must be lacking, I never introduced myself. My name's Orion of Clan Athiachos."

She was pleased when the conversation took a turn away from the prospect of armed combat. It was clear that Seras was more comfortable now that was off the table.
"Padawan Seras Amadis at your service." said the petite padawan as she took a step back and bowed respectfully to the towering Mandalorian. After holding the bow for a second, she righted herself, folding her arms into the sleeves of her robes.

"So tell me, why are you trying so hard to get out of one simple sparring match?"

A small defeated sound passed her lips and her shoulders slouched as the spar was brought up again. Something told the padwan that her true reason for not fighting wouldn't sit well with the armoured behemoth that stood before her. She shrugged a little, trying to pick the best words to illuminate him to her position. Suddenly Seras scowled at herself and her attempts to sugar-coat her stance like it was something to be ashamed of. No. Her position was valid and although the Order shunned pride, she was proud to be walking the path of a healer. There was no nobler profession in the hollow sockets of Seras Amadis. Straightening her posture, she cleared her throat.
"I have taken a vow to never cause harm to another and respect the sanctity of life. I have no place in the ring."

Orion felt slightly sorry for the girl and Traci's apparent dislike to her, but there really wasn't much he could do about it. Traci and Tal were not pets, but hunting animals used to work. It wasn't essential that either of them be very friendly to other sentients, as long as they didn't attack without Orion telling them to do it. Unlike some tamer creatures, who thought that every biped was their friend, it took quite a bit longer to gain the trust and respect of animals like these.

For some reason, Orion felt some sort of hostility from the young lady. Well, maybe hostility was not the proper term for what it seemed she was feeling. If Orion had to put it in more precise terms, he would say that he was annoying her. Normally, Orion would have just left it at that and let the girl decide what she was going to do herself, if she was that against the opportunity to develop her skills it was her own problem. But she had quirked Orion's considerable curiosity.

He hadn't been so much like this back on the home planets, but coming here had initiated a change in his attitude. There were just so may different things to learn here, and if this particular blinded species had something against combat, he wanted to know what it was for future reference.

"Padawan Seras Amadis at your service."

The term 'Padawan' sounded vaguely familiar to Orion, but he couldn't place exactly where it came from. Either way, he frowned slightly, and figured he definitely should have known that. The girl's robes weren't exactly unusual, and for all he knew, that was the typical garb for her species or homeplanet. He figured he would get the point, eventually.

"I have taken a vow to never cause harm to another and respect the sanctity of life. I have no place in the ring."

Orion couldn't help the snort that he let out at the girl's proclamation. It wasn't that it was a funny thought, just one so extremely ridiculous that he couldn't help but chuckle. Sanctity of life? That was all well and good, until someone tried to kill you. As for the concept of being a healer or a doctor and not knowing how to fight, the thought was equally ridiculous. The Mando'ade had doctors too, of course, but they knew how to fight as well.

"So what you're saying is that you'd rather stand back and watch people die, or patch up their grievous injuries, instead of bothering to protect them in the first place?" Orion chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Seems a little silly, to me."

Recoiling as Orion snorted, she didn't need her extrasensory perception to understand his mocking gesture or know that she had lost all respect in his eyes. Not that she would presume to have any to begin with. She had felt similar scrutiny from within the Order, however the magnitude of the scorn was something new to her. It was troubling and caused her focus to waver. Was holding life above all else really so offensive to him?

Despite the padawan's objections and morals, she had been taught how to fight. Granted she only knew one form and obviously her training wasn't up to par with a Mandalorian of similar age. She wasn't even up to par with her fellow padawans. Seras was stubborn and while she had performed admirably with a training saber, her heart was never in the battle and her defeat was all but guaranteed. She took the stinging crack of an energy blade with a begrudging smile and was all too eager to drop the lightsaber to the mat after the fight. Her record in mock combat was abysmal, only scoring a handful of wins against hundreds.

"So what you're saying is that you'd rather stand back and watch people die, or patch up their grievous injuries, instead of bothering to protect them in the first place? Seems a little silly, to me."

Seras shook her head after hearing Orion's words. She felt sorry that this was the only world that he knew. In some ways this human reminded Seras of Ankallem. There were many parallels between the views held by Orion and the Stenax padawan. Shrugging her shoulders, she imagined they would get along quite well. She felt intimidated by his tone and the direction this conversation was heading. Expanding her senses to encompass a large majority of the building she was in, Seras searched for Master Stone. Frowning as her search revealed nothing; she figured her master was out of range.

