Old Blood

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The trip had been longer than he'd hoped. A few dalliances with the various pirate fleets that now traveled across the lawless stars had left the Chimaera and her sister vessels worse for wear. Nothing of importance had been lost in such conflicts, but the small fleet desperately needed a proper resupply.

Thus it was that the fleet moved toward Commenor. Its leaders had more than a few things to say about the decision to turn to the Commenori, but the needs of the people outweighed old grudges.

More importantly for Cedric, the old republic world was home to a flock of Jedi that he wished to meet. The arrival at Commenor had meant the first proper night's sleep in ages, and Cedric found himself feeling far more alive than he had in quite some time when the morning came around. The Chimaera and her compatriots were lumbering in the planet's upper atmosphere: various vessels of all shapes and sizes flitted from the ships to the planet below.

Cedric watched them pass. Most were merchant ships charged with bringing the fleet up to proper measure. The rest were filled with soldiers moving heading planetside for the purpose of recreation. The youth smiled.

"How long will you be gone?" Geron had asked.

Cedric had only shrugged. "Perhaps weeks, perhaps months. No later than a year. I have to do some things before we return."

His cousin had frowned. "And what of us?"

"Gather what you can. Salvage whatever is available. You need to build us a proper FOB for the war to come while I'm away."

Geron had seemed content with that. He hadn't offered up any kind of challenge to the notion anyway. His cousin had left him shortly thereafter, and Cedric had wasted no time waiting.

A shuttle ferried him down to the city below. He came alone, confident that there was little need for guards on this world. A few moments later and he was wandering out of the entrance of the starport, blue eyes narrowed as he peered around the crowd for one particular face. There was no doubt that [member="Veiere Arenais"] knew of his arrival, and the message Cedric had sent informing the Jedi of his presence cleared that up if there ever had been.

Alone he waited by the starport's entrance, hands in his pockets, curiosity in his gaze.

 

[WolfMortum]

"Come again?"

Vikras Ansion stood before Veiere with a look of astonishment, the two within the public foyer of the Royal Palace of Chasin City, Commenor; discussing the arrival of their latest visitors and those whom they had both had something of a first hand past history with. "[member="Cedric Grayson"] has brought a small fleet to orbit Commenor..." Veiere reiterated though the Grand Admiral needed no such reminding, he was simply surprised by the sudden visit given Veiere's abrupt leave of Ession and the Dominion's leadership of government. It wasn't often a topic of conversation they spoke of, Veiere of whom still had mismatched feelings about his decision to abandon them and yet having seen the direction they were heading, more specifically, the war that they were wanting, the pacifism in him just couldn't have abided by it. Leaving the Son of Cyril Grayson had been difficult; yet the Lad belonged with his people.

"I'm assuming there's good reason why this wasn't brought to my attention the moment they arrived..." The older male glared with great skepticism back to his Jedi friend, Vikras didn't treat Veiere like a King or Grand Master or any such nonsense, but like a friend and by this, didn't beat around the bush with unnecessary formalities; the two went back a long way, the Grand Admiral having assumed Command of the Imperial II Class Star Destroyer 'The Chimaera', following the death of Cedric's father and his possessions being handed down to Veiere post the Atrisian debacle.

"I want to give the boy the benefit of the doubt, Vikras..." Veiere responded with a followed pause, his expression showing a little more sentiment than was typical of him. Cedric had been a child the last time he had spoken with the lad. Veiere had been ever so concerned that his path would lead him down the same line of belief and doubts of that of his father, the aggression and defiance that consumed him and though it didn't remove Cyril of his integrity, it inevitably led to the mans death and unnecessary self-sacrifice. It took some time to mourn and recover from his failure to sway Cyril back towards the light; to have found himself fighting alongside other remnant Lords of the Sith Empire against the New Jedi Order of the Galactic Alliance that day when fire and stone swallowed the good people of Atrisia's hope and future; Veiere had never forgotten. It was the day that he had first resigned his faith in the Jedi Order.

