-
NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Star Wars: Heroes of Another Kind
- Thread starter Ankh-Morpork Guard
- Start date
DethStryke
Explorer
Is it normal to have so many lurkers that don't come out of the woodwork to sing the poster's praises for a story hour? I know Sep.II, P-kitty & Old One get a bajillion "Wonderful!!1!" comments after every post... it's like a page / 2 page to every single post ratio.
Is that common in Story Hours, or are they the minority and everyone else gets to suffer in silence like AMG?
The irony, for me, is that the lack of comments by the masses means my "last post" clicking is almost always on target.
For the record, though, I'd like to reply with "Wonderful!!1!" for this story hour.
Is that common in Story Hours, or are they the minority and everyone else gets to suffer in silence like AMG?
The irony, for me, is that the lack of comments by the masses means my "last post" clicking is almost always on target.
For the record, though, I'd like to reply with "Wonderful!!1!" for this story hour.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
The thing on comments is interesting to me. I don't mind that its small, as I know people are reading every update from the 100-150 pageviews I get each time...if not more. It may have to do with this being the only Star Wars SH currently running, so its a bit of a niche here as it is. All the big names are just that, the big names, and they're all also D&D so more people will read them.
Not that I mind. Its kind of nice to know that I have 14 pages of nearly ONLY updates when some people have 14 pages of mostly comments. Hm...its been a while, let me pull up the stats for the Word Perfect document and see where its at.
Current Stats(note this is written in size 10 font): 656 Pages, 618863 words
...wow...hehe.
Okay, going to give another day or two before the next update. The reason for the question was just to gauge what people wanted, as the thread IS getting big(no need to worry about the cap, though) and I know some other polls on the forum have shown people prefer multiple threads. Seems you guys are different in that aspect, too, and that's just fine with me.
Not that I mind. Its kind of nice to know that I have 14 pages of nearly ONLY updates when some people have 14 pages of mostly comments. Hm...its been a while, let me pull up the stats for the Word Perfect document and see where its at.
Current Stats(note this is written in size 10 font): 656 Pages, 618863 words
...wow...hehe.
Okay, going to give another day or two before the next update. The reason for the question was just to gauge what people wanted, as the thread IS getting big(no need to worry about the cap, though) and I know some other polls on the forum have shown people prefer multiple threads. Seems you guys are different in that aspect, too, and that's just fine with me.
Angcuru
First Post
I'm glad to hear that there's more to come.
I personally don't see any reason to begin another thread, this one's just fine as it is.
Kind of funny that you mention being the only active Star Wars SH out there currently, since I'm currently working on the next/revival post for my own.
Dethstryke, it's fairly common for a SH to have only a small group of regular readers, and even then . My own experience for my story hour was an average of 30-80 views per update, and the rare comment. Quantity isn't everything though. The views mean the story keeps people interested, and that's good enough for me.
Anyone know what the cap on a thread is nowadays, anyway?
I personally don't see any reason to begin another thread, this one's just fine as it is.
Kind of funny that you mention being the only active Star Wars SH out there currently, since I'm currently working on the next/revival post for my own.
Dethstryke, it's fairly common for a SH to have only a small group of regular readers, and even then . My own experience for my story hour was an average of 30-80 views per update, and the rare comment. Quantity isn't everything though. The views mean the story keeps people interested, and that's good enough for me.
Anyone know what the cap on a thread is nowadays, anyway?
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Wellll, I couldn't stop myself from writing anymore...and I might as well post it now, too. We'll continue here since that seems to be what you guys would prefer. My other reason for another thread was stylistic reasons, but methinks it'll survive just fine as is.
BAH, why can't I stop posting long enough to let a cliffhanger really, really HANG?
Part VI
Chapter 417: Meant to Be
Labels like names will tell you nothing about me beyond, perhaps, the hopes of my parents. We cling to them for ease of identification, but divert too much meaning to something that is, in the end, simply a word like any other...and one that is rarely unique to the person claiming it to be their’s.
That aside, I expect you know my name well enough by now, despite having used more than one in my lifetime. Not only that, but you know very well who I am. Or at least, who I have become through the years.
I cannot argue that a great deal about me has changed. When I look at the faces of my children I see clearly just how much really has changed. Their very existence speaks it all. But even to this day, so many years later, I find myself feeling that I have stepped into a path that was not my own. Not one that I would have ever approached if not for the young human who called himself Akan when I met him, and Jyren not longer before we grew close. Perhaps it is that closeness that is what has altered where I am going.
It was not something I should have ever been a part of. As the eldest daughter of the Empress, I was expected to be married for political reasons...as a Tam’Day’U, a Cursed One, I was expected to be dead before I came anywhere close to adulthood and the need for such a political move...as an exile from my people and my home, I was alone and ignored by all but the seediest of creatures among the rest of the galaxy....and then...
There always seems to be an ‘and then’. It makes tracing the point at where things went so strange for me very difficult. Was it the fact that the clone that escaped from the Imperial facility on Coruscant who somehow befriended that young human that altered it all? Do I really see myself as so different from her, despite knowing that she is here inside me, a part of me? Was her decision to bind him to herself something I, too, would have made? If not, then why, when I merged with the clone, did I not cast the human aside?
Once, on one of our wanderings through the forests of Alraxia, Jyren asked me a strange question. Did I love him because we were linked together, or did I bring us together as one because I loved him then?
I still do not have an answer for that.
The Force has a way of making things that should happen, happen. It has a way of coercing events to occur as they should. It is the closest thing to an answer I have...and perhaps that, in itself, answers everything else. It was all meant to be the way it ended up.
Why, then, do I look out at the view in front of me, seeing the eruption of flames a great distance away, and wonder if I could have stopped it from happening? Wonder if I could have stopped him....or rather, knowing that a single word could have stopped him. Why didn’t I?
It was in that short moment that I truly understood the choice my mother had made that ended her life. The choice for the greater good. A choice that seemed so irrational, and yet no one would step in and stop it from happening because it was meant to be.
So I watch the scene in front of me, hearing the sobs of a young boy to my side in a seat that should very well have been empty instead, and try to accept this truth as I have come to accept so many through the years.
It was meant to be.
My other reason for another thread was stylistic reasons, but methinks it'll survive just fine as is.BAH, why can't I stop posting long enough to let a cliffhanger really, really HANG?
Part VI
Chapter 417: Meant to Be
Labels like names will tell you nothing about me beyond, perhaps, the hopes of my parents. We cling to them for ease of identification, but divert too much meaning to something that is, in the end, simply a word like any other...and one that is rarely unique to the person claiming it to be their’s.
That aside, I expect you know my name well enough by now, despite having used more than one in my lifetime. Not only that, but you know very well who I am. Or at least, who I have become through the years.
I cannot argue that a great deal about me has changed. When I look at the faces of my children I see clearly just how much really has changed. Their very existence speaks it all. But even to this day, so many years later, I find myself feeling that I have stepped into a path that was not my own. Not one that I would have ever approached if not for the young human who called himself Akan when I met him, and Jyren not longer before we grew close. Perhaps it is that closeness that is what has altered where I am going.
It was not something I should have ever been a part of. As the eldest daughter of the Empress, I was expected to be married for political reasons...as a Tam’Day’U, a Cursed One, I was expected to be dead before I came anywhere close to adulthood and the need for such a political move...as an exile from my people and my home, I was alone and ignored by all but the seediest of creatures among the rest of the galaxy....and then...
There always seems to be an ‘and then’. It makes tracing the point at where things went so strange for me very difficult. Was it the fact that the clone that escaped from the Imperial facility on Coruscant who somehow befriended that young human that altered it all? Do I really see myself as so different from her, despite knowing that she is here inside me, a part of me? Was her decision to bind him to herself something I, too, would have made? If not, then why, when I merged with the clone, did I not cast the human aside?
Once, on one of our wanderings through the forests of Alraxia, Jyren asked me a strange question. Did I love him because we were linked together, or did I bring us together as one because I loved him then?
I still do not have an answer for that.
The Force has a way of making things that should happen, happen. It has a way of coercing events to occur as they should. It is the closest thing to an answer I have...and perhaps that, in itself, answers everything else. It was all meant to be the way it ended up.
Why, then, do I look out at the view in front of me, seeing the eruption of flames a great distance away, and wonder if I could have stopped it from happening? Wonder if I could have stopped him....or rather, knowing that a single word could have stopped him. Why didn’t I?
It was in that short moment that I truly understood the choice my mother had made that ended her life. The choice for the greater good. A choice that seemed so irrational, and yet no one would step in and stop it from happening because it was meant to be.
So I watch the scene in front of me, hearing the sobs of a young boy to my side in a seat that should very well have been empty instead, and try to accept this truth as I have come to accept so many through the years.
It was meant to be.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Chapter 418: Aftermath
“He’s gone.”
The words forced Marix’s eyes to refocus on the moment rather than continue to stare forward, but into nothing at all. She had to pause for a moment, as her mind came to the realization that she was, in fact, still there. Alive.
Alive.
She bit her bottom lip and looked out the viewport again. The flames had died down now...and now it was simply wreckage floating. She could make out distinct pieces of what had been the Stardust and then the rocks of the Vong ship...though the rest of it was continuing onwards towards the gate. Thankfully, though, the collision had not only knocked the ship off course and severely damaged it, but it had also given the New Republic ships time to turn and fire on the Vong ship from behind. It was now in as many pieces as the Stardust.
It had worked....and she was still alive...
Finally, Marix realized what it was that had pulled her out of the haze she had been in since leaving the Stardust. She turned to her side to look to Tobias, who’s face was still stained with tears and a small amount of blue covered blood thanks to a good scratch she’d given him for attempting to go back through a group of Vong Warriors. He had been Alraxian since they had left that bridge, mainly to try and pull himself away since he was stronger in his normal body...but not nearly as strong as her, and so it had been a futile effort.
