Corellia

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

On the leisurely, contemplative walk back toward Solaris, Tares' pace suddenly ceased in momentum, and Jaina paused, turning to face him. A shadow passed across her features. Although her casual expression remained unchanged, for a whisper of a moment the passage of the years was reflected on her otherwise ageless face.

 

"It's on my to-do list." Jaina offered a weak half-smile, and with a toss of her head, invited Tares to match her steady, almost reticent pace. "I haven't had the chance to. It wasn't the first thing I wanted her to hear when she came out of--whatever that was. Especially right after she'd committed to come look for him with me. I don't think I even told her his name..."

 

A chill that had nothing to do with the balmy evening of Coronet City sent a shiver through her body, and Jaina tugged her cloak more tightly around her body. "Part of me thinks that she can't miss what she's never known, but I know what she's missing. She favors me in her appearance, but there are so many bits of his personality that I can see in her already, so many ways that she's utterly unlike me. I'm afraid I won't be able to give her all that she needs."

 

Turning her chin to look up at Tares as they walked, Jaina reflected on his words. If this venture was an eventuality, they would be spending quite a bit of time together, the three of them. Tirzah deserved the full disclosure of their plans. She had already proved too perceptive for her own good. "You don't have to dance around the issue with her, just like I wouldn't want you to avoid it with me, either. I'll make time to tell her when we get back," she said quietly.

[Tares Vortex]

"I'm afraid I won't be able to give her all that she needs." Jaina said after describing the delicate issues she found herself facing after getting Tirzah back.

 

Tares thought he sensed a hint of concern behind the words and smile. He had never been a parent nor in a position to deal with such challenges. Even the padawans he had taught had been easy compared to this situation. Yet, he had been a similar position as Tirzah: losing parents, surviving on her own. Some days, Tares wondered how he had survived at all. Without Drake, he was sure he wouldn't have.

 

"I'll make time to tell her when we get back." She concluded right as they entered the perimeter of the Solaris Towers.

 

The towers were lit up against the night sky at this point. In some ways, it was easier to see every little detail of the structures than during the day. The lighting had been strategically designed and placed to highlight the features of the towers. Colors changed as volumes of light moved across the glass and metallic surface; it was a nightly display of performance art.

 

Tares decided to take the reminder of their walk to ponder his response. Jaina had said not to dance around the issue, but something inside him couldn't avoid the sensitivity of the issues she had discussed. Perhaps the sensitivity came more from his own experiences, but he felt the need to weigh his words.

 

Once they stopped at the base of the Ferro, Tares smiled, "If there is one thing I have learned, it's that children have a way of figuring out how to obtain what they need. It's usually a two way street between the parent and the child...."

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Paused at the bottom of the ramp, with the hush of city sounds around them, Jaina found herself suddenly hesitant to board the Ferro Re. To set foot on the boarding ramp would be akin to an announcement to her tremulous future--parenthood without Andon, the Jedi Order in its troubled state, this search-and-rescue mission into uncharted territory, and a fractured relationship with Emily, not to mention whatever was going on with this blood-bond she shared with Raynuk--I'm ready. It felt patently untrue, and so, she stalled instead, gaze wandering the landing pad, as though looking for something else to say. Moments of stillness between conflicts seemed to come too few and far between. Premonition of impeding danger or not, Jaina felt the need to hold onto this one.

 

Scintillating tesselations of light played on the spires of the Solaris Headquarters. She watched the changing colors and shapes as though transfixed, her mind tracing the path that had led Tares here. From an orphan who required a brother's protection, to a Jedi Master, leader of the Order in his own right, to the pain and disillusionment that had brought him to resume his brother's holdings, the tale he told appeared every bit as complex and wearying as her own.

 

Perhaps that was why she had spoken so quickly. He had assisted in her personal affairs, and now it was her turn to return the favor. But even that felt overly simplistic. She was barging into his life, and what was likely a carefully structured set of routines and systems, not to mention other relationships. Did he truly have no one else with whom he would trust the breadcrumbs of his brother's disappearance? Or was there a level of dissatisfaction with his life that compelled the search for adventure? Jedi crave not these things, she thought wryly, her memory ringing with the stricture that had been passed down to her when she was barely a Padawan.

 

Jedi ought not crave adventure, but it seemed to find them nonetheless, even when they'd rather not be Jedi.

 

Turning to study Tares once more, she suppressed the impertinent thought that rose in her mind--how is it that you're alone after all this time?--in favor of a more subtle question. "Besides Tirzah, is there anyone we need to share our travel plans with?"

[Tares Vortex]

"I'll notify the powers-that-be here of our departure." Tares replied, "They won't be happy that I've only returned for a short time, but something tells me that they'll be okay with a mission to find the founder of the company."

 

Tares thought over his list of priorities before their departure. Informing his people was actually low on that list. He needed to collect as much information about their next destination. He wasn't even sure what that destination was. Well, he knew, but he uncertain of what he hoped to accomplish there. It was highly unlikely that their search would be completed after one stop. It might conclude abruptly if the trail ran cold, but chances were the search would require more locations to investigate.

 

He also needed to get Jaina and Tirzah more settled in for the potentially long trip. The Ferro Re was the latest ship to roll off the Solaris assembly line. It was designed for deep space runs for luxury clients, which meant it offered unique amenities and capabilities not found on freighters or passenger transports. They would at least be able to travel in comfort.

 

"Feel free to make yourself at home." He said while planting a foot on the ramp to ascend into the ship, "There are enough staterooms for you and Tirzah to sprawl out."

 

Walking up, he quickly noticed the sound of his foot steps, alone, on the metal surface of the ramp. Everything else was silent. He stopped and turned around to find Jaina stalled at the bottom of the ramp. He turned around and descended the ramp once more.

 

"Is everything okay?" He asked....

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Jaina looked askance, answering the query with a shrug and a nervous laugh as he retraced his steps down the ramp to join her. Her instinct was to dismiss his question outright, but something in his concerned gaze gave her pause. Crystal eyes met her hazel ones, and she could not help but feel transparent, vulnerable before him, though she refused to be the first to break eye contact. If she brushed him off, it would set a precedent of pretense that she would feel pressure to maintain during their long and possibly dangerous journey. Alternatively, vitreosity was not something she came to naturally.

 

Aware that her silence was stretching out the moment to the point of awkwardness, Jaina’s mind whirled in indecision.

 

Maybe opting for something in the middle would be the best option until she figured herself out.

 

“I…” she began, her voice a hoarse whisper. She gave him an unsteady smile and swallowed. “It should be an easy choice to move on, right? Andon’s dead, Tirzah’s alive and on this ship, I have a future with her to look forward to. It’s just… I’m not afraid of the Unknown Regions, for any difficulty we might meet there. I know we’ll watch each other’s backs. But I am afraid of the unknown. It feels like leaving behind all of who I used to be. And I'm afraid that I won't find myself in that new future.

 

“It sounds stupid when I put it that way,” she finished, and only then did she look back to the towers.

[Tares Vortex]

At first, Tares thought he might have offered some offense with the question. Maybe he had indirectly made an assumption or questioned Jaina's competence?

 

The silence between his question and Jaina's reply was filled with a silent, subtle tension. He continued to consider all of his potential missteps until she finally broke the silence. As she described her concerns, Tares's thought process shifted from a hustled worry to one of recollection. Her words threw his memory into overdrive, back towards the days following his brother's disappearance; more specifically, back to the time he gave up his search.

 

The prospect of a future had been a foreign concept at first. Spending so much time consumed with preserving the status quo hadn't left much room to think about what came after. In many ways, moving on had seemed like an admittance of defeat.

 

"It's not stupid at all." He replied, placing himself down on the ramp, "In truth, you might not find yourself in that future, at least the person you were before. Look at me: Tares the Jedi Master didn't last that long in my new future. Tares the businessman... well, that's still a work in progress, but you get the point."

