Kashyyyk

[Frond]

Frond could not help but smile, the human Jedi spoke well of the Jedi belief in The Force. Turning to look at her, he could see the pain and distraction in her eyes, could feel it's whispers of anguish in The Force. Not the time. Not the place. he noted to himself, regarding their discussion and divergent viewpoints on the only truth that actually mattered. Still, Frond had been around enough to understand that many beings, especially younger beings such as the humans craved these beliefs and their ritual. They were something for them to grasp in the myriad of swirling often conflicting untruths presented by the galaxy at large. Later.... later on, he would continue this conversation, for the Jedi before him sought that which he knew, of that he was sure.

 

Gently placing a tendrilled hand on the sitting Jedi's shoulder, the tree-like being's leafy apendages rustled as if in the wind, and he slowly reduced himself in size to that of a more standard humanoid. Squatting down next to Jaina he looked at her and spoke, "The Force. Greater than comprehension allows. Perhaps, I can show. One Day. Today,

Focus. Focus on loss, sacrifice. Mourn and celebrate. Then you will be shown. Later. See if you will."

 

Frond then sat in silence, basking in the glow of The Force as more and more Jedi arrived, hoping that by his mere aged presence, he could exude a sense of peace and tranquility to the ravaged hearts and souls that amassed for the burial of one of their own, Wookiee, Jedi, Brother.

 

SIX: All knowledge and power is of The Force

[Roene Givrah]

In a place as wondrous as Kashyyyk, he never imagined feeling such darkness coming from the forest. A strong abscess of dark energy throbbed with ripples in the force. And linked as Roene was to the planet's surface, through the fibers of the trees and the wind that swirled all around him, it felt as if the forest had lost something. It felt as if, were the forest a large being of an indeterminable size, it lost a limb or a finger. Such was the mystery that Roene was pondering when a familiar voice followed the timid afternoon breeze.

 

The Cerean's cheeks turned up as he looked to find Tirzah, one of his only friends left in the order, staring up at him. "Yes Tirzah, it is I. I trust you are well?"

 

The Cerean's pale blue eyes twinkled with an excess of vitality in the verdant aura of the planet's surface. His joy wasn't just the feeling expressed on his face, as much as it was a tangible presence that emanated from him. This was where he belonged. This was his element.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Guest

[ObliviousKnight]

It had been a long back to the canopy of the forest, again hitching a ride up one of the basket elevators that the Wookiees used for heavy loads and the infirm. Misal had slumped to the side of the elevator floor, finally allowing herself to be overcome by the throbbing in her left hand and forty-something hours of operation without rest. As her breath deepened and her lidless gaze settled on the arboreal horizon, it became difficult to tell that the woman under that crumpled mass of dark robes was even still awake. Skywalker, with her Jedi training, might have been able to discern that the elderly Miraluka was merely weary past the point of useful consciousness and in a significant amount of pain. The illusion was broken only when one of the Wookiee youngsters, concerned for the health of their protector, rumbled a low growl while staring at the bloodied splinter protruding through her left hand. Not even lifting her head, Misal only murmured quietly. “I can endure it for a while longer. Drawing it now will only exacerbate the injury.”

 

Upon reaching the canopy, however, Misal waved away the pair of massive Wookiees that were part of the honor guard to receive the Chieftainess of Rwookrroro. In preparation for the displaced from the destroyed city and the expectation of having to treat much more dire wounds than they had suffered, a medical tent had been established nearby. “As you are able.” Misal said in a fading voice, but from bone-weariness rather than pain. “You have patients in greater need than me, I'm sure.”

 

The Miraluka sat with the young Skywalker and the unusual sapient who had joined them in the Shadowlands, her legs crossed in a meditative posture and her head occasionally drooping from exhaustion. At one point, the elder Draygo perked her weathered face up and gazed directly at Frond, speaking with a voice that sounded desperate for rest. “I apologize for this. This is by no means a reflection on my present company.”

 

Eventually, the Wookiee medics were able to leave the injured and displaced from Tree Rwookrroro to attend to the walking wounded from the Shadowlands. Misal refused anesthetic, even as the glove over her left hand was cut away and the dagger-like splinter drawn from her wounded hand. She endured the pain with no more than some reflexive twisting of her lips, only complaining afterwards as the bacta gauze was being applied that she had liked that pair of gloves. Upon the departure of the medics, the black-clad Miraluka pulled a small comlink from her belt, murmuring a quiet message for her students.

 

“I am alive. Please return to Kashyyyk as you are able.”

 

Feeling, for the first time in years, very old and very tired, Misal collected her hands in her lap. Perhaps, with this strange being inquiring about the ethics of their use of the Force, this was an opportunity to reassure Skywalker that the mission of her sect was entirely benign, in fact isolationist, but now, the old operative felt mostly… apathy. At this point, the Miraluka only wanted to see her daughter again, and until today, she had operated on only the faintest of hopes. With the knowledge that her daughter was still alive, the last great effort to locate and rescue her would soon be at hand.

 

She had tried to remain awake for as long as possible, but the elder Draygo had come to Kashyyyk on her own errand and she hadn't rested in days. The Miraluka’s shoulders slumped. Her face dropped silently.

 

“I apologize for this. It has been a very long day.” This time, Misal had actually fallen asleep.

[Kyrie Eleison]

A comlink message arrives for Jaina Jade Skywalker, bearing an encryption

 

 

The message opens with the symbol of the Imperial Knights, a winged and silver blade across the insignia of the Imperial Army. An armored figure, clad in the bone-white armor of a stormtrooper, modeled after the ARC troopers from the clone wars, complete with Kama, and cloak of a deep forest green. The chestpiece was emblazoned with the same symbols seen earlier. The soldier was young, and when she bowed, the elongated handle of a lightsaber could be seen from her cloaks, attached to her side. A Jedi General of the Empire. Her voice was gravely, but carried a youthfulness that matched her age

 

"Master Skywalker, representative of the Jedi Council, My name is Kyrie Eleison, former padawan of Xae-Lin Ardel, knighted by Roene Givarah. Leader of the Imperial Knights. I will be arriving with my apprentice on Kashyyyk, to honor former Grandmaster Kiralocca. It would be an honor to meet with you prior to or after the event. "

 

With another bow, the message faded to darkness with typical Imperial curtness.

 

[Raven Nasra]

The Imperial Task Force 3 emerged from hyperspace. Centered around the Corona Frigate Admiral Andripov, named after the late Admiral who had died fighting over Carida a month prior. The Task force comprised of thirty TIE Defenders and ten Scimitar bombers, the frigate, four assault gunboats, and several Mu-class shuttles, with a division of jungle warfare troops attached to the task force from the 131st legion.

 

Imperial Head of State Raven, sat in the Nune-class shuttle Imperial Majesty. As the task force entered orbit over the Wookiee homeworld, their weapons powered down and their IFF transponders broadcasted diplomatic credentials. To any Jedi observer, this task force was intended for the security of the Imperial Head of State and the funeral. Any mind probing of the imperials would also indicate that purpose. The fleet was mainly prepared to ward off any Sith attackers, and the jungle troops were ready to go to the surface is fighting broke out there.

 

The shuttle containing Raven and her honour guard made its way to Kachirho with due haste.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Tirzah shrugged. "I'm fine," she answered noncommittally. In truth, she had no idea how she was. The last week, the last month, it had been a whirlwind of one thing after another, and she felt as if she slowed down, or stopped moving at all, the crushing weight of emotions from all the experiences would halt her in her place. Better to push forward, to keep learning, to keep moving, and to avoid thinking too hard about what she had gained or what she had lost. She was tempted to reach out for her mother but her limited skills in masking her own presence halted her. If Jaina was still on the mission Master Kirlocca had given her, Tirzah's arrival on Kashyyyk would only drive her mother to distraction, and she knew that. Better to stay where she was.

 

"I came with Master Darex for the funeral. My mom's here, somewhere on Kashyyyk, although I don't think she's in Kachirho yet," she added contextually, not sure what else to say to the Cerean.

[JJK]

Kashyyyk. The jungle planet where the Wookiees built their arboreal homes. This city overlooking the sea was a rather different landscape than Joelle had ever pictured. She had always wanted to visit this world, but it had never been a factor in either of her parents' research studies, thus wasn't a destination for any family vacations. Now, though, she was finally here. Of course, she certainly would have preferred it to be under happier circumstances….

