Ossus

[MandaJetii]

The process of getting the Jolly Dancer clearance to land at Knossa was alot easier than Alliera would've thought, with Ossus being as important as she thought it was. The Force decided to be kind to Alliera today, as the Dancer was relatively smooth on approach, and eventual landing. When Alliera stepped off her fighter, she was still wearing her armor, though with no weapons. This was simply because she had been too excited to change into her civies, and now she was regretting it, a Mandalorian Warrior would be rather conspicuous. All the same, the girl stepped out of the hangar area, and took in the sights and sounds of the city around her. Alliera had been in plenty of cities and towns during her early life with her clan, and later assisting the Rebel Alliance. Nar Shaddaa was practically a City floating about a planet. That all said, something felt different about Knossa, it was welcoming in a way that the Mandalorian hadn't felt sense she'd left her clan's compound. Sure the Nar Shaddaa Temple had eventually been welcoming, but that was mostly the younglings almost always wanting to hear more stories...Knossa felt like she belonged, like she came...home... 

 

 

[Aidan Darkfire]

Landing the shuttle near the temple grounds was rather uneventful. There were some small pleasantries as a few of the acolytes and groundskeepers recognized him from his visit a few months back, but Aidan met them with a simple nod and smile, declining to engage in small talk. Instead he went quickly to the medical ward, to the reserved cloning chambers. Aidan had seen these only once before, but once was all it took. His credentials were verified by the computer systems, and it took only a few moments to bring up the medical records for one Sandy Sarna. He went through the proper steps to log her as deceased, which allowed access to begin the cloning process.

 

Machines hummed and buzzed as electricity once again trickled through veins that had gone unused for some time. A medical droid entered to monitor some readouts, Aidan paid it no mind. Instead, he took a cross legged sitting position in front of the cylinder, and began meditating, reaching out through the Force for traces of her.

 

He would be the anchor, the beacon to guide her back. A clone was only a clone, a blank slate, the essence of a person was something much more, inexorably tied to the Force. Seconds bled into minutes bled into hours; Aidan lost all sense of time in this singular focus. At some point, the border between the metaphysical meditation and the unconscious dream blurred, and the young Darkfire finally got some much needed rest.

[Sandy Sarna]

A wretched strangle of blood coughing from lungs pulverized, a final gasp, then darkness. Not hellfire or eternal peace. Just an everlasting darkness that could have been eons or even seconds. But there was a loss there. It wasn’t the stumbling loss of consciousness, or the sharp loss of a death of a friend. Just. Loss. Separation. And in that separation there was nothing. No way to calm that loss, no way to subdue it. There was no drink to tide the loss, no thing could drown the sorrow of that loss. That cruel separation. In a moment she had lost the humanity and the life that kept her happy.  And no she was outside it all. Lost and alone. 

 

Had she known this was death, would she have laid it all before that Sith Lord? Did that matter? Did anything she had ever done matter in the face of that great loss and separation? There appeared to be no God, for she could not see him. 

 

There was nothing in that shimmering void of darkness. And nothing could drown the sorrow she felt for it. 

 

A heartbeat. 

 

It was not hers. For she had heard its beat in her ear a thousand times, this was a strong beat, and it carried with it a galliance that she had never borne. It was a familiar beat in its strength, and it thundered in her ears. 

 

Aidan? 

 

Was that the beat in the darkness? Its sound brought her hope and she stirred to find it. It felt like it took her years to reach towards the sound, and when she touched it light began to flood into the darkness. FIrst it was nothing, almost a pinprick, expanding to a candle, then a wave of light. And in that light He was there. 

 

Aidan? 

 

She grasped at him. Pulling herself to him from that darkness until she could see him clearly. Meditating, at peace. Looking for her. She touched him with her presence, letting herself bind to him, as an anchor steadied a ship in an ocean. She relaxed into that bond, feeling their presences intertwine for a brief instance before she was pulled away. 

 

"Aidan?" 

 

But her mouth was full of vile tasting liquid and her lungs were heaving for breath. And she was sure she was not in hell.  

 

Her eyes opened. Blinking against the liquid that filled the cloning tank.

