Reflection

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There were a number of moves he could make on the galactic dejarik table, and each held a dozen different possible outcomes that they might bring about. Cedric spent the majority of his time contemplating those moves as of late - things weren't looking good no matter what perspective he chose to view them from.

There simply weren't enough Jedi to account for the rise of imperialism, and the few students that finished their training were often killed shortly thereafter. The New Republic either needed a large surge of dedicated initiates, or they needed to invest in something other than the order for their ultimate protection.

The Jedi Master pondered this as he took in the beauty of Ruusan's mountain range. He stood alone at the open landing pads situated just outside the walls of the castle. It was here that visitors would land to refuel and recharge, and more importantly it was a source of strangers to provide Cedric with interesting conversation.

The lord of the Graywall settled down in a pink lawn chair just off to the side of the landing pads. He was clad in the furs of his homeworld; the colder climate in this mountain range made his people's traditional garb fortunately comfortable.

A brow was lofted as a ship came in to land. Seemed this wasn't going to be a quiet morning after all.

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

A sigh escaped his lips as he charted a path towards the surface of Ruusan, a planet he'd never been privy to visit until that day. Kel had practically lived out of his starship as he travelled from system, occasionally finding a job offer from a smuggler or merchant in need of an escort. The credits were good for a while, but all it took was a fortnight without any work for him to be down to the last of his food rations.

Kel's interceptor made its way down to an empty landing pad with a soft thump, the cockpit opening up to reveal an adolescent who appeared to be enjoying much-needed deep breaths of fresh, non-recycled air. The cold made it all the much better, but he wouldn't focus on it too long after spotting an individual sitting off in the distance.

After locking the hatch to his interceptor, Kel would turn his attention towards the man that was currently sitting to the side of the landing pads. Kel would make an effort to conceal his lightsaber beneath his jacket before approaching the man, but it would most likely be visible to some degree.

"Greetings, stranger."

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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Whether Cedric caught sight of the lightsaber or not was impossible to tell. He simply regarded the new arrival with a warm smile and a waving hand. Ruusan was not particularly out of the way, but it wasn't on any important trade routes either. Travelers were uncommon enough to be interesting, but not uncommon enough to be an event. This one was the first person to make landfall in three days.

"You as well friend," the Jedi Master replied, his voice gruff yet friendly. "Welcome to the Graywall. I'm the owner," he gestured back toward the ancient battlements behind him. "You can call me Cedric. What are you stopping in for?" A brow was lofted.

He could feel the empyrean being drawn to the boy. The Great Ocean stirred around him: the waves were not quite violent, nor were they peaceful. Cedric would have described them as slightly disturbed. He filed that thought away as he rose from the chair and met the arrival's gaze.

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

Kel appeared impassive upon hearing that the man known as Cedric was the owner of the massive castle behind him-- The Graywall, as he called it. In response to his question, Kel would offer a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"Supplies. Refueling. The usual, I suppose..." He trailed off towards the end as his gaze shifted towards the Graywall once more, and finally off towards the mountains in the distance. The planet was beautiful, but deep down there was something else different that made it stand out to his mind's eye.

His eyes trailed back towards Cedric after shaking off the feeling that had overcome him momentarily. "Assuming this...Greywall offers any of that. I'm unfortunately near empty on everything one needs to survive out there in space. Fate would have it that this planet was the closest I could reach without losing complete power in space."

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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Understanding flitted across Cedric's features as he regarded the youth. "Got that in spades. You're lucky you landed where you did. We don't charge half as much as the other refueling stations on the planet."

All two of them.

Cedric held a hand up to his ear and spoke into a bead comm. A few moments later and two men in military fatigues came jogging up to the landing pad. Cedric regarded them with a smile that suggested familiarity.

"Load him up, standard rate." He turned back to Kel, "You can talk price with the dockmaster once they finish up. We can do a tab if you can't afford it." He stated plainly, and however the kid took that was up to him.

