Nar Shaddaa

[Aidan Darkfire]

The Caridian Pride dropped out of hyperspace, requesting priority landing at the defensive Golan III outpost orbiting the moon of Nal Hutta. Minutes later, Aidan disembarked the shuttle with the rest of the Kuati survivors aboard. As Beth got up to go, he went to gently hold her arm, getting her attention for a final moment.

 

"I know I was pretty gruff back there. I'm sorry. I appreciate what you and your men did. The ones who didn't make it have sacrificed themselves to the noble memory of the Empire, and I intend to make sure every man lost counts."

 

He let go, realizing just how patriotic he sounded.

 

"Just...at the least don't think I'm an ass. I didn't mean to take out my frustrations on you."

 

Without another word, Aidan grabbed his belongings and left, not wanting to embarrass himself further. They might meet again, but for now Aidan simply found his temporary barracks room, put his things in a corner, and sat in silence. Eventually, orders would come, but until then he had work to do. Now more than ever, he needed to learn. About the Force...about himself.

 

Setting the metal and crystal pyramid on the work desk, Aidan began reading through the Imperial archives on all Force related documents his security clearance would allow him to access. Soon, the holocron would finish rebuilding itself, but until then he wouldn't realize that the answers he sought were closer than where he was looking.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Hours seemed to pass like minutes. Aidan studied like he never had before, only leaving his room to acquire food. The texts the Remnant had were cryptic at best, and undecipherable at worse. There were many references that Aidan simply didn't get because of his inexperience with the Force. He had been taught to touch the Force, to use it for basic things, and naturally discovered how to let himself drift into its control. But all of this was akin to a primate swinging around a telescope for a club, as much of the subtler nuance was lost on him, and he knew it.

 

Periodically he would check on the small metallic tetrahedron, which was rebuilding itself at an accelerated pace. Aidan suspected it was some sort of nanite technology, but couldn't be sure for certain. All he knew was that it had a definitive presence in the Force. Aryian's presence.

 

After what felt like an eternity, it was done. There was no indicator other than a deep feeling in Aidan's gut, but when the time came, he absolutely knew. For several minutes he studied the thing, tracing the patterns on the surface, noting impossibly small trails of the metal etching in beautiful fractal patterns towards the heart of whatever crystalline substance the thing was made of. He'd found the name for such a thing in a short description in one of the texts he'd studied: holocron. But this holocron didn't quite fit the pictures included. For one, it looked like a miniaturized Sith holocron, though other design features were decidedly Jedi in nature.

 

After a while he finally picked it up, slowly, gingerly. It looked fragile, but as he held it and explored it with his hands he realized it was actually quite sturdy. But there was no button, no latch...nothing to indicate it did anything more than look pretty on a shelf. His father hadn't seriously just made something to be a self-repairing memento, had he? And if so, why would he attach a part of himself to it, and then allow it to fall into the hands of a Sith?

 

Frustrated, the young Knight put the holocron back on the table, sitting and staring at it. Eventually, a thought came to him, something that should have been common sense. If it was an artifact infused with the Force, perhaps the Force had something to do with unlocking its secrets? Aidan exhaled slowly, allowing his eyes to close halfway as he reached out, probing the device through the Force. Most of it paralleled what he surmised from examining it with his hands and eyes, but there were deeper layers to the thing, patterns and designs that seemed to violate what was possible yet still sang harmoniously together.

 

And then, he mentally touched upon a specific area, almost out of curiosity, and activated it. A torrent of Force energy surged back through the connection he'd made, and Aidan felt himself being drawn into...something.

 

Aidan's mind expanded far beyond what he'd ever experienced before. Time and space opened their doors wide, teasing secrets across the darkest recesses of his thoughts. But there was a destination, a light at the end of the tunnel as the holocron worked, establishing a firm hold on the last strongest presence to possess the device, and using it to connect Aidan and restore itself.

 

Aidan's eyes opened, but what he saw was not in front of him. He felt a familiar presence, that of the Sith. The one who had slain his master...though the Sith had changed. As he took in more and more details, Aidan began to make sense of it. Before him stood a man with silver hair, much like his father's. The man was marked with tattoos, markings Aidan could almost feel upon his own skin. The memories, the experiences, the man's mind was almost an open door, though the young Knight knew better than to venture in.

