The Mansion Estates

[Jet Almeara]

Welcome to No Mans Land


No Mans Land encompasses the area surrounding The Gates from our outermost sensor range of approximately two miles, and passes through the outer defenses right up until the Mansion itself while the outermost areas of No Mans Land does indeed live up to its name, consisting mainly of open fields designed as a place which allows views of approching enemies, the innermost areas show the DJO's more artistic side as well of thier love of finery



Designed as a place of beauty for relaxation and entertaining, This part of No Mans Land may come as a shock for those more familiar with the DJO's more war like nature, the setting from the Wall to the Mansion itself is wrought with ponds ,fountains and Gardens a scene
Which often enraptures those who first come upon it





Beauty can be decieving however, for while this area is indeed a sight to be praised, hidden behind the scenes is none the less evidence of the DJO's more public reputation, the various structures and gardens often hiding cleverly concealed weaponry and defenses for above all the DJO are indeed warriors

[Taaru Masako]

((Played to the tune of: "The Decree of the Sichuan General," from the Kung Fu Hustle OST))

"OYA, MARLOWE! OYA!"

The flabbergasted strill, had it been sitting still, would have surely exploded from the boundless energy evoked by the traditional Mondo'a hunting call. But it was well, preoccupied, bounding through knee high grass with it's long tongue lapping at the side of it's head, its drool leaving a trail behind it. For a strill, bred for hunting, there was nothing more life-affirming like the chase: The pure distillation of it's form and function encapsulated into one activity. For the strill, there was no doubt in this moment: It's purpose was clear to the point of transcendence. With it's master following close behind, it was part of it's pack, and it was doing what all creatures, sentient or non-, endeavored to do: To survive. There is no greater joy than this.

Marlowe, fangs poking out from it's black lips, broke through a small cluster of reeds on a bluff. Surprised for only a split second, it pushed with it's hind legs and flew. When ground borne, strill appear to the naked eye as six-legged carnivores with many blubbery folds of skin. Most strill, making no attempt to clean out the crevices between these flaps, had a pungent aroma that most people were not fond of. Indeed, it took a certain type of individual to find strill lovable...for most owners, it was an issue of like-mindedness with the animal.

The skinflaps, aside from ensuring a musk, had another function: Spread out, they served as completely adequate patagium - a "skin wing" - allowing it to fly.

As the strill takes flight, three horseclaws, bearing riders, crash through the same copse of reeds, the lead bird giving an annoyed click of it's massive beak.

Taaru reassured his oversized avian mount with a click of his tongue, mimicking the bird's mannerism, and urge it's to go faster by softly jabbing it with his boot heel. The frequency of the horseclaws long strides responded by shortening, propelling Taaru beyond company of the two tailing riders.

Like the strill, his focus was thin and razor sharp. It strill wasn't his, but he could feel it in the Force: a strong will, singular and determined. From what he could tell of the strill's mind, they were agreed:

There is nothing like the thrill of the hunt.

[Jet Almeara]

Jet's rather peaceful afternoon was swiftly shattered by the distent thundering and yelling of Taaru's hunting party. Kele flung his head into the air ears flicking nervously at the unaccustomed scents and Jet quieted the dapple grey with a quick word.

The untied steed wouldn't run and went back to grazing, Shading her eyes from the sun Jet glanced at the approaching party from her perch in a log slung branch. It was one of her favorite places on the estate and she often escaped here to read or escape Devlin's paperwork.

Taaru she could pick out easily - she knew him well enough to spot him from a distence with ease even without the use of the force, a brief serach outward with said force revealed one of his oter companions to be Miko whom she'd met once before and found rather amusing, the third she did not know but assumed to be one of Taaru's people. Setting her book aside Jet leaned back and relaxed against the tree's truck, no need to alert them to her presence They'd find her soon enough. Still..she remained alert incase one of his yahoos decided to take a pot shot at Kele.

[Taaru Masako]

It was an operation lasting only a few seconds. But when one is in a hyperstate of excitation and focus, time seems to slow down. Taaru felt like he was quietly taking his time as he unslung the bolt action slugthrower from his back, neatly opened the breech and slotted a round into it.