"Thought you might have been a pilgrim. We get a few padawans every other month from the Silvers." Cedric remarked as he watched the two soldiers go about the business of connecting a battery line to the ship's reactor.

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Ken]

[ignore]

 

[Kel Novastar]

"A pilgrim, huh?" He'd ask back with a bit of a grin appearing on his face. "To be honest, i've never heard of this planet before a few days ago. I only caught wind of it from a passing trader after a good three days out in space." In a way he would deflect away from the speaking of the Silvers, as he called them.

Kel had been using force concealment from the moment he broke through the planet's atmosphere. It was necessary as a precaution whenever he entered a planet-- unknown or not. Yet still he couldn't shake the feeling that the planet was somehow connected with the force in a sense. The feeling was strong enough that Kel couldn't quite shake it off as he could do with the presence of other force users.

"What's so special about this planet, anyways? Seems rather...distant, or maybe the right word is somber." Kel slid his hands into his pockets to conserve what warmth remained on them while they stood out in the elements. "A beautiful world, in either case. Just seems rather....eh. Nevermind."

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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Cedric had always enjoyed gushing about his family's ancestral home. Ession had been their world, but Ruusan had been their refuge. A bright smile found its way onto Cedric's patrician face as he gestured for the younger man to follow him up a flight of stairs that led to the battlements. "Ruusan has a very colored history, and few people still know if it." He began to explain. "Several thousand years ago, a climactic battle between the Brotherhood of Darkness - a collection of Sith - and the Army of Light - the Jedi equivalent - took place here over the course of many months. When it ended, the majority of the Jedi were dead, all but one of the Sith, and the world was rendered a nexus of the force."

The Jedi Master gestured toward the ancient castle walls. "My ancestors were part of that Jedi army, and they built this place. It's a nexus of the light all its own; we have a tree as old as the castle itself beneath it that saturates the nearby land with the force."

He came to a halt as they reached the top of the battlements. Below, two dozen initiates dressed in simple robes were undergoing hand-to-hand combat training. Cedric smiled upon them proudly.

"Sometimes pilgrims come to see the tree. Others come for advice from our masters, and occasionally we get students wishing to learn the ways of the force in a more spiritual setting."

Cedric turned to look Kei in the eye. "We're not Silver Jedi though. We built this castle long before the Silvers were even an idea in the minds of the old breakaway masters."

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

Kel, for the most part, remained quiet as Cedric spoke to him and brought him closer to entering the Greywall. He was interested in hearing about the place's history, all things considered. After all, It wasn't every day that one who wishes to explore the force end up semi-stranded on a world that was absolutely teeming with it

And it was the light side of the force, for once. He had grown accustomed to the chill that planets bathed in the dark would send down his spine. To him, it was similar to walking through a room covered in snow, all the while seeing just how cold he could get. It was an oppressive feeling at times in comparison to the sanguine warmth that seemed to emanate from the surface of the world.

"I see..." Kel's response was short, as his eyes appeared interested in staring off elsewhere instead of his company. He'd never been in the presence of so many force users before who weren't of Sith allegiance. It was interesting to simply see what the various assortment of Padawans were doing, even if it proved to be nothing. "This world is quite lucky, then. To be bathed so heavily in the force...yet it appears the Sith have not took notice yet, or simply have not acted."

He shrugged, then moved a hand through his hair while pondering the thought again. "A tragedy for them, but a boon to me it seems." He continued, then walked further into the battlements to get a good look at all the Padawans and civilians who might be around. "I'm usually quite the cynic, even though my connection to the force can convince me otherwise. But... I think fate might have brought me here for a reason. I'm not interested in talking to a tree, mind you...I simply want answers-- about the Force."

 

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"They'll come," Cedric replied grimly. Whether the Sith knew of the Graywall or not was not the question; it was simply a matter of when they would choose to pay the ancient enclave a visit. The Jedi Master was confident that day would remain far off so long as the Silver Jedi maintained their dominion of Ruusan's surrounding worlds, but he also understood the power of the Sith Empire. Only a fool underestimated his opponent, and the Sith had managed to build themselves quite the war machine, whereas the New Republic was still a seedling, and the Silvers were woefully outnumbered.

