Old Times Past [Darron]

[Rosa Gunn]

Sleets of rain washed over the Rose's viewcreen, obscuring vision to less than three feet ahead of her. Sweat beaded Rosa's forehead as she concentrated, trusting on her senses in the force to guide her through Tython's storm, listening to the occasional shout from her sensors as they picked up on things she was blind to. Ever since she'd set foot back in Republic space she'd been up to her elbows in blood and bacta patches, working tirelessly with Master Nytrau to aid the exhausted Republic healers. A recent supply run behind enemy lines to Coruscant, found her crossing paths with Darron.

It wasn't him that brought her here though, what brought her to Tython was a need to step aside, a desire to immerse herself in the force where she wasn't continously battered by the emotions of others. Landing gears extended with a groan and the Rose came to rest on a landing pad with a small lurch. She'd never been an amazing pilot, but she got by well enough. Soft hands moved deftly over switches to power down her ship and slowly the engine hum died down giving way the the rain thrumming on the hull. She closed her eyes for a moment, losing herself in the noise, recalling moments with Seroth on Spira and Arda as they waited out the storms.

Her eyes fluttered open, a melancholy sigh slipped from her lips and she rose from the pilots chair, shrugging on a cloak as she padded from the cockpit to the landing ramp. Rain bounced of its surface, spraying a light mist into the ships corridor. Palming the switch to raise it, she scurried down before it could close and pulled the hood of her cloak up before passing through the makeshift waterfall that was running of the Rose's hull, breaking into a run she darted along the gangway and into the arch of the temples doors, pushing them open enough to squeeze through she cast once last smiling glance at the storm before closing it again.

The noise quietened and for a moment, Rosa stood in the entrance allowing the serenity to wash over her. It had been years since she'd foot in a Jedi temple, and at least a year since they had vacated the Silent Temple on Teth. She'd almost forgotten how calming they were. A hand moved to push her hood back and she moved deeper in. the temple was mostly vacant, with the One Sith so close, most padawans and younglings had been moved to Ossus and out of the line of fire. those who weren't teaching were helping with the Republic. There were some Jedi here, who passed her with small bows that she returned, most lost in their own thoughts, consumed by their own troubles.

It didn't take Rosa long to find what she was looking for. An empty room with a vast window that looked out on Tython's brutal landscape. Taking a second, she slid her wet cloak from her shoulders and hung it on a peg before moving to admire the view as lightening leapt across the sky. Tython was as beautiful as it was harsh, subject to force storms without warning. Unpredictable. Rosa smiled.

A matt was already in place before the window and she brought herself to kneel upon it, eyes closing she started focusing on her breathing, settling her heart and quietening her mind. Then she began to focus on her body, breaking it down in her mind till she could feel each and every cell, till she could hear the whispers of the midichlorians that dwelled within her. She moved her senses outwards, seperating herself from her body reaching out across the temple to feel the hearts and minds of others. Some hearts raced as they trained, others were still like hers. But the minds were all one one thing, focused on the threat at their doorstep, tense with worry, struggling with their failures to protect Coruscant, determined to make it right. Rosa pitied them, but she did not project this emotion. She found a moment in her mind, when she had first caught up with Seroth on Spira, the moment when she truly had hope for herself. She took that moment, that emotion and she pushed it gently towards those that could she could feel.

Some would recognise it for what it was, a gesture to encourage them for another force user. The less adept might not even realise it was being projected and would just feel their hearts lift slightly. One in particular would be able to pinpoint its exact source without trying to, simply because he knew her so well. In herself though, Rosa had not analysed the minds and aura's of those she felt beyond emotion, so she was unaware that [member="Darron Wraith"] had also come to Tython to breathe.

 

[Darron Wraith]

Tython

Outside The Temple...

[member="Rosa Mazhar"]

An amethyst blur moved with all the speed and ferocity of lighting, and the man's strikes were impossible to count. All around him blades danced, and five other Jedi Masters tried to keep up him in tandem. Their movements were perfect, their footing sure. Yet, it was nothing against the man who was fighting back with the very fire they were all taught to stay far away from. Djem-So and Shien were casually batted back, their speed and strength being outdone by the man who had fought the monsters in the dark and still lived. Emperor's, Empresses, Sith Lords, Dictators, and Despots had fallen before the man they were all pushing themselves against. Everytime they would push him into a corner with their numerous bars of energy, his lone blade would beat or deflect them all away. He was as confusing and counfounding as he was admirable to watch, for a man who was this far out of time to fight with that much fervor was oustanding. Padawans and Knights stopped what they were doing as the practice bout intensified, the sounds of clashing blades becoming too much to ignore. Few had ever seen a former GrandMaster, and the premier duelist of the Jedi Order actually fight and live to tell the tale.

