Kashyyyk

[Dashel Illioni]

(OOC: Sorry Drej, Needed to get a post in for the funeral)

 

Dashel stood among his fellow Masters, among the solemn heads of state and felt tears gather at the corner of his eyes as Jaina paid tribute to the fallen Kirlocca. In his hands, he held the first lightaber he'd ever constructed, a simple affair fit for an apprentice that seemed to come from a different time and place. As he hefted the blade in tribute, he realized he'd not carried the weapon in years, having constructed others since then as his powers and understanding of the Force grew.

 

As he lofted the handle and ignited the blade in honor of the fallen Kirlocca, he found himself reciting the Code. In the mournful silence of his own thoughts, he finished the last line, "There is no Death, there is the Force," just as every Jedi extinguished their blades, plunging the assembly into a moment of total, silent darkness where the brightness of a moment earlier seemed to be a relic of an earlier, brighter age.

 

In the Darkness, he found his soul remembered the display, the gathered might of both the Wookie and the Jedi forever locked within his own heart. That, he came to realize, was the greatest tribute they could give the Grandmaster, to carry the light of his both his memory and the memory of this gathering forward and spread it among the galaxy. He sighed, knowing his part needed to start almost immediately after the funeral finished, even as they mourned. The Order needed direction, a hand to guide the members gathered here and those throughout the galaxy into a unified Force to strike against the darkness where it might come from.

 

So with a heavy heart and greater reluctance, during the gathering after the funeral he quietly found the time to speak with each of this fellow Jedi Masters, firmly inviting them to a council meeting after a brief period of mourning had passed to gather again within sight of the memorial and begin planning the future of the order. While the talks might not be finished here on Kashyyk, he wanted his fellow Masters to understand they gathered to honor their fellow by carrying forth into a new era provided by his sacrifice. A bit melodramatic maybe, but necessary.

 

To the list of invited Masters, he formerly invited MasterDarex Trevelian in front of at least a pair of Jedi witnesses. The man, after all, had been a Jedi Master before sacrificing himself much as Kirlcocca had done and not inviting him seemed to be disservice to the spirit of the gathering. He wasn't sure if anyone else had asked, didn't care, just wanted to continue to honor some of Kirlocca's final thoughts and actions.

 

He purposely found a way and time to approach Head of State Raven Zinthos. Worldlessly, he sent his condolences through the Force before simply uttering a few polite words and moving on. Finished with those few things on his agenda, he found a quiet corner to relax in and speak with whomever might come.

[Frond]

WInd whistled throught the leaves of Frond's fronds as the noisy transport carted the Neti and his newfound companions as well as several other locals through the upper levels of Kashyyyk's forested canopy, eventually coming to land along the shoreside city where the funeral for the fallen Jedi Grand Master was to be held. Parting ways, for the time being, with his newfound companions, Frond was free to wander the city. He had seen cities rise and fall in his time as most assuredly this one would as well; no, the city held little to interest him. Instead, he was drawn to the numerous signatures permeating through The Force here. So many Jedi had come to pay their respects to the fallen Grand Master. With the hum of The Force alive in his soul, Frond smiled and set off, his long trunk-like legs easily carrying him through the city. He had no real destination. He traveled as The Force willed, turning left here and right there and other times walking straight ahead, basking in the warm embrace that was The Force. In his hands he carried the fake holocron he had recovered from the now deceased darksider on the forest floor. He was not sure what to do with it, but he knew that such things were of some sort of value to many of the Jedi and their brethren.

 

Eventually the time came for the ceremony. Frond found himself standing amongst the masses, though he found himself relegated to a position amongst many of the visiting dignitaries away from the crowd of native wookiees, many of whom had not resided on this planet even as long as he; still, Frond contented himself to take his place amongst the Jedi and their trappings of robes, lightsabers, and hair styles. Here he could feel The Force humming as all around him The Jedi sought to manipulate it in their own tiny unique ways speaking out to comfort one another, projecting auras of calm and peace to the crowd. Frond found him frowning at this for a moment.

 

No Teacher. How learn? Truth.

 

he was content with this reasoning, at least for the moment.

 

As his newfound Jedi friend, Jaina, spoke kinds and uplifting words about the fallen and departed Wookiee, Frond listened attentively, shaking his head a few times, knowing the truth that he just knew so many of these Jedi were seeking. As the presentation ended, the crack and hiss of numerous lightsabers filled the air as a rainbow of colors illuminated like glow rods all about him.

 

Jedi weapons.Force guided.

 

having no weaponof his own, Frond was content to raise his viney hands, palms opened upwards at about shoulder level, as if lifting some invisible force in recognition of the fallen force user. Elsewhere, he heard the rumblings of The Jedi Code being recited and he added to the chanting:

 

There is none but the force

I am but a disciple of The Force

Those who seek to bend The Force are still but vessels of its will

The will of The Force will right all wrongs

The Force guides all, but each is free to choose right from wrong

All knowledge and power is of The Force

The Force is life. The Force is Death."

 

as the presentation of arms and resolutions drew to a close, Frond slowly lowered his arms back to his sides, one hand brushing by the fake holocron held at waist level by a tendril of viney plantlike material outside his blackened plant robes. The ceremony was coming to a close. He should seek out Misal or Jaina, as much as he desired to return to the netherworld of The Force, perhaps even greet the newest arrival, he sensed that his presence was still needed on this plain; for what, he did not know.

 

"The Force guides. I, but a vessel,"

 

he paraphrased his mantra as he began to shuffle off; perhaps one of these numerous Jedi would take an interest in him or his trinket. he had, after all, claimed the body of the fallen darksider far below and buried it in the soils of Kashyyyk. Regardless though, even with the warmth of The Force enveloping him like a warm cloak on a cool evening, Frond could not help but feel slightly alone. It had been a long time since he was in the presence of so many who were in tune with The Force and it made him long for the companionship and discussion of his brothers and sisters deep in The Maw. He did not even know if any of them were still there. It had been so long, surely those he had known had all traveled Beyond Shadows for the last time; but there must be more seekers there with which to commune. Maybe the next time he himself journeyed Beyond he would spend less time staring into The Font of Power and would travel instead to The Lake of Apparitions or elsewhere Beyond Shadows. Time. Soon enough. Come will it.

[Aelyn]

Aelyn was mystified when Tirzah said the name "Darex" but immediately thereafter the memorial service was starting and so she didn't get a chance to ask for clarification. When Master Darex Trevelian himself showed up in attendance -- quite living, it seemed -- her wonderment grew. Of course she knew that cloning was a technology that existed, but as she tested his Force presence, she didn't see how this could be a mere clone. He had a rightness about him much like she'd sensed in Kirlocca and still felt in Skye and some of the others. His signature was of course unique. It was like being back was new to him, and he knew there was a lot to do.

 

When Jaina started speaking, Aelyn grew somber, but there was some part of her that kept an eye on Master Trevelian. The Jedi Code said that there was no death, only the Force. She hadn't suspected that that could extend to physical resurrection. If Darex had somehow found his way back from the Force, what could be said about the finality of death and the occasion for this funeral? Her mind filled with questions. Had the public gotten the full story on what had happened with Faust at the Coruscant Memorial? Did the comm that Aira had gotten from Xae about Faust's return really mean that he had survived or returned somehow like Darex? And what of the third person involved there, Onderin Starlisk? Was he, too, out there somewhere again?

 

Pushing the questions aside for now and hoping some of them could be answered before she left Kashyyyk, Aelyn listened to the rest of the eulogy and drew her lightsaber with the others for the salute, its azure blade burning bright as its touch once again filled her with certainty and determination. The mysteries of the Force were great, but she would explore them for the rest of her life.

 

The service ended and she started to make her way over to Darex, but a tall furry Jedi Master who was not a wookiee made his way over and invited him to a council meeting. The way he said it made it sound like even he wasn't sure where Darex stood in everything, but they would at least honor his history with the Order. Maybe his reappearance was really brand new to everyone, she realized, and it seemed like a good idea to let the Jedi Council talk things over and make a real announcement about his return and what the Order would do in the absence of Kirlocca's wisdom.

[Malin Kyrell]

Arriving unseen and possibly unobserved by most of the other assembled Jedi, Malin watched the funeral solemnly from a distance, choosing a solitary perch up in the branches of one of Kashyyyk's mighty trees. He could feel the former Grand Master's spirit among them, sensing the movements on the other side, through the veil others called life and death, a presence within the unified, living Force.

 

Hail, old friend, and farewell. Your presence among us will be missed... though the Force, and your spirit, will be with us always.

