Gala - Jedi Praxeum Ruins

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara's ship finally returned to Gala, this time to the Temple. She and Sanare had been traveling in space for a few days before Ara finally awoke once more. Sanare had explained rather vaguely about the Hunter and some sort of attack on the Gala rebel base, but other than that, the sword wasn't very open about what occurred. Ara figured it was either the sword's worry for her own well-being, or that the sword simply didn't know much more than that.

 

In the meantime, Ara had completed her task of crafting Armiena both a breastplate and a dagger out of Jedi alchemy and certain gems she had on board her ship. She was putting finishing touches on the blade of the dagger when the ship landed.

 

"Dekita ne." She held up the dagger, a 'sibling' to her own sword, crafted in the same method and with the same materials as Sanare itself. It had taken less time, given that the dagger was only about eight inches long, handle and blade both, rather than the nearly few foot span of her sword's blade and hilt. The blade shimmered and faded in and out of several colors in the dull light of the ship's workroom. "Chibi-chan."

 

As if in response, the dagger sang in a flute-like whistle, running up and down the scale in a fit of what could be called laughter. Ara snorted, raising an eyebrow at the knife. "Someone's happy." The knife tittered again. "Quite happy, apparently. Let's hope you don't start talking like your sibling and scare poor Armiena half to death."

 

The dagger let out a low, breathy tone, sighing, the blade turning a deep shade of blue. Ara finished polishing the blade with a small reprimand, "Don't get all sad on me, now. Armiena is a wonderful Jedi and leader, she's just not quite used to the idea of weaponry holding a discussion with her."

 

Then again, I'm not quite used to it completely, either, but you live with it long enough and you learn.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara was startled out of the final preparations of the knife and the breastplate by a sudden jolt of anger that was directed precisely at her. Thanks to her increased sensitivity with Sanare, the feeling was as loud and fierce as if the person were standing in the room with her. The Jedi winced and slid the dagger into its sheath.

 

"Armiena's mother, if I am correct?" Ara half-asked, looking towards Sanare. The sword was hanging off of her belt, pulsating in a variety of colors until it settled on a crimson hue. "And she wishes to, ah, 'meet with me'."

 

"I am...I believe so, Mother," the sword admitted after a moment. Ara nodded simply and wrapped up the breastplate in a protective cloth. Standing, she took both the dagger and breastplate in her hands, making certain she had all her own weaponry and protection on her before departing the ship.

 

Sanare made itself known via its usual projection of itself, trotting backwards in front of Ara. "I do not think it wise to confront Miss Armiena's mother, Mother."

 

"And I think that, if I do not set her straight, I'll end up with a bounty on my head worthy of Vladimir's involvement instead," Ara mused darkly. "Perhaps the gifts I have might help to ease her mind in regards to her daughter as well."

 

Finding a large corridor, Ara stood quietly and waited for Misal Draygo to find her. Knowing the woman's tenacity, it wouldn't be long at all.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

"You will have to pardon me. I did not expect Vladimir to come so quickly," Ara said softly. Her eyes were dark, the red mark on her forehead glowing. "From what Sanare tells me, I was knocked out during the initial attack, and it took me to my ship to prevent Vladimir from having any further contact with me. I know you are aware of my past dealings with him, though I do not know to what extent you know the details of those encounters."

 

She removed her glasses, eyes shut tight, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "I was tortured to within less than an inch of my life, and I nearly lost my soul because of it." Ara opened her eyes again to look at Misal. "However, your daughter..."

 

Ara looked pained as she went on, a sad smile on her lips. "Your daughter has many to support her, and more who care about her. She is also much stronger than I ever have been, and I mean that. Her fiance, though you seem to not entirely care for him, is the same, and a good man in his own right." Then, she smiled outright, almost slyly. "And, naturally, she has her mother, who can take care of herself and her daughter very well."

 

Her face went serious again as she added, "Those were things, those were the people I never had in my experience. I had allies, people who needed me alive for whatever reason, but I had long since lost those who simply wanted me there because I was me. Your daughter has much to live for, and is a better fighter and leader than I ever was. I'm sure you already know that, though."