 

He had so many questions, but was unsure of where to even begin. At the periphery of his perception, he felt two others nearby, one full of life yet on the path of darkness, another devoid of life but bound to servitude in contentment. And for a brief moment, Aidan knew the Sith could see everything he could, the experience almost mirrored in kind. This was one of many binaries of the Force, a concept he'd read about hours before. In a knee jerk reaction, Aidan forcibly broke the connection, retreating inside himself until there was nothing to connect to.

 

Sweat racked the young man's face as he found himself back in his room on Nar Shaddaa, breathing heavily as he sat on his bed. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as just shutting himself off from it. There was more to this holocron than even the texts had mentioned, and Aidan was equal parts thrilled and terrified at the unknowns involved with it. As he stared though, a familiar voice spoke up, one that wasn't his, nearly startling him.

 

"Hey, kiddo."

[Aidan Darkfire]

"...Dad?"

 

Aryian's ghostly image chuckled. "I knew that would be the first question. No, what you see is just the holocron's gatekeeper. That's me. I have some of the memories of the real Aryian, I have his personality, but...I'm not him. You can call me whatever you'd like, though, the programming I incorporated into this holocron is fairly sophisticated."

 

An eternity of a pause. Eventually Aidan inhaled, realizing he'd stopped breathing. His knuckles were white, his fists clenched tightly, wetness welled in the corner of his eyes.

 

"Why...why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"

 

Aryian sighed. "And I figured that would be the second question. I don't have a good answer, kiddo. I could tell you it's where the Force willed me, but that's not really fair to you, is it? The short answer is what I did to you and your mom, leaving like I did, was inexcusable. I tried to be a good dad from afar, I tried to use my influence to protect you, but too late I saw the truth: you never needed it. I wish I could have seen what kind of a man you grew up to be. I figured you'd eventually make use of your birthright talents, so I made this holocron. It was my hope to pass on my knowledge, to help you understand yourself on a deeper level."

 

"I didn't ask to hear excuses."

 

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Could you rephrase that for me?"

 

Another breath, fists unclenching slightly. It was just a program. One his father had written, but a program nonetheless. Getting angry here would be useless, though deep down the interaction had reopened the old wound. Still, the answer he was given made sense, despite it not removing the sour taste from his abandonment issues. What was done was done, and that truth was as painful as any other he'd known. The past was written, unchangeable. Another breath.

 

"Tell me about the Force."

 

Aryian paused briefly before answering. It was clear the program had expected a further line of questioning, an oversight of his father's. He'd always expected Aidan to be something he wasn't, he expected him to walk in his footsteps. As Aidan listened to the old man start lecturing on the nature of the Force and its philosophies, he resolved to never fulfill that expectation. He would be his own man.

 

He was not his father.

[Aidan Darkfire]

As Aidan's shuttle cruised down through Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere, he marveled at the idea that mere months ago, this moon was infested with all kinds of criminal elements thanks to the influence of Nal Hutta and the Hutt Cartels. The Empire had changed so many things for the better here, and had suffered blow after blow. Now, he was one of the last few bastions of hope, holding the front lines against all manner of enemies that would seek to see them extinguished. They were still without their Empress, but that was only a matter of time. Aidan wanted to help with that operation, but he knew his talents were needed elsewhere.

After a few more minutes, the shuttle touched down lightly on the landing pad, and Aidan briefly felt Sandy's presence nearby. It was a small comfort, knowing she'd managed to survive her encounter with the Mandalorians. Later they would have time to catch up, but for now Aidan had a singular mission on his mind. One purpose that he needed to fulfill, something that would define his future in the Imperial Knights, and perhaps even in the Jedi.

It didn't take long for him to get back to his room, having procured a small handheld scanner on the way from one of the supply points. First, he scanned the Sith lightsabers, displaying an expanded holoprojection look inside the devices. Then...he activated his father's holocron. Aryian's ghostly image materialized in front of him, greeting Aidan with a warm smile as the holocron recognized a prior user.

"Hey, kiddo. What would you like to learn today?"

"Hey, dad. I need to see any stored schematics you might have on lightsabers."