 

Malin raised his lightsaber once in salute, then disappeared back into the trees.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

Xae-lin raised her turquoise-bladed lightsaber with the rest, drawing in the shared light of those around her. The brilliant song of the Force rose to a crescendo and a peace as one of its children rejoined the flow once again.

 

Sure enough, it appeared the Force wasn't done with the resurrections as Skye had readily identified Darex in the short gathering that had occurred just prior to Jaina’s return and the commencement of the memorial service.

 

She stood with the Jedi as they paid tribute to one of their own, but as soon as the ceremony concluded, she began to scan the assembly for any physical sign of Kyrie, a bit surprised to find the young woman standing with the Imperial delegates that were in attendance.

 

As the ceremony broke up, the petite Jedi made her way confidently to them, stopping just short as a member of Raven’s honor guard held up his hand in warning, likely curious as to the business this unknown woman had suddenly decided she had with his group. “I mean no ill will. I'm merely seeking out my former apprentice, Kyrie. Would you be able to spare her for a few moments?”

[Darex Trevelian]

The ceremony was perfect. Darex found himself feeling wistful. He truly understood now what it meant when Jedi said 'there is no death, there is the Force'. He had experienced it himself firsthand. The woman's comments about how Kirlocca was now living in the Force itself were truer than most people realized. Her words brought upon him a brief sense of melancholy, a longing deep in his bones to return to that place of exquisite peace, all white shores and green plains...

 

He took a deep breath. Death was by no means an end. But for now, it was life he needed to concern himself with. The ceremony concluded with all the Jedi igniting their lightsabers in a salute. Having no blade, Darex simply stood, solemnly observing while the moment lasted.

 

Eventually, the Jedi began to break up, sometimes in pairs, sometimes alone. Darex found himself the center of many sideways glances and startled looks. It was no surprise; he had chosen to reveal himself here, to all the Jedi assembled, so that everyone could see proof of the Force working. But he was sure it had come out of nowhere. He saw Dashel approaching quite quickly. Greeting the other master, he nodded in response to Dashel's invitation. "I'd be honored to attend the Council meeting," he replied. "I have much to tell them."

 

Dashel turned and semi-abrupted headed off towards the Imperial delegation. Darex supposed that the young woman in the center of the group was the new Imperial leader. He recognized her from the holos of course; few people in the galaxy would fail to recognize the Imperial who had been half of the group instigating the peace treaty that had led to the formation of the Galactic Alliance. He had read of the Remnant's recent secession from the GA, and it was quite interesting that she and her delegation were here. The same could not be said, he noted, of a GA presence.

 

On the other hand, though, he recognized Raven's counterpart, Aira Cadan, in attendance, with a flame-haired young woman in tow who couldn't seem to take her eyes off him. He smiled a welcome at her and moved over to her. "Greetings," he said. "I'm Darex Trevelian. Who might you be?"

[Tobias Vos]

And going from one extreme to another- Vos, Sandy, and Adenna found themselves in the throng of beings from across the galaxy. Surveying the crowd, he processed it all. Or at least he tried to, this was a lot of people. Leaving the Verdict in patrol pattern in coordination with the Remnant, he knew it was a good idea not to bring Catnip into play. There were so many Jedi here, part of him was happy to see them all here- united. There was such a feeling of life and love, but an undercurrent of sorrow and sadness. To be expected, this was a funeral for a pinical of what the Jedi were supposed to be- a Warrior of the people, but never forgot his roots. And always made it a point to make sure to show that individual beings in the galaxy matter- no matter how small or insignificant they maybe. Silently, he checked for the signatures he was looking for- and to the left flank there was a familiar green Nautolan with pointed teeth and a Bith. Jedi Masters Tut and Chal'lar. Silently Tut and Tobias clasped forearms, it seemed they spoke without even talking. A lump was in Chal'lars throat, but the Bith did not engage them- just bowed slightly in recognition to the trio. Both fell in with Tobias as they seemingly walked along the perimeter. Wearing Jedi robes, he thought the wookiee would have approved- he hadn't liked Tobias's wardrobe choice back on Carida, but he was here to say good bye- and make his own wrongs- right. On Carida, there was some tension in the air- mostly on Vos's end. That was his one of the quickest- but more meaningful lessons Tobias had not even known he was being taught one.

 

The quintet stopped their advance and listened to Jaina- he dismissed the ire he felt after their last meeting. It seemed as though he missed his chance to address those assembled, part of him was irritated, another part was relieved he did not have to speak publicly. He looked to his companions- they all held their sabers and let the hiss-snap reverberate through the crowd. Vos was one of the first ones to deactivate his own saber and clip it to his belt.

 

There was a council meeting he had to… crash… even though he was on the council. No one really knew he was- they wouldn’t until-

 

There was Syke. A pang of regret- and his own guilt played on him. They had never met in person but he knew who she was and what she looked like- he had read up on her immediately after Kirlocca sent him… He sighed, and addressed his crew. Cautiously, “I have to attend a council meeting, and pull someone into the meeting as well. I’ll meet up with you all later?”

 

His two agents nodded and left to go mingle.

 

“Sandy, you are no longer our apprentice, you are a Jedi Knight.” He put his left hand on her shoulder, “you should… network… with other Jedi Knights. You’re not attached to Adenna or me any longer for required training, you should meet other Jedi. Someone needs to be the social butterfly.” Vos winked at the young girl.

 

Turning his gaze to Adenna, there was something in his eyes that twinkled as he looked to her. His other hand subtly squeezed her hand in a small sign of affection. Tobias was enthralled with her, and while he did try to hide it, the feeling was seemingly tangible in the air around him.

 

He turned to go- taking a step- then turned around. Three-quarters joking he said “If I am not back in a day or two, come get me out of the meeting. I’ll be ready to get the kriff out of there or they’ll have locked me up for my past.” He let out a laugh at his own joke- trying to act as if he wasn’t worried about going into a fully-fledged council meeting with no one on his side in there. Dahar and Kirlocca were gone, it was all up to him now.

 

Looking the pair over again, his feet moved him away and he finally turned his gaze to the sea of people. There was one person he needed to talk to in all this- Head of State Raven. It took a few minutes, Tobias didn’t know anyone to mingle with so he wasn’t held up. Eyeballing her from a distance through the crowd, he spotted a few Jedi come in and around her. As he stepped forth through the last circle of people around her- Xae-Lin had approached Raven and was just starting to speak to the Remnant leader. Trying to avoid that encounter, he took a moment to ping the Jedi Council and send them the a few local locations where they could meet privately. the message was anonymous but that was a fault of the program where the message was sent, not on his end. The datapad he had to transmit the message was going to send to three others- but Tobias wasn’t sure who those three were. He could guess, but figured he would find out soon enough. No doubt they would bring a few extras with them, he himself was going to bring Raven. Or at least ask her to attend and provide the location to her there was no way for him to force her to attend, but he thought she might want to get this out of the way. The message was sent, and Vos stepped forward just enough to ease his way into Raven’s line of sight, softly nodding at her when she would look at him, then convey the Council has questions for her if she had some time.

[Sandy Sarna]

As the YT-2000 set down on one of the already overcrowded landing pads Sandy slowly stood from the control panel and slipped on her leather boots and robe. She made sure her freshly cleaned lightsaber was clipped on her belt alongside a blaster in a holster and the survival pouch she always kept in the small of her back. She felt padawan braid fall across her cheek and laughed. She grabbed hold of it with her thin fingers and untangled the braid that had defined the last five years of her life. It stayed pretty curled up so she pushed the released lock behind her pointed ear and looked at the mass of trees surrounding the ship. Reaching up, she flicked the power switch for the boarding ramp and met both of her ex masters there.

 

As she walked, she could see a multitude of imperials at the northern reach bay which made her slightly nervous. She checked that emotion and figured that she did not know the whole situation.

 

She ignited her lightsaber with the rest of the Jedi. Holding the hilt of Flynn Relmis’ saber was a unsettling feeling in a room with so many people that knew him better than her, but she was not going to be ashamed. She stayed by Adenna but gave a polite wave at the nearby Jedi that she did not know. She had kept relatively secluded from the order in her adventures with Vos and Adenna and a majority of the faces were completely unknown to her. She recognized Skye from the holo she had seen and was very glad she had made it off Onderon alive. She gave the sincerest apologies that she could give in regards to that situation. She also recognized the signees of the Treaty of the GA, but no one else she knew. Until she saw Aiden.

 

A long time ago they had talked on Gala, when both of them had been looking for masters. By the armour he now wore, he had taken up with the Imperial Knights. She gave him a shy wave, not wanting to interrupt his conversation. She followed Master Ardel to meet the Imperial Knight commander Kyrie, giving her a bow. After brushing away her shyness at the prospect, she also introduced herself to Jaina Jade Skywalker, one of the Jedi Council masters, "Hello, ma'am I do not believe we have met, I am Knight Sarna, at your service."

