Tython

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was more than happy to leave the children with Skye and Darex and crawl into bed. The euphoria of being a new mother was wearing off and she just felt ruined. Even after the most brutal of battles she couldn't ever remember feeling so awful. It was like her inside had been torn apart and not only that, she felt utterly exhausted. The labour had seemed to take every last ounce of her strength. If she fell asleep she was worried that she might never wake up again. But that was all she wanted, sleep.

 

Feeling battered beyond belief and utterly unable to keep her eyes open any longer she passed out. The children were safe with their father. She didn't need to worry about them. With that thought she fell into a deep sleep.

 

Darla awoke to the sound of her children crying. When she opened her eyes she found herself naked, laying on a cold wet floor. Afraid and alone, she was in a place that she had never been before. Slowly she rose to her feet trembling.

 

"Darex?" She called out, shivering. "Darex?!"

 

The only answer was the crying of her children. They seemed far away. Looking around she saw several featureless stone corridors, the cries of children seemed to echo from each one. Four in total, a crossroads of sorts. There was the gentle dripping of water and some moss growing in patches on the floor.

 

Where was she?

 

Darla's long hair fell over her face and down her back. She wrapped her arms around her trembling body. It was cold, but not freezing.

 

The cries of her children suddenly seemed more anguished. Not the plaintive crying of a baby, but the cry of fear or danger. Through the Force she reached out, but she felt nothing. Whichever corridor her children were down she couldn't connect with them.

 

Trying her luck she chose the nearest corridor and ran down it. There was enough light coming in from above that she could see where she was going. Natural light spilled in from cracks above and she was aware of a sky and cool fresh air outside the structure that she was in. Darla ran manically, trying to find the source of the cries that she knew by instinct were those of her children.

 

Her feet were sore and bleeding from running across the hard stone floor, but she paid them no attention.

 

"Where are you?" Darla screamed out.

 

Utterly lost, she began to cry.

 

The corridor that she was in seemed to stretch on forever. Should she keep running or give up? She had no idea where she was. She was naked, cold and alone. Momentarily she fell to her knees. For just a moment she was ready to give up. Only a moment.

 

Pushing herself onwards to got back to her feet. Darla ran down what seemed like countless criss crossing corridors. A maze. A labyrinth. Screaming her own feelings of loss and rage all the while.

 

"WHERE ARE YOU?!?!"

 

This time her scream was met with laughter. I gentle, mocking laughter in the deep tones of a man.

 

This new sound urged Darla on. Someone was there. Some was laughing at her struggles. Someone was going to pay. If they had hurt a hair on her children's head she would kill them. With renewed vigour Darla rushed towards the sounds. Stumbling, she exited the corridor and came into an opening much like the one that she had awoken in but a little larger.

 

What she saw mad her freeze in her tracks and her heart skipped a beat.

 

A man stood with his bare back to her. His skin was as pale as a corpse and laced with a lattice work of battle scars. Beneath his skin were taught muscles. This man was a warrior. Hair as pale as his skin was worn long, flowing freely down his back. His right shoulder was a bulk of muscle but his left shoulder was black piping and metal spines that seemed no less alive than his flesh.

 

The sight filled her with both longing for love that was so beyond lost and just utter revulsion.

 

Kakuto Ryu turned around and his handsome face smiled at Darla freezing her on the spot. Her felt like a butterfly with her wings pinned. She wanted so desperately to fly away. Suddenly she was very aware of her nakedness and tried to cover herself.

 

"Hello Darla." His voice seemed warm.

 

A baby's cry drew her attention. In Kakuto's mechanical hand, claw, he held a tiny baby girl. Alana, her daughter. He noticed Darla's eyes drawn to her child and met her gaze with a chilling smile.

 

"Kakuto... wait!" Darla didn't know what he was going to do, she didn't know what to say.

 

Reaching out her hands in futile gesture, she stopped mid way. Her anger had been totally quenched by her fear. Her daughter was in the hands of a monster who could crush her in an instant. She wouldn't put the act past Kakuto. He would commit such a heinous act just so he could see the look on her face when her heart broke forever. Alana looked so small and vulnerable, her flesh next to the cold black metal of Kakuto's twisted limb.

 

Darla wanted to rush over and save her, but she knew it her heart that even her desire to save her daughter wouldn't give her the speed that she would need to get there before Kakuto's talons would eviscerate her tiny body.

 

"Kakuto... Please..." Darla's voice was barely a whisper.

 

 

"Oh, this?" He said raising Alana higher, she was cradled precariously in his talons still screaming. "You want her back? Well Darla... You see... We decided that we'd take care of the babies for you."

 

We? Who was we? It dawned on Darla that she had only found one of her children. Kakuto wasn't alone.

 

"What made you think that you could be a mother Darla?"

 

A new voice, a familiar voice. One that filled Darla was a completely new fear and sent a chill down her spine. Faust...

 

"I mean you can barely keep yourself alive and in one piece, what in the Galaxy made you think that you could take care of two children? And such promising, Force-sensitive little bundles of joy they are."

 

Faust had walked into view. He cradled Jax, gently rocking him up and down. Faust seemed at ease with her child, much to Darla's shock and horror.

 

"We'll look after the babies Darla, we'll raise them to their full potential. You won't have to worry about them anymore. Think of all the rage that you have Darla, now imagine if you had been raised as a Sith and taught to channel that rage instead of being frightened by it? Your son and daughter will be a force to be reckoned with."

 

Rage flared within Darla and she tried to reach out to the Force, the dark side. She wanted crush Faust. But nothing happened. Darla struggled but she couldn't connect with the power that her rage had once brought her.

 

Faust laughed at her.

 

"You're like a Lioness that's been de-clawed and had her fangs removed. it's sad really. What happened to you? I used to think that you were a worthy object of my torment, but now... Look at you."

 

Darla looked down at her own body, her pale bare flesh. The weight she had gained around her middle, her once muscular limbs now thin and frail after being sedate for song long. She could barely touch the Force let alone wield it as she once had. Still, she wasn't going to let two monsters take her babies without a fight.

 

She rushed to Kakuto in few steps, reaching out for Alana. She was met with a swift fist to the face. Darla crashed to the floor. She wasn't sure what hand Kakuto had hit her with, her real or mechanical one. It felt like she had been hit in the face with a brick. Her whole face throbbed and stung. Teeth floated in a mouth full of blood. Darla was able to roll over and spit them out before she swallowed any of them. She struggled to breath trough a nasal passage that was cleary shattered and every nerve in her face seemed to scream with agony.

 

For a few moments all she felt was the pain.

 

Darla tried to get to her feet but a swift kick to the abdomen had her double over in pain. Through the agony Darla still struggled, rolling over and forcing herself to her feet.

 

As she rose she came face to face with another man. This one had his face hidden by a mask. A mask that should never forget. Julio Furion.

 

"You won't be needing this anymore."

 

With those words her foe plunged his hand into her chest, his armoured fist tearing through skin, flesh, sinew and bone until it reached her heart. Then he squeezed and pulled back.

 

For a horrible, terrifying moment Darla saw her own heart, reduced to so much lifeless meat in Julio's hand.

 

Then Darla woke up screaming.

[Darex Trevelian]

Skye's acceptance cheered the Jedi Grandmaster. He handed her a holocomm that Armiena had created a long while ago in order for the Council to communicate, and let her know that it would signal whenever there was important business to discuss. "Otherwise, feel free to speak with Kirlocca or I if you have any suggestions. We're keeping an open door policy about this."

 

He gave her a one-armed hug, then shut the door behind her as she left. Instead of returning to his chair and datapad, however, he poked his head into the new nursery. Alana and Jax were both sleeping peacefully. Assured that everything was alright, he returned to the main room. There was a little bit of tidying up to do, which he did without complaint, knowing Darla would need to take it easy for a few more days.

 

Finally, he stretched and headed into the bedroom. As he did, he frowned. Darla's head was tossing back and forth on her pillow, and as he drew near, she let out an anguished moan. He reached towards her to lay a calming hand on her shoulder, but she clearly didn't feel it.

