Private Out Of Reasons

[Loske Treicolt]

TWO POWERFUL WARRIORS
CONCORD DAWN | HARLAN | TREICOLT HOMESTEAD
THE TWO MOST POWERFUL WARRIORS
ARE PATIENCE
AND TIME

HAVEN'T I GIVEN ENOUGH​

Frank had found Loske the moment news broke of the conflict over Ilum. It had been that morning while working on repairing their vaporators. An essential piece of equipment that kept the ground moist and fertile and the grasses as golden as Maynard remembered from his youth.

To keep from concerning their youngest, the droid had relayed the information in binary to his mistress. An aggressive attack was initiated by The Empire, and worse yet, a reveal of a superweapon. A Bendu had appeared. Dread widened in her heart with each version of the account relayed.

Loske listened intently while the droid read through several newsfeeds at once. She put down her work to stop and listen when Auteme , now the Chancellor of The Alliance, held a fireside chat summarizing The Empire's pride. One of the last of their original crew who had fought so valiantly through the wars Maynard and Loske had retired from. It was this address that resonated with her the most.

Every now and then, one of the kids would wander in and hand her a hydrospanner she didn’t need but thanked them for it anyway. And wondered why they had so many hydrospanners lying around and accessible for tiny hands to find.

For a few minutes, she could focus on the repair work that needed to be done. But when it was fixed, and the hydrospanners collected and counted, all she had was the information Frank was sharing. She tried not to react, but it was deeply unsettling. With each headline or new string of information, she felt a knot tighten and twist into a thick lodge behind her ribs.

It was the kind of ache that didn’t go away hours after she’d ingested the information. Even though she put it in a small box at the back of her mind and continued through her routine, the implications had teeth, and gnawed hungrily at her conscience.

All through dinner, she was unnaturally pensive and quiet. She chewed on her thoughts more than her food.

Even as she read stories to their three miracles, smiled at them while Maynard tucked them in, and kept smiling when she softly closed the door to keep the hallway light out of their room, the feeling scratched at her psyche.

The warmth in her expression slipped away when the door hissed closed, and she looked to Maynard. Concern ingrained itself in her countenance, and she could hold her thoughts to herself no longer.

“Buddy or Frank tell you what happened on Ilum?”

---

---

Maynard Treicolt​

 

[Maynard Treicolt]

P R O T E C T O R
PROTECTOR OF CONCORD DAWN
Loske Treicolt

​

Each day bettered the contrast of the Concord Dawn that Maynard had returned to in pursuit of Ryv over a decade prior. It now more embodied its familiar image of roaming fields of crop wealth, small towns and hamlets staggered with emplaced enclaves. The years since Maynard had assumed his newfound role as Protector of Concord Dawn were relatively peaceful. While the fleeting policies of Fel had taken away a degree of autonomy that initially came with the tentative agreement between the budding Journeyman Protectors and the Empire- Concord Dawn was still largely undisturbed. While some policies were undoubtably implemented, its status as an agrarian frontier world made its visible hold by the Empire far less than its counterparts.

That day was spent not too dissimilar to his lover's. It was an early rise like any other- performing the needed daily maintenance on their compounds farming equipment before sending them on their automated paths caretaking the fields surrounding Treicolt's estate. It had grown from a meager farmstead to a more fitting compound able to cultivate and maintain the land around it as well as house Treicolt's Renegade in an underground hangar bay along with the family they'd come to make for themselves in the past few years. It was a corner of solace separated from a Galaxy in flames. While Treicolt wasn't ignorant of the advancing horde of the Brotherhood of the Maw or the horrid evils they'd commited, their lifestyle made it far easier to ignore it all in blissful inaction.

Afterall, they'd done their time in the fire. The burning memories of Ziost, Serenno and the rest of the Third Imperial Civil War had yet to fade in what didn't remain in physical reminders across his own body and that of his love's. His love who he'd nearly had ripped from him far too many times to risk them vaulting into the fray again.

