Crushed and Created

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy sighed, a few tears still rolled down her cheeks as she sniffled, "I ... saw them again." She said quietly, still trying to settle down as she wrapped her arms tightly around Niamh, seeking what comfort she could get. "I don't want to dream about them anymore." Honestly believing it would be easier to let them go if she didn't have to see them in her dreams so often. "It hurts too much."

Sighing, she pulled at Niamh's flightsuit, clinging for dear life. "I know." Whispered softly, as Izzy shifted to bury her head into the woman's shoulder. "I just want to know what happened to them. Why they left me." None of it made sense to her. Not in the least. One night they were there, tucking her in and reading her a bedtime story. The next morning they were gone without a trace.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

This was difficult. The child no longer wished to dream of her parents, but the only way to truly make those end would be to erase those memories from her mind, or bottle them up somewhere. If they did that, they would eventually come back in the latter case, but in the former case she might lose who she was entirely. That was not something that she found to be acceptable and so she refused to allow herself to even offer it. Not that she could do it now, but she could find out how and practice if need be.

"There is no way to make you stop having the dreams, else I'd help you do it. As for your parents, eventually we will figure out what happened, that I promise."

The console beeped and she had to withdraw her arms from the girl to take control of the steering columns, sliding her feet into the others. When it was time, she popped them out of hyperspace above their destination. There was a single ship visible above the planet and sent a mental hail to the captain.

"We're here. That's my other ship there, the Dawn's Light. I'll be letting a friend fly the fighter once we're done here and we can occupy the larger ship."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

The little girl nodded slowly, exhaling slowly as she did. "I guess so." Izzy gave a tiny shrug, as Niamh spoke. "Do you think we will ever know what happened?" Her fear being that too much time already had passed and with it, the chances of finding her parents slipped further and further into the realm of impossibility. At least right now, she had the word of a Jedi that they'd try to find out. For the moment, that was enough.

Izzy glanced around the cockpit as they reverted to normal space, her eyes seemingly glued to the planet's surface so far below them. "It's beautiful." She marveled. As the Jedi pointed out the other ship, the girl looked to it, and smiled, "Seems a lot bigger than this." Seemingly much happier about the fact that they'd be traveling in something she could spread out in. "So we just go to the surface now?" Inquisitive as always. "What do you think the people are like there?"

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"It's quite a bit longer, but no hangar. Fast, though. As for your family, eventually we will know."

She grinned and gunned the interceptor forward, flashing them past the bridge of the Dawn's Light and down towards the planet. Of course she was careful not to get too close as she didn't particularly want to slam them into the ships particle shields. That would be most unfortunate. They pierced the atmosphere of the planet and descended down towards the planets main industrial center, which wasn't overly large. Alright, it was rather small because the Matukai didn't really engage in such endeavors to make money as most of the galaxy did.

Settling the fighter down in a field outside of the town, she started the power down process and popped the ships canopy so that Izzy could get out if she wanted.

"Not sure what they'll be like to be honest, but the Matukai focus on the use of martial combat as a way to commune with the Force. I imagine they'll be warriors like my people. Nothing to be frightened of, though."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Iz nodded again, biting at her lip as Niamh mentioned her family. "I hope so. I really do." At the very least Elizabeth needed closure, to know for certain what happened. But that was going to take time.

The little girl's eyes were focused outside the craft, watching as they descended into the atmosphere, seemingly mesmerized by the transition from space to the clouds and soon the surface below. As soon as they touched down, Izzy seemed impatient to escape the cramped spaces of the cockpit. The moment the canopy was opened, she was quick to climb out, eager to see this whole new world they'd touched down on. Slowly she stretched her arms, and legs with a yawn, still a little tired but plenty excited.

Thinking about what was said of the planet's natives, the little girl's brow knitted together not sure what to make of that. "So, they're like the ninjas in the storybooks I read..." More of a statement than anything else. The idea of meeting a real life ninja, well it did bring on a touch of nerves, though Izzy tried not to let it show. "Yeah, not scary at all...."

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

With the ship powered down, she jumped down from the cockpit and landed lightly beside Izzy. Her helmet was left inside the fight. She didn't need it out here, as far as she knew. This wasn't a heavy combat situation, so the helmet wasn't going to do much for her except make all interactions seem impersonal, which was the opposite of what she wanted. Reaching over to Izzy, she plucked her helmet off and tossed it in the fighter as well. She wasn't going to need hers either.

"You're forgetting who you're traveling with. I'm not just a Jedi Knight, I'm an Echani. I trained in our martial arts style from the time I could move until now. I've mastered it, and I'm skilled enough that I can adapt our fighting style to just about any weapon the galaxy has to offer. I am one of these ninja you speak of."