Clearing her throat and shuffling uncomfortably in her robes, Seras began to speak, "When one resorts to violence, they have run out of ideas and have closed off every avenue open to them but one." Seras paused, gauging the warrior's response to her words before continuing. "You speak in absolutes, Orion of Clan Athiachos. I am either a killer or a coward in your eyes. Given the choice I would gladly choose the coward."

Since the truth had come out about Shay's identity, there was no longer any need for her to maintain the public trappings of her 'Brin Trell' persona. That said, the Jedi Master had elected against donning the traditional robes of her kind while inside the Alliance base. For one thing, the multiple layers of fabric tended to be overly warm from the perspective of her Dolomarian physiology. Not to mention all the weight of draping cloth inevitably got in the way when she was trying to fix something within the bowels of the Lucidity.

Therefore, on the surface not much had changed about the blonde woman's appearance. Her current outfit--loose gray slacks, a white tank-top, and sturdy work boots--fit right in line with the practical nature of the Telosian spacer she'd pretended to be for the past year. However, now it was her carbon black lightsaber hilts which held the prominent places of honor on either hip instead of her blasters. Shay had been the subject of more than one doubletake in the halls as a result, as passersby were forced to re-evaluate their initial estimations of her.

Let them stare. For once, I have nothing to hide. The freedom of showing her true colors in public--well, as 'public' as a resistance movement's secret bunker could be considered--was a genuine novelty to Master Marin. The sublime joy of honest living was well worth the confused and eclectic mixture of emotions her presence produced in the rebels now. These reactions she accepted without insult or remorse. Shay had long since made peace with the paradoxial nature of her work and the social consequences thereof.

At present, though, Shay's thoughts were not focused on such philosophical considerations. Instead she was looking forward to putting herself through her paces in one of the Alliance's exercise areas. The Lucidity was a spacious craft for its type, but proper practice of lightsaber forms required a great deal more room to maneuver than the Delaya-class courier had to offer. Normally she would have invited Nereus to join her, but the Sentinel's new Padawan was still slogging through his latest study assignment. I hope he doesn't resent me too much for making him read through Uhr Eharl Khoehng without a translation matrix. It's his own fault for mentioning he wanted to learn Old Corellian--

"So what you're saying is that you'd rather stand back and watch people die, or patch up their grievous injuries, instead of bothering to protect them in the first place? Seems a little silly, to me."

These words, heard beyond the corner of the corridor Shay was currently in, brought the Jedi's steady stride to a halt. As old habits died hard, the Investigator had subconsciously kept her steps light and her Force signature repressed. Reasonably certain her presence had not been detected as of yet by whoever it was arguing down the way, the Jedi Master held herself still and silent while she listened. Sure, eavesdropping wasn't polite, but since when had 'polite' gotten anything of worth accomplished in the galaxy, right?

"When one resorts to violence, they have run out of ideas and have closed off every avenue open to them but one. You speak in absolutes, Orion of Clan Athiachos. I am either a killer or a coward in your eyes. Given the choice I would gladly choose the coward."

While the first voice was wholly unfamiliar to Master Marin, the second immediately triggered a spark of recognition in her mind. Shay had only run into Old Stoneface's apprentice on a handful of occasions, but her sharp mind instantly identified the source of the youthful reproach. A minor effort of will repressed the sigh that tempted the older woman at the content of Seras' statement. Padawan Amadis' idealism and pacifism were considered extreme even by the standards of the Jedi Order. Shay couldn't fault the Miraluka's intentions, but she was surprised Master Stone hadn't beaten--figuratively, of course--the naivete out of his student by now. In his own way, Nathaniel was as much of a realist as Shay was.

At least Shay had Seras to thank for providing the Councilwoman with the identity of her debate partner. Guess I should step in before Mandalorian/Jedi relations are set back another millennium or two. Her resolution made, the Dolomarian resumed her course towards the exercise facility. Stepping into view, the athletic blonde woman angled a wry smile towards the mismatched pair of sentients standing in the hallway. At the same time she stopped shielding her presence in the Force from the perceptions of others, so as to not sneak up on the physically blind girl.

"Glad to see you're able to slip out from under your Master's thumb from time to time, Padawan," Master Marin chose to announce her presence by stating, her tone making it clear she was only teasing as she closed the distance between them. "I'd hate to think Nathaniel wasn't giving you any room to breathe." The senior Jedi's outward demeanor and her emotional aura gave no indication whether she had heard the previous exchange between the two.

Coming to a halt a few feet away from the towering Mandalorian, the Sentinel turned her amber regard towards him curiously, clasping her hands behind the small of her back in a relaxed pose. "Mind introducing me to your friend here?" she continued in a casual manner, though the warrior would no doubt notice the intensity of the human woman's examination of him.

Orion frowned, shaking his head and wondering how exactly he was going to inform the girl that she was a idealistic moron. Idealism was good, of course, but you had to have a good, healthy dose of realism as well to pull it off. This girl was incredibly lacking in that, that was for sure. He crossed his arms over his chest after sheathing his beskad, wondering how he was to dissuade the girl of her... well... foolish thoughts.

"... Given the choice I would gladly choose the coward."

Orion stared at the girl as if she had just grown a second head, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. Who would willingly choose to be weak, to be powerless in the face of a foe? Who would choose to run away from a fight, and allow others, their families, and friends, to get hurt? Literally, the concept of running away from a fight was a foreign one to Orion. Retreating, yes. Retreating was a tactical withdrawal from a situation that one couldn't handle. He could understand that. But running away from an foe your equal or below, one that was totally within your depths?

Orion was about to say something, but an ominous shiver ran up his spine, a sort of particular tickling awareness in the back of his skull. If he had hackles, they would be raised right now. It had just come out of nowhere, that particular uncomfortable feeling. He frowned a little more, tense, as if ready to fight.

"Glad to see you're able to slip out from under your Master's thumb from time to time, Padawan,"

Suddenly, it all slipped into place for the poor, overwhelmed Mandalorian. The term 'Padawan' applied with 'Master' finally clicked, and he realized that these two were Jedi. Jedi!

They were not foreign to Orion, of course. They were now reluctant allies, and he had fought with a few notable ones on Korriban those months ago. However, the Jedi he had joined had been a fighter of an equal that Orion had rarely had the opportunity of seeing. If Lysander had not been a Jedi, he would have probably made a fantastic Mandalorian. But now, meeting them face to face without a fight to distract him, was downright frightening.

Not only that, but everything pointed to this woman also being a Jedi. He felt the cold chill of sweat against his spine, wondering if even now the woman was rummaging through his thoughts. All the old suspicions and stories had come to the back of his head, but Orion tried to be logical.

"Mind introducing me to your friend here?"

Orion could feel the close scrutiny. How could he not? He had not been under such observation since his last visit with his Mother, and it made him distinctly uncomfortable. However, he tried to tell himself he had nothing to fear from them.

That didn't mean it was working.

Despite his superstition about the situation, he felt his hackles rise in more irritation and anger than fear. The woman had asked the girl who he was, instead of having the respect to ask him directly. He frowned in slight annoyance, but put a tight lid on it. Again, he reminded himself that he could not judge the others based on the courtesies of his own culture. He tried not to take too much offense, though his fear made that slightly hard to do so.

"I assure you I can introduce myself, ge'verd. My name is Orion."

The term he used meant, 'almost a warrior', though it was not meant in a bad way. In fact, Orion was being infinitely more polite than his mother would have been in the same situation. The term was used for not only young Mandalorian warriors, but for warriors that were not Mando'ade. Then again, Orion seriously doubted the woman would know a word of Mando'a in any case.

The padawan could feel the irritation and disapproval rippling from the warrior. Sheets of ethereal energies passed through her, wrapping around and threatening to consume the miraluka. The whickering alterations in his aura showed his displeasure in her words and ideology far more accurately than his words ever could. She took a step back in apprehension and swallowed hard. No one in the Order would have used the word warrior to describe Seras Amadis, the word couldn't even be used in jest. Seras knew that better than anyone and in the shadow of the Mandalorian, the padawan was frightfully aware of her situation.

Padawan Amadis thought it would be for the best if she took her leave. She didn't want any trouble, nor did she want to create any ripples between the Order and the Alliance. Master Stone would be most displeased with her if she was to kick of an intergalactic incident. Frowning intensely, Seras wished that her curiosity hadn't gotten the best of her. The crate she had been rested on, albeit dull, was far more pleasant and not to mention safer, than the inscrutable gaze she was currently locked under.

Master Marin's unshielded Force presence was like a flare in the night. Seras inhaled sharply and her body tensed instinctively as this new presence was absorbed and identified. While the honing of the Force senses can take a while, Seras had the distinct advantage of having them as her only portal which she saw the world. The padawan was eternally pleased to have another Jedi at her back, a master nonetheless. Shay's presence brought an awkward smile to her lips. She would have liked to keep this encounter on the quiet. Now it was all but a certainty that Master Stone would find out what she had been up to.

"Glad to see you're able to slip out from under your Master's thumb from time to time, Padawan. I'd hate to think Nathaniel wasn't giving you any room to breathe."

Seras half turned as the Councilwoman spoke and continued her approach. The initial shock of the unsheathing Force Signature had dissipated and the padawan took the necessary steps to show the Jedi Master the proper respect under the circumstances. She quickly turned and bowed respectfully. Straightening her back after a moment, Seras skulked off to the side with her head still lowered in supplication.
"Master Marin," she breathed. It took her a moment to register that the Councilwoman was playing with her. Master Stone's approach concerning his padawan was one in reverence to his namesake. It sometimes slipped her mind that not all the masters had forgotten how to smile. With this realisation, her posture relaxed slightly, but her bandaged eyes were still angled towards the floor.

"Mind introducing me to your friend here?"

"I assure you I can introduce myself, ge'verd. My name is Orion."

Her brow twitched as the Mandalorian gave his name. Seras could feel his anger rising and watched his attempts to suppress it. There were other flecks in his aura that he struggled with. Seras recognised them instantly but dismissed the telltale spikes of fear that intermingled with waves of irritation and radiant bursts of anger. Scoffing beneath her breath, she found the idea that someone like Orion to display such an emotion laughable.
<of Clan Athiachos.> Seras completed for Master Marin telepathically as she waited in the sidelines for the master's order.

Seras' immediate reaction to Shay's presence was something the Jedi Master hadn't needed any Force precognition to anticipate. The young woman was nothing if not respectful towards her superiors. Hell, the kid turns 'deferential' into an art form. Old Stoneface must love this sort of treatment. On her end of the acquaintance, the Dolomarian always found herself the teensiest bit unnerved by such abasement by another towards her. While all the shows of respect Shay had been subjected to since her identity became so much more public as a member of the Jedi Council had inured her to such treatment to a certain degree, Padawan Amadis took the behavior to an extreme.

Master Marin wasn't certain just what elements of the Padawan's life had shaped her towards being such an obedient sort. Okay, sure, she'd been known to be pretty eager to please herself in her time, but that was back in her Initiate years. Even then, during the period when she'd still been convinced there was such a thing as a perfect Jedi, Shay had never approached being nearly so... passive as the Miraluka managed as naturally as breathing. Her childhood temper had entirely precluded such a character trait. I bet anyone who didn't know me as a child would find that hard to believe!

Now, Orion's response... that was far more of a surprise. It was a well known fact amongst the membership of the Order that Mandalorians didn't like Force Users. Every Jedi was taught that particular lesson during their apprenticeship, in the hope such knowledge would prevent unnecessary--and most likely messy--confrontations down the road.

For her own part, Shay had probably experienced more personal interactions with Mandalorians than any other of her kind she knew. However, the vast majority of those encounters had been while she was working undercover. In those contexts, they'd never had reason to perceive her as more or less worrisome than any other non-Mandalorian mercenary. However, the Sentinel no longer held reason to attempt at hiding her true identity from either the Alliance or their uneasy allies. Now this Orion was meeting her not as the 'independent contractor' she so often posed as, but as an accomplished Jedi Master.

Of all the emotional output Shay had expected to receive from the Mandalorian at his recognition of her status, fear had been far from the top of the list. True, many who understood little of what the Jedi were tended to be afraid of them; most sentient beings had an instinctive response to be scared of the unknown. However, to her knowledge, Mandalorians definitely did not scare easily. It was a curious thing, for him to fear her when not only had she not done nothing to him or displayed any powers, but her people had in fact fought beside his not to long ago.

"I assure you I can introduce myself, ge'verd. My name is Orion."