[Aidan Darkfire]

An infinite ocean, not a planet in a solar system in a galaxy in some tucked away pocket of the universe, but an entire existence of water and air and darkness and storm. Like a speck of dust he floated in the turbulent waves, not tossed about but effortlessly afloat. At peace, even. The expansive ocean roiled and churned, but the speck rode its crests and troughs, uncaring of what the waters did. It simply existed, he simply existed. It was all he could do, the only thing to do. So he did.

 

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

 

The D0-K medical droid lumbered into the cloning chamber, alerted to several klaxons and alarms. It noted that the process had taken much less than the usual time, something it could not account for, but that information was filed away to be studied later. It initiated the cylinder drain process, and powerful turbines began removing the bacta and other various liquids through grates near the cylinder's floor, leaving the humanoid to float down with all of it to rest at the bottom. Seconds later the transparisteel tube raised up, and D0-K met the female with a towel and assisted with her standing.

 

"Jedi Master Sandy Sarna. Please remain calm. The fluids in your lungs are oxygen-rich and have been responsible for maintaining proper O2 levels in your bloodstream. Expectoration is normal, but resist straining to eject the fluids as your muscles are new and weak and prone to overuse injury."

 

D0-K waited for her to take the towel, realizing she was looking at the unconscious man nearby.

 

"Ah, Imperial Knight Aidan Darkfire. Refused to leave. He has been here since the cycle started, approximately one hundred twenty two hours, forty three minutes, seventeen point one six three seconds."

There was another moment of hesitation and visual evaluation before D0-K assessed her ready to be left alone.

 

"I will leave you to recover. Clothing can be found in the drawers on the wall to your left. Please signal using the door panel should you require further assistance."

With that, the droid left.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire

[Sandy Sarna]

Her knees hit the bottom of the tank with a crash that left her gasping. The fluid still in her lungs did not much help the process of course, but she managed to keep from spitting it up all over the tank as she finally found her breath, and with it the force. It flowed into her weakened muscles and her fluid-logged lungs, gently restoring her strength. She lay there for a moment, blinking her green eyes, before she reached out a thin hand and took the proffered towel from the medical droid.

 

Her eyes found the sleeping form of Aidan Darkfire some feet away and she smiled.

 

Slowly she got to her feet and dried the thick syrupy liquid from her skin, then she took some of the water from the tap beside the tank and used that to clean her hair. It was shorter than she was used to. Only coming to rest below the tips of her ears, so she pulled the majority of it back into a short pony tail, Before looking at herself in the mirror. Gone were the scars on her arms and abdomen from the Maw. Even the freckles that normally coated her like a fine mist were mostly absent. Though she knew that they would be back as soon as she saw the sun. She glanced back to the sleeping Darkfire and let the edges of a blush strike onto her cheeks. 

 

On silent feet, she slowly walked to the set of drawers the droid had pointed out earlier. She had to steady herself of course, but she was soon able to pull on a simple tunic that stretched to her knees. It was not her usual pale green set, but a deep blue which she struggled for several seconds to get over her stiff arms. Then she fumbled at the ties for another several seconds before she looked back to Aidan. 

 

She slowly walked to where he lay and she slowly let herself down beside him. Reaching out with the force to touch his mind. Not to wake him up, but more to assure him that she was ok and here with him. She lifted her head and set one ear against his chest, folding her arms around him in a hug. She could hear his strong heartbeat. And she smiled. 

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca stood near the entrance of the temple and watched the skyline of ships coming and going from Knossa. Very few ships veered from the course of the spaceport, as few had other reasons to be anywhere else. The Wookiee moved his eyes from the spaceport and the massive Eocho mountains to the steps of the Temple, where surprisingly he spotted a young Mandalorian walking up the steps. He hesitated to remember that even within the massive population of Mandalorians that there were over a dozen sects and pockets of beliefs and hierarchs. This one didn't feel like the ones he encountered on Chandrilla. No, this one seemed to be in pure amazement of the structure of the temple. Letting out a breath he was unaware he was even holding, the Jedi Master took a few steps forward towards the young Mandalorian. 

 

<< Welcome to Ossus. I am Jedi Master Kirlocca. How can I be of service to you? >>

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment for the grogginess of sleep to wear off, to remember where he was, what he was doing, and why his chest felt so heavy. Wait. He looked down, and there she was. This wasn't part of the dream, nor some cosmic manipulation of a quasi-physical energy field on some metaphorical intergalactic chessboard, no, this was real. For a moment, he relished it. Truth be told, this was something he'd wanted and thought about intermittently for some time. However, he inevitably opened his mouth.

