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[Aidan Darkfire]

Their explanation roused something deep in the soul of the young Darkfire, a yearning he didn't know he'd had until it was practically laid out in front of him. It was as if his frustrations had simply untangled themselves, and his path was clear. Certain things resonated within him as he heard them, the brightest of stars burn hottest...to do the most good...to fight the hardest...a bearer of hope against the madness and the horrors of the Dark SIde.

 

This was it. He knew then that he'd made the right choice in approaching the Knights and the Empire. They were willing to do what the Jedi never did, to be proactive and take the fight to those who deserved to burn in their wickedness. In his youth, the Jedi had been responders, reacting to terrorist acts after they happened, never successful in their ventures, never caring enough or having the proper passion to track down the evil to its source and extinguish it for the good of the rest of the galaxy. To do what was necessary in the name of righteousness so that others might avoid that fate. To stand as a bulwark against the oncoming tide of the abyss, not once balking at what must be done, resolute in purpose and action.

 

He found himself with his eyes squeezed shut as those addressing him finished, the emotion welling up strongly inside him. This was what he was destined to do, this was the path he would take, to choose to take the harder road so that lesser beings wouldn't have to. He opened his eyes, and faintly they glowed silver, less from the fire of a trained exorcist and more from his lineage. In his now outstretched hand, however, there softly floated an orb of flickering silver flame. This was the representation of what he felt, this was the seed that they had planted (or was it there this whole time?). Ever so gently, he closed his fist, extinguishing it. The Jedi had taught him well to never learn or act hastily in emotion, but life had taught him emotion and passion still had a time and a place. His eyes met, one by one, with each of those present, eventually meeting Sandy's before finally settling on Kyrie, his gaze stony and cold.

 

"Teach me."

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan nodded, thinking deeply about what Kyrie had just said. It was something that would certainly stick with him. He simply waited for further instruction.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan took his part of the cloth, again tapping into the passion he'd felt earlier. The cloth seemed to shriek in the back of his mind as he took it, a silent scream that echoed not only the pain and horror it represented, but also that it somehow knew what awaited it in the immediate future. His thoughts began to race, and he knew after a moment that it was trying to claw inside of him, like a malignant tumor with a mind of its own. It met only his fire. There was no mercy, only the light. Darkness imbued within objects wasn't something that could be redeemed, and the only recourse, as he was instructed by Kyrie, was simply to purge it. As it became silent, Aidan stopped feeling slick and grimy, the evil that had permeated his portion of the cloth had dissipated.

 

"This...this is the Force? You'd think the Jedi would do this on the regular..."

 

Of course, Aidan had never had any other formal Force training prior to this, it was mostly meditation and learning how to sense things. That this was his first encounter manifesting the Force spoke volumes.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan questioned what Kyrie had said for a moment, wondering if she was going slightly mad, when it creeped up on him suddenly like a bad case of heartburn. He could feel the darkness inside him. It struggled, whispering lies in his ear, pleading for him to grab his Master's lightsaber and strike her down like the corpse she deserved to be. Silently, he wallowed in the shame of the misunderstanding he'd made his last statement in. This was what it meant to be an Exorcist. To ride the edge of the knife and fight against yourself to destroy evil wherever it lay.

 

But through the fog of clawing madness, he felt Kyrie, her shining presence a beacon to help him find his path. His footing was found through her help, the darkness receding, but not leaving. This induction into the order of Exorcists was certainly a trial by fire. His fire. Had she not been here to guide them through the ritual, Aidan knew there was a large chance it would have easily consumed him.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Feel. Do not see.

 

Those words clung to Aidan as he studied the device his master had handed him. It had a switch on what looked like a lightsaber hilt, but the hilt was connected to what looked like a power source, a design he'd never seen before. Had she called it a protosaber? He'd had little time to think before the lights dimmed and an attack was upon them. Aidan's heart raced, adrenaline surging through his veins as a powerful fight-or-flight reaction rocked him, igniting the blade and lashing out at the same time. The blade seemed to have a mind of its own in his grasp, however, and completely missed, nearly wrenching the hilt out of his grasp in the process. He'd never really handled a lightsaber before, even a training one. This was obviously why.

 

Feel. Do not see.

