Private Educational Crusade

[Persephone Dashiell]

CROWN OF ASHLA

The Ruins | Coren Starchaser
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Ession. A city-wide planet all except for one area. A large golden section of vegetation, rivers, and ruins. It was one of the sites of the Ashlan Crusade, a movement that had since died yet still contained adherents and fringers who worshiped and followed its teachings. Yet as she and Master Starchaser arrived at the edge of the golden oasis, it was quiet of much sentient activity. Birds and wildlife could be heard but compared to when they landed at the spaceport it was calm, quiet, peaceful. Idly, she wondered if this was by design from the Ashlan followers or if there was something more at play.

Master Starchaser was yet another tutor her parents had spent a heap of credits on. Known in the galaxy as an explorer and treasure hunter to some extent, both parents had sourced the Master for his knowledge to stoke the interest that she was slowly building around history and artifacts. Between himself and Ran Serys ,she was sure to gain some real hands on knowledge beyond the bookwork her other tutors put her through.

The pair was on the path now to the ruins and she was buzzing with questions. Persephone had prepared herself by reading and combing through texts about the Crown of Ashla, at least what she could find. So far some things were interesting to her teenage girl sensibilities, such as the story of the lovers who created the forest and golden oasis. In some ways it was like a fantasy romance novel from Lady Velvet.

Yet a question was burning on her mind. Master Starchaser knew the Force well. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask since they had yet to reach the ruins.

"Master Starchaser." A small pause, playing over how to phrase her question. "The text say this place can heal mental wounds. Do you think this is true?"

Persephone knew her parents wanted to send her to therapy regarding her upbringing, trauma around her mother's death, and obsession to find out who her father is. Or was. Did this place assist with such a thing? Or was it merely a religious tale? Not wanting to reveal her feelings to a stranger, she would have to carefully prod around the subject.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The fact that a Dashiell was out to explore was not the surprise. The fact that she came to Kattada on a passby through the galaxy? That was a bit more of a random chance. But what she was going after, well, that was a whole different breed of ironic. Coren Starchaser had been approached by the Ashlan Crusade once upon a time, he was seen as a bit of a crusader during his stint in the Galactic Alliance that arose from Sullust. He wasn’t much for the crusade life after what happened on Coruscant.

Having bounced around from the Alliance in Exile to a few Outer Rim posts and back to the Levant Sanctum, he made it a point to be who he should have many years ago. Not a warrior, but a teacher, and explorer. And it helped he was making some decent credits off this. Not that a retired Jedi had much to worry on. He had a temple to run, and his past made him decent credits, so even though he was a bit of a Wayseeker, credits were still coming in.

Coren knew a great many things about the galaxy, but sometimes he preferred to learn as he went, and had prepped only a small bit of research on it. He had a few things yet to learn. “You can call me Coren, its fine Persephone.” He was much more low-formality than many others. As for her question? He took a deep breath, definitely the Jedi that most thought he was, but also not the warrior of his past.

Hopefully, the type of Jedi the galaxy needed.

Despite being in more leathers of a Jedi Sentinel, than the actual robes that people saw on holoflicks.

“There is a definitely swirling of the Force. And its definitely on the light side… For all the Ashlan were a bit over the top, this was a creation of good.” That sounded so very philosophy textbook. “I’m thinking it may take some time of being here for a mental wound to change.” If he had to guess, it was a trauma response. “Is that what you’re looking for here?”

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"So Mister Starchaser, then? Its not proper to call adults one barely knows by their first name."

At least, if her parents could see her now, they would be happy finishing school was paying off in some ways. Perhaps a bit more slow than the other students but it at least some lessons were sticking . As they walked, her hand reached out to brush against the tall golden grass that was growing in a long patch on the hardscrabble path they were currently on.

As Coren Starchaser asked if she was here to heal a wound, her brows furrowed. A mental debate raged if she should tell him or not but ultimately she decided against it. It wasn't the real reason she was here anyway. It was merely something she had read in her studies and wondered if it was true or not. Beyond that, Persephone was quite convinced things that healed mysteriously through the Force were only for those who could control it. For ordinary teenage girls like herself, she was confident these Force enhanced things did not affect her. So no reason to ask and open up a can of worms into her personal life.