 

"Hey, long time no see. I like what you've done with your hair."

The goofy sentiment was doubled down with a goofy grin. Immediately a tiny voice in the back of his mind shouted way to go, ace, you ruined the moment. If Aidan were truly honest with himself, however, he was simply glad she was back, bad humor aside.

[Sandy Sarna]

The slow breathing pattern of his sleep began to change into a staccato of waking. His heartbeat following in a rapid rise before settling again into a steady rhythm. She loosened her hug, letting him adjust himself to her presence before retightening it and turning her head so that her green eyes looked into his. She gave him a wry smile. 

 

“Long time no see back at you.” She laughed softly at his comment. Matching his goofy grin with her own.  But did not let it wreck the moment, she adored his humor, as corny as it may be. “Then I’ll keep it that way.” There was so much to think about. The war, the Jedi, the imperial Knights, his seeming captivity by that other Knight, but she could let it go. Instead of asking a thousand questions she just lifted her head and pulled herself up so that her face was only inches away from his. He had been here when no others could have been. He had stayed here for days to guide her back. 

 

“Thank you.” She whispered. And leaning in, almost tentatively, she kissed him.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan's heart thumped like a war drum as blood rushed to his face. She'd caught him off guard. But had she really? He pulled back, but his mind and thoughts began melding with hers.

"Well, you know, there's this one Jedi Master who makes it all worthwhile. I'll have to introduce you to her sometime."

 

It was all he could do to muster a semiserious face before cracking a grin, and leaning back in. Aidan lost track of time again, but this time because nothing else in the universe mattered.

[MandaJetii]

  Alliera had finally found it in herself to start walking towards the Jedi Temple, and was in awe of the architecture, when an Elder Wookie in Jedi Regalia had come towards her. After the Master's Introduction, Alliera was in awe, an ancient Grandmaster had greeted her? "My name is Alliera, of Clan Tal'verda." Alliera said, bowing in respect to the Old Master "I joined the Alliance because of what my people've done, but I was found to be 'Sensitive' to the Force, so I was eventually led here by Alliance Authorities and a Jedi Knight who's name is unknown to me." Alliera walked up the steps of the temple, not enough to start crowding the Elder Wookie, but enough to get closer. "It's an honor Master Kirlocca, my clan tells stories of the Jedi and Sith, and yours are among them." Alliera said, awe audible in her voice as she took in the elder "I am here to find a master, someone to train me in the Jedi Arts." 

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca allowed for a smile to appear upon his face. He had always known that his name and picture was all over after the many battles he had years ago, but to be apart of the Mandalorian culture was almost honoring to him. Maybe because of his time working closely with Fett all of those years ago. Back then felt like a simpler time, but he knew that such thoughts and feelings were incorrect. They were just as messy as they are now. He was just ignorant to the vast galaxy back then. Letting the thoughts of the past drift away, he now focused in on this female before him. He allowed for himself to feel her within the Force, and he found that what she said was indeed true. She held a connection to the Force. He studied her as she walked up the stairs. 

 

<< Well Alliera, it would seem as if your journey has lead you to the right position. >>

 

The Jedi Master turned his head to look at the Temple behind him. As he did, he lifted his paw and moved it in such a way that suggested he was offering up the entire building before her to her as a gift. As she reached the top of the stairs, he turned back to fully face her. 

 

<< While I am sure that the stories you heard of me are about battle, the true legacy of mine lies within teaching and training. I may be the right person to help you find your path within the Jedi Order. >>

[Sandy Sarna]

The daylight of Ossus was beginning to fade when she unwound her arms from the Imperial Knight. She gave him another kiss, then slowly stood reaching her hands to take his to draw him up as well. She had no doubt that his back was probably killing him from so long spent on the floor of the medical bay, and there were private rooms they could occupy if he wanted. The moment for passion had departed, if only briefly. But she was not left shamed or scared as she had once thought. For the Jedi Order that she was a proud member of was no longer the jedi order of her youth. There was no shame in love. Though there was a lurking danger in it, she did not fear it, and would not let it conquer her. Restraint in all things. 

