Tython

[Tobias Vos]

His eyes broke from the datapad, a few hairs stood up at the back of neck. The distraction from the report he had been reading was welcome. Xae had left alright, taking most of the notable Jedi in the temple. Three had just gotten here- then turned right around and left with Xae. Vos knew that was a red flag. Dahar and his narcolepsy? Or was Xae up to something? But the call brought him out of that tumbling thought- No, Xae wasn't doing anything he wouldn't have done. There was another matter for him to devote some attention to.

 

The final thing he knew he had to wait on. Getting up from his spot in a window, he made his way through the hallways and then down a flight of stairs. A circled room with the walkway, clearly oversized- winding down along the curve of the room with a tree growing out of a bench that faced out from it's base. And there she was- there was no mistaking her walk, or the sound of her feet hitting the floor a distinct pattern. Eyeballing the room and doing some quick estimations, he placed the datapad back into the bag. Then with a leap- he angled his hips just right- and landed on his butt- and slid down the banister. Cruising faster than he could have walked the staircase- he reached the end, and was thankful he hadn't gotten a sliver in his butt. He popped his body off the railing, and hoped a step- and he was there- not even a stones throw away. Bald- but hair starting to grow in, a scruffy beard, but those same eyes- and that same lopsided smile. He chuckled awkwardly- as if she wasn't really supposed to see that, he was pleased at himself, though. His right hand on his hip, his left went to scratch the back of his head. Another glance around- no one was here, it was best to hash this out right now then.

 

Another chuckle turning into a soft laugh- he sighed, as if letting it all out- the tension and anxiety- "Hey there, beautiful. How's it goin?" He said in that casual tone you'd find in a bar patron that was a drink in. That tone was forced, Adenna would notice. She knew him, or at least Tobias thought she did. He was different now- this was a throwback to when he first encountered Adenna. He was casual- but expected to be at least punched or slapped. Not a fight, but just a strike. Either way- his heart did skip a beat when they made eye contact. He tried not to show it, though.

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy, concluded her breakfast and wandered about the halls of the once great temple. She stopped by the room of fountains to meditate and found herself as per usual unable to concentrate. She attempted to meditate and found herself vaguely annoyed at the splashing sounds of the fountains and with a snort of derision she stalked her way to the archives for a bit of light reading. She walked through the door and went to the closest terminal to check the holo card reader for a bit of action romance. Finding nothing under those tags she tried ‘love’ and was returned with an interesting tale about Nomi Sunrider. This was always one of her guilty pleasures, which was to read something a little bit scandalous when she felt like there was not much else to do. She hid herself and her reading well from prying eyes of librarians and archival lore seeking Jedi. Unfortunately, the story was decidedly droll and Sandy was actually glad to be interrupted by a bit of commotion coming from the holo-comm displays. Someone had left their ringer on and was in tune with the force enough to ignore it. Sandy rolled her eyes and laughed. Getting a glare from one Knight Meora. She looked back to her hand held holo display and tapped into the force. She relaxed and felt the familiar life flow through her veins, with concentration, she expanded it outwards in direction of the holo conversation occurring between a girl she didn’t quite recognize and a bland upper class mother figure. Sandy ignored the old feelings she had held about the rich that she had developed during her time as an orphan on Gala and focused on eavesdropping. Well in this case more like archivedropping.

 

When the droll upperclass sounds of a Kuati accent dribbled its way through the force to her ears Sandy immediately felt bad. The poor apprentice. What a horrid mother. “Mother!”, shouted the poor apprentice, “I will not marry him nor will I become a Sith so you and father can have any more power!”

 

What a way to live. Sand found herself walking at a brisk pace towards the girl, stretching out in the force and feeding comforting feelings towards the girl. She was joined by the Other Jedi Knight, Meora, Sandy paused outside the vision of the holo terminal and coughed slightly. Whispering ever so softly in her underworld-Galan accent, “Are you allright?”

[Kala Ianauria]

“Mother,” said Kala, her voice calm if slightly ragged under Sandy’s influence, “I have to go now. A Jedi Knight is approaching and she seems to want to say something to me. Goodbye.”

Kala, not waiting for her mother’s reply, reached forward and shut off the holo-comm.

 

She felt Sandy’s approach and took a breath to calm herself further. A careful glance over at Sandy confirmed Kala’s suspicions about the newcomers origins and brought a smile to her face. Her voice, when spoke, carried the unintentional haughtiness of her upbringing.

 

“Mother would be furious if you spoke in her presence with that accent.”

 

There was no malice behind the words, just a simple acknowledgement of a truth.

 

“Double since you’re a Jedi.”

 

Her heart warmed as she heard the truth behind her own words and she fully felt the effects of Sandy’s sorcery. She realized she felt better than she had in the immediate aftermath of Mother’s call.

 

“My name’s Kala,” she said quietly, “What’s yours?”

Edited December 31, 2016 by Guest

[Sandy Sarna]

“Mother would be furious if you spoke in her presence with that accent, double since you’re a Jedi Knight.”

Sandy cocked her head to the side, her thin freckled neck sliding against the soft green robes. She applied a touch more of the Galan accent but smiled along with it to indicate its lack of seriousness. “Good onya telling her off, but what do you think about the accent mate?” She grinned widely and brought her accent back to a more controlled but still noticable state as she extended her hand in greeting, “Though really, i’m called Sandy Sarna, I'm Padawan, or at least was a padawan. I am happy to meet you. Whats all this about? Are you alright?”