Miko had wounded the lone krahbu that had been grazing on the banks of the river that ran through the mansions estates. Jorunn, his third companion and fellow Thruvaran, had scolded Miko with a look that spoke a thousand words: She was young, blonde, attractive and deadly. And she was generally quiet, never speaking an unnecessary word. This made her a better sniper than she already was. It also validated her disapproval of Miko. After all, a sniper's creed forbade frivolous wastes of ammunition: One shot, one kill.

Taaru slid the breech forward and down, and lifted the rifle to his shoulder with one hand. He was waiting for the strill, which was inches away from the krahbu's hindquarters as it followed on the wind, about a 150 meters in front of Taaru.

As trained, the strill reached the krahbu and dug in with it's clawed feet, twisting it's head around as it landed to sink it's teeth into the large mammal's flank.

The krahbu staggered. It was all Taaru needed. In a single motion, he pulled his horseclaw's reinns to one side, used his rein hand to steady the rifle, stood up in the saddle, aimed, and fired.

The rifle cracked, and a split second later, the sound of the single round hitting skin and bone echoed back across the floodplains.

The krahbu dropped like a wet sack.

[Jet Almeara]

"Well I suppose we should go see what they went and shot"

Jet remarked to Kele who snorted in what Jet imagined to be a response of distaste. Ignoring the beast Jet lept from the tree and pushed her book into one of the saddlebags before gathering the reins and mounting, turning Kele's head towards the kill site and setting off at a decent but unhurried pace.

No point in rushing and she drew up a while after Taaru and his party casting a gaze over the Krabu - a creature prone to wandering the estates and which she found rather homely looking.

"Taaru"

She greeting him taking note of the second wound on the Krabu's hide. and glancing at the three of them.

"Two shots?"

Quirking a brow at him she nodded to Miko and the unknown female.

[Taaru Masako]

As Jet arrived, Jorunn and Miko had already joined Taaru and dismounted. While Miko was somewhat awkwardly congratulating Taaru on his shot, Jorunn was already at work on the felled krahbu with a hunting knife.

Hands bloodied, she tossed a bit of the animal's flank to the strill, which had sat patiently next to the kill while it's master arrived. To be given a piece of the kill was only appropriate in a strill's mind. But only well-trained strill knew to wait until their mastered offered them a piece.

Jorunn glanced up in time to see Jet arrive and nod at her. Her expression betrayed nothing...nevertheless, she seemed to tense up visibly, before stiffly acknowledging Jet in return.

As always, Miko was first to start the conversation.

"Jet Al'Meara," he said with some exasperation, throwing his arms open in greeting, "we were wondering where are hostess was lurking." Unlike Taaru, Miko had made the effort to perfect his Basic, to the point where his Thruvaran accent only poked through when he was upset or stressed.

Miko approached Jet on her mount and bowed whimsically. "Always a pleasure to see you again."

Taaru simply nodded at Jet: They're relationship had no need of words most of the time.

Miko, alerted to his companions stony silence, dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. "Nevermind the mess...Taaru thought it a good idea to get me out of doors, after the long shuttle trip to Coronet. I thought he meant something more civilized, like lawn sports...but a barbarian is always a barbarian."

Taaru chose the point of insult to finally speak up: "My bourgeois friend abhors honest day's vork, so indolent and comfortable he is with his fortune," he jested, remarking on Miko's rather affluent family lineage.

"Ah, dear brother, remember: My fortune is fairly won. The wise man may save his assets, but the rich man invests wisely!" Miko responded, reminding his fellow Thruvaran that he had indeed earned his own fortune, as his family's riches, as well as his family, had been vaporized in the Day of Burning Ashes.

[Jet Almeara]

Jet noticed the women tense up but having already procured Taaru's word on the honor of these people she wasn't too overly concenrned with it. unless th women drew a weapon and decided to try firing at her Jet was willing to overlook a little bit of tension, smart people were always a little bit tense around people they didn't know - espechially smart people used to harsh lines of work.