 

He needed to calm down, to focus. Kyrie had told him those specific words for a reason, the key to the trial she'd placed before them. Aidan quickly realized that the Force was the only way out of this without getting cut up. Quickly as he could, he strapped the power pack to himself, taking the hilt in both hands, the calm blue blade held in front of him in a guard...at least that's what he thought he was doing. The hilt seemed alive in his hands, every small movement carrying an additional force with it. Somehow he felt like that could be used to his advantage, if he could predict how the hilt would move it would speed up his strikes and even add power to them.

 

Feel. Do not see.

 

Clumsily, he moved to block two blades swiping at him, catching the first but missing the second. It didn't quite connect with him; instead tearing cloth near his midsection in a narrow miss. Slowly, he forced himself to calm down, to study the movement in the shadows, to reach out and accept what his physical body could not process. In that moment he felt a warmth, like someone behind him tenderly holding him, guiding him. With more confidence his blade whipped, catching the third attack from his rear as it jabbed near his shoulder blade. The blade itself went flying, shattering on a bulkhead near one of the Force ghost projections.

 

Feel. Do not see.

 

Do not see.

 

Aidan closed his eyes, fully allowing himself to give in to the wisdom the General had imparted to him, no longer straining his eyes to see in the darkness. The Force was with him, it would provide. It gave him strength and solid footing, it was his bastion of light against the furious storm of darkness, a beacon in the void. In that moment he saw without sight. He couldn't see the blades, but somehow he knew where they were, how they moved. Another slash from the second blade again, panicked this time. It was as if the darkness within the stiletto could feel him as a threat now, recognizing that he represented its end. The blue blade flashed again and again, Aidan stepping back and forth, forward and back, the saber fluidly moving to meet each and every one of the strikes. It felt natural to Aidan, it felt right. With a parry, the stiletto was flung at the deckplates, the tip of the blade burying itself into a seam and sticking there.

 

Feel. Do not see.

 

Aidan now moved in to attack, confident in himself. He slashed out at the last blade, but the hilt twisted in his hands, barely missing. The opening was made, and the last stiletto buried itself cleanly in his upper thigh. Pain coursed through him like electricity, shattering his concentration and hold on the Force. Immediately he switched off the saber, grabbing at the hilt of the knife, but it stuck there with a power seeped into the steel from long ago, vengefully and bitterly staying put. After a moment of dealing with the pain, anger and pain coursed through his mind and the fire again rose up inside him, purging the blade. For a moment, it appeared to glow white hot, though its actual physical temperature remained unchanged. Aidan dipped deeply into his emotions, cleansing the knife with the fire his mentor had taught him. The darkness he'd taken into himself felt bitter but satisfied, a different sensation than when he'd cleansed the flag moments ago. Finally, he wrestled the knife free from his leg, putting pressure on it to stem the bleeding. In confusion, he looked to his master.

 

"What...what went wrong?"

 

Vaguely he became aware again of Sandy, the entire time not even having the luxury of acknowledging her existence. She'd done fine, much better than he.

[Aidan Darkfire]

The trip through hyperspace was relatively short, but it also offered Aidan significant time to reflect on what had happened. He'd found his inner peace, though he knew this was really just the beginning. He could now feel the darkness emanating from the lightsaber hilts he'd taken from the Sith at Kuat clear as day, and one thing in his mind that he knew he needed to do was to make his own lightsaber. When he got back to Nar Shaddaa, it was the first thing he planned to do.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan managed to find the bridge just as Sandy was meeting someone he'd never met before, but Aidan could tell the other was also a trained Force practitioner. Mostly, this was apparent just from the hilts that hung at her waist, but she also had a presence to her that Aidan had learned to recognize, the kind only a powerful person in the Force exuded. The same kind Sandy had exhibited for some time.

 

He smiled and nodded as he was introduced, hearing that she was also a Jedi. By the look of her, she'd been through some bad times, having a lot of droid prosthetics attached to her right side, but Aidan had seen worse and knew better than to stare. If the time came later, he might ask, but only if it was appropriate to do so. As Aleria moved away, Aidan moved forward, looking over the bridge crew. Truth be told, he didn't know what half the stations did, but he trusted the men and women to do their job, just like he had a job to do. Still, he proudly wore his new staff saber at his hip, and made no effort to hide it. Pride might come before the fall, but by his estimates the fall was still a ways off. 

 

Eventually he turned, having remembered Sandy saying something about the front lines. Were they headed to yet another battle? "Hey Sandy...where, uhh...where exactly are we headed?"