 

She took a long breath. "That said, I am incredibly glad that she is alive, and should she need any further healing, I would be more than happy to provide it when she returns. I also have these." At this, the Jedi held out the small bundle that contained the dagger and breastplate. "Again, I had hoped that I could have finished these before Armiena's duel with Vladimir, but at least she is still around to be able to implement them." Ara replaced her glasses. "You can give them to her when you next see her, if you'd rather, or I can give them. It is up to you."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara stood stock still for a moment, unsure whether she should hug the woman before her or simply remain quiet. In the end, Ara settled for a solemn nod. "Aryian is...he is like a brother to me, to be honest, and will make a wonderful son, I am sure."

 

The Jedi took the box from Misal, tucking it neatly under her arm alongside the dagger and breastplate. "I will most certainly give it to her, when I see her, which should be soon, I believe, if all goes well enough." Ara exhaled slowly, her eyes flitting to the ground. "One of the things I crafted for her is something dear to me, like a piece of the sword that saved me from Vladimir the first time I met with him. I hope that it will bring her that sort of luck, among other things, in the future. I only wish I had made it in time..."

 

Ara sighed. "Is there any specific news on where Armiena is currently? I would like to help in any way possible, if I am able."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara smiled. "Armiena, I'm surprised that Aryian didn't just toss you in the nearest water supply." Breathing through her mouth and otherwise trying to ignore the stench that was Armiena, Ara went on. "I'm glad to see you're all right. I apologize that I wasn't there to help you, and that I couldn't get you the right equipment in time to fight Vladimir. I..."

 

The Jedi master's cheeks flushed a deep red, almost matching the small dot on her brow. "I'm afraid that I was knocked unconscious the moment the attack began, and Sanare saw fit to take me away so that Vladimir couldn't cause me harm as he did once--rather, twice before." Shame and regret was evident in her gray eyes. "I hope you will be able to forgive me for not being able to help you against him. To make up for it, though, I do have a couple of, ah, gifts."

 

Ara coughed politely. "Though perhaps you should bathe first. For your mother's sake."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara couldn't help a kind sort of smirk. "I've known a few people like that. One of them is a co-owner of the Last Call on Coruscant. He seems to do it subconsciously at this point."

 

Ara's eyes wandered to where Armiena had stalked off. "She definitely has a penchant for weapons as well, it would seem." Or, rather, pointy, sharp, dangerous things, among other implements. She looked back at Misal, trying to read her expression--a difficult task indeed. The woman and her moods were near impossible to read. "I'd rather she show that enthusiasm when she isn't leaving visible stink lines, though. I know battles are rough, but I think it's common courtesy." The grin threatening on Ara's lips softened the statement.

 

"I, ah...you raised Armiena well. She's a wonderful person and Jedi, and I know that I'd trust her with my life. I just want you to know that, and that I am truly sorry that I couldn't have helped her."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara could only wince as Misal let out a shout. This cannot be good. Her sword even had a mind to shudder within it's sheath. That was when she heard Piccolo over the comms.

 

"I've dealt with Piccolo before. As a matter of fact, I retrieved his soul for him, a debt which he has yet to repay me, technically speaking. I would like to talk to him, if you think that would be...all right," Ara said slowly. She glanced at Armiena, blushing, a bit nervous. "He was kind enough at the time, and it's given me more practice in soul, er, 'manipulation', so I hope you don't mind."

 

After this statement, Ara produced the box that Misal had given her before. "Your mother said to give these to you--your lightsabers, among other things, I think." Then, Ara couldn't help but grin. "And a couple of creations of my own design."

 

First, Ara held out the breastplate, which was still folded inside a cloth. "Light armor, made of a crystal material that will even stand up to a lightsaber's blow, along with any other weapon's strike. It won't chip or break, no matter what--nigh indestructible. It can also absorb some Force blows, but will need to be 'recharged' after a few battles, which is a simple task you can do yourself in a matter of minutes." She handed the breastplate over to Armiena. "I made it so the armor is in 'pieces' of a sort, so that it will flex with you. The pieces are held together with the crystal as well, which is a process that I'd rather not go into. In any case, it is also buffed physically so that it won't go all 'shiny' and blow your cover if stealth is what you need."