Overall, he looked a mess, and the feelings radiating through the Force from him heightened that. But he wasn’t looking at her, instead, his large, silvery eyes were staying wide open like they used to when he was little...looking at the view in front of them. Marix doubted he’d turned away since they’d left...she hadn’t.
“He’s not gone,” she finally managed to find her voice, though her throat ached slightly from the amount of yelling she’d had to do to get Tobias off of that starship and onto Loki.
Marix saw him open his mouth to say something, fail to communicate anything at all, and then attempt again. However, the only words that came out were the same ones as befoer, and at the same whisper, “He’s gone.”
“Toby,” Marix put on her firm voice for a moment, immediately identifying a problem that needed fixing. This was what she knew how to deal with. Well, no...not Toby...but fixing things. But he didn’t do anything or respond, and so she spoke up louder and in a much stronger voice, “Tobias BlueIce. Look at me.”
He did.
It was likely more out of reflex, as she so rarely used his name like that or a tone so similar unless he was about to be killed. But when he turned to look at her, Tobias found an expression on her face that did not match the voice. It was almost something that could be described as calming, but truthfully, it had the usual edge of ice that always found its way onto her face when she was forcing back her emotional reactions and focusing on the job to be done.
Knowing she had his attention finally, she held his gaze and said in a much softer voice that would have been completely alien to the old Shadow, “He’s not gone, Toby. Look at me. I’m here. I’m still here. And until I’m not here, Jyren is not gone. Do you understand?”
He just stared back at her, the same lost and terrified expression on his face. It was then that Loki cut in, very carefully, and only to Marix. [I understand lying to him...but don’t lie to yourself.]
Marix was intelligent enough not to react to that so Toby could see. Loki was a good friend, and knew her better than anyone, with only Jyren coming close to that. The ship could read her like no one else, and never let her get away with something stupid. He had felt the thoughts that were openly flying across her mind. He knew what she was thinking...and would have even without his knowledge of her.
[There are, and have always been, ways around the strong connection created through two Linked Alraxians.]
Again, Marix held herself and her reaction to an internal one only. He was right. There were ways around it. There had been for thousands of years. But they were difficult, complicated, and not something one just suddenly did. She would have known. It would have been obvious...
[But he isn’t there.] Loki cut in again, reading her as if he, too, shared a link. It didn’t take long for him to elaborate on it, and Marix kicked herself for being so stuck in the panicked thoughts that she didn’t really understand how Loki was getting all of this. [I can find nothing in that wreckage that is alive. Nothing. Do not think I haven’t tried with everything I have...but I can find nothing.]
It was then that Tobias saw a change in Marix. It was subtle, but when you got used to a neutral to angry expression on her face all of the time, it was easy to notice when neither were present. But like any change in her expression that she had not meant to occur, it did not last long. Marix pushed past the immediate emotional reaction and was back to normal. She said nothing to Loki, but instead spoke again to Toby, “He’s not gone.”
Not far from his home in the Blackflame territory towards the southern edges of Alraxia and half a planet away from the Palace, Navik Keros sat in the sand at the edge of the water watching his two grandchildren. They were in one of the many tide pools that was scattered across the long, generally empty coastline. It wasn’t too terribly common for Alraxians to come out this far from the safety of their settlements, what with all of the predators that still roamed around, but it wasn’t unheard of either. There were four Knights not far away keeping an eye on things for that extra measure of protection.
He smiled to himself as he looked at the two little Alraxians in the water that was knee deep when they stood up...which was something they were both still having a little trouble doing, especially with the way the sand was sinking under them. Currently, the little girl, Andrea, was sitting off to the side idly pawing at something in the water. Andrea. Technically, her name was Andreanyl BlueIce, but Navik knew full well why they always called her Andrea, and he still was greatly appreciative of the fact that she was named after the grandmother she’d never know. And she looked so much like Marix...
Andrea’s twin brother, Saaran, was a bit more active. The little Alraxian, that looked much more like Tobias had when he was younger with his black and blue fur, was on the other side of the pool pouncing and obviously trying to catch one of the tiny fish that sometimes got stuck in the water there. Or maybe he was just pouncing and splashing. He seemed to be much more of the active type already, the exact opposite of his sister, who seemed quite content to just sit by herself and find ways that did not involve splashing water everywhere to entertain herself.
For a moment, Navik looked off to the ocean. He had never liked the water that much. But this was one of Andrea’s favorite spots...not the little girl over in the pool, but his long dead wife. She had been born on a planet covered in water and had always found a reason to come out here...and so, even though Navik cared little for it, he found himself, a good thirty standard years after she had died, still coming out here. And besides, the children seemed to love the change of scenery.
And then he heard a dreaded noise. Crying. Loud crying.
Turning back to look to the children, he saw little Andrea wailing at the top of her lungs...which were very, very strong for such a small child. First instinct told Navik that Saaran was splashing her again, as he had enjoyed doing that for the first hour they’d been out here and it had driven the little girl up the wall to the point where she stopped splashing back and simply started wailing like that. But no...no, Saaran was on the other side of the tide pool and had spun around, his eyes wide open with shock...not guilt.
Navik’s feet were working already, getting him up and heading over to where the children were. His eyes scanned the area around Andrea, noting that nothing seemed any different than it was before, and she was never the type to simply burst into tears for no good reason. She was a strong girl for her age, and so this was...worrying, to say the least.
The second he reached her, Navik knelt down and picked her up. He had to resist the urge to cringe at the volume of her voice when he had her up against his shoulder. Very gently, he reached up to stroke her hair and said quietly, “Shhh...its okay, little one...its okay...”
At his touch, she had gotten a little quieter, and he immediately noticed her hands were clinging to him by the very sharp claws. The pain was easy to ignore, but it was another thing to set off alarm bells in Navik’s mind. After a few minutes of simply repeating himself and stroking her hair, Andrea’s wailing had quieted to simple crying and whimpering.
At this point, Navik decided to try to figure out what was wrong. The twins were young and had very limited vocabularies, both in speaking Trade and Alraxian, but they knew a few words in both languages and were usually able to get across simple things like what was wrong. So, Navik shifted Andrea on his shoulder slightly so she could look up at him and asked softly, “What’s wrong, little one?”
She managed to sniffle a few too many times before mumbling in a tiny voice, “...want daddy...”
For the one of the twins that usually spoke her thoughts in broken Alraxian, hearing her speak Trade was a surprise to Navik. But then he began to become more worried. The twins were very, very attached to their parents. In addition to that, Andrea had a way of never, ever leaving Jyren’s arm if he was around. And despite being so very attached to him, she never said anything when he had to go away, because every single time, he sat her down and promised her he’d be back soon. She never liked it from the look on her face, but never asked anything about him while he was gone. She simply waited for him to come back like he said he would.
And, suddenly, Navik was terrified for his son.
“He’s gone.”
The words forced Marix’s eyes to refocus on the moment rather than continue to stare forward, but into nothing at all. She had to pause for a moment, as her mind came to the realization that she was, in fact, still there. Alive.
Alive.
She bit her bottom lip and looked out the viewport again. The flames had died down now...and now it was simply wreckage floating. She could make out distinct pieces of what had been the Stardust and then the rocks of the Vong ship...though the rest of it was continuing onwards towards the gate. Thankfully, though, the collision had not only knocked the ship off course and severely damaged it, but it had also given the New Republic ships time to turn and fire on the Vong ship from behind. It was now in as many pieces as the Stardust.
It had worked....and she was still alive...
Finally, Marix realized what it was that had pulled her out of the haze she had been in since leaving the Stardust. She turned to her side to look to Tobias, who’s face was still stained with tears and a small amount of blue covered blood thanks to a good scratch she’d given him for attempting to go back through a group of Vong Warriors. He had been Alraxian since they had left that bridge, mainly to try and pull himself away since he was stronger in his normal body...but not nearly as strong as her, and so it had been a futile effort.
Overall, he looked a mess, and the feelings radiating through the Force from him heightened that. But he wasn’t looking at her, instead, his large, silvery eyes were staying wide open like they used to when he was little...looking at the view in front of them. Marix doubted he’d turned away since they’d left...she hadn’t.
“He’s not gone,” she finally managed to find her voice, though her throat ached slightly from the amount of yelling she’d had to do to get Tobias off of that starship and onto Loki.
Marix saw him open his mouth to say something, fail to communicate anything at all, and then attempt again. However, the only words that came out were the same ones as befoer, and at the same whisper, “He’s gone.”
“Toby,” Marix put on her firm voice for a moment, immediately identifying a problem that needed fixing. This was what she knew how to deal with. Well, no...not Toby...but fixing things. But he didn’t do anything or respond, and so she spoke up louder and in a much stronger voice, “Tobias BlueIce. Look at me.”
He did.
It was likely more out of reflex, as she so rarely used his name like that or a tone so similar unless he was about to be killed. But when he turned to look at her, Tobias found an expression on her face that did not match the voice. It was almost something that could be described as calming, but truthfully, it had the usual edge of ice that always found its way onto her face when she was forcing back her emotional reactions and focusing on the job to be done.
Knowing she had his attention finally, she held his gaze and said in a much softer voice that would have been completely alien to the old Shadow, “He’s not gone, Toby. Look at me. I’m here. I’m still here. And until I’m not here, Jyren is not gone. Do you understand?”
He just stared back at her, the same lost and terrified expression on his face. It was then that Loki cut in, very carefully, and only to Marix. [I understand lying to him...but don’t lie to yourself.]
Marix was intelligent enough not to react to that so Toby could see. Loki was a good friend, and knew her better than anyone, with only Jyren coming close to that. The ship could read her like no one else, and never let her get away with something stupid. He had felt the thoughts that were openly flying across her mind. He knew what she was thinking...and would have even without his knowledge of her.
[There are, and have always been, ways around the strong connection created through two Linked Alraxians.]
Again, Marix held herself and her reaction to an internal one only. He was right. There were ways around it. There had been for thousands of years. But they were difficult, complicated, and not something one just suddenly did. She would have known. It would have been obvious...