As the day began to wind down, the unsettled nature from Loske whisked off her like a bad stench through their dyad in the force. He staved off the need to inquire to her about it through the day for the betterment of the little ones, striving to keep a more or less positive environment whilst they were awake and around the pair. After he'd put them all to bed and the sun began to bury itself beneath the golden horizon under shades of purples and red Maynard was finally able to shift his focus to Loske and block out the rest of the world. When she stood awaiting him at the entrance to the bedroom he was quick to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her into a brief kiss before she spoke, only for that characteristic warmth and comfort to cool down into concern.

“Buddy or Frank tell you what happened on Ilum?”

"No. Buddy knows better than to bother me with 'current events', what happened?" He asked, arching a brow. Since they'd returned to Concord Dawn, he had a contempt for getting himself personally invested in anything outside of their little world. If it wasn't a matter that effected their home, their family or the surrounding community planetside- he made clear of his thoughts that he didn't want to involve himself.

He went forth into the Galaxy a wide eyed renegade and the galaxy spit him back out. He needed his time and place of peace. And he'd found it here, with her.

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Despite herself, she smiled. Even after all these years, the steadfastness with which Maynard protected his dream still enchanted her.

It may have been a small detail, a quirk, to choose not to listen to current events, but it was precious and protective all at once.

Normally, she shared Maynard Treicolt ’s sentiment. This time, however, the regime their planet's space fell under was getting aggressive. It bristled her DNA.

"The Empire attacked Ilum." There was no sugar coating it.

Even deviating from calling them The New Imperial Order felt rough in her tongue. "Reports are still being updated, but allegedly they used a superweapon."

She frowned, and wandered to the seating area arranged around a hearth in the wall.

"What do you think this is going to mean."

 

[Maynard Treicolt]

P R O T E C T O R
PROTECTOR OF CONCORD DAWN
Loske Treicolt

Initially, he was silent in response- joining her in walking toward the seating area surrounding the welcoming, crackling hearth. It was a natural progression of things, really. This is what Empires did. While its governing element may not have been controlled by the Sith- it still had that very same drive for power. But ultimately, how black and white was the conflict due to be? What would be the cost for them to finally step back out into the Galaxy proper. To even consider taking up their abandoned mantle as Jedi again. They had remained here when the Sith Empire finally saw itself dismantled and they had remained here when the Brotherhood of the Maw was at the height of their rampage across the Galaxy.

If the Dark Lord himself willing the darkness to destroy the home of the Jedi wasn't enough to seize them back into the light. What would be? To Maynard- it would require a great and compelling force to pull him from this place. Well and truly? It could only be anything that directly threatened the five of them cloistered in Treicolt's homestead. Here- they were in their own little world isolated from a Galaxy in flames. While Maynard had spent his youth a victim to the rush of adrenaline and exploration, those times had long passed. That same drive that drew him as far from here as he could manage had only whiplashed and brought him back.

And here? He was able to craft his ideal story. And she contemplated threatening that comfort again- by playing hero for a Galaxy that Maynard only cared to isolate himself from.

"Probably nothing." He admitted, crossing his arms as his gaze shifted outside past the glass viewport to the setting sun before looking back to Loske with a tilt of his head. Afterall, Ilum was a nigh uninhabited planet, the possibility that the Empire might've caused mass civilian casualty with the weapon was slim.

"Remember Yinchorr? Hardly the first time Alliance and Imperials scrapped. If I had to guess? Nothing much will come out of it. They've seen plenty of war to know what it means for everyone. " He said, offering up a sigh as he began to make his way to the homestead's entrance way, flicking the door open with the press of a button and a metallic hiss- immediately welcoming him outside with an evening breeze, holding an arm out for Loske to come closer again before speaking up.

"But I know better than to think you would bring that up and not have your own thoughts on it..." Maynard said, looking over the landscape for a moment before he looked back to her, eyeing her up for a moment before those hazel eyes matched with her shrieking silver gaze.

"You want to do something about it, don't you?"

 

[Loske Treicolt]

Remember Yinchorr?

How could she forget Yinchorr? He’d been taken hostage from that planet, only to be shamefully returned. The memory was dusty but still had a sting to it. She made a noise at the back of her throat: “Yinchorr didn’t have a superweapon prototype and they weren't calling themselves The Empire yet.”