"You will do what you can to accommodate their fleet. I'm told they could use repairs and revitalization...-We will offer this freely.." Veiere expected argument and as expected, he would receive it.

"You're talking thousands of credits worth of resources and time...-I hardly think the Queen would approve-" his words were silenced as Veiere turned back to Vikras offering him a sharp look in warning. These moments were ever so rare but there were times were the pairs casual regard towards one another could lead to the disregard of hierarchy; so often was his place and authority as King underhanded by his personal decision to pursue the Jedi Path, his genuine wish to not be treated as a man higher than any other coming to conflict with these said moments.

"You're a trusted friend and a brother, Vikras...-But I am King and in charge in [member="Lady Kay"]'s absence. Do as I ask and do not use my wife to second guess my judgement again". The Admiral's response was nothing short of apprehensive, pausing to reconsider his position on the matter yet unable to avoid showing his discontent and concern for the Jedi Master's sudden frustrations, he shook his head and dismissed himself from the scene, leaving Veiere to turn and head for the fresh outside air of Chasin City.

Today there would be no royal welcome party's nor the guard to accompany him. As was often the case for Veiere, he moved on his own and feared the people none. He preferred to roam the streets and mingle with their own and today would be no different, save for the company of Captain Terrac who would be escorting the King and their new guests. Reaching the Starport entrance, the private shuttle touched down upon the landing docks floor, Veiere stepping out to find not a boy but Cedric, fully grown and looking astonishingly the image of Cyril Grayson...

Enough so to give him pause for a second glance.

"Welcome to Commenor, Cedric...".

 

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Memories of early youth flashed through Cedric's mind. He recalled Veiere from his earlier days; the man had been his father's final friend in the last days of his life. It was for that reason that Cedric had chosen to trust the man; it was for that reason that he had chosen not to hold a grudge against Arenais after he'd chosen to leave. Still, he couldn't help but feel that things would have gone far more smoothly with the Jedi Master on his side. Not that it mattered now.

Ession had burned. Its people were enslaved. Tyrants claimed credit for conquests they had never held, and north had fallen to the encroaching darkness. Hopefully Veiere would understand the dire nature of the situation. Hopefully he would act when the Sith came to sunder his home and take his wife as their newest trophy.

But that was none of Cedric's business. He hadn't come here to debate with the Jedi Master, nor had he come to gather an army. If anything, he'd chosen to leave his own armies behind in favor of a different path; one that Arenais understood better than most.

Pale fingers dragged across the mass of scars that marred his visage. His thought shifted to the great cathar monster that had given them to him. A heavy sigh fell from his lips.

"Veiere," the older man's introduction pulled him from his thoughts. Veiere seemed to have changed little in their time apart, though Cedric had heard that aging seemed to slow past forty. He half expected a young [member="Romi Jade"] to come barreling out from behind the Jedi Master, but such expectations were relics from a time long since past.

"Thank you for receiving my people," he offered the man a sad smile. "They've few places to go anymore, and I won't be with them much longer. They have their own part to play in the outer rim," he paused to regard Veiere's escort with a respectful nod. "I suppose my coming here might have been a surprise..."

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

"The last time I saw you, you were but a boy...-A bit of a surprise, quite so".

Veiere bobbed his head side ways in a half nod, a quiet chuckle escaping him as he looked upon [member="Cedric Grayson"] curious as to what path and trials he had taken on in his lifetime since Veiere's absence of the North. Turning however to glance to Terrac, he gestured to the man first in introduction; "Cedric this is an old friend, my regular pilot and long time associate of my wife's. Terrac, meet the Archlord of Ession..." He glanced back to the young Grayson a moment, his smile remaining and evidently pleased for this reunion after such a long time. It wouldn't however be long before Veiere would send Terrac off to help gather whatever belongings Cedric had brought with him to the transport and then dismissing him that the pair of them be able to walk back towards the Palace, taking in the sights of Chasin City and perhaps taking their time while having the chance to reminisce and catch up for all the years that'd passed them by since.