 

Now, Ara's smile grew even wider. I hope she appreciates this. She held the large knife in its sheath out in front of her. "This...is a specially made dagger, somewhat of a short sword, if you prefer." Slowly, she pulled the dagger out from the sheath, revealing the crystalline blade inch by inch. The dagger shone in several colors before settling on a happy sort of mottled blue and rose that came in waves over the blade. "I made this dagger in the same manner as I did my own sword, Sanare. The dagger will grow with you in the Force, and enhance your own abilities in the Force, since it was forged with crystal and the light Force itself."

 

Ara handed the blade over to the eager Armiena. "It will also become attached to you, I am guessing, if Sanare is any indication, and if it strikes someone who channels the dark Force, it will act as poison in that being's veins. My own sword can purge the darkness from one's soul, with enough Force behind it." Gray eyes flicked over to Aryian for the briefest of moments. "This isn't that strong, but it'll still hurt Sith like nothing else. If the blade hits a Jedi, it'll act as a normal blade at first, but once it is removed, the wound will be healed over. There are other properties that I'm sure you'll discover over time."

 

At this, the dagger let out a whistle reminiscent of a wooden flute's tones, ultimately raising into a very bright chord. The blond Jedi couldn't help a small, somewhat embarrassed grimace.

 

"It also lets out whistles and various other musical sounds, depending on its, ah, mood. It has some sentience, but not to the level of Sanare, so you don't have to worry about it ever, erm, talking." Ara looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. "It's part of the attachment, too, I believe, and a reflection of just how strong the weapon and the process of making it is. Ah...I hope you don't mind?" And I hope you don't think I'm nuts for giving you a singing sword...

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

((It should be known that the crystal blade is actually surprisingly light, only due to the fact that it was Force-made and Force-imbued. It wouldn't be 'feather light' or anything, but definitely lighter than a normal short-sword of comparable size. For the record, Sanare is like a full length katana or long sword in comparison. ))

 

Ara watched Armiena accept all her gifts with interest. She seemed pleased with the breastplate, at least, which made Ara feel somewhat accomplished, and the dagger was pleased with Armiena, another good omen. Granted, the Sith are a bad omen, but...

 

The lightwhip was something new to Ara as well, and she could see Armiena's own unfamiliarity with the weapon. Knowing what she did about the Jedi Grandmaster, though, she would become an expert on the new weapon in her arsenal in no time. The gaze between the family trio didn't go unnoticed by Ara, but she wasn't quite entirely sure what was going on. Perhaps, she figured, it was a matter best left within the family, even if Aryian was like a brother to her.

 

As soon as Armiena mentioned going to battle, Ara spoke up, digging into one of her numerous pouches as she did so. "I can meet up with you later; I'm sorry to say that I apparently have an appointment with Piccolo that I have to make first." She dug further into her side pouch before letting out a triumphant, "Ha!" Ara pulled out an even smaller pouch, which she unrolled to reveal a set of five throwing knives and two small colored gems.

 

"I think you could use these more than me. Plain old throwing knives, nothing special, but then there are these two sharp, pointy 'rocks'." She rolled up the pouch and tossed it to Armiena. "Give 'em a quick Force charge and a target, and let them go. They're similar in origin to the crystal I used primarily for Sanare and your short sword, but they'll only retain a 'memory' for a short time with the charge you give. With that charge, though..." Ara made a whooshing sort of noise, like a ship going through hyperspace, and waved one arm around wildly. "Annoying and injury causing. Lovely little things I discovered on Ilum."

 

Ara bowed separately to Aryian, Armiena, and Misal in turn. "May the Force be with you all. I should be back with you two in short order, if all goes well." She gave a short wink to Aryian and Armiena before withdrawing Sanare from it's sheath and running off to meet Piccolo just outside the base. No sense taking chances, though it's not Piccolo I'm worried about.

