Despite being on the first level of the Citadel, the massive courtyard remains hidden behind towering walls of stone and sediment. An elongated central patch of neatly trimmed grass stretches out for almost fifty-meters while maintaining a twenty-meter width. At the center of the grass is a large, ovular fountain in the shape of the Arcona emblem, with water running from the tips of each pointed edge. Vegetation grows along some of the walls, and an archaic clock-face is carved into the face of one of the entryways. A small group of rotating sharpshooters are scattered across the walls as the courtyard is supposed to serve as a safe place for Arconans to enjoy some quiet time, or to meet with visitors. It has served as the venue for multiple honor duels over time and there is a significant crater off to the side of the grass left behind as a result of a contest between Marick Arconae and Wuntila Arconae. The duel had taken place prior to either Arconae serving as Shadow Lords and in a quieter time before all Arcona knew was warfare.

Towards the back of the courtyard, closer to the base of the cliff that the Citadel is constructed upon, a tall tree shoots up from the stone, its shade guarding an entrance into the Citadel proper.

37 ABY

“Well...eheh...that’s always fun”, Eilen panted out, the hybrid’s massive form touching back down onto the courtyard’s sloping emerald lawn. Her landing was practiced, professional; her unbuckling of her mode of transport, slightly less so. The heavy Mitrinomon jetpack produced a heavy thunk as it fell to earth, spurring a small wince from its pilot as she stepped away. She didn’t mind all that much, though. The armor would hold, and there was no way she was carrying that thing around any more than she needed to. It was a damn sight heavier than it looked.

“Worth the creds?” her singular onlooker asked, a pointy-toothed grin spreading on her face.

“Oh, definitely,” the hybrid responded without a second’s pause. With the same grace as her jetpack, Eilen flopped to the ground beside her friend, giving Sera a slightly sheepish smile. What she had intended to be a simple, outdoor test-run had turned into something more akin to an impromptu airshow. Pilots so seldom got the opportunity to show off, anymore; she simply couldn’t help herself.

Sera didn’t mind at all. In truth, seeing Eilen fly reminded her of being back home, watching her brother arc through Iridonia’s skies. There was a grace in flight that Sera found mesmerizing, a simple, unrefined beauty. That held true whether it was a T-16 skyhopper coursing through the clouds, or the tiny, nimble form of her friend, jetting over the Citadel. Sometimes, she wondered what it was like to fly. It certainly didn’t look all that difficult. Just point in the right direction, press on the gas, and boom, you’re off. How hard could that be?

Those were the thoughts buzzing through Sera’s mind as Eilen paused to catch her breath. Sitting up on her hands, the Zabrak glanced between her friend’s prone form and the shining lump of the jetpack on the hybrid’s other side. Both of them were dressed simply, though Eilen’s robes, matched as they were with a dark bodyglove, were far better suited to flying than Sera’s tribal garb. Still…

“Do you think I could give it a spin?” the Zabrak asked quickly, her clear, blue-eyed gaze bouncing back to Eilen. The hybrid gave a small, questioning frown, seeming to mull it over for a few seconds.

“I mean… sure,” she responded after a few moments, standing. Stooping down, she took the jetpack in hand and handed it over, watching as her younger friend started to buckle in, a small squee passing her lips. Her hesitation wasn’t rooted in any particular jealousy, but rather, worry. She would feel terrible if Sera managed to hurt herself, jetting around the courtyard. The Zabrak was her friend, and the vast majority of the blame would rest on Eilen if she wasn’t ready to fly… which brought up another thought. “Did you read that manual I gave you? It should have just about everything you need to know.”

The Zabrak paused, a subtle flush rising up to her cheeks. She most certainly had not read that damn thing; it had been several hundred pages long, and would have required a far greater attention span than Sera could have mustered. Slowly, one of her hands rose up, scratching at her horns, a rather obvious tell. “I...uh…”

“You didn’t, did you.”

“Well, the thing is...nope.”

Eilen sighed, then shook her head. All it would have taken was a few hours or days at most to get through the thing. That shouldn’t have been that hard, right? “Sorry, Sera, but you need to read it before I let you fly. It’s just not safe, and I’m not letting your horns get busted on my count, alright?” The hybrid gave her friend a level stare, wincing slightly at her own tone, which sounded far more like the scolding of an older sibling than she had intended.

Sera just stared back, not moving. There was an idea in her head… and a fairly mischievous glitter in her eyes.