 

Suddenly she went completely still. Concerned, Darex reached out through the Force and brushed her mind. He caught flashes of faces--Kakuto, Faust, Julio--and then abruptly Darla woke up, screaming.

 

"Shh, Darla, it's alright." He immediately drew her to himself, wrapping her in his arms. "Everything is fine. I'm here. You're safe." He sent waves of the light side over her, doing his best to soothe her. "It was just a dream."

 

He knew she was often plagued with nightmares. He only wished he could do something to help. The twins had woken up crying after hearing their mother's scream, so Darex sent equally soothing waves of the Force over to them. After a minute, they quieted, and Darex was able to turn his full focus back on Darla. "Everything is alright, love."

[Skye Organa]

Skye placed the holocomm in hidden pocket within her robes, inclining her head as Darex told her about the open door policy. She returned the hug, softly murmuring "I'd get some rest while you can... you're going to need it" Her eyes sparkled with mischief, Skye giving him a wink as she stepped out of his and Darla's rooms and headed in the direction of her own rooms. Her friends were going to be very busy in the next few weeks as they got into a routine with their children. She would - of course - be help them whenever they needed her to, especially since she was the twins Godmother.

 

Her thoughts inevitably returned to her own children. She wondered where they were and what they were doing. She missed them though knew each of them were fiercely independent. Skye opened her door and entered her quarters, feeling tired though satisfied with how the births had gone. Darla was medically fine, so were the twins and Darex was a proud new Dad. She would foresee that they would have his hands full with the twins, especially their daughter.

 

Skye had her shower, quickly dressing in her night gown before retiring for the night. The healer was asleep as soon as she laid her head on her pillow...

[Dashel Illioni]

Waiting for an apprentice to respond, just some NPC updates:

 

While Dashel and the new hopeful danced around their evolving relationship, Kala was spending a great deal of time helping to restore and modify an old Imperial T-4 class shuttle. The space craft had been found drifting near an old Imperial depot and had been towed to Tython by a fellow Jedi whom had handed it over to Dashel's partner in the shipyard.

 

Immediately, the ship had been stripped to its frame which had been subjected to a very thorough scan for any flaws. The hull plates also recieved a similiar treatment and any component found to be outside of the original Impeial tolerances had been replaced.

 

Every other system had been replaced with new and very specific equipment the client had requested. The project neared the halfway point far ahead of schedule and both Kala and Dashel`s partner had begun anticipating the huge bonus the contract stipulated for an early completion. Neither knew it, but they would end up getting the shuttle to its next destination far earlier than either of them at that moment suspected.

 

Dashel's two astromech's charged with keeping the Glasstiger operational spent the time completing various maintenance tasks aboard the ship. Both droids appreciated the extended planetary stay the ship was currently having and were making the most of the stay for their ship and selves.

 

The combat modified astromechs spent a great deal of time on the practice range, firing extensive amounts of rounds to check that their active and passive targeting sytstems stayed accurate and that the vibration dampening quipment functioned appropriately. A pair of them did not and immediately trundled to the first droid repair bay available.

 

Elizabeth spent the time both working at the ruins under the observation of a jedi and more advanced scholastic pursuits. The environment and extensive counseling had begun to mold her into a productive member of society, albeit one with drives and skills from the streets coupled with the possibilities of an advanced education. More than one classmate remarked if the Sth found their way to Tython, she was their best hope.

 

When she found extra time, Elizabeth found herself spending more time in Burksed's shop enjoying the man's fatherly affection for her and his wifes mothering. All parties had limits of course and fights ensued, but rhythms and bonds took time to build. With them would come trust, eventually, but that bond was the slowest to be acquired.

 

While working around Burksed's shop, Kala and Elizabeth became fast friends. The droid and the girl quickly formed into one of a mentor apprentice. The jedi hunter helped further her education, particularly in physical skills such as self defense. They initially started with blasters and slowly progressed to more physical skills.

During the T4 project, the two discussed Dashel between them. Both ladies cared for the welfare of the Trianii Jedi and both needed someone to discuss him with. The time they spent together on the project allowed them to exchange ideas about how to best care for his future when the life of a jedi often took them into harms way despite the order's creed of not seeking out adventures of any sort.

 

Kala found the girl's concern to be remarkable considering where Dashel had found her and her rough start in life. She used Elizabeth's concern as part of the motivation for the girl when Elizabeth reached a point in some activity that challenged her. The droid of course, reported everything of value to both Burksed and Elizabeth's therapist, trusting both to use the information without revealing her part in gathering it.

 

She found she enjoyed having a friend to help, especially one whose tougher exterior hid a frigjtened child. A shift occured in her programming, speciffically in her personality matrix. Elizabeth slowly became equal to Dashel in Kala's directives.

[Kyrie Eleison]

It is often said that The Force works through everything, even the darkness we know as the Dark Side. This is inherently true, although The Exorcists work almost exclusively within the veil of the Light Side. We were made to destroy the darkness... Even within our own ranks. It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation and struggle, physical and mental, that the Force can grow within you. Make sure it is the light that grows, never the dark... Keep your heart and mind pure, and The Force will move through you easily, bending you to its will. Your exercise here is done... Your first mission is before you. A vision within The Force, a vision of the future. Use it to defeat the darkness, both inside yourself, and within the greater galaxy...

 

The world swam in darkness before dead eyes. A temple burned, set ablaze by the darkened fires of the Sith. Innocent blood ran in rivers down polished steps, crying out for justice. Bodies lay scattered, without the wrappings of a funeral's pyre, finding only agony upon the marbled stone. Consolation of the dead, only in a hero's death. Banners of crimson and ebony, symbols of darkness. A perverted crusade upon the light, marked only by death, and a spreading darkness. A world swallowed by pain. A temple was burning.

 

Kyrie gasped in a breath of air, dragging in the cool evening air into her oxygen-starved lungs. The night sky swirled before her eyes, almost as if she were about to enter hyperspace, distorted by The Force. She no longer felt pain within her body, for the lesson taught by the specters of the past had now ended, taking with it the injuries sustained. It had grown late in the evening, and the gardens of Tython's temple were silent, interrupted only by the gentle child-snores of her master's niece. The damp earth felt soft against her back, cradling her body where it had lain for many hours, experiencing the powers of exorcism taught by the masters of old.

 

The vision thoroughly disturbed her. Like her experiences here, and within the forests, it had felt as though she had lived through it, but it also felt far distant, as though she had seen it through a mirror darkly. As if it had been ever-changing. In motion, as if it was a thread in a grand tapestry, and she was only seeing a small portion of what could be. It was the future.

 

Struggling to her feet, Kyrie brushed the clinging dirt from her blackened tunic and stretched her stiff joints. She sighed softly and glanced over to her master, who was still lost in sleep, unaware of the world about her. Kneeling beside her master, Kyrie wrote a small note on a sheet of crumpled flimsy, describing what was to happen, and where to find her. Standing once more, she brushed a braid of jet-black hair from her emerald eyes and started towards the Jedi library. Research might help her weary brain decipher the vision, and what it held for her and the fate of the Jedi.

 

The mossy cobblestone felt soft beneath her black-leather boots as she walked quickly towards the library, a bit troubled by the lack of Jedi activity about her. The mossy cobbles gave way to polished stone steps as she arrived at the entrance to the library, guarded by none other than the watchful spirits of past souls. Kyrie slipped carefully into one of the research booths and selected several tomes on Jedi temples, and another on the ancient Sith. The dusty tomes soon arrived, carried by a rusted droid, and she took them in hand, examining them carefully.

 

She found the origin of the banners she had seen within the vision quite quickly, for the same symbols adorned the tome's cover. They were the symbols of the Krath, a group of Sith sorcerers birthed from the Empress Teta system, under Aleema Keto. According to the entries in the Jedi databank, the Krath were still active in the galaxy, but little more on the order's current activities could be found. It was troubling indeed, to know that Sith magicians would be somehow involved in an attack on a Jedi Temple.

