A New Path [Mara]

[Vakarian]

What does one do when the beliefs they held to, the ideals they hoped for, were taken away from them?

With the reversion of the Silver Sanctum to the Order of the Silver Jedi once more, the young Valkyri apprentice deemed it inappropriate to remain. He joined them initially for their valor in combat on his wintry homeworld of Midvinter, against the icy demons; The Vinterbound. He witnessed their prowess and respected their power, and upon further study - he found that he valued their beliefs and openness in terms of morality. That changed when several members of the order were questioned on the progress of the organization and what they thought could better.

It was decided that the reversion to a Force User order was necessary and the expulsion of those with darker aligned morality was to take place. They were deemed unfit for the Silvers and with that change several key members left and set about their own paths in the galaxy at large. A necessary truth in their opinion.

He did not agree with the decision and chose to leave the Order, leaving him without a place to call his own. His first thought was to return to Midvinter, but he had long since decided that he did not want to return. He loved his home and his culture, but he had experienced so much in so little time that he felt that he would no longer be satisfied wondering the icy tundras and snow-capped mountain ranges. It wouldn't be home anymore, not for him. His home was among the stars, experiencing all that the galaxy held for him and sharing it with friends.

So, it was that he found himself on Ossus, the former home of the Republic's Jedi Order before its fall. He had sent a holo-message to the one person that he could think to call on in his time of need. A woman that he had met only once previously and spent some time with in her home. She was responsible for the three crystals that he now carried on his person until he deemed it the right time to forge his own weapon. She was the Lady [member=Mara D'lessio Merrill]. His tall form could be seen clearly on the level ground and his belongings tucked away in a fur pack that he had brought with him from his home to the Silver Sanctum, and now in his exodus from Silver space.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Máni"]

The intervening months had changed Mara in subtly visible ways. She knew he'd seen battle, and she'd seen a bad one. With her crew and a couple dozen Jedi, she'd run afoul of a Mandalorian raid. Padawans and Younglings had died. Her crew had been injured. Mara had been one of only a handful who'd survived the Ilum Enclave Massacre.

To keep herself from falling to the Dark Side, she'd thrown herself into crafting with more dedication than before. In her niche, crystals, she'd achieved important milestones. She leaned on a metal staff that felt like regret. It tapped on the ramp of the 'Scar of Ilum,' then the earth of Ossus.

A smile, then, but though she was still young, her smile had less of the child to it than before.

"Need a lift, soldier?"

 

[Vakarian]

It wasn't very much longer after he sent the message to the Lady [member=Mara D'lessio Merrill] that he had succumbed to his need to process the things that he had undergone since that last meeting. The galaxy was rife with events, both dark and light -- and even some that fell into neither broad category. He was certain that they both had had their own adventures since their departure and his return to the Silver Sanctum. Of course, this had happened all before the decision was made for the Silvers to revert to their original ways -- the usual close-mindedness of the majority of Jedi Orders. He harbored no ill will against the Silvers though, they had been his family for a time and he had learned much about the way of the galaxy and even himself while among them, he truly wished them success in any venture that they may have decided to undertake. Their path just wasn't his path anymore.

He settled in a sitting position, cross-legged, and delved deeply into the God's Sense to await the arrival of the one he had asked to come to him. He had enjoyed her company the last time they had met, and he was eager to see her once more; whether that eagers stemmed from a romantic inclination or a purely platonic one, he did not know -- nor did he care to think too heavily upon it. She was one of the few people that he believed he could count as friend, that much he was certain of over the time they had spent on Kilia IV among the Rangers there. He'd learned much from her, both in the way of Crystals and in the general sense of camaraderie with others. He'd witnessed the Kilian Rangers, seen their prowess, perhaps even aspired to be as one of them someday. But, that would not be for some time.

There was no tracking the passage of time as one drifted among the God's Sense, feeling the presence of all living things ever-flowing through the invisible currents that connected the galaxy together. Turbulence was too often caused and the utter feeling of despair was prevalent, as various events were enacted that altered the currents that he swam in concert with in his mind. He was at relative peace with his surroundings, maintaining a vigilance to what surrounded his immediate area while also maintaining a steady flow within his mind; this allowed the passage of time to flow more quickly.

It wasn't until he felt her familiar presence enter the recesses of his mind that he began to swim against the currents and bring himself out of the Meditation that he had fallen in. He had never had trouble connecting with the God's Sense, or the Force, as the galaxy at large liked to refer to it. He was quite adept at setting his mind at peace, though usually that peace faded when he was once again in his own mind and was able to view the world around him with his own eyes. There was too much darkness and not enough light. The Valkyri boy stood and brushed himself off, ensuring that he looked somewhat presentable, and turned in the general direction that he felt her presence coming from.

She had not yet come upon him, but he found a slight frown rising, as a troubled mind echoed within his own senses; something had happened and it had changed the woman that he had known. He didn't know what had happened, but neither was he the type to sate his own curiosity when it came to another being's business.

He awaited her arrival with his usual smile teasing at the corner of his lips and as she drew nearer, the smile slowly widened until it had formed a slightly child-like grin. You look ridiculous. You are a Valkyri, not a little child, act like it!, he mentally berated himself as her ship settled in the clearing that he had chosen as their rendezvous point. He made note of her lackluster smile, but was careful to keep his in place. He did not wish for her to think that he had intruded on her personal feelings, albeit unintentionally.

"Lady Mara." he acknowledged cordially with a courteous bow that looked more like a stoop than anything because of his height in comparison to hers. His eyes analyzed her discreetly, hoping to glean information of her current mindset and health.

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Máni"]

OOC/ Sorry, missed the tag and got caught up in all kinds of stuff.

IC/ Raised by a Lorrdian and birthed by an empath, she had little trouble picking up his veiled curiosity, bordering on concern. But circumspection was among Mani's better qualities, and Mara had no real desire to discuss the source of her more recent pain. Not now, anyway; not here in the open air, on a strange world. The Ilum Enclave massacre was a subject for another time. Perhaps he'd seen her transmission to all the splintered Jedi Orders. She hoped so: it would save her time and grief in explaining.

Time had passed since Ilum, wounds had healed, but this wasn't the first time that the horrors of war had broken her a little. Old injuries, hidden ones, had reopened.

She took a deep breath, let it out, smiled, and meant it. "Hello, Mani. Glad to hear from you. It's been too long."

So this was Ossus: a jungle, ancient Jedi ziggurats, Ysanna totems in the trees. So far as Silver Jedi planets went, Ossus lay close to a major hyperlane and the more populous, important worlds of the Expansion Region and Mid Rim. In short, a decent rendezvous point if someone wanted a ride out of Silver space. Mara crouched and snagged his fur pack: small by his standards, large by hers, but she managed the weight well enough. "This everything you're bringing? And do you have a destination in mind?"