"I hear you brought 'The Chimaera'..." Veiere smirked faintly, walking alongside Cedric now as they moved down the main street of the capital city, Veiere while King, seeking no escort nor guard to cater to his place in the world but rather at ease and comfortable with his people seeking just how easy it was for him to trust in their own, and in his own ability had the rare moment present itself that someone were to take up a grudge against him. "It was always a marvel, if not a little too large for my tastes. Vikras Ansion however enjoyed his command back in the day before returning to lead the Navy here on Commenor...-I'm not sure if you'd ever recall the Admiral..."

"I trust she's served you well as she did your father?..."

 

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Cedric almost corrected Veiere when he brought up the youth's titles, but thought better of it. The situation in the north, or rather the disaster that had been visited upon it, was not wholly common knowledge just yet. The Sith did well to keep information from leaking to the other galactic nations. Cedric frowned at the thought.

"I recall him vaguely," Cedric murmured as the man walked away. His hands slipped into his pockets, and his gaze shifted from one part of the city to the next. It was not nearly as populated as Ession's capital city, but it had its own charm to it. The core worlds had always garnered a sense of wonder from those that called the outer rim home.

"It's a good ship. She's saved me many times," a thin smile found its way onto his scarred visage. "Perhaps not as well as my father though. He had a certain bond with the ship that I don't."

He paused as they strolled farther from the starport, and farther out of earshot from those that had lingered there. "Ession's fallen. I'm here to resupply before the 501st moves on to the FOB we've established. I won't be joining them."

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

'Ession's fallen...'​

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Veiere's pace slowed, his eyes lifting to gaze across the sides of the larger towers and buldings that lined the busied street, things more or less growing distant from his immediate focus as the force flowed around them, his focus shifting back to that of [member="Cedric Grayson"], taking the time to gauge him for any sense of discontent that he might harbor towards Veiere for their parting so long ago and the way he was describing things having gone now.

The news brought a sense of guilt upon him, not for that of Ession itself, Veiere had been concerned that the governments want for retaliatory strikes and the cries of so many refugees from Atrisia seeking retribution against those of the Galactic Alliance and quite frankly a mix of force orders by way of alignment, Veiere's decision to step away had been based upon the conflict that he could see no way of discouraging; it was however the guilt of leaving Cedric to advisers that knew not his father like Veiere felt he had, the bond of two guardians shielded in battle by that of the Force and the experiences they'd met together, whether in agreement with one another's ideals and intentions or otherwise; Cyril Grayson had once been a brother to him.

The 501st Legion was too an army that Veiere was experienced with, passed on to Veiere as had the Chimaera; he had left both in the hands of The Dominion, Cedric Grayson's name on all rights of claim as was only befitting for the son to truly inherit the power and authority of his fathers.

"Where will they go...What will become of your future?"

 

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"I don't know," the words came without a thought. For the first time in a very long time indeed, Cedric didn't know what the next move was going to be. There was too little information, and too few resources to act upon what did come through. The armies that had marched with him had been forced to give Ession and her crown worlds a wide berth.

"I'm going to train; become a greater Jedi then I am." A hand rested at his belt as he paced through the streets. Commenor was all too surreal for him right now. The people closely resembled his own, if not in physical features than the way they carried themselves. They were proud; unbent. It was a rare quality these days.

"Then perhaps I'll return. Maybe I'll petitions the other orders for warriors, strike back at the Sith as a unified force," he gave a faint shrug. "I doubt they would come together. Least of which with me; not as I am."

A heavy sigh fell from his lips. "I don't intend to remain here long."