 

He still needed to change his business suit.

 

"It's only natural to fear the unknown. I can tell you it will all work out, just like others told me. However, until you experience that truth for yourself, you can only naturally feel this way...."

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Tares' pointed pause drew a genuine laugh from Jaina. She sat on the ramp beside him, two silhouettes darkened against the brilliant flashing lights, gathering her cloak across her knees like a blanket. "It's a good reminder, to be sure," she said, resting her chin on her folded arms. "I guess the question for me is whether Jaina the Conflicted Apprentice will mature into Jaina the Jedi Knight or if that's even compatible with Jaina the Committed Mother."

 

Jaina snorted in astonished relief, glancing over at him with a half-smile. Knowingly or not, Tares had led her into the answer she needed.

 

"I suppose all I can do for now is start with Tirzah, and hope the rest falls into place," she said contentedly.

 

In the dusky purples of the night sky, the lights of speeders and towering buildings broke the horizon line. There were any number of questions and musings bouncing around in her head, but Jaina bade them rest in favor of stillness. The Force swirled around them in a warm eddy, rich with light-laden energy that seemed to pick up her fears and carry them away like a feather on the breeze. Crippling doubts and worries about the future had eaten her up since her awakening on Hapes, and though they had not entirely abated in the space of a few hours' conversation with Tares, his lighthearted and grounding perspective imbued her with courage. Within the ship, Tirzah's presence indicated that she was beginning to stir. Jaina closed her eyes for the space of a few deep, meditative breaths.

 

Her comlink interrupted with a twitter, and she pulled it out of her pocket, expecting Tirzah on the other end. Instead, a miniature iteration of Master Kirlocca appeared in hologram. "Oh boy," she murmured, elbowing Tares gently to draw his attention to the message. "I think this means I have a call to make before we leave."

[Tares Vortex]

For the first time in a long time, Tares was surrounded by peace as the two sat on the shrouded ramp of the Re. The towers blocked out much of the light and noise pollution from the rest of the city. Nothing got through but a gentle breeze wrestling with the leaves of the garden. It was the kind of moment that reminded him that peace and quiet was still possible: no board meetings, no dangers. Just stillness.

 

A stillness punctuated by a gentle chime coming from Jaina's pocket. A blue glow began to pierce the darkness as she took the comlink out. Looking down, Tares saw the miniature, blue form of Master Kirlocca. Even though he had just briefly met the wookie Jedi, in reality, it had been quiet a while since he had seen Kirlocca; one of many Jedi he had left behind.

 

"I think this means I have a call to make before we leave." Jaina said.

 

Tares nodded and brought himself to his feet on the ramp, "Back to business then. Say 'hello' to Kirlocca for me. I'll be inside making some final arrangements before our departure."

 

Walking back into the ship was a transition from natural to artificial. The fresh, outside air reached all the way inside the cargo hold, but the ship's recycled air quickly began to dominate as Tares moved to his personal stateroom. Once inside, he could still see the shaded foliage from the central garden, but they were now on display for his viewing pleasure. The natural peace and stillness were gone.

 

Sitting down at his desk, Tares began the process of penning a message to the Solaris Board. The tact of explaining his latest departure came slowly to him. Eventually, however, he found the words needed to smooth over this drastic announcement. After he was finished and had sent the message, he then turned his attention to the next task: gather all the information he could about their potentially dangerous search....

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

With a smile bearing hints of regret at the passage of the peaceful moment, Jaina watched as Tares retreated into the hold of the Ferro Re. Reaching out reassuringly through the Force towards her daughter, Jaina took advantage of the fleeting solitude to reflect on the Wookiee's words as they had been roughly translated by her comlink's language systems. Don't feel a need to change the way you have been...

 

It was a sentiment utterly unlike anything the Order had ever expressed to her. In truth, the great majority of her resentment toward the fabled cadre of peacekeepers came from the way the previous leadership had washed their hands of Andon, a Jedi Master who had given the better part of his youth and energy to maintaining Jedi ideals. They had retained many friends still within the Order, but the official stance on Jaina and Andon's personal philosophies related to the Force was that they were no better than heretics. For someone as steeped within both traditions as Jaina, the Council's insistence on plausible deniability where it came to her only served to reiterate her excommunication. When her past had come back to haunt her in the person of Raynuk Montar, the silence in the face of her cry for help had come as a jury's sentence: you probably deserve this.

 

Jaina, too, had sacrificed some of her best years to the Jedi Order, and unlike Tares, did not yet feel enough detachment to leave it entirely behind. Was it as simple as a human's natural tendency towards longing for acceptance? Some hope that the Jedi might help her find her place in the galaxy once more? The premonition that seeking Knighthood would bring her daughter back to her had not been fruitless. Tirzah had sneaked along to Chandrila dressed in the robes of a Jedi Hopeful, and consciously or not, in retrospect, Jaina had received it as something of a portent. Maybe if her daughter could belong to the Jedi, she could too. But such a possibility had seemed out of reach, not least due to the fact that Jaina found herself incapable of withholding her opinions. To preach Jedi philosophy as though it were uncomplicated, as though lives did not hang in the balance, as though they could explain away the pain of the galaxy; the idea was unpalatable. In that sense, she and Tares were unquestionably agreed.

 

Would she be going backwards, rather than moving on, by a continued association with the Jedi Order? Perhaps. But that was the Order of a quarter-century prior. Her fear in a return to the Order was largely based in her desire to keep Tirzah close. What if the Council decided that it was too much of a risk for her to be a teacher to her own daughter? What if, in a year or so, Tirzah became apprenticed to a master whose care for her only extended to the degree of her usefulness to the Order? In becoming a full-fledged Jedi, Tirzah would receive a target painted on her back for the galaxy's underbelly to take aim. Any attempt at forcefully removing her daughter from her care, and Jaina's minute measure of trust for the Jedi would evaporate entirely.

 

Don't feel a need to change the way you have been, Kirlocca had said. Hope rekindled at the thought.

 

After recording a brief response and sending it along to the furred Master on Ossus, Jaina rose stiffly and abandoned the sweet breeze in favor of the warm interior of the Re. Tares was right in saying that there was, in fact, plenty of room. The door to the quarters where Tirzah had slept was still closed, so Jaina entered the room adjoining hers and deposited her bag on the plush bunk. Collecting the unnecessary hologram she had recorded, she depressed the door control with a gentle finger and entered as the door hissed open.

 

"Hey, kiddo," she began softly. "I brought you something to eat."

[Roene Givrah]

Thoughts of blissful meadows broke in Roene’s consciousness as he lay peacefully asleep. His mind roamed through countless euphoric states and a menagerie of different settings: forests, clearings, gardens, deserts, oceans. Beautiful adventures immersed his weary mind with the promise of grand conclusion.

 

He felt his spine tickle the bark beneath. He felt the perfect curvature of his body, cradled and protected from the woes of the world. But a rough thundering roused his fantasies.

 

HEY!!!

 

The Cerean broke from sleep by falling from a tree. He hit the ground with expedient measure and narrowly avoided smashing bones in his body by reinforcing his fall with the force. His robes were caught in the light mud of the Corellian grass that helped to break his fall, but they were still relatively clean by the time he straightened his posture and dusted himself off.

 

He took a moment to internally apologize to the grass and bowed in reverence to its idle service.

 

When he focused on the world around him, he found himself face to face with a uniformed CorSec officer and was almost blinded by the morning sun that broke through distant skyscrapers.

 

“My apologies. What… What is it I’ve done?” Roene asked. His face was a little worn. He was still shaking off the dregs of sleep from his body.

 

The uniformed officer scoffed and eyed the Jedi with haughty disdain. “You were sleeping in a park, sir. Why did you think that was okay? Have Jedi fallen so low these days that they must resort to sleeping in trees?”

