Private Love, Auteme | Josiah

[Auteme]

D E A R
D A D
Tag: Josiah ​

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Arrival The Letter

• Her dad had taught her how to write. It'd been a long time ago, yes -- Auteme had been maybe two. She'd been a quick learner ever since she was young, and an avid one at that. Other kids would go outside with their dads and play in the park, but Auteme begged Josiah every day to stay inside with her and teach her to read and write better. Not just the Aurebesh, but the High Galactic alphabet too.
  
  It was odd that such small and trivial memories stuck with her. After the crash, she couldn't remember her own name, much less the names and faces of her parents. Still, when she thought long and hard about them, that was one of the few memories that still surfaced. It was small, insignificant, but something she treasured. Today, she was putting those skills to good use.
  
  The package arrived at the small home on Monastery after a few days in hyperspace. A small black box, carefully sealed with scotch tape, with the mailing information printed carefully on a tag on the top. No fragile warnings on it. Inside were two letters -- one labelled 'Mom', one 'Dad', in neat cursive -- and some kind of river stone. Auteme and Mara both would probably get a little annoyed Josiah read both letters, but she didn't mean to split her parents.
• Hi Dad!
  
  I hope this letter finds you well and safe. I know you're working hard, so don't worry if it takes you a while to read this letter; I'll know when you read it (probably).
  
  Right now I'm aboard the space station called Peace, current headquarters of the Jedi Order. I'm sure you know about it. It's actually an artifact from the time of the Zeffo, and it's an enormous Holocron. The Gatekeeper of Peace was deactivated for a long time, so it doesn't know the exact date, but I'm pretty sure the station predates the Rakatans. It's even more impressive that most of the systems still work, and are on par with or even more advanced than what we have today.
  
  I left the Silver Rest around when it was discovered after being invited by Master Wyatt Morga, who's currently in charge of most things around here, though I don't think he's taken the mantle of Grandmaster. He sent out a call in the Force, so maybe you heard it? It's possible I even missed you at the first meeting! There were a lot of Jedi there, and I've met a lot more since I've been around Peace. Master Jend-Ro Quill is the closest thing I have to a Master, but he's been away a lot lately since he's been fighting the Bryn'adul. Still, when he's around we often sit down and read together. When we first met, it was through these small Force artifacts called Solitude Stones -- I left one for you in the box. It allows for long-range contact, anywhere in the galaxy. No lag, just the Force, which I'm sure you have a strong connection with, being so close to a nexus. We researched the Suerton, a race who had the natural ability to influence probability. I actually learned how to do it myself, it's a really cool trick. My friends don't like playing cards with me anymore because I always get the best hands.
  
  Speaking of which, there are a lot of other padawans on Peace, or who visit often. Aaran is a big guy with a big heart; I don't know him the best but I know he gives great hugs. He's a Silver Jedi and is really good with a lightsaber. Loske is with the Galactic Alliance, and she's a crazy fighter pilot. Lots of fun to be around. Bernard acts really old, it's kind of funny, but he's really sweet under that Arkanian emotional distance.
  
  Ryv is a Knight now. He's Sword of the Jedi, actually, that got decided (sort of) during a conference on Coruscant. He's really kind, caring, selfless, hard working, and while he's a little reckless it's because he tries so hard to save others. I really love spending time with him, and I hope I can introduce you to him sometime soon. I think you'd like him, dad.
  
  I know we haven't talked in a while, so I hope you can get back to me soon. I keep my Solitude Stone close by, so if you try to contact me using it, I should get it, but the schedule on Peace is a little whacky so I might be asleep. Anyways, I hope you're safe and healthy, and that we can see each other again soon.
  
  Love,
  
  Your Daughter, Auteme

 

[Josiah]

W R I T I N G​

Tag: Auteme

The Arrival The Response

• 
  They had disagreed about the Future.
  
  Restoration had come so quickly that it made Josiah's head spin. At the start of the year, the Lightbearer had been alone. By the end of it? He and his estranged spouse had decided to give their relationship another try. And the source of the agony between them? Well, she popped back into their lives out of the blue. Literally. The void that had been left for over a decade was filled the moment she walked into that field tent. And from that day forward, the Denko household was whole again. Though, hardly the way Mara Denko had desired.
  
  Shortly after their reunion, it became clear that their little girl had a life and path all her own. She had survived in the Galaxy this long, and had her own calling to fulfill. Josiah, overall, was satisfied in the knowledge that his daughter was alive. It allowed him to truly rest at night. It allowed him to truly feel joy again. Yet, for his spouse, knowing that she was alive but not with them was a whole new kind of Hell. The two had butted heads on the subject quite a few times, but Josiah's stance remained the same.
  
  Auteme was her own person. The Galaxy was hers to explore - and if she ever wanted to come home, they'd be waiting.
  