 

Worry beginning to edge into her mind, Kyrie quickly leafed through the pictures on the current Jedi Temples, stopping on the painted picture of the Jedi Praxeum on Gala. It was the last link in the vision. The Sith were going to be attacking the Praxeum on Gala, in force. Jumping to her feet, she nearly knocked the ancient tomes from the table before her. She had to warn the Jedi.

 

Finding a small map on the table, Kyrie located the personal chambers of the Council members inside the temple, and began to sprint towards the first one. Pouring the power of the song into her body, she increased her speed incredibly, blowing past several congregated droids, and a startled guard. She arrived swiftly at her destination, the personal chambers of Darex Trevelian, and paused outside the door. She could not wait for morning. The threat was imminent. With an application of the song upon the door's lock, she twisted the handle and burst into the room, her face pale and freckled, The Force whirling about her in determination. She placed a datapad upon the bedrest detailing her findings and ran quickly from the room. The datapad would read the following:

 

”œMaster Darex... I've had a vision through The Force of a Sith assault upon the Jedi Praxeum on Gala. I must leave immediately. I will send you a transmission if the vision foretells the truth... Worry yourself not. The Exorcists will handle the problem.”

[Roene Givrah]

A distant breeze spooled through the forest of Tython, taking with it the leaves that were meant to fall. Autumn was approaching on Tython and the once lavish green of its fauna, ignited with an array of gold, red and brown.

 

The traverse through Tython's wood was varied in its occupancy, but the beauty of its shimmering treetops was enough to beget the trivial consequences of a casual presence.

It was peaceful, serene... quiet.

 

There were however, occasional bristles of fallen leaves as animals and other passersby stepped over them. In fact, a small pup that was nearing maturity played softly in a pile of golden leaves adjacent to a figure that sat utterly silent.

 

The figure was sitting cross legged on a stump with his hands resting upon the sides of his knees. He was robed, as most on this planet were and while his countenance gave nothing away, his face was familiar. He was a Cerean and one that had been in the order for several years, but he did not reside in the temple. Many who saw him in the woods sought contently to question his resolve in this manner, but his answers left them more puzzled than they were when they asked. Then, without any more questions to put forth, they would simply leave.

 

Time came and went without the Cerean's notice. He could feel the presence of his former Padawan as she awoke and left his aid for what she deemed a better prospect and he trusted her judgment. Whether his notion was of honest trust or mild vengeful humor, he didn't really speculate. The ultimate guide would be her own to see. It wasn't his decision to make, nor would his forcing her to stay, prove any more useful to her than anything else.

 

It was nature's way; it was the force's way of pulling us through life's chaotic mysteries.

 

One minute, we hold a leaf; the illusion of control is complete. The next minute however, the leaf pulls away, led upon its path by no predestined scholar, but by the will of its captor; fate.

 

Roene was content to speculate and meditate alone, because such were his habits, his quirks. He did offer attention to Tyue when he had the time to spare, but the pup seemed contented to fare on its own and visit its family whenever it wished. So Roene let him come and go as he pleased. After all, what arbitrary will did Roene have over the will of a dog aside that of threat. The threat of force or what illusory power grants; a thought or motivation that serves but to tear at the balance of a peaceful interaction.

 

It wasn't Roene's choice.

 

Lately though, in between the Cerean's meditation and Tyue's long absences, Roene would practice his growing talent with the elements of the land. He had, over the past few years since his first indoctrination toward this particular way of thinking, finished understanding and implementing the ways of water. He wasn't pretentious enough to believe that he was anywhere near a master of it, but he was adequately skilled.

 

His new challenge though, dwelt within the stone and rocks of the planet beneath him. The very foundation of the planet that made up its superstructure was unyielding. The soil may have been soft and easy to kinetically manipulate, but the rock beneath was harder to move. It was harder to push into and even though Roene had worked at it for months, he had only successfully achieved a small amount.

 

His training exercises regularly involved standing utterly still, memorizing the position of the stone, moving in rigid steps and pushing each movement with a sharp inclination in the hopes that it might do something. His attempts more often than not failed to achieve a desired result though and would result in some less than fruitful data, but these things, despite their negative pull, didn't do much to discourage the Cerean. If anything, each failure pushed him to move further with each and every step he took. Until one day, Roene was physically running at a boulder that he set to roll down a hill back toward him. With an objective opinion, he figured anyone observing would think him insane. He was even close to losing his nerve, before he successfully rooted himself in the ground against the mammoth and pushed the large rock away.

 

He felt proud of that feeling, when he was standing there facing down the rock and he didn't budge. It was almost as if... Roene's mind flickered back to the present as a cold nose brushed against his foot unexpectedly.

 

The Cerean jumped an inch, but calmed his reaction before scaring away Tyue, who was poking Roene to see if the Cerean was awake and wanted to play.

 

Roene grumbled a little in response, because he didn't particularly like being disturbed during meditation, but the dog truly did want attention. So, Roene looked into Tyue's eyes for a moment and watched as he ran off.

 

I will be with you in a few moments. I... I just need to try something first.

 

Roene could feel the dog's irritation at his persistent avoidance, but Roene's promises were sincere, so the dog didn't seek to push the need any further. Instead, the pup watched quietly on the side as his master walked slowly toward a large rock face.

 

It was a large piece of mountain side on the edge of the forest, halfway between the Jedi temple and the only real 'city' on Tython. It was mostly sheer, but there were still jutting edges here and there, that served as markings for past attempts at what Roene was hoping to do.

 

Roene marked his breathing as he approached the site with Tyue in toe and before reaching the wall, Roene set into his stance, with flexed muscles and hard joints. Nothing was hyper extended, but everything was strong and stiff. The Cerean's mind cleared of everything except the euphoria and strength he felt when facing down that boulder a few days ago. He let the feeling consume him and sustain the will he had to maintain the strength of his stance. Then, when Roene felt his mind and body balance, he moved with his focus leaning towards the rock face. He pushed his arms out to the limit of flexion and pushed his feet more and more into the ground, pulling the energy from the stone beneath him and maintaining its circuitous flow.

 

It was a simple move, with so many complex thoughts and meditations, but Roene didn't know if it worked. To be honest, he was almost sure it hadn't, based on previous experiences. However, when the Cerean opened his eyes, a chunk of the mountain wall had jutted out fully from its base. There was now a foot square stone fixture hanging above and to the left of Roene's head. Now, before regarding his own merits, the Cerean decided to test the move one more time to be sure it was him. This time however, Roene would do the entire process with his eyes open to the world around him and all the distractions it wrought. So Roene stiffened back into his previous posture and instead of pushing his arm straight out like before, this time, he focused on the stone fixture and pushed down with all he could.

 

For the moment following Roene's immediate movement, the fixture just stood there mocking his strain. However, in the split seconds following his powerful strike, the fixture moved rapidly to the ground in a loud boom that echoed through the forest. The sound was so loud that Tyue jumped a few feet into the air, before jumping around in demonstrations of euphoric glee. Roene looked back at the pup with a small smile, before expanding the smile to fill his face in acknowledgment of his own achievement.

 

He had done it and now that he knew the basic principles, he was left to practice as much as he did with water. He had much more work to do before he would consider himself finished and even then he would still seek more knowledge. Roene wished to learn the mysteries that weren't easy to teach and share them with others.

First however”¦ Roene thought to himself as he grabbed a stick off the ground and threw it. I need to play with Tyue.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Flame and death surrounded the Jedi Knight, beckoning and finally latching itself to the darkness that lie dormant even now in the unwitting Jedi. It's pull was great and grew greater as the battle wore on as wave after wave of Mandalorians and Sith warriors came at the Jedi defenders.

 

Xae tried hard not to think about the fact that she was killing John's people, and had to keep reminding herself, that whatever time they'd found themselves in, these Mandalorians were not the same that she'd known, though the difference had nothing to do with their fighting capabilities.

