“Indeed I can.”

The matted hair and tired face of the ‘Jedi’ was then covered by a hood, as Vega found much welcome sanctuary from the sun. His pallid complex had quite clearly not been accustomed to day for a long time. If he had a mind to remember himself, he would have known that he was nocturnal by nature.

“A Seeker of the Craftsman clan of the Mar'hute,” Vega repeated.

“And what does that occupation entail?” he asked as they began to walk, Lahout keeping a slow pace to compensate for the somewhat ginger steps of his counterpart.

"I seek," replied Lahout simply, "the Alm'Pu'ti, the leader of my people. He has been gone for ten score years, and we have begun to grow concerned."

The sunlight was beginning to warm Lahout's body, and his mood lightened somewhat. He didn't mind the sunlight, there were many Mar'hute who preferred to stay underground. But, as a craftsman he preferred to obtain the occasional raw material himself.

"Before I was designated as a Seeker, I was a stone-mason, assigned to the Hall of Ancestors. My specialty was the carving of faces."

“Designated?”

One thin brow arched upwards, curious. The connotations of such a word suggested a society of people whose fate was decided for them by some outside power – something which Vega could not abide. All the species of the known galaxy had been created with free will for a reason. A smirk cut over his lips.

“And do you find your existence to be rewarding- pleasurable? Surely the role of lackey is not something you can be proud of.”

Without intentionally doing so, Vega found he often trod upon the toes of others, especially when it came to tradition and such. He was an opinionated man and not afraid to voice his thoughts. It was rare that anything good ever came of a juxtaposition of two such personality traits.

"The role of Seeker was lusted over by many people until the actual appointments were made," said Lahout, his voice masking an edge. He should have not been so forthright with the Jedi, the ignorance of this galaxy bleed even into those who were capable of manipulating it.

"My knowledge of what is called 'Basic' is not complete, Jedi Vega Van-Derveld. The announcement was made that twelve would be selected, and from the willing volunteers one from each clan was ... chosen."

Lahout looked sideways at the hooded head of this Jedi, and wondered to himself how complete his training had been. When he had crossed Naboo, he had met a few Jedi, and they had all been extremely polite, albeit over eager to question him about his people. The training they had received was laughable, those called 'Knights' would not have been allowed to the surface of Vandelhiem without escort.

“Each to their own.”

Once again he had been called a Jedi. He felt a deep seated dislike for them, yet at the same time was sure he could feel the Force. Perhaps he was, in fact, one of them. He wagered that rest would return his coherency of thought, and then he would be able to settle the matter once and for all, by searching out the Jedi themselves.

“Does your home entertain guests?” he inquired, “I should like to see Vandelhiem – at some time in the indefinite future - to … broaden my horizons, if you will.”

"Perhaps," said Lahout, "Though, you may not be able to tolerate the air without some kind of respirator."

The atmosphere on Vandelhiem was mostly oxygen, however it held a great deal of hlor-4, which caused extreme hallucinations in those not accustomed to it.

"Visitors are rare, we are a closed culture, as the Jedi on Naboo said. The people on the surface of the planet are unaware of our existence, by choice or ignorance we know not, and do not wish to know."

Naboo, Vega thought. The Jedi were based on Naboo. Excellent.

“How did you come to be on this planet, friend? Are you in possession of a ship?”

"As I said," Lahout replied, looking at the hooded head of the Jedi next to him, "I am a seeker. I travel from one planet, to another, searching for the leader of my people."

Lahout wondered if the man was slow, or simply still groggy from his ordeal. They were moving at a slightly faster pace now, but he still trod with care.

"No, I do not possess a ship, however, it is not difficult to persuade the owner of one to ferry a passenger to the his next stop..."

Lahout had never found it difficult to persuade the captains he had come into contact with. People were so easily confused in this galaxy.

Quite true, Vega thought. The galaxy was peopled with minds ripe for deceiving. A little fog was lifting from his mind already and he was beginning to remember where he had come from. A trip to Naboo could wait, he rationalized, until he had gathered his bearings and returned home – to Arkania.

“I am in no state to be battering with pilots. If you would, give me your help in securing passage to my home world. My absence will have caused great upheaval – I am sure you would be compensated well for my retrieval.”

"Your absence from your home will cause distress? How important are you?" asked Lahout. Apparently this man was beginning to remember.

Or perhaps he had never forgotten... Lahout made a mental note of the thought for further consideration, he certainly didn't wish to be deceived into aiding someone out of kindness, only to find out that the rock had been placed before his eyes.