 

Just outside the temple, Piccolo was waiting. Ara could sense his unease at being here, even before he was in her sight. Announcing her presence to him, she walked up calmly, giving a short bow as she approached. "It is good to see you, though I'm guessing the circumstances behind your visit are less than joyous."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara took a moment to think the proposal over. Piccolo was offering up part of an organization that he ran, a less-than-savory sort of organization, to help the Jedi out against their now-common foe. Granted, that same group had killed Jedi in the past, Piccolo had even brought that up himself. But we do now share that same enemy, and even simply agreeing to not harm one another in favor of fighting that same enemy would be helpful...

 

The Jedi Master looked at Piccolo, his face visor not betraying any of his feelings towards the current situation. It was odd, not to be able to see the face of who you were talking to, particularly in such a situation as she was in right then, but then again she was never very good at reading expressions anyway. However, she did recall his soul, what she had seen there, and Ara couldn't help but come to the conclusion that he meant no harm in his proposition--at least, harm to the Jedi, and presumably those who would ally with the Jedi as well.

 

"I believe that...particularly given the current plight the Jedi are facing..." Ara offered up a soft smile. "...I can, on behalf of at least most of the Jedi, agree to this 'unity'. Even if I am not technically in such a position to accept, I think my seniority in the Order will override any objections." Her eyes shimmered, the red mark on her brow flickering. "And I've seen--I know--" She pursed her lips, trying to find the right words. "Overall, you are a good man. You keep to your word, and I know that I can trust you in this...endeavor."

 

Ara turned her eyes to the sky above them, looking at the oncoming Sith attack. "...I hate to be pushy, but how soon would this 'unity effort' begin? We seem to be under attack as it is right now."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara smiled as Piccolo jetted off to the Rebel Base on the planet. He really does have good in him, if he'd just listen to it more often. I know it's there. Now he just has to find it himself.

 

"Mother? What are we going to do now?" Sanare said, popping up next to Ara in its semi-physical state. Its eyes were glowing a faint green-blue color as it stared at Ara. "Armiena and Aryian are over with the Darkness on this planet."

 

Ara nodded, waving the sword around lightly, as if readying herself for training--or battle. "I told them we'd meet up with them in a moment. Now that we're finished with Piccolo." She looked at her sword. "Would you mind sending a message to Armiena via your sibling dagger? She needs to know that Piccolo sends help to the Jedi, not harm." Sanare nodded, shimmering hair bobbing, before retreating into blade-form once more. Ara held the hilt tightly as the blade vibrated madly. She heard the softest of tones as Sanare relayed the message to Armiena's short sword/dagger.

 

Once Sanare was done, the blade ceased moving, but stayed in its physical form. "I sent the message, Mother. Are we to join them?"

 

Ara took a deep breath and tucked her glasses away. Replacing them, she pulled her multi-color goggles about her eyes, connecting to them via the Force around her. She glanced off in the distance and began to make her way to the Rebel Base.

 

"Yes, we are going to join them."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara had finally made it back to the Jedi Temple's medical bay. The Jedi healer set Armiena's beaten body gently on one of the medical gurneys, laying her on her side so that the sword currently acting as Armiena's heart wouldn't pierce the table.

 

Armiena was barely hanging on, and the blade-heart had already started feebly whistling about three-quarters of the way to the Temple. Ara knew she was taxing the ability of the poor blade, and if she didn't figure out what to do soon, Armiena wouldn't survive. And Ara certainly didn't want to face Aryian if the Grandmaster died on the table.

 

"Sanare, need your help here."

 

"Yes, mother."

 

Sanare floated up from its sheath and into Ara's outstretched hand, wherein the Jedi Master slowly eased it into place next to the smaller blade. In the span of a few seconds, the small blade let go of its master and allowed Ara to pull it out. Sanare took over function as Armiena's heart, further repairing the surrounding blood vessels and keeping Armiena alive.

 

"How long can you handle this for, Sanare?" Ara asked softly.

 

"A while, I think, mother."

 

Ara sighed. "We've got to keep her alive long enough to get some sort of new heart, or something like it." Closing her eyes, Ara sent out a message through the Force to any and all surrounding Jedi. If you're able to help me give our grandmaster a new heart, as her previous one has been forcibly removed, please meet me in the med bay. Right. Now.