[Dahar Raikanda]

Things were beginning to fall into place. The order was active and Dahar was pleased by the massive presence of Jedi he could feel at the temple. Most of what he perceived as his administrative duties had been finished up. He recalled a few lose ends he would need to take care of before moving on.

 

He moved to the center of the room and motioned for the device that had accepted the Gala holocron, or Galacron as he gad grown fond of thinking of it. The shelf rose out of the ground. Through the Force he pulled the holocron out and into his hand, placing it gently in his pocket.

 

Using his commlink, which was now tied in as the administrative head of the Jedi Order, he made a few administrative pushes of some administrative buttons. Before there had been one master of resources (the Grandmaster), followed by 12 spots (the council) that had equal access to resources under only the Grandmaster. Now there was a position between the two. No Jedi or other would have more control over the accounts, security, and assets than him. But above the council he created a secondary account. This account would have the ability to supersede requests made by council accounts, answering only to his. The account would be accessible only to Lord Paragrin. It wasn't that Dahar distrusted the council... or so he told himself... but he wanted to make sure Vos's mission was unobstructed and his own command as Grandmaster unfettered.

 

Punching a few more administrative buttons he pulled up an encrypted channel, broadcasting it to what had been traced back to Raven Zinthos. She had not, in fact, introduced herself, but was easily identified by the archive computers.

 

"Ms Zinthos. My name is Dahar Raikanda, I am the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. In future correspondences I would beseech you to speak only to me, or to my hand Lord Paragrin. We are the only two in the current re-structuring of the Order that will be of any administrative or tactical relevance to you. The concept of a Jedi "council" still exists but please note that with changing times roles are changing as well.

 

I believe you and I may be on the same page regarding the Sith. I would like to discuss more in person. It would be prudent to meet in a safe and private place. You may reach me at my personal comm." The Grandmaster transmitted his personal comm address along with the message.

 

"I would appreciate it if you kept this correspondence, as well as any in the future, private. Should anyone approach you claiming to be part of the council please respectfully decline to meet with them. Only myself and Lord Paragrin will be able to assist you with more than just an oath..." Dahar hoped that the implication of resources would be transmitted in the message.

 

The message ended and quickly was shot out into the infinite ether of the galaxy. He reflected, just for a moment, on what he had said and what had been accomplished in the last few months. Then, almost inaudibly, a voice rang out in his head. A whisper. Was it his old master? His own conscience? K'munee Jamaru? Darex? Kirlocca? A little green man he had seen once in an old holodrama?

 

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

 

What did that mean? What has he afraid of? Then another whisper...

 

"All who gain power are afraid to lose it, even the Jedi."

 

He tried to shrug it off. Surely another quote from his favorite holodrama, the sixth and best out of an entire series of holodramas. But was he afraid? Was the power going to his head? Would all of this be a catalyst to the path of the Dark Side?

 

He knew only one person who had mastered the Dark Side that he could confide in about such things. He hadn't spoken to this old friend in many years. In fact he wasn't sure if his comm would even be the same. But it was worth a try. He opened a secure channel and sent out one last message.

 

"Aryian, old friend. I'm... uh... Grandmaster of the Jedi Order now? I need your help."

[Kala Ianauria]

"My apologies for not knowing your true rank," said Kala, pausing to catch her breath before adding, "My family has sent every Force User in their history to the Sith starting about the time of Revan with the Family's founder. Well, almost everyone of them. Mother's upset because she arranged a marriage to someone that is supposed to be a devotee to the Dark Side. And if he's not, then, well, he's still a scion of one of the wealthiest and oldest families on Kuat."

 

Kala looked down at the volume opened before her. regretting how her mother interrupted the most interesting session she had been having with the tome.

 

She looked back up at Sandy and said, "He's also bigoted, racist, and arrogant. And if that wasn't bad enough, he's nearly 40 and over 135 kilos. Definately not my type."

 

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

 

"And if that wasn't awful enough, someone told my mother that I intend to study the Healing Arts of the Jedi. She hasn't taken any of that well and calls daily to remind me."

 

As she spoke, Kala felt her pain lesson until the last vestiges of it drifted away, leaving her centered as she had been before. She looked up into Sandy's eyes and said, "I actually love your accent. It reminds me of my governess."

 

A single tear formed in her left eye.

 

"She always told the homeliest stories that eased Mother's more difficult tirades. I think my favorite was the tale she called 'The Padawan Menace.' The story inspired me into coming here, I wanted to be like the healer in the story whom always fixed the Padawan's injuries."

[Ary the Grey]

A comm came back a few minutes later for Dahar. It was clearly from the same comm contact Dahar had sent one of his messages to, but now the information updated itself as being from an "Arizzle Darkfizzle".

 

The contents of the comm were simple enough, filled to the brim with unnecessary emoticons, and only two 'words': "Whatchu need?"

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar pulled up his favorite puppy-dog holosnap filter, took a quick selfie, and replied to Mr. Darkfizzle.

 

"I need you to help me finish what we started all those years ago. There are some questions I have. I can have a private shuttle meet you wherever you want."

[Adenna Alluyen]

As she kept heading toward where she sensed Tobias, Adenna was pleased when she realized he had picked up her presence and came her direction. She was not, however, expecting him to slide down a banister to greet her. "Hey there, beautiful. How's it goin?"