Even still, there was yet hope. As Cedric looked upon the next generation of Jedi Knight arrayed below them, he took comfort in the knowledge that when the Sith finally drove a lightsaber through his heart, there would be other men and women to keep up the fight.

"I don't think you're wrong," Cedric replied as he turned to the boy and lofted a brow. The Jedi Master had been alive long enough to know that there was no such thing as coincidence; all things happened as the force willed them to. "Ask, and I'll answer whatever I can, but I have a question for you first: what's your name?"

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

The part of him that lived and breathed what the Sith taught him would agree that yes, Kel was right. The Sith war machine was indiscrinimnate and without restraint; two traits that the neither the Jedi nor the Republic could afford to have. He wouldn't address this to Cedric, as the grim look on the man's face provided enough of a response before words needed to be said.

Luckily the two had much more to talk about, or at least Kel had much to ask.

"Uhh.. my name?" He'd repeat for no other reason than to give his brain a few more seconds to consider his next words. For a moment he paused in thought, then breathed in for a deep sigh to come. "...My name is Kel, Kel Novastar." He was never fond of the name Caerus to begin with.

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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Cedric snorted. "You kids all seem to have these interesting names. Novastar, Starchaser, Sunrunner - seems like there's a rule about young force sensitives and being named after astral objects."

The Jedi Master gestured for Kel to follow him along the battlements. The walk was not a long one, and Cedric always found himself enjoying walking the walls. A few soldiers gave him nods as the duo strode past them toward another flight of stairs that connected to the main castle.

"Where are you from Kel?" Cedric asked curiously as they ascended the stairwell and stepped into an ornate dining hall. The Jedi didn't give the room much thought as he would lead Kel straight through it, down a hall, another corridor, and then through a side door into what looked to be an office of some sort. It stood atop the highest tower in the castle, and had large windows that gave a lovely view of the courtyard below and the mountain range beyond.

"You don't carry yourself like someone from this sector of space. Most folks from the general area are a bit more...eh, I guess you could say they style themselves a bit regally." He continued as he settled down in a chair behind a large wooden desk, and gestured for Kel to sit opposite of him.

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

Something akin to a chuckle came from his lips after hearing Cedric joke about his name. He never paid much attention to it personally, but he could see that Cedric dealt with dozens of force-sensitives on the daily.

Kel would soon be on the move once Cedric decided to move further into the castle. It was a good time for small talk, although he figured they would be conversing for quite a while already. Luckily, Cedric took the imitative with another question that was equally as taboo as the other.

Another pause came before he would speak. His eyes focused elsewhere, intent on taking in the sites of things foreign to him and his way of life. He had suppressed the memories of his past for so long that it wasn't easy to recall them on the fly. As for bringing them into thought, it was almost as if a cloud was lifting over certain portions of his memory, for better and for worse.

"I'm not from anywhere in particular. Although Corellia is where my lineage is traced from." His words were impartial and detached, yet there was no attempt at deception with his words. "Home was wherever the ship decided to stop off and dig through next. I hear it comes with the trade; Jedi archaeologists, or what not. They were far disconnected from the order though, but just as oppressive."

Kel would seat himself once the two of them reached their destination. He wasn't sure what the locals were like, but Cedric would receive a shrug of the shoulders from his younger companion. "I dress for comfort, and to blend into any cantina I walk in. In my line of work,flowing robes would stand out at the very least, and get me killed at the worst."

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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Cedric had suspected the boy had some ties to the Jedi. Most that ended up here did, or had a darker past to follow them instead. Often it was a case of both, as it was not uncommon for the Sith to abduct the children of slain Jedi and take them on as apprentices. It had happened to Cedric's own father so very long ago, and the effects of that experience had never truly left the late Cyril Grayson.