 

“Would you like to get out of this medical bay before we get scouted out by that pesky droid or wait for the padawans to find us?” 

 

She laughed softly before a stream of other thoughts began to trickle back into her mind. There was much to do, much to ask him. But that could surely wait another few hours.

[Aidan Darkfire]

"Yeah. Come to think of it, I'm pretty hungry. Feels like I haven't eaten since yesterday."

 

He stretched and stood, waiting on her, and wondering what the temple meal hall was serving that day. And then he saw the look on her face. And then he put two and two together.

 

"Or, uh, you know, I could probably put off eating for a couple more hours. I don't have the Inquisitors breathing down my neck anymore, so I'm pretty free to spend time...uh, doing whatever..."

 

Smooth as gravel, Casanova.

 

"...and I think I could use a shower?"

 

Better.

[Sandy Sarna]

All she could do was laugh, which she did as the pesky flush creeped back in around the corners of her mouth.. She held his hand tightly then went up on her toes to give his a quick kiss on the stubble that lined his chin. 

 

“Never change Aidan.” 

 

But the moment had passed, even if it was a temporary passing, and she could feel the start of hunger pains in her own stomach as well. She had waited a very long time for what was now being delayed, but she found herself alright with that prospect. The love was there, and that was all that she needed. Taking his hand she dragged him to the doorway. 

 

“Well let’s have dinner first. Then a shower. Then we will figure it out.” 

 

It was a quick walk to the dining area, the base was small, and the tiles felt cool under her bare feet. She grabbed a box of Rondarian salad and grinned sheepishly at the Imperial Knight while she waited for him to grab his. She perched on the edge of her seat and took a bite, the harsh vinegar of the dressing gliding across her tongue with all the grace of a rancor. She coughed and then took another bite before looking back up. 

 

“So what do you think? And not about the salad.” She cut off whatever joke about food that might come. Because while the romance had faded slightly, she had not let go of it.  “About us?” This was a dangerous game, she knew. But it was better to go into something like this with eyes wide open.  

[Aidan Darkfire]

Right. Super slick, Slick. You should open a sandpaper store.

 

Aidan relaxed a bit, not objecting in the slightest as he followed her, his stomach reasserting its pangs of hunger the closer they got to the mess hall. Of course they had a vegetarian meal that day, but food was food and Aidan was practically starving. He tried to maintain a level of decency, but the truth was he was practically shoveling bites of salad down his throat, and hadn't even noticed he'd forgot the dressing. 

 

“So what do you think? And not about the salad. About us?”

 

Aidan had stopped mid chew, the question caught him a little off guard. He finished and swallowed, the salad now at the back of his mind. "I mean, what's there to really think about? My parents were both Jedi, one was even a grandmaster. Granted, I'm sure the Imperial Knights will frown on it a bit, but most of them could learn to pull the rod out of their orifices. I'm pretty sure I've proven myself capable of handling my emotions by now which was their biggest fear anyways. I guess...I mean, it's a little weird that you're an accomplished Jedi master and I'm a middling Imperial Knight, but for me that's kind of where the awkwardness stops."

 

He paused for a moment, loading up another bite on his fork but hesitating to put it in his mouth. "Before...Serenno...I was very honest with how I felt when you helped guide me through the meditation. I do have feelings for you, deep feelings. I was lying to myself about that before, but I'm okay with admitting it now. Even if nothing comes from it, it's important for me to be honest with myself, and with you. I used to be so angsty, but I'd like to think I've grown away from that, and I'd also like to think a large part of that was because of your presence."

He finally took the bite, chewing thoughtfully. "Why? What were you thinking?"

[Sandy Sarna]

She took several overlarge bites to match Aidans as he began to talk. He made some very good points and technically his mother was the Grandmaster right now. Which she had not really given much thought, and since she was part of the council there could be some very dire consequences. But she remembered her last conversation with Draygo and the stirrings of worry were settled. She pointed her force towards him before dipping it back into the salad box. Skewering a leaf that turned out, upon inspection, to be quite brown and faded. She grimaced and set the fork down before looking back to Aidan. They were of the same age, and though the rank difference was there, she was not a commanding officer. They were separate orders after all. 

