From the Past to the Present: Chapter 2

[Kian Karr]

SPACE: ENROUTE TO CATO NEIMOIDIA

The trip to Dorin had done Kian good. He had told his friends about the family he had left behind there and they had been accepting of his story. It was a good feeling to have others know, to have people who helped to carry the weight. So much had happened since [member="Kana Truden"], [member="Corvus Raaf"], and Kian had taken that trip to Dorin. The war with the One Sith raged on and the three friends had been hard pressed to find the time to continue on their hunt for the resting place of Plo Koon.

All that had changed though fairly recently. A lull in the fighting had allowed the three friends to take a trip to Cato Neimoidia, the coordinates for the crash site securely tucked away on their datapads. Kian wasn't sure what they would find, but the chance to discover something new about his idle couldn't be passed up. Kana and Corvus too seemed eager to get the trip underway, and when the opportunity arose all three had left in a hurry.

Glancing around the hangar bay of the Raven, Kian had to smile to himself. It was lucky for him his friends wanted to go, because Kian didn't think this trip would be worth it without them there. Something about their presence increased the excitement of the hunt.

Rising up from the floor where he had been meditating, Kian turned toward the hanger bay. He wondered how the others were feeling. Were they as excited as he was? They would be arriving soon and Kian was eager to find out where they wanted to start.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

It was fair to say that Corvus was recovering from the trip to Dorin. There had been huge positives but she had also suffered some personal anxieties along the way. Her fear of electric storms seemed to have resurfaced in a major way and when Kian revealed his secret family, she had been forced to face some home truths that she’d rather not.

She had the present from Kian – beautiful robes that she decided would make an excellent choice if she ever had to attend a formal function again. They were befitting a Jedi but were not the drab shades of brown she usually wore. But in between that trip ending and this one starting, she’d been made a Master and had been entrusted by the GrandMaster to oversee the curriculum on Ossus.

And as soon as a gap in her schedule opened up she was delighted to grab a bag and head off in ‘Raven’ to Cato Neimoidia, with their destination coordinates now safely stowed in the ships navicomputer. So she approached the ship and saw Kian already waiting there. She smiled and bowed. Holding up a hand she said, “A Jedi is never late. By which I mean I suspect Kana isn’t here yet?”

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member"Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

A small sigh was all that was heard as Kana perked her head up from behind the crates. Did someone say her name? Oh, it was Corvus. It felt like yesterday that they reunited. An exile had come and gone. More than eight months had passed at least since the last time they went on this expedition Kian was continuing. In a sense it felt odd but perhaps it was because they had all become busy, what with both of them being masters and Kana having to teach of all things.

“Nope. I’m here, Master Raaf.” A teasing little smirk. “Master Karr must have missed me behind the crates.”

“Just doing my duty, checking parts of the ship to ensure we have a good trip, that kind of thing. How are you two doing? It’s been a while since I saw you, or well, Kian at least.”

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Kian Karr"]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian turned toward Corvus and smiled at her words but before he could reply, Kana popped up from behind a crate and greeted them as well.

"Hmmm." Kian said shaking his head, "Some Master of the Shadows I am!" Kian let out a laugh as he said this. He was glad to be with his friends once more.

"I am well. Busy!" Kian said leading them toward the cockpit. "But such is the life of a Jedi, as you two are well aware of." Kian's boots made for heavy footfalls on the metal of the ship as they walked toward the cockpit. He wasn't sure how much longer it would take to reach their destination but he was glad to have the downtime with Corvus and Kana while they were enroute.

"It is a shame that Cato Neimoidia's atmosphere is acceptable to humans.....I rather enjoyed seeing you both in breathing masks." Kian said, all seriousness in his voice, but a broad smile displayed beneath the anti-ox mask he wore.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus waved her hand in the direction of the cockpit as Kana stepped forward. "Would you like to do the honours? The coordinates are already set. Oh, and there's a new addition to the crew. One of Master Alince's Padawans created some protocol droids. Kian, I know you've one of your own, but I thought it best to mention I've taken to leaving him here. Translation in the Academy is straightforward, so it's only when we go off-planet I really need him."

Her friends could not have missed the unmistakeable addition of a gender to the droid. Her ship was female and her protocol and astro-droids we're male. For a dispassionate scholar, she sure had some funny ways.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

“Always me, huh?” Kana shrugged and took her seat as the pilot. “Alright, but you better be taking me somewhere nice. No masks and no dangerous thunderstorms.” She gave Kian an apologetic look. “No offense, of course. Merely saying life behind a mask wasn’t a great feeling. Sorry.”

