Echoes of Fate; The Will of the Force (Asha Hex)

[WolfMortum]

Together it seemed both he and [member="Asha Hex"] would bare witness to a time Veiere believed he would never know in such clarity again. The attack upon the Jedi Enclave of Svivren had decimated the branch and removed it entirely from active duty, the Jedi Order itself destined to crumble some years later against the struggling war facing the One Sith Empire, yet Veiere's leave of the Order that day would see him enter into a twelve year exile to the world of Alzoc Three, a snow world that was seemingly hidden out in the midst of nowhere, a place that few travelled to and nearby the capital city of which he had tended to upon a mission in his younger student years. It was that very day that they were seeing unfold before them.

Veiere Arenais, a far younger Jedi Padawan standing before his own Master before their leave of the Jedi Enclave on his very first away mission. Jedi Master, Andina Torsyn was unlike Veiere, a human woman whom followed the path of the Jedi Guardian favoring lightsaber combat and the pursuit of defense over his preference in studying the great limitless possibilities within the Force and seeking to bury himself within the data-logs of the Jedi Archives. Her attire was a fine gray tunic held firm beneath a black Jedi Robe that draped around her form and flowed at the back of her feet where she walked. The two were on their way towards the Jedi Hangar when the vision brought them stopping before his much older self and his companion, the young Asha Hex.

As a Padawan, Veiere looked both nervous and excited, his boyish features unable to contain his eagerness to escape the Enclave holdings and venture out into the wide world. The vision and their place within time seemed to offer a side of his former Master Veiere had never realized before, that hint of an affectionate smile every time his back had been turned, often masked by the lecture that would follow when their eyes would lock. Andina Torsyn was a most gifted teacher and Veiere had cherished his time studying under her. Hers had been among the many lives lost during the invasion of Svivren by the Sith the day of the attack.

He was speechless, though Asha stirred his concentration away from the vision of the past and turning to glance to her, his face somewhat pale and emphasizing the surprise and astonishment over this ability she possessed. "Never have I found myself experiencing such a vivid impression of the past. Visions I've had before but never consistent, never so well contained...-You control them with a skill that quite frankly I am floored by" he responded to her with great compliment, a justified acknowledgement of her ability as this was well beyond his own doing; "How did you come by this skill...?" he asked finally. His lack of question or surprise over her noting the Enclave's wealth of energies and influence in the Force might well have been notable. He had ventured there many times since the collapse of his home, many times seeking to honor the memory of his fallen friends and family. This however...-This was something else, entirely.

 

[Lief]

Asha observed without intrusion up until the point that she spoke aloud to him, allowing him a moment to process what it was he was seeing, to immerse himself into a past he had no doubt forgotten the details of, perhaps he had lied to himself about the details, details which had become muddied and unclear as the years passed by, or perhaps he was finding it was all as he had remembered. Whatever the case, the young Hex remained quiet, and even the words she had ended up speaking held a remarkably soft lilt, as though by speaking aloud she might disrupt the general flow of the area around them.

It was possible, to make a mark, to leave an impression, but such was not her way, and it required an immense amount of focus - more than she was already dedicating to their little walk through time. No, their presence here was not noticed by the fleeting figures of his past, and yet despite that both she and the Master at her side steered clear of the general path of those around them.

He looked to her once she was done speaking, and truthfully it seemed as though he had seen a ghost. She supposed, given the state of the Enclave to this day, and the story he had gifted her with shortly before they stepped into this twilight zone, that in many ways he had; a ghost of his former self, of Jedi long since gone, of an enclave which had fallen to ruin. A lot to process, she knew, but hopefully in time he would appreciate the insight which could be drawn from it.


"It is one of the few things I could dedicate time to for several years, Master Jedi; in my youth I was fascinated with all manner of archaic Force sects - but none moreso than the Aing-Tii monks of the Rift. In fact, their philosophy regarding the Force, and its spectrum of colours as opposed to Light or Dark, is something I hold to, to this day. They are said to be the originators of this technique, it's known as Flow Walking, and it is beyond dangerous to attempt without assistance. One false step, and you can end up disconnected from your body. They utilized it to see forward in time, to the infinite paths which were possible - after all, what is to happen is not yet set in stone. By way of practice, I chose instead to revisit my own past, a path I knew I could not fall from, and from there I continued to roam, back in time rather than into the dangers which lay in the future."

Glancing around them for a moment, she let out a small breath through her nose. She realized of course that if not for Aellin she would never have had the time nor necessity to peer into the past, to escape into the annuls of time. The only light in a truly horrific time of her life.