 

The auburn-haired Jedi Knight dodged a blaster bolt as one of them came in for close quarters combat, a beskar sword brandished and at the ready. Her own saber crackled in protest as it came in contact with the specially forged material that blocked it's arch. A hand encased in the same troublesome metal swung towards her head, and she was just able to stop it with a carefully applied Force-shield. This only seemed to anger the Mando more and he cried out with rage as he reared back to headbutt her into oblivion.

 

Seeing this same tactic from John when he'd fought others, including a few spars with her, she was ready for the counter and as he struck forward, Xae made quick use of the shift in his balance to step around him and shove him to the ground. Before he could turn to retaliate, she separated his head from the rest of his body in one clean strike.

 

In the instant of his death, a sharp pain caught her in her chest, causing her to wonder for a moment if she hadn't been hit by a bit of shrapnel or something else. Quickly, she looked about and at herself for any signs of bleeding and saw none, but the pain persisted.

 

The semi-familiar whine of a shuttle craft pierced the night air and drew Xae's attention from the distracting discomfort that was rapidly spreading throughout her body. She put the pain aside and sprinted for the shuttle, making sure that the other Padawans were safely inside or close to it before she boarded.

 

She heard Kyrie's cry and turned for the girl, only to find her disappeared, but the axe that she'd been wielding still sticking out of the cloven head of one of the Sith warriors. She could find no sign of her Padawan and continued to search until she was picked up by Il-Andon's strong arms and brought aboard the shuttle that raised into the night and into space beyond.

[Guest]

Gav stepped out of the foliage of the forest, comming across a beautiful sight. The Jedi Temple stood before him. It had taken a lot longer then he had expected to find it the he thought it would. Being turned around a few times, having to backtrack, and finally seeing other foot prints leading in the right direction. He didn't know where to go from here, though, would it be safe to just walk up and introduce himself to the gaurds, or would they blast him on sight. He figured the only way he would know for sure was to head up there and find out.

 

Gav walked slowly towards what he thought was the front door, making sure that no blaster bolts were flying in his direction, keeping a close eye on his surroundings as it were. He finally came up to the door, he walked up to one of the comms box and spoke into it

 

"Hello?" He said in a shy voice "I was told that I can find a master to train me here"

 

The doors slid open quietly.

 

Gav slowly walked through them, feeling awkward that nothing else was said. He continued down the hall looking for any indication as to where to go from there

[Roene Givrah]

Roene pounded a boulder and hurled it through the air with great effort through the force and as much support as he could give from his body. The boulder flew wildly at first, but as the Cerean guided a hammer fist through the air, the boulder followed and smashed into the ground beside him, sending hundreds of small rock pieces into the air and pelting everything nearby, including Tyue.

 

The small dog grumbled a little, trying to avoid most of the debris and then taking a few moments to get what rock he did have, off of him. Roene did a little bit of the same, despite the small ratio of rubble that actually sprayed him compared to Tyue. Due to this particular reaction, he somehow regretted the act of throwing such a large boulder and digging it out of the ground in a matter of minutes, even though he was attempting to do just that a day or two ago. Still though, his ability was unrefined, he had little control over how big or small the boulders or rocks were and even less control on how it would splinter if it smashed into something.

 

Progress was progress though, and even through the sweat pouring down his face and chest, he smiled in satisfaction. It was a job well done with still much left to learn.

 

Roene took a moment to breath deeply the Tython air and wipe his face with a spare cloth he had lying around beside him. It was a slight more dirty than some were used to, but Roene didn't really mind. The soil was part of nature and as such wasn't something to be spurned. After he was done, he took a small stick and threw it off into the woods in order to distract the irritated dog that ran off after it. It was his favorite game to play and seemed to resolve even the biggest conflict between them. It was odd, but somehow Roene understood how something so mundane could entertain an animal such as Tyue even though Tyue was a little bit more intellectual then anyone else could tell. In fact, it was that very attribute that led Tyue to look annoyed at Roene when he tried time and time before to distract Tyue with an invisible stick.

 

Roene could see the excited eyes of Tyue as he grabbed the stick and started his quick trek back, but when Roene took a moment for an offset glance he caught something else through the trees. Judging from the angle and colors that were revealed through the trees, the object wasn't that big, but its shape was still too amorphous to make out properly. So Roene used the force and pushed through the trees to see the man more clearly.

 

Someone was moving through the trees nearby. Roene put down his things, strapped his light saber to his belt and without a clean shirt to wear he just ran through the field after the man, taking care not to be seen or heard. He jumped into a nearby tree and swung from branch to branch in pursuit. It was fairly difficult to do, as was obvious by the faint panting sounds that the Cerean had to use the force to suppress, but Roene had studied animals in the forest as they moved about and sought after months of practice to mock them. His technique wasn't quite as effective as most of the animals, but he wasn't really built to continuously propel himself from tree to tree through the branches, so logically he had to rest occasionally.

 

When Roene came to the forest's edge and saw the man in his entirety, there seemed to be something wrong with his movement. He was walking slowly and stumbled occasionally almost as if he didn't want to impose upon the ground he was treading on. It was oddly considerate, but somehow unnatural as the man's gait pushed him ever forward toward the Tython temple. From where he was perched, Roene couldn't get much of an angle on him, but he appeared to be a little smaller than Roene if you didn't count Roene's cone head. Roene assumed this meant he was a young adult, but from the distance Roene was looking, he couldn't get a solid impression of age.

 

With continued inspection though, the man seemed lost. His gait was caused of timidness not clumsiness and as it often is for new members of the Order, it was reasonable enough to conclude of the man's confusion.

 

Roene did have other things to do, but part of him sympathized with the man. The least he could do was introduce himself; it was only courteous and what were the Jedi if not courteous.

 

Courtesy demanded quickness though, because first impressions were typically made... Well, first. So, Roene jumped from his tree perch and flexed his legs before slipping to the ground in a nice somersault that launched him to his feet. Then the Jedi Knight tensed slightly as he felt the force around him fill his body to whatever capacity it could hold and when it was done, the Cerean shot like a bullet from the treeline toward the door of the Tython Jedi temple.

 

This might have scared anyone new to the force if they could see it straight on, but Roene counted on the man's focus toward the interior of the temple to work for him. When Roene was within reasonable talking distance though, he slowed himself gradually and anchored himself to the ground with his feet. They were bare, as was his chest, but he didn't really think it was that big of an issue because his feet were callused and it was actually quite warm outside.

 

The Cerean leaned on the gate for a moment and probed the man's mind slightly. Not enough to jar him, but enough to make him pay attention. Then he spoke aloud, trying to get his attention.

 

"Hello, I was just on a jog about the forest. I am Knight Givrah. Who might you be and what might you be doing in this neck of the woods?" Roene's candor was soft, but appropriately loud so as to compensate for the distance. He didn't want to startle the man and hoped his timid pace didn't mean he truthfully was timid, but Roene was doing his best to be careful just in case.

[Dashel Illioni]

Dashel stood outside the Grasstiger, watching supplies being loaded into the modified scout craft which to his mind seemed more a warship in features than a Jedi's ship. He shrugged the thought away, deciding to concentrate on the here and now.

 

The young man whom had come to Tython seeking training had been assigned to a younger Jedi, one considered a better match i n terms of personality and need. The council had decided that issue and he had let it go.

 

Since there had been no official assignment awaiting him, Dashel had decided to leave Tython. A galaxy awaited him and it was time to bring the Jedi back into it.

 

The holds, passages, and every nook and cranny held more supplies than could fit. He planned to be away from home for quite a long time and thought it wise to plan for that contingency.

 

When all the food, parts, ammunition and other sundry items were loaded and secured, Dashel and company left the surface of Tython bound for one the main Temples that served as a hyperspace transfer point to the rest of the galaxy.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was still panicking. She gasped for air. Where was she? What was happening? Strong arms where wrapped around her. For a moment she struggled against them. 

 

It was Darex, just Darex. It had all been a dream. 

 

Her struggling ceases and Darla nestled her head into Darex's chest as his words soothed her. He was assuring her that everything was alright. Darla held onto him tightly. 