 

“Many things were different before Serreno,I look back to just a few years back, to that stupid beach on Kashyyyk.” She smiled sadly. “And though I am embarrassed for what I once was, we have both grown into….people. I guess is the best word for it. I had a lot of trauma from my early apprenticeship which I still carried with me and you saw that when we meditated.” She let the smile grow from a sad into a full smile, letting the emotion of happiness flow into the force around them. “If it was not for you as a bedrock I would not have made it this far. Hell, I wouldn't have made it back here if it wasn’t for you.” 

 

She closed the box of salad and slid it into the trash receptacle next to their table. 

 

“I am not thinking anything I guess. I just wanted to make sure. So…” She flashed a confident smile and stood. “Now let's finish your lunch, then you were saying you needed a shower?”

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan grimaced as she mentioned Kashyyyk. 

 

"I actually try really hard to forget I was like that. I mean, it's good to remember where you came from, but what's far more important is who you are and who you want to be."

 

It was actually a bit amusing watching her try to rush to eat her salad. Aidan was just hungry, and he'd completely forgotten any sense of propriety about that. He wouldn't have minded waiting on her, but still, this was a bit more entertaining.

 

“Now let's finish your lunch, then you were saying you needed a shower?”

 

"Uh, yeah. And probably a change of clothes. They probably have some spare robes in my size, but I seriously doubt the Imperial Knights bothered to stash any spare uniforms here. Honestly, I really wonder if they even have a sonic shower here, probably just an old water-based one."

 

And again, there was that twinkle in the eye. Oh.

 

"You know, you probably know this temple far better than I do, I don't suppose you could show me where the Jedi put up their guests? The med bay floor was nice and all, but it wasn't cozy at all."

[MandaJetii]

"Are you offering to be my teacher Master Kirlocca?" Alliera asked, looking at the Wookiee for a moment. Alliera hadn't been expecting to find a master as soon as all that, but the force did seem to work in mysterious ways. Master Kirlocca looked a bit intimidating now that she was as close as she was, the wookiee was clearly an elder member of an already long lived and powerful race, and that ignored the regalia of a Jedi Master that he wore. This feeling passed quickly, remnants of Mandalorian Instincts and Instilled ideas to register threats around you, but Kirlocca wasn't a threat. The Jedi Master wouldn't hurt Alliera, and she knew that, in fact she was hoping he would train her. "Then I guess my next question is; when do we start?" Alliera asked, looking up into the eyes of the elder Master "and where?" 

[Sandy Sarna]

She clapped her hands together in almost mocking joy as she brought up the schematic of the base in her head. There was likely a quartermaster’s station nearby, likely automated, much like most of this archeological base was. Sonic showers were unlikely due to their prefabrique design and as this was a natural site, with propensity to be visited by naturalists. Even the walls were carved stone, but there would likely be a shower in her assigned quarters even if it were water based. So she nodded. 

 

“I doubt the naturalists that run this base would be much liking using sonics when water feels so much better. Come on, let's get you a new uniform, then to the shower.” 

 

She pulled him along until they came to a dispensary station manned by a young and very bored looking apprentice, wearing the soft pale blue of the Archo-Corps. The brother organization of the Agri-Corps, which had some degree of renown in Jedi circles. Sandy herself could remember the terror of not being selected for an apprenticeship and getting shipped off to the Corps. Not like anyone actually did that, but the stories had persisted. 

 

“Do you have any uniforms that would fit Knight Darkfire here? Approval Code Sarna 4499-0. If that helps.”

 

The retort was much to be expected of a tired young apprentice. 

 

“Lady we do not carry Imperial Uniforms here. What do we look like? The rebel alliance? We don't carry the uniforms of a schismatic order.” But he did pass a set of grey jedi robes and tunics that were approximately Aidan’s size to her. And with a weary glance to her bare feet, a set of pale blue robes to her. Sandy gave Aidan an exasperated look before she brought him to the quarters she had been assigned. Not as spartan as Imperial Quarters, the refresher was at least nice and as she had expected, water based. There was a medium sized bed as well that could easily sleep two in a pinch. She indicated the refresher with its shower. 

 

“So you want to go first?”