 

Roene smiled a little, noticing the attempt at sarcastic, biting humor. But his expression faded when he remembered the mission that currently haunted his steps. “No. I enjoy the company of nature more than other beings. My back is terrible on a bed. And I cannot afford lodgings. So, I make do.” Roene said with a patient tone and level headed expression.

 

The uniformed officer scoffed again. “Well you can’t sleep in a public park. If you want to sleep in ‘nature’ go sleep outside the city limits.”

 

Roene supposed that was fair. He had been far from society for quite some time. It wasn’t fair to assume that others should adjust to his needs. It was kind to respect the needs of others. Roene understood that. It might be difficult at times, but you needed to regard all facets of a situation before action. But sometimes, like last night, there aren’t many opportunities for consideration. He shook his head with a sigh and bowed deeply to the official before leaning deeper to pet Tyue. The small garral had just woken up and was yawning to the bright sun that poked its way through the early morning horizon.

 

The light was warm on Roene’s cheek and he stood, accepting tingling sensations as they cascaded through his body. It was going to be a nice day. Maybe.

 

A small chirp interrupted the silence and Roene instinctively reached for the comm device at his belt. “Oh, Kirlocca,” Roene said with a soft smile. “My apologies miss, I need to run.”

 

With a thought, he was off.

 

His robes billowed behind him and the Cerean shot from the park with a swift gust of wind. The force was with his legs; the force was with his feet; the force was with the wind and he was a flesh colored blur that whizzed through the busy Coronet streets and out into the fields that surrounded the planet’s glittering capital.

 

When he was sure that prying eyes would not see his transmission, Roene did what he could to encrypt his comm and consensually sat upon the grass to formulate his answer.

[JJK]

Joelle continued to think back to that day, when she had later stopped by Dr. Paladin's office…

 

After they'd exchanged pleasantries, the professor had given her a warning very similar to the thoughts that had passed through her own mind after class: "You are an intelligent young woman, so you may have already made this connection yourself, but I wanted to make sure you realized that the story you shared in class today was more unusual than you may have previously known. While I am very glad you were able to protect your brother those years ago, I would suggest that you keep that story to yourself moving forward. Beings are often afraid of things and others that are 'different,' especially when it comes to their abilities."

 

"Thank you, professor," was Joelle's reply. "As you somewhat expected, I had already realized that it may would be wise not to share my story publically in the future."

 

"I'm very glad to hear that. Especially considering the current feelings in the galaxy related to Force-users, it's not safe to give others a reason to think of you too closely connected to such individuals."

 

"Oh my! I have to admit the amount of danger had not fully registered. Had I been thinking about that during class, I probably wouldn't have shared my story even there! In that case, I want to thank you very much for taking the attention off me!"

 

"You are quite welcome, Ms. K'smet. I care very much for my students, and would hate to see one with such potential as yourself end up in the amount of trouble that type of slip could bring about. For now, have a good day. I will see you at our next class."

 

"Yes, professor. Have a good day." Joelle left the office feeling safer yet in greater danger all at once…

 

That evening, she had discussed the whole experience with her parents, whom had known about her intuition, and the events from which it had protected members of the K'smet family, for almost as long as Joelle had herself. They agreed with Dr. Paladin, and also apologized to Joelle. "I am so sorry, sweetheart," her mother said regretfully, "that we didn't think to warn you, especially with that class in your schedule!"

 

"Yes," her father agreed, "we probably should have had this discussion a bit earlier, but I hate discussing how the galaxy has turned against both the Sith and Jedi. It's a good thing your professor does care enough to protect her students in situations like this one."

 

----------

 

Through the next four years, between advising and the number of classes Joelle took with Dr. Paladin, she became close with the professor. She also came to be fairly certain Dr. Paladin was sympathetic to Force-sensitive beings, though neither of them brought the topic up directly. There were just things the professor said during their one-on-one discussions that didn't fit with the common mindset that all Force-users were a danger to the galaxy.

 

Then, a couple of days before graduation, Dr. Paladin had asked Joelle to stop by her office. In and of itself, this was by no means unusual. The conversation that ensued, though, most assuredly was…

 

"Joelle, do you remember our first conversation here and what prompted it?" Dr. Paladin asked.

 

This was not exactly a question Joelle had been expecting. However, that conversation was called to mind each time her intuition flared, along with the included warnings that reminded her she had to be careful how she reacted publically. "Yes," she replied cautiously.

 

"Good. At that time, we didn't yet have much of a relationship or trust built, so I didn't share all of my thoughts with you during the conversation. Now, though, we have gotten to a point where I believe we can safely be open with one another. Therefore, I'm going to share something with you, which requires me to place quite a bit of trust in you. Then I'm going to ask you a question, which could potentially require you to trust me quite a bit as well.

 

"First," Dr. Paladin continued, "I disagree with the way Force-users have begun to be treated. I believe the Jedi still deserve our respect, and that it's important that those with Force-sensitivity be trained to use their gifts in positive ways. Moving on to my question for you: Was the time you saved your brother when he fell out of the tree the only time you experienced that type of strong intuition?"

 

With the information Dr. Paladin had shared, combined with the fact the very intuition being discussed was almost seeming to push her toward telling the professor, (A slightly odd experience for her, as there wasn't also a feeling of danger in not sharing the information.) Joelle saw no reason not to be honest. "No, there have been a number of other times I have experienced strong urges to do something, accompanied by a sense of danger. Each time, doing those things has saved either me or someone close to me from being seriously harmed, or potentially even killed."

 

"I thought that might be the case," Dr. Paladin nodded. "Though the other types of intuition I mentioned in that class do indeed exist, it's rather uncommon for someone to have an experience like the one you described as a solitary incident. It's also rather uncommon for people who have that strong sense of intuition to not be Force-sensitive. That's part of why I gave you the warning not to share your story. Have you ever considered that you could be?"

 

"Be what? Force-sensitive?!" Joelle was incredulous. "No way…"

 

"I think you should seriously consider the possibility. In fact, if I were you, I would look into getting tested by the Jedi and being trained. As I said before, I believe that training is important. Also, the potential I saw in you as a freshman has only grown as you have studied here. Much of the Jedi training is mental, so, if you are Force-sensitive, I have no doubt you would excel."

 

----------

((Present Day))

 

Joelle hadn't put much thought into that conversation since it happened years ago. True, each time she'd had that DANGER sense, the concept had flashed through her mind, but she'd always brushed it off. After today, though, that wasn't being quite so easy. The possibility of having a Force connection kept circling. I think I need to go to the Jedi and find out for sure. Last I heard they were on Lehon, but that was months ago…. I'd rather check before I start arranging transport. With that in mind, Joelle pulled up the Holonet and did a quick search. Hmmmm. Good thing I did. It looks as though the Jedi Temple on Lehon has gone mostly inactive. But here are a few recent mentions of Master Kirlocca being seen on Ossus! Maybe I could get there before he leaves. She threw her datapad with the removable chip and some other necessities into a pack and headed toward the spaceport.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Tirzah had been so exhausted after her ordeal trapped in Raia’s vision that she’d remained asleep until the smell of the burgers and her mother’s presence woke her. Mostly it was the burgers. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she sat up and gasped as she actually saw her mother enter the room. It was the same suprasensory vision she’d had in the vision and had been more than a little fearful that it would be left behind as the dream faded. “Mom….I...I can see you…”

 

Tears were beginning to form at the edges of her eyes as she flung her arms around her mother happy that the nightmare had been just that and that Jaina was real. “It’s real...right?” she asked, suddenly afraid. “It’s not another dream, is it?” The food smelled real enough and her stomach grumbled.

 

Reflexively, Jaina’s arms encircled the girl, setting down the bag containing the food just quickly enough to avoid dropping it as the blur of Tirzah came flying at her. Her breath vanished from her lungs like the oxygen out of an airlock, her face freezing in surprise and overwhelmed emotion. It was the first time Tirzah had ever called her by her title to her face, and Jaina almost couldn’t bear the sweetness of how it felt ringing in her ears.