"For several years I was held captive aboard a ship of death and decay - a Graveyard for all intents and purposes. In order to escape that reality, during the many countless hours I was made to wait in silence until I was needed, I meditated, I sank deeper into the Force, and I drew upon this ancient technique which I had only used a handful of times prior. Years of intense immersion... I do not truly remember how long it was, but since gaining my freedom it is something which has stuck with me. I have seen much I never thought possible, I drew upon texts I had studied in my youth and sent myself back in time to days most do not even know of - such as the origins of both of our Orders. And it is with thanks to this technique that we see what is around us now. Though... In truth this is much clearer than it usually is, typically I witness just fleeting images and words, snippets of time; the Force which lays here, this vergeance of energy, is providing me with a focus through which to see."

With his hand still in hers to keep the connection alive, she turned and began to lead him back through the Enclave, there remained so much to see, not just in terms of structure but time, counting down to the destruction of this once serene and modest place of learning.

"I sense that there is something specific that wants to be seen, but there is no need to rush to it. Come, lead on Master Jedi, if there is anything you wish to see before that time, now is your chance to do so..."

Asha was not known for her large catalog of abilities and techniques, she did not utilize the Force in an offensive fashion as many chose to, her healing capabilities were very limited, and personal, yet this... This was what she had dedicated most of her time to, and while most would see it as a useless craft Asha knew that there was much to be learned from the past, lest history was to repeat itself.

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere listened to [member="Asha Hex"] and for a time seemed to forget the environment in which surrounded them, alive and very much estranged from the present. That this young woman had found herself in the company of death, isolated upon this graveyard she spoke of, a metaphor he presumed though understand the pretext for what she was explaining. The time that she had to develop such a unique practice within the Force, this Flow-Walking that she had dubbed it, whether the official name or not, it was an incredible practice and equally as dangerous from what she had described to him. The knowledge that could be gained from exploring the past events of their origins. The Jedi Order back in the Old Republic, the rise of the Galactic Empire, the beginning of the Sith Order and the first Civil War between those of the Force; what mysteries had she been opened to, Veiere could only wonder.

"Had I been blessed with such an ability as yours then perhaps my life would not have been as turbulent as it has become..." He replied softly, his gaze returning to those around them both, Jedi of traditional garments passing them by, students questioning their Masters about the mysteries of the Force and when they might get to step out into the Galaxy and join their peers in off-world missions to serve the galaxy. "Perhaps all of these people, these Jedi might have been spared such a tragedy..." his eyes followed the younglings nearby partaking in a group session within the courtyard, though he could not hear the lessons they were being taught due to the nature of the vision in time they were delving into yet the end-game would all result in the same inevitable outcome; they would all die at the hands of the Sith.

This experience was eye-opening in many various aspects of truth; no matter the amount of years he had dedicated to the Jedi Order, never was he as enlightened as he hoped. Never was his experience enough to dissuade the decline in his path, for wherever he was supposedly being led anymore, nothing ever seemed to amount to the lessons of his former Master, Andina Torsyn. She whom had ascended to the position of a Jedi Master, forever walked in the supposed light of the Force only to die alongside all the rest of them. The attack vicious in it's approach, no warning having reached the enclave before the Sith had invaded and slaughtered them all. In the wake of the vision in time that they shared, Veiere's presence would waver, Asha Hex would feel his reproach to the past.

Before long it would seem that it was again time to move, this time Veiere being given the lead while the younger women still held his hand in hers and kept the trance flowing actively, the vision of the past surrounding them in full and leading them deeper into the former Jedi Enclave, years passing them by as simply as the entrances to the various class-rooms and training centers they would pass in stride until finally, against the layout of the facilitiy that he could recall, they found themselves standing within the Jedi Council Chambers, a younger Veiere Arenais though this time a Jedi Knight fresh within his first year arguing with his superiors over the call for reinforcement from the branches of the Core-Worlds. "The Jedi were beginning to fear the growth of the One Sith Empire..." Veiere explained to his companion, his voice hindering the progress of the past vision none, they both never having been there nor able to be heard from these imitations of his past life; "That there beside me is Brennan Cabrol...-My first Apprentice" Veiere gestured to the boy beside him, standing and appearing rather nervous, clearly not liking the fact that Veiere was arguing with the Council.

"They Council of Svivren decided against moving to the Core due to our few numbers and general pacifist ways. Our branch was a smaller cell of the Jedi Order focused on learning and study, not of the ways of war. Our students trained in the lightsaber arts yet our majority members were scholars, not fit for the threat we would soon face...-Of course, their denial frustrated me. Soon after I instructed Brennan to remain behind while I and a handful of other Knights moved to meet the call of Coruscant. We only got half way before needing to turn back..." Asha would likely be able to presume why it was they needed to return to Svivren, the attack against the Enclave, the news and distress call that had reached them too late and despite all the power behind their corvette, arrived too late to assist and save any of them. Not his Master, nor his Apprentice...