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

"You would be welcome here, on Commenor or within any of the worlds we care over, Cedric"

Veiere turned to glance back to [member="Cedric Grayson"], though he doubted the younger man would be comfortable accepting help from Veiere given their history or lack of rather, considering what was intended to be. Once upon a time, Cedric here would have been his Apprentice, a Padawan Learner under the Jedi Path that Veiere had very much intended to guide. That he sought to strengthen his focus and alignment within the Light of the Force was no small statement, given Veiere's place with the Jedi Order of today.

"I recently visited Coruscant and spoke with the Jedi of the Galactic Alliance, as well as those of the Silver Order. Their Co-operation with one another as well as the Jedi Enclave of Deneba may be more likely than you'd expect. They surprised me some with their contributions to one another already in place where I had expected complete and utter discomfort in the meeting of said Councils...".

Much was happening between the Jedi Order Veiere was so invested in, and the running of the Commenor Systems Alliance, yet the availability of the Jedi teachings in the sector were becoming better recognized now more than ever; the darkness slowly being countered by the light.

"My path has never strayed from the Jedi Order, not since we last saw one another in any case. The Jedi Enclave of Deneba may have something to offer should you pass through the system...".

 

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"Perhaps," the youth's brow furrowed. He wasn't sure just what it was that he was lacking, only that there was a gap that needed to be filled. There was a connection to something that had been lost, and it would need to be reforged before he could lead his warriors into battle again. The likelihood of the Jedi having the answers he sough was low, but low was better than nothing.

A comfortable silence fell over the two men as Cedric pondered over the Veiere's offer.

"Then perhaps there is a chance," he finally mused. His gaze shifted to the older man. "I'll pay the place a visit. Maybe it'll have something that can help me along the way." He arms folded about his chest as he came to a halt beneath an overhanging bridge. The minuet amount of warmth he'd exuded was gone now, replaced with an intense stare and a slight frown.

"You left us for a woman?"

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere slowed upon the realization that [member="Cedric Grayson"] had stopped moving altogether, the pair of them covered by the shelter of the overpass and more or less left to their own discussions away from the publics notice while the youth sought to question Veiere's reasons for having left the Dominion of Ession and he himself. The notion that he had left for [member="Lady Kay"] made him chuckle abruptly, turning to glance away a moment at the amusement in the suggestion, though the seriousness of the subject brought his gaze back upon Cedric sympathetically.

"My wife has been in my life long before my coming to Ession, as has the world of Commenor, Cedric" he shook his head as he spoke, offering the confirmation of decline towards the younger mans question; "War was coming to the Dominion I felt, a war that the people of Ession and those who had survived Atrisia, desperately yearned for...-The Government supported this and the people gave their utmost support to the movements of the Dominion because of this; when the people follow the every move of a governing body, the cause and effect that can follow can often lead into Chaos...-This is why I had to step away".

The Systems Alliance had grown immensely since those times, it wasn't a surprise when looking upon the two that Cedric would see the CSA as Veiere's choice over those in the Northern Territories yet the path of Commenor had been paved long before Cyril Grayson's leading Veiere onto the world of Atrisia, Kay and he had dedicated their lives to the preservation of democracy and prosperity of the people within their reach; both as a Jedi and as King now over Commenor, it had been the right move for him.

"My regret was felt most heavily in heart for having to leave you behind, but a boy amidst so many politicians and military minds" He offered his genuine remorse over the way things had gone, "Yet there was no way that I could have pulled you from your home-world and the legacy that your father left behind. The only consolation I felt I could offer in my resignation was the military power that your father had left in my hands. In my eyes they were equally your birth right as all else over Ession".

 

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"We were surrounded on all sides by enemies. We fought the war everyone else was afraid to face," Cedric drew in a sharp breath. He was allowing himself to speak emotionally rather than rationally; something he had chided others about numerous times in the past. He wasn't in the business of being a hypocrite.