 

It was good that she had followed Master Roene's cue and taken a seat next to him before he'd shared the news of Grandmaster Kirlocca's passing. While she was long past the childish naivety that Jedi Masters were anything near immortal, it was still a bit of a shock to hear of one dying. Especially one who was still in the prime of his life, during a time of relative peace in the galaxy at large.

 

"Master Roene," Joelle had tentatively asked after a few moments of silence, "did you know Master Kirlocca well?" Later on, as she was working to process the Jedi reaction to death during their flight, she followed with the question, "I understand the idea that Jedi are not supposed to have attachments as those can lead to negative emotions, but how can one keep from forming attachments as one forms relationships? I had never even met Master Kirlocca to have a real relationship with him, I only knew his name and had heard some stories about his life, yet I am still feeling a sense of loss and deep sadness over his death. And if Jedi do not have attachments, then why is the Order having a funeral?"

 

Now that they were on Kashyyyk, surrounded by such life, and Joelle was beginning to have a better understanding of the Jedi outlook on death. Yes, Master Kirlocca is from the physical universe. But there is no reason get so caught up in the fact of his death that I ignore the life that continues! She had a sudden feeling that this funeral service was as likely to be a celebration of life as it was to be the mourning of death. And that is no bad thing!

 

While she was trailing behind her master, pondering these thoughts, a teen girl called out to him. Joelle stepped aside and allowed the two to greet one another.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Peace and warmth emanated from her newfound companion and despite her injuries, a curious smile crept upwards from the corner of Jaina's mouth. As much as she had grown to avoid vulnerability, there was a moment where the Frond's rain-like eyes seemed to see into something deep inside of her, and his words, simple and halting, made her feel as full of wonder as a child. For a long span of wordless contemplation, she held his gaze. The magic of the universe, of the Force itself, seemed to swirl between them, a language that needed no voice to be heard. Appropriate given his actual physical roots, Frond had a rootedness within the Force itself that needed no justifying philosophy, that contented itself with existence within the swirling eddies of life and death among the galaxy. Surrounded as she had been for the past decades in the contrary philosophies of two warring entities, the firm faith of her new friend was compelling in its simplicity.

 

"I would like to see as you see," she said finally, a girlish twinkle in her eye.

 

Through the Force, the pervading sense of the camp was one of utter weariness. Young ones were confused, old ones were displaced, those caught in the middle with the task of putting patterns of village life back together were exhausted. With a deep breath, Jaina closed her eyes as though to mirror the Miraluka's actions, but she kept sleep at bay. Waves of gentle energy lapped out from Jaina as she breathed, channeled from the turning of the world itself, the forests that crept ever closer to the atmosphere, and the teeming fauna that filled every nook and cranny with life. Where she herself had found more peace than she had possessed since her return to life, she offered it to the grieving ones around her. It was as if the chatter of the wilderness grew silent, and the only sound in all the galaxy was her own breath, blowing whispers of hope to the corners of the encampment and beyond. Far off, across the dense deep forest, she could sense several bright presences that stood out above and beyond the rest, some that seemed almost too familiar.

 

The Jedi were gathering.

 

With a final exhale, she opened her eyes once more, finding that the pounding in her own head had lessened and her ankle no longer hurt. The Wookiee medics had set the bone in her arm and wrapped her ribs about with bandages, along with grateful and firm orders that she not overextend herself. But with the growing sense of responsibility weighing on her shoulders, she began to doubt whether or not that would be possible. She was a leader, now, among the Jedi: one of only four sitting members of the Council, and the Order would be looking to her.

 

Glancing across at Misal, whose slumped posture decried the possibility of comfort, the Jedi Knight smiled once more to herself, pushing herself to stand with her good right arm. Laying her cloak in a bunched bundle on the ground, she squatted delicately to avoid provoking the pain in her ribs, and with the assistance of the Force, shifted the Miraluka such that she was lying prone with her head on the makeshift pillow. As most mothers would, she had masked her pain exceedingly well, but her bravery on behalf of her daughter had met its match in her physical condition. At great personal expense, with her own worries to attend to, she had opted to render assistance to a reckless Knight.

 

"I'll make it up to you," she whispered quietly, scooting away from the spent and slumbering form of the exhausted woman and propping herself up against a wroshyr trunk, gazing into the flames leaping up from the stone basin between the three weary wanderers of the Shadowlands.

 

The last thought she had, before slipping into the healing trance that her body desperately requested, was a crystal-clear image of her niece, drawn and sickly looking, her mismatched eyes downcast, wrapped about in a grey dress and wreathed in a miasma of sorrow. Emily...

 

-----

 

A sharply mechanical sound rent the air, and Jaina snapped out of her trance. It was at least an hour yet till first light, she thought with a glance at the darkened horizon. After responding succinctly to the formal message she found on her comlink, the Jedi Knight took the better part of that hour to watch the rise of Kashyyyk's native star, centering herself in meditation, expanding her presence outward. The image she had seen of her niece was troubling, but if anything, it showed that despite whatever condition she might find herself in, she was alive, and at least marginally safe. Pregnancy often had a difficult effect on the body--she herself could attest to that--and that in and of itself could be an explanation for the haggard grey visage. But nevertheless, her concern got the better of her and she also tapped out a quick message to her niece, reticent to belabor her point with the mixed feelings she felt that she would doubtless express in her voice or her face. As Frond had admonished her, her focus was needed now on honoring the Grandmaster, on the present, on stepping into her new shoes in the Order, and she could do Emily no good at the moment.

 

With that in mind, she erased it without sending it, tucking her comlink back in her pocket. Announced by the hum of approaching engines, their transports to Kachirho began to arrive.

[Frond]

"Be honored. Yes."

 

As his comrades drifted off to some sort of peace and/or slumber, Frond opted to do the same. Raising his tendrilled arms a comforting yellow light swirled about him as he transformed from his humanoid self into a medium-sized tree-like form; his blackened leaves spread out drawing in the last lights of the setting sun nourishing his plant-like body.

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

The next morning, before the rays of the sun could send their nourishing light down on the tree-like Neti, Frond was shaken from his slumbering state by the approaching rumble of engines. With a yellow swirl, Frond was back in his humanoid form, albeit taller in form (8.5 ft). Sidling over towards Jaina, he could sense that she was still troubled. Resting a viney hand on her shoulder he spoke in his slow, calm voice,

 

"Trouble? Allow guidance. The Force. The Jedi. Mourn and celebrate. Allow peace. Peace in life. Peace in Death. Peace. Wash over and through."

 

and with that he stood, a silent, aged sentinel awaiting the rumbling chaos that his newfound companion seemed to be waiting for.

 

SEVEN: The Force is life. The Force is Death.

[Roene Givrah]

The afternoon breeze tickled the tuft of hair on Roene’s head. His beard was similarly lifted by the carefree wind that billowed around them. But the Cerean’s mind was troubled and he did not acknowledge nature’s playful gesture. Grim accents touched Roene’s facial features as he mulled over the possible truth of the young Padawan's statement. Tirzah’s aura was a boon, but Darex? Could the child be seeing ghosts?

 

“Master Darex? As in, the Jedi Master that passed into the living force after fighting Faust? That Darex?” Roene said, trying to probe a little deeper.

 

It was true that masters of notable power could materialize as ghosts, but there was a power present on Kashyyyk that seemed relatively familiar yet unknown to Roene. Could it be the fabled master of old? But, how?

Deciding it would be rude to probe much further, Roene did not approach the question with any weight. Instead, as he conducted his conversation with Tirzah, his glassy blue eyes trained on her, he sent messages to other people nearby with the force. As a Cerean, dividing his conversations was trivial and Roene thoroughly enjoyed effective multitasking.

 

The first message was to Joelle about an earlier conversation they’d had. Remember Padawan, attachments are a natural form of life. The transitions of life cannot be committed to without forming attachments or bonds with others. Both the Jedi and Sith, however, do their best to make sure that these bonds do not rule them. The Sith do it so that they may retain freedom and strength. The Jedi do it so that they maintain balance. Funerals, as you have realized on your own, are a celebration of the living to remember the life of the parted as well as the lives that move into the future. It recognizes the passing of another and helps others appreciate their own lives in several ways.