 

[Lief]

"Having access to such a technique does not inherently make for a better understanding, Master Jedi. If anything it can bring about more confusion, uncertainty, more questions than answers. I provided you with just a small snippet of information on the past, on the origins of the Orders we both serve, and already I can sense a modicum of doubt worming its way through you. There is so much out there to see, but knowing the context is just as important as seeing a partial piece of history played out."

She brought her free hand up, gently settling it against his cheek as she attempted to turn his face toward her, to meet his gaze with her own. There was no judgement behind her eyes, just a genuine intrigue and empathy which could not be faked.

"You cannot live on perhaps. I do not doubt that what happened here was a tragedy of the truest form, but even if you and your people had access to the knowledge Flow-Walking could provide, even if you proved capable of walking along the strands to view the future without disconnecting from your body, there would have been no way to know for certain if what you saw was ever going to happen. The future has not happened yet, it is fluid, ever changing, each action you make, or another person makes, alters the strands. Focusing too much on the future, and forsaking the present, is a dangerous path to take. It has led to the downfall of the Jedi on more than one occasion, and will do so again. Of that I have no doubt."

She allowed him to take the lead without influencing his decisions, listening to what he had to say and drawing upon that alongside the vergence around them to paint a picture of what had happened in the lead up to Svivren's demise. Things that even Veiere himself was not present or privy to, given his apparent absence at the time, flowed around them, as more of the Enclave was unearthed. Classrooms and training rooms with the muted sounds of conflict held within, leading up to the chambers which held an audience of Council Members, with a fresh faced Veiere at its center.

The scene began to melt away, the visions of Veiere and his apprentice in particular wavering as a very real sense of foreboding and dread washed over the both of them. Though no legitimate sound could be heard, there was almost an echo of screams in the air that cut through their very core.

It was time, it seemed.

"Do you need a little more time, before we walk back through those doors?" she asked, her voice quiet and filled with consideration, "There is no need to rush this..."

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

"When you've lived a life in service to the Jedi Order as long as I, my young friend, it's near impossible not to go through times of doubt and personal conflict. To justify yourself solely to one path, whether the Jedi or something as simple as a career path, every person goes through such questioning. Let's call it a Mid-life Crisis, so to speak..." Veiere turned to glance back to [member="Asha Hex"], offering her a brief smile as if to suggest he was trying to inspire humor in an otherwise serious conversation for which his words were coming directly from his own experience. Today, the Jedi Order seemed nothing alike what it had once been, the values that it had stood for back in his younger days; though too could it be that he had been naive and self-righteous in that which he had allowed himself to see. It was probable that they had always been this way and he simply sought to neglect the truth until his return to duty from a time of exile had shone to emphasis the fallacies within his own.

"I have questions about the Force and where my destiny is headed. The path I had believed to be mine was to restore the Order and return it to the standards that this very place once portrayed; I succeeded and things moved on, those that were apart of my goals and ambitions remain with the Order still to this day yet I found myself being pulled away. This surprised me and I began to see that over time, I was becoming more and more aware of the contradictions that the Jedi Order displays in it's practices. The Code teaches consideration and the respect for all life regardless of it's origins and differences and yet the Jedi seek to destroy the Sith, not try to encourage or work alongside them to better understand one another..." the very concept of such a thing sounded naturally near-on impossible and yet Veiere himself had known and still affiliated with a number of Dark-siders for whom had at one point or another been violent or prejudice of him and the differences he held from them, yet still they talked and often worked together for the sake of the Commenor Systems Alliance, such things were never impossible had one simply the patience and integrity to challenge such beliefs and bare down against the hurdles that came with achieving such feats.

"Having seen all of this however, this experience that you call flow-walking..." He continued, turning back to look to the girl, his expression holding one of intrigue and consideration over himself now and his life both past and present; "Perhaps the future is not where the answers to my questions lay, but in the past". Veiere had never thought himself to be graced with such an experience. The Seers of the Jedi Order were most strict and guarded over such visions and dreams of theirs that sharing those abilities and experiences with others were considered to be almost taboo, so to speak. This ability of Asha's however, for her to be able to use it in such a way and to promote such a clear vision of Veiere's past for which everything was perfect down to the smallest of details and sharper than even his memories of such times could recall, the thought occurred to him that the potential knowledge gained with such a skill would be phenomenal.

"How do you not lose yourself within such a skill...-You must struggle not to spend every day like this, learning from the histories of other peoples, groups and cultures...-The benefit I can only imagine to be mind blowing".