She grinned and motioned for Izzy to follow her as she started walking to the village.

"There's nothing to be afraid of except fear itself. Fear will eat at you. Be who you are, and be confident in yourself. Even the most dangerous of situations, the most hopeless, can be turned in your favor if you believe it."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy's eyes widened a bit as Niamh declared herself a ninja. "But you don't look like a ninja. And you're ... nice. You can't be one!" She declared. As they started to the village, she stepped a bit quicker, to catch up. Reaching out, she wrapped her fingers around the woman's hand, feeling a little safer that way. "You're better than a ninja."

"Fear itself, and spiders. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself, and spiders." The little girl corrected, with a firm nod certain that she was right in that. Spiders were a terrible, terrible thing after all!

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"Who says that all of these ninja aren't nice? And of course I'm better than a ninja. I'm an Echani. We're better than everyone when it comes to fighting."

She winked down at Izzy, giving the girls hand a gentle squeeze. Tooting her own horn, she was. Niamh was pretty good at doing just that. The fact that Izzy didn't seem to mind only made her more brazen with talking herself up. Granted there was another side to it as well. By making herself seem awesome in the eyes of the child, she was putting the girl at ease with the relative safety of being around an Echani firedancer and Jedi Knight. She need not fear.

Except for the spiders. She put on a brave face for that one.

"Spiders are just bugs. You can squash them."

They entered the village and the people there started watching them. Niamh made sure to smile and dip her head in greeting to them. Most of the looks they got were curious ones. A few of the folk had come to the edge of the village to see who had arrived. These ones were mostly children, but she spotted a few Matukai Warriors amongst them. Their weapons drew her eye, and she nodded to them respectfully, only to receive nods in return as they continued walking.

"Have to be on our best behavior when meeting new people, right, Izzy?"

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

"Well ... they can't all be good and nice. Not everyone is." Not everyone was, at least not in her experience. She'd already met far too many unkind adults, and mean people in her time alone. But Niamh gave Izzy some small bit of faith that she'd be safe alongside her. Right now, it was something she needed. Safety and security the little girl, had not had much of in the last few months and if anything was going to built her confidence, it would be some level of certainty in her young life.

"Sure, just bugs ... till they try to eat your face." Out of the mouth of babes. "Then they're not just bugs, they're face eating spiders!" Clearly, the girl had read one too many horror stories on the matter. One had to wonder where else that fear could have possibly come from.

Her eyes drifted to the locals, and shyly, Izzy stepped a little closer to Niamh holding tight to her hand as the village locals started to appear. Unsure what to make of them, the children, or the warriors even she noticed mixed in, it seemed in her best interests to stick close to the one person who had taken care of her thus far. "Yes, Niamh. I'll behave." She said quietly, clearly a bit shy around new people.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"If they try to eat your face, you make it so they no longer have one."

She made a fist with her free hand and punched it into the air straight in front of her. There wasn't anyone there so it was alright. They were traveling down the main thoroughfare, still being watched by everyone that seemed keen to inspect the outsiders. Visitors to Karvoss II must not have been a common thing. Regardless, they soon approached a large structure that stood out at the center of the village, where they were greeted by two guards.

"State your name and business here."

"I am Jedi Knight Niamh Raste, Firedancer and High Protector of Eshan. This youngling with me is Izzy Aureth. We're here to speak to your teacher."

"Why? The Matukai have never wanted any association with you Jedi."

"We aren't here to breed an association. We're here to learn."

One of them, presumably the senior one, looked at the other and motioned for him to go inside.

"Wait here. We'll see what she has to say."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy giggled a little, it seemed a somewhat probable solution to her spider troubles. "And if the spider is bigger than you?" She said with a smile, clearly just seeing where she could take the conversation, growing more comfortable talking to Niamh.

As they came to the village center, the little girl seemed to just about have glued herself to the Knight's leg, uncertain of the people around them. She shyly peered her head around the woman, as she spoke her name to the two guards, eyeing them most cautiously. Her eyes only followed as the more junior guard headed inside the building, then she glanced back to Niamh but said not a word. It just didn't feel right to her to speak now, not her place. That and her natural shyness had taken over, she really had no clue how to act in this kind of situation, other than to remain silent. Something about children being seen but not heard, stuck in the little girl's mind for the moment.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Size matters not. Determination and a good brain are all you need."

She ruffled Izzy's hair playfully as they stood waiting. Fortunately their wait wasn't a long one, as the junior guard returned and spoke something to the senior one before he sighed and instructed them to follow with a wave of his hand. The doors opened and Niamh ushered Izzy ahead of her so they could enter the temple proper. It wasn't loud and overly packed like most Jedi temples were. In fact, it seemed mostly quiet, which she found somewhat odd given who the Matukai were.