Turning her attention from the women to Miko she gave him a geniune smile.

"Ah Miko, I had heard you were tagging along on this little trip, I do hope your easier on the ship then you were on The mansion the last time I saw you"

She remarked - refering to the 'demonstration' he and Taaru had preformed in order to show her one of thier technological terrors.

"And this..."

She pointed at the carcass

"Is hardly a mess when Taaru is concerned..it's almost neat compared to some escapades we've seen"

[Taaru Masako]

Taaru sidled up to Miko, regarding Jet's horse with some amusement as she "extolled" his cleanliness. Taaru turned to Miko, while gesturing at Jet.

"Jet has taught me manners since you vere gone. I no longer hunt with missiles or napalm on mansion estates. Ees not courteous to the animals...or to groundskeepers."

In the background, Jorunn was tending to the kill, unpacking an foldable travois and hitching it to her horseclaw. Taaru noticed this out of the corner of his eye, and turned to make eye contact with her. She took immediate notice, cast her eyes down to the ground and unhitched the sledge, instead dragging it to Taaru's mount and hitching it there.

Miko, the more cultured of the pair, punched Taaru in the arm and gave him a Significant Look of his own.

Taaru shrugged it off, as if to say: "Propriety, Miko. Propriety."

Miko continued the halting conversation: "I do apologize for my compatriot's destructive nature, but it is, after all, what he is known and employed for. You would know that better than anyone.

[Jet Almeara]

Taking note of Taaru's amused look she rolled her eyes and patted Kele's neck affectionately.

"Don't you worry about him Kele - he dosen't know a good thing when he sees it"

She remarked to her mount before continuing the conversation.

"Yes...while the lakes and ponds such 'hunting' trips provided were pretty when the landscapers salvaged them from the remains of the terrain..eventually I had more then enough of them"

This remark was made teasingly and if she took note of the interactment between Taaru and the quiet women she didn't remark on it. Glancing at Miko she smiled.

"Of course - which is why such shennanagins merely amuse me - whereas with anyone else I might be tempeted to decapitate them. Would be quite boring around here truth be told if he went and changed on me now"

[Taaru Masako]

"You should be careful what you wish for," so Miko, who said it with enough worry to mean it.

Taaru chuckled, quite amused with the prospect: "Indeed, maybe I will take to cooking or decorating. I could give Jet tips on makeup and hairstyles, or dress up house droids."

Clearly annoyed with the very image of it, Miko responded by swatting Taaru away. The latter took the hint, and went to retrieve the other two horseclaws, making soft clucking sounds as he gathered their reins and brought them to where Jorunn was loading the felled kahbu.

A brief exchange of words passed between Taaru and Jorunn, too silent for Miko and Jet to hear. But Jorunn seemed to relax a little after it.

Miko to Jet: "So what brings you out here....feeling as cooped up as I did, I assume."

[Jet Almeara]

Jet laughed slightly as Taaru walked off before turning back to Miko. Whatever Taaru was saying to his partner she wasn't particularly intrested in. Thruraran culture,problems or business was not her business despite thier partnership thanks to Taaru - whom Jet trusted to keep a handle on his people.

"Running a system can be tiresome - its nice to escape at times and the estate provides plenty of private room to do so. I come out here often - to read or hide from Devlin and his infernal paperwork."

[Taaru Masako]

Miko scratched his jaw, which was beginning to develop a stubble.

"It seems to me like you overburden yourself with micromanagement. It's a simple enough business inefficiency to rectify."

Expecting a puzzled look and accompanying question, Miko preempted: "I studied management for a while....I finance my and Taaru's....um...'endeavors' on a few legitimate businesses, mostly in the restructuring sector."

[Avery Heartshorn]

Avery jumped down the steps of the mansion. She was up for exploring and it was a nce enough day to take advantage of the outdoors. Her boots came with a satisfying thump- It was the noise of activity and being productive...in the most non-productive way.