 

"Yeah... just a bad dream." She murmured.

 

It was barely enough to convince herself that she was alright let alone convince Darex. For a while after that she was up and about, but clearly shaken by what she had felt. It had all seemed to real. Such a real threat to her children and such a real feeling of pain. Darla had been truly and utterly terrified. Perhaps more scared than she had ever been in her whole life. 

 

She herself had been in danger and pain many times. That didn't scare her anymore. But now her children could be harmed by the same monsters who had sought to harm her in the past. That thought truly terrified her. When she thought about that she felt utterly powerless.

 

For a while she stood into the doorway to the bedroom and watched the cribs. After some soothing through the Force from their father hey had fallen back to sleep. Darla didn't want to wake them. She felt a little afraid to go near them. So she just stood back for some and watched them. 

 

They are so small... So helpless... They need me, they need me to be strong. But how am I supposed to be strong for them when I'm barely strong enough to take care of myself?

 

In that moment of doubt so was so happy that she had Darex in her life. If there was anyone who could help her be strong it was Darex and Skye. Despite that doubts began to fill Darla's mind.

 

And there's two of them... How am I supposed to ate care of two babies?

 

Now that they were born, two tiny beautiful children laying cribs the reality really hit home. Darla would have to raise two Force sensitive children. She felt a little nauseous. Clutching at her abdomen Darla felt an emptiness inside. Where she had once felt to bright tiny lives growing now she felt a hollowness. Seeing the children lying there they seemed more distant. Less a part of her and more their own entities. Something else.

 

She had liked the feeling of life growing with her. Through the Force she had glowed. Now, now she felt emptiness and fear.

 

It's been a tough, tough day. You just gave birth and then had an awful vision. You need to rest. Just rest. This will all seem so different in the morning.

 

With those reassuring thoughts Darla was able to calm herself down. After hat she slept a dreamless heavy sleep. But before morning came she was awoken by the sounds of her children crying.

 

Darla got up and picked up Jax, rocking him. 

 

"shhhh, Mommy's got you." Darla soothed the words seemed strange to her ears.

 

He calmed down a little but Alana began to scream louder. Darla couldn't pick hem both up at once. Instead she put down back in his crib and picked up his sister. As she quieted he began to cry again. Darla didn't know what to do.

 

She began to sob. She was so exhausted.

 

"Please, shhh, shhh." 

 

As she rocked her daughter gently back and forth tears began to run down her cheeks.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darla got up and moving, but Darex knew it was more of a coping strategy. He wished he could do more to help her, but he knew she would be going through postpartum depression and there was little he could do about it.

 

As she left the room, he investigated the datapad that the random apprentice had left in the room. It contained the details of her vision of the Sith attacking the praxeum on Gala. He frowned. He had learned long ago not to disbelieve true visions, and even if there was a chance that she was correct, he would be wise to at least put the planet on alert. He sent out a high-priority comm message, letting them know the details of the vision and that they should be ready in case the Sith did attack.

 

By the time he had finished, it was late. He spent a long night being constantly woken by the twins, but he did what he could so that Darla could sleep.

 

When morning came, he felt still exhausted. Thank goodness for the Force, he thought. He had no qualms with tapping into it to revitalize and refresh himself. A Jedi could go a long time without sleeping if they needed to.

 

The twins were crying, but Darla was in with them, so Darex made a quick and simple breakfast. After eating, he headed into the nursery to bring Darla's share to her. He found her rocking Alana, sobbing, while Jax cried from his crib.

 

He immediately set down the breakfast tray and picked up his son. A quick probe identified the problem. They were hungry. He knelt down beside Darla, still cradling Jax in his arms. "Take it easy. I know it's overwhelming, but we can do this. We can be parents." He magnified his Force presence to send out soothing waves of the light side. He seemed to be doing that a lot. "Let's just start small. The twins are hungry. I'll hold Jax while you feed Alana, and then we can switch."

 

He didn't know how else to comfort her. The task of parenting was quite overwhelming, but he knew the Force had not allowed this to happen without reason. They could master this challenge; he was sure of it. But as he looked down at Jax's red, tear-streaked face, he wondered if it would ever get easier.

 

Another idea struck him. "I'll look into getting a nanny droid to help out," he added. "It'll at least give us another pair of arms and a databank of knowledge to help out."

[SithAcolyte]

When Darex entered the room, Darla wiped at her eyes. It was no use trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. He picked up Jax and Darla had never been happier to have him there. There may have been the two children but there was also the two of them. They would support one another. 

 

Darex seemed to be better at this than she was, although when she looked at his face she could see that he looked like he'd lost some sleep as well. She noticed that he'd brought in some breakfast.

 

He pointed out that the children needed feeding and it was only then that Darla realised how hungry she was herself. But the children had to come first. Rocking Alana in one arm she prepared a bottle with the other. Skye had brought them everything that the needed. It was quite simple to mix up the baby formula and soon Alana was peacefully drinking through the bottle.

 

It hadn't even occurred to Darla that they were hungry. This was this first time that she had fed one of them. Had Darex been feeding them while she had slept. It was morning and she knew that she had got some sleep the night before but she still felt so tired. 

 

Not only that, she smelled awful. After the birth she had crawled into bed. Her night gown still smelled of stale sweat. Darla just wanted to throw it away and put something fresh on. With her bump gone she could fit back into her normal clothes again. Well, she hoped she could. She still had a few pounds to shed before she was back to her normal size. 

 

At the mention of a Nanny Droid Darla's eyes lit up.

 

"That is a very good idea indeed Mr Travellian." Darla smiled. "Are we aloud a Droid here though ?"

 

Darla wasn't sure what the deal was with personal Droids at the Jedi temple. She also wasn't sure if she wanted to stay there that much longer. Darla hadn't really liked the prospect of being stuck in the jungle with no Starships within reach. Now that the kids were there she liked the idea wen less. Just getting back to the Serenity with the twins would be a nightmare. 

 

This was where Darex needed to be though. He was so deeply involved with the Jedi at the moment. It was only a matter of time before his duties would pull him away from her and the kids. Darla pushed the thought from her mind, but it kept creeping back.

 

She really didn't want to settle with the children on Typhon. But in order to leave she would have to convince Darex and Skye to leave with her. Even if she did convince them, where would they go?

 

After a stressful day and night Darla decided to leave those questions for another time. 

[Darex Trevelian]

He was glad she liked the idea of the nanny droid. "I'll pick one up next time I'm off-world then," he promised. "And as for being allowed to have it here...I'll make an exception." A smile touched his face. "After all, I'm the grandmaster. I make the rules."

 

The twinkle in his eye let her know that his mock-egotistical and power-abusive comment was in jest. Nevertheless, one droid would do less to upset the natural Force nexus here than two squalling babies would.

 

Once Alana had her fill, he handed Darla Jax and took his daughter. The girl was asleep in minutes. He gently set her down in her crib. "I've been meaning to speak with you about something, Darla," he said softly as Jax filled his small belly with milk. "Now that the twins are born, I'd feel better if they were raised elsewhere. Tython is safe and hidden, but the lack of access to technology could be a hindrance in the future. Besides, this temple isn't meant to be a place of long term residence for anyone."

 

He took a seat beside her. "It's really up to you where you want to go. I know you enjoyed our time on Corellia. It's not as safe a place, but if you want to go there, I'm sure we can work something out. There is also a brand new Jedi temple on Lehon. It's a tropical world, and the location of the temple is still secure from the Sith." He shrugged. "As I said, it's really up to you. I might have to be in and out, depending on my duties, but I promise I'll be around as much as I possibly can."

[SithAcolyte]

Safety was a big issue indeed. Where exactly would Darla's children be safe? She didn't feel that safe on Typhon at all. In fact she felt like they were sitting ducks. They were so far away from any escape route. It just seemed such a prime place for the Sith to attack and if they didn't she didn't like to prospect of having to escape through the jungle with her children.