 

“It’s real,” she said, a catch in her throat. As she stroked the girl’s curls, slightly damp where they had been pressed between her head and the pillow, Jaina kissed Tirzah’s forehead and leaned back far enough that she could meet her daughter’s eyes. With a casual tone that did not adequately portray the mix of feelings that rushed at her with Tirzah’s greeting, she continued, “and I know you’re probably hungry. Master Tares found a particularly good spot.”

 

Taking Tirzah’s hand in one of hers and grabbing the bag of food with the other, she led the girl out into the corridor and into the main galley and lounge, where they situated themselves around the table. Handing the bag across to Tirzah, she leaned on the table with her elbows, studying her daughter’s condition. “Are you okay?” she murmured quietly, thinking back through the girl’s ordeal on Raxus that had culminated in the strange vision.

 

Hurriedly shoveling food into her mouth so fast Jaina wasn’t sure if the girl even was tasting it, Tirzah paused just long enough to swallow and answer, “I think so? It’s still kind of fuzzy weird. Is the other girl okay? Raia? The Sith weren’t mad at her, were they? We didn’t do it on purpose...it just kind of happened when I touched her.”

 

Jaina smiled. Tirzah’s first thought was for the other girl. Her selflessness was becoming. “She’s fine,” Jaina reassured. “A little shaken up, a little emotional, but none the worse for wear, I think. You’re both more powerful than you know, and together without a grounding influence it seems like you got yourselves in a little too deep.”

 

“Why did the other woman get so mad?” Tirzah asked, having utterly demolished the full-sized meal in a matter of minutes. “She was nicer in the dream.”

 

Jaina stood momentarily to clear the table, thinking retrospectively that she had underestimated the size and strength of Tirzah’s appetite. She spun through all the strange beings she had seen while occupying Tirzah and Raia’s shared dream, trying to land on which one she was talking about, when the memory of Emily’s flushed face, searing with anger, sprang to mind. In the sweet quiet of her evening in Coronet City, she had nearly forgotten that Emily’s rage was what had sent her so quickly away. Raynuk’s pain was present to her awareness: Emily’s was not.

 

She stopped in front of the miniature trash compactor in the galley, her back to Tirzah, when she finally spoke. “That woman… her name is Emily. She and I have a lot--maybe too much--in common, and that’s… well, it’s generated some friction.” She swallowed, before opting for full disclosure in the light of how her last half-truth had affected Tirzah, and turned to meet her daughter’s eyes once more. “She’s also your cousin.”

 

Despite being able to “see”, Tirzah’s gaze still seemed to look right through her mother for several long moments. “My cousin...is a Sith. Raia wasn’t Jedi either, was she...and the man...Raynuk, Raia called him, he was Sith?” It was obvious that there was a minor battle being waged within her young mind as she tried to reconcile everything she’d been taught about the Sith and their evils with the handful she’d just met. Emily’s volatile reaction echoed in Tirzah’s mind, more on par with the Dark King and Queen of her nightmare than Raia and Raynuk had been. “You said something a few days ago...about the Dark Lord not believing in safety...you knew the Dark Lord of the Sith?” The girl looked up in baffled horror, wide-eyed and confused. “Master Ardel! You left her back there! Why didn’t you bring her with us?”

 

“Don’t worry, she stayed behind to look after Raia,” Jaina assured as she hastily rejoined Tirzah at the table. “I promise you, Master Ardel is more than capable of taking care of herself.” The girl brimmed with more questions than Jaina could keep up with. In some respect, the questions were painful reminders of things she might have known already had her childhood occurred in the care of her parents. She sighed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that Tirzah ought to know about her family, history that was her birthright.

 

With steady eyes, she gazed at Tirzah, the hint of a wistful smile tugging at the corner of her cheek. It was purely for Tirzah’s benefit: the memories behind it were nothing remotely cheerful. “I’ve known several Dark Lords, in their time,” she began. “Tirzah, things in the galaxy--the Force, light and dark--none of it is as cut and dried as Jedi philosophy might like it to be. People are not just their titles. Your cousin, Emily, is more or less a Sith Master. I’d still trust her with my life.”

 

Jaina’s eyes watered with her last sentence, remorse for the abrupt and jarring departure they had taken of one another’s company. Just as she had been absent for her own daughter’s childhood, she had missed all the formative years of Emily’s life, and there were so many stories they had left to trade, so much life left to be lived together and shared. But there was only a dim hope in her mind that the possibility had not been lost permanently. “Your father and I had varied and difficult views on the Force, and they didn’t sit well with many of the more traditional Jedi. A lot of mine came from a time that I was apprenticed to the Dark Lord of the Sith. His came from a deep attachment to a friend who was a Sith, an experience much like the one you and Raia shared, where the Force showed them that they were not so different after all.”

 

Tirzah grew quiet as she considered what her mother was telling her. In some ways, it wasn’t so different from what Master Tares had told her while en-route to Raxus. She admitted as much, then added, “Do you think we’ll find him? Dad, I mean. I don’t even know his name…”

 

Her face contorting with a rush of sudden pain, Jaina turned her chin away from her daughter as the welling tears spilled over. She was silent for a moment, bracing against the fracture of her heart as the glass was shattered within. The moment she had told Tares she was dreading had now come. Hollow red eyes met semi-translucent ones as the loss collided with Jaina, full-force. Up until now, she’d been able to talk about it fairly dispassionately. Andon was gone, and that was that; no use belaboring the point.

 

But in Tirzah’s yearning eyes that searched for reassurance, Jaina had none to give. She took the girl’s cold hands in hers and studied them to the point of scrutiny as she choked out a reply. “His name was Andon Colos. He was a Jedi Master, but more than that, he was… kind, smart, dedicated, insightful, and always had the perfect thing to say for any moment.”

 

She found herself wishing for that ability as she searched for the words that simply would not come. “I loved him with more fire than the galaxy should be able to bear,” she whispered as she squeezed Tirzah’s hands gently. “And he’s… he’s gone. I found a message, when… when we were on Raxus Prime…” Coherent speech was failing her. The shards of glass that made up her heart ground into fine dust. “He’s gone,” she repeated, as though endeavoring to convince herself.

 

Tirzah was silent for several long minutes as she processed what Jaina was telling her. Colos...Tirzah Colos. That’s who she was. She felt more whole now though she hadn’t known that piece of herself was missing.

 

Then a flash of the situation’s malfeasance overtook her and she pushed her chair back and flopped onto one of the plush cushions in the lounge. “It’s not fair!” she angrily cried, having held onto the naive belief that she was due some “fairness” from the galaxy and the Force. Maybe she’d used it all up finding her mother and being rescued. It didn’t matter. She’d never know her father and she’d have to make peace with that fact.

 

Jaina moved to comfort her daughter only to be met with resistance as the girl physically pushed her away. “I’m not a baby and it’s not the first time I’ve been disappointed,” the girl angrily spat back before going back down the corridor and into the bunk room she’d emerged from not even a half hour before. Somehow the quiet whisper of the door sliding into place was wholly unsatisfying.

[Roene Givrah]

Roene’s mind stirred. He felt the brush of the long Corellian grass touch his bare skin. The soles of his feet, bald to the elements, touched the warm sediment beneath him and rooted his presence into the planet’s crust. He looked out past the farthest tree and saw bagersets passing in the distance. Durnis hopped along the ground just beneath them and scurried to find shelter. Their advance was distressed; worried. It was a curious thing. Animals were worried about many things. They could sometimes understand more than sentients about the world around them.

 

Roene’s thoughts reached out to them. He let his heart open. His consciousness whispered to them.

 

What ails you? Why do you run?