[Aidan Darkfire]

Aidan was a bit skeptical of the shower. He'd grown up around the Jedi and had a bath every now and then when he was very little, but all his life he'd been using sonics. There was a bit of reassuring feeling to how the dirt and oils literally vibrated off his skin, leaving him fresh and clean every time. But water? Aidan always thought water just smeared everything around. Of course, there was a first time for everything. 

 

"I really wish they had a sonic. Getting wet sucks, and I don't see how the water is supposed to clean you."

 

He squinted with a confused scowl, pointing at three bottle like containers in the shower. 

 

"And what are those? Some Jedi decoration thing?"

 

He really wasn't trying to be a wet blanket, but he also wanted a real shower. He knew he was grimy and gross not just from Kuat, but from essentially wearing the same clothes for a little over three days. He was just anxious about not being like this around Sandy.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy could feel her mouth standing open for a moment before she let her teeth click back together as she looked at Aidan with a mix of shock and distress. How had he never seen one of these before? True he had been raised in the military, and in a very famous family, but surely he had at least taken a old fashioned shower. But she couldn’t blame him, the imperials probably didn’t have a single water shower on any of the bases he had served at. Sonics were so much more effective. They carried with them that aire of efficiency and order that she had come to expect and appreciate about the Imperial Remnant. 

 

“Well uhh, these are..” She pointed to the clear bottles of thick liquid. “In order shampoo, conditioner, and a skin cleaning agent. It is certainly not very efficient like sonics, but there is a peace in it. Letting the water fall over you is one of the few pleasures that I have experienced in the aftermath of a battle or a mission. To get the worst of it off you need to do a bit of manual scrubbing.” 

 

She leaned forward and clicked on the sprayer so that water fell like a waterfall from the showers head. A calm heat, not too hot, not too cold. She tested it with her hand then gave him a look. "I know its not exactly imperial standards, but I can show you how it works if you want." 

[Wookiee Jedi]

Kirlocca studied Alliera for a moment. He towered over her, almost a full two feet. Her grey eyes almost hide so much behind them, questions, hopes and even dreams. His own eyes softened up as he looked at her, using the Force to feel out the currents flowing. He took a moment to look up at the sky before turning his head back towards the temple entrance. 

 

<< To answer all of your questions at once. Yes, I am offering to be your teacher if you will have me. We will begin now and here. >>

 

Kirlocca turned slightly to begin walking into the Temple. The entrance from the steps held a great long hall, with light coming in from four large glass window panels plus from the main entrance doors. All around was white and yellowish brown stones with plants seeming to come out of everywhere. The floor held red carpet and broke only for the center pool, which was held in by glimmering white stones with a few spouts of water erupting from the surface level. At the other end of the hallway was two turbolifts that could lead to other parts of the temple, and off to the sides were doors that lead to other areas of the temple as well. Today, they were not the objective. Kirlocca walked towards the fountain pool in the center of the hallway and sat down on the ledge of the pool and offered for Alliera to sit with him. 

 

<< Tell me, what do you know of the Force? >>

[Aidan Darkfire]

Skepticism turned to brief shock to understanding. It was absolutely a new way of doing things, but the hot water also did its part to ease aching muscles and relieve tension. Combined with the aromatic essences of the cleaning agents the Jedi had stocked the shower with, the overall experience was incredibly pleasant. Not at all like a sonic, but at the same time just as good if not better. After as he began to dry off, he felt a very similar sensation of clean that a sonic shower provided, but instead of an unpleasant sopping wet feeling it was a soft sort of moisturizing soak that he hadn't expected. His skin was smoother, healthier looking even, a notable improvement over a sonic shower's dry-clean feel.

 

Of course, the extracurricular activities hadn't hurt the experience either. Somewhere in his subconscious he made a mental note: he needed more of these hot water showers in his future. Despite initial skepticism, they were indeed incredible, just like the person who had introduced him to them.

[Sandy Sarna]

The brush pulled painfully at the snag in her pale blonde hair. While it only came to slightly below her earlobes, it still had the distinctive ability to work its way into knots. Especially after extracurricular activities, and that thought brought a stupid smile to her face which looked even stupider in the reflection in the mirror. She glanced at Aidan, then pulled her hair back into a short ponytail that she tied back with one of the elastic bands that were so common throughout the galaxy. 