[But he isn’t there.] Loki cut in again, reading her as if he, too, shared a link. It didn’t take long for him to elaborate on it, and Marix kicked herself for being so stuck in the panicked thoughts that she didn’t really understand how Loki was getting all of this. [I can find nothing in that wreckage that is alive. Nothing. Do not think I haven’t tried with everything I have...but I can find nothing.]
It was then that Tobias saw a change in Marix. It was subtle, but when you got used to a neutral to angry expression on her face all of the time, it was easy to notice when neither were present. But like any change in her expression that she had not meant to occur, it did not last long. Marix pushed past the immediate emotional reaction and was back to normal. She said nothing to Loki, but instead spoke again to Toby, “He’s not gone.”
* * * *
Not far from his home in the Blackflame territory towards the southern edges of Alraxia and half a planet away from the Palace, Navik Keros sat in the sand at the edge of the water watching his two grandchildren. They were in one of the many tide pools that was scattered across the long, generally empty coastline. It wasn’t too terribly common for Alraxians to come out this far from the safety of their settlements, what with all of the predators that still roamed around, but it wasn’t unheard of either. There were four Knights not far away keeping an eye on things for that extra measure of protection.
He smiled to himself as he looked at the two little Alraxians in the water that was knee deep when they stood up...which was something they were both still having a little trouble doing, especially with the way the sand was sinking under them. Currently, the little girl, Andrea, was sitting off to the side idly pawing at something in the water. Andrea. Technically, her name was Andreanyl BlueIce, but Navik knew full well why they always called her Andrea, and he still was greatly appreciative of the fact that she was named after the grandmother she’d never know. And she looked so much like Marix...
Andrea’s twin brother, Saaran, was a bit more active. The little Alraxian, that looked much more like Tobias had when he was younger with his black and blue fur, was on the other side of the pool pouncing and obviously trying to catch one of the tiny fish that sometimes got stuck in the water there. Or maybe he was just pouncing and splashing. He seemed to be much more of the active type already, the exact opposite of his sister, who seemed quite content to just sit by herself and find ways that did not involve splashing water everywhere to entertain herself.
For a moment, Navik looked off to the ocean. He had never liked the water that much. But this was one of Andrea’s favorite spots...not the little girl over in the pool, but his long dead wife. She had been born on a planet covered in water and had always found a reason to come out here...and so, even though Navik cared little for it, he found himself, a good thirty standard years after she had died, still coming out here. And besides, the children seemed to love the change of scenery.
And then he heard a dreaded noise. Crying. Loud crying.
Turning back to look to the children, he saw little Andrea wailing at the top of her lungs...which were very, very strong for such a small child. First instinct told Navik that Saaran was splashing her again, as he had enjoyed doing that for the first hour they’d been out here and it had driven the little girl up the wall to the point where she stopped splashing back and simply started wailing like that. But no...no, Saaran was on the other side of the tide pool and had spun around, his eyes wide open with shock...not guilt.
Navik’s feet were working already, getting him up and heading over to where the children were. His eyes scanned the area around Andrea, noting that nothing seemed any different than it was before, and she was never the type to simply burst into tears for no good reason. She was a strong girl for her age, and so this was...worrying, to say the least.
The second he reached her, Navik knelt down and picked her up. He had to resist the urge to cringe at the volume of her voice when he had her up against his shoulder. Very gently, he reached up to stroke her hair and said quietly, “Shhh...its okay, little one...its okay...”
At his touch, she had gotten a little quieter, and he immediately noticed her hands were clinging to him by the very sharp claws. The pain was easy to ignore, but it was another thing to set off alarm bells in Navik’s mind. After a few minutes of simply repeating himself and stroking her hair, Andrea’s wailing had quieted to simple crying and whimpering.
At this point, Navik decided to try to figure out what was wrong. The twins were young and had very limited vocabularies, both in speaking Trade and Alraxian, but they knew a few words in both languages and were usually able to get across simple things like what was wrong. So, Navik shifted Andrea on his shoulder slightly so she could look up at him and asked softly, “What’s wrong, little one?”
She managed to sniffle a few too many times before mumbling in a tiny voice, “...want daddy...”
For the one of the twins that usually spoke her thoughts in broken Alraxian, hearing her speak Trade was a surprise to Navik. But then he began to become more worried. The twins were very, very attached to their parents. In addition to that, Andrea had a way of never, ever leaving Jyren’s arm if he was around. And despite being so very attached to him, she never said anything when he had to go away, because every single time, he sat her down and promised her he’d be back soon. She never liked it from the look on her face, but never asked anything about him while he was gone. She simply waited for him to come back like he said he would.
And, suddenly, Navik was terrified for his son.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Chapter 419: Survivors
Through everything else that was happening, there was a battle going on. A fierce one, at that. For a great deal of the battle, it looked like a stalemate, with the Vong ships simply firing away at the New Republic fleet and the two remaining Mrrakesh ships. Early on, the two smaller ships had fallen back into the New Republic lines, finding precarious positions but doing this best to add their own shots in with the flurry of turbolasers.
In the midst of it all, the Zephyrs and the other fighter squadrons were involved in a countless number of dogfights with the Vong’s coralskippers. The fighters faired well compared to what they were used to experiencing, and they could only attribute this to the smaller number of skips than most Vong fleets seem to have. But that did not make the fight any less deadly.
And when the Stardust collided with the Vong’s larger ship, the battle seemed to turn completely. Whatever they had attempted to gain by charging that direction had caused a great deal of chaos amongst the Vong fleet once it had failed to occur. The Araddon had finished off what was left of the ship before turning back, with the rest of the fleet and the two Mrrakesh cruisers, to focus fire on the remaining enemies. The repositioning that was caused by chasing down the long Vong ship meant that it was now possible to box in the rest of the Yuuzhan Vong, and because of this, the rest of the fight went fairly quickly.
It was only a matter of time before one of the smaller cruiser analogs was left, with a myriad of coralskippers and other smaller ships that seemed to be lightly armed picket ships. The ships were small enough and fast enough to break free of the New Republic fleet that was surrounding them, and after looping around through the wreckage of the Stardust and her victim, they were able to break far enough from pursuit to escape into hyperspace.
“We’ve finished recovery efforts, Admiral,” one of the comm chiefs in a crew pit of the Araddon spoke up.
Admiral Tarus nodded to the man, but instead of saying anything, turned to face the others with him. Without pause, he motioned for them to follow him, “I believe we must discuss a few things.”
A small briefing room was attached to the main bridge near the rear sensor stations, and so the Admiral led the way there. It was definitely a small room, oval shaped with a square table and too many chairs for the size of the thing. There were deactivated viewscreens on the walls and a holoprojector in the center of the table, also, but they did nothing but cause the room to feel even more cramped.
Once they’d all stepped in and the door had closed, the Admiral motioned for everyone to take a seat...though no one did. After nodding to himself, he simply stood behind a chair and looked directly across the table at the very tall Empress who had returned to the ship a few minutes earlier. He was, admittedly, surprised to see her return. Or would have been if he hadn’t been kept very up to date on the occurrences of the battle.
As he looked at this Empress whom he knew nothing about, Admiral Tarus found himself coming up with far more questions than he was comfortable with. Though she was maintaining a very passive and neutral expression on her face, he could see something else in her eyes and the way she was carrying herself. Something he couldn’t put his finger on but was sure wasn’t anything good. It was hard to be sure, though, considering her features were human but...not. Just different enough to be alien and similar enough to be familiar. An odd combination, really, but it was there.
“You’ll have to forgive me for being blunt, but there’s some questions I need answered.”
That was not the Admiral, though he was thinking the same thing. Instead, it was Rulae Nok, who was looking worse for wear after his squadron lost four of its pilots...including Captain BlueIce. Though it sometimes difficult to tell what the Duros was thinking, he was practical man and had a way of just getting to the point so no one had to wonder too long.
Instead of actually responding to him, though, the Alraxian Empress looked to the young man at her side. It was, as far as the Admiral could tell, the son of the late Captain...except that he was not currently human. In fact, the boy, who’s name was eluding the Admiral at the moment, looked to be the same species as the Empress, though nearly a head shorter than her...and his hair was a blue-black mix that might have been a stripe if it was neater.
“There are some things I cannot answer,” the Empress said, finally, in a distant voice that didn’t sound at all like the woman whom had first appeared on their ship at the start of the battle. A pair of silvery-purple eyes shifted from the Duros, then to the Jedi woman, Venda, who was on the other side of the table, and then back to the Admiral, “You have put me in an uncomfortable position. My people value our privacy. The fact that you now know where we are is dangerous enough for us.”
“I did not put you in this position,” Admiral Tarus said calmly, leaving off any title as he was not sure how to properly address her, “It was the late-Captain BlueIce that brought us here. And I do not mean to insult you, but I believe you would be in a much worse position had he not convinced me of the need to come here.”
Though he had finished the sentence, Admiral Tarus caught sight of an immediate change in the face of both the Empress and the young man with her at the mention of the Captain. There was a question on the tip of his tongue, but he was unsure of how to ask it correctly. He was no diplomat, and suddenly wished there was one on the fleet, as this was suddenly becoming a very tense place to be, in his mind.
Thankfully, though, it was Rulae who spoke up again, his two large, red eyes somehow managing to stare straight at the tall, feline woman, “If you must protect your people, then fine. But there are some things I will not let you leave here without answering,” there was a surprising coldness in the voice of the Duros, and it was suddenly very apparent how close a friend he had been with the Captain, “You are Marix, Jyren’s wife...are you not? And that boy is Tobias, isn’t he? If I have to expand this further, I can, but I think you know exactly what I want to know by now.”
For the longest of moments, the Empress’ eyes simply stared right back at Rulae, holding his gaze with a dangerous look that actually had Admiral Tarus close to calling in the Security detail. Or maybe it was also the fact that one of her hands was out of his sight and he was worrying too much....but a look from her shot his direction a moment later, and as the eyes shifted back to Rulae, the Admiral couldn’t help but notice that both of her hands became visible to him...and empty.