 

Ara looked down at Armiena with another sigh. In the meantime, she could start by healing the surrounding flesh. Ara held out her hands over Armiena's body and began to use the Force to mend the burnt flesh.

 

As she worked, Ara sang softly, a wordless song that calmed her and seemed to make the healing move faster. Soon thereafter, Sanare began accompanying its mother in song, followed by a weak but hopeful short sword laying next to Armiena on the bed.

 

Hang in there...

 

((OOC: Seriously. Help here?))

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara couldn't help but be startled by the sudden appearance of a dark cloud, both physically and otherwise, above Armiena's being. A quick trace through the Force revealed the cause of the dark feeling to be the sword that Oblivion had been carrying prior to his death. It seemed that someone on the Sith's side was quite the accomplished alchemist as well, for there was no other way such a dark blade could have been formed save for by a creator as dark as it was itself.

 

"Mother, I don't like..." Sanare didn't even have to finish what it was going to say; Ara obviously didn't "like" the presence, either.

 

"We'll take care of that after we get Armiena away from death's front porch," Ara said rather shortly. She grimaced and readjusted the long blade, also settling Armiena's short sword near, but not through, the wound still in Armiena's chest. "And you, dark blade, can be certain of that. I do not make false promises."

 

Remembering Kirlocca standing next to her, looking incredulously at the long katana stabbed through Armiena's torso, Ara quickly began to babble off an explanation, all the while grabbing a small vial and keeping busy in her task. "There was a battle with the Sith in the rebel base. Needless to say, it didn't end well." Taking a clean sample of tissue from one of the less wounded areas of Armiena, Ara placed it in the vial and capped it off tightly. "Armiena killed one of them, but two remain, and one of them ran her through with a hookshot. Her heart...for lack of a better word, it exploded from the stress and the injury."

 

Using her Force-controlled goggles, she called up a delivery droid and wrote out instructions for a small package, namely the vial, to be sent to Coruscant, to Kheldar vos Correlli, the merchant king. "Sanare is keeping the blood supply up as well as flowing, and I've been trying to heal the other damage until I can get another heart. Hopefully, that will be quite soon," she finished, watching as the droid took the proffered package and scuttled off.

 

"Until that heart arrives, however, I could use help in making sure that her wounds do not get any worse, as well as assistance in preparing her for the heart transplant," Ara said finally. She sang her words somewhat, letting the sounds of her voice assist her Force healing of Armiena. Between the Force, the song, the swords and other more "normal" implements, most of the damage of the blood vessels, burns, and even some of the broken bones had been repaired.

 

"Any help is wonderful, particularly since I'm rather worried that we'll have more injuries and other Jedi to tend to soon, if things do not go well for Aryian."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara raised an eyebrow at the treaded-droid that entered the room, interested by the message it brought with it. She looked directly at the recording device as she grabbed the heart via the Force so as to avoid any sort of contamination. Ara recalled something regarding Cyrion's eyes and her own goggles' lenses being similar as well, and looking at this droid's "eyes", she could tell that they were made from the same mold.

 

"Well, Kheldar, I don't know if you'll be able to gleam much information other than what has already been written in regards to healing techniques." She knew the merchant would be able to see the slightest of smirks on her face as she just turned away from the droid to being the transplant process. "Perhaps you'd be able to figure out more if you had recorded me creating my blade, rather than just using it." Her tone was a light-hearted jest, though she was serious in what she had just said: most of Sanare's "secrets" were safe, since much of what the blade did was simply the same as a Jedi would do. It was only its creator that knew precisely what made it tick.

 

Now mostly ignoring the captive audience, Ara began her delicate work to replace Armiena's heart. She had to figure out a quick way to move the sword-heart to replace it with the real one, and she had to think fast. The Jedi Master squinted behind her goggles, searching through her brain to find the right answer. Her eyes closed momentarily, then snapped back open with their gaze on Armiena's open chest.