 

They would be hunted like dogs and surely wouldn't make the day long journey that it would take before they would get caught. The more she thought about it the more it seemed like a very real possibility. The Sith were known to seek out Jedi temples and attack them. Darla had seen it happen all too many times.

 

Darla was in the worst shape that she had been in for years. Definitely not fit to fight off anyone who might wish to harm her children. It wasn't just her imagination, she ha many enemies. Many people who would seek to harm her children if they knew about them. Her nightmares had been known to come true in the past. This had led Darla to pay heed to her visions.

 

If I was a normal woman I wouldn't have to worry about this. I could be happy and be a mother. But the strange power that I've wielded for both good and ill has made me forever a target. Tormented by my own mind as well as the very real agents of the Darkside who hound me ceaselessly. How will I keep my babies safe from all the pain and darkness that follows me across the Galaxy?

 

Her nerves were utterly frayed. She didn't want to stay on Typhon, but she didn't want to have to flee from place to place either.

 

Darex couldn't guarantee that he would always be there with her, especially now that he was a Grandmaster. There was a little resentment in Darla. She wanted him with her always. She wanted her children to always come first. But she knew that wasn't possible. He had proved that by running into the face of death for the Jedi only weeks before the birth. Darla still hadn't really forgiven him for that.

 

"We need that Droid as soon as possible." She kept her voice calm and level. "And... And I'd like to get out of this place as soon as possible. A few days from now maybe? I don't know where I want to go. I don't know where's safe. But I just don't feel safe here. Maybe Skye will want to come too? Perhaps we could just spend some time in space aboard the Serenity?"

 

How long will we have? How long will it be before he gets dragged away on Jedi business?

[Darex Trevelian]

The mention of the Serenity gave Darex an idea. "That's a good point; sitting in the middle of deep space would be a very safe place for the twins."

 

He scratched his chin. "Tell you what; I've been meaning to go and retrieve the Eternal Vigilence. Do you remember it? It's where I spent my year of meditation. It's a Jedi base of sorts, but it's a giant ship. It's in space outside the Manaan system right now. Being there would give us the benefits of being close to the outside world, and yet being as hidden as we need. Besides, the ship is extremely well-armed."

 

The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Not only would it be safe and secure, but he had fond memories of his time there. If you didn't know you were onboard a starship, you would have easily thought you were planetside due to the many gardens and landscape paintings that were found all over it.

 

"What do you think? We can leave whenever you're ready," he added. "I'll see if I can track down Skye. Or actually," he paused, considering her with a long look, "you should go see if you can find her. I'll watch the twins."

 

He knew seeing Skye would be welcome to her, and she needed to get out of this apartment. He could tell there was something bothering her, though he didn't know what it was. He wouldn't push her though; he only hoped she'd speak to him about it when she was ready. He could see the turmoil behind her eyes that she was carefully never allowing to come out in her voice.

 

It was strange. He caught himself thinking of how she used to be--strong, proud, determined, and caring. Now, she was a shell of her former self, and he had no way of knowing what to attribute that too. She had gone from being a tigress to being a wounded doe, and he didn't know what to do to help her. He sighed inwardly. I suppose at this point, I just attribute it to the pregnancy, and make sure she feels safe and secure. I really don't know what else to do. But try as he might, he couldn't quite silence the small voice in the back of his head that whispered that she had been like this for longer than nine months, and that persistently nagged that he might be the cause of this all.

[SithAcolyte]

"I really like the idea of that." Darla smiled in response to Darex's suggestion of the Eternal Vigilance. "I remember you spending that year there, I missed you. I think that it would great to be a deep space but have somewhere that felt like a world. It was pretty big, right? I also like the idea of being able to move around."

 

This filled Darla with some hope. At least Darex seemed to be on the same page at the moment. Darla couldn't wait to be around technology again. It had been a nice break away from the rest of the Galaxy for the past few months, but now she longed to return to it.

 

 

"The journey through the jungle won't be easy. I think I'll need a few days to get my strength back before we leave. Also it gives you and Skye the chance to clear up any Jedi business."

 

If Skye wants to come... Darla added mentally.

 

Darla really hated the idea of leaving Skye, but she couldn't assume that her friend wanted to uproot herself again and follow them to the Eternal Vigilance. But she could hope that she would.

 

As soon as Darex said that he would take care of the twins Darla saw her chance to have a bit of break. It seemed that that was Darex's plan and Darla was very grateful of that.

 

"Thank you, Daddy." She smiled and gave him a kiss on the check. "I'm just going to wash up and then go look for Skye."

 

After a long shower Darla felt a little more herself again. While tthe warm spray washed over her body she was able to push her worries aside and relax. As she did a thought came to her that made her grin to herself.

 

Now that I'm not pregnant, I can drink Caff again.

 

Alone in the small bathroom Darla tried on some of her old clothes. She had always worn smug form-fitting garments. Now she was very aware of the few extra pounds that she had to loose. As she zipped up her jumpsuit she had to breath in. It was a bit of a squeeze. Half way the zipper got stuck and won't go any further.

 

Was I really that slim?

 

Something like this would normally upset her, but she knew why she had gained the weight and she knew that given time she would loose it. But for now Darla wouldn't be entering any swimsuit competitions. Darla left the bathroom in a towel and found herself a loose gown instead, one of the ones that she had worn during her pregnancy. She did however wear her flight jacket over the top, which she was just about able to do up and made the garment underneath look less mom-ish. After tying back her hair, Darla was ready.

 

"Thanks again, Darex. It will be good for me to get out of this room."

 

With another kiss, this time on the lips Darla left with a smile. She made her way swiftly to Skye's quarters and knocked on the door, hoping that her friend was awake.

[Darex Trevelian]

Well, that's settled then.

 

As Darla headed for the shower, Darex grabbed the dishes and washed up. He was just finishing as Darla reappeared, gave him a quick kiss, and headed out to find Skye. He wiped the last dish dry, then poked his head in to check on the twins, who were both still fast asleep.

 

Satisfied, he headed back into the main room. He did have some business to take care of. There were still a few other Jedi on Tython, so he didn't have to put the temple systems on standby, but he would make sure this room was cleaned up before they left. He had gotten a notification that the temple on Lehon was complete and open, so all he had to do was sign off on that. He also made himself a note to send messages to the other Jedi Masters; he and Kirlocca needed to contact them and formally invite them to the Council. He'd do that on their way to the EV.

 

The work kept him busy for the next hour. He had just finished when he heard Jax awake. He rose and headed in, hoping that he wouldn't wake his sister. "Good timing, son," he said, picking up the infant. He took him into the main room, relieved that Alana was still sleeping. The baby was smelly, and he grimaced. He hadn't quite gotten the hang of changing diapers yet. But he managed to get the clean one on in a semi-decent manner; hopefully it was on right.

 

That chore done, Jax was no longer crying. In fact, he was observing his surroundings with great interest. Darex let him lay on his back on the floor and watching him investigate this new world he had entered. Every now and then, the Jedi Master felt a fluctuation in the Force as the newborn utilized all of his senses to explore. It made Darex smile. The boy was incredibly strong with the Force. It made him wonder how he had been as an infant, and for the first time in many years, he thought about his parents, and wondered how they had died. All he remembered was heat and light, and then silence. He has always assumed it was an explosion of some sort on Coruscant. Perhaps they had been in a speeder accident.

 

He shook his head. It didn't matter now; they had been gone for many years, and he didn't remember them at all. He had had a hard childhood, and he was determined to make Jax and Alana's different. "That's right, isn't it?" he asked Jax. "You and your sister are not going to be orphans abandoned on some city street." The infant cooed. "I can't promise that nothing will ever happen to you, but I can promise that I will always protect you."

[Roene Givrah]

The man stood silent, as if Roene didn't exist. It seemed that anything the Cerean had done to draw this man's attention, failed. To test it out, Roene threw a rock toward the gate with the force and it cracked loudly against the stone. However, when Roene looked over toward the man, he neither moved nor flinched. So Roene's assumptions became less of a possibility and more of a certainty, which was a little inconvenient for him considering the empty answer to his curiosity. Still, Roene couldn't just stand there and do nothing; this man clearly didn't need him. So he decided to make his way back to his campsite to retrieve his things and continue the day.

