Private Led Back to Light

[Efret Farr]

Rix Braji.

Everyone with whom she had shared her plans to see him had expressed some degree of reservation. Considering what unraveled on Taris between him, her, and Corazona von Ascania , Efret couldn't fault the wariness. She could, however, disagree with the idea that she should stay away from him out of an abundance of caution, or, worse yet, a grudge.

But she hadn't come to spite her naysayers. She had come in hopes of extending an olive branch. Knight Braji had worked with her for many years since his last few as a padawan. Together, they had done good things in the realms of archeological research and historic communication. She believed as sure as it was that the sun would rise another morning over any planet that they would continue where they had left off someday. Building up that chance would take time, kindness, and more visits.

Here's to what would, Force willing, be the first step to Rix Braji's rehabilitation.

"Farr," he greeted as she entered his prison cell. Though she couldn't hear, she could infer his tone from his facial expression and refusal to use her honorific. What was more—he didn't move to stand off the floor to speak to her on approximately equal footing, as an as equal. His attitude was disrespectful and dry. It annoyed him that she was here now, months after his arrest.

She refused to let the emotions rolling off him likewise sour her hopeful mood. Instead, she addressed him warmly, with his given name and a gentle smile. "Rix."

He didn't speak for a long few moments. When he did, he asked, "How did you fare in the invasion?"

Efret was under no delusion that he cared to know. Still, she offered him the truth of the matter. "Much better than my artifacts." Thankfully, her intended phrasing was not lost in interpretation of her signs into spoken speech by the translation unit clipped to her lapel. It was meant to remind him of what he had done to her so that she might begin to gauge his level of remorse. "My new ones. The Council saw fit to elevate me to their ranks. My charge is the Temple Museum and Archive exhibits."

A few, long moments of silence outside of just her head lengthened into minutes. One, five, seven. She turned around. The prison warden waiting outside for her made a move to open the door.

As she did, Rix stood. Nirrah's head turned to track his movement, letting Efret see it as well. She faced him again, holding her head high to meet his gaze as he was taller than her. "Though we have different opinions of how best to serve the Light, Farr, I...take no joy in the destruction of history."

She nodded solemnly. "I know." He still had a respect for the discipline. Good. That would be their foundation on which to rebuild.

"But if you came for an apology—"

"My courtesy is unconditional," she interrupted firmly. "I only hope that, in time, you might see the error of your ways and tell me as much."

This time, when she turned away, she left.

"That is all, warden."

He nodded as she passed him by, then secured the door of Rix's cell behind her. Next, he led her down the cell block hall to the checkpoint that led out of it into the visitor's area. Averting his attention to one of the security cameras, he called out to an unseen operator, "Open gate 034!"

A neon green light on top of the gate illuminated, surely accompanied by an alarm of some kind. As the gate itself began to slide open, Efret looked over at the warden. She gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you very much."

Again, he nodded. "Farewell, Master Jedi."

With a bow of her head, she walked out of the prison wing towards the complex's exit.

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

Being on prison duty wasn't something that was exactly exciting nor was it helping Tarw train his skills to rise in the ranks of the Alliance. However, he was still a rookie and he had been assigned the duty, it was to allow Tarw to work on understanding where his speciality as a soldier was. There was also his desires to prove himself as capable worthy to join his father's old squad, but there was a lot he needed to do before he could even think about applying to being a member of the squad.

His mind was focusing on anything but the present moment as he wandered the halls of the prison. He was seeing a very different side of the Galactic Alliance, the way these prisoners were and the way that politics was being played on Coruscant. It felt wild to see but Tarw was glad to see another side of things, but he knew that working as a guard, patrolling streets, that wasn't the life for him. Tarw needed action, he needed to be jumping into battle and fighting to ensure Galactic Alliance was safe and the citizens lived peaceful lives in comfort.

He was a warrior. He needed to go to war.

As he was deep in his thoughts, he bumped into a woman and caught her in case she bounced back hard from him. Trying to make sure that the woman wasn't bouncing on to the ground. "I am so sorry! I was not looking where I was walking." He made sure that the woman was fine before taking a step back and realised it was a Jedi he had just bumped into and was glad his helmet covered his face so she could not see the embarrassment painted clearly on his face.

"I... It looks like you could use a drink and I think I owe you at least a drink." Tarw offered, deeply apologetic for his lapse in awareness.

 

[Efret Farr]

The impact was jarring. Its force was one thing—she was sure that something would bruise over the course of the rest of the day—but what was more disorientating was no knowing what he had said. Still, she was sure he had said something for how he was looking at her with what she assumed to be expectation of a response. It was hard to gauge the quality of a gaze through a visor, but her instincts rarely led her astray.