The silence that was holding was tense, though. While he couldn’t see it, the Admiral had been around enough tough decisions to know when one was being made. She was keeping it off of her face, but it was still there in the eyes. Human enough to read, but alien enough that he couldn’t decipher all of it.
“We are shapeshifters,” she said finally, in a matter-of-fact tone but also sounding as if the words were forced out. Tobias looked up at her with an expression of surprise, as if her saying this was something that he had definitely not expected. The Admiral noted that to himself, and made sure to pay attention as the Empress went on, “Jyren’s is a longer story than most and there is not any time to explain it nor do I care to. However, he was the man you knew...and he was my mate,” her eyes scanned the three of them a moment before adding, “As you are all suddenly having trouble trusting me or Jyren simply because you now know we can change form, you will understand why this is something we have done our best to keep to ourselves.”
“I apologize, but you haven’t done a very good job at it,” Rulae cut in, not looking at all sorry for what he had said despite the preface.
Marix gave him the same look from before, then simply shook her head, “Jyren has a way of making everything difficult.”
It was amazing how one sentence could lighten an entire air of tension...but that one did. In a moment, they were all sure that this Jyren was the same one and not just something out of the old stories about shapeshifters. But then the Admiral saw something in her that surprised him. There was a change. The hardness that had held the entire time faded for the shortest of moments, and when she turned to face him again, he saw an expression he always hated to see so much, as it always came with the question she asked.
“Did you find him in your recovery efforts?”
The question itself felt like a knife, as there was suddenly no avoiding it. But Admiral Tarus looked straight into her eyes, holding as straight a face as he could, “We recovered five of our starfighter pilots, twenty seven members of one of the ships we lost, and thirty three from one of your ships before it was destroyed.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” that was Tobias, who hadn’t said a word the entire time. His voice sounded hoarse and all together about as much of a mess as he looked.
Admiral Tarus closed his eyes for a long moment and took a few calming breaths. When he opened his eyes again, he looked up to the Empress for a second time, “We recovered who we could from the evacuees of the Stardust. Most of the crew was killed trying to reach the escape pods, but a third of them managed to get off the ship and were brought aboard the Araddon just a few moments again...” he paused for as long as he could, then finally went on, “Our shuttles made thorough checks of the wreckage as we were detecting many distress beacons...also, Jedi Venda aided our recovery efforts with her abilities in the Force...I am sorry, but Captain BlueIce was not among the survivors.”
Through everything else that was happening, there was a battle going on. A fierce one, at that. For a great deal of the battle, it looked like a stalemate, with the Vong ships simply firing away at the New Republic fleet and the two remaining Mrrakesh ships. Early on, the two smaller ships had fallen back into the New Republic lines, finding precarious positions but doing this best to add their own shots in with the flurry of turbolasers.
In the midst of it all, the Zephyrs and the other fighter squadrons were involved in a countless number of dogfights with the Vong’s coralskippers. The fighters faired well compared to what they were used to experiencing, and they could only attribute this to the smaller number of skips than most Vong fleets seem to have. But that did not make the fight any less deadly.
And when the Stardust collided with the Vong’s larger ship, the battle seemed to turn completely. Whatever they had attempted to gain by charging that direction had caused a great deal of chaos amongst the Vong fleet once it had failed to occur. The Araddon had finished off what was left of the ship before turning back, with the rest of the fleet and the two Mrrakesh cruisers, to focus fire on the remaining enemies. The repositioning that was caused by chasing down the long Vong ship meant that it was now possible to box in the rest of the Yuuzhan Vong, and because of this, the rest of the fight went fairly quickly.
It was only a matter of time before one of the smaller cruiser analogs was left, with a myriad of coralskippers and other smaller ships that seemed to be lightly armed picket ships. The ships were small enough and fast enough to break free of the New Republic fleet that was surrounding them, and after looping around through the wreckage of the Stardust and her victim, they were able to break far enough from pursuit to escape into hyperspace.
“We’ve finished recovery efforts, Admiral,” one of the comm chiefs in a crew pit of the Araddon spoke up.
Admiral Tarus nodded to the man, but instead of saying anything, turned to face the others with him. Without pause, he motioned for them to follow him, “I believe we must discuss a few things.”
A small briefing room was attached to the main bridge near the rear sensor stations, and so the Admiral led the way there. It was definitely a small room, oval shaped with a square table and too many chairs for the size of the thing. There were deactivated viewscreens on the walls and a holoprojector in the center of the table, also, but they did nothing but cause the room to feel even more cramped.
Once they’d all stepped in and the door had closed, the Admiral motioned for everyone to take a seat...though no one did. After nodding to himself, he simply stood behind a chair and looked directly across the table at the very tall Empress who had returned to the ship a few minutes earlier. He was, admittedly, surprised to see her return. Or would have been if he hadn’t been kept very up to date on the occurrences of the battle.
As he looked at this Empress whom he knew nothing about, Admiral Tarus found himself coming up with far more questions than he was comfortable with. Though she was maintaining a very passive and neutral expression on her face, he could see something else in her eyes and the way she was carrying herself. Something he couldn’t put his finger on but was sure wasn’t anything good. It was hard to be sure, though, considering her features were human but...not. Just different enough to be alien and similar enough to be familiar. An odd combination, really, but it was there.
“You’ll have to forgive me for being blunt, but there’s some questions I need answered.”
That was not the Admiral, though he was thinking the same thing. Instead, it was Rulae Nok, who was looking worse for wear after his squadron lost four of its pilots...including Captain BlueIce. Though it sometimes difficult to tell what the Duros was thinking, he was practical man and had a way of just getting to the point so no one had to wonder too long.
Instead of actually responding to him, though, the Alraxian Empress looked to the young man at her side. It was, as far as the Admiral could tell, the son of the late Captain...except that he was not currently human. In fact, the boy, who’s name was eluding the Admiral at the moment, looked to be the same species as the Empress, though nearly a head shorter than her...and his hair was a blue-black mix that might have been a stripe if it was neater.
“There are some things I cannot answer,” the Empress said, finally, in a distant voice that didn’t sound at all like the woman whom had first appeared on their ship at the start of the battle. A pair of silvery-purple eyes shifted from the Duros, then to the Jedi woman, Venda, who was on the other side of the table, and then back to the Admiral, “You have put me in an uncomfortable position. My people value our privacy. The fact that you now know where we are is dangerous enough for us.”
“I did not put you in this position,” Admiral Tarus said calmly, leaving off any title as he was not sure how to properly address her, “It was the late-Captain BlueIce that brought us here. And I do not mean to insult you, but I believe you would be in a much worse position had he not convinced me of the need to come here.”
Though he had finished the sentence, Admiral Tarus caught sight of an immediate change in the face of both the Empress and the young man with her at the mention of the Captain. There was a question on the tip of his tongue, but he was unsure of how to ask it correctly. He was no diplomat, and suddenly wished there was one on the fleet, as this was suddenly becoming a very tense place to be, in his mind.
Thankfully, though, it was Rulae who spoke up again, his two large, red eyes somehow managing to stare straight at the tall, feline woman, “If you must protect your people, then fine. But there are some things I will not let you leave here without answering,” there was a surprising coldness in the voice of the Duros, and it was suddenly very apparent how close a friend he had been with the Captain, “You are Marix, Jyren’s wife...are you not? And that boy is Tobias, isn’t he? If I have to expand this further, I can, but I think you know exactly what I want to know by now.”
For the longest of moments, the Empress’ eyes simply stared right back at Rulae, holding his gaze with a dangerous look that actually had Admiral Tarus close to calling in the Security detail. Or maybe it was also the fact that one of her hands was out of his sight and he was worrying too much....but a look from her shot his direction a moment later, and as the eyes shifted back to Rulae, the Admiral couldn’t help but notice that both of her hands became visible to him...and empty.
The silence that was holding was tense, though. While he couldn’t see it, the Admiral had been around enough tough decisions to know when one was being made. She was keeping it off of her face, but it was still there in the eyes. Human enough to read, but alien enough that he couldn’t decipher all of it.
“We are shapeshifters,” she said finally, in a matter-of-fact tone but also sounding as if the words were forced out. Tobias looked up at her with an expression of surprise, as if her saying this was something that he had definitely not expected. The Admiral noted that to himself, and made sure to pay attention as the Empress went on, “Jyren’s is a longer story than most and there is not any time to explain it nor do I care to. However, he was the man you knew...and he was my mate,” her eyes scanned the three of them a moment before adding, “As you are all suddenly having trouble trusting me or Jyren simply because you now know we can change form, you will understand why this is something we have done our best to keep to ourselves.”
“I apologize, but you haven’t done a very good job at it,” Rulae cut in, not looking at all sorry for what he had said despite the preface.
Marix gave him the same look from before, then simply shook her head, “Jyren has a way of making everything difficult.”
It was amazing how one sentence could lighten an entire air of tension...but that one did. In a moment, they were all sure that this Jyren was the same one and not just something out of the old stories about shapeshifters. But then the Admiral saw something in her that surprised him. There was a change. The hardness that had held the entire time faded for the shortest of moments, and when she turned to face him again, he saw an expression he always hated to see so much, as it always came with the question she asked.
“Did you find him in your recovery efforts?”
The question itself felt like a knife, as there was suddenly no avoiding it. But Admiral Tarus looked straight into her eyes, holding as straight a face as he could, “We recovered five of our starfighter pilots, twenty seven members of one of the ships we lost, and thirty three from one of your ships before it was destroyed.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” that was Tobias, who hadn’t said a word the entire time. His voice sounded hoarse and all together about as much of a mess as he looked.