 

It wasn't the best idea, considering his fatigue, but seeing as how his intention for leaving the campsite was futile, it seemed the better alternative. His legs objected to him though when he put them to their function, but they eventually complied to his demands and the Cerean began his journey toward the wood; the wood that the Cerean had lived in or around, off and on for the past three years or so. He knew every tree, every log, every rock and every path. Roene never really got sick of the scenery though. It was simple and peaceful; something that he really enjoyed despite its commonality.

 

It wasn't the only place in the galaxy though and as Roene walked through the trees, acquainting himself with the wildlife once more, he felt a little off. He felt like he could do with a little diversity and some time out of his comfort zone. The trees were his home, but to really challenge himself as a Knight of the order, he needed to seek a Padawan and seek challenges. He couldn't just wait on Tython for one to appear. It seemed fruitless and pointless. Roene was separated from the Galaxy at large, which felt too deafening.

 

He stopped once he reached his campsite and gathered his things. He whistled slowly for his dog, turned on his heel and then began walking toward the city without an extra word toward the opposite. He had to leave and see more of the galaxy if he was to feel more in touch with other forms of nature and the force. It was a simple choice and one that wasn't really thought out, but most good ideas weren't that well thought out.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Elnia looked at her teacher as he boarded his shuttle and took off towards space, suddenly feeling very alone again. She wondered if he would one day teach her to pilot a craft and tried very hard not to remember how useless and helpless she'd been during the fight in which both Armenia and Aryian Darkfire had been eliminated. It was a feeling that she found she didn't like in the least, especially in her new life, having spent her past helpless in a lot of ways.

 

The young Miraluka had growing confidence in her new teacher that he would help her become not so helpless. She would need to practice and it would take time, but she was already journeying down her own path to self-sufficiency and worth. She could feel it in the Force as she concentrated on what she'd been shown by Onderin by practicing moving the containers as he'd requested.

 

Various sizes and shapes were available and she spent the next several hours practicing with them until she'd completely exhausted herself. She'd boxed herself in, building a kind of fort around her and fell asleep in the middle while she waited for her master's return.

[Onderin Starlisk]

((Yay! Back in business.))

 

Onderin didn't go far. For a time, he contented himself with basic atmospheric aerials, the kind of stuff he would do back in his fighter pilot days to give himself the edge when the fighting left outer space. Back in the days, he could fly circles around TIE fighters, which were extremely restricted in atmosphere because of their solar panel design, which ensured that if they tried to pull a turn too tight, the wings would rip clean off. The E-wing, however, was very maneuverable in atmosphere, although even that agile craft had to be careful.

 

This shuttle he was using now was nothing like the snub fighters he preferred. Unfortunately, ever since he had risen in rank past the point where he could worry only about a squadron under his command and instead had to worry about task forces, a fleet, and then the entire Alliance/New Republic military, flying a fighter simply wasn't practical, and he'd been forced into clunky shuttles. Maybe, he reflected, now that he was back to being a full-time Jedi, he could get his hands on an E-wing again. Although the GA had disbanded the fleet, all those fighters had to be somewhere, and he might have enough pull to get his hands on one.

 

Presently, he felt that Elnia was becoming weary of her exercises. She had taken to telekinesis rather well, and now it was time that she be tested on what she had learned. Onderin always had to deal with his nerves when it came time for this test, but he hadn't killed any of his padawans so far. Even Roxas Jarek, who had failed to finish his training, had survived this trial, just as Onderin had when subjected to it at the hands of his own Master, Keiran.

 

And so boldly the Jedi Master flew the shuttle toward the hangar, reaching out with the Force to nudge Elnia and make sure that she was fully awake before he made his final approach. Then, not thinking, only feeling, he worked the controls and fired a concussion missile toward the hanger and his hapless student. His alarm flooded through the Force. "Elnia! You must deflect the missile!"

 

The Force would come to those in desperate situations as it never seemed to in casual ones. He had utter faith that Elnia was up to this challenge.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna breathed deeply the forest air as the four of them made their journey to the temple on Tython. Glathos turned out to be quite friendly on their journey. He was a more senior Knight than Adenna, but treated them all with respect.

 

They had landed in Ashla and were making the trek through the forest surrounding the temple. Adenna enjoyed it here because this is where she did most of her training with Dahar. The forest was peaceful, as it normally was, and refreshing. The light side was so strong here that it was almost intoxicating.

 

"We aren't far," she said to the girls. Glathos was a little ahead helping guide them along the easiest path. Adenna was careful to keep a close eye on Ariana as she might have issues in a forest like this with her vision. "The temple is nice and peaceful, a perfect place to rest and refresh ourselves. When you are ready, we will train just like I did. I plan on making you sweat out here just as much as I did when I was a Padawan."

 

She chuckled and looked back at Ariana. "Come on, Ariana. When we get there, you will have a room of your own and a job to make sure you are able to stay for as long as you want. Plus, there may be people there that can help you more than I can."

[Sandy Sarna]

It was a good joyous walk, and thought it was slightly humid, it felt so good to be outside, feeling the air rushing through her hair. She felt like dancing, but”¦”¦since her master would likely frown upon that action, she kept to skipping over the rough hewn paths. Which was hardly as good. Still she couldn't stand being ignored by her master, so she hummed and sang the sweet songs of her childhood. Skipping far beyond the group. Then coming back, her mind filled with thoughts of sabre crystals, and batteries. Grinning as if she had not a care in the world.

 

She smiled dully and Adenna as they neared the great Tython gates, ”œSo when do I get knighted?”

[Adenna Alluyen]

It was good to see Sandy in such good spirits. She was acting more like the girl she used to be. "In time, in time," she replied with a chuckle. It was very good to be here. She only hoped that Sandy kept this good mood up in the weeks to come. She seemed to be recovering well on the surface, but every once in a while, Adenna caught a flash of a deeper hurt and even some darkness. She had not yet tried to go into detail with the girl on exactly what happened. That was a conversation she was not looking forward to having.

 

Ariana was quiet and had been. Adenna was growing concerned about the girl. Part of her felt bad for not focusing so much on her own needs and instead letting her energies be spent on Sandy and the various patients in the hospital. The girl must be feeling well out of place among strangers with powers she didn't have. Adenna only hoped that she could find a good place among the staff at the Temple and that the other Jedi would treat her kindly. Regardless, as long as Ariana wanted to stay, Adenna would keep in contact and make sure she was doing okay.

[Ariana La'vohn]

((Sorry about the wait, catching up))

 

Ariana hadn't ever really been conscious while traveling through space before so when the ship took off and plowed through the atmosphere, her mind waddled through the noises, smells and everything else until she did what she could to shut her senses down. It wasn't as easy as that however and her stomach started to gurgle.

 

Ariana was a little worried that she was going to hurl, but she managed to stifle the urge with the help of a huge distraction. She had never seen space before.

 

Planets glowed like little balls out in the distance. Energy and cosmic satellites pushed and pulled there way around her and Ariana was mesmerized by the rainbow of colors. She was lost in a black world filled to the brim with luminescence; it was astonishing. It was so astonishing that Ariana almost forgot her uneasiness. She was at one with her thoughts and felt somehow comfortable. She managed to find her sickness again though when the ship reached Tython. By that time however, her 'eyes' had found something new.

 

The entire planet of Tython glowed. Coruscant glowed too, but Tython glowed with more vibrancy. She could see eddies of blue energy welling up in the planet and around her like mighty rivers carving a path; she could see small buds of blue energy milling about miles away within varying distances of each other and although they were hard to concentrate on, their whimsical nature was enough to draw her attention back again and again.

 

She had no idea that they were going any where near the glowing baubles until she felt a slight tug on her over-sized robes. The force of the tug shook her a little, but she knew it was Adenna trying to move her along.