As requested, Aryian raised his arms, flooding the room with projections of schematics for various types of designs, as well as textual articles detailing how to build one. As Aidan began studying, Aryian's image spoke to him once more.

"You sure you're ready for this?"

"Positive."

Aidan barely noticed when Aryian's image faded with a slight grin and a nod, leaving Aidan to peruse the information in peace. It was all the image was programmed for, but Aryian had the foresight to understand that his son would eventually be ready for the larger lessons a Force practitioner needed to learn. Meanwhile, Aidan began to take lengthy notes on a datapad, understanding he'd need several materials to even begin the process. 

This would not be an easy task. Aidan didn't expect it to be.

[Aidan Darkfire]

It took a couple hours of negotiating with supply officers and a trip to the local markets, but Aidan finally had all the supplies he needed. He was single-minded in succeeding in his task, which was why he didn't feel it when Sandy decided to mentally poke him back. Now he was back in his room, door locked, various parts and cybernetics arrayed before him. For a while, he fiddled with the parts, disassembling things into what he needed, slightly afraid to delve into the Force to create a tool that required absolute precision. The entire time he felt a soft pressure in the back of his head, though, and finally he relented, knowing what was required.

Aidan closed his eyes, allowing his mind to relax and his fears to fall away. After all, the Force was not a tool to be controlled, as the Sith saw it, but an ally to be worked with. He felt his senses expand as the Force came to him, softly guiding him and making destiny manifest. Slowly, Aidan reached out, picking out each part through intuition rather than based on hard memorized knowledge. The Force was his ally, it would not lead him astray. He was a focus, a channel that the Force flowed through, both an instrument guided by and himself guiding the energies that connected every particle in the galaxy. From the smallest atom to the largest celestial objects, Aidan was at one with the universe.

Eyes still closed, the parts began to levitate around him, slowly combining to form something greater than the sum of its parts. This was an extension of him, not simply another weapon. The handle was from an old relay assembly, the circuitry borrowed from an outdated computing station. The focusing lenses were spare parts from probe droid long range cameras. The power cells and the focusing crystals he'd had to buy, the cells meant for long-term heavy-duty use, and the crystals he'd sourced from a smuggler who had an illegal supply of kyber crystals. It took several mind tricks to find them, but the results would be well worth it. The crystals resonated at Aidan's touch through the Force, softly glowing silver as they slowly rose to nestle themselves in the assembly.

After some time, Aidan heard a soft click as the final parts sealed themselves together, and he knew he was done. The result was simple but effective, little more than a two foot long metal cylinder with activation studs and emitters on both ends. He reached out, taking the weapon, and after a moment of hesitation activated one side, then the other. Goose bumps shot up his spine as brilliant silver blades illuminated his room, highlighting his success. The crystals sang through the Force, intertwined with his presence. This was not just another lightsaber, it was his lightsaber.

Finally, he reached back out to Sandy, excited at his success. He still wasn't skilled enough with the Force to send coherent messages, but it was clear that he wanted to see her again. Little did he know she would probably have another assignment for him when the time came. Leaving his room, he walked the building, trying to find her.

[Aidan Darkfire]

((Backposting as authorized))

 

Aidan felt Sandy's response, clear as day. Of course, she was probably still on the main ship the Jedi had in orbit. It wasn't long until Aidan was at the nearest hangar, confirming this, then securing passage in one of the last supply shuttles servicing the Ara-Lai before it departed the system.

 

((Rest of the post in space))

[Aidan Darkfire]

Hours passed like minutes as Aidan scrubbed his armor. Carbon scoring, dried blood, all manner of dust and debris. Dirty armor simply wouldn't do, it wasn't how he was trained. Even though it had been conflict after conflict lately, and he didn't even have the time to clean his armor until now, the dirt was a mark of dishonor. He was gifted a military bearing by the Remnant, and now he would hold true to the same. Another spot on the pauldron, just below the armor plate. There. Now another, behind the left pectoral strap.

 

He tried to busy himself to not think about things, but still his mind wandered. Dark Sun had been rather uneventful for him. He sought the front lines and managed to find the exact spot in the action to not experience combat at all. Whether it was luck or misfortune didn't matter now. He'd lost more friends in that battle. Well...not so much friends as people he'd worked with. Ran drills with. Ate and conversed with briefly in the mess hall or sparred with in the training pits. And there were now significantly less of them.