She flicked the controls. Engines, on. Thrust parameter controls, yep. Landing gears up, taxi through the hangar doors and off they went. The force of the thrusts as they aimed for the atmosphere would be enough to cause anyone standing up to tumble around for bit. It would seem Kana had to work a bit on her take-offs. Before long she made the jump for hyperspace. A quick look at the controls told of their destination.

“Cato Neimodia, huh? Never been. The demands still stands.”

[member="Corvus Raaf"]​

[member="Kian Karr"]​

 

[Kian Karr]

Thank the force for crash webbing, Kian thought to himself as the ship took off, but he quickly pushed that thought aside as he was grateful that [member="Kana Truden"] was always willing to chauffeur them around. Kian was keeping it secret that he had recently acquired a freighter of his own....he rather liked being flown around.

"Its not so bad Kana, you get used to it," Kian said scratching at the side of his mask, "eventually." He said letting out a laugh and shaking his head.

"I am told Cato Neimoidia is a beautiful place, but in truth I have also never been there." Kian said pulling out his datapad and bringing up the coordinates they had discovered in the library of the Baran Do Sages. "But let us not forget why we're going there!" Kian said smiling and waving the datapad at them. "The crash site of Jedi Master Plo Koon!" Kian said, excitement and sadness bleeding into his voice. Back on Dorin, when he was feeling the excitement of the discovery and the nervousness of introducing his past to Kana and [member="Corvus Raaf"], Kian hadn't really taken time to think further on the place they were heading.

They were heading to Plo Koon's grave.

They were heading to the place that a great Jedi had died. Did he die in battle fighting against a adversary? Did he die fighting injustice and crime? No. Plo Koon had died because his own soldiers had gunned him down. They gunned him down on the orders of a Sith Lord. He was victim of a Sith's hunger for power.

It reminded Kian why they fought, and why as a Shadow he was sworn to forever hunt the agents of the darkside.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was conflicted - but then she usually was. Part of her was delighted to be heading off with her friends on a mission that although not vital to the Order, might shed some light onto some untruths told in the official history records. A chance to right a wrong caused by propaganda.

But the other part of her mused that in travelling, she was not teaching. Sure, she'd been told by the GrandMaster to reign in her time spent at the Academy and for others to share more of the load. But she kept thinking of that list of Padawans suitable to be taken on by a Master and wondered if she had the time for just one more.

But pulling herself back to the here and now, she listened to the banter, and the complaints of her protocol droid as to the nature of their departure. Weeks old and he was developing a rather sarcastic personality. She wondered if Kana had been tampering with his circuitry.

"Are we there yet?" she offered by way of an addition to the conversation. The grin, so rarely seen recently, was back in place.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

“Ain’t that the truth.” Kana looked at Kian before setting her sights on the controls again. “We’ll arrive at Cato Neimodia in a few days. We’ve got plenty of time to catch up.”

Because hyperspace jumps were still hyperspace jumps. Kana would have pointed the fact out but the Headmaster was most likely very well aware of that at this point. Carefully playing away at the controls Kana kept her mouth shut. Just this once she didn’t feel like doing the talking. The others were in appointed leadership positions, they probably had non-stop talks all day.

Still…

“Oh and, remember to give that kid his credits due. That new droid you have was a joy to poke arou-... Inspect and examine.”

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian sat back and smiled at the banter between his two friends. This was good, it was therapeutic. Then [member="Kana Truden"] mentioned the protocol droid that had been to [member="Corvus Raaf"] by Jedi Padawan Hephaestus. Kian couldn't recall the name that Corvus had given her droid, but his, CG-50, was back at the Shadow Enclave working alongside the other droids to cipher through all sorts of reports and data. They were fantastic droids and Kian looked forward to getting to know CG-50 better.

"They really are remarkable droids, aren't they?" Kian said, chiming in.

"Although, I don't think he liked my idea of adding anti-tampering devices. I mean, really, what is a small explosive device amongst friends?" Kian said smiling broadly beneath the mask. Kian brought up his datapad and began to cycle through the information he had on Cato Neimoidia.

"Not to change the subject, but do either of you know much about the Academy on Cato Neimoidia?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus opened her mouth and closed it again quickly. For once someone had a question about the Jedi that she had no idea about. She had knowledge of the planet, its basic history and even the key Jedi interventions. But the Academy? She ruefully shrugged her shoulders. "I must have been off that day..." The smile had gone. It was as if she'd lost her lightsaber and found a blaster.

[member="Kian Karr"] | [member="Kana Truden"]

 

[Kana Truden]

“It’s run by Knight Avalore Eden.” A slight turn of her head. “She’s the Chief Healer.”