 

Slowly, Ara pulled out Sanare from Armiena's chest, using the Force to keep her blood pressure up and to prevent her from bleeding out. Once the blade was fully removed, Ara Force-shifted the newly-made heart into place where the sword had just been. She lined it up just right, arteries to arteries, veins to veins, the proper depth within the chest.

 

A bead of sweat ran down from the Jedi's hairline, only to be stopped by the goggles she was wearing. There...we...go... Ara reached out her hand to grasp Armiena's short sword by the handle; the small blade had since recovered from its time as Armiena's artificial heart, and Sanare needed a proper break. Ara eased the smaller sword into place near the heart, urging the blade through the Force to connect the blood vessels to the heart. The blade whistled softly but happily and obeyed the order. In a matter of seconds, Armiena once again had a natural heart.

 

Ara removed the short sword from Armiena's chest and started the heart beating via a small nudge from the Force. A couple of beats went by, then, Armiena's heart beat. Once, twice. And so it continued on its own, steadily beating and pumping blood throughout Armiena's body.

 

Ara finally leaned back away from Armiena, a sigh escaping her lips. The Jedi Grandmaster was breathing on her own, her heart was pumping vital blood on its own; all that was left was to close the remaining wound in her chest and to let her heal. Of course, over that time, Ara would aid the process with her own healing arts, hopefully making it go much faster than it would normally, but in the end, only time would tell.

 

The Jedi healer looked back at the droid still watching her. She smiled, a bit more at ease at last. "Like what you see, Kheldar?" Ara winked. "Comm me when you get a chance; I've got more gifts for the girls and a replacement set of flight goggles for Kas for the ones you stole."

 

Turning away from the droid for good, Ara glanced at her wookiee counterpart. "Thank you, Kirlocca. I believe that she'll be all right now, in time. Would you mind helping me get her to a more proper, cleaner bed in the mean time? Preferably a mobile one, in case we have to make a...hasty exit."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara shook her head at the wookiee. "No, that's it. Thank you for helping, Kirlocca. You may want to see if you can round up anyone else to help with the Sith out in the rebel base. As far as I know, there are still two of them there." She looked back at Armiena. "I hope she recovers quickly. It's hard knowing there's not much else I can do at the moment."

 

A beat passed before Ara noticed that the recording droid was still there. She raised her eyebrows again. "Kheldar, are you still there?"

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara's head whipped around to see Armiena both awake and irate. Her first reaction was to silently cheer--at least the woman was okay. Ara's second reaction was to try and send calming waves to Armiena through the Force.

 

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Ara said wryly. "What a way to greet someone." Ara stood up and gently rearranged the sheets about Armiena's neck and shoulders. "I'm glad to see you're awake, at least in that you're okay, but given that your heart just exploded earlier today, I'm not sure you should be moving quite yet."

 

The healer pursed her lips. "I could put you in a healing trance, you know, but I have a feeling that you wouldn't, ah, sit for that, so to speak." Ara smirked slightly. "Pardon the pun."

 

From by Armiena's side, Ara lifted up the short sword belonging to the Grandmaster and placed it closer to her head and heart. "Keeping this by you will help you recover more quickly, and it will link itself to you as well, which means it will be more effective in battle."

 

There was a moment of silence. "How are you? I mean, not physically, obviously you just had your chest ripped open and--yeah, but are you okay? You seem...uneasy somehow."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara was about to make a remark regarding her own experience with Force lightning and about how disruptors were even worse than that, but Aryian came in at that moment to see his fiance. Ara didn't have anything wrong with that, but as soon as the two began talking, she felt like she was intruding. Not to mention, it made her think of her own husband, who had died a couple of years back, and that made her feel even more out of place in the whole situation.

 

The Jedi Master grabbed Sanare silently and replaced the blade in its sheath. "If you like, I can come to Manaan as well; otherwise I can try to clean things up here." Her cheeks were flushed as she turned her eyes away. Both Armiena and Aryian were her friends, her fellow Jedi, and yet... I feel as if I shouldn't be here with them, not right now.