 

Finished with his armor, he turned to his lightsaber. The hilt was mostly spotless, but it could still use a shine. He'd made the saber just before the battle but hadn't found the chance to test it, and that nagged at the back of his thoughts. What if he had been in a position to use it? Could he have saved some of them? Did it matter? He'd asked the same questions of himself a million times over in the aftermath of these battles, and finally he felt like he was going numb to them. The pain of loss was still there...just...duller. 

For now, all he could do was wait. The bigwig's meeting would conclude in a bit, and he could meet with Sandy and relax. There was still so much to do, but there was always much to do. They both could use some relaxation, a moment to unwind among the chaos. His mother was also here, and, well...he still wasn't sure he'd completely come to terms with his strained relationship with her. At least she was better than Aryian. He kept scrubbing the hilt.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan passed the small tin of polish to Sandy as she asked, along with one of the rags he'd been using.

 

"They don't really issue armor to the Jedi either, from what I remember. But...it looks like that could easily be changing." Aidan kept working on the lightsaber, bringing out the luster in the chrome pieces. After a moment, he looked up. "No, wait, for that..." He moved around behind her, guiding her hand with his, "You want to move the polish in line with the texture of the surface, otherwise you might scratch it. Like that." After a few seconds more he let go, letting her continue on her own.

"Raistlyn taught me that. He, uh...he didn't make it back." Aidan paused, thinking for a long moment about whether or not he should polish the man's helmet for his next of kin. It would be a nice gesture, but Aidan honestly didn't even know if he had a next of kin, and there were more important things to do. "You know, it's weird, when last I saw you, I had a burning desire to get to the front lines, to fight and even potentially die for my Empress. I never made it that far. I kept getting tasked with escorting seriously wounded back to the medical frigates. Kind of comical, really. I'm, uh...I'm still not sure whether I regret it or not. I know the Jedi would say what I did was still noble and valuable. It just...wasn't really what I expected."

 

He let the words hang in the air, not sure why he'd said them, but he'd also always just felt more comfortable around Sandy ever since she'd taken a shine to him at Kashyyyk. 

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Well...he was one of the other Imperial Knight initiates. He took great pride in how he wore his armor, and helped me with mine when I was still learning the ropes. That and he enjoyed a good horror story. That's...really all I knew about him. Nice guy."

 

Sighing, Aidan wiped the remaining polish off the chrome and admired his work. It was a lightsaber worthy of an Imperial Knight, one he was sure Kyrie would have been proud of. 

"You're a Jedi Knight now, right? I never managed to advance that far. I don't suppose you have anything to teach that might be helpful? Maybe something that will help me control my emotions a bit more?"

He tried to make the last bit sound humorous, but Sandy would likely be able to read through his feelings and realize it was something he knew he was weak in, and as a result it was embarrassing for him. Brief flashes of when he'd fell into his berserker rages fluttered through his thoughts, but he quickly suppressed them. He was better than that. He would become more than the sum of his parts, to include his passion and anger.

[Aidan Darkfire]

"I...I think I can try."

Aidan closed his eyes, following her instructions. The one thing his father had always tried to teach him was to imagine the tree. The exercise was a simple one, meant to teach those new to learning the ways of the Force how to reach out and feel it. There was no tree in particular, it was simply the tree, whatever tree felt right to the person at the time. Aidan always pictured a vibrant oak tree, impossibly tall, sunlight gently filtering through the shade of its leaves. This was his grounding, his center.

 

But this time, some of the branches high up were withered, diseased. Their leaves had changed to a sickly brown or had already abandoned the branch. Suddenly Aidan was among the branches, climbing through the tree in his mind, feeling the memories and emotions of each leaf, each branch that represented him. It wasn't exactly what Sandy had tried to get him to see, but somehow it just...felt right. As Aidan neared the first branch his fist clenched, gripping a lightsaber hilt that ignited in front of him. He wanted to lash out at these parts of himself. They were weakness, poison, they didn't deserve to be part of him. 

 

But that's not true, is it?