She touched two fingers to her ear. "I'm Deaf," the voice of her lapel clip interpreted her hand's action, then the series of two-handed signs that followed. "Would you please take off your helmet? I can read lips."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

When she requested he removed his helmet, Tarw immediately did so and held his helmet in his non-dominant hand. His eyes fixated forward as he found himself in deep thought. It was going back over a decade ago when he attempted to try and learn galactic sign language but he hadn't practiced the gestures in so long that he wasn't too skilled in them.

"I'm sorry?" He attempted to sign the gestures for apologising as he spoke, "I was not looking where I was walking." He spoke slow as to not overwhelm Efret since he wasn't sure how to handle this.

Gesturing that they go drink in rudimentary hand gestures and then sighed his head, feeling dumb and embarrassed in how much he had forgotten. "I wanted to ask you out for some drinks, you look like you could use one." Tarw asked and then shrugged, "sorry for the bad sign language, I have forgotten so much it seems." He scratched the back of his head.

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret smiled at his signing. It was always flattering when hearing people accommodated her preferred mode of communication. Though she was quite good at lipreading, it was easier to watch another's hands instead of their mouths. It didn't matter if the form and grammar were imperfect.

"It's alright, my dear. Evidently I wasn't either."

At the offer of a drink, her mind wandered briefly to her recent encounter with a fellow Jedi in a bar, though she hadn't been drinking alcohol. She didn't wish to repeat it for a few reasons, but this man was a soldier and appeared to be very sorry, not at all flirtatious. Plus, with Rix still weighing heavily on her mind, Efret could in fact use a drink. She was about to accept the man's offer when he apologized again.

"It's alright," she repeated. "You don't have to continue signing if you don't feel you can." She smiled again and nodded. "And, yes, I could use a drink. Your senses don't deceive you."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

He shook his head, "I would prefer you correct me. And show me some phrases?" It was a bold request but he was interested and he could see how useful it would be to be able to communicate without making a sound.

"There is a local military bar," Tarw mentioned as he made sure that his lips were easy to see as he walked slowly to the entrance. "I can get us some drinks for cheap and they might have some games we can enjoy as well?" He suggested, offering entertainment to distract from the rough day the Jedi Master was seemingly going through.

He was not wanting to pry about what was going on and why she was here but he was interested in getting to know her. She was attractive and reinforcing the idea that every Jedi Master that Tarw was meeting was going to be a beautiful woman.

Something he was objecting to.

 

[Efret Farr]

"I would prefer you correct me. And show me some phrases?"

She nodded once more. The educator in her couldn't help but accept that proposition too. "Of course. In turn you can elucidate your squadmates on the combat and stealth advantages of Sign Language. Its usefulness doesn't end at the boundaries of the Deaf community." Perhaps she'd finally get around to teaching a class at one of the temples on GBSL as well for much the same reasons.

"I can get us some drinks for cheap and they might have some games we can enjoy as well?"

"Yes, that's a lovely idea," she commented as she followed him into the bar. "I would prefer a weaker drink if possible. Jedi are always on duty, I'm afraid." She rose her eyebrows and gave him a side eye that implied what she was about to say was mostly a joke. "At least the good ones are." Her face grew serious again. "That segues nicely into introductions. I'm Master Farr." She decided to leave her newest Jedi title—Chief Curator—out of her salutation.

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

Nodding his head, "I was thinking the same thing. Seems like great minds think alike." He continued to attempt signing most of his words, he was far from skilled but his earnest attempts were showing that he was getting more confident as well as more precise his hands got back into the habit of the motions.

"Soldiers are always on duty as well I fear," Tarw chuckled deeply, "but I think you should take the time off, blow off some steam and relax." Tarw mentioned as he thought about his own issues with trying to relax and taking time away from the work. He walked to the bartender and ordered them two beers, something casual and nothing too hard to start with at least.

As they poured the drinks, Tarw turned to Efret, "so what do you do as a Jedi? A healer, fighter? Investigator?" Tarw knew a bit of the ways from his training but did not know much.

 

[Efret Farr]

"I'm an archeologist." She nodded to the bartender gratefully, then looked back to Tarw. "A strange bird to see in wartime, but..." Though she smiled, her eyes betrayed her sadness. "...we all get beckoned to this stage sooner or later. Recently, I've been replacing the statues lost in the Battle of Coruscant with new sculptures, and teaching other Jedi to do the same. Art lessons might seem like a low priority but they do wonders for morale." Her smile grew more lively. "Plus, the living aren't the only ones we have to protect. The dead and their cultures deserve the same treatment.

"How about you? What is your name and specialty?"

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

He chuckled, "better to have skills that you can use in times of peace than only ever know how to fight." Tarw confessed, "your skills and life's work can continue after we achieve peace in the galaxy. Mine... what does a soldier do when there are no more wars to fight?" He looked at her, he had known his father had always been concerned that a soldier was a job that was only ever temporary, which was why his father wanted Tarw to become a Jedi. A path where he would never have to worry about a life after war.