"I understand you have obligations Veiere. Believe me, I do," the youth's voice leveled out as he leaned back against one of the supports that kept the bridge from collapsing. There were a vast number of questions he wished to ask of Veiere. What had happened on Atrisia? Why were these blood feuds so deeply ingrained across the galaxy? Why had his people fought the righteous fight, and still been punished by a Sith charge into their flank? Some Veiere likely had answers to, though he doubted he would have liked them. The rest were left to rot in the dark corners of his mind.

"My father put all his trust in you, and you left us," was what actually came out. In those words was a subtle pain, one Cedric hid well. Still, even he could not keep his voice entirely level all the time. There was an anger there, one that hurt far more than Cedric would have cared to admit. "I wasn't ready for that position; wasn't ready for the responsibilities. I made mistakes - a lot of mistakes."

His head fell into his hands for a moment, and he exhaled a heavy breath. A brief moment of silence followed, after which Cedric looked Veiere right in the eyes. "I am grateful to you for helping my people, I really am, but I don't know if I can forgive you for abandoning us."

Abandoning me.

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

Resentment and feelings of rejection, they were present in Cedric Gayson's body language and words; Veiere understood and sympathized for the younger Man and yet his path and the choices in his life that he had made, no matter how difficult they were at the times, were the right ones for him and the journey towards peace that he sought to encourage.

"Cedric, your Father and I differed in a number of ways...-The Path he followed and that of his people was shaped by his choice to open himself up to the Dark Side of the Force"

Cyril Grayson had been an interesting acquaintance when they had met, and over the years getting to know he man there was no shortage of times where they would discuss their perspectives upon the Force, upon the Jedi Order and the Sith Empire for the positions that they had both held within their given Orders. Unlike Veiere, Cyril had traversed both sides and found himself emotionally torn. The man had died as a Sith Lord, fighting in his own way for the defense of the People of Atrisia and yet with tactics that reguarlarly brought about the chaos and destruction of the path he walked around him.

"The Holocron I found aboard the Chimaera, his last testament and message to me put everything in my hands, it's true. My inability to pull him back towards the light was a weight of Guilt that led me to the northern territories; to Ession...-And to you. You inherited the Sins of your Father. Perhaps I should have taken you with me but can you say that you would have understood at such an age...-Or that your people would not take it for treason and start a war between your people and mine"

At the time, Veiere had seen no other way.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"Perhaps. Perhaps not," came the youth's answer. Veiere had a point, but logic did little when it came to mending wounds. Cedric willed himself to be angry at the Jedi Master; he expected the cool control he'd often exerted to melt away when confronted with Veiere.

Instead, he simply sighed, shook his head, and spoke. "I'm going to visit your Jedi temple," the words were measured. The agitation Cedric had expected was replaced with a cold acceptance; a reality that came with the detachment the Jedi practiced. It was just too much effort to keep caring about the problem when its solution would be of no benefit.

Rather than lash out, Cedric smiled.

"I'm hoping it'll be enlightening. Then perhaps I'll visit the other temples," he paused, "Who do you think would lead this council if it actually works out?"

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

"I'm not sure if any of them will agree to being lead by anyone else outside of their own Circles..."

Veiere responded to [member="Cedric Grayson"], still noting the mans apprehension and evident wish to be elsewhere in the moment. He could not be blamed for that and his path was his own, clearly not one for Veiere to have such a guiding hand in as fate or be it the Will of the Force had shown him. "But the least we can do is try to encourage our people to collaborate more with one another..." though it had all proven near to be an impossibility thus far to turn the path of so many, already so stuck in their ways.

"The Enclave at Deneba has finally found solid ground and has been positioned for further growth into the future with the appropriate training given to those of our younger generations. Perhaps it will have the peace that you're seeking, though I suggest you hold an open mind about you. Those there are not Warriors but Keepers of the Peace and Scholars of the Force...-It will be a different atmosphere than you're likely accustomed to in traveling with the Fifty-First".