[Raven Nasra]

Though Raven did not feel that she was unwelcome here, the stares from many of the Jedi made her wish that she had joined their order as a child instead of the Sith. The comradery here was amazing, though she kept the lightsaber clipped on her belt curing the salute, it was very tempting to join in. To have the only red sabre in the mix would have been a bad sign to any Jedi there that doubted the Imperial;s change of face from years ago when they were actively trying to kill each other. She inclined her head back towards Jaina with a sorrowful look on her face. Though she knew that the Jedi did not much care for the physical form of their old grandmaster, Raven regretted that the Remnant could not return the body to the Council. It would forever be a black mark on the name of her reign, that somehow the Jedi Grandmaster had been murdered on her own planet. The investigation would prove the culprits, flight patterns and records were still coming out, leads getting tracked down and with a team from the Jedi on it, there was no doubt in Raven’s mind that there would be justice.

 

When the ceremony broke up and the socializing side of the event began, she was mentally preparing to be confronted by someone over the old empire, but when none came she took the opportunity to relax. She took Dashel’s hand gratefully but was very confused at the condolences he sent through the force. Her relationship with the ex-Grandmaster had not developed beyond feelings, so how he knew anything of it was beyond her. But ever perceptive were the Jedi and she thanked him for his words without acknowledging their intent. She next took the hand of his apprentice Draj and politely introduced herself, giving him her best wishes on his ambitions to be a knight. It would be a long hard road for the boy, but he had a chance if he could apply himself. It reminded her of her own apprenticeship to Tiana all those years ago. Though significantly less violent she thought as she shook his hand with her robotic one.

 

Master Ardel approached and Raven beckoned her forward, “There is no ill will here for you Master Jedi, please talk to any or all of the Imperials here.” She smiled, her purple eyes twinkling in the light of the large suspended glowrods in the room. “You have my permission if you need it.” Raven shook her hand and let her go see the leader of the Imperial Knights. Her comm blinked annoyingly in her breast pocket and she read the scroll from Tobias Vos. She acknowledged it and her willingness to participate with a nod to him and continued to meet and greet with the Jedi Order. She waved to her friend Cadan and her apprentice and gave her solemn apologies again for the situation resulting in Kirlocca's death. She missed him horribly.

I hope that wherever you are my friend, that you find peace.

[Aelyn]

Realizing that she was staring again, Aelyn recovered with a polite smile and a short bow when Darex approached her. "Apprentice Aelyn Talis," she introduced herself. "Forgive me for staring, Master Trevelian. I feel like I've learned so much about the Force since Master Cadan began my training, but it seems like I must still know very little because I don't understand how you can be here."

 

The scientifically curious part of her was running around in circles spouting a thousand questions about everything Darex had experienced between his death on Coruscant and his resurrection. The skeptic in her was trying to explain how he couldn't possibly have been killed and wanted the real story. The Jedi student was pretty sure the Force could do just about anything at this point and wanted to just sort of roll with it like everyone else seemed to be. The existential angst about death that she thought she had tucked away a decade ago was poking her insides, suddenly wondering what this meant for her. Yet another part of her was reflecting on the fact that Darex had great hair for someone who had until recently been dead. She elbowed that part of her in the proverbial face.

 

She masked all this behind her continued pleasant smile. "If it's not too much to presume, I would love to hear your telling of events," she said. "But I totally understand if you need to run off to the Council meeting."

[Darex Trevelian]

"Pleasure to meet you, Aelyn," Darex replied warmly. "Once the meeting starts, Master Illioni invited me to attend, but," he glanced around, "it doesn't look like it's starting quite yet."

 

He gave a small smile. "My telling of events? I assume what you mean, and are too polite to ask, is why am I here?" He shook his head. "I barely understand it myself. I...was given a choice, and when I chose to continue to serve the will of the Force, it sent me back. I guess I still have a way I can help." She would be able to sense his touch of melancholy, but his joyful serenity at being back would overwhelm that.

[Faux]

I can’t… I can’t see…

 

A colossal weight sat upon her chest, pinning her still in the expansive nothingness of her perception. Breathing felt impossible, caught between an immovable object and an unrelenting force that threatened to collapse her very being into the same void which enveloped her. Limbs remained immobile, deaf to her increasingly panicked urges to regain some measure of control.

 

Am I dead?

 

From silence sprang a soft, steading drumming, ever so quiet at first until building into everything that her ears seemed capable of understanding. The sound was not from any instrument she recognized, but more like a stick upon a rock without the sharpness. Or the density. It felt hollow, with an echo that went through her to the spine and up into the base of her skull. The thumping hammered over, and over, and over again, incessant to the brink of insanity.

 

Gods, just stop! She pleaded, but no breath left her lungs to make the sound, no parting of the lips or flick of the tongue to form the words. Please….just stop!

 

The thumping became repulsively organic, the sound of flesh upon flesh, and with each strike she could feel the echoes send violent tremors throughout her entire body. Only now did her eyes shoot open to see the musician, a faceless, pitiless creature using her as the instrument. Thump, thump, thump it hammered, smiling with the knowledge that somewhere in there, hidden behind lifeless eyes and lax muscles, sonorous in suffering if not sound, laid Faux.

 

If I just had control… If I could just will myself to move I could escape this hell…

 

She thought that was a lie, but then questioned whether she thought that at all, or if somehow this creature was able to put the thought of self-doubt in her mind. Were her thoughts her own, if even in part, or was she just an instrument?

 

The sound of herself screaming was the first thing noticed when a new reality suddenly and harshly replaced the first. She was sitting upright, in a bed or matted table, surrounded by medical equipment. Gasping to catch her breath, Faux’s hazel, dilated eyes darted around with a madness one see’s in those unsure of the world surrounding them. Was this real, or just another prison inside her own mind? The coolness of the air inside her lungs felt sobering, the heavy beating of her heart inside her chest validating. She was alive, and this was real.

 

And that was when it returned. The memory of her savage assault, and her complete inability to stop it; the last thing she remembered before slipping into the black. Where were they? The next room? Did they bring her here, and why beat her just to patch her up? Suddenly aware of how whole she was, her hands wrapped around her stomach and moved up her sides and over her chest. Her bones weren’t broken. She didn’t even have any bruises anymore. She felt sore, incredibly so, but more like she had done a week’s worth of practice in a few short hours rather than falling victim to a savage beating.

 

Catching her breath, Faux tried to control it and her heartrate, slowing both to let her mind gain some measure of focus as she willed her awareness within to understand. Her body was truly whole again, but a great measure of the energy surrounding her injuries were not her own. It was a distinctly foreign energy, but one freely given and directed with knowledge and compassion. Someone radically different than those slavers had healed her. Then this must have been the healer’s facilities. Could the slavers have brought her to the healer to preserve her value? Maybe, but unlikely. This type of healing seemed beyond medicine, something rare and refined. They wouldn’t have someone so pure and skillful in their employ.

 

So she reasoned this place to be safe, wherever it was. And even if it wasn’t, and those men returned, she was again whole of body to do something about it. But could she? She failed so miserably, so devastatingly painfully last time. Was it even wise to fight against such heavy odds?

 

Don’t be stupid. Of course it’s worth fighting. You’re a free, sovereign being, and no one has a right to harm or control you against your will, and that is a right worth dying for.

 

Her better self argued for hope, but Faux couldn’t help but feel the nagging fear in the back of her mind of the assault. The savagery, the sadistic glee and merciless disregard for her humanity. If sentient kind was so capable and callous, if even just a small percentage of them, then it was very possible to happen again. Especially with her hubris in thinking that it was her place to right their wrongs and teach them what she thought to be a more enlightened way. The question fell to whether or not her supposedly noble pursuit was worth risking her life. Her instincts said yes without hesitation, but that fear remained, if even in a small part, pricking at the fringes of her self-preservation.

 

“Oh, hello.” Said the mechanical voice of a droid. As Faux opened her eyes, the droid was walking into the room. “I am I-Nine, in service to Jedi Master Skye.” It checked a few monitors, evidently checking up on her. “She is the one who healed you after Jedi Knight Jaina Skywalker brought you to us.”

 

Faux remained quiet, patient to let the droid fill in some missing pieces, but already her mind was reeling as to what a Jedi Master was, and how they were able to mend her in such a short time. One of the monitors gave a date only a dozen hours after being on the forest floor. Given time for the Wookiees to make their way back up a lift and to this place, wherever it was, it couldn’t have taken this Jedi more than a couple hours to fuse bone and rebuild flesh. Nothing in modern medicine could work so fast.