She put her hands in the pockets of her jacket and started to make the walk out towards the fountains and ponds- which had immediately caught her eye.

The scenery really was relaxing and beautiful, and she could almost feel the knots in her shoulders working themselves out and her lungs expanding to take deeper and more satisfying breaths.

When standing by the pond, she could easily see a larger rock almost at level with the water. She stripped off her boots and socks and then climbed down to the rock to sit and let her legs hang in the water. The water was cooling and refreshing in the most amazing way and she could feel herself slowly slipping away into that place where thoughts were vacant and troubles were out of the way. She laid back against the rock with her arms under her head. Her legs swished back and forth in the water as she closed her eyes and slipped away.

[Jet Almeara]

"Now why dosen't that surprise me"

Jet remarked, Miko despite his rather boistrious attitude had always struck her as a fairly intelligent person

"It would be far easier if I didn't have sharks out there waiting to devour me should I turn my back - but then again if I didn't have that then I wouldn't be me. A few more trustworthy souls around here would be nice. Devlin works his tail off - and sometimes I think I ask more of our mutual friend then I should"

She shrugged

"Such is life eh? and anywas I've managed to arrange to go on this little trip - it will be like a vacation - withplenty of danger and probable fighting. Just my kind of trip"

Glancing back towards the mansion Jet sensed Avery moving about and glanced over at Taaru to see if he'd noticed as well.

[Taaru Masako]

Taaru, in the meantime, had remounted his horseclaw, and was peering through a pair of macronoculars back at the mansion. As Jet's attention settled on him, he pulsed a sort of response back to her, a sorta of quick jump in his Force register which stood as an affirmative.

He replaced the macronoculars in a saddlepouch and guided his horseclaw around to watch the rest of the group. Jorunn was busy loving Marlowe, while the strill was busy loving her: The latter was receiving a belly rub from the former.

Jorunn was not offended by the strills smell, since this particular strill stayed relatively clean. It wasn't a Mandolorian strill in the strictest sense, even though it responded to Mando'a. As with anything in Thruvaran culture appropriated from the Mandolorians, the Thruvarans had put their own spin on things: Thruvaran strill were a distinct breed, bred for the wetter world of Thruvar. As a result, the animal was typically called a Thruvaran water strill, or gun strill, pointing both to it's application in the watery habitats of native Thruvaran waterfowl and as a hunting animal.

Thruvaran strills, obviously, did not hate water. This particular strill got regular baths.

Miko seemed to take Jet's assessment of her political environment at face value. Jet would also not be able to avoid the suspicion that Miko was very well-informed when it came to all matters Corellian: he was a cryptographer, after all, and had been assigned as a sort of dignitary to Corellia by the Elder council. Taaru, outside of his service in the Tears and on this particular sojourn, was just a private citizen to them. Miko, however, had been tasked as a diplomat....or whatever a migrant people divested of a home could employ as a diplomat.

Miko's role was mostly gauging Corellia's relationship with the Thruvaran diaspora, and to work towards continued joint relations. Corellia was a strong ally for a decimated people, and Taaru's association with it's ruling body (i.e. Jet, despite what Corellian children learned in school) made him that much more interesting to the council.

But Taaru's history precluded him from any sort of diplomatic work. He couldn't always be trusted with such delicate matters, so Miko had been tasked to watch the situation unfold....and to watch Taaru.

Either way, this joint mission stood to be a major breakthrough in Thruvaran-Corellian relations. He just wanted to see it through.

"If you're looking for dangerous vacations, I should invite you to one of our fishing trips. As a hint, we don't so much hunt the fish as they hunt us."

Miko whistled, and his horseclaw obeyed with an indignant "Wark," and stalking over to him. The giant bird crouched, allowing Miko to mount, and stood again, easily hefting Miko's extra weight.

Miko oriented the bird to run parallel with Jet, staring ahead. Taaru and Jorunn had already set out towards the mansion, riding next to each other, Taaru's horseclaw dragging the travois with his kill. The pair were in quiet conversation, or so it seemed.

"Shall we?"