 

His other message reached out to one of the village elders. Wharooka was giving wise words to children as she passed and looked to the Cerean as his words passed into her mind.

Elder Wharooka, apologies for the intrusion, it has come to my attention that there is a disturbance somewhere on the surface of the planet. Have the natural eco-systems been compromised? What seems to be the matter?

 

Elder Wharooka was solemn in answer to the Jedi’s question.

 

<>

Oh, my. A wroshyr tree’s passing is grave indeed. Would you like me to restore it? I wouldn’t ask anyone else, for I view it as disrespect to assume. I will not do it without your approval. They are your trees, they are your protectors, your spiritual guides, your children. I won’t do anything without your word.

Wharooka paused for a moment, causing a few Wookiee children nearby to look at her funny, but went back to offering words of kindness and continued her walk.

 

<>

 

So be it. Roene said, allowing his thoughts to re-center on the young adolescent Jedi in front of him.

 

“That aside, it’s nice to see you. You’ve grown quite a bit since we first met.” Roene said with a warm smile. “It does my heart very good to know that you’ve found direction. You seemed lost for years and I am glad you have a path now, even if it may not always be obvious.”

[Faux]

This is so stupid…

 

Just outside of the slaver’s camp, Faux had managed to slip parallel to the path long enough to evade the party returning to the lift, and now found her situation much more dire. She counted five men guarding the mass of prisoners, each with a rifle of some sort, while only three of the others on the task of hauling the caged prey to the lift. It didn’t make sense to her. Division of labor should have had them in teams of four, split evenly between guarding and moving. Why would they leave an extra man to guard shackled prisoners? And then she saw them; tall, stalky fur covered creatures easily a head taller than their jailors. They were intimidating to say the least, but even still they were in chains. She counted twenty-one Wookiees, some of them huddled together standing, bound together by a long tether, while a few others where lying on the ground appearing to be motionless from this distance. Oh gods, were they dead already?! Was she too late? The sight of the motionless pushed her internally, giving her a momentum to crash forward that she had to fight against to keep a level head.

 

One on the ground stirred awake, making the saddest sound Faux had ever heard as it struggled to its feet. As it got to its knees, however, one of the guards noticed and made his way toward it. One of the Wookiees still standing in the huddled mass roared toward the guard but he seemed to pay the creature no mind as he swiftly kicked the other Wookiee hard in the gut, dropping it back to the ground.

 

“How kriffing hard is it? Stay. Down. You. Stupid. Mutt.” Each punctuation arrived with another kick, each just as fierce as the last.

 

A chorus of roars came from the group, but the guards laughed in unison, as if their inept rage was a matter of much humor. Again that momentum pushed her forward, but breathing prevailed. These men were deplorable, wicked by very nature and deserved no mercy. That is, that’s what Faux was thinking over and over as she inwardly conflicted with the teachings of her brother monks. They would argue that these men are byproducts of their ignorant environment, that their natures could be changed if they were shown a more enlightened path.

 

Faux continued to watch them all, and found nothing redeeming in their behavior. While these creatures had no doubt been starved since capture, these slavers made a point of torturing them by eating and drinking directly in their sight. They joked and threatened, poked and prodded. There was a word for it, but Faux struggled to find it. A word she had heard maybe once or twice describing the world outside of the monastery, but never settled into her vernacular for commonality. Then it hit her. Sadistic. Someone who enjoys the suffering of another.

 

This time when the momentum pushed her forward she let it, walking boldly out of cover to the full openness of the camp. At first the slavers didn’t notice her, too busy in their torment. When she got a couple meters away from the closest, another caught her in the corner of his vision.

 

“Who the hell…”

 

Before the man in front of her had time to turn Faux kicked out the back of his knee, dropping him like a pile of rocks. An elbow swung in to catch the side of his head as he was falling and he went out like a light. As one, the other four men spun on their heels and leveled their rifles at her, but Faux was already darting back toward the trees. The buzzing of electronics rang out behind her as waves of blue rings crashed out around her, washing away against the massive trees. It had to be from their weapons, but whatever it was she didn’t stop to look back, running back into the cover of the forest in a zig zag to hopefully get a measure of cover. When she was a few meters away from them she picked a tree and ducked behind it.

 

“Who the hell was that?”

• ”Is Jaru alright”

“I think it was the girl the pilot was talking about”

“The one from Tatooine? What the hell is she doing down here?”

• ”He’s out cold. That little schutta…”

 

Some of them were coming into the forest after her, but not all of them. Someone had to stay behind to watch their ‘cargo’. But they weren’t running in after her blind. These were professional hunters, if such an ambiguous title fit.

 

“You go left. I’ll go right.”

 

Stupid… Worth it.

 

Now what was she going to do? Were there two or three of them? And what the hell where those blue waves they fired? It got wider as it got further, not like the narrow beam of a blaster. Evading it would be impossible if they got a clear shot off. If they followed her trail to the tree she was currently hiding behind, split on either side….Oh gods, I’m going to get shot. I’m going to get shot and die in this forest not even a week after leaving home. And all my brothers will think I abandoned them or forgot about them, or…

 

Calm down, little one. She heard her brother’s voice from the middle of her head. Focus on the present. Everything else is intangible.

 

A deep, slow breath brought her back to the moment. The rich air, the creaking of the trees, the parting of the brush as the hunters crept ever closer. There were only two, one on either side of the massive tree. The one on the left was a little closer, rounding the quarter while the other was still at halfway around the tree. She just needed to take them down one at a time, and remove as much distance between them as she could.

 

As the slaver on her left rounded the corner she picked up a rock half the size of her fist and chucked it as hard as she could and….missed. But the rock flying so close to his face made him wince and turn to try to get a look at what just nearly hit him, and Faux pounced, slipping next to him and his rifle and grabbed him by the face. Pushing him backward by his face while her hip checked into his own, the slaver’s body had no option but to obey physics and fall, crashing his head against the tree roots around them. Faux picked up another rock, this time standing upright and postured for a better throw. As the second slaver came around the tree she threw again and…missed again. Gods damn it. This time she was too far away to try to rush him, and as he leveled his rifle at her she dropped to the ground beneath the foliage of the forest floor. There was nowhere else to run. This was it. She was officially done for. So much for a daring rescue. The slaver next to her moaned, reaching for his head he pulled back a bloody hand and groaned again, dropping his hands as consciousness began slipping away from him. Faux looked him over, taking in the damage she had caused in her last few moments before being shot or shackled. Was all this really worth it? Yeah, her efforts were to save others, but she was still hurting people in the process. Was causing suffering to prevent a greater suffering a just cause, or was it really just feeding into the whole cyclical mess? His head was pretty busted, a couple of ribs could be broken from the hard fall, and….Is that a key? Hearing the other slaver walking up behind her, Faux quickly snatched the key and shoved it into the folds of her hand wraps.

 

“Get up!” He shouted! Faux stood, her hands raised. “Back up!” Again she complied, backing away a couple paces as the slaver crouched down to check on his friend. He kept the rifle and his eyes on her as his hand found the other man’s pulse. He sighed, relieved for half a second, as he stood and shouted “Get moving!” Motioning toward the camp with his rifle, the Faux lead the way as her mind raced. Was this a key to the restraints? Or something so benign and circumstantially useless as a locked container?

 

“What the hell is your deal, girly?” The moniker irked her, but she doubted telling him her name would correct the transgression. More than likely he would just continue calling her progressively rude names just to slight her further. And should she tell them the truth as to why she committed the assault on their crew? Her righteousness would probably just make them hate her even more, feeling her judgement as an insult to their very character.

 

“That bastard Stan was going to sell me when we got to Nar Shaddaa.” She said with no small measure of contempt, rooting the lie in a truth.

 

“Yeah, and what’s that got to do with you busting up our guys?”

 

“If I threw your pilot off the landing pad, you think your boss was going to let me go? I had to sort through you lot to get a clear shot at him.”

 

“Huh…And how’d that go for ya?”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t going to kill any of you. He’s the only one I’d care to.”

 

“Where’s Neb?” Called out one of the guards that had remained to guard the Wookiees.

 

“He’s back there, KO’d. You two drag him back here. I’ll lock her with the others.”

 

As they walked back into the camp, all eyes were on her, slaves and slavers alike. The Wookiees had grown quiet, carefully watching everything for their chance to exploit the chaos of her entry. The slavers were having none of it, however, well aware of the prowess of their prey as they always made sure to keep one rifle on them at all times.

 

“Who is she?”

 

“The girl that came in with Stan. Found out she was getting sold and threw a fit. We’ll have to tax him for this little incident. No idea why he didn’t just lock her up in the first place.”

 

Faux fell in place with the rest of the captives without word, and made no protest as the shackles snapped snuggly around her wrists. When the guard slammed the butt of his rifle against her head, she immediately went out, serenaded into an uneasy sleep to the chorus of several enraged Wookiees growling.

 

 

“What the hell happened?”

 

The voice was distant, like under several blankets, but it was enough to stir her awake. It was dark now, and she had been lying on the ground, half propped up against the furry leg of the Wookiee standing next to her. As she moved a little, the creature looked down and, noticing Faux was awake, bent over to help her to her feet. The world seemed to tilt back and forth as she stood up, and fell into the Wookiee helping her. Her head screamed at her, pounding like every beat of her heart was going to be the one to make it explode once and for all. But her vision wasn’t blurry, distance didn’t seem indiscernible, so maybe her skull wasn’t fractured. Concussed, definitely, but not as bad as it could be.

“That girl Stan brought down.” They were talking about her. She turned her head, feeling every bit of it, and saw Chet, Stan, Dukono, and the first two guards she had tied up and left in the woods making their way back into the camp. ”She followed us down here, took down these two idiots, and sabotaged the lift. So now we’ve got another week’s worth of hauling all these beasts around the shadowlands getting to another lift.” At least she managed to wreck the lift well enough. Serves you right. Chet and his two guards looked pretty pissed off, but Stan wasn’t looking at anyone with his head hung low, like he was ashamed. Dukono just looked like Dukono. She wasn’t really familiar enough with his species, so reading his features was pretty much guess work.

 

 

“Yeah, we caught her. Did a number on Neb and Vince, too.”

 

“You caught her?” Stan said, breaking out of his embarrassment. His head lifted to lock onto her, eyes widening either in disbelief or at the sight of the caked on blood down the side of her head and neck.

 

“Bring her over here.” Chet said after a moments pause and consideration. The guard closest to her turned to obey, and as he moved closer Faux slipped the key out of her hand wrap and shoved it into the hand of the Wookiee that had been holding her upright. I may not get out of this, but maybe they can. At first, it didn’t know what it was holding, but as soon as it saw that it was a key it was quick to pass it along to another in the group further toward the middle. As the guard unlocked her chains and dragged her away from the group Faux realized just how much she was leaning on the other captive, immediately stumbling a few feet before falling to the ground. Gods, my body feels so heavy.

 

“Look, Chet….”

 

“Shut it, Stan. You know how much we’re going to lose because of her?”

 

Two guards picked up Faux, holding her harms out on either side to restrain her. They did this without order, like this was the modus operandi for all transgressors. Growls of protest rumbled behind her but were ignored. They knew what was coming, but were powerless to stop it. What was going on? Chet had a violent look in his eye and was quickly approaching. Was he really going to hit her while she was restrained? Was he really such a coward? Faux looked franticly around the camp from one face to the other, seeing that same sadistic glint she saw when the crew were tormenting the Wookiees earlier. That was exactly what they planned to do to her. Beat her into submission like they did everyone else that resisted their will to subjugate.

 

”The bribe I paid to the port official is wasted.” The full weight of Chet crushed into Faux’s exposed ribs. They felt like they cracked under the punctuation of his punch. “I’ll have to bribe another at the next lift.” Another one, this time on the right side and all her breath left her. “We’ll probably have to fight off a couple bands of Wookiees between here and there trying to free this lot.” Five more came raining in without pause and Faux gasped sharply, wanting so badly to scream out but her lungs wouldn’t let her. She coughed hard and it felt like she was getting hit all over again.

 

“Oh, and not to mention the deal we set up was for THREE DAYS FROM NOW!” More punches into her stomach. She tried to tighten the muscles to give some meager protection, but the punches flew in so fast and so relentlessly it was impossible to resist every one of them. “We’re going to lose a huge chunk of credits for being late. And where are those credits coming from, Stan? They’re coming from her!” Chet seemed to release to full brunt of his rage on Faux’s ribs and stomach until he had to stop to catch his breath. Faux couldn’t catch her breath. Her body could only pull in very little air before it stopped, the sharp, jagged pain all over too much to do much more. The pair holding her up dropped her unceremoniously with a nod from Chet, and Faux thumped against the ground without a sound. Everything hurt so much it was hard to think of anything other than breathing.

 

“Wait, wait, wait. You can’t just take her from me! I was…”

 

“I don’t give a damn how much you were going to make, Stan. Giving her to the boss is the only way to make things right with this whole frak up, and that’s only if she’s appraised for anything good.”

 

That’s why he didn’t hit me in the face….That….sick…

 

Staying conscious seemed an impossible task, vision growing dimmer by the second. Just before it finally slipped away, Faux hear what sounded like dozens of roars all around her.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

A group of two dozen or so Wookiees made their way along the Great Walkway, having turned away from their fallen home, and added to the mass exodus headed toward the city by the sea. If they didn't find the little human help soon, she would surely die. Throughout the night her injuries had gotten worse, and now it sounded like fluid was beginning to fill her lungs.

 

((At the gathering.))

[Tenebris]

A heavily encrypted comm from Coruscant arrives for the Imperial Head of State.

 

 

Head of State Zinthos,

 

An honorable venture such as this deserves as much support as the Galactic Alliance is able to give. I fear that in the coming days we will be bound to our own borders, combating paranoia as much as we are combating flesh and blood, and perhaps joining hands with the Imperial Remnant in this task would serve to alleviate such anxieties. Nevertheless, I can not readily promise any of my troops, since it is my understanding that, following such devastating attacks as CoreSec has incurred on Coruscant and Corellia, and following the secession of Kuat and Nubia into the Remnant, we have suffered unfortunately drastic personnel losses. I will keep you informed if this should change, though I imagine you may be well able to discern for yourself simply from Holonet broadcasts.

 

My best wishes for a successful outcome.

Core Worlds Security

Commissioner Tenebris E'lann

 

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

It was obvious the Cerean Jedi did not believe her. To be fair, it was a wild claim for any who had not seen or felt his return, nor been in contact with the former Grandmaster. For Tirzah, however, she had become as used to and comfortable with the Jedi Master as though he had never been absent.

 

"Yeah, Master Darex. His son Jax and I have been friends for a long time and I found him on Ossus. Anyway, long story, but we ended up... um... helping him come back."

 

Her words were faltering, and Tirzah could not help feeling like she was sounding more and more unbelievable all the time. Maybe this is why no one in the Jedi Order had ever taken her seriously. She was constantly faced with strange visions, seemingly impossible stories, and the burden of wild allegations to share.

 

"Thanks, Master Roene," she said, albeit tiredly. "I'm excited to be a Padawan, finally."

 

A woman she had not noticed immediately hovered at the Cerean's elbow, observing the exquisite surroundings of Kachirho.

 

"Hello, I'm Tirzah Jade," she bowed politely in the Jedi fashion. She had offered the name she had grown up with, rather than the recent name of her father she had been given, and she could not honestly put a finger on whether or not that had been intentional.

[Skye Organa]

Skye was listening to Xae's explanation regarding the Cult when the navi-computer signalled their arrival back into realspace. Moments after they emerged from hyperspace a second ship also did. A smile crossed the Healer's face as her personal comm chirped. "Master Skye! We have arrived above Kashyyyk." "Yes I-Nine, I can see that. Follow us in if you will." "Yes Master Skye. You are in the shuttle to our right I assume?" Giving an amused chuckle the Healer answered, "That's right I-Nine. I missed you too," the latter comment answering the unspoken tone in the droid's voice. It still surprised her that both I-Nine and Flitter missed her when they had been apart for a while. This was the longest mission she'd been on where they hadn't been with her. As the shuttle and the light converted freighter approached the planet of Kashyyyk the Healer glanced from her companion to the front view screen and toggled the communications station, stating who they were and requesting permission to land at Kachirho. Once that was granted the shuttle headed towards the assigned joint landing pads, touching down lightly on the wooden platform while Serenity landed on the next one over.

 

As the two Jedi headed out of the shuttle Skye stretched out her senses as she breathed in deep, a smile gracing her face as she felt the familiar and most welcome presence though he wasn't close by. To her companion she stated, "It is always welcome to be surrounded by natures beauty. Just a shame it is under these circumstances. We shall have to organise an investigation into what happened."

[Kyrie Eleison]

((OOC:Speeding things along))

 

The Sanctis Cogitatione passed through the swirling veil of Hyperspace, like an arrow in the wind, buffeted by galactic currents. Onboard, the apprentices and guest of General Eleison would find little comfort beyond the simple and utilitarian design of a warship. Beds firm, without much spring, adorned in black and white. A food processor with the meal settings, with no variation in flavour beyond slightly different styles of protein.

 

Kyrie herself sipped lukewarm stimcaf from an opaque and chipped mug, and meditated upon the upcoming events. Kala had performed exceedingly well, figuring out the designs of their superiors and proving herself a capable diplomat and soldier. To the girl, Kyrie reached out with a song upon the force,

 

...You’ve done very well these days. The Wild Bunch will soon be one of the most capable fighting forces in the Empire. As for training, The Force has many mysteries to explore. Find your flame, and practice spreading across your sphere of influence, binding all things to you. Giving life and strength, to all life. All things are bound in the Force...

 

The Imperial Knight stretched out a hand before her guests and loosened herself visibly, as if shaking off her stony and austere perception. Her voice bore none of the lecturing tones, or rasping judgements.

 

“We’re headed to a funeral. Kiralocca was a great master in the Jedi Order, and although we stand apart from them, we honour his fight against the darkness. You’re welcome to join me at the assembly…”

 

She paused and withdrew a small and cylindrical crystalline construct, and it floated in front of her

 

“Or you can train with the holocron of Il-Andon Rorik. An Exorcist of the Mandalorian Wars.”

 

The general’s emerald eyes flashed as she looked to her other guest, the reporter friend of Aiden’s.

 

“Ma’am, you’re welcome to join me if you like, if not, my ship is at your disposal.”

 

A chirruping alarm indicated automatic withdrawal from hyperspace, and the freightor emerged above the forest world of Kashyyyk. Kyrie commed in for a landing pad, and the navicomputer plotted a landing course

[Raven Nasra]

Imperials, never ones to be late, arrived exactly an hour before the proceedings were to begin. The trio of shuttles landed at the landing strip high in the trees that had been assigned them. With a hiss, the boarding ramps lowered, letting the Imperial Head of State Raven Zinthos and her guards exit. Not very long ago, it would have been a victory to land imperial troops on such a planet, but this journey was no victory in the slightest. The imperial troops, an honour guard, clad in the somber grey and blue of the Imperial Royal Guard emerged from behind their Empress. Though only numbering thirty, the royal guard were picked from the elite of the elite of the stormtrooper battalions, and carried a mix of weaponry beneath their blue cloaks alongside the ceremonial force pikes that were so recognizable they wore no helmets, their mixed race faces a stark contrast to the old empire. The other two shuttles also contained stormtroopers that emerged in formation, dressed in blue and grey, and like the royal guard and their Head of State they wore no helmets. They wore none as a sign of honour and peace to the wookiees and Jedi. There was no war here, only mourning.

 

Raven, followed by a half dozen guards walked towards the main area, observing the multitude of shuttles touching down from all over the known galaxy. Her juvenile force sense, could detect some familiar individuals, but the pure mass of Jedi here was a bit overwhelming. She raised a hand in salute to her knights as they arrived and she walked with them into the main ceremony chambers.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Over the rest of their journey, Xae had relayed to Skye everything she’d known about the Cult and even went so far as to show the ritual journal she’d snagged from the collection Emily had left on Raxus. The Exorcist had been quick to take it back, however, not wanting the thing to leave her sight for an instant.

 

“Reminds me more than a fair bit of my home, or what home used to be,”the petite auburn remarked wistfully as she looked around the landing platform. Expanding her senses out as she attuned with the planet, she smiled to herself when she felt a familiar presence approaching from off-world as well.

 

Kyrie...it’s been a long time. Come find me.

 

The sound of laughter drew her attention toward the village where a pair of younglings ((Jax + Alana)) were busy making the most of their visit to the Wookiee world by asking a million and one questions of their Wookiee guide as they played along the walkway. “It’s nice to see that they let the younglings out of the temple once in a while,” Xae-lin quipped before frowning. “It’s such a shame it took Grandmaster Kirlocca’s death to do it.”

 

((Actions of PC/NPC characters posted with player's permission/approval.))

[JJK]

The more Joelle communicated with Master Roene, the more she wondered if many of her perceptions of the Jedi belief system were outdated. At the very least those perceptions were certainly limited! Of course, even though he was her Master, that didn't mean he was infallible himself. Nor did it mean that his views were those accepted by all Jedi. Perhaps it would be best to simply take these conversations as a sign she needed to keep an open mind during this process of training.

 

She was pulled from her musings by the realization that the young lady Master Roene had stopped to speak with was introducing herself. "Hello, Tirzah," Joelle replied, bowing in return, "I'm Joelle K'smet." As she straightened, she took a closer look at the girl. In doing so, she realized she may have overestimated Tirzah's age by a few years. Despite her aura of maturity, her appearance indicated she was still just short of her teens. No matter; a mature child deserves to be treated as such. "I wasn't trying to listen in, but did I hear correctly that you have just become a Padawan, too? Congratulations! Maybe we could do some training together at some point."

[Kala Ianauria]

Kala's caf, heated in a Kyrie's small microwave oven smouldered in an elegant, durasteel cup engraved with "Wild Bunch" on one side and an engraving of Lady Justice on the other. The entire force had them, courtesy of their recent victories in bringing justice for some natives some wealthy Kuati attempted to exploit. One of the natives made them from the armor of destroyed Imperial walkers instead of the battle armor he once created.

 

As she sipped, she remembered something she'd made for Kyrie. She set a cup exactly like hers on the table between them, only one side had the seal of the Imperial Knights and the other side with the crest of Excorcists on the other. Inside was her gift to her lady, a rosarie of prayer beads with s single pendent on whose sides were carved with the same signs as that of the cup. Only the crests on the pendant om the rosarie came from Kala's hand and showed her inexperience. Still, she wanted to give her Master something in thanks and the design seemed to fit.

 

She nodded at Kyrie's words to her and to their guest as she mulled over her Lady's offer. She felt torn between the two of them. She hungered for the knowledge Il-Andon represented. Her fingertips burned to seize hold of the small object and she began to reach for it with a clear hunger in her eyes. As she did so, though, she felt something dark cross the song, bending the notes in unnatural ways, causing her to physically wince.

 

Of their own accord, her hands returned to grasp the cup of caf. Small tremors caused ripples in the surface of the dark liquid as she stopped to reconsider her options. That feeling of darkness, of discord in the song cooled her hunger and warned her way from her own greed even if it was for knowledge and wisdom. She floundered at the thought, of greed for knowledge and wisdom being as corrupting as that of someone desiring power.

 

Or were they one in the same with the only difference being that of semantics? It only took a second before she reached her decision.

 

"Kyrie, ma'am, I think I will attend Grand Master Kirlocca's funeral with you." Kala paused, trying to organize her thoughts before explaining her reasoning.

 

"While I would like to study Il-Andon's Holocron, doing so without your guidance at this point in my training seems to bend and distort the notes of the Song. The distortion is something unnatural and cold. I've known that feeling before, during the raid on Carida's former temple."

 

As her final words lingered in the air, she consider what she said and then added for clarification.

 

"That Sith Lord, his presence distorted the Song in the same way."

 

And with that her nebulous thoughts coalesced and she understood. Kala shuddered before continuing after taking a steady sip from her caf and waited for her Master's reply.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Guest

[Skye Organa]

"Master Skye!" The protocol droid moved as fast as he could towards her with a hoverdroid close behind. The Healer looked around to see her metallic companions hurrying towards them. "I-Nine, Flitter. Well met. You remember Xae-Lin don't you?" It had been years since Xae had been her patient. As she spoke Skye handed her bag containing her blue armour to I-Nine. The protocol droid bobbed his head up and down, "Affirmative. I hope you are well Master Xae-Lin." I-Nine went on to describe the injuries that Xae had suffered from until Skye shook her head stating that Xae wouldn't want to be reminded of it. Flitter beeped and whistled a welcome to the Jedi before I-Nine spoke again, "Sorry Master Xae-Lin. I will return these to Serenity Master Skye." The Healer nodded and watched as the two droids headed back towards her ship.

 

The sound of children's laughter reached her ears and Skye couldn't help but smile, her emerald eyes sparkling with good humour. "A child's laugh is always contagious and yes, it is nice to see the younglings out and about." There was something about the two children that drew her attention, their aura within the Force was burning brightly. "Alana? Jax?" she called out as she recognised them. It had been quite some time since she had seen the twins and they had grown up alot.

[Jax Trevelian]

Kashyyyk was amazing. Everything was so big, even the Wookiees were small in comparison. Jax loved that this whole city was up high in the trees--it was all one giant treehouse-city. He and Alana had followed the old Wookiee around, asking him all sorts of questions, and it was great, because he answered all of them. Jax didn't always understand all of the Wookiee's words, but he understood enough.

 

They were walking down one walkway when the twins saw two human women in the midst of all the Wookiees. As they approached, the women greeted them, and suddenly the twins recognized one of them. "Oh! Grandma Skye!" They hadn't seen Skye in a long time. For a while after their father's death, Alana had tried to reach out to their "grandma" with no success. The comm number they had been left hadn't worked, and even tricking the computer into giving them access to the Jedi official channels hadn't worked. Jax for his part had wished that Skye had come to find them after their father's death--Skye was, after all, their godmother--but he supposed that was all in the past.

 

"Hi," he said greeting Skye and her friend. He stuck out hand to the other woman. "I'm Jax. Are you a Jedi too?"

 

"And I'm Alana," his sister said, coming right up behind him suddenly. "Are you here for the funeral?"

Edited September 8, 2017 by Guest

[Skye Organa]

As the twins approached Skye gathered each of them to her in a warm embrace. "I've missed you both!" Then their greeting sunk in... Grandma?? She could feel their emotional pain that she hadn't been there for them when their father had died. The Healer regretted that she hadn't been there for her Godchildren though she had been in a kind of suspended stasis meditation for such a long time. Hadn't their mother been with them then? Skye couldn't feel Darla's presence anywhere though she could feel Darex. When she got a chance she would ask Darex about it.

 

"Yes, we're here for the funeral. Where is your father? I think I need to have a word with him..."

[Aidan Darkfire]

((Holy shite fast posting is fast))

 

Aidan took the cylinder, studying it for a moment, before tucking it away in a pouch.

 

"No...I think I'd rather attend with you, if you don't mind. The old Wookiee was the closest thing I ever really had to a real dad, and...I'd like to pay my respects, even with just my presence if that's all I'm allowed. The holocron will still be available later, but I doubt they're going to hold another service."

 

He readied his clothing, still wearing the casual officer's garb he'd had on since meeting Sophia on Carida. This wasn't an Imperial function, so he felt no need to get super dressed up for this, as while it was important to be respectful, clothes were for the living. Respect was for the dead. He turned to Sophia, getting ready to follow the General.

 

"I'd like you to come with us...or, well...me. There's likely pertinent information to be gained here regarding my parents. And, well...I think I could also use someone to help keep me grounded. Your choice, of course."

[Kyrie Eleison]

The Jedi General watched her apprentices as they made their choices. Kala, recognized the dangers of running after knowledge with no caution, while Aidan accepted the gift in trust. Each showed their strengths. Into her mind crept a familiar song, that of her former master. It had grown silent during the assault on Gala, and now it was strong once more. Xae-Lin Ardel...

 

...Greetings my friend. I will see you soon...

 

Her former master would most likely feel the changes in herself, a growth in strength, resolve, and will. A strengthening of the Holy Fire with each part of her beginning to weave together in righteous strength. It was like her muscles, some of her fire burning always without her conscious thought, stoking her resolve as she exercised in meditation and war. A voice welled up in the Force, an ancient song scarred by warfare. It would touch most strongly the heart of Kala

 

...Be cautious here, these gatherings have always been the sparking point for galactic events, either for good or for evil. Keep your minds from grief, as that emotion is easily manipulated by others...

 

Kyrie smiled at the girl, and extended her arm, the Rosary of Il-Andon Rorik slipping from her wrist. It echoed the ancient song, its ebony bead marked in crimson. It was bound in the Force, resounding with the same rhythm, an ancient call of war, marked with sadness and joy. Silvered flame crept over its surface, like waves on a beach of dark sand.

 

"Do not worry, Kala, that you might be tainted with evil for wanting knowledge. I'm glad you can recognize the faults that grow, that hunger for knowledge can be warped by the dark side, just as you saw when you were so close to that Dark Lord. To be able to recognize it and to turn aside, you have power over it..."

The Jedi Code made all of this so difficult, rejecting emotions that made them stronger to fight the darkness, to become so.. nonhuman. An echo of her doubt reverberated in the Rosary she wore.

 

...You would rather train them to be human, then to be a brainwashed Jedi, with no care but for the greater good. Each path is a piece of the whole, without my humanity, the battles of Althir III would have been my fall...

 

Kyrie bound Kala's gift to her other wrist, letting the two settle in balance. Il-Andon representing the Force, and Kala's representing her own humanity. Both were important, and made her whole. She smiled again, nodding her head to Kala in thanks. She spoke as she adjusted her armour, concealing it more with the traditional deep green robes she wore. The landing ramp lowered behind her as she placed her long-handled lightsaber at her side.

 

"Come, let us honor the dead and strive for the living."

[Aira Cadan]

Another ship arrived, this one without any pomp or circumstance. I rose and my apprentice and I descended the ramp of her ship. "Almost late," I commented. "I knew we should have taken that left turn at Manaan." Noting the presence of the Imperials, I waved at Raven as we headed towards where the funeral was going to take place.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex enjoyed his walk. It was peaceful there amongst the trees, overlooking the water. It was a beautiful sunny day, just the perfect temperature for humans, although the Wookiees probably considered it to be a little warm. He didn't run into any other Jedi as he walked, but that was alright. He took the time to think, to reflect, and to remember his years of working with Kirlocca. He had always respected the Wookiee Master. When they had been elected co-Grandmasters of the Order, it had been a chance to really work together to see the Order flourish, and that was when Darex had spent the most time with him. And it made him happy to think of Kirlocca coming back from his brief exile from the Order to resume leadership as a wiser Wookiee and better Jedi. It was what he had hoped would happen as a result, and he was pleased that from what he could see, it had been indeed the will of the Force.

 

After a while, he knew it was time. He rounded up his children, who were chattering about having seen Skye. Darex was pleased; he had sensed her presence and couldn't wait to see her again in person. But for now, it looked like it would have to wait. Everyone was gathering. Darex slipped into the back of the crowd, taking a seat. The twins were unnaturally quiet, sensing the peaceful solemnity of the moment.

[Aelyn]

The Open Road blasted out of hyperspace over Kashyyyk, having come directly from Coruscant and the Galactic Senate meetings happening there.

 

Immediately Aelyn spotted the Remnant battlegroup -- comprised of an imposing frigate and support craft -- overhead, and she realized that Raven was probably here. She hoped the security was unnecessary. Even if Kirlocca had been murdered by Sith, it would be crazy for them to attack a large gathering of Jedi and Imperial Knights, right?

 

Without another thought on the matter, she turned her focus to Kashyyyk, another place she was visiting for the first time. Subconsciously she tapped into the Force, and the world's strong presence flooded through her. The huge, miles-high trees that covered much of the planet made the whole of Kashyyyk like a beacon that was even stronger than Tython had been. Beneath the surface glow she could feel the complexities of the ecosystem here; the infamous Shadowlands were a place of dangerous predators and locations long forgotten. There was adventure and peril down there for those intrepid enough to brave those wilds, which she understood even the wookiees normally avoided.

 

The landing platform was clearly marked and wasn't far beyond an enormous fallen tree. There were Remnant troops watching over things, but Aelyn most keenly felt the presence of other Jedi, some of which she'd met before. Even though she'd just been taking her first steps when she'd met them on Tython and the Eternal Vigilance, she was pleased to note that she could recognize their Force signatures and link them to names.

 

Heading out from the boarding ramp as soon as she'd completed the post-landing checklist, Aelyn felt the warm forest air on her skin and smiled at the delegation of towering wookiees that greeted them and ushered them towards the memorial.

 

She quickly headed into the group of Jedi, smiling over at Master Skye, who was talking to Xae-Lin and two younger kids, but she angled herself towards where Tirzah was talking with two other Jedi she hadn't met.

 

"Hello, Masters, I'm Aelyn," she said to the Cerean and the other Jedi before doing a double-take. "Tirzah, I almost didn't recognize you! You have such pretty eyes. Were you healed?" It wasn't just her eyes that were different, it was a presence that maybe came with it.

[Wookiee Jedi]

"Jaina..."

 

The voice was low and deep, yet very soft and soothing. It was then that the Wookiee made himself known. While he easily moved towards the young Jedi Master, Kirlocca moved through the brush of his native planet. Although it never did truly feel like his actual home, there was always a surge of peace that he would feel upon walking the planet. Now, he felt nothing but peace. The very nature of him standing like he did was a different feeling then what he was used to. The blue and white hues that made up his body were all that held any substance. This was his first time stepping onto the other side since his death.

 

“…Jaina, your mind is troubled? Did I not tell you on Ossus that the Jedi Order would need someone who has walked the path you have? Now that I sit on the other side, I still stand by what I told you then.”

 

Kirlocca could only muster a smile to her as he turned to stand by her side.

 

“I have some parting words for you… First off… Trust in Tobias. I have made him apart of the Council for a reason. Things may get bad around him, but you of all people… you need to trust in what he is doing. He is not your enemy. Secondly… There is war coming. I can divulge no more information to you past that. But I would urge caution from the Jedi. Just because we have always trusted someone doesn’t mean that you should continue to do so. And I would place a high friendship with Raven Zinthos as a priority… Thirdly, there is a holocron that resides upon my ship. I believe it is still on Carida. It holds some teaching… But such knowledge isn’t mean for you. You will be merely a caretaker of it until the time is right to pass it along…”

 

Without really giving her a chance to respond to the last one, as he knew her question before she could even muster a sound of it out of her mouth, the once living Jedi Master gave her the answer she wasn’t really looking for.

 

“… You will know. Trust the Force.”

 

All he could really do was offer her a smile before he allowed for himself to no longer have a physical presence as he rejoined the living Force.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

A broad smile broke across her face, and Tirzah gasped in pleasant surprise. "Aelyn!" Impulsively, the girl wrapped her arms around the older apprentice.

 

"It's a long story, but the short version is that for a little while I was stuck somewhere within my own mind with a... friend... who tried to save me. When we came back out of that place in the Force, I could see more than I used to be able to." She tilted her head up to look at the strawberry-colored curls and tentatively reached a hand toward them. "I used to see things in shadows and shades, in the energy of the Force around them, and I can still see that way, but it's nice to know what other people are talking about when they talk about color or texture."

 

A call sounded out from the grasslands below the ancient tree city, and Tirzah turned her face that direction. "We should go, I need to find Master Darex before the ceremony starts."

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Wind rustled the leaves of the great wroshyrs, their branches living percussion instruments that rattled a beat without measure.

 

Here, the insistent growls of the beasts that daily tread the forest floor met with the squawks and calls of the birds who made the coastal region home.

 

The voice of the ocean withheld its roar in honor of one of its own whose legendary growl had fallen silent, settling for a soft hush that seemed to require silence from every voice. Today, all would listen and meditate, gathered on the ancestral homeworld of the great Wookiee.

 

To all the assembled, it would seem as though indeed Kirlocca’s spirit had embarked upon its journey home to rest.

 

To Jaina Jade Skywalker, who stood flanked by the Wookiee honor guard that had assembled, her long braid hiding under the hood of the caf-colored cloak that topped her fresh olive-green robes, it was another journey entirely: her first assumption of the mantle of authority that Kirlocca had rested upon her just before he left on his last mission and reaffirmed to her deep in the forests of Kashyyyk. Did he have some foresight, even then on Ossus, that his fate awaited him on Carida? Was the confidence he placed in Jaina simply the hasty action of a kindly soul who tried to amend the wrongs the Order had wrought upon her? His words to her decried such doubtful thoughts, and truly, her considerations were fruitless, but yet she wondered if all of a sudden one of the others would tell her that there had all been some colossal misunderstanding and she had instead been called here to give an account and a reckoning of all of her misdeeds and follies.

 

But this was not the case. Instead, she stood before them all, looking out at the Order she had long loved and wrestled with, the last student of the great Wookiee Master, by his affirmation, steadiness, and grace, able to accept the title of Master Skywalker.

 

-----

 

On the Great Walkway, he had appeared to her, just as full of life and strength as he had been on Ossus. Jaina’s heart caught in her throat, her eyes welled with tears. There were so many questions she had for him, so many reasons to push back on the mantle he had given her. She could not begin to conceive of how the Order needed her, her, specifically, but his spirit had journeyed across the dividing line between lives to speak with her: she would not trouble him with questions. His charges to her gave her much to meditate on, and it was with a grave sense of responsibility that she embarked with the cavalcade to Kachirho, his final whisper echoing in her mind.

 

Trust the Force.

 

When she had arrived in Kachirho alongside her companions, aboard the first of a long caravan of speeders that crossed the giant forest, the coastal city was absent the somber attitude in which she expected to find it. The laughter of children and the faint tinkle of chimes in the sea breeze gave the air a sense of liveliness that befit such a gathering. Turning to Misal and Frond, she addressed them both together, but her eyes met each one in turn with utmost sincerity.

 

“I have much to do to prepare, but you both have my gratitude. Please, if you would like, come to the celebration tomorrow, and in the meantime, get some well-deserved rest.”

 

No sooner had she begun her ascent into Tree Kachirho than Jaina came across a guard of twenty-some Wookiees who bore amongst them the broken body of a young girl with tousled brown hair. She was no Jedi apprentice, judging by her clothes, but her health was dire. She was pale, and her abdomen was swollen and purpled through with bruises. Through the Force, Jaina could sense that her grasp on life was tenuous. Stretching out further, hoping beyond hope, she was filled with relief and joy to sense Skye Organa present and nearby on Kashyyyk.

 

“Wait! Stop!” she called, running after the Wookiees the best that she could with her heavily sprained ankle. “What happened here?”

 

In short order, the Wookiees detailed how the young woman had risked her own life and limb to free them from a gang of slavers. The Force had seen fit to sustain her life thus far, but she was fading quickly. Energy flowed from her to the other, but it was tempered in part by how hard she was working to suppress the pain of her own injuries. “We need to get her to Jedi Healer Skye Organa.” She pointed to a pair of Wookiees. “Go find her, tell her that Jaina needs her.” She pointed to the Wookiees bearing the girl’s body between them. “You come with me.”

 

Admitted by the Healer’s droid, I-Nine, Jaina directed the Wookiees to place the battered young woman gently on one of the operating tables in the surgery on Skye’s ship, the Serenity. So focused on managing her pain and attempting to triage the girl, she almost failed to detect the entry of her friend the Healer.

 

“Skye,” Jaina managed weakly, her own pain finally getting the better of her as she staggered and leaned against the adjacent table, “you have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

 

The Healer smiled and shook her head, “Seems like you had a little too much fun here. Did you complete your task?” pausing a moment before adding, “Now, where to start…” the last words were spoken more or less to herself as she catalogued Jaina’s injuries.

 

“We recovered a holocron,” the young Skywalker responded hastily, “but it was a forgery. The whole thing was a trap meant for Kirlocca. The great tree of Rwookrrorro… I rescued the Wookiees, but not their home.”

 

With a brief wave of her hand, she gestured to the spritely girl beside her. “Don’t worry too much about me. I tried to stabilize her, but she’s in bad shape.”

 

Skye gave a sharp nod to Jaina adding, “I-Nine, Flitter, full scans on both of them please and some bacta patches.” Her droids were well able to treat the lesser injuries though would settle Jaina while Skye worked on her companion. Stepping over to the other examination table she began with sending a gentle wave of force energy over the young woman. Glancing over at the young Jedi Knight, Skye asked, “Did you catch her name by any chance?” The Healer liked to address her patients by name if she could, even when they were unconscious.

 

Jaina shook her head minutely. “No, she’s been out cold this whole time.”

 

Ever so gently the Healer removed the girl’s outer clothing, wincing for her at the painful looking bruises that adorned her torso. “Her lungs have fluid on them, that’s where I will begin. Whoever it was that did a number on her, I’d like to pay them a visit… I may be a Healer but I sure would like to see how they fared against someone who could fight back. Did I hear the Wookiees correctly that they were slavers?” Skye’s voice had hardened, even as she let the soothing light energies of the healing Force wash over the girl. There was a head wound, internal bleeding, liver and kidney damage, broken and bruised ribs, her sternum itself cracked. Her hands hovering over the girl’s lungs started to glow with a white light as the Healer focused her energies on that area. Flitter brought a bowl over and held it under Faux’s left hand while putting up a holographic screen with her vital signs so that Skye could see it. Time seemed to slow down as the Jedi Healer fell into her trance, soothing and working the fluid out from her patient’s lungs to drip out into the bowl that the hoverdroid held.

 

Once Skye had healed her lungs she moved on to the internal bleeding, then her kidneys and liver, soothing the bruising and repairing the damage. Next were her ribs where she had to straighten out and knit together the broken ribs and the points at which they connected to her repaired sternum. The cuts over Faux sealed themselves and the bruising was encouraged to heal faster than if they had just been left. Last to be healed was the head wound, the Healer examining Faux carefully so as to make sure there was no underlying damage that may have been caused. Her patient would still feel sore with many tender areas over her body but she would be healed and on the road to recovery. When Skye came out of her trance she glanced back at the holographic display then commented to Jaina, “She will have to take things very easy for a while though she should make a full recovery. She may need some counselling with regards to having been beaten so badly so keep an eye on her. Bacta can heal the body but the Force can heal the soul.”

 

I-Nine chose that moment to bring Skye and Jaina a nutrient drink each. It was one that Skye had developed that not only gave a much needed energy boost but was also very tasty. Finishing her drink and feeling refreshed from it, the Healer turned her attention to Jaina and murmured, “Your turn.” As Skye let the light energies flow over Jaina, Flitter changed the holographic display to show the Jedi Knight’s vital signs. Again a bright white light flowed from her hands over the young woman’s injuries. For a while the Healer was silent as she worked before stating, “Kirlocca informed me that you were coming here to get the holocron. Do you know why he sent you?”

 

Exhaling deeply as the gentle wash of the Force soothed her aching head, Jaina looked up toward her friend, her expression slightly puzzled. “He said he wanted to keep it out of the hands of the Cult or others who would want to use it for destruction. I’m not proud of the fact that I failed at the last mission he ever assigned.”

 

“Besides the loss of Rwookrrorro, no lives were lost. You saved many lives. The fact that the holocron was a fake… you still discovered that fact. Is there another reason why you thought you failed?”

 

“The assailant,” she added grimly. “I tried to stun him, keep him for questioning, find out where the real holocron was, but he didn’t survive the fall.”

 

Skye observed the young woman before her, “He may not have told you what you needed to know. I assume he tried to kill you? Did you have any helpers with you?”

 

“Yes, actually,” she frowned. “I came across Misal Draygo, Armiena’s mother, as well as a strange native of the Shadowlands called Frond.”

 

Skye wanted to ask how Misal was though that could wait. With any luck she would come across her at the funeral. Instead she asked another question. “Would you say you inspired your helpers?”

 

The questions seemed strange, but Jaina nonetheless considered the implications with weight. Frond’s bright presence and the way he seemed to bring warmth to her spirit came instantly to mind, as well as Misal’s begrudging postponement of her own task.

 

“Honestly, Skye, they inspired me,” she said with a twinkling half-smile. “But yes, I suppose so. They invested in my task when it was not theirs to be concerned about.”

 

The Healer returned the smile, nodding her head sagely. “Master Kirlocca was testing you with this task. Now, you didn’t cause a Galactic War,” her eyes sparkled with humour as she quoted from the comm. she had received from the Grandmaster, “... and while homes were lost, lives were saved. You found the holocron even if it was a forgery. I feel that your objectives were met. You inspired others and they, you. I believe you have earned the title of Jedi Master. Congratulations Jaina.” Skye let her hand rest upon the new Master’s healed arm as she slumped in surprise against the adjacent table.

 

In truth, it did not come as a complete shock the way her appointment to the Council had been, but it seemed apparent that the deceased master had some foresight into his own demise, otherwise why would have he left such instructions with Skye?

 

With a shaky exhale, she stood on firm feet, her body pieced together by the ministrations of the skilled Healer. “Thank you, Master Skye,” she said quietly.

 

Turning to I-Nine, she added, “Please watch over the girl. When she wakes, tell her I would like to speak with her, and in the meantime, she can join the Jedi at the memorial or seek out the Wookiees she has saved.”

 

-----

 

On the grasslands between Tree Kachirho and Tree Vikkilynn, there was a vaulted structure that served as the meeting place and center of ceremony. The residents of the Wawaatt Archipelago had withheld no pomp and circumstance; the uncomplicated beauty reflected an element of exquisite purity in their devotion. Jaina herself stood alongside Skye, the present representatives of the Council, and two powerful Wookiee chieftains, Rruklowrra of Kachirho and Graanta of fallen Rwookrrorro, as they led the amassed honor guard of Wookiee warriors in a traditional display of mourning. Turning their fangs to the air, they cried out in their native tongue, bidding a final farewell to a fallen kinsman, a warrior who had died with honor.

 

The massive roar silenced the crowd, and Jaina stepped forward to the podium that had been erected of lush greenery that seemed to grow out of the very ground on which it stood. With a meditative breath, she looked out, surveying all of the faces. There were many familiar and even more that were unfamiliar; a delegation from the Imperials that included Head of State Raven Zinthos, to whom she gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, the deceased Grandmaster’s advice in the back of her mind; Xae-Lin Ardel, whose safety in the wake of Onderon brought peace to her spirit; and, with a sudden flash of surprise that she hoped was not too evident on her features, Darex Trevelian, back from beyond the grave, seated next to her daughter. Tirzah was here. Her heart flooded with joy and relief, and with renewed confidence and strength she addressed the assembly.

 

Trust the Force.

 

“Welcome, my friends,” she said quietly, her voice amplified by the natural shape of the structure and by subtle application of the Force. “Today, we gather from across the stars, putting aside differences to honor one who gave his life in the service of the galaxy and its people. We remember our leader as one who embodied the principles to which the Jedi hold fast.

 

“He was strong, a warrior matchless in skill, his blade itself a shield against injustice. He was a guardian of the weak who tirelessly shouldered the paradoxical burden of fighting for peace.

 

“He was wise, seeing beyond appearances, piercing the darkness with unwavering light. In times of uncertainty, he grounded us with serenity. In times of conflict, he centered us with harmony. In grief and death, he offered us the comfort of steadfast truth.

 

“He was selfless, serving the people of the galaxy as well as encouraging his brothers and sisters in the Jedi without hesitation or thought to himself. When we needed a leader, he put aside his well-earned rest to assume the mantle.

 

“He was kind, and epitomized the open hand of the light unto redemption. Many of us are living proof of this belief, myself included. He created a home within the light for any who were willing to be instructed by it.

 

“We do not mourn as the rest of the galaxy, as those without hope; even now, he is within the living Force itself, his power returned to the source, and therefore, he is in each of us.”

 

As if to punctuate her statement, a slight breeze ruffled the grasses, drawing chills up Jaina’s spine as she extended her hands, palms facing up, toward the gathered assembly.

 

“We affirm the joy of sharing in his life and his mission, and on behalf of the Jedi Council, I affirm our commitment to continue in the lessons we learned at his mighty hand and stand against darkness in all its iterations.

 

“Kirlocca, steadfast Grand Master,

 

“May the Force be with you.”

 

With a sharp crack and vibrant hum, her violet saber ignited, its flame casting brilliant light across the features of those in its immediate vicinity, and Jaina lifted it slowly to the open air, casting her eyes upward in a final display of solemn celebration.

 

All across the gathered crowd, a sea of color erupted as the assembled Jedi mirrored her salute, a rainbow of color as varied and beautiful as the spectrum of the Force itself.

 

((Co-written with Skye Organa and posted with permission))