[Aidan Darkfire]

Rescuing the Empress? Why hadn't they already assigned him to this mission? Was he being protected because of who he was? Aidan sighed, staring out the viewport at the starlines racing past. It was rather hypnotic, and right now it helped him calm his own mind.

 

"No...no, I guess we don't. It's always out of the skillet and into the frying pan lately. I don't suppose it has anything to do with aggressive Sith expansionism, hm?"

He chuckled briefly at his own joke. The truth was his thoughts were gnawing at him. It was weird meeting Sandy when Aidan was first introduced to her on Kashyyyk, but honestly she was the only person who had shown him true compassion over the last several years. Sure, there were people who cared for him like Kyrie, but there was always a warm undertone of affection with Sandy, and in the moment, it was rather...nice. He leaned on that feeling, chasing the doubt from his mind.

 

"I finally made a lightsaber. It's weird, you know. After all this time I swore I wouldn't walk in the footsteps of my parents, and here I am. I don't think people like us really get a choice." 

 

He unclipped the long hilt from his belt, hefting the handle. It felt good in his hand, balanced, ready. He knew this engagement was likely to be hairy, but his lightsaber was likely the one thing that would help him get out of it alive.

 

"So, the medical frigate, huh? Are you with the healers, now?"

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan stiffened slightly at the mention of his father. "Yeah...he was a good man, I suppose. Just not galaxy's greatest dad, you know? He tried, though. In his own way." There was a beat of silence before he decided to latch onto what she'd said about her wound.

 

"You fought Mandalore? As in, the Mandalore? The leader of the Mandalorians? How was that?" It was half a hail Mary to get off the topic of Aryian, and half genuine interest at her story. Mandalore, whoever held the current title, was never someone to relish fighting. Jedi skills aside, Mandalorians were known for not messing around in combat. Everyone knew that. Half a second later, he caught his obvious faux pas.

 

"Aside from the wound, obviously."

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan gave her a weird look, but quickly brushed it off.

 

"What do I want? I want my Empress reclaimed. I want people to just get along. I want to not have to harm. But the galaxy doesn't work like that. To some people, violence is the only thing they understand. So they send people like us to take care of problems so everything doesn't go straight to hell in a handbasket. And even still, with the state of the galaxy being as it has been, it looks like we're headed there anyways."

 

Aidan sighed, turning back to the viewport. He wasn't really irritated, but the way that some were so close to these continual events that they trivialized them as normal was aggravating. He didn't blame Sandy, really, it was just a reminder of where he was, what he was doing. If anything, he valued the perspective and reminder. He didn't want to become someone who trivialized these battles as normal, like his parents had.

 

"They didn't even call me up on orders. I'm thinking some of the top brass either doesn't trust the Imperial Knights, or maybe they want to keep us on reserve for something else. All I know is I swore fealty to this Empress. I think I maybe saw her once in passing, but it's what I swore to do. Nobody can keep me off the front lines for this one. I don't particularly look forward to it, but I'm a man of my word. She's done so much to try and help the galaxy become a better place, and I truly believe she's worth fighting for. So...I guess I will."

 

There was a silence that hung between them for a long moment, before Aidan realized how all that probably came off. Sliding closer to her, he looked her up and down, worry still in his eyes, but subdued behind a confidence that was simply in his blood.

 

"I appreciate your support though. It...it means a lot."

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan stayed quiet during everything, except for when he was introduced to Master Vos, when he replied respectfully. He still was unaware what had happened in the council meeting, and didn't know what Sandy meant she she said she'd spoken too harshly. He still felt like the most junior member present in all this, and wasn't eager to speak up.

 

He did hear a pop as Tobias did something, which briefly caught his attention, but the Jedi Master was only sipping a drink, so he paid it no mind. However, it did seem like everyone was waiting, and he did know why they were there.

"The Empress has tasked us with finding the Eternal Vigilance, the location of which can supposedly be found somewhere on the planet Gala. Knight Sarna, might, uh, know more than I do."

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan shifted uncomfortably, only opening his mouth after Sandy had decided to defend his position in all this.

 

"Look, I might be sworn to the Empress, but the way it's looking she may not hold the title for long. The political system she represents is gone. There are fragments of the military and loyalists who follow her, but more importantly, like Knight Sarna said, we're all in this together now. If you still have qualms about her, or furthermore, me, just understand that I probably couldn't do anything to jeopardize this mission against the wishes of the three Jedi assembled before me, all of whom I might not be a match for should the situation devolve. If the Empress had ulterior motives here, why would she task this mission the way she has instead of just sending her Knights after the vessel?