Given the feelings she could sense radiating from his aura, prickly and intense, the fact he took offense to what had been an innocuous greeting on her part made perfect sense. Those who felt any degree of apprehension but did not want to show same often lashed out with anger instead, it being perceived as a 'stronger' emotion than fear. Not a useful response, to be sure, but one which provided Shay with a better understanding of the mindset of the Mandalorian liaison. She'd be more careful in the future with him as to how she phrased her statements, at least until she was confident she was no longer an object of suspicion from his perspective.

<of Clan Athiachos.>

::Thank you, Padawan,:: the Investigator responded with her own thoughts. She could appreciate Seras' desire to be as helpful as possible while not outwardly showing same, especially given how uncomfortable her previous argument with Orion had been for her. The two other beings in the corridor with Shay could hardly be more opposite in philosophy and personal outlook if they tried. Open conflict of any sort must surely trouble the young woman, given her pacifistic nature. ::Don't look so worried now,:: the Sentinel psychically teased her subordinate. :: I'm not here to get you in trouble.::

Even when faced with the Mandalorians' obvious irritation, the Councilwoman keep her expression mild, amber eyes thoughtful as she continued to consider him. She was careful to not show any sign she wasn't taking him seriously—an angry warrior of Mandalore was not something a wise person would ever wish to condescend to. At the same time, the older woman was not about to display any wariness towards him either. From what she'd seen in the past, Mandalorians held little to no respect for those they considered 'weak'. In addition, while she didn't know much Mando'a herself, the inkling she got through the Force indicated what Orion had called her had not been meant as an insult.

“I never thought otherwise,” Shay responded reasonably in turn. “My aim was to get Seras to speak up for herself more, to be honest. She always clams up when I come around.” The half-smile that quirked up one corner of her mouth—as well as the gentle amusement she projected to her fellow empath—made it clear the Jedi Master was not somehow offended by the Padawan's sometimes reclusive nature.

Continuing in the same affable vein, Shay boldly offered her hand to the scion of Clan Athiachos for a shake. “I'm Shay. Well, in more formal terms, I'm Jedi Master Shay Marin, member of the Jedi Council. But I'm not overly stuck on titles.” Once more the Dolomarian's self-depreciating sense of humor made an appearance, her smile widening to a full curve. “Besides, that's an awful big mouthful to make everyone say all the time. I'm glad I ran into you, actually. I've been playing the role of representative from the Order to the Alliance for a long time now.” What was thought but unsaid was that she'd like to reprise that role with the Mandalorians. Shay wasn't foolish enough to try to force that kind of issue right off the cuff.

The new woman made the back of Orion's brain itch, a very annoying feeling that made him frown in slight irritation. The fear he was feeling was really irrational, to be honest. He had fought alongside Jedi during the Korriban Assault, and he had not had this out of left field itching, tingling sensation when he was doing that. Actually, no, that wasn't true he realized as soon as he thought about it a little longer. The only difference between now and Korriban was that on that Force forsaken desert world, was that everything was making his brain itch, here it was just one person.

But it didn't matter if he was uncomfortable, Orion realized. He was the Mandalorian Liason, when Mand'alor could have chosen someone else for the task. But she had chosen him to be her voice in this place of strange foreigners, and expected him to be calm and logical while he was acting as the ambassador here. He had to be cool, calm, collected, and not run away from his Jedi counterpart and hide in the training room until she went away.

Besides, maybe SHE would spar with him. If he was going to have to face more Force Users like on Korriban, he wanted to know how to effectively combat them. His shoulders relaxed slightly. It was easier to deal with the situation when he didn't think of the Jedi as magic users, but more like warriors. From what he had seen of the man that he had watched fight, Lysander? They were quite capable in that regard.

“My aim was to get Seras to speak up for herself more, to be honest."

Orion couldn't help but crack a smile at that comment, his shoulders relaxing a trifle. Opposed to all the legends and horror stories about the Jetaii on Dxun, actually meeting and talking to one face to face made him realize that they were only human... or sentient, so to speak. Besides, Orion had good instincts about people, and the woman seemed like someone who could be trusted, though he was reserving judgement on that. His gut had been known to be wrong before.

“I'm Shay. Well, in more formal terms, I'm Jedi Master Shay Marin, member of the Jedi Council. But I'm not overly stuck on titles.”