Admiral Tarus closed his eyes for a long moment and took a few calming breaths. When he opened his eyes again, he looked up to the Empress for a second time, “We recovered who we could from the evacuees of the Stardust. Most of the crew was killed trying to reach the escape pods, but a third of them managed to get off the ship and were brought aboard the Araddon just a few moments again...” he paused for as long as he could, then finally went on, “Our shuttles made thorough checks of the wreckage as we were detecting many distress beacons...also, Jedi Venda aided our recovery efforts with her abilities in the Force...I am sorry, but Captain BlueIce was not among the survivors.”
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Chapter 420: Seperate Paths
Even after a decade of it, Marix still despised politics. But they always seemed to be necessary and she didn’t want to accept that there might be a chance she was good at it. Instead, she decided to attribute any skill at politics to her training in combat, as Marix always treated situations like this as a fight, of sorts. There just always seemed to be many more feints and misdirections than she liked to deal with.
Thankfully, though, this Admiral seemed to have much the same thinking. It was obvious that, after the battle, certain things had to be settled and decided. Bringing the New Republic to the edge of Alraxian space was dangerous enough without any of the politics involved, but now Marix was left to figure out how to handle the aftermath. It did not help that her mind was elsewhere, but at least there wasn’t much question as to what had to be done. The Alraxian Empire would not be joining the New Republic in their war effort. She thanked them for the assistance they provided, but made it clear that her people had problems of their own to deal with, which was completely ignoring the fact that, even if the Alraxian Empire was doing just fine on its own, they wouldn’t be asking for help.
“They are likely to come back,” Rulae Nok, Jyren’s old friend, spoke up when the two leaders had finished the body of the discussions.
Marix turned her eyes to the blue-skinned Duros and allowed herself a small nod, “I know how the war is going for the New Republic. The Vong are already beginning to push the Core Worlds. That makes this far away from the front lines of the battle. I believe that you have more to worry about from the Vong than we do.”
In all honesty, that was a blatant lie, but it was necessary. She had to present a strong tone and keep the Alraxians as independent as possible despite what Jyren might have wanted. He wasn’t exactly around to argue at this point, either. Of course, the situation she describe was true, and since none of the others, save Tobias, in the briefing room had any real idea of the Alraxian Empire, then they would likely believe it...or something close to that.
After a few moments of a rather uneasy silence, Admiral Tarus looked across the table to where Marix stood, “You understand that it is doubtful we can assist you if you are attacked again.”
“I do,” Marix said in a not-so-polite way, then added turning to where the blonde, human woman sat silently, “And as I said, we are grateful for your assistance. I believe I already know what the Vong are interested in my people for.”
“As do I,” the Jedi spoke up finally in a calm, if not a little detached, voice. When that got her a pair of looks from the Admiral and Rulae, she shrugged, “They are shapeshifters...we have already seen what the Vong do with prisoners. Enslave them and...alter their genetics. While they have their own suits that can make them look like a species they aren’t, imagine the prospect of actually becoming a species they aren’t. They would be able to infiltrate every single one of our planets without the slightest way for us to defend against it.”
At that, Rulae looked worried...or at least, as much as a Duros’ small amount of features could show any emotion. But the older Admiral had obviously had enough things like that thrown at him through his time in command to keep a perfectly straight face. With another slow nod, his eyes went back to Marix, “I am going to have to report this to my superiors.”
Marix simply nodded, but she had no words for him. Jyren had obviously known the consequences of bringing this fleet to protect the Gate, and while it had succeeded, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d thought about what would happen after. He had a bad habit of looking too far ahead, but barely an hour earlier Jyren had shown he was looking directly at the moment...had he finally focused his sight on what she’d been telling him to for so long, but also forgotten to look ahead at least slightly?
A sigh escaped her involuntarily, which just made her angry with herself for losing her restraint. After another few moments, she spoke up again, “We will not change our encryption codes. If you find out anything that could help us...use them same frequency Jyren input into your system.”
The Admiral nodded, understanding that her request was more about Jyren than anything about the war. He didn’t need the Force to see her struggling to keep a neutral expression for the past standard hour. Normally, at the conclusion of a meeting, he would stand to signal it was over. But as they were all standing, save for the young Tobias who was sitting in the chair in front of the Empress. Since his usual method wouldn’t work, the Admiral simply started to move around the table.
It seemed to work, as Commodore Nok was taking the cue well enough and moving to the side so that the Admiral could pass and go about the duties of preparing the fleet to leave. But the Admiral found himself stopping when Rulae stepped over to Marix and looked up(as was necessary considering how much taller she was) and said in a formal tone, “Raan....Jyren told me that he was protecting his home and his family by keeping everything a secret, even from me. He told me all he could, but always stopped himself. When we left Obroa-Skai after it was attacked and he learned for the Vong’s interest in your people...he...he was terrified...” he paused a moment, looking down to see that Tobias was staring up at him with an empty look on his face, “On the way here, he told me you would be furious with him. Jyren...laughed about it but I’d only ever seen him that worried once before, years ago. Perhaps I don’t even have much of a point with any of this. I just wanted to make sure you know that he was trying to do the right thing...like he always did.”
Marix looked down to the Duros, studying the large red eyes curiously for a few moments before allowing herself a nod, “I know...but thank you.”
The Duros returned the gesture and then, with a gentle pat on Tobias’ shoulder, left the briefing room. The Admiral and Venda started to the door again, ready to lead the guests to their ship, but while Tobias stood up, it was easily noticeable that Marix only turned around to face them both as they had reached the door.
When she had their attention, Marix said, “I would like to ask one more favour of you.”
Both the Admiral and Venda noticed her eyes were on the Jedi woman this time. Despite this, Admiral Tarus decided it was his place to respond, “I will do what I can.”
Marix then placed a hand on Tobias’ shoulder, a gesture that caused the young Alraxian to flinch noticeably. It was obvious she didn’t usually do something like that unless he was in trouble. But as there were no claws that dug in with it, a confused expression passed over his face and he turned to look up at her with the same question on his face. After a quick glance down at him, Marix said, “I would like you to take Tobias to Yavin IV.”
“What?!” Tobias sounded as shocked as his face suddenly became. He suddenly spun around to face her, “But what about—“
”If you do not go now, Toby, you won’t have another chance,” Marix’s voice told him that she wasn’t lying. And while it didn’t seem like she wouldn’t let him go after...but there just wouldn’t be any way to.
The young Alraxian bit his lower lip and shook his head, “But Jyren...”
Marix’s hand on his shoulder shifted to Tobias face and a bit roughly forced him to look up at her, “Look at me. Do I have to put my claws into you before you believe that I’m still here?”
For a long moment, Tobias’ silvery-green eyes didn’t seem to show anything that made any sense...and neither did his feeling in the Force. But then it came to a focus, and he managed a nod even if he couldn’t find any actual words to go with it. For once, he was understanding what she meant when she always said that words never really could grasp things like they were supposed to.
With that end of it settled, Marix looked up and past him to the two watching them. It took no time before the Admiral said, “Yavin is on the way to the Core from here.”
And then, with a bow, he turned and left the briefing room to the bridge. It left only the two Alraxians and the Jedi woman whom Marix knew only about through a few impressions she had received through the link from Jyren before...
The blonde-haired woman, who reminded her a bit of Jen Zaarin Voort, also bowed, but then added, “I am due back at the Academy, myself. I will....I will take care of your son.”
“Thank you,” Marix returned the bow, then started for the exit, not needing nor wanting an escort out, though she knew she was going to get one. But she stopped a step in front of the door and turned back to look to Tobias, “Jyren is alive, Toby. You do not need to be stuck to my side every second of every day to know that.”
“But I can’t feel—“
”He is alive.”
The words were strong enough to blast through the hull of the ship. No response came, and even if it had, Marix had left. She wasn’t going to hear argument about it. When it came down to it, Tobias was right. He couldn’t feel Jyren...she couldn’t either. Through the Force or through their link. Loki was right, he’d found a way to protect them...to protect her...to cut off the link. To end it so she wouldn’t die with him.
If she didn’t have an escort with her as she headed back to the hangar, Marix would likely have punched a very deep hole in the durasteel wall.
Even after a decade of it, Marix still despised politics. But they always seemed to be necessary and she didn’t want to accept that there might be a chance she was good at it. Instead, she decided to attribute any skill at politics to her training in combat, as Marix always treated situations like this as a fight, of sorts. There just always seemed to be many more feints and misdirections than she liked to deal with.
Thankfully, though, this Admiral seemed to have much the same thinking. It was obvious that, after the battle, certain things had to be settled and decided. Bringing the New Republic to the edge of Alraxian space was dangerous enough without any of the politics involved, but now Marix was left to figure out how to handle the aftermath. It did not help that her mind was elsewhere, but at least there wasn’t much question as to what had to be done. The Alraxian Empire would not be joining the New Republic in their war effort. She thanked them for the assistance they provided, but made it clear that her people had problems of their own to deal with, which was completely ignoring the fact that, even if the Alraxian Empire was doing just fine on its own, they wouldn’t be asking for help.
“They are likely to come back,” Rulae Nok, Jyren’s old friend, spoke up when the two leaders had finished the body of the discussions.
Marix turned her eyes to the blue-skinned Duros and allowed herself a small nod, “I know how the war is going for the New Republic. The Vong are already beginning to push the Core Worlds. That makes this far away from the front lines of the battle. I believe that you have more to worry about from the Vong than we do.”
In all honesty, that was a blatant lie, but it was necessary. She had to present a strong tone and keep the Alraxians as independent as possible despite what Jyren might have wanted. He wasn’t exactly around to argue at this point, either. Of course, the situation she describe was true, and since none of the others, save Tobias, in the briefing room had any real idea of the Alraxian Empire, then they would likely believe it...or something close to that.
After a few moments of a rather uneasy silence, Admiral Tarus looked across the table to where Marix stood, “You understand that it is doubtful we can assist you if you are attacked again.”
“I do,” Marix said in a not-so-polite way, then added turning to where the blonde, human woman sat silently, “And as I said, we are grateful for your assistance. I believe I already know what the Vong are interested in my people for.”