 

Before he swung, the faintest whisper touched his ear, words echoing from nobody and nowhere. They were right. Sandy was right. He needed to acknowledge their validity. Exorcism had taught him to rid himself of these feelings, to burn them to their core until there was nothing left. But from their ashes, from the wounds left behind, more and more insecurities and toxic emotions sprang. 

 

With a sigh, the lightsaber blade shut off, turning into a pair of pruning shears. Aidan reached down to the branch beneath him, positioning the shears, feeling the part of him this represented. His inadequacy over not being more than he thought he was supposed to be. Nobody had told him otherwise. He was the son of a Grandmaster and a Jedi Master, but that didn't need to define him. And it no longer would. It took some strength, but the pruning shears cut through the branch, allowing it to fall to the ground, where it would rejoin the soil and nourish the tree. 

 

Another branch, his hatred for his ever-absent father. Snip went the shears, down went the branch. His embarrassment at never being good at making friends. Snip, fall. Another branch. Another. There were so many more, but for now, he felt he'd made good progress. It was all a part of him. It had grown from him, it was him, but Sandy was right in that it didn't need to be. 

 

As he opened his eyes, he realized that Sandy would likely have seen everything. For an instant, he felt embarrassed, remorseful...but quickly allowed the emotion to slide. He didn't need to keep up an impenetrable shield. He was who he was, just like she was who she was. The echoes of her memories still resonated inside him, and he finally found the strength to speak.

"Exorcism teaches a bit of a different way to deal with emotion. With encroaching darkness. I'm not sure it's as...healthy as this, at least in the long term. It's probably why there aren't many of them left. And...I never knew any of that about you. Um... Thank you for sharing that with me."

 

There was a long pause of silence. He wasn't sure where to go from here. It was just nice being around someone who understood.

[Aidan Darkfire]

"I don't think I'd mind, if you don't. I need to start taking more responsibility for my training after all. I was, well, nervous about it before, but I think I'm more comfortable with the idea of it. Who knows, might help get me a promotion as well."

He chuckled uneasily a bit before calming himself. This is going to be fine. You're going to be fine. Aidan was aware of Sandy's prior feelings on Kashyyyk, but if she still had them, she was doing an awfully good job at hiding them. She was actually doing an amazing job of making him very comfortable to be around, to the point where part of his fears were that he might start having feelings for her, if he didn't already. He wasn't quite sure, though the thought certainly caused an interesting feeling in his stomach.

 

"Of course, I'm not sure how we get promoted. I don't think I ever asked Master Kyrie about it."

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan thought a moment before replying. "Well, not that I can think of. I wouldn't say I'm amazingly fluent on proper lightsaber forms, but I've learned to let the Force guide me more than anything else. It gets me through most things, but admittedly I have yet to face an actual trained Sith." That, and if he could get her to show him a useful Force technique or two, he might have fair ground to request a promotion, he thought. But there was time. 

 

"Of course, if you want, I could always show you a thing or two. Like how to properly shoot...it's actually absurdly hilarious how many Jedi apparently never learned how to properly handle a blaster rifle. I suppose they could just do what I do with the sabers, feel the movement, the Force guiding your actions, but there is still an underlying skill to it."

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Well, let's start off with shooting then. I'll meet you in one of the smaller cargo bays, we can set up there."

 

Winking, he gathered his gear, and promptly left. He'd need a few items for this session, namely a blaster rifle on training settings and a target drone, but first he'd need to deposit his gear back in his room. It was only a temporary accommodation, barracks bunks in a spartan small room, but at least they had lockers for their gear. Convincing the armory sergeant to let him borrow a blaster rifle took a bit of sweet talk, though, considering they'd just came from a battle and everything was still fairly chaotic. A box of field rations bartered later, and Aidan was allowed to sign out the rifle and target drone he needed. Sometimes it was too easy dealing with the enlisted, Aidan never understood why other officers had such a hard time connecting with their men.

 

A few minutes later and he was setting up in the unoccupied cargo bay, having found a perfect lane with cargo crates providing 'cover' for the target drone at the opposite end of the bay. Now all that was missing was a particular Jedi Knight...

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan chuckled briefly before rattling off the blaster rifle's specifications, information the Empire required its military to have memorized.