 

“The Wookiees that brought you to Knight Jaina said you helped liberate them from a slaver camp. She wishes to speak with you when you are recovered, and so do the Wookiees. I believe a few of them are waiting for you just outside of the ship.”

 

“Um…thank you.” She said as she slid her legs off the table and onto the floor. They wanted to give out for a moment when she put weight on them, but straightened out after a stretch. “Where are my clothes?”

 

“They were quite dirty when Master Skye removed them. I took the liberty of washing them. Several times. The blood was quite difficult to remove.” Faux looked away, a little ashamed that she was beaten so bad as to nearly ruin her clothes with her own blood. “They are on the chair behind you.”

 

She went about dressing wordlessly, not really sure what to do next. She wanted to see the Wookiees, if for no other reason than to validate her recklessness and suffering, but she felt compelled to seek out these Jedi as well to give thanks for saving her life, and to ask about the nature of their healing. Either way, she couldn’t stay in this place, or rather on this ship as I-Nine had described it, any longer. She had to move, to get her muscles loose, and balance out these odd energies going through her. Everything felt so messed up, so out of balance. Part of her wanted to return to Stan's ship, just to see if he was still there. To find Chet and the rest of them and return their fury for every ounce of it they gave to her. Part of her was ashamed at how badly she wanted that.

 

“My name is Faux Tilderi. Thank you for looking after me.”

 

“Of course, miss. I am glad to see your condition has improved.”

 

Walking down the boarding ramp, it was all Faux could do not to cry.

[Aelyn]

She supposed that was it. The Force had sent him back. The way he said it was almost casual. He was totally at peace with it, but didn't fully know the reasons himself. That seemed to be modus operandi for the Force, Aelyn was starting to realize. Maybe some things were not meant to be fully understood.

 

But still. "I'm glad you're back. I only met him once, but I already know the Order is going to sorely miss Master Kirlocca's guidance," she said. "I heard Vladimir Faust made an appearance on Onderon. It seems like too much of a coincidence that you both would return at the same time. I don't suppose Master Starlisk is out there as well?"

 

She shuddered to think about Faust. Part of becoming a Jedi was the potential to have to face evil like him and what she had encountered in her vision when she'd build her lightsaber. She was starting to come to terms with that and find peace with a Jedi's role as a warrior, but when she actually thought about encountering Faust in the flesh, she felt unprepared. Such heroes as Darex and Onderin and Kirlocca might be able to cross blades with him, but she was still untested. It still felt so far away, even when she'd arrived here from the galactic scene that was the Senate discussing the future of the Galactic Alliance -- talks in which someone like Faust would be quite interested.

[Roene Givrah]

The bite of Nature’s Fury sang in the air as a myriad of colors burst to brilliant life all around him. The moment was truly spectacular. A cavalcade of lightsabers bloomed into luminescent power and hummed a tune for the departed. And, despite his own calm and reserve, small beads of moisture gathered at the crest of his cheek and the tip of his nose.

 

The funeral proceedings were short; quaint. The Jedi were not a folk to mourn in lasting misery. And as a tribute, the words and thoughts offered to the fallen Grandmaster were more than enough to honor and celebrate his memory. His parting was not an omen. His passing was not the loss of faith or an offer of destruction to the people of the Galaxy. The ferocity of his spirit would pass through the force to the men and women that he helped to mold. Shapes and forms that were given life over years of ceaseless devotion were given new life even in the presence of what felt like so much darkness.

 

And yet… Even in the peak of serenity, one cannot stop entropy.

 

Deep in the heart of Kashyyyk, a voice sang out. It was small and muffled. Its language was foreign to all but those trained to hear flora and fauna. Others would feel it as an echo in the force. But, to Roene, it was a cry for help.

 

Bowed, as he was, in reverence of his friend, Roene’s features sharpened. He turned his face toward the shadowlands and strained to listen. The sound came again, slightly louder. The riot of platinum white hair atop Roene’s head grabbed at the waning afternoon breeze to search for additional clues to help elucidate the cry’s meaning. But the wind rolled by ceaselessly. It cared little for the affairs of others, for that was not its nature. And, despite the difficulty, Roene would not fault it. Nature did not have the capacity for caring, just as it did not have the capacity for uncaring. Nature was nature.

 

Troubled, the Cerean dismissed himself from the ceremony as it began to break. Fibers of thought wound their way through the throngs of Jedi and met Chieftain Graanta and Elder Wharooka. The Elder renewed her request in earnest. But, noting her considerable age and wisdom, Roene passed the cry on to her; to both of them. Where before they could feel the pain of the tree’s passing in their bones, they could now feel its cry echoing in their minds. Searing motes of pain punctuated the link that Roene held between the three of them until even he could not bear to suffer it any longer. Do you feel its pain? I may not fully restore it for I do not wish to disrespect your people Elder Wharooka. But I must do something. I am a Jedi. I am a Naturalist. I cannot sit idly by and do nothing. You may come with me if you wish, I will not stop you. But I must attend to this.

He let the link between the three of them cut off as he trudged deeper into the woods. Tyue was left to mingle amongst the Jedi at Joelle’s heels. The Garral looked at the back of his master as he faded off into the distance, but he chose not to follow. The beast bowed his head with respect and resumed his eager mingling.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Guest

[Darex Trevelian]

The red-headed padawan spoke the thought that hadn't failed to cross the Jedi Master's mind. "If Master Starlisk is out there, only time will tell," he said quietly. "As for Vladimir Faust...he may be back, but it is not truly him. His spirit remains in the Force, that much I know. It doesn't make him less of a threat, however."

 

Suddenly, he felt something in the Force. A tug with a familiar presence associated with it. It was faint and fleeting, but it was enough to make Darex look around. He knew that presence. Armiena... He didn't see his old friend anywhere here. Perhaps she was on her way. It would be good to see her again.

 

In the meantime, he excused himself from Aelyn. "I need to speak with Master Organa. If you'll excuse me." Giving her a deep nod, he turned and headed back through the crowd towards the front, where Skye was standing near the woman who had given Kirlocca's eulogy. "Skye," he greeted her enthusiastically. He threw his arms around her for a hug. "It's so good to see you again."

 

---

 

Meanwhile, Jax and Alana were running and playing through the crowd of Jedi. Not paying attention, Alana suddenly ran smack into another girl [Faux], who seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Oh sorry! Hey, are you okay?"

[ObliviousKnight]

An hour before the memorial, Misal awoke from her exhausted slumber, a sharp intake of breath the only sign that the eyeless sapient had awoken. Somewhat to her surprise, she found that her body had shifted, no longer slumped in a disheveled posture of meditation, but stretched out with her head resting on a makeshift pillow composed of a rumpled cloak. She gave a sniff, smelling the earthy scents of moss, wood… and blaster oxidation. It should have been obvious, given whose company she had dozed off in, but this was clearly the work of the young Skywalker.

 

Misal gave a small smile as she rose and folded the ripped and stained cloak into as neat a shape as she could manage with a garment that had survived the Shadowlands. The young woman was self-destructively courageous and simultaneously too curious for her own safety. Hopefully, nothing unfortunate would happen to the young Jedi in the future; given time, Misal could imagine herself becoming rather fond of her. Misal folded the cloth over the crook of her left arm, though it was unlikely that Skywalker would have any desired to see the tattered garment returned to her.

 

A brief check on her comlink revealed that her shuttle, had arrived in system, though her students were very wisely keeping a low bearing and merely monitoring system traffic. The creaky Lambda-class shuttle was even operating under a false callsign, the Cassandra--Misal wondered, as she listened to Mr. Hamis’ beratement for giving him and his compatriots such a fright, whether her students understood the significance of that name. Her grandson, Aidan, had arrived to pay his respects to the deceased Jedi Grandmaster along with the Imperial contingent--it had been years since she last saw the boy and needed to speak with him, even if to just inform him that his mother, so long thought dead or otherwise disappeared from the galaxy, was likely alive and held from her loved ones. Somehow, that deceitful and selfish chimera Moriarty had managed to con her way into sharing the company of her grandson and the Imperial contingent; there was no telling if any of them appreciated how grossly inappropriate it was for that hag to be attending this event.