 

• Roene’s vision was clouded. Billowy forms of gray gathered and blanketed his perception. He watched as they became darker. They shifted until they were an almost black color. Rumbling echoed in his ears and arcs of purple struck through the gray: piercing and unforgivable. He could smell petrichor and burning wood.
  
  

When the vision ended, he was left staring out toward the Durni’s. The morning sun was still rising. And the warmth of its light hit his cheek once more. Clouds hung quiet in the sky. But they slowly gathered, forming a sheet of purple-gray on the horizon. His face turned back to Coronet, his expression stolid. What is it Meina’ma? Why do I have this sinking feeling in my stomach?

 

Roene reached out to Tyue, finding that a sense of loss greeted his offered hands. He waned. His focus was tented by the emotion in Tyue’s aura. But, with the subtle touch of Roene’s hand on his head, the feelings of loss were diminished. The Garral perked up and smiled. He started to follow his master out of the city, but stopped when Roene put up a spectral hand. He mentally intoned for Tyue to proceed to the medical building and wait for him there. He didn’t like leaving the Garral to his own devices in the middle of a city, but it was necessary at times. He knew Tyue was intelligent enough to navigate and protect himself from the hostilities of sentient aggression. At first, Tyue was resistant. He tried to push past and come after Roene, but Roene’s patient hand guided him forward. Tyue whuffed impatiently, but resigned to his suggestion.

 

If that was the most struggle he had to deal with today, Roene was lucky. But the Cerean highly doubted it. Something stirred deep in his mind. It was troubling.

 

With little else to worry him, Roene primed the muscles in his legs once more and flew back into the city. The force leapt to his limbs and pushed him forward with amazing speed. He darted to and fro, using his senses to navigate and evade the traffic of the early risers and was just about to pass by the star port, when a sudden feeling hit him. The force called out to him and he stopped.

 

However, following the laws of physics – of which Roene was keenly aware – the motion that propelled him was not so easily quashed. The Cerean stumbled and spun out in the air, eventually bumping into a woman who was approaching the main entrance to the star port.

 

Both went down in a jumble and spread their things out upon the ground. Doodads and knick knacks went flying, and in the chaos, Roene’s lightsaber dislodged from its place at his belt. The familiar hide of his saber lost to the confusion, Roene’s concentration was sufficiently sobered and the clarity allowed him to focus. He imagined a large net surrounding the cloud of falling limbs and projected the telekinetic weave around them to shield them from the steel impact.

 

It was still rough, but it was considerably less so, given the speed at which he was running. It was negligent that he would do as much and not think of the consequences of his actions. He HAD been out of society too long. Thinking that force running through busy streets like that was conducive to the future of his or other people’s health, was counter-intuitive. He needed to be more careful.

 

He brushed himself off as he got to his feet and bowed apologetically to the woman. He offered her a hand to help her up and greeted her with solemn concern.

 

“My deepest apologies miss. I must remember to look where I am going and consider my actions carefully before engaging in such reckless activities. Are you okay?” Roene said. His voice was soft. He could feel some of his muscles throbbing from the contortion, but he was more curious of her condition.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Kneeling on the floor in the center of the crew lounge, Jaina's extended hand closed around thin air as Tirzah sloughed her grip and disappeared back to her room following her angry outburst. Words had failed her only a moment before, and actions failed her now: Jaina did not know whether to go after the girl, and offer comfort that she herself did not feel, or to give Tirzah her space and reinforce her history of absenteeism. Some part of her knew it was only natural for Tirzah to be angry. After all, it was just another dashed hope. She had no memories of Andon to take solace in, no sweet goodbye among the ghosts of her past like the one Jaina had received. But her glass-dust heart mourned for the affection that would never grow reciprocally for the man whose heart had yearned for a daughter.

 

Tears did not adequately convey the depth of her grief, so Jaina didn't bother with them. She had not even found time to communicate the possibility of accompanying Tares in his search for his brother, and in retrospect, such an announcement would likely be less than welcomed after Jaina's news. Wearily, she stood to her feet and wandered almost automatically down the corridor. Standing in the doorway of Tirzah's room, she let her fingers linger over the door control, but decided against entry, and instead, plunged herself into the Force. Waves of anger and confusion rolled off of her daughter's presence. But deeper below the raging river, at the genesis of the outward display of Tirzah's vitriol, lay a carefully guarded gem of icy sadness, of lonesomeness that decried her worth. Years upon years of rejection and neglect had built a wall around the fledgling Jedi's soul wound.

 

Jaina reached toward the girl's pain, not to permeate it, nor to cover it, but offering the quiet warmth of her own presence. In peaceful understanding, wordless sentiment rolled from mother to daughter. Mutual grief united them. Perhaps a rocky beginning for their little family, but a beginning nonetheless. Tirzah would have time to learn about her father, when she was ready, and in the meantime Jaina would leave space for her feelings, however they chose to manifest. None of this is fair, she whispered subvocally to her daughter, for either of us. If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to. But I'm here if you do.

 

Turning to resume her course down the corridor, her feet plodded until she found herself once again seated in the cockpit, staring dully out the viewscreen, registering registering distantly that Tares was elsewhere on the ship. That went well, Jaina thought sarcastically to herself. Her grief could not, must not cripple her. Andon was gone, and Tirzah was here. As Andon had charged her, she would stay present for their daughter, even at the cost of her own mourning.

[Tares Vortex]

Tares sat at the desk in his statement, staring at the terminal screen in front of him. The screen displayed a map of the known galaxy, marked with their position in relation to surrounding systems. Overlays of information snippets and read outs crowded the map. The total screen content represented all the details Tares had to go on. A serial number, a service report, and the possibility of a starting point. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

 

The Solaris techs that had worked on the comm array had conducted a standard search on the serial number for releasing the part for reinstallation. Included in their service report, the search contained a history of repair and service matches. Many of these matches came from Drake's time, around the beginning of the part's life. Other reports were most recent. The trick was to find a match that seemed to serve as a halfway mark between Drake's possession and the part's reintroduction to open record.

 

Corellia, Coruscant, Naboo, The Gateway: the comm array had been serviced at many of the typical ports of call in its history. The last record before Drake's disappearance came right from Solaris HQ in Coronet City. The latest record came from an outpost on Tatooine.

 

After a while, Tares sat back in pause. The search was tedious. The comm array seemed to have changed hands often after Drake's disappearance. It should have been a simple matter of tracing these exchanges back to a point of origin, but many of the records were incomplete; a typical issue with backwater planet service providers.

 

Finally, after resuming his search, one particular entry stood out. A partial restoration of the comm array's uplink interface and firmware. Normally, this wouldn't really be out of the ordinary. However, the report's location stuck out: Altyr V.

 

The database indicated that it was a planet located near the Unknown Regions. A small orbital outpost had conducted the servicing. It wasn't much to go on, but it was something.

 

Tares saved the entry and logged off the computer. Slowly, he rose up from his and approached the door to his statement. As the door opened, an aggressive echo rang through the hallway.

 

"...and it’s not the first time I’ve been disappointed." It sounded like Tirzah's voice.

 

Tares followed the direction of the sound and came to the crew's mess. The room was empty, but the sound of footsteps quickly took his attention away. Walking down the hallway, he finally turned the corner to see Jaina walking away.

 

"Jaina," He said gently, "Is everything okay?"

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Soft footsteps down the corridor announced Tares before he entered the cockpit, and his gentle query was enough to break Jaina's intense study of the unblemished console before her. Chin in her hand, she smiled weakly up at him. "For your sake, I hope that isn't the defining question of our trip," she ribbed self-deprecatingly.

 

Leaning back into the chair and spinning it to face him, the truth of her answer bled into her sigh before the words even came. "I told her. About Andon," she said without preamble. "It didn't go well. I didn't really expect it to, but one can always hope."