"Improving morale and giving us things to fight for, that is a bigger priority than most give it credit." Tarw responded as he took a swig of the drink as the bartender placed their beers on the counter. "Any cultures in particular that you enjoy learning about?" He knew little of dead cultures and many living ones, he was curious as to what Efret enjoyed exploring as part of her job.

Thinking for a moment, he signed the gestures he was taught were for Tarw, he then tilted his head and shrugged. Still signing as he spoke, "I am not sure yet." He still had time to figure it out and had a direction he was leaning towards, "Possibly something frontline, with a big gun, protecting others."

 

[Efret Farr]

Her brow furrowed deeply when he asked what a soldier was to do when the violence was over. Though that was most likely a rhetorical question, Efret wanted to offer up her two cents anyway. "Your future isn't lost in this fight," she said without hesitation, "nor any other." She hadn't given this advice before, but she had thought about it often, both as relevant for members of the GADF as well as the NJO. That was why it came so easily. "You also don't have to wait for galactic peace to find your own. Whatever you think you'd like to do then, you can start now."

Physically signing that was a reminder to herself.

She smiled at his next question. "If you simply must twist my arm and make me choose," she began. The feminine voice speaking for her was more or less monotoned, but Efret's facial expressions suggested that she was teasing. "The Elders of Naboo. They may have been one of the the first civilizations to study of the Force, eons before the formation of the Je'daii Order."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

He chuckled, "maybe. But sometimes when you train and work your life to be a soldier, to fight and protect others. Moving on after the fight.... It is difficult." He was attempting to keep signing as he talked but he wasn't getting the words he was saying correct with his hands, struggling to phrase things coherently. "But perhaps there needs to be more down to make us feel like less cogs in a never ending war and people who can live full lives and have an impact, no matter how small." He stated with a distant sigh, not sure how he could be anything but the warrior he felt he was currently. It was all he knew how to be.

Tarw watched the jest form with her facial expressions and chuckled deeply, with a smirk, clearly enjoying the way she teased for her to see. "Sounds interesting, did they view the Force differently to the Jedi?" Tarw asked, curious if they were similar to the Jedi or more akin to the Witches of Dathomir and other early Force User cultures that saw things very differently.

He took a long sip of his beer as he listened to what she had to say.

 

[Efret Farr]

Likewise, as he spoke, she took a sip from her stein. For the most part, she watched, but did cut in when she noticed that he was struggling a bit with signing. "It's fine," she reassured. "You're doing well. Slow down if you need to."

In a few more moments, he asked a follow-up question.

She set her mug down on the bar counter again to sign. "The archeological evidence is relatively scant but that doesn't mean professional opinions are in agreement. There's two main interpretations. The one I subscribe to is that the Elders knew of the Force and most likely used it to their advantage, but..." Her lower lip jutted a bit out from below her upper one, not quite in a pout but in a contemplative expression, especially paired with a raising of her brows. "What I believe doomed their civilization was environmental degradation, probably caused by themselves."

She sighed.

"That suggests to me that the Elders didn't honor the Force nearly as much as many traditions today. The Force permeates everything, both within nature and throughout the environments we build to our pleasure. You can't call a people true followers of the Force if they're not naturalists as well—specially the Light side, but I'd argue that the same applies to the Dark."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

He looked grateful and nodded his head, slowly down, he made sure to keep the sign language going and it was clear that he was getting better the longer he was keeping it up. He was grateful that he was able to hear the interpretation of the hand signs since just watching the movements of her hands would have left Tarw confused. There was a lot being said that went over his head, he wasn't a dumb soldier but he wasn't an expert in the same fields as Efret so her terminology and language was above his head.

"Hm." Tarw was in his thoughts as he attempted to understand everything that Efret was saying and didn't want to misinterpret her explanation. "Interesting. Well, hopefully there will be a chance to figure out the truth. Maybe even meet an Elder." Tarw mentioned, there was people from various ages in history waking from cryostasis or coming out of some wormhole that teleported them through time. He wanted to extend the belief that there could be hope in finding the truth of the historical events.

Tarw finished his drink and placed the empty drink on the counter, "so, did you want a game of pool? No Jedi magics though." He teased with a smirk on his lips.

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret nodded. Though the latter was unlikely, the truth of the Elder's ancient civilization, at least in part, would unravel eventually. It wasn't a matter of if but of when and, for those in her field driven by their egos, by who. Efret didn't put too much stock in the names attributed to discoveries though, even and especially when it was hers. Most progress was collaborative. Further, the knowledge uncovered belonged to the entire scientific community rather than the one that had first found it, thought they had, or otherwise managed to put their name on it. "Maybe," she allowed. "Much is possible." After all, she did know some of those lucky few who had lived past their own time thanks to the many marvels of technology.