 

She shrugged on the new pale blue tunic and passed Aidan his own pair of greys. She slipped the wet towels into the drying rack then sat down on the edge of the bed to wait for Aidan. It would be more comfortable than the medical room floor for sure but she could feel the creep of doubt enter the back of her mind. Could they really maintain a relationship throughout a long and bitter war? Could they weather the long defeat? For that was what this war was beginning to look like. There was a distinct honour in fighting a long defeat to be sure, but could a relationship survive years of warfare and retreat after retreat? 

 

She couldn’t know. But for now all she could let herself think of was the present. For what good did it do her to let doubts creep in when she was fulfilling her long desired dream? So she let the doubts fall away and embraced the present. And the Imperial Knight who was beside her.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Every second of this felt so incredibly right to Aidan. His life had been chaos as long as he could remember, a series of bad things one after another, but when he was with Sandy everything came together and made sense. Nothing else mattered more to him. All his doubts had washed away with the cleansing waters, anything anyone in the Order might have thought of their relationship, any fears of the future; the only thing Aidan clung to was the woman he had come to love. He had thought he knew what love was before this, he'd heard flowery epithets, lovers gush about what it meant, but it took until he'd felt it himself to truly understand.

 

No matter what happened, what twisted chaos the galaxy could ever throw at them, they were each other's anchor. That thought made him more joyous than he had ever thought he'd be, that she would be there for him. Everything could change, but she was his constant, and even death couldn't keep them apart. Mentally he reached out, intertwining his consciousness with hers, sharing his feelings with her through the Force. In the back of his mind he knew this moment was temporary, but for the time being, he wanted it to last as long as possible...

 

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

 

He wasn't sure what time it was when he opened his eyes, and honestly he didn't care. For the first time since he was a kid, he was genuinely happy. And this wasn't the kind of happiness he'd experienced when getting a new game or finding something new and fun, this was a lasting happiness, which made it all the more better. There was security and comfort in knowing this wasn't transient like most other things.

 

He looked down at her, her hair in a half-ponytail that had mostly fallen out at some point during the night, splaying across his chest like blonde ripples of sunlight. Her arm hung loosely over him, devoid of tension. Part of him wanted to try to use the Force to reach out, see what she might be dreaming about, but instead he simply let her rest. His eyes drifted back toward the ceiling as thoughts rushed through his head, each a tangent of his newfound happiness. He wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at the ceiling when she awoke, but time was meaningless as long as she was by his side.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire

[Sandy Sarna]

The sun rays played across her face with little care for how long she wanted to stay asleep. Though the sleep itself was deep and dreamless, as her conscious mind began to reassert itself, the dreams began. They were kind dreams, at least at first, they began to spiral into the tumultuous terror of the maw. She shivered, her arms tightening for a moment as she pressed her face into Aidan’s strong chest. But as quick as the dreams had come, they disappeared. Her waking mind subduing them and she awoke with a soft start. 

 

She breathed in deeply letting his aroma fill her lungs and she opened her eyes and relaxed into his presence. There was such security in his arms, and for a moment she was amazed at how safe she really felt. She could feel his strength and his love, and it was everything she had ever wanted. Saying nothing she pulled herself up and gave him a loving kiss. Then she pulled herself up even further so that she could lay her head on the pillow beside his. She had never felt so connected to another person in her life. Her voice was somewhat hoarse when she spoke.
 

"Good Morning"

 

And it was a good morning. A very good morning. 

 

“I love you.” She whispered. 

 

She let her eyes adjust to the morning light and let her presence expand to mingle with his again. There was no shame there, no secrets, nothing but love and satisfaction. She returned the feelings and hugged him closer. 

[Aidan Darkfire]

The words lit him up like the Coruscant nighttime skyline. They sounded so natural to his ear, and yet it still carried a strange feeling. Aidan decided to roll with it, what did he have to lose? 

"I love you too," he whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

 

A mischievous grin crossed his face as he nearly blurted out in laughter. He was about ready to shout it from the temple rooftop, though given that would likely irritate a large number of people he probably wouldn't. But he wanted to. Still, while the euphoria of the last 24 hours still lingered in his brain via rushing endorphins, he knew that at some points they should probably be responsible adults and actually live their lives and fulfill their responsibilities. At the present moment, Aidan guessed those were few and far between, he still hadn't received marching orders from the Imperial Knights, possibly because Hunan hadn't filed his report yet, but he wasn't about to question his fortune. As for Sandy, she was a Jedi master, there were very few people who could forcibly assign her responsibilities as most Jedi masters were autonomous in their activities, and trusted as such. However, it was probably for the best to at least keep up appearances.