 

She stared into the far side of the cockpit with unfocused eyes as her mind whirred within. No solutions sprang to mind, nothing would make this any easier but time. Time, and distraction. Perhaps, rather than a reminder of what she had lost, joining Tares' search would serve as a reminder to Tirzah that adventure and possibility still existed in the galaxy. She shook her head as though shaking off the nagging thoughts and looked back up at Tares.

 

"I figure in the morning we might make a couple stops through the city before we leave the system. Taking Tirzah along in Jedi garb doesn't seem like the best idea, and all my other clothes were on the Hope. Not to mention that your poor suit might need to be at the cleaners for the next ten years," she said evenly, the hint of a smile ghosted on her features. "Did you find anything? A place to start?"

[Tares Vortex]

"I'm sorry to hear that." Tares replied as he crossed the threshold of the bridge and took a seat. "It's never easy to hear news like that, much less accept it. Time will no doubt help."

 

In many ways, that was the truth. Time for the initial shock of any major news to wear off was often required to move on. Still, Tares knew deep down that some parts of that shock and the resulting pain would remain, regardless of the time that passed. The news Jaina had expressed to Tirzah was the kind that would leave a mark, especially on a young mind like hers. It was defining, potentially life changing. No one would know what kind of mark would be left until enough time had passed.

 

Jaina moved on with smaller details. Shopping in the morning sounded like a great plan. Jaina was right: Tares needed a change of cloths himself, something less formal and more agreeable to intense physical activity. It would also give them the opportunity to enjoy natural daylight for once. Corellia was obviously different from Raxus Prime, but Tares hadn't realized just how much he had taken Coronet's relatively clean air for granted.

 

"Did you find anything? A place to start?" Jaina asked.

 

Tares brought his thoughts back to his research, "Yes, well, I think so. I found a log in the comm array's service record that came from Altyr V. The planet is somewhat close to the Unknown Regions, and the record was one of the first made after my brother's disappearance. It's really the best starting point I could find, but it may not be much."

 

That statement also contained mostly truth. Tares withheld the slight line of doubt he kept at the forefront of his mind and focused mainly on the facts he had gathered.

 

"What do you think?" He asked semi-rhetorically, "Do you think this search is futile?"

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Altyr V? Whizzing through the annals of memory, Jaina attempted to recall any shred of evidence she may have picked up along her travels concerning an Altyr system, but nothing came to mind. While she had visited several destinations on multiple occasions along the Outer Rim, no task had ever taken her as far as the Unknown Regions or its outlying systems. Adventure for adventure's sake had never been one of her tendencies, and it seemed to her that there was enough injustice to rectify in the known galaxy that looking to discover what lay beyond bordered on irresponsible.

 

But when it came to family, such things must be shelved. Family was worth braving the unknown.

 

"What do you think?" Tares' voice redirected her train of thought. "Do you think this search is futile?"

 

Considering eyes searched Tares' face as she processed the weight behind his question. His jovial manner flickered, and beneath it she caught a glimpse of the pain and indecision he had alluded to in their previous conversation. What must it be like, to reopen such a wound after years of moving on with life? To have hope rekindled, but know in the back of your mind that at any moment it could be dashed to bits? Her face softened as she studied his expression. At some level, he did not want an answer. Hope dictated that the search must be mounted at all costs. But realism demanded that caution be taken. Whether or not he himself was aware of it, Jaina could see the wall of safety constructed of necessity around his heart and expectations. Such walls usually came with unintended side effects, however. One of them, in her experience, was the continual disallowance of closeness of any kind.

 

"Tares, i don't think the real question concerns the futility of our search," she answered finally, her voice quiet and her manner calm. "It very well may be a wild bantha chase. In fact, I'd say it's likely. The greater concern is whether you're prepared for either outcome. If you find your brother, it'll be a great homecoming celebration. But what if it leads us to another dead-end? Is it worth opening your heart to that kind of damage?"

 

The old adage about "love lost" drifted through her mind at the conclusion of her depiction of his current quandary. Hearts seemed to be either breakable or utterly impenetrable, there was no in-between. Leaning forward in her seat, Jaina rested her hand gently on Tares' forearm, her gaze sympathetic.

 

"Only you can decide. I'm coming on this search with you, and we'll make the best of it, whatever it turns out to be." Her eyes shifted to the floor, a wistful look painted across her face. "And maybe, hopefully, we'll all find some measure of peace."

[Tares Vortex]

The prospect of differing outcomes hadn't struck Tares until Jaina had reframed the issue. Logically, this search was no different than his previous attempts. This time, however, he didn't have the natural hope of a positive outcome. The status quo, his status quo, had changed. Life without his brother had become the new normal. Even the pain had receded, at least most days.

 

"I'll have no choice but to accept either outcome." He replied, "If there is one thing I learned from all this before, it's that life moves on. One way or an other, this is one ride that we can't stop."

 

Tares removed himself from his chair in silence. Jaina's final statement, finding a measure of peace, had been another elusive thought. In many ways, he had found that measure of peace. If anything, this very search could be the thing government disrupt that peace.

 

He could only imagine the type of peace Jaina might be searching for. This was one area where their paths diverged. She stood at a point where the future seemed uncertain after loss; he was living in that future after loss. Peace was relative, but often felt the same.

 

"I guess it never hurts to try." He replied. "Maybe as the Jedi teach, finding that peace needs to start internally. Anything I can do to help with Tirzah?"

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

In his response, the dawning realization came to Jaina: Tares had never really expected that this search would lead to anything. Maybe that was the reason for the lack of an urge to seek out his missing brother: it was a mission not born out of hope, but a stifling sense of duty. The clue of the communications array was only a distraction, a formality which invited investigation simply because no clues like it had ever come. Jaina had superimposed her own hope onto the situation. Her offer of help could very well have been the nail in the coffin of an undesirable task, not a final piece of encouragement to solving a troublesome puzzle.

 

In classic Jaina fashion, she had put her stake in a situation that she did not fully understand.

 

But then, if the search was fruitless, at least they would have the comfort of one another's friendship to lean on in finding that measure of peace. Hopefully her exhortation to mount the search was not placing undue pressure on him, or serving to alienate them from each other.

 

"I welcome any insight you might have to give," she said, rising to mirror his action and sauntering towards the rear of the cockpit. "If you find the opportunity, maybe asking into how she is feeling about all this. I think I've already stumbled upon one truth of motherhood: she probably wants to talk to you more than she wants to talk to me."

 

As they reached the door of the cockpit, Jaina's halting steps slowed to a stop, and she studied his expression silently. "Goodnight, Tares," sounded the words that almost did not want to come, and then she made her way down the corridor to the room adjoining Tirzah's, disappearing as the door slid shut behind her.

 

---

 

The next morning came all too early, and the night's sleep was marred by troubled dreams that Jaina could not quite recall when her eyes finally consented to open. Pulling herself out of bed, she deftly plaited her hair into a long braid that she wound into a knot at the base of her skull. The light of early morning in Coronet City streamed in through the viewport, and the chronometer embedded in her comlink told Jaina that it was approximately 0630 hours local time. Leaving her boots behind at the side of her bed, bare feet padded down the corridor to the crew's mess. First things first: before breaking the news of their journey and related shopping trip to Tirzah, it was time for caf.

[Tares Vortex]

Tares made a note to gently probe Tirzah at some point on her state of feeling about everything. Jaina's feeling that Tirzah would likely open up to him more was probably just born out of the natural tensions that motherhood involved. The young Jedi hopeful had no reason to preference Tares over anyone else. Still, on the off chance she did, Tares knew the conversation might be helpful.

 

Physically, he had adapted to the sleeping routine of Jaina's ship on the trip. This meant his sleeping rhythm was off from his normal Corellia routine. It didn't make much sense to try to force himself to establish his old routine yet since they'd be departing yet again.

 

Instead, he spent the sleepless night in his stateroom in meditation. It was the first time in a while that he had the freedom and motivation to meditate. He usually spent a brief time centering himself before or after a workout session, but spending an extended period in meditation had been a rare occasion.