Cool evening air countered the warmth from the hearth, and she let the night’s breeze settle over her. In silence, she stared out to the fields that glowed gold in the sunshine but now, in the moonlight, shimmered silver. Like hundreds and hundreds of pale hands clapping for the Treicolts that had worked hard to bring life back to this farmland.

Her arm linked with his, leaning into the nook provided.

"You want to do something about it, don't you?"

Sincerity lived in those eyes on hers, and she frowned, looked away, back at the space where their family slept. They were concealed from sight, but it was enough time for Loske to let the question settle.

Somewhere in the distance, Amos the cat mewed out.

All she could think about was Kyric, and how wrought with conflict he’d been when Ryv died. She’d always known she wanted to raise her children entirely, and seeing the hole a hero left in his wake, only solidified her fortitude.

“I don’t know.” She answered, finally, her voice low.

“Maybe, but I don’t know what. Maybe I just want us to be aware of what’s starting to go on, and what that could evolve into. I don’t want to create a world where they,” the unnamed was self-explanatory, “Have to question their safety. Or ours.”

 

[Maynard Treicolt]

Loske Treicolt

They’d never be truly safe. Not so long as they thought about things in a grander, Galactic scale. It was never safe, chaos, death and darkness still governed the laws of the universe. Good people just had to try and make their way around it all. That’s what they’d done. As far as Maynard was concerned, they’d already played their role as young, dumb and hopeful- risking life and limb for a moral crusade that only ever threatened to rip them apart, or worse.

Here, they were isolated from the terrors of the Brotherhood of the Maw and the Resurgent Sith Order. Though they were under the thumb of the authoritarian Imperial regime- its grasp wasn’t too tight on Concord Dawn. Though that still didn’t mean they’d escaped it. Their whereabouts were well known by the Empire and Maynard accepted early into their time under the New Imperial Order that every move they made was likely under scrutiny. But so far- they’d yet to have really caused any trouble to warrant any negative attention.

“I know.” Loske was ever the bleeding heart and with as long as they’d been together- he could only have expected that answer. But in the end, what could they really do in response. While he was confident that his own infamy within the eyes of the New Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance had worn off since the accusations levied against him forced him from both organizations however, it wasn’t much of a home worth fighting for anymore and didn’t justify his defection back, for now at least.

“But I know better than to think you’d bring all this up if you didn’t want to do something about it. Not like there is anything we can do about it. We have influence here and not much else anymore. Unless-…unless you’re suggesting we…go back?” He asked, arching a brow as he looked to her, wondering if that was her intent. After the death of Ryv, the last true tether he had to the New Jedi Order had been severed. After all, it was the three of them against the Galaxy and now, with him gone, he could only hope to preserve what was left, what he cared about. Her and their children.

 

[Loske Treicolt]

"Back to what.."

The words slipped out before she'd thought them through. Clenching the inside of her cheeks, she sucked in a breath, held it, and released it.

"It would have to be the purpose. Not the people."

Through the darkness, silver eyes wandered and she ventured to rest her cheek against Maynard Treicolt 's shoulder.

"I don't know what I want to do now.

So much of me just wants to stay here and protect everything we've fought so hard for. Give strength to the kids. I guess.." she shifted, released a sigh, and moved to leverage her arm from interlocking to shove fully against him, so he could drape the arm they'd had linked around her instead. Like the protector he was. "There's a security in knowing that, if the time comes that we both agree on, we do go back. We can make the decision to go back.

We've never talked about it.

We've never really had to.

Maybe we should have, maybe Tython should have been the moment, but I didn't care as much because it was so far away and distant. Ryv, of course, I cared about but the whole war was about attacking who we were rather than who we are. Somehow, with this being the Empire Concord Dawn is physically affiliated with, the fight seems closer to home. I guess I just want to be ahead of that fight, make sure it never reaches here and Waylon, Vyrin and Kara are all..." she closed her eyes and leaned in, almost entirely, "..never have to have our lives."

Her mouth drew into a thin line and she pulled away, keeping her hands to his waist and focusing intently on his eyes. Silver to hazel. Like the dawn's rolling mist over the autumn fields.

"And for their sakes, which is better: Letting go of who we were, and what we stood for, or standing with The Empire?"