"No, just something I read." Hand left the grass and she buried them inside her pockets. "I'm here for a field trip, basically. In short my parents have enough credits to foster my education. I am fascinated by the creation story - the lovers - and wanted to know more. To see more. I've been slowly getting lessons on translating the language. Its hard to find anyone on an academic level to teach me more, so here we are."

She paused.

"Boring for you. Educational enrichment for myself."

 

[Coren Starchaser]

“Sure, Mister works. Or just Starchaser…” He was really at a loss for that whole interaction. Most were fine with calling him Coren, or Cap, if they served with him in the Alliance. Others, who knew him through his Jedi paths did call him Master, but those were Jedi, and as much as sometimes he didn’t always feel it, he earned that title. But for most explorers who came by? Coren worked fine. He didn’t hold a doctorate, not officially, but his training in the field was extensive.

As they made their way towards the ruins, he checked his gear. Two lightsabers, mostly for the symbolism of being a Jedi, and his ascension gun. He was a Jedi Master, yes, but he was still just a man. And he never did stray out to learn the Witch traditions, those teleporting ghosts. He had great respect for them, and actually housed part of one of their clans on Kattada.

“Reading does get you so far, but the last 10% is found in the field. My father taught me that.” And he didn’t have the chance to teach that to Jared or Kaia or Kyra… but the twins, yeah, they learned it from him directly. Helped when he wasn’t in the middle of a war. Now? All he’d be doing is advising, and some trailblazing. But this? Exploring old ruins? That was what he wanted more in this stage in life.

“Hard to find history of the Ashlan?” He looked at the student, finding things in the field was more important, rumors and tall tells changed things, but when you found it? Exciting the whole way through. “Not boring. I’ve never been here, to this world, this nexus. I’m learning as much as you, just probably a different topic.” Looking her over. “First time in the field, is it?”

Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Sure, Mister Just Starchaser."

A small quirk of a smile as Coren Starchaser checked his gear. She had a backpack with supplies for exploration and a knife that Iko Vel had made for her. The knife should probably be in her pocket but it appeared Starchaser had a lightsaber or two so it would at leasrt buy her time to grab it out of her bag. Maybe. Hopefully.

"What was your father like? A Jedi too?"

Persephone seemed to note many Jedi she had encountered had come from either long lines of Jedi or were orphans. Very odd, in her opinion. She was, technically, a one-time orphan but all the other ones she knew were pretty much like herself. Plain and nothing extra special.

"Only ten percent? I feel like it would be more but you're the instructor..." As for his question regarding the Crusade. "A little bit? I feel there are some adherents to the religion who are hoarding many texts we haven't seen. Most academic professors - the big ones - are in the Core so as far as my own research goes none are interested. Or at least interested enough to provide private lessons to a fourteen year old girl."

She paused.

"So you are learning about the nexus just by walking? By being here? Or is there more to it?"

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Children were wonderful, according to Master Yoda and most parents out there. And he had to agree, about his own. But sometimes, someone else’s kids were a bit of a headache. Lucky for the Dashiell family, this one was a fun headache. Coren shook his head and just laughed. Looking at himself, then her, he really did have to wonder if maybe he should start accepting a respectful moniker. Maybe at the same time, stop wearing combat-ready gear.

Leather with saber holsters was a look, but for a much younger Jedi. He was a smuggler, pilot, and explorer, he probably didn’t need to carry both in the open like this. One was enough to show his station, the second was a found-saber from the High Republic. He really should expand on that, at the stop to Tanalorr.

“My father? He was a Jedi. In the Jedi you have the ones they make holovids about…” Coren having been the topic of a few during the first Galactic Alliance. “And then the ones who do the real work, the explorers, the agriculturists, the geologists…” And technicians and a few others. “My father was a Jedi Explorer, helping link worlds after the Gulag disconnected the galaxy."

Having been part of the Order of Selab for almost as long as he was a Jedi Master, Coren knew of protecting, or hoarding, depending who was speaking, knowledge. He had a vault with holocrons he’d prefer others didn’t see. “The Core doesn’t know what its like to unearth anything, I feel. I was born on Corellia, and it wasn’t until I made my way to the Rim, that things felt real.

“And as for walking this? I’m sensing the Force, and feeling the ripples it gives me.”

Persephone Dashiell