 

"If you want to head to Manaan, that bed is movable--I made certain of that in case we had to make a hasty exit in light of the Sith over at the Rebel base." Ara began to play with her Force goggles, which were now seated about her neck. "Besides a continued Force healing, I'm afraid there's not much else I can do for you, Armiena, but to tell you to keep still for a while." Despite her feelings about intruding upon the couple, Ara couldn't help but give a sly grin at this statement. "Though I'm afraid that telling you to keep still is like telling Hoth not to be cold."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara couldn't help but snort. "Believe it or not, I agree." Her face still red, she added, "I was actually married once, myself, but he died, and we were both very young, barely teenagers, and we never, er, did anything and--"

 

She coughed into her hand. "So yeah." Her gray eyes gave Armiena a rather exasperated motherly look. "You really need to be careful. The connection between your veins and arteries and new heart are secure, but the thing just started beating a little while ago. I don't need you getting a heart attack or going into shock already." Ara chuckled. "And I'm sure Aryian would prefer you not, either, particularly right before your wedding."

 

Managing not to blush further from any possible implications of that statement, Ara attempted to change the subject. "You know, with that arm of yours, I could possibly craft some sort of prosthetic for it, or even somehow make it, er, re-grow." She scratched the back of her head. Sometimes, Ara was eloquent; others, not so much. This was, unfortunately, one of the latter times. "Something like I did with Sanare and your heart, only not involving, you know, stabbing you through the chest with a sword and..."

 

Ara covered her face with her hand. Slightly muffled by her palm, she finally said, "I'll just be quiet now. Congratulations."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara shrugged. "Well, that's all fine and well, if you want to do whatever with your arm. I could add some alchemy pieces to it if you like, anything you can--"

 

Her words halted in her throat, leaving her sputtering and quite nearly sending a shower of spittle on the recovering Jedi Grandmaster. Ara's hands went from her face to rest just above her heart, as if she were in a massive state of shock (which, truthfully, she pretty much was). Her mouth flopped open and shut like a fish out of water for a few moments before she finally managed to get out a comprehensible sentence.

 

"Maid of honor? Are you--are you serious?" Ara waved her hand about, shaking her head. "Of course you're serious, but I still--I--" She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "I guess that would be...all right. If you really want someone with a talking sword to be your maid of honor."

 

"What is a maid of honor, Mother?" The aforementioned blade spoke quietly from its sheath, trying to whisper but not succeeding.

 

Ara flushed and patted the sword gently. "I'll explain later." Clearing her throat, she turned back to Armiena. "Kind of like having a child, except...never mind that." Ara grinned. "I'd be happy to be your maid of honor. It would be my, er, honor." A wince. "Pardon the pun."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara took a deep breath before standing up and moving out of the medical bay. Armiena was healed, Aryian seemed okay, and apparently the planet hadn't been overrun by Sith. All's well that ends 'relatively' well...

 

With not much more than what she was going to wear for the upcoming wedding on her mind, she wandered to her ship and took off for Manaan.

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

A ship carrying the Jedi Master Ara-Lai Kaipi made its way into the atmosphere, landing neatly on the planet. Both the Jedi and her blade-familiar Sanare came out of the secured ship. The sword was attached to Ara's belt, but was emitting a somewhat translucent form of a vaguely female form walking by Ara's side. Since their last visit to Ilum, Sanare had become more feminine in form, as if the blade had decided more upon a representation of itself, and it had also become more solid in appearance, though it was still easy to see that the figure walking in step with Ara was clearly not a corporeal being--at least, not in that form.

 

"I think I'm a little late, but better late than never, right?" Ara remarked, more to herself than to Sanare.

 

That didn't stop the blade from replying. "Mother, being late is never a good thing..."

 

"...hush."

[Ara-Lai Kaipi]

Ara blinked, her comm startling her out of her small bout of sulking. She glanced down at it, then blushed. "Lovely, just...lovely. Late and and the wrong place. At least I got the planet right."

 

Sanare's head cocked to the side as the two took a turn to take the Yume on a short planetside trip. "Wrong place, wrong time?"

 

Ara nodded, gray eyes gleaming. "The story of my life, Sanare."

 

With that, Ara quickly jetted to the Rebel base.