 

"The E-11 blaster rifle is a lightweight, particle beam firing, air-cooled, electronic based, Tibanna gas canister fed assault rifle with computerized targeting assist and three firing modes. It has a maximum range of three hundred meters with an optimal firing range of one hundred meters. It is a weapon, but more importantly, it is a tool, and one to be respected."

 

Aidan turned, signalling the target drone through the remote control, before bringing the rifle's stock to his shoulder and snapping off four shots, all hitting the drone. Finishing the brief demonstration, he turned back, handing her the rifle.

 

"This particular rifle has been tuned down for training purposes. It won't kill, but it'll still hurt, so I'd appreciate if I didn't catch any stray bolts while we practice."

 

He moved behind her, lining her up in the lane he'd set up, moving her arms and head to a comfortable and proper squared-off stance. 

"That's it. Always keep your shoulders straight. Ideally you'll have some cover to assist you steadying the rifle, but it's best to practice freehand. This is the first fundamental of good marksmanship: steady position. The other three are proper sight picture, breathing, and proper trigger squeeze. Now, look through the scope. You'll see a lot of information, and the recticle will help you aim, however the most important thing to keep in mind is to keep both eyes open. You might want to squint your non aiming eye, but keeping it open helps maintain your depth perception, even if you really only need to see from the eye that's aiming. When going for the shot, exhale and hold your breath out. Breathing can throw off your posture just enough that a small adjustment here means meters off target down range. Proper trigger squeeze is also vitally important. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to kill, and then apply steady pressure until the rifle fires. It should almost surprise you every time in happens. If you jerk your finger, you will jerk your stance, and your shot will go high."

 

Aidan punched a few commands on the remote, bringing the targeting drone slightly closer. Every time she hit it, it would float a meter backwards until it was the maximum distance down the lane. This was a common exercise, and allowed the firer to get a sense of the weapon's zero aim as well as slowly honing their aiming skills.

 

"Go ahead. Shoot when you're ready."

[Aidan Darkfire]

"I mean you can, but the Imperials have found that it doesn't really establish the muscle memory in the same kind of way, and in the even of those Force lizard things..."

Aidan trailed off as he saw her turn, her focus razor sharp on something else. "Welcome, master." His gaze shifted, and finally he saw her watching. If anything, it was Sandy's arm on his shoulder and her reaction that made it a bit awkward for him, uncertain how to respond.
 

"Uh...hey, mom."

The words hung in the air a moment too long, and he knew that everyone could feel the awkwardness. It was strange, he could feel her in the Force, but her presence wasn't ever one he particularly noticed, it was like how one noticed a warm sweater on a chilly day, or an umbrella when it rained. Comforting. It was probably something to do with having spent far more time with her than any other Force practitioner. Well, her and Misal.

 

"I was just showing Sandy here proper shooting fundamentals. How goes the, uh...Rebellion? Is that what we are now?"

Aidan chuckled nervously, trying to cut the tension, but honestly he didn't really know. He wasn't yet privvy to the meetings the higher ups held, and while he was aware of a loose alliance and their current enemies, the larger machinations were beyond him.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan felt Sandy withdraw a bit, and he let go of the last bit of tension in his shoulders he didn't realize he still had.

 

"Yeah. Egos like dad's. Sounds familiar."

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Some of the bitterness returned, but just as quickly he let it go. He'd forgiven Aryian, dwelling on his past mistakes solved nothing.

 

"I, uh...I got lucky. Luckier than most, apparently. Every time I tried to get to the front lines, I got re tasked to escort wounded back to the rear. Not where I wanted to be, but probably a blessing it turned out that way. I'm glad you made it through as well, I didn't realize you were there."

 

There was a brief pause as Aidan realized something else highly relevant.

 

"Grandma is okay too, right?"

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Mom..."

 

It was difficult for him to know how to start. A lot of feelings Aidan thought he'd gotten past suddenly balled up tight and knotted in his stomach.