Eilen saw that impish shine, and sensed some measure of Sera’s intentions, like the glow of lightning-bugs, flickering and flittering in the Force. “Don’t you even think abou—"

She sensed Sera’s next move a moment before it happened, but there was little that she could do, other than watch the Zabrak thrust her hand forward, a toothy-grin cracking on her face. The wave of energy that knocked her back a moment later was far-less an offensive gesture as it was a playful one, a shove in the Force, sending Eilen falling back onto the grass. And just like that… Sera was off, tearing across the lawn as she clumsily tried to tighten the remaining straps. The laugh emanating from the young huntress was light, happy, joyful. an effervescent sound.

Quickly rolling back to her feet, Eilen took off after her friend, a mixture of exasperation and amusement fighting for dominance within her. A peculiar mixture of both took the day; this was fun, but she really, really couldn’t actually let Sera fly off. Not without reading the manual. Thankfully, she had several advantages. Even with her friend’s head start, the Zabrak was naturally...well, short. Puny, even. Eilen had a foot and five inches on her, and was thusly naturally faster, zipping off across the lawn at a pace that far outstripped Sera’s. More than that… the jetpack was heavy. Even heavier than it looked.

Sera didn’t mind; or at least, she did her best not to, her taut musculature tensing under the strain, but performing admirably. For a time, at least; but even with her overly thick skull, there was no denying that she wasn’t going to win this race. She needed a break in their momentum… so, she angled directly for the set of pillars, dotting the left side of the courtyard’s landscape. Once there, she disappeared behind the second edifice, pressing back against it. If she could just get Eilen to play Ring o’Ring a ‘Rosie for a little bit, she could probably figure out how to actually start the damn thing.

She underestimated the hybrid’s agility. From her sprint, Eilen sprung into the air, scrambling up the side of the pillar like a loth-cat on spice, assisted by the handy traction-pads fixed to her boots. Sera had no opportunity to run before her friend dropped down, inches in front of her face. Her quarterstaff flashed out in a moment, looping behind the Zabrak’s feet and tripping her as she backed up. Now it was Eilen’s turn to give a toothy grin, laughing. “Alright… that was kinda fun, too. Eheh. Now, if you could just—"

As Sera had underestimated Eilen’s proficiency when it came to stunning feats of athelticism, Eilen now underestimated K’thri’s ground game. Flexing her core musculature, Sera rolled onto her back and thrust out with her legs. Again, it wasn’t much more than a shove, catching the hybrid in the stomach and knocking her backwards. But, it gave Sera just enough time, groping at her back, to find the jetpack’s clutch.

“You’ll never take me alive, troooooppaaaa!” she cried, before punching the thrusters. The jetpack’s backblast gave Eilen a much less gentle shove, flinging her backwards; it was a good thing that grass was soft. As for Sera…

Well. She was very quickly learning that flying was much, much harder than it looked. Instead of taking off, she skidded across lawn for a few meters, shooting into the greenery lining the courtyard. If her flaming, virulent curses were any indication, her landing had been nowhere near as soft as her friend’s.

Eilen hoisted her chest up with a groan. The ends of her abdominal fur were singed, but thankfully she’d not been legitimately cooked.

Beyond the hybrid’s twitching feet sprawled in front of her, Sera’s trail of burnt grass made her an easy target to track. With a shudder at the sight of her crash, Eilen whipped her feet back and sprang up into a sprint. For a moment, a hundred worried thoughts ran through her head, as did a sickening feeling of guilt, even if this was Sera’s fault.

Her friend was still kicking though, literally, with her legs free of the shrub she’d crashed into. The fears reduced, somewhat. Provided she was alright, Eilen already had a few choice words for the Zabrak about her blatant disregard for either of their safety — which, given Eilen’s own history, almost felt backwards.

Sera didn’t feel quite as worried. Was she in pain from the head-first impact? Definitely, but that was nothing new to her. On the contrary to Eilen’s concerns, she was already thinking of how that could have gone better, and what she’d do for the second attempt as soon as she got untangled from this plant. Clearly, igniting the thrusters while lying on one’s back wasn’t the right way to go about this, but standing upright? That… well, that was probably the smart thing to do, actually.

A pair of fuzzy hands began spreading apart the greenery around her. “Stars, Sera, are you okay?” It was hard to tell if the clench in Eilen’s brow was due to fear or anger.