 

He spoke up again, this time not whispering. "I've been thinking, while I've certainly enjoyed the time we've shared, maybe we're pushing our luck a bit if we don't at least pretend to be working members of our respective organizations." The thought of leaving this cozy feeling behind wasn't relished, but it still merited saying.

He gave her a quick squeeze with the arm still wrapped around her. "Of course, we probably don't have to hop to it immediately..."

[Sandy Sarna]

The weight of the galaxy’s needs fell like a waterfall over them, washing away the carelessness of the night before. Sandy let out a long sigh. Aidan was of course right, as he often was, and it was time to face the day. She gave him a loving peck of a kiss on the slight beard stubble that was appearing around his jawline, then pulled back the covers. It was not cold in the room, but still the coolness of the room hit her as she peeled herself from his arms and crawled out of the bed to stand on the rough stone floor. She strode the few steps to the datapad that was mounted on the low wooden table and gave a quick glance at its display. She let out another sigh, and grabbed her clothes. 

 

She gave him a grin and slipped the tunic back on from where it had been discarded before sitting down on the bed. “Looks like there is a plague on Felucia. We have a small outpost there, but it's completely overrun. It's not a combat mission, but it's an opportunity to help. I know the Imperials aren’t too fond of non combat missions, but you could come with if you wanted. The first shuttle departs in less than five hours.” 

 

She reached a hand back and let it play across his. “Plus I need to make a new lightsaber before we do anything else. Have you ever made one? I haven’t had to since I was an apprentice. I hope we have parts in stock.”

 

And with that they were back in the cares of the galaxy. As much as they could be at least.

[Aidan Darkfire]

Damn. He hated it when she left, but there was just something about watching her go...

 

...no. Nope. You had your fun, time to get to business. He gave a short and soft sigh, before rising from the bed himself. "I'm sure that would be fine. The Imperial Knights could use some good PR right now, and they were almost using me as a face for their operations for a while. They likely won't object. And yeah, I've made a saber before, but I had to follow instructions..." He trailed off as he remembered something important. "...from my father's holocron, which I left back on Nar Shaddaa." He'd almost completely forgotten about it, despite learning several critical lessons from it, or was it rather that it set him up to learn the lessons on his own?

 

"I even remember showing it to you, it was a little before the Empress was taken hostage by the Sith, I think. Somehow I completely missed the front lines on that one...still feels a little weird." He called the chromed staff saber to him from across the room through the Force and held it out for her to inspect. Still, she'd likely remember just by seeing it again. After she'd taken a look, he began putting on the grey Jedi robes the Temple had given him, struggling to figure out how they folded together. There had been a lot of firsts on this trip to Ossus, and Jedi robes definitely made that list. He looked up at her with a sheepish grin, "...uh, little help?" 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Aidan Darkfire

[Sandy Sarna]

Sandy took the saber staff into her hands and let her presence filter out through her fingers. Exploring every part of that hilt, the grooves, the lines, the unbuffed scratches. She let her focus find the crystal inside its housing, tracing the connections of wiring that crossed over it and connected to the slim battery inside. All pieced together in intricate detail and every part of it felt of him. Even the way the wires were tied and bundled spoke to the rigidity of his upbringing and the spartan way of life that the Knights had instilled in him. 

 

She memorized the way that the sabre fit together and then set it aside reverently, on the table beside the bed. Then, standing from where she had been sitting she walked to Aidan and grabbed the front of his robes. Deftly she tucked one flap, then the next, tying the ties together before grinning up at him. 

 

“It’s not as cool as you showing me how to polish armour, but hey at least I know a few things you don’t. You don't think there is a way to make a lightsaber crystal really quickly do you?” 

 

She kissed him again, then sat down to put her knee high boots on. She slipped them on and waited for him to finish dressing. There was much to do, and she would need to build a sabre before they left. But somewhere, in the back of her head, a small voice warned her against attachments. But that was for another time. For now she was satisfied with the here and now.