 

The sight of him behaving in such a genuinely childish manner contrasted greatly with the seemingly mature and controlled man she saw up in the Council Chambers. She found that she wasn't quite sure how to handle such a response, though her time dealing with politicians taught her to show as little as possible while stretching out to sense what she could. He was nervous, and that was an interesting thing. She wasn't exactly the picture of complete serenity herself, but she wasn't nearly as nervous as she believed he was. She was not quite sure if his words were genuine or if he was attempting to throw her off and keep her off balance.

 

Feeling ever the old mother despite being fairly confident she was younger than Tobias, Adenna cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest. "I appreciate the compliment," she said evenly as she fixed him with a blank stare. "Though I was more interested in discovering what you have been up to in the last few years than trading compliments. I am particularly intrigued as to how you went from rejecting my offer to learn the Jedi way to being a trusted friend of the Grandmaster."

[Dahar Raikanda]

Dahar felt as though most of his business here was finished. He had made contact with Aryian Darkfire and would hopefully meet with him soon. It was a normal Monday at the temple. Students were training, learning, coming and going. He was becoming a familiar face around the academy now. The students knew who he was, or at least his title. He was not unapproachable but had rarely been approached. So he thought it prudent to hold sort of a school assembly to address all the padawans and knights who were there studying and teaching.

 

That afternoon the population of the temple crowded into a large meeting hall. There were about 1200 padawans of varying ages along with a staff of about 150 Jedi Knights. Dahar stood at the front of the room in the most boring Dumbledoreish robe he could find. After all this was his first public address as the Grandmaster.

 

Well, other than the message he had sent out through the Force. The message that had radiated across the galaxy with the power of the pure Light. Anyone intuned to the Light Side would have felt it and now be familiar with his presence. It would make sense, at least for the personnel that Dahar could write for, that his voice and presence would be associated with one of the purest most powerful associations of the Light Side they had ever felt. The kind that would be trusted.

 

The address was being recorded and bounced out to the other temples. It wasn't encrypted, anyone who stumbled upon the signal would be able to see it.

 

"My fellow Jedi. It is such a privilege and honor to be able to speak in front of you all today. I have spent my life serving our order. I have dedicated myself to the Light Side of the Force, to truth, liberty, and protecting the innocent. I have served the Old Republic and the Jedi in numerous wars. I've endured physical death. Yet I stand before you here today with the unbreakable will of iron.

 

There is no Emotion, there is Peace.

 

There has been much fear as of late. Many of you have been here for years in hiding. The threat of the Dark Side, of the Sith, is ever-present. For millennia they have stood in opposition to our ideals. To the principles of peace and justice. Believe me, I have the best people working on it. I have so many people working on it. They'll do it right. The first time. Together we are going to tip the scales to the side of peace.

 

There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge.

 

For too long the Dark Side has clouded our judgement. For too long our leaders have sat in ignorance of the evils the Sith have been weaving in the galaxy. Grandmaster Kitt was a great person, we were good friends. But he didn't have the gumption to stick to his lightsaber. When the going got tough, he disappeared. But do not fear. We are going to build a wall, a wall of pure Light Side energy around the galaxy. And the Sith are going to pay for it. We have the greatest intelligence specialists in the galaxy working on it. We have discovered the locations of almost all the Sith bases, intercepted almost all the plans for Sith terrorists attacks. Our team knows how to do things smart. I have the best Bothans working on it and they're all still alive. My bothans are the best Bothans.

 

There is no Passion, there is Serenity.

 

Some of you may wonder, with the changes that will soon be happening, does this man have the temperament of a Grandmaster? Let me tell you, I have so much serenity. Sometimes people say to me, Dahar, don't you ever get tired of being so serene? No. Never. There will be some out there who may see our plans and think they are too passionate. Wrong. Serenity." Dahar paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and slipped into a solid 15 seconds of Jedi Meditation. "See? So serene. So Grandmasterly.

 

There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.

 

When I was a young Jedi Knight, much like all of you fine beautiful people out there, this was the part of our code that I struggled with the most. It seemed to me that the galaxy was full of chaos. That there was so much chaos that there was nothing I could do about it. And where would this harmony come from? Well you see, my friends, the harmony comes from the chaos. The chaos is just the means to the eventual harmony. Harmony is the goal. And let me tell we are going to have bigly harmony. The best harmony. We're going to have so much harmony that you're going to get sick of it.

 

There is no Death, there is the Force.

 

My friends," here Dahar paused. His tone got a bit more serious and somber. "The Sith send the worst of their people here. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with them. They're bringing spice. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And none, I assure you, are good people. This culture of Death is over. We are going to usher in the age of the Force. We are going to do it together.

 

We are going to Make Jedi Great Again! Thank you! I love you!"

 

A bit of cheesy generic music began to play as Dahar waved and left the stage. The crowd all stood to their feet and cheered. A few of the more eccentric padawans threw their undergarments on stage. The Grandmaster, as faction leaders often do, had won over the love, admiration, and complete control of all the Jedi who had heard the speech. The signal was quickly bouncing to Lehon and the other temples. Soon the Jedi across the galaxy would pledge their hearts and minds to their cunning and handsome new leader.