“Yep,” Sera responded, suddenly aware of how shakey her voice sounded. Trying to sound sturdier, “Never better,” she followed.

Eilen dropped her quarterstaff to help free her from the greenery. “Come on, let’s get you out of that thing. You might have a concussion, or… something, I dunno.”

“Nonono, I feel fine!”

“But wh-what if you’re not?”

Sera wasn’t about to miss her chance to fly again. For all she knew, Eilen wouldn’t give her another without making her read. As her furred hands went for the fasteners, Sera tried to resist.

“Just let me try again,” Sera pleaded, quickly blocking the straps with her arms. “I got it this time!”

“I really doubt that,” Eilen said bluntly, trying to push aside Sera’s hands. “You— you almost… could have hurt both of us, real bad, you know.”

“So stand back and let me try on my own!” Sera shrugged.

“No! You need to—"

Their hands continuously swatted and tugged and shoved at one another’s. Eilen’s reach and flexibility gave her the boost she needed to claw at the fasteners and undo a couple of them, but Sera’s shorter, more muscular arms put up a sturdy resistance.

“Would you... just—"

Eilen’s words were cut short as Sera suddenly batted both her hands away with a circular shove. The Zabrak quickly twisted around and spun away on her feet. Half the straps on the jetpack were loose, but it was now or never. She flashed Eilen a wink, ready to make due and fly for real.

Every hair on Eilen’s body stood as her senses screamed danger. “Wait, don’t!”

She lunged an arm for Sera, but it was too late. Her hand only grabbed the Zabrak’s ankle an instant after the jets ignited, hurling her up with Eilen in tow.

With absolutely every factor working against her — the lack of proper training, the weight of an extra person, and only being half-strapped-in, to boot — Sera’s second attempt at flying did not go as smoothly as she’d worked it up to be. The jets spun wild with a screech of resistance, twirling both dangling ladies up, down, and around through the air. On a flip that brought them back within ten feet of solid ground, Eilen finally lost her grip. Even then, gaining control did not come any easier.

Whether by luck, or the Force telling her right when she should surrender her grasp, Eilen’s trajectory landed her directly in the courtyard’s fountain. It didn’t do much to soften the blow, but shallow water was at least a mite better than solid ground. Her arms flailed and splashed until she breathed air again, but she lost her breath once more when she spotted Sera.

Maybe it was the adrenaline getting too deep in her head, but in spite of her precarious and life-threatening situation, Sera could almost call this fun. However, the flying Zabrak’s graceless rotations and wild flips through the air came to an abrupt halt when the jetpack twisted and dove straight into the hefty tree overlooking the Citadel’s entrance.

Eilen was panicking.

Compared to what the hybrid had just watched, Sera’s earlier, skidding impact had been like the kiss of a butterfly, a gentle embrace with the earth, only at mach speed. This crash looked a lot worse. The Zabrak had smashed into the courtyard’s great oak hard enough to shake leaves from the upper boughs, a small flock of terrified birds lighting into the air at the screaming, horned disturbance. Her heart hammering in her furry chest, Eilen sprinted for the tree’s base, letting loose a string of fiery oaths as she went, all dedicated to the Zabrak’s sheer recklessness.

Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT, dammit, DAMMIT Sera, I know the jet-pack is shiny and pretty and cool and everything, but that doesn’t mean that you HAVE to play with it. Haven’t even read the DAMN MANUAL—

The half-Selonian was informed of Sera’s continued survival by the sounds of snapping branches, the sharp, guttural tones of the Zabraki tongue filtering down through the leaves. Instantly, she felt relief wash over her. Knowing her little friend, she was probably delivering a damning condemnation of the tree’s ancestral line; all the way down to the first little seedling that had deigned in its green, leafy arrogance to pollute Selen’s soil.

Eyes rolling under her furry brow, Eilen made use of her robes’ handy footwear once more, clambering up the tree’s trunk to poke her head into the branchline, where she got her first true look at Sera’s predicament. Essentially, the Zabrak had been hung up by her bootsraps...er, jet-pack straps. Eilen had already partially loosened the fasteners along the restraints earlier; the sudden jolt of her rash and improperly-conducted flight seemed to have done so even more. That had left several of the straps flying out behind her, during her short-lived escape… which had now become quite snarled with the oak’s upper branches, leaving Sera hanging from those that remained, squirming futilely to release herself. Thin cuts and bright red marks lined her pale skin where it was exposed, evidence of her less than ideal landing. Her tribal leathers hadn’t done much to protect her.