“As do I,” the Jedi spoke up finally in a calm, if not a little detached, voice. When that got her a pair of looks from the Admiral and Rulae, she shrugged, “They are shapeshifters...we have already seen what the Vong do with prisoners. Enslave them and...alter their genetics. While they have their own suits that can make them look like a species they aren’t, imagine the prospect of actually becoming a species they aren’t. They would be able to infiltrate every single one of our planets without the slightest way for us to defend against it.”
At that, Rulae looked worried...or at least, as much as a Duros’ small amount of features could show any emotion. But the older Admiral had obviously had enough things like that thrown at him through his time in command to keep a perfectly straight face. With another slow nod, his eyes went back to Marix, “I am going to have to report this to my superiors.”
Marix simply nodded, but she had no words for him. Jyren had obviously known the consequences of bringing this fleet to protect the Gate, and while it had succeeded, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d thought about what would happen after. He had a bad habit of looking too far ahead, but barely an hour earlier Jyren had shown he was looking directly at the moment...had he finally focused his sight on what she’d been telling him to for so long, but also forgotten to look ahead at least slightly?
A sigh escaped her involuntarily, which just made her angry with herself for losing her restraint. After another few moments, she spoke up again, “We will not change our encryption codes. If you find out anything that could help us...use them same frequency Jyren input into your system.”
The Admiral nodded, understanding that her request was more about Jyren than anything about the war. He didn’t need the Force to see her struggling to keep a neutral expression for the past standard hour. Normally, at the conclusion of a meeting, he would stand to signal it was over. But as they were all standing, save for the young Tobias who was sitting in the chair in front of the Empress. Since his usual method wouldn’t work, the Admiral simply started to move around the table.
It seemed to work, as Commodore Nok was taking the cue well enough and moving to the side so that the Admiral could pass and go about the duties of preparing the fleet to leave. But the Admiral found himself stopping when Rulae stepped over to Marix and looked up(as was necessary considering how much taller she was) and said in a formal tone, “Raan....Jyren told me that he was protecting his home and his family by keeping everything a secret, even from me. He told me all he could, but always stopped himself. When we left Obroa-Skai after it was attacked and he learned for the Vong’s interest in your people...he...he was terrified...” he paused a moment, looking down to see that Tobias was staring up at him with an empty look on his face, “On the way here, he told me you would be furious with him. Jyren...laughed about it but I’d only ever seen him that worried once before, years ago. Perhaps I don’t even have much of a point with any of this. I just wanted to make sure you know that he was trying to do the right thing...like he always did.”
Marix looked down to the Duros, studying the large red eyes curiously for a few moments before allowing herself a nod, “I know...but thank you.”
The Duros returned the gesture and then, with a gentle pat on Tobias’ shoulder, left the briefing room. The Admiral and Venda started to the door again, ready to lead the guests to their ship, but while Tobias stood up, it was easily noticeable that Marix only turned around to face them both as they had reached the door.
When she had their attention, Marix said, “I would like to ask one more favour of you.”
Both the Admiral and Venda noticed her eyes were on the Jedi woman this time. Despite this, Admiral Tarus decided it was his place to respond, “I will do what I can.”
Marix then placed a hand on Tobias’ shoulder, a gesture that caused the young Alraxian to flinch noticeably. It was obvious she didn’t usually do something like that unless he was in trouble. But as there were no claws that dug in with it, a confused expression passed over his face and he turned to look up at her with the same question on his face. After a quick glance down at him, Marix said, “I would like you to take Tobias to Yavin IV.”
“What?!” Tobias sounded as shocked as his face suddenly became. He suddenly spun around to face her, “But what about—“
”If you do not go now, Toby, you won’t have another chance,” Marix’s voice told him that she wasn’t lying. And while it didn’t seem like she wouldn’t let him go after...but there just wouldn’t be any way to.
The young Alraxian bit his lower lip and shook his head, “But Jyren...”
Marix’s hand on his shoulder shifted to Tobias face and a bit roughly forced him to look up at her, “Look at me. Do I have to put my claws into you before you believe that I’m still here?”
For a long moment, Tobias’ silvery-green eyes didn’t seem to show anything that made any sense...and neither did his feeling in the Force. But then it came to a focus, and he managed a nod even if he couldn’t find any actual words to go with it. For once, he was understanding what she meant when she always said that words never really could grasp things like they were supposed to.
With that end of it settled, Marix looked up and past him to the two watching them. It took no time before the Admiral said, “Yavin is on the way to the Core from here.”
And then, with a bow, he turned and left the briefing room to the bridge. It left only the two Alraxians and the Jedi woman whom Marix knew only about through a few impressions she had received through the link from Jyren before...
The blonde-haired woman, who reminded her a bit of Jen Zaarin Voort, also bowed, but then added, “I am due back at the Academy, myself. I will....I will take care of your son.”
“Thank you,” Marix returned the bow, then started for the exit, not needing nor wanting an escort out, though she knew she was going to get one. But she stopped a step in front of the door and turned back to look to Tobias, “Jyren is alive, Toby. You do not need to be stuck to my side every second of every day to know that.”
“But I can’t feel—“
”He is alive.”
The words were strong enough to blast through the hull of the ship. No response came, and even if it had, Marix had left. She wasn’t going to hear argument about it. When it came down to it, Tobias was right. He couldn’t feel Jyren...she couldn’t either. Through the Force or through their link. Loki was right, he’d found a way to protect them...to protect her...to cut off the link. To end it so she wouldn’t die with him.
If she didn’t have an escort with her as she headed back to the hangar, Marix would likely have punched a very deep hole in the durasteel wall.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Chapter 421: Rain
It was raining on Alraxia. That, in itself, wasn’t the most common occurrence in the region where the Palace was located, and when it did rain...well, it really rained. What would normally have been a bright day was instead feeling more like night...a wet night. It meant that most of the Alraxians were staying inside and taking the day off from whatever duties there would have been. While the shield was still active and able to protect them from the predators of the planet, there was an odd curiosity about the shields that actually allowed weather through.
Marix stood on the balcony outside of her room in the Palace that she found herself occupying more and more lately. It was calming to just stand there and be able to see all of the Palace. Of course, at the moment, she couldn’t see much beyond a few levels below her. But that didn’t bother her...where most would likely have hidden away, Marix simply ignored the fact that she was completely drenched and simply getting wetter, and stood out there as she always had.
For the third time, she found herself closing her eyes and searching for the link. Where it had always been, she simply found...nothing. It was disturbing and terrifying. Through the years, there had been problems with the link...starting from the moment Faban Sunrunner tampered with it with the help of that damned Kato. Since then, the link had never actually been as strong as it once had. Though it had been repaired, and being together for so many years strengthened it, there was always the knowledge of how strong it had once been. And then, with this damned war keeping them apart it had gotten weaker...or at least, more distant.
But this was different. Through all of it, even when Faban and Kato were up to their own idiocy years ago, it had been there. It may have been weak or distant or just hard to reach...but it was always there. Now...now Marix closed her eyes and found nothing at all. Nothing. The very idea of nothing in that place in her mind was hard enough to grasp. But...but Loki was right. Damn Jyren! An idealistic bastard to the very end! By the Force, he had to know what doing this would have done! But...
A growl escaped her and she slammed her firsts down on the railing, which half broke before reshaping again.
[...ow...]
For a short moment, Marix glanced down at the reformed railing. She did not respond to the Palace, though, still lost in her own thoughts.
It was exactly like Jyren to do what he’d done! She had let him go, knowing full well what it meant for both of them. Not for him. Both of them. She cursed and looked up at the sky, ignoring the rain that was not pelting her face. He was too damned human. He always had been! Despite everything, he was still a damned human and made a human decision. He knew the importance of the link but did what a human would do and just ignored it and protected the other...it was bad enough that he always acted like she needed that kind of protection!
“Are you going to stand out there getting wet all day?”
Unlike the Palace, that voice got her attention. Marix opened her eyes and turned around to see Navik Keros standing just inside her room. Her eyes searched for the twins, but they didn’t seem to be with him. But then she found herself looking at the older Alraxian. He didn’t know about his son...she had been waiting for him to get back with the twins...to tell him...
“It was your son that needed to be treated like a child, Navik,” she said, turning back to look away again, “You do not need to do the same with me.”
To her surprise, she heard a laugh from him, “I believe I do, Marix. Now, please, come inside.”
It was his tone of voice that really bothered Marix. He sounded worried, and that unlike him. Maybe he did know...but...he couldn’t. No one knew. So, she turned and walked inside, stepping past him and ignoring the fact that she was dripping on everything. After Navik had closed the doors to the balcony and turned to face her, Marix looked him in the eyes and did what she was best at...getting straight to the point, “Navik...Jyren is gone.”
The older Alraxian stared at her in silence for a long few minutes. She could see him working through this and knew he wouldn’t need to ask her to be specific on what she meant. He knew. It was the way she said it...coupled with how she’d been acting for the last ten minutes that he’d stood watching her quietly. It was the only time she’d ever not noticed him before he’d even walked in.
Finally, though, Navik asked quietly, “You must...forgive me for this...but how are you still here?”
“He found a way to cut off our link...” Marix ground out the next words, “...to protect me...”
And it was then that, considering she had just told this man that his son was dead, Marix realized he was taking it far better than she would have expected. Or rather, better than she was taking it. Which just added to her annoyance and caused her brain to go off and ignore the rest of her by changing the subject suddenly, “How are the twins?”
Marix did not like what she saw on Navik’s face after she asked that. For a moment, she found herself actually wondering if they weren’t okay, but stopped that quickly. She would know. Despite this idiocy from Jyren getting to her...she would know.
“They are...” he trailed off, obviously trying to find a way to answer best. There was a slight change of direction, and Navik started again, “Andrea has been screaming to see Jyren for the last five hours.”