They followed the guard to a non-distinct, oddly manual, door, which he opened for them to step inside. Niamh went in first, bringing Izzy along behind her. The guard shut the door behind them.

In front of them was a small room, with no decoration. A woman sat in the middle of the floor, on a small mat. She was much older than Niamh, and yet she had a figure that spoke of ages of rigorous training. This was the head teacher of the Matukai, and it seemed she had been so for a very long time. Niamh offered a bow to her, and motioned for Izzy to do the same. Before they could speak, the woman spoke.

"Child. Why do you travel with this woman who is most obviously not your parent? Jedi do not take in younglings these days."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy nodded, and then finally grew quiet as they were lead into the temple. In fact it seemed that she had become more serious, the playfulness disappearing completely. Her eyes seemed to trace the outline of every space that they moved through, uncertain of what to think. All she could do was follow the lead of the guard.


A most pained express came as the older woman asked her why she was with Niamh. For a minute or two, Izzy said nothing, seemingly organizing her thoughts and trying to work past the pain of her reality. "My parents are gone ma'am." She said most sadly. "I woke one morning, they had been there with me, but when I woke, they were gone. No clue where they went." A sniffle came but Izzy quickly quashed the tears that were fighting to get out, "They've been gone for months. No words, no contact, searched forever, but mommy and daddy never came back. They are just gone." A shrug followed as the little girl became more interested in the floor, "I've been ... barely surviving, doing what I had to, just to get through the day..." She finally glanced to Niamh, "Until Niamh came along. She helped me, when most never even saw me. Plans to help my find my parents, or at least what happened to them." Even she wasn't sure she wanted her parents back, they had abandoned her after all. "I don't think I'd have made it much longer alone." She said flatly, knowing far too well the reality of children like her. Too many of them perished on the streets, or ended up in jail. Her hand had found it's way back into Niamh's squeezing tightly, searching for comfort to get through the pain that threatened to tear the little girl apart from the inside out. "I have no one else." She choked, as she wiped away the last trace of tears and tried to calm herself.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

Niamh allowed Izzy to speak. No interjections, no interruptions. When she was done, she bent over and scooped the child up, holding her slightly on her side, but in a way that she could still see the woman that was speaking to them. This child was hers now. Whether Izzy knew it or not, accepted it or not, she belonged to Niamh. The Echani would love her and treat her as if she were here own flesh and blood, which is to say that she had every intention of teaching the girl how to be a warrior.

When Izzy finished speaking, the woman nodded and looked at Niamh.

"And you, Echani, why are you here with this child?"

"Because she needed me. Because I intend to care for her, since I have the means."

"You do have an air of wealth about you."

"Not what I meant, but yes. As for why we're here. My Master taught me a great deal of your techniques. I want to make a wan-shen."

The woman eyed her for a few moments, glancing back and forth between Niamh and Izzy. This situation was a strange one. Niamh already knew most, if not all, of the techniques of the Matukai thanks to her Master. She didn't know how to make a wan-shen, though.

"You will have to teach the girl the ways of the Force, else it will be of no use to you. You both shall make one. Can you do that?"

Niamh glanced to Izzy.

"Do you want to learn about the Force?"

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Izzy happily allowed Niamh to pick her up, and laid her head upon the Jedi's shoulder, but her eyes focused on the woman they were here to see. Another sniffle or two came from Izzy as she shifted for a moment, to hide her head while she wiped away the tears.

As she glanced back up to the woman on the floor, she seemed confused by the phrasing the woman used. Teach her the force? Both of them make one? She looked back to Niamh, waiting for some explaination. When one came, it wasn't exactly what she'd expected.

After a moment's consideration, she nodded slowly. "Yes.." She said softly. "I want to learn. I don't want to be afraid of it anymore." Her experiences with the force had been all so severe so far, and frightening, with her having no control whatsoever of it.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"Train the girl so she can do things on her own. Her fear will destroy her otherwise. Teach her peace. When you have done so, come back to the temple and go to the forges."

"Alright."

Niamh glanced at Izzy briefly, the girl was still upset, but she did seem interested in learning, which was good. With this news in tow, she turned and left, carrying Izzy along as they left the building. By now she could see the Dawn's Light was settling down outside of the village near where they'd parked the fighter. She would be alright out there and the crew could resupply with a bit of trade. Niamh first took Izzy back to the fighter, where she grabbed a survival kit, and their other clothes, that was stored in a small compartment on the vessel. A wave to some of the crew of the big ship, and she departed into the woods.