Well they could talk all they wanted to after today.

A green blade whizzed past his long locks as he leaped into a forward roll to avoid the thrust, he had missed defeat by a few centimeters. That's what you've always missed it by, he thought to himself as he landed on his shoulder and rolled into a standing position. Two blades came from both sides of him in twin slashes at his midsection, and the lone purple blade met them both with a powerful slash to blast them both backwards. The two Jedi Masters were sent rolling away from the force of the strike, and he whipped the blade up and over his head in a powerful strike aimed at the man's shin. The other Master could barely deflect in time, and his blade bent in on his leg, causing a scream of pain to fill the training area as the training saber stung it's wielder. A swift kick from Wraith was the man's reward for letting his guard down, and a definite crack resounded and everyone knew the Jedi Master's jaw was broken.

More blue blurs could be seen as the others came back mixed in with a green blade, but in Darron's mind he saw a sword. It wasn't a lightsaber blade, but a sword swinging at him. Darkness was flooding the circuit that he had between himself and the inherent aggressiveness of combat. Visions of a crowded city, of sweat and blood filled his mind. Falling further into Vaapad, the next few seconds became much more serious for the Jedi Master. Where there had been a man stood the greatest warrior the galaxy had ever known, and within moments he dodged every strike by inches and then beat all his opponents at their strength. It was quick, fast, brutal, and efficient. Only fifteen seconds had passed and Darron realized he was standing alone.

The other Jedi Masters were on the floor cradling their wounds.

"I'm-i'm sorry Masters." The visions passed as he let himself fall out of Vaapad, but the feeling of dread still hung over him. It was the same vision he had been having for two months now, and it only intensified. Imaginary pain was flooding his joints, almost as if his body was preparing for injuries that hadn't happened before. You've been through worse Darron, relax. His thoughts seemed hung on inches and centimeters: the difference between winning and losing. Smoke and blood filled his nostrils, but he stood clean from the fight. Sweat poured down his face and onto his traditional outfit. An aura of peace reached the edge of his mind, and he quickly excused himself Too many thoughts were flooding his mind, and he had to get away from the other Jedi near him. They saw him as the ultimate defense against the darkness, and as an infallible Jedi Master. None of them knew his true flaws, but there was one person who did that was on Tython right now. He could feel her.

A few minutes later...

"Fancy seeing you here." Darron's words were warm, and he kept a peaceful look on his face and a respectful distance from her. His large frame was leaned against the door frame that led into the room, and he crossed his sweaty arms over the chestplate he wore always. "What brings you here Rosa?"

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa's eyes flickered open and she drew herself away from the rest of the temple as soon as she felt beyond the door. She turned, crossing her legs underneath her to look at [member="Darron Wraith"], old lover, ex fiancée, father of the child lost at Roche. There was a time when Rosa hated him, where she had wished he had stayed in the dark hole in which he ran too when she had needed him most, but that time was long past. Whatever happened, she still had a bond with the man before her and she would always see beyond the mask he wore. She tilted her head slightly and smiled sadly.

"I wanted somewhere peaceful to order my thoughts." She replied softly, her dark eyes searched his face. Something was wrong, he had pulled up a façade of peace around him, but beneath it Rosa could feel something entirely different. "It's incredibly difficult to make sense of anything when I'm elbow deep in bacta." She debated whether to openly ask him what was wrong, but decided against it. If he wanted to open up to her, he would. She turned her mind instead to the brief encounter on Coruscant.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

 

[Darron Wraith]

There was so much history between he and [member="Rosa Mazhar"], that he didn't know exactly how to view her. Did he feel some sort of hurt over how things went down? Or did he just feel happy knowing she was alive? It had been a constant battle there for nearly half a year after they had lost their daughter at Roche and he had resigned as GrandMaster of the Jedi Order. Both of them had wounded each other with their silence in their times of need, Darron himself had handled it more poorly than she had. "Well, if you were seeking somewhere peaceful you sure know how to pick them." Wraith walked in slowly, heading towards where she was seated. "You know the One Sith are practically knocking on our door step, and the New Order is still trying to do harm where they can." There were other reports of secret ops in the Tion Cluster and in Mandalorian space, though none were confirmed so he didn't speak on those. Instead, he stopped a few steps away and looked to the floor. "May I?" Darron didn't wait to hear her answer, instead he simply sat after what she had mentioned.