 

Somehow, he easily slipped into a calm state where the fleeting thoughts in his mind quickly dissipated. This was unusual. Typically, thoughts of the daily grind or external events plagued his focus. He had assumed that this would've been even worse given the personal nature of their impending search. Instead, he lost track of the time and simply let the night pass away.

 

By the time he came to from his meditate trance, the morning rays of light were piercing the windows of his room. Unfortunately, his newly found calm was immediately erupted by the longings of morning: the need for caffeine. For a true Jedi, such a need was unthinkable. For a CEO, it was a religious practice. For him, it had become routine.

 

He made his way into the crew mess and placed a new pot to make some caf. While the pot began to brew, Tares sat himself down and began to thumb through the morning news feeds....

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

The smell of caf that made it past the air scrubbers caused Tirzah to finally rouse after she'd cried herself to sleep, mourning a father that she'd never know. Part of her wanted to be mad at her mother, but somewhere the whispers of the Force that came to her showed that it wasn't exactly Jaina's fault. She was still angry at Andon Colos, the father that had abandoned her for unknown reasons when she'd been born.

 

No longer was she an orphan, and actually had a choice about remaining a Jedi, but, as she dressed that morning in the traditional tunics of the order, she decided Andon Colos was nothing to her. He'd abandoned her. He hadn't cared. Her mother had died. Andon simply couldn't be bothered with her when she'd needed him the most.

 

Tirzah wanted nothing to do with the Jedi calming techniques to make that feeling go away. It was truth and it was honest, and it hurt. Hurting was better than the nothing the Jedi Order encouraged.

 

Her stomach rumbled again and she finally left her bunk room, her hand brushing gently along the smooth bulkheads (as she was still learning to trust her new vision) and followed the smell toward the crew's mess. Her hair was down, still unruly, though she'd attempted to run her fingers through it, and her eyes were still puffy from crying so much.

 

She didn't say a word to either Jaina or Tares, but found a mug and grabbed a cup of caf, curious to see what the allure was with the beverage.

 

Blowing slightly on the mug, she took a tentative sip of the bitter, hot liquid. It was good and the bitterness seemed fitting for her mood that morning. "So what's for breakfast? I'm starving."

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

"Good morning," Jaina rumbled as Tirzah appeared, puffy-eyed and disheveled, and suppressed the instinct to close the distance between them. Instead, Jaina rose to her feet from where she had been sitting beside Tares, silently cradling her mug, and moved once again toward the galley. It appeared that Tares had spared no expense where the ship was concerned, in any capacity: if the crew's galley and larder were stocked like this, then she wondered blithely about the complement of weaponry. When her mind flickered back to how quickly the girl had polished off her meal the evening before, Jaina pulled out a whole host of fresh supplies. If they were going into Coronet City to restock anyways, they might as well start the journey with a feast.

 

Before too long, the trio sat down to breakfast, which consisted of a large bowl of small vinefruits in differing shapes and colors, grilled vegetables tossed lightly in oil, a plate piled with long strips of cured meat, avian eggs whisked together and seasoned, and battered bread that was pan-fried and drizzled in a sweet tree-sap. Appreciative silence reigned for a time. Eventually, Jaina broached the quiet, pushing the last bits of her breakfast around on her plate.

 

"So, Tirzah," she began slowly, with a sidelong glance at Tares, "would you like to go see Coronet City today? We have some errands to run before our journey."

 

She left her vague statement there, counting on the girl's reaction to give her some clue as to how to proceed.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Tirzah paused from devouring her food long enough to shrug. "I don't care. Whatever is fine, I guess."

[Skye Organa]

Serenity emerged from hyperspace and approached the planet of Corellia. It had been a long time since Skye had been back here. She would have to make sure that her mother, Talia was alright and had protection too. With the measures in place already she should be alright but who knew what the future held. She wasn't game to stretch out her senses in case Kern was here, she didn't want to tip him off if he was here. She took her ship down to the co-ordinates she had given Coresec, setting down at a landing pad that was far enough away so as not to be suspicious to those at the Relmis Estate. There were speeders available in the warehouse beside the double landing pad.

 

Skye emerged from Serenity dressed in cobalt blue armor and matching hooded cloak which disguised the fact that her saber hung off her belt and a blaster holstered on her hip.

[Jaina Jade Skywalker]

Suppressing the sigh that seemed warranted at the curtness of Tirzah's stereotypical teenage response, Jaina glanced again at Tares before rising to her feet. If she was going to be noncommittal, Jaina would avoid giving her opportunities to say "no". With more cheery brightness than she felt, she responded, "Well, that settles it. Let's get going."

 

In seemingly no time at all, they had cleared the breakfast dishes. Instead of retracing the long and winding walk of the previous evening, a speeder ferried the pair quickly into the city. The towering skyscrapers were interlaced with organic elements, giving the illusion that the buildings themselves might have simply sprung up out of the earth. While Tirzah showed no immediately overt reaction to the grandness of their surroundings, through the Force she projected a sense of overwhelmed wonder. Only then did it occur to Jaina that while the girl had been many places in her short years, never before had she lain eyes on a city, even with the limited sense of sight she now possessed.

 

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she prompted rhetorically, heartened by the warm Coronet sun. Somehow, the weight of the galaxy she had borne even the night before lifted in the basking rays of Corellian summer. Even her bittersweet and troubled memories of the planet could not shake the sense of possibility and adventure that came with the new dawn.

 

Their excursion took them throughout the city. From their first stop at the currency exchange, such that Jaina could divest herself of the bag of questionably acquired Corusca gems, they proceeded to several different shops to obtain a sufficient wardrobe for all three of them: retiring Tares' ruined suit and ensuring that Tirzah would not be immediately identified as a Jedi, save for the lightsaber that hung beneath the duster atop her tunic. Once they had sufficiently restocked their food supplies, they stopped to picnic in one of the wide parks in the city center. With the sun now on route to descent, they made their way back to the ship.

 

As they worked to unload their haul, the quiet brought a question to Jaina's mind--and what was missing from it. "Tares, did Atlas make a recovery from her heroic sacrifice?"

Edited March 15, 2017 by Guest

[Tares Vortex]

While Jaina and Tirzah were off for a morning of shopping, Tares spent the time making final arrangements before their departure. Despite his intention to avoid any major conflicts with the board, his delayed message hadn't been enough to prevent some tactful, yet angered replies from pouring in during the early hours of the morning. He decided to take as many as he could before becoming too overwhelmed with the situation. There wasn't much to be said or done since his mind had been made up. However, a little damage control wouldn't hurt either.

 

By the time the two shoppers had returned, Tares had done all he could in the small period he had left. All the while, technicians from Solaris had refueled his ship and provided some last minute details on the only piece of evidence they had to follow on Drake’s disappearance.

 

It still wasn't much, but it provided just enough assurance of their starting point in Tares’s mind.

 

Jaina’s question brought Tares out of his mild trance of thought. He hadn't even noticed their arrival, nor the time that had passed since their departure. Had the pair not returned, he may have remained with his own thoughts for a lot longer than intended.

 

Atlas… yes, the droid was going on this trip too. Before he could offer a reply, the droid quietly slipped through the doorway from the main decks and chimed a reply that echoed around the hold.

 

“In a manner of speaking,” Atlas confirmed, “The subroutines managing my emulation of compassion towards living beings are still malfunctioning, but my combat functions are at 100%.”

 

Tares felt a small chill at the droid’s casual report; perhaps even more at her selections in making the report. Brushing it off, he withdrew his datapad and began inputting commands for departure clearance from the tower control. “Atlas, close all hatches and prepare the engines for departure. I think it’s time we get going.”

 

The Ferro’s automated departure system took only a few minutes to get everything worthy for travel. After a few moments, the ship had departed the atmosphere and entered hyperspace...