 

Dahar had accomplished all that he had wanted to on Tython. It was time to go. With a few button strokes on his wristpad a speederbike was summoned to be waiting for him outside. On his way out he took a long stare at the big front doors. He had entered with four friends. He left with control of the Jedi Order. His speederbike took him out through the forest and to the city of Ashla where a transport was waiting for him. At the helm of the ship he set a course to nowhere. He would drift through space until Master Darkfire contacted him. He programmed a series of mircojumps to cover his tracks and keep Tython safe and then blasted into hyperspace.

 

As his ship drifted away he felt he could still hear the cheers coming from the meeting hall. For a moment he smiled. But then he remembered another scene from his favorite holodrama. The scene filled him with a deep and devastating sense of fear, anxiety, and almost a little regret. It replayed in his mind over and over as the calming influence of Tython, the anchor of the Light Side, vanished...

 

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

[Tobias Vos]

Vos tightened, slightly, as Adenna spoke. This was a key part right now, he knew that- his Force Senses enhancement technique coming up- he listened to her. He had been expecting a slap, but there was none, he hung on every word. "Though I was more interested in discovering what you have been up to in the last few years than trading compliments. I am particularly intrigued as to how you went from rejecting my offer to learn the Jedi way to being a trusted friend of the Grandmaster."

 

He could tease her and throw this back on her- seeing if he had another lady friend? No. This onion of a woman, and by onion he meant layers. And maybe a sensation to cry? But he didn't think if he could stomach the crying part... A snap- and he was on what she had said- dissecting the words and getting an answer formulated. With a deep inhale, he began.

 

"I wish that could be explained it all in one thousand words, but it is a little more... layered. I could tell you that we are all young and dumb. I could tell you my time walking in another realm of existence- seeing this one, but not quite there. Or, even, I could tell you a hundred times over that I...I know I have to stop something. Something is about to happen. You feel it, don't you? Dahar did- and saw. There was a monolith at Gala. A monolith." His tone changed from disbelief to one with some cold steel. "That cannot be allowed to happen. I reached into a new realm of power within the Force. I wasn't angry- don't think I'm trying to trick you. I was worried for my allies in the room- Dahar, Kirlocca, Xae-Lin. I had never felt that way- that connected. It felt... like a sense of Nodus Tollens to me. Left, right- in, out- bad, good- all over." He sighed, as if he was trying to reform his life's goal. "Énouement mixed in there too,I suppose. Being gone for a few years, and you settle down and invest time into hindsight. All the mistakes your younger self makes. Just want to look back and smack them- then tell them to lighten up?"

 

 

"Ahhh The point is- I am different. Just a bit." A motion to his bald- but hair growing back- head. A laugh came from Tobias, "I never expected this-" A motion around the room, implying the Temple itself, and perhaps the whole situation he's in, where he's at, and just everything. "And now nothing makes sense- it does in a way- the Force want's me here- working." His eyebrows raised in shock, and dug into his bag- ignoring the one with the alerts on it- nothing but a memo and a report that was flagged. Those could wait. He found it then- and pulled the datapad out. "This is where the Force wants me, this is where I can be... better." His tone turned low- a quiet confession, "To be that person you wanted me to be- believed that I could be... maybe?" And he moved on as if shaking off a cold breeze.

 

"Why only do something for one reason. When you can do many things, for many reasons." Some sort of philosophical tone, and he handed her his datapad- one similar with the plans he gave Xae-Lin. Inside were reports of goods and services being traded world to world, spurring a whole now economic surge. A small one, but it would be noticeable. Maybe even carry into a bigger level of prosperity across a few up starting worlds. Ones with new markets. Thalassia included. There was even a project file- locked, but still there- Helix Replacement. As well as the Lehon Reclimation- and some intelligence reports that were meaningless. Most of them just since this morning.

 

"The Kiffar Foresters have a saying- 'A good seed will grow with light, a suborn seed will blossom with light.' Or something like that. There are certain things I cannot tell you. You kinda have to see it to believe it." There it was, his little points. His little chance of redemption. This is something he'd been searching for- ever since leaving Taris. She was here, right in front of him. Tobias smiled, the whole time. It was the truth, and he had humble pride in his reflections it seemed. Tobias seemed- happy. At peace with everything around him.

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy smiled warmly at the girl “And you shouldn’t marry her, you are your own person, and luckily for the both of us, no government of state body has jurisdiction over a Jedi trainee. They can’t get to you, and if I was you, I would shut that holo comm down and never turn it on again. The distraction of overburdensome family can be very distracting to a Jedi Apprentice.”

 

She patted the girl on the arm and smiled again.

 

“You had a governess? That is amazing! Was she nice?” She paused a moment to sit down beside her. “You wanted to be a healer? That is a calling that is far beyond my abilities. Everything I touch seems to just fall to pieces, I wouldn’t want to tempt fate by trying to heal someone!” She laughed.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna listened with both her ears and the Force to what Tobias had to say. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the man because there was far more going on with him than was on the surface. There was a lot he said that she was very glad to hear, but even he admitted things were complicated. She wasn't quite sure if she could embrace him as a fellow Jedi, but she felt that she could at least stand beside him as an ally. As he said, she would have to see how he really was to believe him fully.

 

"I am glad that you have come to see the Light and are trying to do some good in this Galaxy." She had heard something happened on Gala, but wasn't too sure of the details surrounding it. She had no idea what this monolith that Tobias was talking about was, but if it scared him to the Light, then it had to be truly terrifying. "You are seeing what I and other Jedi have always seen: that there is true evil in this Galaxy that must be stopped before it destroys everything."