 

"We were never not alright. I know you were both busy, but you actually tried to at least spend time with me. You had Grandma watch over me. Whenever Dad was there he treated me like another acolyte, he always foisted his expectations on me, wanted me to live up to my name. He really cast a large shadow that it's been overwhelming to try and fill. He just-"

 

Aidan cut himself off, realizing he was beginning to ramble. It would be easier to show her. Quickly, he moved in to hug his mother, allowing the Force to carry his thoughts and emotions freely to her. Flashes of his early childhood, time spent with Kirlocca and Misal, Armiena being the bright spots in the memories. Aryian was there, smiling, fleeting, wanting to connect but not connect. Later in life, early training lessons, pride in his first successes. Running away, trying to escape himself, still ending up facing himself. Rage, the light, the dark, the exorcists, Sandy. 

 

Aidan let go, looking back into Armiena's eyes. "I never stopped loving you, mom. You might not have always been there, but it wasn't the absence that made me resent dad. And yeah, he made a lot of mistakes, but those are in the past." He looked back at Sandy, and remembered the lessons Kyrie had taught him. "I've begun trying to move past them. I'm not the best at it yet, but...I don't think I blame him as much anymore. I might not completely understand it, but he only wanted the best for me too."

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Yeah...maybe he did."

It was a tender topic, one Aidan still wasn't comfortable having a full conversation on. At least, not here and now. He took a deep breath, turning back to Sandy and the makeshift firing range. 

"Sooo...you're actually probably far better at this than even I am. Got any pointers from a pro? Unless, of course," Aidan glanced over at Genesis, suddenly realizing his mother was still an important asset to many other people here, "you know, unless you're a little busy. In which case, we should, um...plan to spend some time together soon. I mean, I'd like that." This visit was evidence to why Aidan hadn't held anything against her even after all this time when he usually got to spend about five to ten minutes with her per meetup. She actually gave a damn enough to come and check in on him when she could. 

 

But in the very back of his mind, Aidan hoped she would stay for a bit, and maybe show all three of them some things she'd learned from her travels, and maybe a story or two to add character to everything. It might be asking too much, but there was always the hope. And whether Aidan realized it or not, that hope was something that allowed him to break through his own darkness several times.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan was silent the whole time, cherishing the moment. Even when she missed, he wrote it off, knowing it was common among weapons you first pick up. Aidan had zeroed the weapon to himself before Sandy had even arrived, so the fact that Armiena could still hit the target using manual windage on a non-zeroed weapon after so few shots was a testament to her raw experience. Even when she field stripped the weapon, she did it faster and far more efficiently than Aidan ever had, especially with some of the latches holding the barrel's heat shield in place. Those were notoriously tricky, using a ring lock that was known to stick, almost as if the engineer who designed the weapon had three hands.

 

But as she fired the final shot, Aidan realized she'd called attention to her hand, or rather the prosthetic that now replaced her hand. Staring at it, he motioned for Armiena to stop firing while calling attention to the metal hand.

 

"When...did that happen?" His voice conveyed slight concern, but at the same time, it was one of those things that was done and over with. It was more knee jerk protective emotions than anything else.

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Well, even if some of you is newer than other parts, it's still good to see you."

Aidan was momentarily lost in hazy, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia, wishing he and his mother were closer. Maybe they could be in the future...that would be nice. But after a bit, Aidan came out of his reverie, realizing he was still there for a purpose. His hand drifted down to his staff saber hilt as he began remembering the details.

"I was actually showing Sandy all this because she promised to train me a little bit in some proper lightsaber forms. Vom targ, was it?" 

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan briefly thought about learning Sandy's stance in depth right then and there, but decided against it after checking the message containing their orders.

 

"We'd better just get to our assignments. This is the first time I've really been given orders from the Empress herself, and I'm a little eager to get the job done."

 

He moved in, giving his mother a quick embrace, lingering for longer than a brief moment. "It was good to see you again. When we get time, we should catch a meal together. Grandma too, assuming she's still out there." 

Aidan looked back to Sandy. It wasn't going to be an exciting assignment, but at the least they now had something to do. "Might as well get going, I can arrange to have all of this delivered back to the armorer. Squire Peltz owes me a favor. I assume you have command of this one?"

((Sandy, ready to go whenever, just drag Aidan where she goes in her next post. Armiena I know the invitation was extended to you OOC to go on this plot, but Aidan wouldn't have known that, feel free to correct him if you're coming with, lol.))