To her credit, Marix did not outwardly show her reaction to that in any way. She at least was able to keep that much control over herself. She managed to simply nod and start past him to the twin’s room where, now that she was listening, she could, indeed, hear a very muffled noise that was fairly constant.
But as she got to the door, Navik said one more thing, “Marix...I received a transmission from Alyx on the way here. The Knights on the border are reporting the Mrrakesh are still pushing through, even after the deal that was made.”
Because she wasn’t facing him, Navik didn’t see her scowl. It was probably for the best, as the look on her face was usually the same one when she was to the point of tearing someone’s throat out. Marix forced it away in a second, then said over her shoulder, “I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
That was probably a bad choice. But Marix didn’t care. For the moment, the Mrrakesh, the Vong, and the New Republic could all go and drop out of an airlock. She had once said to Jyren, years before, that actually having a quiet life with a family might not actually be all that bad. Of course, she’d stopped herself and been shocked to say it...but it had come out. And now...now the rest of the galaxy be damned, Marix hadn’t really had time to spend with the twins in too long, and even if she could push through what the galaxy through at her, there was no way they could...not yet.
It was raining on Alraxia. That, in itself, wasn’t the most common occurrence in the region where the Palace was located, and when it did rain...well, it really rained. What would normally have been a bright day was instead feeling more like night...a wet night. It meant that most of the Alraxians were staying inside and taking the day off from whatever duties there would have been. While the shield was still active and able to protect them from the predators of the planet, there was an odd curiosity about the shields that actually allowed weather through.
Marix stood on the balcony outside of her room in the Palace that she found herself occupying more and more lately. It was calming to just stand there and be able to see all of the Palace. Of course, at the moment, she couldn’t see much beyond a few levels below her. But that didn’t bother her...where most would likely have hidden away, Marix simply ignored the fact that she was completely drenched and simply getting wetter, and stood out there as she always had.
For the third time, she found herself closing her eyes and searching for the link. Where it had always been, she simply found...nothing. It was disturbing and terrifying. Through the years, there had been problems with the link...starting from the moment Faban Sunrunner tampered with it with the help of that damned Kato. Since then, the link had never actually been as strong as it once had. Though it had been repaired, and being together for so many years strengthened it, there was always the knowledge of how strong it had once been. And then, with this damned war keeping them apart it had gotten weaker...or at least, more distant.
But this was different. Through all of it, even when Faban and Kato were up to their own idiocy years ago, it had been there. It may have been weak or distant or just hard to reach...but it was always there. Now...now Marix closed her eyes and found nothing at all. Nothing. The very idea of nothing in that place in her mind was hard enough to grasp. But...but Loki was right. Damn Jyren! An idealistic bastard to the very end! By the Force, he had to know what doing this would have done! But...
A growl escaped her and she slammed her firsts down on the railing, which half broke before reshaping again.
[...ow...]
For a short moment, Marix glanced down at the reformed railing. She did not respond to the Palace, though, still lost in her own thoughts.
It was exactly like Jyren to do what he’d done! She had let him go, knowing full well what it meant for both of them. Not for him. Both of them. She cursed and looked up at the sky, ignoring the rain that was not pelting her face. He was too damned human. He always had been! Despite everything, he was still a damned human and made a human decision. He knew the importance of the link but did what a human would do and just ignored it and protected the other...it was bad enough that he always acted like she needed that kind of protection!
“Are you going to stand out there getting wet all day?”
Unlike the Palace, that voice got her attention. Marix opened her eyes and turned around to see Navik Keros standing just inside her room. Her eyes searched for the twins, but they didn’t seem to be with him. But then she found herself looking at the older Alraxian. He didn’t know about his son...she had been waiting for him to get back with the twins...to tell him...
“It was your son that needed to be treated like a child, Navik,” she said, turning back to look away again, “You do not need to do the same with me.”
To her surprise, she heard a laugh from him, “I believe I do, Marix. Now, please, come inside.”
It was his tone of voice that really bothered Marix. He sounded worried, and that unlike him. Maybe he did know...but...he couldn’t. No one knew. So, she turned and walked inside, stepping past him and ignoring the fact that she was dripping on everything. After Navik had closed the doors to the balcony and turned to face her, Marix looked him in the eyes and did what she was best at...getting straight to the point, “Navik...Jyren is gone.”
The older Alraxian stared at her in silence for a long few minutes. She could see him working through this and knew he wouldn’t need to ask her to be specific on what she meant. He knew. It was the way she said it...coupled with how she’d been acting for the last ten minutes that he’d stood watching her quietly. It was the only time she’d ever not noticed him before he’d even walked in.
Finally, though, Navik asked quietly, “You must...forgive me for this...but how are you still here?”
“He found a way to cut off our link...” Marix ground out the next words, “...to protect me...”
And it was then that, considering she had just told this man that his son was dead, Marix realized he was taking it far better than she would have expected. Or rather, better than she was taking it. Which just added to her annoyance and caused her brain to go off and ignore the rest of her by changing the subject suddenly, “How are the twins?”
Marix did not like what she saw on Navik’s face after she asked that. For a moment, she found herself actually wondering if they weren’t okay, but stopped that quickly. She would know. Despite this idiocy from Jyren getting to her...she would know.
“They are...” he trailed off, obviously trying to find a way to answer best. There was a slight change of direction, and Navik started again, “Andrea has been screaming to see Jyren for the last five hours.”
To her credit, Marix did not outwardly show her reaction to that in any way. She at least was able to keep that much control over herself. She managed to simply nod and start past him to the twin’s room where, now that she was listening, she could, indeed, hear a very muffled noise that was fairly constant.
But as she got to the door, Navik said one more thing, “Marix...I received a transmission from Alyx on the way here. The Knights on the border are reporting the Mrrakesh are still pushing through, even after the deal that was made.”
Because she wasn’t facing him, Navik didn’t see her scowl. It was probably for the best, as the look on her face was usually the same one when she was to the point of tearing someone’s throat out. Marix forced it away in a second, then said over her shoulder, “I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
That was probably a bad choice. But Marix didn’t care. For the moment, the Mrrakesh, the Vong, and the New Republic could all go and drop out of an airlock. She had once said to Jyren, years before, that actually having a quiet life with a family might not actually be all that bad. Of course, she’d stopped herself and been shocked to say it...but it had come out. And now...now the rest of the galaxy be damned, Marix hadn’t really had time to spend with the twins in too long, and even if she could push through what the galaxy through at her, there was no way they could...not yet.
Ankh-Morpork Guard
First Post
Chapter 422: Past and Present
“Hold it tighter...you’ll lose it with a light grip like that.”
Tobias looked down at the lightsaber in his hands and tried to tighten his grip as best he could while keeping the hold on the hilt as he had been shown. It was an...odd grip, really. Not how he had naturally picked it up, and because of that, tightening on it made the hold even stranger. He shook his head and then grumbled, “I don’t see why I have to hold it like this.”
“Trust me. You’ll understand in a moment. Now, I’m going to attack and all you need to do is parry like before...but this time I’m not going to tell you where to look. Watch my eyes, my legs, and how I shift my stance to see where I’m going to attack. But don’t trust your eyes, either...feels my movements. Okay?”
Tobias nodded.
“Ready?”
Again, Tobias nodded.
And then, the light in front of him shifted as the blue-green blade swung around to his left side. It was a slow swing, and Toby had little trouble shifting around to the side to parry it. But then he got a surprise. The second the two blades collided, the blue-green light from the attack reversed, and Toby watched a flash as it spun around and, in another second, was on his right side, all too close to his neck.
The blade was also close enough that the loud thrumming of the weapon was almost a scream in his ear. Which meant it was hard to hear Jyren when he said, “That weapon is an extension of your body...not just a weapon. You don’t need to look at it anymore than you need to watch your own hand. You have to know where it is...okay?”
“But...”
Jyren shook his head, though he didn’t move his blade from its position next to Tobias’ neck, “Listen to me, Toby...you asked me to do this, now you need to just trust me. You’re holding the weapon like that for a reason, but I can’t spell everything out for you. Watch me. Stay focused on me...not my weapon.”
Finally, Jyren pulled back his blade and held it up in the neutral position, “Lets try this again.”
Tobias nodded and pulled his lightsaber up into the same position, looking through the violet glow of the weapon as best he could without going blind and then...
“Tobias?”
He blinked. After another moment, Toby sat up straight in his chair and shook his head, waiting for his vision to refocus. When the reality of the moment finally came back to him, he saw that Venda was standing across from him. He quickly reminded himself that he was on Yavin IV, sitting in the large mess hall of the Jedi Academy there, and simply had been waiting for her to return. They’d only arrived about ten minutes before, and the Jedi woman had herded Toby into the mess before telling him to wait and then disappearing.
“Hm?” was the best he could manage as he was still coming back into reality. Tobias was sure it hadn’t been a dream. He was...awake. But...that had happened, about a standard year before. Was he seeing things? It was too vivid to just be a simply memory but...
It was then that Tobias noticed the tall, broad shouldered human male standing next to Venda. He wore the Jedi robes and was an odd contradiction to look at...the man looked like he could easily break Tobias in half(this was ignoring the fact that, to make things easier on everyone, Tobias was currently human), but had a peaceful smile on his face that belied everything else.
Venda motioned to the man, “This is Master Solusar. He is in charge of the Academy here in Master Skywalker’s absence.”
Taking the hint, Tobias stood and bowed, but since he was unsure of what to say...remained silent. Master Solusar returned the bow and help a smile, “It is good to meet you, Tobias. Though I am...sorry to hear about your father.”
Tobias managed to keep a neutral face at that, knowing that the Jedi Master was simply trying to be polite. An uncomfortable moment passed, but the Jedi Master soon ended it, “I must also apologize in advance for the nervous atmosphere here. I expect you understand why, but because of the situation in the galaxy, it is hard to continue training as we have done before. This is a time where the Jedi are greatly needed...so we must all do what we can to help.”