 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything to be gained from ruining that young scholar’s prospects at this moment. As the Seer made her way to the grasslands where the converging Jedi were gathering to honor the life of their fallen galaxy, she sensed the presence of a familiar Jedi Master who had famously perished in the attempt to reacquaint Vladimir Faust with his creator. Misal, clad in her stained and reeking black robes, stepped off to one side of the gathering, staring with her eyeless gaze in the general direction of Darex Trevelian with her mouth agape.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The ceremony was….ultimately, it was a typical Jedi gathering, full of ceremony and solemnity, rather than the open grieving and remembrance that those who were closest to the Wookiee Jedi needed to heal. Misal had held services for her own students more times than she wished to remember; these were largely unstructured remembrances, full of sincerity, where open weeping and nostalgia was encouraged, rather than suppressed by the inhibitions of a nonsense monochromatic moral code. Sometimes there would be toasting of the deceased, sometimes sharing fondly-remembered stories of courage and comedy, sometimes music and celebration that would last long past any decent hour, and occasionally open bickering. These were bittersweet moments, but it was the philosophy of her sect that these raw emotions needed to be expressed regardless of how painful the experience would be--physically or psychologically.

 

Close to the back of the crowd of Wookiees and Jedi, her unadorned head with its shock of white hair sunk low during the final salute of the Jedi to their fallen Grandmaster. Perhaps her emotions were fraught from physical weariness and lack of sleep; perhaps it was the years of searching for her daughter in hopes of a chance encounter with her alive and well, but grimly prepared to discover Armiena’s remains on a backwater planet or adrift in the emptiness of space. For the first time in years, she had uncovered evidence that she was alive, or at least had been alive very recently… and hope hurt.

 

She hoped that the next remembrance would not be in held in the honor of her daughter.

 

As the coruscant salute to the deceased Wookiee ended, the elderly Miraluka let out a breath that she had been holding for some time. Misal lifted her head and exhaled the useless self-pity with her next breath… then she felt a familiar, beloved presence that she been missing from her life for years, as real to her as a steadying hand on her shoulder. The presence, so near that she could almost feel her breath on her skin, whispered three words and repeated a simple phrase:

 

“I need help. I need help.” Then, pain--not without measure, but enough discomfort that Misal found herself gritting her teeth in reaction. Visions of cold steel and cruel needles flashed before her mind, accompanied by the apathetic beeps of sensors and robotic hisses of pumps.

 

Armiena was alive… and she was suffering.

 

A few seconds before the Jedi concluded the memorial, Misal turned and broke through the crowd, weaving her black-clad form through the last few ranks of Wookiees. She could feel the concerned eyes follow her retreat, More important to the galaxy than remembrance and ceremony was strength and the will to use it. It was time that the search for her daughter begin anew, with or without the assistance of the Jedi Order.

 

After the memorial had ended, Misal could be found back in an alcove formed by the shade of one of the few wroshyrs in this region. She was pacing from side to side in its shade while speaking urgently into a handheld comlink, clearly in considerable distress but determined to make something productive out of it.

 

“I need your list of targets immediately once I return to the ship.” Someone on the other end of the line rumbled something unintelligible. “Expand it further! We’ll have help on this, even if I need to…” She let out a deep breath. Wring that hag’s neck was the indiscreet phrase she was about to blurt out. “Please be ready to leave immediately. There are a few more people that I need to speak to, then we go.” She closed the channel and returned the device to her belt.

 

She would need to speak to her grandson, of course; Aidan deserved to know why she had been absent for so long, and that his mother was still alive. That chimera that was travelling with him might prove to be useful in this campaign as well. And Trevelian… as hesitant as Misal was to trust the Jedi on a matter this delicate, she was going to need the assistance of the Jedi Order if her daughter’s rescue required an assault. Then she would be off.

[Kyrie Eleison]

The greeting of her former Master’s presence passed over her like a sweet smell, carried by the wind. The Jedi General replaced her lightsaber at her side, and her escort parted to allow the Jedi Exorcist access to the Imperial Brigade. Kyrie withheld the small skip of excitement that wished to influence her quickened steps as she passed her Empress. Her apprentices were invited to join her

 

“Master Ardel!”

 

She carried the words upon the Song, notes of joy and former sorrow entwining the words projected into the Force. The Imperial Knight’s eyes were of silvered flame, and she fed her sadness of her abandonment by her Master into that fire. It had made her stronger, but it had been one step in many that had caused a fracture between herself and the Jedi Order. Xae would see a girl very familiar, but more hardened in the crucible of war, and echoes of the lives she had taken whirled about the fire at her core. She extended an armoured glove, but turned the gesture into a hug

 

“Long it has been since we stepped through dreams together, and trained to fight evil..."

 

She held the older woman at arm’s length and smiled broadly, the scars, old and new, twisting painfully. The pain was mirrored in her emotions, a conflicting storm of happiness and abandonment.

 

“I thought you dead…”

[DoctorOblivious]

There hadn’t been much to do on Eleison’s ship other than to compile her notes and scrounge through the ship’s supplies for anything that could be used to document the memorial. Sophia, even as a historian, decided that it would have been grossly inappropriate and downright offensive for her to wander about the planet staring through the lens of her datapad’s holocam The scholar’s foraging hadn’t been completely unproductive--from the Corellian freighter’s maintenance stocks, she’d managed to pilfer an NIR cordcam that was compatible with her datapad. The video feed from the camera was strictly monochromatic--after all, it was designed for snaking into ships’ crawlspaces that were inaccessible to any sapient being--but the audio signal wasn’t terrible. Unfortunately, as a civilian device intended for maintenance work, its signal was completely unencrypted and unshielded--if anyone was monitoring for recording devices, they would instantly detect the cordcam and be able to trace the signal to her. Still, snaking the cordcam through her jacket and only having the panoramic lens barely protruding from her collar was more acceptable than pointing a wrist-mounted datapad at whatever happened piqued her interest.

 

“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t miss this for--” Sophia inwardly cringed, remembering that had known the Wookiee Jedi and her historian’s enthusiasm for witnessing this event was beyond crass. “I mean, I’ll come with you.”

 

At the memorial, Sophia had mostly shifted uncomfortably, aware that she as a lay historian with no connection to this world or the Jedi Order, had no real right to be present at this event. She had managed to catch sight of some of the more celebrated members of the Order: Cadan, who had helped to negotiate the cease-fire at the end of the Civil War; Illioni, Kyrell; Organa, probably the most accomplished Healer in the Order and had essentially rebuilt many of its field personnel… and Trevelian, who had supposedly died at the Coruscant Memorial. If Moriarty’s memory served her correctly, whose body had never been recovered and was expected to be permanently interred in its ruins when its footprint was finally reclaimed by new construction.

 

Even though Moriarty was all but invisible in this gathering of the Jedi Order and its Council, Wookiee venerables, and the Emperor herself, the historian couldn’t evade the sensation that she was being watched. During the salute to the fallen Jedi Master, Sophia hazarded a glance to the rear of the procession, noting much to her horror the presence of an eyeless crone in conservative, though heavily worn and somewhat stained robes. She was a Miraluka, Sophia realized, although most of their kind favored concealing their vestigial eye sockets with ornate veils or simple bands. A cold sweat began to dribble uncomfortably down her neck when she realized that Misal Draygo was in attendance at this service. The historian had never seen the Miraluka without her face obscured by her customary ebon veil, and judging from the lines around her mouth, the bandages wrapped around her left hand, and the fact that she was favoring one leg, the last few years hadn’t been kind to her.

 

But of all the people to encounter here…

 

Sophia blinked, and the Miraluka was lost in the crowd and had disappeared into a throng of roaring Wookiees and humming lightsaber blades. At that same moment, the historian felt something disconcertingly like a frozen hand press into her shoulder, biting through the thin cloth of her jacket and leaving gooseflesh on her skin. Sophia turned, only finding Aidan and a few unknown individuals at her side. The memorial seemed to have reached its conclusion, with the Jedi breaking into disparate groups of friends and the Council convening elsewhere. Clearly, this service hadn’t been called only to pay respect to the Order’s fallen Grandmaster, but also to rally the Jedi and plan its next campaign. It would be a truly insane risk, but if there was some chance that she could break away and record that meeting…

 

“I think that your grandmother is around.” Sophia jerked her head back to where she had seen the Miraluka. “I thought I saw her towards the back of the procession, though she looks like she hasn’t been doing well…”

[Skye Organa]

Skye had stood beside Jaina and was proud of how far the young woman had come. Kirlocca’s faith in her was well placed and she spoke beautifully for his eulogy. Her amethyst blade came to life along with the sea of colour before them as the Jedi all ignited their sabers. Afterwards as everyone broke to congregate, the Healer found herself enveloped in the strong arms of her good friend.

 

“Darex… I missed you.” She returned his embrace then as they broke apart, her hand closed into a fist and she lightly punched his arm, “And what’s this ‘Grandma’ business?” He would know by that question that she had encountered the twins… “We can discuss this on our way to the Council meeting. Shall we?” With her eyebrow raised and eyes twinkling with amusement she signalled that they start heading towards the other Council members.