 

______________________________________

 

 

Within the forest, Ariana's senses went wild once more. The scents, the sounds and everything just overwhelmed her, but by that time her stomach had calmed down, so it wasn't nearly as bad. She could see the small baubles of light getting closer and their ghostlike bubbles were solidifying and taking shape as if she were viewing them from far away in a morning fog. Aside from the solidifying shapes though, she could see something else while she walked along behind Adenna and Sandy.

 

Echoes...

 

Ghost like forms of what seemed like the same person walking through the forest seemed to play back in life right in front of Ariana using blue wisps as intermediaries. The way she figured that the people - or wisps - weren't real, was that she stepped into a few of their paths and there was no contact. That, and there often were multiples of the same people. It was a strange sight to be sure and although she was continuing her walk down the path, she couldn't stop her head from turning in each direction as new echoes poured down the forest path. The most interesting part about the echoes though, were that their physical entities seemed to flicker slightly as she walked away from them, giving her the inclination that their existence was hinged on her perception.

 

Voiceless phantoms of humans, cereans, wookiees and the like met on the road, exchanging empty words and then walked down the road and faded away. The only solid figures around her were Sandy and Adenna. Well, them and handfuls of other smaller forms off in the distance.

 

Her attention was raptly caught within the crazy spectacle, but a small inconsideration tugged at the back of her mind. She had been quiet the entire trip and now that they were walking down the path, Ariana still hadn't talked or looked at Adenna or Sandy. She had been caught within her own world and hesitated to look over to both of them. She smiled a little halfheartedly at how odd it must have been and while the splendor of the temple came further and further into view, Ariana was doing her best to come up with something to say so it didn't seem like she was ignoring them.

 

It wasn't necessarily difficult, but every time she had something to say, her attention went elsewhere. It was like playing tug-of-war with her mind and although she had something to say, it wasn't until the group got to the temple gates that she got the chance.

 

Ariana looked toward Adenna, the sunlight catching her white hair ablaze with a silver flame and emphasizing the paleness of her face until she was an alabaster. She opened her mouth in a brilliant smile that really lit up her face and all she said was, "Thank you."

[Darex Trevelian]

Darla was gone longer than Darex expected. He chuckled to himself. He shouldn't have been surprised. Women always got to talking and didn't keep track of the time. He didn't mind--it was good for her to get out.

 

But as a result, he spent much of the time packing up. Their belongings had increased exponentially in the past few days. It was amazing how much stuff having a baby required, much less two babies. Thankfully, technology was on their side. The largest items--the twins' cribs--folded into rectangles that Darex could carry on his back. They were fairly lightweight too, which was good. He didn't look forward to the long trek through the jungle leaving him sore.

 

It didn't take too long to arrange everything into one large pack. He hoisted it, and it weighed about forty pounds. Setting it back down, he shrugged. It would be fine.

 

The twins had fallen back asleep, this time on the bed since he had already packed their cribs, and Darex deemed he had time for his favorite activity--meditation.

 

He lowered himself to a cross-legged position on the floor in the bedroom and immersed himself in the Force. He felt his weariness wash away, replaced with new vigor.

 

As he meditated, he felt the shape of the universe, it's ebbs and flows. He studied them, and it was with sadness that he realized how dark the universe had become again. Various planets ached with recent wounds inflicted by violence. The lights of the Jedi were too spread out to shine much brightness. There are too few of us, he thought. But we must continue to do what we can. The Force also seemed ripe with impending doom much closer to home. He frowned, remembered the padawan Eleison's dire warning that she felt Gala was going to be attacked. He hadn't been sure at the time, but it did seem like something was brewing.

 

It left him in a tricky situation. If Gala was attacked, would he go? His duty seemed to say that he should. He was grandmaster now, and it would reflect bad on the Order if he did not go. Who would stand for the Jedi if he didn't? At the same time, he knew Darla would vehemently oppose him going. It had always been a point of contention in their relationship. He was a Jedi, and while she knew that and accepted it, he didn't think she had fully accepted yet that being a Jedi meant he had a duty to the universe and to the Force. He couldn't sit back and raise their children, ignoring the rest of the galaxy. He could be there as much as possible, but there were times when he'd need to put himself in danger to protect others. He fought for all the people of the galaxy, and that included his family.

 

He sighed. He'd just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. He turned his meditations elsewhere.

 

As he did so, he was surprised to discover the old familiar prompting of the Force that always indicated that he was to take a new apprentice. He raised an eyebrow. He certainly was open to it; there was no greater joy than in passing on his knowledge and wisdom to a new generation of Jedi. His emotions shifted as he thought through all his past padawans, and what they had all taught him. Suddenly, he felt old. Shy-Ree was so long ago. I was a completely different man when she was my padawan. Ulos taught me much, as did Seraphim. And Aerec...Aerec was a son to me. I learned so much from all of them. It's a shame that I never get to see them anymore. He did sincerely hope they would cross paths again. But in the meantime, he would keep his senses open, waiting for the Force to prompt him who to take.

 

Alana woke up just then, and Darex pulled himself from meditation. Alana's crying woke Jax, and so Darex picked them both up. He couldn't resist using a tiny trickle of the Force to seat them more securely in his arms. "Alright, kids, let's walk."

 

He left the room and headed out through the halls of the Temple. The twins soon calmed and turned their eager eyes to take in the new surroundings. He walked with no apparent direction, but instead just wandered, enjoying the beauty of the Temple and the exercise.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

The young Miraluka stirred as she felt Onderin brush her mind through the Force, but started awake as alarm flooded in behind his call to wake.

 

”

[Onderin Starlisk]

Although he had suspected she was up to the challenge of avoiding a firey death, Onderin was surprised by the potency of Elnia's solution to the missile. When put through this test by his own Master, Keiran, Onderin had barely managed to turn the missile around so it went clear of the hangar. Similar things had happened when Kirana, Sabian, Roxas, and Aira had faced the challenge. But Elnia had raised the bar by not only surviving the attack, but by completely containing the explosion. It was an incredible accomplishment for such a young student, and Onderin grinned at the glimpse into her potential; for just as he now saw it, so would she be able.

 

The way she collapsed after the danger had passed made him decide to abort the second half of the test. Had she merely deflected the missile, he would have gone ahead with it, but it seemed to no longer be necessary, the point of the test fully accomplished already. The Jedi Master slowed the ship and brought it gently into the hangar for a perfect landing, then quickly disembarked and walked briskly over to where Elnia had sank to lay on a crate.

 

"The Force is without limits," he told her as he approached her, "and thus so are its servants. Look at what you have accomplished after just a little practice. Once you fully understand this lesson, nothing will stand in the way of your training, for it is only yourself that can limit what you can do. You must unlearn what you know about the galaxy, about physics, about what's possible."

 

He smiled. "If you don't have any questions, I think a break is in order. What do you think?"

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy smiled at her master and scooped up a stick from the dark, enriched soil. It was about a metre in length and was perfect for practicing her Sii-Cho or however it was pronounced. It was a weird word, and Sandy didn't much care for it.

 

But none the less, she swung the stick about in expert form, or as much as she could. She concentrated on the force, and leapt to a rock several metres up. She jumped down in a arc and brought the stick crashing into the person-high corroded statue. She smiled and kicked up a pile of leaves as her master and the other girl talked.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

Still trying to get past the ringing in her ears, as the sound of the blast hadn't been contained when she'd enveloped the explosion, she watched as Master Starlisk landed his craft and approached her.

 

His words came as though they were from miles away, or she was hearing them from underwater. From what she could make out, she'd passed whatever test he'd set out for her to do, and had done so well beyond his expectations.

 

Elnia still wasn't quite sure what had happened, all she'd done is react on base instinct. Was that part of what being a Jedi was about? Her mind wondered around that question for a bit before he suggested a break.

 

"A break sounds good Master. I still don't know how I did that, but I think that I have a better idea of what you've been trying to teach me so far. I don't know what physics is but that might make it easier for me to unlearn," she paused for a moment as her hearing finally seemed to return to normal. "But how do I unlearn something that I don't know if I know it or not?"