  One morning, a piece of her world made it to their front porch. Josiah discovered the package shortly after his early meditations and practically tore it open like it was Life Day. Inside were a pair of letters - one for him, one for Mara - in addition to a Stone. The Lightbearer wasted no time in reading his own; and he couldn't help but grin with each word. She was truly coming into her own. Learning. Growing. And it seemed as though she had found a great community to grow alongside.
  
  Having now received a glimpse into his daughter's world, Josiah promptly swiped one of Mara's good pens and began to write..
• 
  Auteme,
  
  You've no idea how hearing from you has brightened my day. You're in our thoughts daily! Your mother and I are doing quite well.
  
  Though, you called it, we are quite busy these days.
  
  It seems you have quite the adventure on your hands! The Peace sounds like a marvel to behold - I might have to take a trip to see it myself one of these days. You'll find that relics of the Force are truly resilient to age, especially Holocrons. And speaking of, thank you for this Stone! I'll keep it close, always.
  
  I had felt that call, but the affairs of the Orders are a world I can't visit. When we're together next, remind me to tell you about O'reen. It's a lesson I learned from when I was just a touch older than you. A lesson I'd prefer to teach in person. Anyway.
  
  You've surrounded yourself with great people by the sounds of it! And now I know never to play games of chance with you. Or maybe we should go play the lottery all across the Outer Rim...for science, of course. (I kid!)
  
  Now, what's going on in my world? Most recently, we dealt with a Blackwing outbreak on Atrisia. Seriously nasty business. The worst is over and the planet is recovering. As you can imagine, your mother hasn't had a full night's sleep in a good while because of it. My part was more or less saber waving as always - much quicker than research.
  
  The Obsidian Knights are going through some new changes as well. Got a new Lord Commander at the helm, Voph, who's leading the charge on our latest project. I can't go too much into detail, but suffice it to say we're pestering a lot of politicians. And I couldn't be happier to do so.
  
  That's about all - far less interesting than your day to day I'm sure!
  
  Stay safe Little Light. You're missed. You're loved.
  
  I'm proud of you.
  
  - Dad

 

[Auteme]

D E A R
D A D
Tag: Josiah ​

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Arrival Response

• 
  Paper letters were very slow, weren't they? Maybe they should have just sent each other emails; it'd certainly be quicker. Then again, Auteme still took hand-written notes for a reason -- they were more memorable. She didn't know psychometry just yet, but when she opened her father's letter she understood better what it felt like. Auteme could feel how quickly he'd written the letter; how excited he must have been to be touching base again.
  
  At the same time, though, she could feel an amount of disconnect. Auteme believed that the Jedi Orders across the galaxy were doing good work, but obviously Josiah had gone through something that had made him disillusioned with that life. Yet, was working for the Confederacy any different? She wasn't really sure what to think. He didn't know it yet, but she knew bits about his past life. Auteme didn't want to distrust him. Still, before replying, she read up a little about O'reen and the past battles there.
  
  Nonetheless there were more interesting things to write about. As soon as she'd finished that day of study, she began writing her response. It'd take a few days to get to Monastery, but she was pretty sure not much would change in only a few days...
  
• 
  Hi Dad!
  
  Really great to hear from you! If there's a resurgence of the Blackwing Virus, it's... well, kind of impossible to get rid of. Atrisia is almost entirely human, though, and there are simple gene treatments -- ones widely available, if you have an already-immune human as a sample -- that can give full immunity to the virus. Was that what you used to protect yourself from it? Or was the virus different from the original, and less viral?
  
  I've actually been doing a bit of research lately on the subject. There are many semi-sentient viruses in the galaxy, as well as many other dangerous sicknesses, and on most populated worlds it's almost impossible to stop the spread of sicknesses. The Blackwing virus is a good example -- even eight hundred years ago, scientists could create bioweapons capable of bypassing nearly every known defense against such viruses. The gulag plague was a similar situation, but despite everyone's best efforts there was no cure and so many divisions in the galaxy came because of people closing their borders and ending trade. That isn't how a crisis should play out; people should work together.
  
  Anyways, this will be my second official academic paper (the first one was about the Suertons and the applications of bending probability), but this one's more important, so I kind of want people to read it. I'm not certified in anything, officially, so I was hoping to start going to an actual university and eventually get certified as a medical professional. I might be a Jedi, but that doesn't qualify me as an expert in anything, especially compared to all the researchers out there doing work way better than mine. I applied recently to Coruscant Med, and I'm also applying for a few scholarships. It's a big ask, but if I don't get a scholarship, would it be possible for you to help pay for my school? I still don't really know how money works.
  
  I'm going to be traveling for the next few days, so my next response might be a little late -- the Jedi assisted with the evacuation of Honoghr and moved much of the Noghri population to Wayland, where they have another home. I'm heading there with Loske Treicolt to help them get settled and work things out with the other native populations.
  
  Stay safe, and don't annoy too many politicians; they have lives too.
  
  Love,
  
  Auteme