Orion stared at the hand for a moment, then looked at the woman, then back at the hand. Shaking hands wasn't too common an action when it came to Mandalorians. Most of the time a hearty slap on the back or the touch of arms was enough of a greeting to those that you knew, and to those you didn't, you just didn't touch them. But he tentatively held out his hand, all the while telling himself that all the legends about Jedi sucking your soul from your body with a touch where just stories. What would Mother say if she knew he was afraid to touch a outsider, as if she was poison? He didn't like to think about that.

Besides, something about this woman reminded him of someone. Not precisely, but somewhat of Mand'alor. Not necessarily her personality, but a sort of confidence and security in her power, maybe.

But that still didn't mean Orion had made him his mind to like Shay.

"It is... interesting to finally meet you. I have heard a little about you, and a few other Alliance Clan that have not returned yet." He paused for a moment. The name Shay was not precisely unfamiliar, but he had heard it in conjunction with another name. "You're mated with a Mac, aren't you? The pilot?" Orion asked curiously.

[/i]I'm glad I ran into you, actually."[/i]

Orion had nothing to say to that. He hadn't decided whether it was a good or bad thing he had run into her yet. For the moment, he ignored Seras. She was no threat to him, obviously, so she was relegated into those that don't matter in his head. Why, an 8 year old Mando'ade child could likely defeat and kill the Jedi girl with relative ease.

This was awkward. Seras Amadis had decided that much. Standing between the Mandalorian and the Jedi, she wished that she could fade away and disappear. The tension between the pair was palpable. Seras could still feel the Mandalorian's eyes upon her and gained some insight to his thoughts though the Force. What she felt didn't bring a smile. Sighing quietly beside Master Marin, she remained silent as the pair conversed.

::Thank you, Padawan,::

Smiling briefly before quashing it, the Councilor's thanks was appreciated and made her feel needed even if the padawan knew that wasn't really the case. She wouldn't have presumed for a second that Master Marin would have needed her weighing in. Truthfully, Seras didn't know that much about the illustrious Jedi Investigator. She had been away from the Order for quite some time, something that Seras was envious of. Quietly she pondered, wondering what Shay had seen on her travels. Somehow the padawan doubted she would like the answers and refrained from asking for multiple reasons.

::Don't look so worried now, I'm not here to get you in trouble.::

Releasing the breath that she had been holding, Seras regarded the Jedi Master through the Force. That was good news; good news, indeed. Master Stone would not have been pleased to hear that his padawan was endangering Jedi/Mandalorian efforts by spreading her wayward ideals. No, that wouldn't have been good. Besides, her master already held a less than stellar view of Seras. She really didn't need Master Marin helping her dig a deeper hole.
<Thank you, Master Marin.> The thank you was twofold; not speaking to her master and rescuing her from the Mandalorian and his ire.

"I never thought otherwise. My aim was to get Seras to speak up for herself more, to be honest. She always clams up when I come around."

Seras smiled tightly, not appreciating being talked about so candidly with a stranger. Orion didn't need to know that, doubting that he even cared and considered the crack of a smile at her benefit. Shuffling back, the padawan tried to distance herself from the pair. Edging away, she wondered when it would be best to try and excuse herself and run back to her crate. That crate seemed like a paradise now. How could she have wanted to leave its safety? Grumbling beneath her breath, Seras cursed her exploration and the trouble it had caused.

"It is... interesting to finally meet you. I have heard a little about you, and a few other Alliance Clan that have not returned yet. You're mated with a Mac, aren't you? The pilot?"

Silently she smiled at Orion's peculiar use of language. She hadn't considered the Alliance a Clan and it was odd to hear it announced as such. But it must have been natural for the Mandalorian to refer to clan structures in affiliations. He had identified himself from Clan Athiachos. Was she from the Jedi Clan? Her smile grew as the possibilities were considered. But it was the last thing that the Mando had said that caught her attention. Master Marin was mated? Her brow furrowed and the trinkets in her hair jingled as she turned her head to her Jedi superior.

Seras had been told many times of the dangers of relationships and how they led to attachments that lead to the dark side. It seemed that everything led to the dark side these days. She had heard through some of the initiates that not eating their vegetables led to the dark side. But that was neither here nor there and Seras doubted the authenticity of the statement. What was interesting, if she understood the terminology, was that a Jedi Master was involved with another. She waited quietly at the sidelines, distant from them both, for Shay's response.