"My grandmother was into that sort of thing. Always the healer, never the fighter. She carried a lightsaber to mark herself as a Jedi and little else," he smiled at the memory of the late queen of Naboo. "Your parents sound like the usual Green Jedi. They were never keen on maintaining ties with the rest of us beyond carrying the same titles. Always the rogues."

A look of curiosity fell over Cedric's features as the youth continued. "You don't sound keen on the order, so I take it you're not a Jedi yourself. That's fine, though I'd go out on a limb and say your experience with your parents would likely differ from the Jedi of today. If anything my peers are too lax with their rules and training than oppressive these days - it opens the door for many student to fall to temptation." He paused, "Enough of me drilling you though: you came here to get answers, not to give them."

[member="Kel Novastar"]

 

[Kel Novastar]

"Perhaps."

His reply was as lazy as it was brief. His parents weren't necessarily a sore spot, he just cared little to hear about their alignment and what not within the force. They were selfish parents in his opinion, and that was that.

He had not spoke to them since his dramatic exit from their home. It didn't help that he stole both a holocron and an antique starfighter on the way out, but such was life. It was true though, that he held a slight animosity for the Jedi order as a whole. He had his gripes with them, but that wouldn't stop him from at least attempting to learn more about them.

"I was trained by my parents as a child, but formally I was never a Jedi." He began, a soft smile sitting on his face. "I wouldn't quite call myself a Sith, either. Not anymore, at least." Kel lacked the motivation to kill for a cause that would betray him he moment he became useless. The tenants of the Sith were always contradictory to what he truly believed, but death was the only other option back then.

"My first question is simple, really. Where does the line end? The line between the light and the dark?" Kel dropped the concealment that had kept his true alignment within the force from being revealed. His aura was a muddled mixture of the dark and the light, neither side winning out over the other. "It occurred to me that my previous master focused more on developing my powers than educating me on the force. With that in mind, I figured it made sense to make an effort to educate myself on both sides of the spectrum. Granted, that wasn't my intention for coming to this planet...but circumstances changed."

[member=Cedric Grayson]

 

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A troubled soul. Cedric understood where the boy was coming from. The Jedi Master had experienced similar feelings during his apprenticeship and early knighthood. Left without a father to guide him, or a Jedi to teach him, Cedric had been forced to learn the path on his own. He'd made many mistakes that could have been avoided had he been allowed a teacher, and his allegiance had often shifted with the tides. It was only when the lives of those he truly cared for were on the line that he had come to understand the difference between the dark and the light.

"It doesn't," Cedric said plainly, "Sentient beings are complicated creatures that experience a vast range of emotions. We are all capable of as much good as we are evil, and the force reflects us, or perhaps we reflect the force. Either way, our actions allow the force to either evolve into an energy for preservation and healing, or warp it into a means of destruction. It is only ourselves and the morals we hold ourselves to that determine the lines, so they're something you have to make for yourself. Only you can decide where the line between light and dark stands for yourself, and you just have to hope you don't let that line slip too far toward the ether lest you get pulled so far down you can never climb back up."

Cedric truly enjoyed passing on his knowledge, or at the very least his thoughts and views on such knowledge. It was something he could truly see himself doing until the end of his days, and he found himself hoping now as he had many times that he might meet his end surrounded by his students rather than in war with the Sith Empire.

"I'm unorthodox," he added, "A product of my time. My views don't reflect that of all Jedi, but I hope to change that. Take what I say with a grain of salt, I'm certainly not always right and while I do consider myself an authority on the force, I am not the absolute." He felt it important to point that out, lest the boy think other Jedi might be as open minded in their beliefs as Cedric had grown to be.

"As for myself, the line between light and dark is a simple one. If I feel like I am doing the right thing, then I take a moment to reflect on it. If I am not causing undue harm, ending a life, or bringing someone undue misfortune, then I feel at peace with myself and continue. If anything I do makes me feel like I am even slightly going against these boundaries I've built for myself, I take a pause and either refrain or think on it longer if the situation allows for me to do so. All it takes to control emotion is utilizing your intelligence; you just need to think."

[member="Kel Novastar"]