Their daughter.

Knees creaked and popped from stress, but he crossed his legs in a meditative position and simply stared at her. "You know, I can remember back when I first met you and we went through these exercises." He laughed remembering their times as Master and Padawan, and how they had turned into lovers after she had become a Knight. "You know," a fond look fell over his face. "I can remember when I promised your father I would take care of you. I'd like to think I did that, even if I did mostly fail you. I hope you can forgive me for that." His sky-blue eyes fell at the mention of his failure before remembering her.

"You are right though, she is beautiful. Had it not been for her I would have died several times since she passed."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

"There are always pockets of peace amidst the chaos of war. You just have to seek them out." She replied softly. watching him as he approached, nodding as he asked to sit. She bowed her head and looked at her hands as he spoke of her father, of times long past, of forgiveness. She looked up and their eyes locked. "You did what you could, you guided me onto the right path and that in itself would have made him a happy man. Failure or no failure, I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for you. Take comfort in that Darron, and know that I forgave you a long time ago."

The force worked in strange ways, often its left its weilders baffled. Elena had returned to the force, before she'd even been born, ripped away by the Derriphan, the soulsaber. Yet in her death, she had grown to be something that her parents needed. A guiding voice, a warning shout and a comfort in dark moments, when all seemed out of reach. Perhaps that was what she had always meant to be, perhaps the force knew that she and Darron were never meant to be, not forever anyway. Yet it granted them the little bit of happiness it could, for as long as it could.

She had come forward in leaps and bounds since Roche, she'd found her peace, no thanks to her husband, and she'd worked at developing her powers. The mention of old times brought a smile to her lips and she looked away, out of the window at Tython's brutal landscape. For several moments the pair sat in silence, comfortable in each others presence. Her eyes slid closed and she opened herself to the force and to the bond she had with Seroth. He was out of her reach, but her dreams told her something was wrong.

Opening her eyes again she frowned slightly, but kept her worries to herself. "You should come to Sanctum space, when this is over. Arda is beautiful. Peaceful." She looked at him "Something I think you are in dire need of."

[member="Darron Wraith"]

 

[Darron Wraith]

[member="Rosa Mazhar"]'s forgiveness was one thing he had sought more than any other for so long, for he had truly failed her. "I am truly happy for you and Seroth, knowing you two are together warms my heart." It was the truth, and that's what made his words so glowing. There was nothing but happiness showing in his face for her, no regret over the past. It was truly the one lesson he had mastered the most, he knew how to not be greedy. That trait had never really developed in him as a child, for he had had to share with his brother. The loss of everyone close to him had taught him that nothing lasted forever, well nothing but my life it seems. The melancholy thought briefly passed before letting itself slip out to join all the negative energy he simply let go. There was no need to hold the baggage, it would only bury a man. With all the burdens he had now, he had to be as free as possible to do the Jedi justice in the faith they placed in him.

"I'm always in need for peace, that much is true." Visions of combat, fast and furious, fluttered across his mind's eye. Whatever serene look he had, it disseapared as his eyes glazed over for but a moment. Battles of his past were spliced with some future combat against a foe he couldn't see, and there was no lightsaber matching against his amethyst blade. Wraith shook it from his thoughts, not now Darron. Look back up at the woman he had fully given himself to, he tried to hide it. "I'm not built for peace, what I want and what I am good at are two different things." A chuckle escaped his lips, but the words that followed were both truthful and filled with a bit of naked pain. They were from the wound deep within him that would never truly heal, a realization of who he really was.

"I was once told I could either save those I loved, or save the galaxy." This time, they didn't fall to the floor in shame. His eyes just locked onto the brown ones that he couldn't forget if he tried. "I tried time after time to lie to myself, to pretend I could have a life. I was wrong, I lost ever person I cared for because I loved the galaxy more. It's the one lesson I have realized these past two years, and it's why I can't take your invitation to come to Sanctum space. I wouldn't know what to do without helping others from the truly bad things out there." It was as truthful as he would ever be with anyone other than Je'gan Ol'raen. A long sigh escaped his mouth, and the visions replayed.