 

She smiled faintly and let a bit of warmth into her voice. "I sincerely hope you do stay on the path of Light and do not waver. I cannot tell you how glad I am when I sensed you here no longer completely covered in the Dark." Any trace of softness vanished and her eyes grew hard and cold, "If you do fall back into the Dark and take the Jedi with you, I will kill you myself without remorse."

[Tobias Vos]

Vos warmed his face in the light as she responded. The sunlight shone through the glass pane in the ceiling. Going over Adenna's response. The warmth he felt on his face lessened over his bread- and it felt odd. He had never been once for facial hair. Yes, the grough here and there, but never actually this beard. Smiling- as she indicated that he wasn't fully light. This much was true. He openly acknowledges it- when the need arises.

 

"But not before you almost got your lightsaber..." he shnuck in. A joke spin on what really was a serious situation.

 

Then, there was her promise- with a edge of steel in her voice. Playing it over in his mind a second time, yup, that had been a promise. He opened his eyes and mouth. A sly smile. Vos paused for a moment- as if trying to formulate his response. He locked eyes with her- "I know." confident that she would. She may even have to do it sooner, if so-and-so comes back.

 

"It would have to be you." Vos bobbed his head up and down for a second or two, confident, and knew it to be a fact. How? He wasn't sure, but everyone has to die sometime. "But between now and then- might I ask your assistance to help delay that particular event from happening?"

 

 

Vos had shored up the tone in his voice for that bit. The joke was implied- he hoped that she would never have to do that, and hoped he would never have to force her hand in that. But he wanted to work with her- and truly he needed it. His gamble on the other one hadn't panned out. But that shouldn't surprise him as much as it did- and that bothered him. There was an explanation to his bit and Adenna had remained quiet about his promotion- or maybe she didn't know? Then what did her and Dahar talk about? But the fact of the matter was- he grew up in a world that had little to no limits. Here, within the Jedi, there were limits. Their mind's and practices. It was all...blah. Where did the limits to the tolerance lie? The only moral compass's he had were horrible examples. Dahar and his narcolepsy, Sarah and her very head-butting ways, Xae-Lin trusted him enough to tell him a small bit of the truth, maybe that one wasn't horrible. Perhaps a learning curve. Then -Knight, Ni, and Ikky. Which- was a situation to which- if he could roll his eyes for eternity- those three would be the cause of it. Then, there was Kirlocca, the only other Jedi he had been around- and he wasn't sure how deep he was in blood- and still on the light side. Pretty deep if he really was a General. You don't get to be a leader of the army by tip-toeing through the tulips. Why was he suddenly thinking back to Dahar again... coincidentally after tulips. How far down the rabbit hole did his mind go? Were there no two topics he couldn't confuse and soder together- like some sort of half-rancor/half-shark? How equally frightening, and fascinating that would be to see. And how far were people going to read it- should he ever transcribe the thoughts- before they were reduced to mere drones. Follow me down, and let's sink into this big pool of pudding forever. It'll be like a never ending ball-pit.

 

Vos blinked- snapping out of the split second daze falls into sometimes. Quickly refreshing his face, as if on a datapad, he looked to see what Adenna would say about working with him. He needed some sort of oversight- who better than the one that started it all?

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna's features softened once more at Tobias' response. She wanted, no, needed him to understand that she could and would end him if he returned to the Darkness. "Of course I will help you," she said quietly. "I made the offer before and it is still there."

 

She reached out and gently took one of his hands in both of hers. "I need you to know why I said that. I wouldn't kill you out of vengeance or hatred, but out of compassion. Those who know only the Darkness and have had no chance to experience the Light deserve pity. They know no better and thus can be pitied for their ignorance while being given a chance to come to the Light. That is why I worked with you even though you embraced the Darkness: you deserved a chance to know the warmth of the Light."

 

With a deep breath, she continued, "However, those who knew the Light and fall to the Darkness do not deserve pity, but compassion. Those people fall into evil while knowing better and it destroys them far worse than those born into the Darkness. I would kill you to spare you that terror and hatred and corruption. It is compassion for your soul that I would kill you and spare whatever was left of your soul from further degradation and damnation. That isn't to say that I would act if you briefly touch the Darkness again. Everyone does that now and then, myself included. Only if you embrace it and let it consume your soul would I strike you down."

 

She stared at him with her piercing blue eyes. Her voice good a more grave, almost desperate tone, "Please tell me you understand what I am saying. I need you to understand that before I can join you on your journey, wherever that may take us."

[Tobias Vos]

After she had finished speaking- and those brilliant blue eyes ran him over- he considered everything she had said. To lose oneself to the dark side was... irresponsible. While tapping into it was not a sentence of death from her. He ran his thumb over her one hand- letting his hand be clasped between hers.

 

"I understand, and agree. You should know, however- that I now have a thirst of knowledge that even I cannot explain. I have ideas that my former self would have had no hope of conceiving." Her skin was soft to the touch. She was here, an established fact, but still he was reeling from the reality of it all. This was a good day. "Do not zero in on the fact that you will kill me. Transition it to- if. That being said- I do not know where the limits are to this whole arrangement." Indicating his place among the Jedi Order.