 

"If I was a betting man, I'd say she likely got the information from the Jedi, and enacted a plan based on it, but make no mistake this is a Jedi asset that belongs back in Jedi hands. The Knights...would likely not be so kind to it, if I'm being honest. Mant of them are overzealous to a fault with their beliefs, but that is unfortunately what is required of them."

 

Aidan finally stopped, realizing he'd completely derailed where the conversation was going. Still, he felt the need to defend himself and his choices, and it wasn't a great feeling that he'd needed to do that. The Knights might not be perfect when it came to understanding and following the will of the Force, and many even said that the exorcists were similar to dark side users in their extreme views of wanting to extinguish the darkness. 

 

If there was one thing his Father had taught him, though, it was to keep an open mind. That one trait had saved him numerous times in his life thus far, and it allowed him to retain his identity and malleability in his beliefs in the rigid atmosphere of the Imperial Knight ranks.

 

"I'm sorry. That... uhh...I'm done. Please, continue, I...I don't really have any experience or expertise planning the specifics here."

 

And with that, the young Knight fell silent, leaning against one of the nearby walls as the adults talked. He didn't really feel like he belonged with them anymore, but he was still there and would do his duty. He also made a mental note to listen for the third Jedi's name, neither Sandy nor Master Tobias had really introduced him.

[Aidan Darkfire]

((Continued from Ossus))

Aidan sighed after a long pause following Sandy's question, slinking down in his seat a bit. He didn't want to answer, didn't really want to acknowledge what had happened beyond how he already had, but if he was going to, he might as well go first and get his answer out of the way.

"Guilt, I guess. I feel like I tried to help and made things worse. I know full well that's always a possibility, but when it actually happens? It still feels horrible. As for what went on between you and Master Vos, well...seems more like Jedi politics and differing philosophies than anything that really concerns me. Frond is in good hands now, that's all that really matters."

 

It was what it was. Aidan just wanted to complete his mission for the Empress and be done with it all.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan didn't have much to check over, just himself, his Imperial Knight's armor, and his blade. Physically, he was ready. Mentally...that was another story.

"Didn't the Jedi hide the Eternal Vigliance specifically so the Sith wouldn't get their hands on it? Gala I understand, but the Vigilance shouldn't hold anything hostile to us."

Aidan spoke, and the words schoed out of his mouth with doubt though his logic rang true. He was still uncertain of himself after what had happened on Ossus with Frond. Something in how Sandy had warned them left a bad feeling in the back of his mind.

"...right?"

[Aidan Darkfire]

The small transport carrying Aidan, Kashi, and the rest of the strike force began its long journey through hyperspace to the planet of Serenno. In the back of its cargo hold, Aidan Darkfire began a long meditation with a comlink by his side, focusing his consciousness inward, allowing the Force to flow through him. It came to him first as a trickling stream, but as he relaxed and allowed the sensation to occur more naturally it slowly became a large river connecting him to everything else in the galaxy. He could feel the ship, its crew, the strong presence of Kashi, and beyond...a vast ocean of stars and life that clung to existence.

It was one mind he sought, though, one among the trillions and trillions. The Force normally didn't work like that, especially with someone who wasn't a seasoned master. But here, now, he simply held hope, and trusted in the Force. After a long while, he found her.

((Continued in the Dejarik Board, we will try to keep this quick))

[Aidan Darkfire]

((3 day rule, jumping the order. Lurg, I sent you a PM if you see this, no worries man, just trying to coordinate better, lol.))

For a while after Aidan felt the shuttle jump to hyperspace, he debated leaving his room to seek out the trooper they'd picked up on their travels. Firstly, he was curious about the man, and secondly he or any other person would make a decent social buffer to avoid talking or even thinking about what they'd just been through.

 

Eventually, he decided to simply lock the door to his room and catch some sleep before they were due in at their destination.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Nearly thirty minutes elapsed since Aidan tried to fall asleep, and he couldn't manage. If he was honest with himself it was also squarely his fault, he knew how to put himself into a meditative trance. He just didn't want to be alone with his thoughts, and his dreams might well have turned to nightmares.