"I have something I need to talk about, and a request I will need you to fulfill one day. But before I do that, how are you and my old friend Seroth doing? I miss that man."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa caught the pain in his face, her hand reached out to take his and she gave him a reassuring smile. "Its alright, Darron. I know Sanctum wouldn't hold you for long. But you should at least visit." She drew her hand away and shook her head slightly. "And stop beating yourself up, or I shall take liberties and do it for you." Her eyes glittered with mischief as she tried to lighten his mood.

Then he asked about Seroth and the sparkle vanished, worry gleaning over her face. She pushed it aside and brought a smile to her face, now wa not the time to ponder on what had happened to her husband. "Well, " she said softly as she thought of their wedding on Arda. "We got married, spent a couple of weeks together on a beach in the middle of nowhere." She closed her eyes a wishful look coming over her face as she longed to be back there.

A sigg slipped from her lips and she shrank slightly. "He travels the galaxy ridding it of monsters, and I follow the call of the force giving aid where I can." She shrugged "We often spends months apart..." she trailed off eyes drifting once more to the window.

Where are you, my love?

 

[Darron Wraith]

[member="Rosa Mazhar"]

"Wow," a bit of jealousy but mostly happiness lacing his words. "Two weeks on a beach just being together had to have been fantastic." Traitorous thoughts popped up for just a moment, his own human emotion showing before he let it go. Let it go, had this been a few years ago you would have claim to feeling like this. Wraith's logical side won through, and the emotions simply left him. Nothing but happiness shown through for Rosa at that moment, though he could see shades of trouble on her face and he didn't understand why. "So he's a monster hunter now? I never imagined that when we first met him and trained with him on Yavin IV. I guess the Force has a way of taking people down the proper roads they are meant to go on, no matter how unlikely they seem." Looking back on that meeting, he remembered the adventures he had had with that unit. Jaxton Ravos, Ben Watts, himself, and Seroth had formed quite the Jedi team.

If only things were like that now. Where each of them was was a mystery. Darron was no longer GrandMaster, he himself having abdicated the position so he could get his head on straight after Roche. Ben Watts had become GrandMaster in his stead and then left the position and now was nowhere to be found in the galaxy. Jaxton had grown disgusted with the Republic and left. Seroth had felt the same, and was now a monster hunter who was married to Darron's former fiance? Friendship brought us together, the Force tore us apart to do different things, he mused. Then suddenly he understood what was wrong with Rosa, and it didn't take the Force to figure it out. She doesn't know where he is, and it's killing her.

"Do we need to go find him?" It was a simple question, but one he know she needed to hear. How often did the empath worry about others? He knew her all too well, so he redirected her concerns on her to try and do some good while he still had the one thing left he could spend freely.

Time.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

DELETE ME!!!

 

[Rosa Gunn]

For a moment, Rosa didn't respond as she found herself torn between the selfish desire of knowing where her husband was and responding to the calls of help from those within her reach.

She let out another sigh, and shook her head, finally looking at Darron again. "No, he's ok. Something isn't right, but he's alive and he's still fighting. Whatever it is he's facing, it is his to face. I have my own battles to fight." She knew in her heart, whatever happened, Seroth would have agreed with her decision not to chase him across the galaxy. She pushed the matter aside and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You've got that face on." She commented. "The one that says 'I'm preparing for the end of the world but no one else can see it coming so I have to hide it'." She allowed herself a small smirk, before becoming serious. "What foe are you preparing for that the rest of us aren't?"

[member="Darron Wraith"]

 

[Darron Wraith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"] 's gift with empathy was both a blessing and a curse. On countless missions it had served well to read an opponents intent, as well as in combat. When he had taught her it had been her defining power, and it had only blossomed with age and experience. Yet, here she was, dissecting his emotions by memory of how he acted and her abilities. Wraith had long let go of the belief that he was unreadable, she had proven that theory wrong multiple times. Damn, she always does this. Mentally kicking himself a few times for letting cracks in his facade show. A hard exhale escaped his lips, I despise talking about myself. "It's simple, I'm having visions everytime I engage in combat. It doesn't matter if it's alone or while in the midst of battle. I keep seeing someone who I have never faced before." A haunted look took over his face, but quickly dissapeared.

He had had visions of events before, but nothing like this.

"I'm not preparing for the end of the world," Darron paused for a moment. Multiple thoughts flashed across his mind, and his grip on her hand intensified a bit. "I'm preparing for a fight like no other. Whatever happens, it will change everything for me." It was pretty grim, but in his visions he always lost or died. For a duelist of his caliber to admit it wasn't easy, but he had long set his pride aside. "I just need you to do me a favor, because I know I'll be alone when this happens." A vision of their daughter appeared in his mind, and her words about her older brother flashed again.

"My son Tobias is still alive, if I don't find him because I die. Promise me you'll find him, and help him in anything he needs." Then he paused, for his next words were the hardest to say. "Just make sure if you do find him, don't let him become a Jedi. His force sensitivity was off the charts, and he deserves a life. I want him happy, he doesn't need to sacrifice everything like I did."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

In a way, Darron was preparing for the end of a world. He was preparing for the end of his world, of his life. She'd seen it before. She'd seen it when Omni struck and he prepared to go to Belsavis with Ashin Varanin, then Sith Empress, unsure if he would come back. And she saw it before Roche. Every time she'd seen it had broken her heart and she had raged at him, begging and pleading him to not go, or to avoid it because she couldn't let him go. Now though, she had already let him go, that did not mean that it didn't hurt to see him doing it all over again.

What could she say? What do you say to a man preparing to die that you haven't already said before? Her eyes widened at the mention of Tobias, pictures flashed through her memory of the son Darron had seen killed. He was alive? How was that possible? What had happened to him? How did Darron know?

I told him, mummy.

Tears sprung to her eyes and she swallowed against the lump in her throat as Elena's words whispered through her mind.

Mummy....he's going to die. Daddy's going to die.

Rosa leant forward and wrapped her arms around Darron's neck, hugging him tightly.

"I will find him, Darron. I promise."

[member="Darron Wraith"]

 

[Darron Wraith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]'s hug was accepted, and he even hugged her back. There was no restraint in how tightly he squeezed his friend and former lover, and for a moment he could feel their bond through Elena's spirit. Though his daughter didn't speak to him, he could feel her presence. It was as if she was standing over them, hugging them both for one, joyous moment. Wraith let go of everything, the past, the present, and his future and just embraced everything as it was. The galaxy, all it's troubles, and all those he defended faded from his memory. There was nothing, not even his duty in this moment. It wasn't a romantic feeling in the slightest, just joy in it's purest form. Everything was right, and they had fully restored the bond to it's best condition it could possibly be in in this condition. It was a feeling of peace and serentity he hadn't experienced in years, and he enjoyed it for but one more moment, being greedy the warmth he felt in his heart.

This would be the last time he would feel this way while walking the galaxy.

"I will find him, Darron. I promise."

"Thank you," he said as he pulled away and sat back where he had been. "Please make sure that he at least knows his father tried desperately to find him after he discovered he had been alive, and that I never gave up hope for him." It was an astonishing admission for those who knew Wraith, because he never held on to anything. "If not for him, I would have simply let myself die while I was frozen. I had that choice, and I never once gave in, despite being there for twenty years. I never once gave in to the negative thought he could truly be gone." A melancholy tone was in his words, and he looked down at the floor for but another moment. A feeling of completion was starting to fall over him, and he could feel the one last task he had before him.

Wraith had to stop the man in the dark, even if it cost him everything.

Eyes still at the ground, he spoke again. His words were cryptic as another vision came to his mind. "If you find your faith wavering in the weeks ahead, remember the promise you made me today."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

As Darron released her she closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, letting her emotion go. Acceptance was one of the first lessons Darron had tried to teach her, it had taken a long time for her to truly understand it, to be able to detach herself from her emotions and see that what happened was the will of the force. Everything happened for a reason, and her job was to understand that reason and the lesson behind it. Understanding and reasons took far longer to reveal themselves than it did to simply accept them.

A hand reached forward, fingers tucking under Darron's chin drawing his eyes away from the floor and back at her. Dark eyes were searching for something, something that wasn't being said. She could not find it, so she let her hand drop, a slight frown forming at his words. "I will not forget it any time soon, Darron." She got to her feet, kissing his forehead as she did. "When was the last time we fought together?" she asked him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She wanted to draw his attention away from the darkness that troubled him, to bring a little light into whatever time he had left.

[member="Darron Wraith"]