 

"If you are willing to help, we will have time to discuss the limits- and I can share with you what I have been doing the last few years. Perhaps you can help me unravel the knots in the memories- and save everyone..." His voice trailed off as his thumb rolled over her knuckles- his eyes affixed to their connection. As if everything was sitting on the knife edge, ready to tip one way or another. Tobias realized what was going on- he was confident in his decisions and planning on a large scale- but when it come to affection- he was sarcastic. That was how he hid his pain and feelings for other beings. While he did want to just dive back into what could be, he hesitated- not wanting to press his luck- and also not wanting to overstep. The thought of just tossing that all aside for a second just lean in and embrace her was at the forefront of his mind. Then the nagging feeling about going back to the shuttle and blasting off did sound appealing as well. Squeezing her hand again, his gaze locked- "You ah... wanna get out of here?"

 

He winced- and corrected himself- "Off Tython, and back to the galaxy, of course." A slight chuckle at the end there, to try and cover up that phrasing bit. A small part of him screamed to just lean in, but he was trying to ignore it.

[Adenna Alluyen]

"A search for knowledge is not to be considered shameful, but be careful that you do not go down into the seductive but forbidden roads leading to the Darkness," Adenna warned. "There are things that nobody should know, things that only bring about evil, death, and corruption."

 

She didn't really need to use the Force to see that Tobias was more than happy to have her holding his hand. She wasn't exactly disappointed with that fact or his interest, but she was still too cautious to give into it. She had learned that the Galaxy was a complicated place. While she had her share of flings in the past, she had learned to guard against them until trust could be built. "That depends on where you are going," she said to answer his question. "Teacher Dahar charged me with training one of the Padawans, and coincidentally, Sandy Sarna is here right now. I still believe in hands on teaching, so as long as whatever you are doing isn't going to be too insane for a Padawan to join us, I should have no problem with joining you."

 

She flashed him a large, genuine smile and radiated a small bit of bemusement at the thought of how she may have dashed some of his not-so-subtle dreams of getting her into a shuttle alone. There may be time for that sort of fun if things unfolded that way, but she was a Jedi first and had responsibilities.

[Tobias Vos]

Taking his hand back- he looked for his datapad with the three bumps on the side- and examined the last message from Ni. All the while chuckling at the mention of Sandy. "Miss Sarna will always be welcome, however- Sooba, my companion, has since passed away. I will regret having to tell her... But I do have three curious droid companions now I'm sure she'll find entertaining... you'll find them enduring." But nothing insane. At least, not soon- but you know the Force, the future is ever changing. I'll be at my ship whenever you two are ready." He reached out to squeeze her arm in a mixed sign of affection and gratitude. Lips in a tight smile, he glanced her over one last time his eyes still in awe. And he left to walk back up the stairs- although he did eyeball the banister- and thought better of it.

 

Ni and Ikky had been fixing the ship since he left, and they had just finished the last of Ikky's modifications had been done. There had been a few modifications- increased power supply, enlarged office, metallic flares, a few thrusters and some discreet maneuvering mechanisms. The Ni and Ikky were quite capable of flying the ship- their modifications and simulations he had run them through- were spot on. Knight on the other hand, was silent and watchful.

 

Vos knew he had to meet with the ship makers he had hired, business on Byss - a good time for a lesson for Sandy- and, if Sarah got to her destination- Dathomir, and Carida would be on the list as well. All of this influenced by Adenna, now. Then the events the rest of the Jedi were up to. This next month would be interesting. Seating himself inside the ship- in his office space- he sat down to start drawing on an angled desk- a quadruped droid from the start of it. His bag on the bed behind him.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Adenna remained standing still, watching Tobias as he ascended the stairs he had so unceremoniously slid down earlier until he was gone. As she did so, she opened herself to the Force, sensing all she could and trying to determine the best outcome for the future. She would go where things took her and deal with whatever the Force put in her path.

 

Now, she needed to find her Padawan. Using the link between them, she sent out a summons to Sandy as she started walking at a brisk pace to where she could sense the girl. The Temple wasn't particularly large so she was fairly confident that she would track down Sandy fairly quickly.

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy felt the call of her master as a slight familiar and all together familial tug of the force. She smiled at Kala. “My master calls. I must depart as quickly as I can, please do not feel abandoned or alone. I am always here for you.” She gave the girl her data and comm information and set off to where her master was awaiting. She bowed when she saw her and gestured towards her pack, already packed for whatever the future would bring. She ensured her lightsabre was slung on her belt.

“I am very happy to see you again master, where are we going?” She looked at her master querying, her master felt distant through the force. She lowered her voice to nearly a whisper as she dropped back into step with her. “Is everything allright master?”

[Kala Ianauria]

Kala felt sadness, joy, and desire as she watched Sandy walk away. She’d needed the interruption and perspective that Sandy brought, needed the cool and wonderful reply the older girl provided. Funny how one of her old governess’s favorite sayings popped into her mind, “When one person is taking, two hearts are listening.”

 

It was nice to be seen and have people be friendly without them wanting something in return.

 

She decided to follow through on Sandy’s advice and accessed the settings on her holo-reciever. A few quick modifications to its programs made sure her mother could not reach her. She left herself available for her father, older sister, and younger brother as they had seemed to understand or at least sympathize with her desire to escape the madness of Kuat’s upper levels of society.