Scoffing playfully, Efret put a hand to her collarbone in mock offence. "Me? How many Jedi masters have you known to cheat?"

As soon as she had turned joking, she grew a bit more serious. "Only visual telepathy with Nirrah, I promise." She motioned to the convor perched on her shoulder. "I'm partially blind. I use the Force to see through her eyes."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

He chuckled deeply and smirked widely, "well there are a few Jedi out there who let the competitive spirit get the best of them." When he heard that she would only be using the Force in conjunction with her animal familiar to help with her sight, he nodded his head. He was surprised to hear about that aspect and he would not know what he would do if he was to lose his sight. There was the chance for him to return to using the Force to cover that blindness but he knew it was not the same thing as seeing things in colour and for yourself.

At least that was what he feared would be the case.

"That's totally okay." He moved and grabbed a couple of pool cues, handing one over to Efret. He then set the table up for them to play. "Did you wish to shoot first or shall I?" He asked as he began chalking up the tip of the cue, making sure to give Efret the chance to show off her skills and take the lead if she so wished.

 

[Efret Farr]

"Please, shoot first," she replied with one hand as she held the cue with her non-dominant hand. "I haven't played pool in...years, probably. I'm more of a Mancala woman. It's much easier to play out in the field. All you need is a stick to draw yourself a board if you haven't got one and a handful of pebbles." She smiled at the specific memory that surfaced of her and a local teenager playing the game in the mud under a large jungle frond as they waited out a downpour.

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

Nodding his head, he moved around the table and inspected the balls. He paused and his mind twirled over the angles and the best strategy he could take to get a solid lead. He wasn't someone who would just give victory away. Bending forward, he aimed the cue and shot the white ball forward, he watched as it crashed into the yellow and red balls. A decent spread where a few were set up ideally to be pocketed instantly, he smirked and noticed a single red falling into a pocket and raised back up to full height.

"I'm reds," He informed Efret, using hand signs as well. "Mancala sounds interesting. Pool is something I enjoy, all about targeting, understanding angles and applying the correct pressure to get a solid shot without overcommitting or risking a foul." Tarw mentioned, some saw it as a simple game to play at the pub but Tarw enjoyed the games where there was something he could learn from. Something that enhanced his skills that he already had.

Taking a second shot, he wasn't able to pocket a red instantly but set a couple in place for concurrent shots. "When in the field or on duty in a battle, cards or dice tend to be a the game of choice. Mostly because gambling is what a lot of soldiers like to do to blow of steam and try earning some extra creds. If it's a long siege, get some extra rations." While he didn't make much combat experience, he remembered the stories that his father shared and he had no doubts that they were true.

 

[Efret Farr]

Nirrah landed on one of the sides of the pool table where she could more easily see Tarw's lips as he took his first shots.

Efret laughed as she watched for what he was saying. The idea of a long siege pitting comrades against each other in gambling games just for the chance to eat a bit better was oppressive, especially considering that practically speaking those days were likely not too far away. She pushed it out of her mind. "Well, you managed to bump into one of the least competitive Jedi the Order probably has to offer," she joked though that was true. However, if occurred to her right after signing so that that was exactly was a wildly competitive Jedi would say. "Or combative, even. I'm just starting to train battle skills again."

Nirrah flew to Efret's shoulder again and the Jedi master walked to the opposite side of the pool table. She took a few moments to appraise the position of the balls closest to her. Then, she bent into good shooting form and prodded one of the yellow balls with her cue. The ball hit another of hers as well as a red, setting both up for relatively easy shots. She clicked her tongue as she straightened up. "Bad luck," she commented, again with one hand, then added, "for me. You, you're welcome."

Tarw Rhyfelwr​

 

[Tarw Rhyfelwr]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Armoured
Equipment: Blaster Rifle, 2x blaster pistols, Beskad, thermal detonators
Tag: Efret Farr

Tarw noted that he was more difficult to hear when taking his shot and decided to make an effort to ensure that Efret could see his lips and he would speak when standing in the future.

"Don't worry, gambling isn't something that I think is crucial. It is more just a way to break the ice, at least playing the games, are a way to break the ice and enjoy each other company." Sitting and just drinking was fine but sometimes you wanted to do stuff, you wanted to be active while drinking and talking as well. As Efret bent over into the shooting position, Tarw smirked a little and couldn't help but admire the way her figure bent over to make the shot. He was a little distracted by his admiration but then shook his head.

Looking over the table, he noted that he was set up for a solid shot and licks his lips, crouching slightly as he aligned the shots in his eyes. Assessing the best positioning, he then set the shot up and pocketed the red ball but in his attempt to make a difficult shot for Efret, he positioned it perfectly for Efret to get two. "Well seems that the ball wants to give you the best chance to catch up." Tarw chuckled as he stood up and winked to her.