[Zara Nargal]

Zara had arrived just in time for the service. She stood at the back and when the Jedi ignited their sabers, the Dathomiri held her golden blade aloft as well. She could see her friend Skye standing alongside Jaina Jade Skywalker and once everyone began to move, she headed towards them. Her eyes widened as she got closer as she saw Darex Trevelian giving Skye a hug. She had thought he perished during the fight with Faust at the Memorial. She caught Skye’s eye, though when she spoke it was to Jaina since she had performed Master Kirlocca’s eulogy.

 

“I wish to extend sincerest sympathies with regards to Master Kirlocca on behalf of the Galactic Alliance Chief of State, Sabian Devanus as well as myself. Sabian is sorry that he couldn’t make it as he is tied up with the Senate on Coruscant. He wanted to be represented so asked if I would.” She paused a moment before continuing. “I am Zara Nargal of the Link. For a while I was Sabian’s apprentice though we didn’t get around to completing my training.” She stated this calmly as a fact, not as a slight against him, nor as a bid for more training. Currently she was still too busy with the Link and the KNM Resort to pursue it though maybe someday she might... She didn’t wish to hold them up any longer so offered a slight bow in respect to Jaina and Darex and a wink towards Skye before she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

[Frond]

Frond shuffled through the gatherings of Jedi, Wookiees, Imperials, and others who had come to pay their respects to the fallen Jedi Grand Master; his leafy appendages rustling with every movement. As he walked, he allowed the very Force presences of so many to wash over him, feeling each one's unique signature in The Force. Each a drop of water in the grand lake that was The Force. Nearly the same, differing on an indecipherable level making each one as unique as the stars that shimmered in hiding high above. Much of what he felt was the kindredness of the light, but here and there a smattering of darkness shone through a forgotten hole in the guises everyone sought to cover up their true selves with.

 

Jensaarai. Je'daii. H'Drachi. Sith. Palawa's Followers. Different all. All seeking yet. All tasted today. Edean.

 

Shuffling onwards, allowing his bare rooted feet to press into the soil and feel the nutrients with each step, Frond smiled. He was at peace, yet something, The Force, seemed to cry that it was not yet time for him to return Beyond Shadows.

 

Moving onwards through the crowds and clusters suddenly he felt it. Not as one would physically feel the wind against their face or the courseness of a Bantha's fur, but deeper, in his soul. For a brief moment, he felt a presence that seemed vaguely familiar to him. Pausing Frond allowed his mind to empty, thus allowing The Force to fill it entirely as he slowly turned his entire body looking. Footstep by footstep, he slowly rotated until at last he saw her. The familiar presence seemed to be coming from a young small woman with auburn hair with a white streak running down it.

 

Jedi?

 

Frond began methodically shuffling towards the woman who was being greeted by a black clad human female. Pausing nearby to allow the others to conclude any private business they may, Frond stood, staring at the female known as Xea-Lin Ardel. Similar. Force Signatures. Family? Jedi? But warrior? hardened. Must be. Connected.

 

_________________

 

Sensing a break in the conversation, the tall, thickly built tree-like being stepped forward, "Jedi. Stop please. Your brother? father? Great danger. Perhaps now.

Dying. The Force shown. Man masked. War. Weapons." he used his right hand to draw in the air a T shape akin to that of the Mandalorian visors. "Pain. Suffering. Anguish. Despair." Pointing his finger at Xae-Lin's chest, "Kindred spore. Him. Go. We.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

The dissolution of the service occurred faster than Jaina would have expected, but truly, it was a good omen that the Jedi moved quickly and were not sulking in morose mourning. Following the greeting from Zara Nargal of the Link, unnoticed by most as the scurry of movement began, she sank to a seat on the edge of the erected platform. Hanging her feet off the edge and surveying the crowd, the wearied chaos of the past several days dispelled in large part when her eyes fell on the source and cure of her worry in the distance. Before another word was spoken, she swiftly reached out through the Force to rumple the curls atop her daughter's head.

 

We'll talk later, missy. I'm glad you're here, she communicated blithely to the girl. No doubt there was a story as to how Tirzah had gotten thrown in with the esteemed Master Trevelian, but such a story could keep momentarily.

 

There was a queer whisper in the air, one Jaina could scarcely put a name to. Many strings, shatterpoints, even, were connected to this moment. It seemed as though she was watching them all unfold in the momentary quiet, as each connection was made, unfolding into the future with spiraling complexity. It was dizzying, euphoric, even, but she knew she could not follow the paths to their inevitable conclusion: such a task was for meditation, for quiet. Now was the time to present herself to the Order as much as it was to present the legacy of her fallen friend.

 

No sooner had the thought entered into her mind than a small voice beside her caught her attention, as a young towheaded Jedi stepped forward and introduced herself. Taken aback by the apparent age of the girl, Jaina smiled at her curiously. "Knight Sarna? Such a mantle of responsibility on one so young." Yet inwardly, a pang of wistful sadness enveloped her. She had been this girl's age when she walked the Grand Hall of the Jedi all those years ago, begging forgiveness at the feet of Adi-Wan Tinova. The renowned Master's response had set her down a path she could never have foreseen, and she was determined to be the leader she had needed at that age, a mentor like the one she had never had. Resting a hand on the girl's shoulder, she sighed.

 

"Forgive me. Mother's instinct. I look at everyone and see a child needing protection: entirely unfair to you. My daughter would remind me that it's exquisitely unfair to her, too," she smiled. Trying on her new title for size, she offered her name to the girl. "I am Master Jaina Jade Skywalker."

 

At that moment, Tirzah came darting through the crowd and up to her side, throwing her arms impulsively around her mother firmly enough to knock the wind briefly out of her diaphragm, startling Jaina utterly. This kind of authentic affection had not been exhibited by the girl except in moments of deep sorrow, and the waves of relief rolling off her daughter brought a slow creeping warmth to the corners of her heart. "Speaking of daughters, here she is now. Tirzah, this is Knight Sarna."

 

"Sandy?" Tirzah's pale eyes widened. "It's me, Tirzah! We met on Tython. You're a knight, now?"

 

A pair of chirps from her comlink broke her focus, and after glancing at the messages' contents, Jaina offered the blonde girl another smile, this one colored with inevitable regret. "Forgive me again. It looks as though I am being summoned to a meeting of the Council. Please, I'd like to make better acquaintance, if you'll be staying on the planet for a while. Perhaps you girls can chat until I come back."

 

With another sidelong squeeze of her daughter and a bowed nod to the young Knight, she slipped off the dais and let the weary smile drift off of her face.

 

As she shouldered her way through the crowd, the black-robed form of Misal Draygo caught her attention once more. Her slim fingers rested on the woman's arm for a moment, just enough to divert attention momentarily as she slipped her comm frequency into the Miraluka's palm. She said nothing, but the words that slipped into Misal's mind would be apparent. From mother to mother, I owe you one, the silent thanks emanating from her as she continued on toward her objective.

 

Nodding to the Imperial delegation as she passed the flanking troopers, she arrived just in time to eavesdrop on Xae-Lin's greeting. So, this was the leader of the Imperial Knights whose comm had prefaced her arrival. But she had another connection to make and interrupting seemed impertinent, besides which, Kirlocca's ethereal admonition had made such a likely conversation a high priority for Jaina. Stopping before the Imperial Head of State, she bowed in the Jedi fashion.

 

"Lady Zinthos, I am Master Jaina Skywalker," she said efficiently. "Thank you for coming. I believe it makes a statement of good faith to see the Imperial Remnant present in peace at such a gathering. I believe it to be imperative that we establish the terms of the relationship between the Jedi Order and the Remnant, and I ask for your patience with our fractured leadership as we endeavor to do so. While the Council has much to discuss that must remain private, I believe that it would be pertinent to you and your General of the Imperial Knights--" she gestured with a toss of her head toward the pair of Exorcists "--to speak with the entire Council, if you are willing."

 

With a nod of understanding and another parting bow, Jaina excused herself once more, meaning to make a beeline for Skye, but in her attempt to find her in the midst of the crowd that teemed with life, she spotted another familiar presence. The girl whose injuries had laid her out in the surgery onboard the Serenity had emerged, and was now talking with a pair of young children. Reaching out within the Force, she continued moving toward Skye, but not before leaving a whisper of thought behind her with the healed young woman. Pain of the body can be healed by time, but the pain of the spirit left untreated will fester and rot. Wait, stay near, and I can help you find your strength once more.