 

That being born as part of the upper crust of Kuat brought advantages too her Kala never doubted. Her governess, Mila, a clone of a senator from Naboo presented to her on her natal day probably the greatest in her mind. A beautiful woman, the governess brought her up to survive Kuat’s society and go beyond them.

 

Kala remembered the lessons about Kuat society and its cost to those not among the privileged. Her governess had taken her on adventures into the lower wards of the city, into those places where light failed to penetrate the streets or the hearts of those that lived there. Most of them had been simple service in food kitchens, schools, and hospitals, but a few had helped give her a taste of something profound and beautiful lacking from her world.

 

As for wanting to be a healer, that came about because of her Shadow. Every girl of her social class had one, a companion raised from both with you to be an incredibly loyal companion and bodyguard. Kala and her Shadow became friends the day Kala saved her from the poison of a rivals blade.

 

Shadow had told her that the poison burned until the moment Kala held her, than something cool, soothing flowed through her and she knew it was going to be okay.

 

Kala failed to understand what that meant until a chance conversation between a Jedi and her mother let her know what she had done. A fortnight later, just before her debutant and engangement ball, Kala joined the Jedi and left Kuat to join the order.

 

Mila and Shadow left too, letting her know that when she needed them, they would be there. Until then though, it was better if they disappeared from Kuat and her life so they could avoid her mother’s clutches.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Much to her approval, Sandy was rather quick at responding. There was something to be said of a good apprentice who responded with haste while being prepared. "Of course things are alright," she said, "though please call me Teacher, not master. We are going on a small adventure with an old friend, Tobias Vos. It seems that our time with him helped plant a seed of Light that sprouted while we were apart. He has some tasks that need completing and I feel it may be a good opportunity to learn on the job. This time, though, please do as I say and don't go wandering off too far. You have learned much and grown well, but that doesn't mean you are fully ready to face the horrors that this Galaxy can offer. I only hope to be able to show you the goodness among those horrors. Even though recently released entertainment media may provide the sense that hyperspace travel is near instantaneous, it actually does still take some time so we will be able to continue your training."

 

Though Sandy was well prepared, Adenna was not expecting a trip so soon. They had to return to her room to pick up her own bags. The process took about three minutes since she had barely unpacked since arriving so they were soon on their way to the landing pad. All told, less than fifteen minutes after she and Tobias parted, Adenna and Sandy were on his shuttle and ready to leave.

[Tobias Vos]

As the two regal Jedi came up into the shuttle- Tobias had been alerted. Rather unceremoniously his name had been shouted across the speakers. "Girls!" Ni had shouted. Putting his elbow on the table that held the progress of his quadraped droid design, he rested his head against his hand. With one eye open he saved the file- public in the ship's database, but locked as well. This conversation had to be in steps, and no doubt the promotion and mission were on Adenna's mind. Curious Sandy had to come first, however. Her questions and worries promptly addressed. As well as Adenna, but that was a little more tricky.

 

Looking up- he jumped in his seat. There was a Trandoshian- specifically the one he had killed before he returned. Sabatin. By all means- he should have at least felt the alien presence, considering how familiar he was with with his former teacher. A wide- toothy grin stretched across his face, a slight chuckle. Or at least what passed for Sabatin. The lizard was supposed to be dead!

 

Vos's arm shot out to crack the alien in the jaw, and just as the blow was about to connect- Sabatin disappeared. Collecting himself- he knew it had been part of the Force talking to him. The Seekers didn't come back to taunt him, at least- any sanctioned event. Sabatin was dead, vacant from this world and the thousand others in this realm, and others. Collecting himself- he had guests.

 

Gathering his wits about him, he made his way to the boarding ramp- and hoped the PIT Droids weren't already greeting the two. After two hallways and one last turn- there they were. Adenna and Sandy- PIT droids no where in sight. Tobias scratched his short beard and smirked. Tilting to a support beam he rested his weight into the wall.

 

As he sent a communication- he felt the engine rumble to life not a moment later. Preflight was initiated- or at least the process to launch- the track they had to fly to get out of here. Coordinates were sent to Ni, and Ikky would be zipping into hyperspace in a few minutes.

 

"That was... way faster than I anticipated. But we'll be outta here in no time." He addressed Adenna, but glanced between her and Sandy. A grin slid across his face- pale as ever- "Sandy Sarna." A bow of his head. "Good to see you, after all this time."

 

He rolled his back across the beam and into the entrance as the two got up the ramp- speaking into the comm- "Ni, whats the time until we're in the air?"

 

A chattering came over the comm- and from down the hallway. There was a slight pop- clang. Then over the comm- another transmission- Vos replied- "Quit horsing around, if Knight can't stop his antics I'll weld him inside a box."

 

The girls didn't have much, so he guided them to the front to see what he thought was the case. Two PIT Droids where the pilot's would normally sit. On the floor- a folded up PIT Droid. "May I introduce, Ni and Ikky." he indicated the droids. He punched the nose of the one on the floor- it sprang to life and looked around- gauging where he was. "This is Knight." Indicating the third.

 

The three looked at each other and the three humans. In perfect synchronization they turned their heads in opposite directions. He held out his hand. "That's enough, don't start until we're airborne." The tone wasn't harsh, but it was firm. Guiding Sandy and Adenna back down the hallway and offering an explanation of the bizarre droids. "They were given to me by two other Jedi- ones who I have working with me. There is a third and fourth helping us, but I haven't heard from either of them since their ship left. But your rooms are just down here." Vos pointed down the hallway to a dead end but four doors splitting off. One labeled "Secondary Door" and another " Refresher." The other two would be his guests. they were at an intersection- one other avenue, towards the center of the ship- lead to a bigger room. Typical of a common room- but there were monitors in the room- bolted to the wall.. "I'll be in here when you both are settled."