She glanced up as Eilen scrambled up the tree, an abashed smile spreading on her face. “Well...uh, funny seeing you here,” she started, her lips quirking upward into a half-grin. Eilen didn’t respond, so she just kept on going. “Funny you ask. I’m just...hanging around. Enjoying nature. You know, they don’t actually have trees this big, back on Iridonia.” Her face soured, lips turning to a pout. “Good thing, too. If this blasted thing wasn’t here, I would have been off scot-free.” The Zabrak sighed, delivering a vicious, frustrated kick to empty air. Her expression was slightly outraged; as if she was miffed at the centuries-old dendriform for being in the exact wrong place at the worst possible time, obstructing her path to the freedom of the skies.

Eilen stared at her blankly, resisting the urge to just leave the zabrak to her fate, and collect her after grabbing some lunch. “You could have gotten both of us killed, you know. Man, it’s karking crazy that you didn’t bust your damn skull. You know how lucky you are?”

Sera smiled, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. The motion rocked her slightly back and forth, her toes swinging like a pendulum. “Lucky? My Ancestors are at my side, Eilen, and the Force is with me. I’ll be just fine.”

Now that spurred a full-on scoff from the hybrid, her boots scraping against the rough bark as she climbed over to free her friend. Standing on a forked branch beneath her, one that Sera was just too short to reach, Eilen hugged her friend’s body close, utilizing her long, willowy frame to get access to the belts. Her hands moved first to the straps still holding Sera into the pack. Once she was extricated from those, she wouldn’t need to worry about the Zabrak flying off again as soon as—

Sera pushed her hands away, shaking her head. There was a mischievous glint in her eye. “No, get the other ones first, I’ve got these.”

Eilen ignored her, trying to push through her friend’s hands, which promptly moved up to block her. “Just let me get these, and then we can…” Eilen cut herself off with a grunt as they started grappling for control of the straps once again, her position awkward on the branch.

“Eilen, I’ve got it, just help with…”

“No, I’m sure as hell not letting you…”

“*C’’mon, Eilen I just…”

“No!”

“...wanna…”

“NO!”

“FLY!”

CRACK.

A sharp jolt of sound shot outward as the branch beneath Eilen caved. Suddenly, the one hundred and sixty-three pound hybrid found herself dangling in the air, clinging to Sera’s shoulders. Then, the branches that had been holding the Zabrak up ripped away, and both of them fell, roughly, to the floor. The jetpack landed on top.

There was silence for a few moments, as both of them recovered the wind that had been knocked out of them. Then, in unison:

”Ow…”

Sera was the first of them to stand, staggering roughly to her feet. As Eilen regained her own footing, her grey-furred chest heaving, Sera backed up, putting herself out of grabbing range. More than ever, she was bound and determined to get control of this damn thing, but her friend was just… not being a good sport about it. Bother. “Y’know, Eilen… the Ancestors always favor those who share without pause.”

“They probably don’t like people who let their friends turn into interpretive art displays, though. Just a guess. Eh-heh,” the hybrid laughed, Sera joining her after a few moments. It was all...so...stupid, really. But, it did give Eilen a little bit of an idea; a last, ditchmeaser, per say. The hybrid stepped forward slowly, her eyes locking on Sera’s. Then, extending her left hand forward in a mystical gesture, she panted out.

”You will give the jetpack to me, and go read the manual.”

Sera just gave her a quizzical expression, one eyebrow quirking up. “I...what?”

”You will give the jetpack to me, and go read the manual, thoroughly,” Eilen repeated. Sera gave her a blank look. Curiously, the hybrid reached out with the Force, probing at the edges of Sera’s mind.

Nope. No way in. For all that Sera was a reckless ditz, her brain was like a steel-trap, bound with the walls of an iron-will. The Zabrki thick-skull came in handy for something other than headbutting, it seemed.

Oh well. That left another option. From across the field, Eilen pulled her quarterstaff back into her hand, resting the familiar weight of the blunted weapon on her shoulder. “Well...I guess it’s time to try this the hard way,” Eilen murmured, advancing towards the Zabrak. That just got Sera grinning again, her body dropping into a loose, ready stance.

“Ooooh, that sounds like fun. Let's go!”