[JJK]

At a time like this, Joelle preferred the stress relief and energy outlet provided by walking to the spaceport over taking a public shuttle from the university. The shuttle option would have opened two possibilities: Either there being absolutely nothing to distract her, or having to engage in small talk with her fellow passengers. In her current mindset, both were fully unappealing. Besides, the university was close enough to the spaceport that she could get there under her own power almost as quickly as she could have caught the shuttle.

 

Of course, walking, even quickly, requires minimal concentration. Therefore, she soon got lost in her thoughts. This made it oddly unsurprising, though simultaneously a bit of a shock, when she collided with another being just before reaching the spaceport. As she was still a bit distracted, it wasn't until she was scrambling to gather her things back into her pack and her hand fell on an unfamiliar, yet unmistakable, cylindrical object that she realized there had been something a bit different about this collision. A light saber! That means he's likely a Force-User! Oh, I sure hope he's not a Sith!! But then, that fall was a bit gentler than I'd have expected... A Sith wouldn't have taken that amount of care... Would he? And if he's a Jedi, then he might be able to test me for Force-sensitivity and save me this ridiculous trip! Looking up she did a double-take. The face she saw was uncannily familiar, even though she didn't believe she had ever actually met him in her life. In fact, until this moment, she had spent a good bit of her day oscillating between hoping her imagination had manufactured his likeness and desperately wishing she would be able to meet him soon, since that would mean she could be on her way to becoming a Jedi. She had never dreamed, though, that meeting might occur so soon! Or maybe he won't save me the trip, and this is going to be the start of an experience I'd never imagined...

 

“My deepest apologies, miss," the Cerean said as he reached out his hand contritely in assistance. "I must remember to look where I am going and consider my actions carefully before engaging in such reckless activities. Are you okay?”

 

"Uh, I'm fine, sir..." Joelle replied timidly, accepting his offered hand and rising to her feet. She then held out the lightsaber, "I believe this is yours?" Then, despite being fairly certain of the answer, she continued in a rush, "I know this is going to seem like an odd question, and I'm really pretty sure the answer is no, but have we met before?"

[Roene Givrah]

<<<< Lux >>>>

 

The Sergeant’s eyebrow quirk led to a questioning glance in response as the Thyrsian approached, but her enthusiasm surpassed any questions she may have had. Her optimism was queer, considering her previous reticence to accompany the officer, but it had merit. To Lux, an opportunity to travel was always an exciting opportunity. It offered new and refreshing paths forward. And, with her new job, even as it still lay fresh in her mind, she could leave on correspondent duties as a representative of the bank. Which, in the long run, was more conducive to who she was. It meant trying to schedule more things in her day, but that was the beauty of her schedule. This was all considered work time. She had a small panic attack when she realized how long she would be away from Mr. Walever, but with a sigh and a few nervous twitches, she resigned herself to her new schedule and moved forward.

 

She did what she could to focus on the pros: It saved her from having to slave away with monotonous paperwork in the confines of her office. It was a nice office, but nothing beat fresh air. And, if nothing else, this outing would give her the chance to stretch her legs and forget about the drama that plagued her as of late. Lucinda’s ghost would continue to follow her. But this would give her a chance to wrap herself in a myriad of other images and distractions.

 

Lux checked her weapons and fastened her armor again before following the Sergeant into his ship. She steeled herself to probing glances that tried to question her presence. It wasn’t her job to respond and it wasn’t her job to question either. She was here for a mission and that was that. When the two of them stopped at her quarters, Lux noted the modest accommodations and nodded her assent. “Thank you.” She said. No more words were exchanged. She simply walked into the room and, depending on the space she had, began working on sword forms and combat maneuvers.

 

When the ship took off and entered hyperspace, Lux sat upon the cold steel and let go of her anxiety – or tried to, at least. She let her mind wander and took deep breaths, focusing on the staccato of her heart beats. She focused on the brief clicking in the different parts of the ship’s structure. She focused on the electrical signals that rushed through her brain and the ship. And slowly but surely, one by one, all of those sounds and sensations just melted away.

________________________________

 

When hyperspace was disengaged and the ship touched down at or near their destination, Lux readied her wrist mounted data pad, loaded the bank’s data on Kern into her device and stood up. She checked all of her equipment again and then zipped up her coat before proceeding out onto the landing pad.

 

Her dark armor was a contrast to the bright metals used in Corellian construction, but she didn’t mind. She really liked the color black and felt it accented her skin. It may have depicted an odd sort of emotional allegory given the circumstances of her recent dramatic life, but that had no root in her mind. It was a stylistic choice.

 

When she settled near the Sergeant’s ship, she spotted a woman waiting to the side of another ship wearing cobalt blue armor and paused. She hadn’t seen this person before. Was this another person that Tenebris brought to investigate? Lux thought.

 

The Thyrsian crossed over to the woman, held out a hand in introduction, and smiled. “Hello, my name is Lux. I am a representative from the Core Bank of Coruscant. Who are you?”

 

_______________________________________________________

 

 

_______________________________________________________

<<<< Roene >>>>

 

The mid-morning sun shone bright over the nearest sky scraper, illuminating one side of the starport and reflecting brilliantly on the metal of its walls. The wind played at Roene’s wispy white hair, and tugged at the edges of his eyes as they creased in jovial recognition.

 

A soft smile replaced Roene's concerned expression. He could feel the anxious energy pooling in the woman's hand and thoughts like gasoline, waiting for a spark to catalyze an explosive eagerness that was buried deep inside. Deciding it would be rude to pry however, Roene merely glanced at the woman's surface thoughts and accepted the return of Nature's Fury. The leathery hide of the lightsaber hilt was warm to the touch and subvocally growled when it was returned to its rightful owner.

 

"Thank you. And I feel you already know the answer to your question. To elucidate though, we have never physically acquainted ourselves." Roene said, a pleasant baritone brogue coloring the melody of his speech. "But, the force works in mysterious ways miss. It's safe to say you've had your share of experience. My name is Jedi Knight Kro'Roene'Givrah, what's yours?"

 

Roene kept his expression open and level. He didn't wish to overwhelm the young woman with too much too fast. But it was clear that she was talented. Even standing at this distance, her sensitivity to the force was apparent. He figured a simple introduction was enough for now. It was up to her if this meeting was anything more than a meeting of circumstance.

[Tenebris]

"Provisional Agent Skye Organa, meet Lux of the Bank of Coruscant," Tenebris said with a courteous open-palmed gesture. "Doctor Organa was assisting with the relief effort on Coruscant and is our key witness from the attack on the hospital. Lux is the bank liaison charged with the Relmis accounts."

 

His gaze remained on the Jedi Master for a minute more, testing her with his perception. In her healing work at Coruscant General, prior to the bombing, she had masqueraded as a traditional doctor, and he was content to let that persona play as it pertained to the Thyrsian's knowledge of their investigation. If she revealed her true nature, that would have to be her choice. The hospital-grade infirmary on board her ship perfectly suited the disguise, and her outward appearance did not match with the hermit-like and unassuming nature of most Jedi.

 

No, this woman was a warrior, by the way she carried herself now in the open air on Vrent Island. With the slightest of catlike grins, Tenebris found himself considering that any down time might contain the possibility of testing his extensive sparring skills against her heightened reflexes. While the memory of the losses on Coruscant was fresh in his mind, the unassuming, honest, and strong aura of Master Organa chipped away at his disdain for the Jedi as a whole.

 

He gestured to the warehouse, where a collection of speeders was visible indoors. The ride to the outskirts of the expansive estate would take them only a quarter of an hour, and they should have plenty of daylight to work with. "If you please, let's be on our way. Lux will be our first point of contact with the estate. As the bank's representative, I believe she affords us the greatest likelihood of evading detection by pursuing a legitimate means of interfacing with Relmis."