 

Vos nodded, and took a step into the room. The floorboards vibrated a touch and he knew they were in the air. Soon they would slip into hyperspace and the microjumps they would do to shake any tracker.

 

(To Space!)

[Trushaun]

Trushaun recovered from her headache- and returned to the surface. It seemed everyone had left the temple- the activity was scaled back and it was quieter. Collecting some of her tears- she made sure the vial was in her bag for future use. As she was given no direction or tasks- she walked outside to see the sky- night was settling in. Cimbing a tree to gain a better view of the stars, she picked out her home world- she was so close. How she longed to return to her home. Some sort of longing pulled at her heart. She knew there was no way she could visit, so she lay there in the branches of a tree. Looking at the sky- she thought of a dozen different things- yet she remained there- and drifted off to sleep eventually. Tomorrow she would start creating the garden.

[Draj Matterburn]

Draj arrived at the Jedi Temple at dawn. It had been a nice life in Naboo, but, having learned about his force sensitivity, he decided to become a Jedi. As his ship, The Saviour, touched down, he had some regrets, but he quickly pushed them out of his head. "I can bring more good to the galaxy as a Jedi than as an engineer," he said to himself. Draj stepped out of his ship and walked towards the entrance to the temple.

[Kala Ianauria]

Kala’s holo-communicator buzzed insistently. Forgetting she’d blocked her mother’s incoming calls, she half expected, half dreaded another long harangue from her mother. Still, she looked at the incoming message header and found to her surprise the incoming call came from the Jedi Council.

 

Confused, she took the call and found herself the recipient of orders to join a Jedi Knight by the name of Kyrie Eleison. The orders gave her a briefing on her new master including her last known location. The orders permitted her to take a transport and join her perspective master on Coruscant.

 

Those same orders detailed her clothing, gear, and a limited amount of funds placed into an account under the cover alias of “Cara Maroni” from Taris. That alias came with its own background which she needed to memorize and included a briefing on the particulars of her assumed identity.

 

She immediately cleared and returned the books, tapes and other research materials from the library desk that had become an almost second home to her when not training. A bracer with an embedded computer and comm system held a small library of e-books and her notes and was included in the gear she was allowed to carry with her. Her personal holo-com had been forbidden and would need to stay at the temple.

 

She felt positively elated at that order and left the library to gather the rest of her gear. The orders specified she needed to be on the next transport to depart Tython. A transport that departed in less than hour and would surreptitiously deposit her on Taris where she would then need to find her own way to Coruscant.

[Draj Matterburn]

Draj walked up to the great temple. When he reached the entrance to the temple some temple guards blocked his path and asked Draj that he stated his business. Draj said, "I am here to be trained in the ways of the force." The guards were clearly surprised to hear a Wookie speaking basic, but a few seconds after one guard ran into the temple to ask the council what to do. Now, all Draj had to do was wait. He told the guard, "if you need me I'll be in my ship." He then headed back to his ship.

[NPC-1138]

As Draj Matterburn headed back to his ship a shiny red protocol droid came running after him. "Excuse me! Excuse me, mister... mister... Mister Wookiee? I've been sent to get you and bring you in to the temple. You're headed the wrong way!"

 

The protocol droid motioned for the Wookiee to follow him in. There he would find him quarters and prepare him to meet the other Jedi.

[Draj Matterburn]

Draj followed the red protocol droid back to the temple entrance. Now, the guards let him pass. The temple was huge, it looked even bigger when you were walking inside. As he followed the droid down the corridors he saw many Jedi and padawans walk by. Twi'Leks, Humans, Mon Calamari, Zabrak, hundreds of species. The temple seemed powerful, even though he had not been trained in the force, Draj could still feel it all around the place. The temple was much better than the palace of Theed or any underwater Gungan cities he had visited.

 

Finally, Draj reached his quarters.

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca watched as the starlines broke their translucent streaks and fell back into a somewhat normal state. As they did, it left the Wookiee staring at the beautiful planet of Tython. It was always breath taking to him to see so many planets of different textures, atmospheres, and assortment of sizes with specialities. Tython was a forest planet, although nothing even remotely close to his home planet, it still held tremendous amounts of beauty. Careful, he made his approach, sending a request for the lift to prepare to grab him. Kirlocca had a very keen sense of where he was going, as the Jedi Temple was located on a mountain in the blackout zone. It was like going home in the Force, as the temple was infused with the lightside of the Force, at it always quietly called out to Jedi. As long as your heart was pure and clean, the Temple would guide you in. It was the design that Kitt had for the place, and a very effective one. It was impossible to not be touched by the place, and even more harder for those not familiar with he constant touch of the lightside to find it.

 

As Kirlocca entered the blackout zone, the Jedi Master slowed his JediAce down to find the backside of the mountain that would have the lift. It was the only way back in, and the only means out, at least in regards to a direct flight into the main temple part. Upon finding it, he hooked up and allowed for the lift to bring him in. After it did, Kirlocca climbed out of the straighter and began to seek out this Jedi hopeful whom he received a message about...