Which Kana only knew because of her own ambitions, really.

“I can’t say much for what it is. I only know that the Chief Healer may or may not reside there and that I would have contacted her if not for her being a very busy woman.” Kana let her focus go back to the controls with a grin on her face. “I thought you headmasters would have kept in touch with one another.”

“Don’t ask me where it is though, that is way beyond me.”

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian chuckled at Kana's words and shook his head. Pulling up geographical data on Cato Neimoidia, Kian honed in on the coordinates that they were going to investigate. It appeared that the remnants of the crash, if they were still there, would be on the surface below the vast bridge cities of Cato Neimoidia.

"I suggest we land at the academy." Kian said looking up at the two. "We can go into the cities to get a guide. We're going to have to go to the surface to these coordinates."

Hundreds of years had passed since the crash of Plo Koon. Kian knew that they would likely not find much, but he hoped that they would in the very least get some sort of lead. Perhaps there would be remnants still there, but it was likely that nature had hidden most of it over the long years.

"We might also have to search the local records.....just in case we don't find anything on the surface." Kian said hoping that that wasn't the case. "It has been a long time since the crash."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Kana Truden"]​

 

[Kian Karr]

((Continuing as a solo thread))​

Cato Neimoidia
On the surface beneath the bridge cities
Excavation Site - 6 months in


Soli Baris yawned as she rolled out of her cot and glanced at the calendar. Six months! She'd been on Cato Neimoidia for six months already and they had very little to show for it. Jedi Master Kian Karr, Corvus Raaf, and Kana Truden had come to Cato Neimoidia in search of the crash site of Jedi Master Plo Koon. It had begun on Dorin, Kian's homeworld, where the trio had discovered an obscure reference that turned out to be planetary coordinates. Those coordinates had lead them beneath the bridge cities onto the planets surface.....and had lead Soli to being tasked with helping to guide the archaeological dig.

The team was 24 men and women strong. Most were made up from members of the Jedi Service Corps, Jedi Archaeologists, and Soli as the resident Shadow, on the off chance that they found anything dark or dangerous. This was Soli's first archaeological dig and she had to say it was a lot more boring then she had initially thought it would be when she had been given the assignment.

"Jedi Baris." Came CG-50s voice from outside her tent. Kian had left the droid to help her oversee the operation and she was convinced she was being punished for something. The droid wasn't as bad as many protocol droids, but 6 months with a handful of nerds and a protocol droid wasn't really what Soli had in mind when Kian and she had discussed getting some training in the field.

"Yes CG." Soli said, pulling the flap open and stepping outside.

"We found something." CG-50 said, and she swore she could hear excitement in the droids voice.

"Well, what are you waiting for." Soli said and was surprised to find that she too was excited. Six months and perhaps she would finally have something to comm Kian about. Rushing toward the center of the encampment, Soli saw the main dig site was mostly empty. It was roped off in a giant, segmented rectangle that helped categorize anything found and where it was found. Most of the workers were huddled in the far corner of the dig site.

"Clear some room people." Soli yelled out as she began cutting through the group. "Let me in!" She yelled so that they would move out of the way. Coming to the front of the group, she saw that Jedi Pra'ct was crouched down over the center of the ditch. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled. Pra'ct was the most senior archaeologist in the group and the Verpine sprung up excitedly, waiving Soli into the hole.

"Come, Jedi Baris." Pra'ct said excitedly, "come see what we've found." Soli smiled at insectoid Jedi and dropped down into the ditch. Walking over to stand beside him, Soli glanced down to see that they were standing over a large piece of metal......a large piece of metal with blue and white stripes.....

 

[Kian Karr]

Cato Neimoidia
On the surface beneath the bridge cities
Excavation Site - 7 months in

"That makes an entire wings worth of scrap, pieces of the fuselage, and this." Pra'ct said handing forward the latest of the archaeological finds encased in a box. A month had past since the discovery of a large part of the wing to the Blade of Dorin. Soli had been dumbfounded when their dig stumbled upon the wreckage. She had thought this expedition was a fool hearty adventure drummed up by Kian as a learning tool. Then they had found the piece of the wing.

Soli had read about Jedi Master Plo Koon, not in depth, but due to his relationship to Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker. She knew of his fate, and the fate of many Jedi who fell at the fall of the Republic. To stand over the wreckage of that legendary Jedi's crash site was an amazing thing and it made Soli feel.....important. Not in the way she felt important from the work she did as a Jedi, but important in a historic context.

Opening the box, Soli audibly gasped as her breath caught in her throat. Laying in the bottom of the box was half of an antiox mask. It had been split in half at an angle, leaving just the left side of the mask and a jagged cut in the metal. Soli didn't know the Jedi Master, she hadn't studied his history as Kian, Corvus, or Kana had. But looking at that mask brought tears to Soli's eyes. A Jedi Master who had dedicated his life to helping others. Plo Koon had dedicated his life to bettering the galaxy and had been shot down by those he trusted.

"For a Jedi to die in such a sordid way...." Prac't said, echoing Soli's very thoughts.

"I think it is time we called the Masters." Soli said smiling and wiping the tear from her eye.

 

[Kian Karr]

Cato Neimoidia
On the surface beneath the bridge cities
Excavation Site - 2 weeks later

Of the three who had originally started the journey toward discovering the crash site, only Kian was available to leave Ossus when the call came from Soli Baris that she had discovered some of the debris associated with the crash. The message had requested their presence, but hadn't given much detail as to the materials that were found. Kian was trying not to get too hopeful. After all this time, it could be virtually anything.

The Dorin Run had touched down on Cato Neimoidia the day before, but it had taken time for Kian to get a guide and transport to take him down to the surface, to the dig site. It was a nerve wracking wait. Kian's training with the Jedi was really the only thing that helped him keep his cool as he waited to head to the dig site. He kept the racing, excited thoughts at bay. This was an important find, but it wasn't as important as finding a secret weapon against the Vong or helping save lives. Perspective was something that they had to keep and Kian worked hard to make sure he did.

"Master Karr." Soli yelled excitedly as he exited the speeder, having just arrived at the dig. "I'm glad you made it." The girl said leaping at Kian and hugging him.

"Hello Soli." Kian said accepting the hug and smiling. "I hear you've been doing good work here." Kian said and meant it. He had left her in charge of the dig hesitantly. He had wanted to stay and do the work himself, but his duties were such that he couldn't afford to invest that amount of time. But Soli had shown herself to be more then up to the task.

"Thank you." Soli said beaming, "Let me show you what we've found." She said and turned leading him toward the largest tent. Pulling back the flap, Kian stepped in and his breath caught in his throat. Laid out on the floor was the blue and white wing of the Blade of Dorin, the interceptor of Jedi Master Plo Koon. In addition, there was a large number of scrap pieces that Kian saw to be part of the ships fuselage. Kian walked over and kneeled down, running a hand over the scarred metal of the wing.

"Master Karr." Soli said and when Kian turned back she handed him a small box. Opening it, Kian felt tears welling in his eyes as he lifted the damaged antiox mask from the box. As Kian held it in his hand, he felt a mixture of emotions: joy, hope, sorrow, shame, anger. They all flashed through his mind, but mostly Kian felt humbled.

"Sir!" A young Archaeologist rushed into the room and the excitement in her voice pulled Kian away from the mask clutched in his hand. "We've got something else." She said and without waiting for Jedi Pra'ct to respond, turned and ran back out toward the dig site.

"Come on." Soli said excitedly and followed.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian followed Soli Baris out of the tent. He had to admit to himself that he was excited. He still had slid the broken antiox mask back into the box but he kept the box with him. As they walked, he glanced down at the shattered mask for a moment and ran a hand over it. Such a fate for such a great Jedi. Kian couldn't help but be saddened by the mask. He found his mind drawing him to the future. Would this be his fate.....

That thought vanished quickly though as they came to a group of workers digging furiously. They had clearly found something that was causing them to focus on the one spot. Soli cut her way through the outer ring of spectators and toward where the workers were digging and Kian followed her through. Many nodded at her smiling and it became clear to Kian that her work here with them had gone well. It was a good realization. It meant he could put more faith in her in the future....assign her more leadership roles.

"What do we have?" Soli asked as she knelt down next to Jedi Pra'ct.

"It appears to be his lightsaber.....so far away from where we found the mask." Jedi Pra'ct said, his hands wielding a brush as he dusted the artifact in his hands. "Must have rained down with the debris." Turning as he said this, Jedi Pra'ct held up the lightsaber hilt. Soli stepped back and took the box from Kian's hands.

"All yours sir." She said smiling cockily. Kian nodded to her appreciatively and reached forward, taking the lightsaber hilt from the Jedi's hands. It was certainly the lightsaber of Jedi Master Plo Koon. Kian had seen the hilt before in his readings on the Jedi. It was marred with scars and damage and a part of the hilt was scorched away from the explosion of the Blade of Dorin. It would clearly need a great deal of work in order to function again....

....function again.

Kian hadn't thought about it really when he went into this hunt for the grave of Jedi Master Plo Koon. He hadn't planned on finding part of Plo Koon's antiox mask, nor his lightsaber hilt. But now that it had been found.....

Kian planned on using it.

 

[Kian Karr]

Dorin - City of Dor'shan
2 Months Later

Kian settled Dorin's Hope down in the spaceport on Dor'shan. It had been a little over a year since Corvus Raaf, Kana Truden, and himself had come to the planet. He was returning here now to finish what they had started. When last they were hear, Corvus and Kana had helped Kian decipher something he'd read years before but had never been able to figure out. They were the coordinates that had lead them to the crash site of Jedi Master Plo Koon.

Kian left the spaceport wrapped in his robes, carrying his case slung over his shoulder. Within the case was the damaged antiox mask of Master Koon as well as the damaged remains of his lightsaber. Kian had brought them back here, to Dorin, to finally put Master Koon to rest. Kian felt a connection to the Jedi Master, regardless of the fact that neither of them had ever met and that Kian was born hundreds of years after his death. Kian had idolized the Jedi when he was a boy.....so much so that he'd named his son after him.

Settling into the speeder, Kian took off toward the burial grounds on the outskirt of the city. He glanced at his datapad as he went. The weather was suppose to hold, but that rarely meant anything on Dorin. The weather was so unpredictable and dangerous that it had claimed more lives than anything on Dorin. As he sped out toward the burial grounds he hoped his luck would hold.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian's years of training with the Baran Do allowed him to generally stay fairly alert when on Dorin, but with the distraction of the task at hand, Kian allowed himself to miss the signals the force was giving him. It wasn't until the storm was just about on him that he realized his mistake. Kian pushe the speeder forward, moving as fast as he could. He could feel the storm building in the force. It would be only a few moments before it struck and when that happened Kian needed to be inside the burial caves or he would die.

He banked into the small valley that housed the entrance and the back end of the speeder spun out forcing Kian to slow to gain control of the ship once more. He saw the cloud behind him as the wind began to pick up vast amounts of dirt and debris. He also saw the flashes of lightning dancing between those clouds. This was going to be an electrical storm.

Kian pulled the speeder into a cluster of trees, driving it directly into the foliage with a jolt. He hoped that the trees would provide some protection, then he leapt from the speeder and darted for the entrance of the cave. He got in just ahead of the storm and made his way deeper into the cave at a break neck pace. He didn't stop until he was far enough away that the wind and thunder was barely audible then he glanced back. He could barely see out into the open, the clouds turning the already dark planet even darker. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Kian walked deeper intot he caverns.

He still had a mission to see to.

 

[Kian Karr]

Kian made his way down into the caverns that housed the burial grounds of the Baran Do. Kian's family was buried here. His mother, his wife, and his son's urns sat on a small alcove deep beneath the rocky soil of Dorin and an empty spot beside them marked the place Kian's own ashes would one day be placed. As he walked deeper into the caves, toward his families urns, Kian's mind wandered back several years, to the first time his mind touched that of his child. The touch of another's mind was an amazing thing for a telepath.....the touch of your new born child's mind was something all together special. Kian had experienced the world through his son's mind for a time. He had experienced the instinctual, emotional memories of the Plo Karr in those few days that he lived. Then Kian had experienced the emptiness of his son's mind when death finally took him.

Kian, as a Jedi, had lived his life believing in the mantra that there is no death, there is the force. He believed it with all his being, but at the time that he'd lost his son it hadn't felt that way. It hadn't felt as if he'd ever see his son again, or experience the touch of that mind. Kian had learned from that experience. He'd learned the importance of minimizing attachments. It wasn't that a Jedi couldn't have attachments, but that it made it so much harder for a Jedi to act without allowing their emotions to influence them. Kian would never marry again. He'd had his family, he'd had the love of his life and now he was content on being the best Jedi he could be. He would hold them in his memory and keep them in his heart. That was why he'd come here. He was about to do something he couldn't have dreamed he'd ever do and he wanted to do it here.

Coming around a bend in the cavern, Kian walked up to the small alcove that housed his families ashes. Running a hand lovingly along the pottery, Kian knelt down and unwrapped the package in front of him. Housed within the cloth were the remnants of Jedi Master Plo Koon's lightsaber. The symbol of a Jedi, Plo Koon's lightsaber was a simple design, but the hilt before him was fragmented. The emitter, and pommel cap were still mostly intact but the majority of the hilt was shattered into shards of metal and much of it was missing. Pulling another bag, Kian took out a number of tools and repair kits. This would take time, but Kian had planned on that.

And besides, he need to wait out the storm.