Carrying Izzy was no problem for her. The girl was small and light. The forests here were somewhat dense, but that was a good thing. She wanted to get them away from everything and out into the peaceful realm. Izzy had spent too much time in a city. Quiet would do her good. So, when she found a nice clearing, she stopped and set the girl down.

"This is going to be our temporary home while I teach you. I find it's better to learn away from people than it is to learn where it's really busy. That and we can run around and do whatever we want out here without bothering anyone."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

Once more Izzy seemed a bit confused, if not worried by the words spoken. She opened her mouth to ask for clarity, but stopped and looked back to Niamh a most questioning expression upon her face. As they left, the little girl laid her head back down upon the Echani's shoulder, and hid her face from the world. She wasn't in the mood to be seen still feeling a fair bit drug down by her emotions.

As they left the fighter and other ship behind, Elizabeth's confusion only seemed to grow as they entered the forest. "Where are we going?" She asked quietly as she finally lifted her head off Niamh's shoulders to try and get an idea of where they were headed.

When they finally stopped, and Niamh sat her down in the clearing, Izzy slowly turned around in place, taking in the forest around them. Curiously and slowly, she took a tentative step forward, and reached out, poking at one of the plants. Not only had Izzy grown up in a city, true plants, and real trees were not something she'd really seen up close before. Leaning forward, she cocked her head curiously as she bend over to more closely inspect a flower. "It ... seems dangerous," She paused and looked back up to Niamh, "Out here, not the flower." Izzy had to clarify. Clearly the girl had spent just a little too much time in the city. Maybe a healthy dose of the great outdoors was just what the little girl needed.

Izzy jumped, hearing a twig snap in the distance. "Home? You mean we'll live out here? In the woods...." It seemed like the start of a really bad horror movie to her. That and she wasn't sure she wanted to give up the comforts the city gave to her. Even if it had been most cruel to her in recent months.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"The entire galaxy is dangerous, Izzy. You have to learn to face your fears and conquer them."

While Izzy was looking at the plants, she was busy pulling things out of the survival kit. Chief amongst that which was within was a tent. Not a little pup tent or anything, but a full size tent that the two of them could sleep in comfortably. She activated it, and it set itself up quickly. Yeah, that would do for the two of them for the time being. Home away from home, as it were. Not like the IFAS was far away if they really needed something. She hadn't led them that far away from the rest of society.

"Yes, we're going to live here for now."

She reached up and started peeling off her flight/combat suit, not really caring that she wasn't hiding away. Granted, Niamh had never cared who saw her naked. Not that she was naked underneath. She was wearing undergarments. As the suit came off, she reached for her normal, blue, one-piece outfit.

"You should get changed out of the flight suit."

[member="Izzy Aureth"]

 

[Izzy Aureth]

The little girl frowned and looked back to Niamh as the tent was put up. Never in her life had she thought of camping, and fun in the same sentence. Truth be told, she really didn't think about camping at all. It just wasn't something her family had the time nor money for. "I don't know about this..." She grumbled. "I think I liked the ship better."

A sigh came as it was declared they would be living there for the time being. Something about the whole idea just didn't settle well with the young child. Living out in the wild, just didn't seem right. Even if they truly weren't far from civilization, it still wasn't an idea the girl liked.

Izzy nodded to Niamh and headed instantly for the tent after collecting her clothing. She, was notably shyer about her body. Stepping inside, she sealed it back behind her, before she started to strip down. A moment or two later, after a few frustrated grunts, the girl escaped the flight suit and set it aside, quickly replacing it with her clothing, which were nothing special. In fact they looked like they'd seen many better days, and in truth they had. Most cautiously she opened the tent and stepped back out into the forest.

[member="Niamh Raste"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"Of course you do. That's another reason we aren't on the ship."

She was, of course, done changing before Izzy had come out of the tent. And she also wasn't there when Izzy came out of the tent. She wasn't far away, or anything, but she wasn't in eyesight of the little girl, even with the blue suit that she was wearing. Niamh wasn't going to beat around the bush when it came to training the girl. That long winded stuff was suitable when you were sitting on a Jedi planet in a temple and didn't have to worry about dealing with threats, but out in the galaxy as a whole it took a lot less chance for danger to find you.

Reaching out through the Force, she touched Izzy's mind.

Do not be afraid, Izzy. I am not far away from you. I want you to relax, be calm, and open your mind to your surroundings. I know you can do this; it's how you survived so long. Open your mind and find me.

She was confident the girl could do this. It might take her a bit, and she'd likely get frustrated with it, but that was part of what training was. Nobody was perfect, not even Niamh. Sure, she'd taken to her training faster than most had, but she'd still made mistakes. it was normal. It was the determination to learn from those mistakes that made someone stand out.

[member="Izzy Aureth"]