 

When she finally located Skye, it was with her arms wrapped joyously around the very real form of Darex Trevelian. "Here you are," she said with a note of relief to her voice. While Jaina's proclivity for connection with others generally reigned, in crowds such as this in the wake of a high pressure scenario left her desirous for solitude in a way she could not begin to put to words. The meditation chambers on board the Ferro Re would be a relief after all of this. Not to mention that the Council meeting itself left her with a note of foreboding in her gut, a sense she had learned to attribute to the leadings of the Force. While she would have liked to believe that she was at her leisure among the assembled mass, were she to acknowledge it, wariness still shrouded her like a shield in all the politicking of the event. "I take it you've been summoned as well," she added to Skye.

 

Glancing upward at the returned former Grandmaster, respect filled Jaina's eyes as she extended a hand to rest on his arm. Beside such a man, who himself had performed the duties of a martyr, she felt woefully underqualified to fill the shoes in which she now walked. "Master Trevelian, I won't claim to understand, but I'm relieved to see you. I am Jaina Jade Skywalker," she concluded, "Tirzah's mother."

 

The trio would proceed directly to the site of the Council meeting, a lofty corridor in Tree Kachirho that boasted a circular gathering room that overlooked the water, high above the grassland amphitheater.

 

((For the purposes of this event, posts for Jaina Jade Skywalker and Tirzah Jade Colos may or may not be combined to avoid alias confusion or excess thread clutter.))

[Aidan Darkfire]

The service was nothing short of awe inspiring. It filled him with hope and sadness at the same time. Sadness that he had lost his 'uncle', but hope for the future. Aidan wouldn't let the old Wookiee down. Kirlocca always wanted better for Aidan and Holden, and Aidan was determined to be better...to be above. The service broke up, and there were a whirlwind of faces, the constant that Aidan almost clung to was Sophia, as she likely clung to him, strangers in a foreign land that barely knew each other. Aidan did have some advantage, and a few of the faces seemed familiar. One, a teenaged girl who waved at him, he almost remembered the name for...Sandra? Sienna? He remembered interacting with her before, but that had been a long time ago, and she'd changed a lot. Of course...he had too. Sophia speaking to him broke him from his thoughts, bringing him soberingly back to the present.

 

"I think that your grandmother is around. I thought I saw her towards the back of the procession, though she looks like she hasn’t been doing well…"

 

And Aidan's heart sunk. He was still wearing Imperial garb. The old woman was going to kill him. And knowing her, she likely could rather effortlessly. "Let's..." He sighed. "Let's go say hi. If I don't, she's going to murder me. When we do, she's probably going to murder me." As Aidan made his way through the crowd, eventually spotting her and moving closer, his mind circled around questions like what was she doing here and would she recognize the newer Imperial insignia on his casual uniform. She was more perceptive than a tunneling electron microscope, and had always been able to read him like a book, so Aidan knew she'd likely figure out what he'd been doing before he'd even get a chance to tell her. And it was likely she would disagree. And it was likely she'd wollop him for it...but Aidan believed in what he was doing, that it was for the greater good, and that he would make a difference, and he was willing to stick to his guns. Finally, he approached her.

 

"H-Hi Gram. It's been a bit."

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy could feel the smile drip off her face like wet paint off duraloid as Jaina Jade Skywalker Colos greeted her with such a mention of her age. That most certainly did not bode well for her master’s application for her to be a knight. If a leading council member was so easily taken aback by her age, the rest of the order would likely follow. She could feel a red flush of embarrassment creep across her freckled cheeks and her eyes dropped momentarily to the ground. Before she swallowed the pride causing that feeling and nodded her head, the blonde lock that used to be her padawan braid falling down from her ponytail to hang in front of one pointed ear.

 

“It is not unfair Master Skywalker, it is still up to the council to decide, and if I need additional trials I will happily take them.”

 

At the sound of Tirzah’s voice Sandy grinned widely and knelt down to be at eye level with the young girl. “Of course I remember you! Its been far too long since we've chatted, would you like to go to the buffet with me and peruse the selections of desserts while your mum goes to the meeting?”

 

No kid could resist desserts, Sandy knew she certainly couldn’t. As they walked to the long tables piled high in Sheog like fashion with desserts she talked with the girl.

 

“So how have you been? Any grand adventures since last we met?”

 

As they walked, Sandy's head followed Aidan until he ran into more members of his family. Her heart twinged a little and that girlhood crush from all those years ago boiled up. He was an Imperial now, and the uniform made him striking. But he was far out of reach for now and he probably didn't even remember her. She blushed again and looked back at the table, selecting a slice of fyrfek pie from Concord Dawn she walked to an unpopulated table with Tirzah and sat down.

[Raven Nasra]

Raven bowed in return to the Jedi Master. She had a strong name and one with much storied history against the old Empire, and it did not surprise her in the slightest that the Jedi still had a Skywalker to lead them. “The pleasure would be all mine Master Skywalker, I am honoured to be called in front of the council, my General and I would be all too happy to attend.” She let the Jedi master walk away and turning to Kyrie she caught the young ladies eye and together they walked to the location of the Jedi Council meeting. Kyrie in her Forest green armour and cloak, Raven in her officer’s uniform that so distinctively marked her as an Imperial. The rank of supreme commander of the Remnant in its red cross above her service badges from Gala, Coruscant, Ziost, Carida, and the Death Star in its orange and black stripe.

 

They walked together in silent irony. The two most powerful members of the Imperial Remnant were young women, one barely out of her teens and the other still in them. The Moffs like Tarkin or Jerjerrod would be spinning in their graves. It reminded her of the condescension in the eyes of Starlisk during the Comm session nearly a decade prior in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Third Death Star. She mournfully reflected that he would not be here at this meeting. And even with their differences she kindly remembered him. A brave general until the last, dueling a great evil on top of a white tower like a knight of legend. Even after his sacrifice evil had not run into the shadows, instead if anything it had gotten stronger.

 

As they rounded the corner to the meeting site, Raven was hopeful that the Jedi Order would assist her in purging the evil that had struck down so many Jedi Grandmasters and brave knights over the centuries.

[Tobias Vos]

After Raven had responded to his message and was intercepted by another Jedi, Tobias thought it just best to get to the meeting site. Quietly slipping away, Vos took a moment to take in the room they were supposed to be in. Where he and what he bought to to the table so to speak. No, this wasn't how he needed to approach this. He watched the people below move and flow across one another. It was almost relaxing, if not for the sorrow undertone was down there. Being sad himself, but only slightly, he was also elated over his trip here. Drifting off a bit- he touched his hands to the rim of the window. Letting nature refurbish his mind, it was like a meditative state the natural setting they had come to. He wished to manipulate the atoms in front of him, like all the beings in the field. There was no need, he was tired and did not want to appear... off. And off he wasn't. Gripping the railing with enough pressure to make his knuckles white, he decided it wasn't in his best interest to grovel, no. He had earned his place here. This was a two way transit lane, to be sure. Or some other tricky metaphor or comparison.

 

He tried to identify each of them as they walked in- his eyes closed to focus on the Force. There was... A human male, human female- those two he didnt try to guess. They were embracing one another a moment ago- the spark it sent through the Force was a positive one. There was... Dashel, whom he had never met- but missed on Ossus by a few minutes. Then... Jaina, who- he was impressed- she had come a long way in a short amount of time, but it was seemingly appropriate. Good for her, he was glad she was here. Then there was Raven, and another Force Signature next to her- an Imperial Knight! Had to be. She was a powerful individual to be sure.

 

There was a twist to his lips that was a smile- at a private internal joke he had to incorporate into the meeting somehow. As they all came into the room, the calming techniques he learned years ago brought the Kiffar some peace- part of him still wanted an exit strategy. It was beyond time to use any sort of an exit strategy- he was bound to the Order now. They need him, he needed them. Silently he sighed- letting the breath brush through his now-bearded-face. As they all came into the room- he wanted to turn and put one hand in his evening jacket to check the pocket-chrono attached at a chain- puff out of an exotic pipe like a scholar would use- and tsk-tsk-tsk, then close the pocket watch and call out to the crowd- 'Greetings everyone, I suppose you're wondering why I've gathered you all here today. You see, years ago I......' he'd shrug, considering what he was about to jabber on a bit then continue on some crazy banter that would all make them laugh and ease the tension in the room...but this wasn't a holo drama. And now wasn't the time for Jokes. Instead, he waited for them to gather into corridor- conversation pausing when they saw a Force User waiting for them. A bronze Kiffar- the yellow bar across his face betrayed his heritage, just under two meters, bearded, short hair that was pulled back, dressed in Jedi Robes, a lightsaber hilt attached parallel to his belt at his back.