 

Still in his armor, he made his way toward the front of the ship, but as he sensed Sandy near the galley he opted to skip getting caf and walked past its entryway toward the cockpit. He took the copilot's chair, staring out into the twisting voids and streaks of hyperspace. He used to do this when he was younger and working the space lanes, it always relaxed him. Like visual white noise, it was something he could tune in on to tune everything else out.

 

And ironically, in the chaos he found quiet solace.

[Aidan Darkfire]

The streaks and vortices of light and æther danced across Aidan's eyes as he continued to search the chaos for simple symmetrical patterns he'd recognize, almost like a game. It was a good distraction during the downtime of hyperspace transit, but that's all it was.

 

"That's really just a myth that you'll go mad. The people who are susceptible to it are usually on the verge of a psychotic break anyways. Space travel isn't for everyone."

Aidan's reply was a bit stiff, and he let the statement hang in the air a moment before continuing. "I, uh, used to work the space lanes a lot when I was younger. Most people don't know it's a myth, is all. But speaking about what people know, you certainly seem to know an awful lot about the Force and its users." This time, his gaze shifted directly to Lurg, and he was silent for just a bit longer as he maintained the steely-eyed stare, still trying to make heads or tails of the man.

"Grey Jedi is really kind of a catch-all term the galaxy tends to use to describe anyone who uses the Force but doesn't belong to the Jedi or Sith. The truth is there isn't one group who calls themselves 'grey Jedi'. But...yes, I know of them. For a long time it was a path my father tried to walk."

His tone made it clear by the time he finished talking that he'd rather not keep going on about his father, though it didn't preclude continuing discussion.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan turned his gaze back out the cockpit window as Sandy began explaining, calming his mind by focusing on the patterns and swirls. Much about hyperspace was still unknown, but to Aidan, symbolically, it represented the whole of the galaxy in how it connected everything together.

"I think he might be worried we're taking him prisoner. Don't sweat it, we can drop you off at a neutral location if you prefer. But, if you're honest about joining the rebellion, then you can expect them to review your history and any past actions for war crimes. Simply being a former Imperial isn't a war crime anymore, but past that you would probably know if you had committed one."

 

Aidan's words were blunt and honest, and the seeming casual rejection of joviality hung in the air a beat too long.

"And I hunt Sith, but only Sith. You don't seem to be one, so I have no quarrel with you. I also won't hold your past against you until you give me reason to, after all we all have our regrets..."

 

At the last word, his thoughts shifted to Sandy. But no, he didn't regret her. He could, and he knew it, and he had every right to...but he didn't. It needed to be done, and if he were in her shoes he'd have done the same. Amputate to save the patient, lose a battle to win a war. Slowly, Aidan's tension began to subside with that realization, the crack in the defenses he'd wantonly thrown up to protect him from further pain. It was a start, and they would have time to speak about things later. 

 

For the moment, he decided not to reach out to her. The view was calming, and exactly what his battle-weary mind needed. There would be time.

[Aidan Darkfire]

"That's a...well...actually, yeah, they do the color thing a lot. It's not like a law, it just...happens."

 

Now Aidan was more focused on that realization than the shimmers of hyperspace, it was an odd thing to point out, and yet it was also mostly true.

 

"There's always exceptions, but for the most part I suppose the crystals do wind up being those colors more often than not."

 

Aidan checked the readouts for the remaining travel time, seeing that they'd been talking for longer than he'd realized. They still had time to converse, but their destination was coming up.

[Aidan Darkfire]

((Hey man, I want to apologize that it took this long to post, I'll be taking over as the primary for our little group until things calm down a bit for Sandy's author. I had a rough weekend as well, and I want you to know I'm going to make every effort to ensure you can post at a rate that is comfortable and fun to you.))
 

"Every modern military has heavy troopers, though they usually go through special training and sometimes even physical enhancement to be able to carry their weapons and deploy with their squads. And...no, the Sith species was a species, but the Jedi began as a monastic order if I remember right. There likely isn't a species they took their name from. Look, there's a holonet access terminal there, you can look up a lot of this information for yourself if you like but I suppose I don't mind answering questions."

A brief pause, stifling thoughts of Sandy.

"At least it helps pass the time. Looks like we're pulling up on Nar Shaddaa now, though, so wherever you decide to sit, buckle up or hang on to something."

((Next post on Nar Shaddaa))

Edited October 4, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire