Going home..............where do I come from chronicle part 1

[Kenrath]

A lot of things had changed in the Galaxy. Empires and fallen and Empires and risen to replace them. It was nothing knew. For Armis however it didn't matter under what banner you lived. As he had sat on Naboo he began to think about where he had come from and who is people were. He father had rarely spoken about Atrisia even when asked. At times it had only made Armis more curious about the world his people came from. So the last week before he had to report back to the Alliance position he was not particularly found of Armis hopped on a ship bound for Atrisia.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Atrisia


Armis stood in the starport looking around. He wandered aimlessly looking every bit the tourist he was. He had no plan in mind no idea of where he was going or what he would do when he got there. He just wandered.......stopping at every statue, view screen, monument and source of information he came across. He read each one three or four times while looking around the area.

Then he would look around and move over to the next thing that caught his eye. Occasional he would smile and nod to the people he passed by. For the most part Armis was lost in his thoughts but seemed to be happy. Every little bit of information whether fact or fiction brought him closer to what and who he had meant to be.

 

[Kaili Talith]

The food drove her here. Kaili had lost track of how often she had Atrisian food to-go when her company was still just a single little shop but the record was without a doubt beyond the hundreds. Salty when need-be, sweet when it was just right. In many ways it was almost the opposite of who Kaili would be described as by some. Salty, but just right. Sweet when need be. She had grown up outside of the temples of the Jedi but her mother — a former Jedi Shadow — raised her she also had the values engrained within the girl’s little mind. With time said teaching had, of course, become watered down but the same ideal still remained; do what is right.

Not that her personal ideals had anything with why she would visit the world of Atrisia. That was, as mentioned prior, quite a simple matter. Dressed in a short-sleeved tunic, a pair of slim-fit trousers as well as boots that covered the better part of of her calves, Kaili tried her best to fit in with the people that she had come feel more and more disconnected from as time had passed. The contact lenses that Mara had given her all those years ago were still seeing use even to this day, hiding the orange hues of her eyes and replacing it with a far more welcoming deep blue. Some might have argued that Kaili did herself few favors by hiding her true self. Or, well no, that was mainly Allyson, but her opinion carried great weight for Kaili.

All around her people were busy. The spaceport that she had arrived in only a few days prior seemed to be the most exciting place to be. Not that Atrisia in itself wasn’t beautiful, but Kaili had always felt more at home around all things technical. There were few things better for such things than a spaceport. All the droids working the maintenance of ships, handling conveyors and refueling. Tractor beams locking ships in place and security keeping everything peaceful. Hundreds of datapads and the smallest of components to reach out and touch…

Heaven.

She finished her soft drink, rose from her bench and disposed of it in the appropriate trash bin. Sitting around was great, but sit too much and too long and people would get antsy and call it loitering. Kaili stretched her arms above her head and yawned before setting off towards the day’s first adventure.

First stop…

That statue, the one riiiight over there. Kaili locked sights onto a tall statue portraying a proud warrior grabbing his hips by his sides and staring off over his shoulder and at the sunset. Interesting.

[member="Armis Vindex"]

 

[Kenrath]

Armis continued his tourist act with glee moving further along another statue catching his eye. He moved over to it getting there a split second after [member="Kaili Talith"] moving off to the side so they could both admire it.

"Don't you just love the architecture of this place?" "It seems like every detail took years to craft."

Armis smiled looking at the statue. He wondered what made the sculptor chose the pose. Was the warrior a conquering hero admiring his success, a stalwart defender protecting the homeland from some unknown threat.

Armis himself liked to think it was the latter. The young padawan in simple robes his hand resting gently on the family sword now his to carry. His hair pulled back in it's normal pony tail. Armis was not a conqueror. He was a man of peace and justice. At least that is what he tried to live by everyday. More concerned about the welfare of his family than the state of the galaxy.

Armis however was not a Jedi..............he didn't follow the Jedi Code...............he had no use for it. He didn't carry a saber and he liked his blaster. To Armis one did not need some code to be a good person. Passion was what made you human, peace while the goal was not always possible. More importantly Armis would never forsake his family..............they are why he does what he does.

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Perhaps.” Kaili nodded and looked at the man who had approached her. “I can respect a piece of work like that. The best in their fields doing what they excel at. It’s quite something.”

The kid had after all seen for herself what it was like when minds like that came together for a common cause. The handiwork that they performed, the way they committed their body and mind to something that could be as small as a locket or a gem or as big as a house. It wasn’t often that Kaili got to see masterpieces such as these. She treasured the moments for as long as she could. Kept it as inspiration on some of the more rainier days.

“I wonder who this man was.” Kaili thought out loud, mainly to strike up conversation with the man next to her. “They certainly caught the fire in his eyes, the pride in his posture.”

“... Old defender of the people, perhaps?” She shrugged. “Either way, it seems like they liked him quite a lot.”

It was just too bad the engravings on the copper plaque had faded. It would have helped a lot.

[member="Armis Vindex"]

 

[Kenrath]

Armis smiled.

"You think he was a defender?" "Curious....................what makes you say that?"

Armis didn't look at her for a moment his eyes still fixated on the statue. In truth he thought it cold go two different ways. Defnder was not a stretch but considering what little his father had taught him about this world conqueror was a legitimate interpretation as well.

Armis turned to look at Kaii.

"Why not conquering hero?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili nodded. Yes, a defender. Her shoulders rolled in a shrug at the man’s question.

“Well, I haven’t heard of Atrisia conquering anything in a while.” She said and let her foreigner status show. “Besides, I find it more laudable to celebrate a defender than an aggressor.”

Then again, a statue wasn’t going to change its meaning just because a blonde twenty-something wanted it to be of something it may not have been. She knelt down to try and read the plaque, but quickly let out a frustrated sigh of defeat.

“This is not really going to help.” She let the air burst through her nose in a chuckle. “About as readable as a scribbled note on a nervous hand.”

Kaili rose up an looked back at the man, eyed him up and down for a second before bowing her head in a more formal greeting. “I’m Kaili, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, Mister…?”

The kid kept her breath held for a name to pop up.

 

[Kenrath]

Armis gave her a short bow of his head.

"Armis Vindex."

He gave a short pause turning back to the statue.

"From what little my father taught me our people have been conquerors for most of our lives." "Just not in our own name." "Until recently apparently this was a Sith world..................and they are very much conquerors." "So the question becomes who is this warrior?" "An ancient defender who died valiantly in the quest for Artisian independence or a Conqueror in service of Sith Dominance?"

Armis watched as [member="Kaili Talith"] tried to read the plaque and came up empty. He shrugged.

"So Miss Kaili what brings you to Atrisia?"

 

[2-1B 35]

35 wandered over near [member="Armis Vindex"] . He was in bad shape he was in desperate need of oil.

He wheezed to Armis,"Please, help me! I need oil!"

 

[Kaili Talith]

Armis Vindex. Kaili put the name to memory as she finally let herself take another breath. She got a brief history lesson with the name as well. It was welcomed. The girl hadn’t really considered the fact that Atrisia had been a planet under other sovereignties. Vassals — if you will — to factions that did conquer, with the One Sith being the most prominent one that Kaili could think of.

“Right…” She whispered under her breath. “Well, I came here because of the food, really. Me and my-” Kaili was interrupted by someone.

Eyes darted out at the droid approaching. Hand instinctively reached for her back pocket to withdraw the lubricant only to get hit with the ever so irritating realization that she wasn’t in her shop.

He needed oil, she could tell. Occupational hazard when it came to working with the mechanical man’s kind of people. Or rather, more to the point, it was the occupational hazard of creating his kind of people, the droids. She felt for him, she truly did.

“We need to find this man a mechanic.” Kaili said and tucked her hair back behind her ears. Attention remained on Armis as the girl approached the robot. “Know of any mechanics around here?”

[member="2-1B 35"] // [member="Armis Vindex"]​

 

[2-1B 35]

35 stood puzzled.

"Yes, there should be one in that town over there."

He points to a sand village (like tatooine).

"There, see that old man?"

An old man was crouched over fixing many other droids and 35 thought he could help him.

"Can you help me get over there?"

[member="Kaili Talith"] // [member="Armis Vindex"]

 

[Kenrath]

Armis turned towards the droid giving no outward expressions. He simply watched. When Kaili asked abut mechanics Armis simply shook his head only a split second before the droid point towards an old man.

Armis gave it a few minutes thought before he began to move towards the old man.

"Wait here."

Without another word Armis took a few jogging steps and using the Force dashed over to the old man in a blink of an eye. From the distance Armis could be seen talking to the old man and the man even looking over in their direction. During the next few minutes the two can be seen talking back and forth and then exchanging something before Armis made his way back towards [member="Kaili Talith"] and [member="2-1B 35"] with something in his hand.

 

[2-1B 35]

35 saw the oil in the hand of [member="Armis Vindex"] .

"Oh you found some! Thank you so much, I thought I'd be left to rust here in these sand fields!"

Although droids normally showed no emotion, 35 was clearly different. He had a different way to approach things. He liked to see them 'as a human would.' Becoming more sentient was something he strived for every day. Now that he'd been cared for, he felt a greater feeling that he could once again move.

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili was no stranger to sentient droids. Back home she had one, for her brother she had created one and for a friend of his she had created one as well. The girl was unique in that sense. The concept of droids being self-aware with emotions of their own was a concept that many shunned, others disapproved or even shirked at, but not Kaili.

“It’s rare to see a 2-1B out and about like this, I have to admit.” The girl put on a lopsided grin and brushed some dirt off the droid’s shoulder. “Had I known anything about surgery, maybe I would have liked to create one of my own some day.”

“Thanks for doing that.” Kaili then said and turned to Armis. “Did the man say anything about the oil? Money owed or anything like that?”

[member="2-1B 35"] // [member="Armis Vindex"]​

 

[Kenrath]

Armis smiled briefly at the droid before turning to Kaili.

"It's already paid for."

Armis stood back and watched Kaili fawn all over the droid and the droid have a mild panic attack laced with immense gratitude. After a moment he wandered slowly away from the pair to a nearby statue of perhaps another warrior. It seemed the Atrisian people really admired the warriors path. It kind of made Armis question how it is they spent so much time under the yoke of others.

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="2-1B 35"]

 

[2-1B 35]

[member="Armis Vindex"] [member="Kaili Talith"]

35 had been oiles and was good as new. It had been some time since the old droid had movable joints, and someone to talk to. 35 crept up to the statue and looked up. He spoke to Armis.

"What brings you here? Are you following these statues or something? Or are you just admiring the 'glory' of this place. It doesn't make sense why you'd come here. I'm happy that you found me, but this has to be a mistake right?"

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="2-1B 35"] // [member="Armis Vindex"]

“Great.” Kaili said and reached into her pockets to withdraw a credit chit. Of course, by the time she was done rooting around for it she’d quickly found herself alone and snubbed by the very same droid she had ‘fawned’ over. Armis had moved on to look at another statue and with it, the robot had as well.

A split second frown spread on her lips. It always sucked to be ignored after all. She shook it off and approached the other two.

“Well, Atrisia has provided the galaxy with a wealth of different foods and meals.” The girl said in an effort to lean into the conversation. “The culture is a bonus as well.”

“I am more curious what a Surgical Droid is doing out and about like this.” Kaili looked at the droid. “Where did you come from?”

 

[Kenrath]

Armis looked over at [member="2-1B 35"] and chuckled.

"Since when is an Atrisian not welcome on Atrsia?"

When she reappeared Armis turned back towards Kaili.

"What part of the culture intrigues you the most?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[2-1B 35]

35 was intrigued.

"Well to be honest I don't know how I got here either. The only thing I remember was being left on an old Sandcrawler and then being cast out. I've served in countless battles and well and I also commanded a small ship. But enough about me, tell about yourselves. What have you done that is important for the others to know?"

[member="Armis Vindex"] [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“The food.” Kaili shrugged. Never let it say she didn’t believe in blunt honesty. Sometimes. “It’s a very unique set of flavors that bring out the most out of all its ingredients. Plus I get to play with fire, so what’s not to like?”

The girl turned towards the droid. What did she do? A grin spread on her lips.

“Well,” She began. “I own a shop on Borleias where I sell droids. It’s profitable enough.”

Which was really just the short version.

It wasn’t just the one store, and it wasn’t just Borleias.

[member="2-1B 35"] // [member="Armis Vindex"]

 

[Kenrath]

Armis chuckled to [member="2-1B 35"] shaking his head.

"Me................nothing." "I am just a lowly civil servant." "No past, no future just the present."

Armis turned to Kaili with a quizzical look.

"Really Droids?" "Didn't you just comment on the benefits of playing with fire." "I am no expert but I would thing electronics and fire don't mix very well together."

Armis wasn't going to make too big of a fuss but something about her answer didn't sit well with him. A comment of a cooking nature followed by a professed profession in mechanics. Two things that really didn't mesh well together.

[member="Kaili Talith"]