 

"I've been up here for a few minutes-" The tone was calm, and explanatory, as if telling a story or addressing a classroom full of younglings. "- just trying to commit this event to memory- but... all I see is the Force. How it brings us all together- different walks of life, across the galaxy. The Force surrounds us all- every living being- we are all different- but we all the same. We all suffer right now- Jedi and Remnant. At least in here- in Kachirho. But down there-" his eyes opened- their green iris betraying the slight movement across the crowd below. "-even more groups and individuals. All come to pay their respects to one Wookiee Jedi." A scoff- and a laugh. It was a sudden realization "By the Force, even after passing- he is still teaching lessons. How one giant walking fuzzball could affect so many people- uplift or help everyone he could." Tobias straightened, his gloved hands clasping one another behind his back. With one last look over everyone assembled below- "I hope I do right by him." Then turned his head to the other six people in the room.

 

With a bow, he introduced himself- "I've met- Jedi Skywalker, Head of State Raven, and you're... Master Dashel, Master Skye-" He was unsure of Jaina's rank, so he did not guess. Outside of that- he recognized Dashel and Skye from their portfolios. Then nodded to Darex then Kyrie- "I do not know either of you. I am Master Tobias Vos. It was obvious he was trying to be polite and get right down to business. He nodded to each of them as he called out their names. His body language was stoic, but only to a degree- he wanted to get down to business and underway. And out of this itchy robe and into comfortable clothes.

[Adenna Alluyen]

Kashyyyk was quite the interesting place. Adenna had not been here before and was fascinated at the living planet. She had always admired the forests, mostly due to not having ever actually been in one until finding the Jedi, but also because they were so full of life. She had even made her lightsaber out of lacquered wood because it was a symbol of nature and peace. Despite all of the other Jedi and even Imperials here, she found the trees themselves much more interesting.

 

There were quite a few people here, but they were clustered in little groups all over, catching up and mostly trying to keep up with the constant flow of new faces that they needed to catch up with. She knew a few of them, but mostly as old acquaintances that had faded away while she was away. After parting ways with Tobias and Sandy, she exchanged a few pleasantries with some of the Jedi she recognized from her time in various Temples or on the raid against the Sith Temple on Coruscant, but mostly she spent her time on the fringe where it wasn't too chaotic. She was not entirely comfortable around Imperials: maybe it had something to do with being shot by one on their final Death Star. It could also be because of the nervousness some of their offices were giving off for being so close to a bunch of Jedi.

 

There was a part of her that was connected to Tobias, so she focused a little on that. He was getting a little revved up, but so far, nothing threatening. She doubted that there would be anything more than disappointment and frustration on his part, no actual danger. The Jedi weren't like the Sith who turned on one another with violent hostility. The Jedi may disapprove and may oppose his intents, but she didn't fear for his safety. Instead, she was far more interested in how the other Jedi would receive Sandy. She didn't want to smother the young woman or appear a protector, but she did keep an eye on her from a distance while between chatting with various people.

 

There would undoubtedly come a time when someone would need to speak to her to figure out what to do with Sandy or how to deal with Tobias or even simply to debrief or reassign her. She had no actual purpose or plans right now other than to ensure Sandy's official ascension to Knighthood and to support Tobias wherever she could. If the Council had other ideas for her, she would deal with it as it came. Until then, she waited on standby for something or someone to need her attention.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

As Tirzah followed the older girl, pleased with herself for making friends at such a stoic event--and even more pleased to hear the mention of "dessert"--she exhaled heavily at the question posed to her.

 

"I think adventure is a little overrated," she said in a precocious tone. "Honestly, whenever someone says the word 'adventure' around my mom, someone gets hurt. And it's usually her."

 

She piled pastries onto her plate and continued. She hadn't expected to be so hungry, but her personal sense of propriety had not yet reached the threshold of withholding her from adding to her collection. "We've been all over. I got to meet a girl who helped heal my eyes, a bit. She wasn't a Jedi. I'm not really sure what she was."

 

It only then occurred to her that mentioning Raia at such a gathering was probably not in the girl's best interests, given who she now roamed the galaxy with. Tirzah had no doubt Raynuk Montar would take good care of her friend, but carrying around the knowledge of such a friendship in a gathering of Jedi--especially one populated by Imperials--seemed secrecy bordering on danger.

 

Letting her words trail off, she caught a brief flicker of anxious and excited energy. Sandy had obviously seen something that made her start, and Tirzah focused her strange Miraluka-style vision in the direction of the blonde teen's eyes. There, among the Imperial delegation, there stood a young man sharply dressed in an Imperial uniform. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him, except that his bearing was a bit melancholy, to be expected at a memorial service. Even so, she found herself mildly curious. Ignoring the older girl's standard question, she gestured with her chin at the young man as she finished loading up the pile of delicacies and grabbed for a cup of caf.

 

"Who is that?" she asked impertinently. "Someone you know? I didn't think the Imperials would care so much that Master Kirlocca died."

[Darex Trevelian]

Right before the ceremony had begun, Darex had noticed Misal Draygo. He quickly grinned. The old crone was a character, that was for sure. He was glad to see her here, although a little surprised. She tended to not get herself involved with the Order very often. But perhaps she was here in Armiena's stead. He caught the Miraluka's words, but the ceremony was starting, so he just shrugged and smiled. He'd make a point to talk with her afterwards.

 

---

 

As Skye returned his hug, she punched him in the arm and teased him about the twins. He chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that! Yeah, Darla and I thought they should call you Grandma." He gave a roguish grin. "After all, you make the best cookies of anyone I know, and I understand that's the basic requirement of being a grandma."

 

Walking side by side, they headed towards where the Council was gathering. As they did, another woman came up, the woman who had given Kirlocca's eulogy. "Master Skywalker," he replied, "it is my honor to meet you. Your daughter is very special. She is remarkably in tune with the will of the Force for one so young and with so little training. In fact, I'd like to speak with you about her..." He glanced around. Seeing that they were still a few minutes from arriving at the tree that was their destination, he turned back to Jaina. "I know the Force has just seen fit to return me to the galaxy, but I'm ready to serve the Jedi in whatever way the Order requires. And I sense that part of that may be to take your daughter as my padawan. I spoke with her about it, and she is interested. But you are her mother, and on the Council. I don't want to take her on if you're against it or have someone else in mind."

 

They finally arrived at the upper room in the tree where the Council had determined to meet. A fresh breeze blew through it, but it was high enough that the sounds of the Jedi and guests mingling below were muted. The Force felt fresh and clear. Several people were already there. Darex recognized most of them, though not all. There was one heavily-scarred young woman standing with the Imperial Head of State that he vaguely recognized...he believed she had been Dahar Raikanda's apprentice, or Damon's. Regardless, he was pretty sure her name was Eleison, and that she had a reputation for visions.

 

Darex also didn't know the well-built Kiffar who had already been in the room when they arrived. The man immediately began to speak, his words declaring him to be a man with a curious sense of humor and the Force. Darex greeted him with a traditional bow. "Master Vos, greetings. I'm Master Darex Trevelian." So this was the former Sith-turned-Council-member he had read about. "I'm pleased to finally meet you. I look forward to getting to know you better and hearing your story; last time I heard your name it was associated with the Sith. I'm sure the tale of your redemption does great credit to the Jedi Order."

 

Vos was clearly eager to get down to business, however, so Darex moved to stand near the wall. He was an outsider on this Council, and it wasn't his place to involve himself more than for the reason Dashel had invited him for, which, he assumed, was the story of his rebirth and the chance for Darex to rededicate himself to the Order in their presence. As the session began, he remained silent, thinking through how he was going to word his tale, his arms tucked into the sleeves of his white robes.

[Sandy Sarna]

It always amazed her that this girl was blind. She was an adorable little girl and luckily the force could be used to see so she was not without vision but it still seemed distantly strange. As Sandy munched away at the delicious slice of dessert she nodded to the girls statement, making sure that any crumbs fell onto a napkin and not onto the soft green tunic Sandy wore. “Adventure is overrated, dangerous, but ultimately fun I think. I don’t know much about your mom, but if she's getting into dangerous situations, sounds like she needs a strong Jedi Knight like you will grow up to be to protect her! Oh what kind of girl was it? I didn’t think anything could really heal that type of thing? Was she a Sith?”

 

She smiled softly and let her gaze drift back to the valiant imperial knight. Her heart skipped a beat at the girl's question and she laughed nervously. “He is Aidan Darkfire, by his uniform an imperial knight.” She bit her lower lip, letting her voice drop into conspiratorial tones. “Back when we were both younger on Gala I had quite the crush on him, and by the force and the flutter of my heart it looks like that has not gone away in the slightest.” She flushed embarrassedly again and answered the girls question. “When I visited the Head of State with Master Vos, it appeared that she was quite attached to the Jedi and the Grandmaster in particular…”