“That’s why I wanted to be here,” Tobias said softly.
Master Solusar stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, “I am glad to hear that. But before we can place you to begin your training, we must assess your abilities as they are now. Can you use that?”
Following the Master’s gaze, Tobias found his eyes on the lightsaber at his belt...Jyren’s lightsaber. He had to run this through his already overworked mind, but Toby finally managed to nod, “Somewhat.”
The hand on Tobias’ shoulder shifted to his back as Master Solusar began to lead him towards a turbolift, “Good. Then we’ll have to see how well you are with that along with the other tests.”
The turbolifts were very odd to Tobias. Compared to the huge, ancient rocks that made up the rest of the Great Temple, the lifts were as modern as they could be, and looked more like something on a starship than in this ancient temple.
As they silently rode down in the lift, Tobias said quietly, “Jyren...my father said that a true Jedi would never need his lightsaber to win a fight.”
“He was a wise man,” Master Solusar nodded, “And he was right. However...it is an ideal that is not achieved overnight. With the galaxy as it is, we must be able to protect ourselves. Even the younger students are trained in basic lightsaber techniques for their own protection. These are...not the best of times for anyone.”
That, Tobias understood. While the idea of a more militant Jedi order scared him, the need for protection made perfect sense to him. Especially after...after everything he’d seen. It had barely been a standard day since the battle, and Tobias was still having trouble with it all.
“Do not worry,” the Jedi Master cut into his thoughts, “You will learn to control your mind. But the first thing you must understand is that you cannot dwell on the pain. Given time, it will draw you to the Dark Side and that...that is the last thing that anyone needs, especially with a war like this surrounding us.”
Tobias managed a silent nod.
A few moments later, the turbolift door slid open and Master Solusar stepped out, leading the way down a vaulted corridor to a large set of metal doors. They opened at the touch of a switch to reveal a large, open room with a series of obstacles and other objects that had to be for training purposes. The room, itself, was empty beyond that, and so Tobias simply followed where he was led to the center of the room.
“Jedi Venda will be in the observation chamber above us,” Master Solusar nodded to a room above them with a series of consoles that Tobias couldn’t see, “I must admit, it has been a long time since I have tested a prospective student, myself, but...as I have said too many times now, we are quite stretched. We will start with the basics and move from there...are you ready?”
“Are you ready?” Jyren asked him a second time. He could see him there...in front of Master Solusar. Taller than the man thanks to the fact that he was an Alraxian. The fringe of his hair still out in the way of the right side of his face and the metallic blue coloured stripe cutting a very unique look into his otherwise plain, white hair. He stood there, smiling slightly as he waited for an answer from Tobias, bathed in the blue-green light of his own lightsaber.
The lightsaber that was now hanging on Tobias’ belt. The weapon he’d taken so many times when no one was looking just to hold...as if it were a toy. What he’d always dreamed of having, because, deep down, Tobias had always been terrified about his true parentage. He knew what Jyren always said...that no matter who his biological parents were, Tobias was his son. No matter what. And then he’d given Tobias his weapon...his mother’s weapon. A symbol of his family. The only connection to it that Jyren had for so very long...
...and now it was in Tobias’ hands.
He closed his eyes and tried to go through the quick calming techniques that Marix had taught him, and when he opened his eyes again...Jyren was gone.
“I’m ready.”
“Hold it tighter...you’ll lose it with a light grip like that.”
Tobias looked down at the lightsaber in his hands and tried to tighten his grip as best he could while keeping the hold on the hilt as he had been shown. It was an...odd grip, really. Not how he had naturally picked it up, and because of that, tightening on it made the hold even stranger. He shook his head and then grumbled, “I don’t see why I have to hold it like this.”
“Trust me. You’ll understand in a moment. Now, I’m going to attack and all you need to do is parry like before...but this time I’m not going to tell you where to look. Watch my eyes, my legs, and how I shift my stance to see where I’m going to attack. But don’t trust your eyes, either...feels my movements. Okay?”
Tobias nodded.
“Ready?”
Again, Tobias nodded.
And then, the light in front of him shifted as the blue-green blade swung around to his left side. It was a slow swing, and Toby had little trouble shifting around to the side to parry it. But then he got a surprise. The second the two blades collided, the blue-green light from the attack reversed, and Toby watched a flash as it spun around and, in another second, was on his right side, all too close to his neck.
The blade was also close enough that the loud thrumming of the weapon was almost a scream in his ear. Which meant it was hard to hear Jyren when he said, “That weapon is an extension of your body...not just a weapon. You don’t need to look at it anymore than you need to watch your own hand. You have to know where it is...okay?”
“But...”
Jyren shook his head, though he didn’t move his blade from its position next to Tobias’ neck, “Listen to me, Toby...you asked me to do this, now you need to just trust me. You’re holding the weapon like that for a reason, but I can’t spell everything out for you. Watch me. Stay focused on me...not my weapon.”
Finally, Jyren pulled back his blade and held it up in the neutral position, “Lets try this again.”
Tobias nodded and pulled his lightsaber up into the same position, looking through the violet glow of the weapon as best he could without going blind and then...
“Tobias?”
He blinked. After another moment, Toby sat up straight in his chair and shook his head, waiting for his vision to refocus. When the reality of the moment finally came back to him, he saw that Venda was standing across from him. He quickly reminded himself that he was on Yavin IV, sitting in the large mess hall of the Jedi Academy there, and simply had been waiting for her to return. They’d only arrived about ten minutes before, and the Jedi woman had herded Toby into the mess before telling him to wait and then disappearing.
“Hm?” was the best he could manage as he was still coming back into reality. Tobias was sure it hadn’t been a dream. He was...awake. But...that had happened, about a standard year before. Was he seeing things? It was too vivid to just be a simply memory but...
It was then that Tobias noticed the tall, broad shouldered human male standing next to Venda. He wore the Jedi robes and was an odd contradiction to look at...the man looked like he could easily break Tobias in half(this was ignoring the fact that, to make things easier on everyone, Tobias was currently human), but had a peaceful smile on his face that belied everything else.
Venda motioned to the man, “This is Master Solusar. He is in charge of the Academy here in Master Skywalker’s absence.”
Taking the hint, Tobias stood and bowed, but since he was unsure of what to say...remained silent. Master Solusar returned the bow and help a smile, “It is good to meet you, Tobias. Though I am...sorry to hear about your father.”
Tobias managed to keep a neutral face at that, knowing that the Jedi Master was simply trying to be polite. An uncomfortable moment passed, but the Jedi Master soon ended it, “I must also apologize in advance for the nervous atmosphere here. I expect you understand why, but because of the situation in the galaxy, it is hard to continue training as we have done before. This is a time where the Jedi are greatly needed...so we must all do what we can to help.”
“That’s why I wanted to be here,” Tobias said softly.
Master Solusar stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, “I am glad to hear that. But before we can place you to begin your training, we must assess your abilities as they are now. Can you use that?”
Following the Master’s gaze, Tobias found his eyes on the lightsaber at his belt...Jyren’s lightsaber. He had to run this through his already overworked mind, but Toby finally managed to nod, “Somewhat.”
The hand on Tobias’ shoulder shifted to his back as Master Solusar began to lead him towards a turbolift, “Good. Then we’ll have to see how well you are with that along with the other tests.”
The turbolifts were very odd to Tobias. Compared to the huge, ancient rocks that made up the rest of the Great Temple, the lifts were as modern as they could be, and looked more like something on a starship than in this ancient temple.
As they silently rode down in the lift, Tobias said quietly, “Jyren...my father said that a true Jedi would never need his lightsaber to win a fight.”
“He was a wise man,” Master Solusar nodded, “And he was right. However...it is an ideal that is not achieved overnight. With the galaxy as it is, we must be able to protect ourselves. Even the younger students are trained in basic lightsaber techniques for their own protection. These are...not the best of times for anyone.”
That, Tobias understood. While the idea of a more militant Jedi order scared him, the need for protection made perfect sense to him. Especially after...after everything he’d seen. It had barely been a standard day since the battle, and Tobias was still having trouble with it all.
“Do not worry,” the Jedi Master cut into his thoughts, “You will learn to control your mind. But the first thing you must understand is that you cannot dwell on the pain. Given time, it will draw you to the Dark Side and that...that is the last thing that anyone needs, especially with a war like this surrounding us.”
Tobias managed a silent nod.
A few moments later, the turbolift door slid open and Master Solusar stepped out, leading the way down a vaulted corridor to a large set of metal doors. They opened at the touch of a switch to reveal a large, open room with a series of obstacles and other objects that had to be for training purposes. The room, itself, was empty beyond that, and so Tobias simply followed where he was led to the center of the room.
“Jedi Venda will be in the observation chamber above us,” Master Solusar nodded to a room above them with a series of consoles that Tobias couldn’t see, “I must admit, it has been a long time since I have tested a prospective student, myself, but...as I have said too many times now, we are quite stretched. We will start with the basics and move from there...are you ready?”
“Are you ready?” Jyren asked him a second time. He could see him there...in front of Master Solusar. Taller than the man thanks to the fact that he was an Alraxian. The fringe of his hair still out in the way of the right side of his face and the metallic blue coloured stripe cutting a very unique look into his otherwise plain, white hair. He stood there, smiling slightly as he waited for an answer from Tobias, bathed in the blue-green light of his own lightsaber.
The lightsaber that was now hanging on Tobias’ belt. The weapon he’d taken so many times when no one was looking just to hold...as if it were a toy. What he’d always dreamed of having, because, deep down, Tobias had always been terrified about his true parentage. He knew what Jyren always said...that no matter who his biological parents were, Tobias was his son. No matter what. And then he’d given Tobias his weapon...his mother’s weapon. A symbol of his family. The only connection to it that Jyren had for so very long...
...and now it was in Tobias’ hands.
He closed his eyes and tried to go through the quick calming techniques that Marix had taught him, and when he opened his eyes again...Jyren was gone.
“I’m ready.”